Get rich or…
Re “Canada is no longer one of the richest nations on Earth. Country after country is passing us by” (Opinion, March 2): All three levels of government and every political party own this problem. But more importantly, Canadian voters own this problem and we owe it to future generations to fix it.
The average voter doesn’t relate to the term productivity, so it never becomes an election issue. Why would it? Unemployment is low, incomes are comfortable and Canada remains a wonderful place to live and raise a family.
Until the average voter better understands that a productive and growing economy would allow them to own a house instead of rent, or work in an industry that pays substantially higher wages, Canada will likely continue to underperform.
One U.S. politician used the phrase “it’s the economy, stupid” to win an election. We need the Canadian version.
Eric Tripp Toronto
My goodness, Canada is in a growth crisis and labour productivity is plummeting. Our future is said to look precarious. Did you forget why economics is called the dismal science?
You know what Canada is experiencing? Growth pains from high immigration. It’s called building markets for the future. Read Globe journalist Doug Saunders’s 2017 book Maximum Canada: Why 35 Million Canadians Are Not Enough. It’s exhilarating and bodes well for our future.
From the late 1800s to 1900, the United States experienced explosive, unchecked population growth which led to it becoming an economic powerhouse and world power in the 20th century. I’ll bet there were economists and journalists of that day bemoaning plummeting productivity and excessive immigration.
It’s Canada’s turn now.
Don Anderson Oakville, Ont.
The prospect of growth fosters hope, particularly for the young. So what to do about it?
Contributor Andrew Coyne sees lack of investment as a main stumbling block. I see two types of investors: those who have money to invest, and those who have bright ideas to invest time and energy in.
As a retired octogenarian Canadian, I prefer to invest my modest savings in U.S. stocks. And were I a young, talented scientist or engineer, I would invest my time and energy south of the border, in a country not so cursed by internal trade barriers.
Pierre Trudeau repatriated the Constitution. Brian Mulroney tied up some loose ends. Now Mr. Coyne is raising the unpleasant spectre of future balkanization.
Hopefully some statesmen is prepared to take a hard look at our Constitution, and bring it in line with the needs of a country that has changed dramatically since 1867.
Boudewyn van Oort Victoria
It would be interesting to add the climate crisis to the cluster of issues that columnist Andrew Coyne identifies.
The international economic competition in which Canada performs rather weakly could be set against potential leadership in an international collaboration on climate that enhances Canadians’ sense of their place in the world. There are abundant reasons to think that capital growth can no longer be promoted without further environmental spoilage.
Under the circumstances, why do rich nations require forever rising living standards per capita? The better issue for Canada may be the distribution of existing wealth. Perhaps we should champion sufficiency for all.
Let us at least have a conversation that considers more than economic growth.
Evan Simpson St. John’s
Many Canadians seem suspicious of making money, driven by a variety of beliefs that it requires continued colonial exploitation, environmental degradation, worker subjugation or financial manipulation.
With such negative perceptions, is it any wonder we have less money? If we are to make economic progress, more Canadians should love, or at least accept, money.
Terence Colgan Burlington, Ont.
Columnist Andrew Coyne writes that British Columbia is “poorer” than Kentucky.
Before COVID-19, life expectancy in British Columbia was almost seven years longer than in Kentucky. Now it’s around nine years.
Perhaps we should think more broadly about “wealth.”
Robert Malcolmson Nelson, B.C.
Sick of it
Re “Canadian study into Agent Orange use at Gagetown base was incorrect, biased, says U.S. inquiry” (March 2): In 1967, I was a newly minted lieutenant of the Royal Canadian Artillery at CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick.
I lived on base and trained extensively. Everything seemed perfect, but there was a big problem: Agent Orange was being sprayed over the very same area where we trained.
We were never told of any danger to our health or well-being. Yet Agent Orange is recognized by the medical community as highly carcinogenic. Exposure can cause a variety of cancers, including a blood cancer known as multiple myeloma.
In 2016, I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Since then, my life and that of my family have been a painful nightmare.
What is particularly distressing is that the 2006 Ottawa probe has recently been labelled as poorly designed and guilty of manipulating data. It sounds like a typical whitewashing report.
The veterans who served this country in good faith deserve much more.
Blair Wheaton Ellershouse, N.S.
Second screen
Re “I was a broadcast journalist. Now, TV is the last place I go for news” (Opinion, March 2): When contributor Wendy Mesley started anchoring CBC’s The National, smartphones were in their infancy. Today, remaining viewers are likely sitting with phones in hand, and the television remote close by.
Tough competition, but technology cannot take all the blame for declining viewership. As Ms. Mesley points out, the stories, tone and presentation are not working.
This observation, made by many for a considerable period of time, seems to always fall on deaf ears at the CBC. Dull and unengaging would be a polite way to categorize the current format and personalities.
Until the powers that be address this longstanding grievance, technology will likely continue to win the viewership battle and programs such as The National will, unfortunately, go the way of the dodo.
Mark Spurr Toronto
Love shines
Re “Ron Sexsmith becomes the night’s gift during his 60th birthday party at Massey Hall” (March 2): “The crowd applauded Sexsmith warmly.”
I was at Massey Hall for the show. The moment Ron Sexsmith walked on stage, more than 2,500 people jumped to their feet for a standing ovation and the applause was thunderous. And he hadn’t even sung a note.
He is a great musician indeed.
Karen Andersen Toronto
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