Green Party MP Mike Morrice looks on as Leader Elizabeth May speaks while holding up a copy of a public security report during a news conference, in Ottawa, on June 11.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
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Re “No current MPs wittingly collaborated with foreign powers, Green Leader Elizabeth May says after reading classified report” (June 12): Thanks to Elizabeth May for stepping up to the plate. Nice to see a member of the House of Commons speaking to Canadians in our language and not politicizing an issue.
Canada should have more Elizabeth Mays.
Brian Yager Ferryland, Nfld.
I’m confounded that Pierre Poilievre refuses to take action to obtain a security clearance for top-secret information, claiming that he would then be muzzled.
How does he expect to potentially function as prime minister without this clearance?
Stephanie Duggan Ottawa
Up and down
Re “So what if inflation is falling? The damage to our finances is done” (Report on Business, June 11): The problem with rising and falling inflation is that prices still keep going up, and at different rates.
We are not experiencing lower food prices, for example. Justin Trudeau may try to blame grocers, but I believe his government’s profligate spending and environmental policies have contributed to significantly higher costs for suppliers.
My wife recently dropped in on a local craft shop. The owner is semi-retired, so not destitute. But the place was empty. He still has to pay rent.
I brought a household item to a repair shop. The proprietor said that people can’t afford to buy new but also can’t afford repairs. He still has to pay rent and feed his family. He is struggling.
The damage is done, but may get worse over the next 16 months of this Liberal tenure. If Mr. Trudeau truly cares about citizens and small business, he should step down.
Larry Sylvester Halton Hills, Ont.
Before starting my company 41-plus years ago, I consulted a lawyer.
My sales are generally low margin and high risk, so he advised me to incorporate. Although the costs of doing so were much higher, this acted like insurance so that my growing family and I would not be personally wiped out due to unforeseen circumstances.
The lifestyle I have achieved is slightly better than average. The unique skills and talent to produce these results were furthered by major sacrifices through the years.
Some of my business assets (which were used to stabilize revenue and grow business) have accumulated gains that now will be subject to government punishment, even though I do not use my corporation as a holding company to divert assets nor avoid taxes. But Chrystia Freeland, in a pure effort at tax fairness, suggests that extra tax revenue be taken from my firm to support underpaid doctors?
Brian Sim Hamilton
Re “Taxing situation” (Letters, June 12): The growing divide between haves and have-nots has been determined by our economic system.
Individuals desire to compare themselves to who is above them economically. People no longer consider themselves wealthy if they compare themselves to the Elon Musks of the world.
As a letter-writer said, many people will likely have a hard time paying more tax on “quaint and simple inherited family cottages.” However they should compare themselves, and what they so fortunately have, to a growing number of people who cannot or never be able to afford to pay rent or own a home.
David Malcolm Hamilton
I am a recent executor of an estate.
Capital gains for an individual are realized on the day they die. Because of this, increasing the inclusion rate would increase estate taxes for individuals who have built up a portfolio through buy-and-hold strategies.
No doubt the truly wealthy have strategies to work around this. Most likely middle-class seniors won’t be able to dodge it.
Younger people demanding intergenerational fairness should ponder whether they support taking the high road, and funding it through reduced inheritances.
Stephen Kilburn Guelph, Ont.
Adds up
Re “Younger Canadians deserve compensation for enduring higher home prices” (Report on Business, June 8): I, too, understand the woes of younger people.
My daughter lives in Toronto with her husband and, despite decent jobs, they cannot afford a home. They are renting a townhouse for $4,000.
My son lives in Edmonton, where home prices were relatively low. He is a homeowner.
I know contributor Paul Kershaw has his heart in the right place as he seeks policy changes to make homeownership more accessible to younger people. However, I believe his portrayal of baby boomers borders on evil.
Such views feel unhelpful. They can put a tear in our delicate social fabric.
Asad Ansari Oakville, Ont.
I calculate the actual costs of producing housing to be higher than levels deemed affordable; the scale of the problem is beyond anything our government can subsidize.
Developers don’t have hidden reserves of profitability. They have lived on thin margins and abundant cheap debt, which is mostly gone now. New supply, then, will not emerge at below the cost of production.
Three things that can realistically reduce the cost of building houses are lower development charges (requiring a new funding model for cities), less red tape and zoning restrictions (with huge costs and risks) and lower borrowing costs.
Lack of demand at economical prices mostly means no new supply. We might starve out a few desperate sellers in the short term, but the dynamics of supply and demand haven’t been repealed.
We will likely need to reimagine how our cities and urban planning work, along with our expectations.
Darryl Squires Ottawa
Re “Growing up in a co-op was an experience I wish could be replicated for more Canadians” (Opinion, June 8): As a 45-year resident of Grenville Park, I can testify that you capture well the spirit of friendship and thoughtful, collaborative decision-making fostered by the founders of the Grenville Park Co-operative Housing Association in 1946.
Our collective ownership of 12.5 acres of parkland (open to all adjacent Kingston communities, maintained at our expense) is only possible because of the organizational structure prepared by our predecessors. We continue to acknowledge their wisdom by embracing our own stewardship responsibilities.
Grenville Park remains an inspirational model for any group that wants to create a co-operative community in Canada today.
Ian Malcolm Kingston
Business case
Re “Business rating” (Letters, June 11) A letter-writer provides a popular saying: “No one ever got fired for hiring McKinsey.” Might I draw their attention to Enron and Purdue Pharma?
Technically, no one might have been fired. But …
Michael Maranda Toronto
Letters to the Editor should be exclusive to The Globe and Mail. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Keep letters to 150 words or fewer. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. To submit a letter by e-mail, click here: letters@globeandmail.com