Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov in Kazan, Russia Feb. 21.SPUTNIK/Reuters
Money talks
Re “BoC’s Macklem highlights inflation fighting errors, lessons learned in new essay” (Report on Business, Feb. 21): Now that Tiff Macklem has begun to recognize the many economic risks and supply errors in the Bank of Canada’s fight against inflation, he should stop saying that the bank has to improve its approaches to helping the public better “understand what we are doing and why.”
Constructively communicating with the public was his job, and there are many who feel that failure alone was half of the problem encountered by the bank.
Edward Carson Toronto
Keep them separated
Re “Second diaspora group won’t take part in foreign-interference inquiry” (Feb. 20): To date, we have not dealt well with foreign interference matters in Canada.
The first criterion in designing such an inquiry should be to fulfill the needs of the self-identified vulnerable groups. If they do not participate, the exercise risks being a waste of time.
No one should have full standing, especially for such issues as defending “reputational interest.” Targeted politicians such as Han Dong do have the right to say something, but it should be in a phase separate from where vulnerable groups present concerns.
The idea of their being able to cross-examine participating parties seems ludicrous. Doing so would guarantee non-functionality of the whole operation.
Surely Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue can see and accept these minimal criteria? If not, we either fail again or go back to the drawing board.
Albert Berry Toronto
In defence
Re “Ukraine is paying the price for our nonchalance toward Russia’s leadership” (Opinion, Feb. 17): In my opinion, Russia is stretched quite thin at the moment and now is the time for NATO to destroy the Russian aggression and dismantle Vladimir Putin’s regime. The United Nations, for once, should take decisive action as well.
Gary Lewis Owen Sound, Ont.
Re “Spend wisely” (Letters, Feb. 19): “Canada’s reputation in matters of conflict has been as a peacekeeper.”
Our military history dates back to the Boer War. Canada’s armed forces have since served in the First World War, Second World War, Korean War, Gulf War and the war in Afghanistan. To suggest we are a nation of pacifists belies our history and, I believe, is an affront to those who gave their lives in service to Canada.
Peaceful co-existence requires more than one participant. Shying away from aggression likely guarantees there will be more. From Neville Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement to isolationist Republicans currently blocking aid to Ukraine, the result is the same: Warmongers press on, encouraged and refreshed.
Peace does not blossom on its own. It is won at great cost with military capability and willingness to fight for our beliefs. Canada has always done so.
Countries such as Ukraine hope this proud history continues.
Roy Schneider Regina
Tax hikes
Re “NATO secretary-general says Canada must inform alliance when it will raise defence spending” (Feb. 21): There has been considerable handwringing about additional expenditures for the military, pharmacare, dental care and daycare. Efforts to locate more funds seem to focus largely on what can be cut or finding ever-elusive efficiencies. What about the revenue side of the equation?
Canada is not a high-tax nation. Figures from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development show that our tax-to-GDP ratio in 2022 was 33.2 per cent; the OECD average was 34 per cent. The European nations we most admire for these types of services have ratios around 40 per cent or higher.
The OECD data show that these differences are not due to income tax, but our relatively low GST and social-service contributions. We cannot expect to fund European-level services or a robust military at our current levels of taxation.
Jeff Whitehead Ottawa
Care package
Re “Provinces harm family finances by playing politics with $10-a-day child care” (Report on Business, Feb. 17): I have been advocating for affordable and expanded child care for many years by showing up to rallies, signing petitions and e-mailing my provincial and federal representatives. I was thrilled to learn that my three-year-old’s centre became a $10-a-day site earlier this year.
The difference in paying $200 a month for full-time care compared to the $1,000 a month I used to pay for my oldest is so meaningful, especially when I have high housing costs to manage. The care my child gets is excellent, and I fully support a $30- to $40-an-hour wage grid so that we can recruit and retain qualified early childhood educators.
We also should keep expanding these sites. While I love my centre, it involves a long commute. I have been on all of my local waitlists for years with no spaces offered.
Parents need more affordable, quality options in all neighbourhoods.
Maddison Spenrath Vancouver
Re “The annual summer childcare struggle: Working parents spend thousands for day and overnight camps” (Report on Business, Feb. 20): Years ago, my hard-working parents engaged a mother’s helper during the summer months.
With four years between us, the best summers of my youth were spent sharing one-on-one time together. It helped us both to grow in confidence and maturity while tackling adventures responsibly.
Before cellphones, summers in Toronto included riding transit to the lakeside pool, visits to the Royal Ontario Museum and the Canadian National Exhibition, long walks and picnics in parks and ravines, lunches at the counter of Fran’s Restaurant, playing tennis against the brick wall of a local high school and swooning over Cliff Richard in Summer Holiday at the movies.
I can highly recommend this win-win alternative to camp.
Marian Kingsmill Hamilton
Free for all
Re “Black refugee John Anderson is released” (Moment in Time, Feb. 16): Sir John A. Macdonald is the father of Canada’s Confederation, but I believe the father of Canada’s independence is John Anderson.
Anderson was the last fugitive enslaved person to undergo extradition proceedings here. His case polarized Canada’s relations with the United States and Britain and threatened the safe haven of more than 50,000 runaway enslaved people.
A U.S.-British extradition treaty superseded colonial laws. As a result, the Habeas Corpus Act of 1862 was enacted so that Britain no longer held legal sway over its colonies. The extradition process was changed to be a matter for Canadian courts, creating Canada’s first independent foreign policy.
Canada’s place in the world depends upon control over its immigration policies and the ability to write laws. It took a runaway enslaved person to give Canada that liberty.
The injustice meted out to John Anderson resulted in justice for Canadians. We owe him a huge debt.
John Gregory Toronto
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