Prime Minister Justin Trudeau steps out of the west doors of West Block in Ottawa on March 5.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
Late start
Re “Naheed Nenshi’s entry into the NDP race is a jolt for Alberta politics” (March 12): Distractions are already rife in Alberta’s current political wildfire. Naheed Nenshi’s parachute drop into a race, one that is well under way, may only fuel hyperbole and jeopardize the work accomplished by those already entered.
I see a populist seeking more padding for an already impressive résumé, rather than someone bringing real change to the table. In order to better understand Mr. Nenshi’s leanings, a good place to start may be asking whether he intends to stick around in 2027 should his leadership bid burn out.
Tyler Melnyk Calgary
Ten months ago, Alberta elected a United Conservative Party government. Unless that party splits, it’s three years until our next general election. So, sure, parties need someone planning how to win it, but bringing the UCP government to account in the meantime should be more important.
That’s the context in which the NDP chooses a new leader. How do they engage with the government from this summer on? How would Naheed Nenshi lead and communicate that? How would the others candidates lead and communicate that?
It’s going to be a good, grownup conversation.
Lloyd Lovatt Edmonton
Hard to swallow
Re “U.S. lumber industry takes aim at Canada’s forestry research centre, alleging unfair subsidies” (Report on Business, March 12): Canada is one of the United States’ largest trading partners. We have the longest international border in the world. We are best of friends. Why then is softwood lumber such an ongoing point of contention?
The last agreement on softwood trade was reached in 2006 and ended in 2015 with no replacement since. In its stead, the U.S. had levied countervailing duties on Canadian producers.
This has pushed Canadian producers to expand into the U.S. market, whereby U.S. investments by the three largest Canadian lumber companies now account for substantial percentages of their businesses.
The U.S. is on its third president since 2015. The only constant has been Justin Trudeau. He should stop dilly-dallying and put this file to bed, once and for all.
Otherwise what is the point of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and its predecessor the North American Free Trade Agreement – and the reason for another Liberal government?
Gary Raich Westmount, Que.
What’s left?
Re “ArriveCan faces more scrutiny as Public Sector Integrity Commissioner opens investigation” (March 12): The focus on the ArriveCan app is quite remarkable.
An expenditure that amounts to roughly one-tenth of 1 per cent of federal spending now has nearly a dozen investigations. Meanwhile, Conservative MPs continue to howl at the moon.
The core issue I see is a flawed procurement process, which is a symptom of wider problems and lack of controls over value for money. But fixing these issues appears to be taking a back seat, as all the auditors hit at targets who are already down, then the Opposition blames the government because today was cloudy.
It’s clear to me that contractor relationships were too cozy and the process so complex that it required a middleman translator to get anything done. Fix these things and calm down.
Frank Malone Aurora, Ont.
ArriveCan’s cost to taxpayers was a staggering $59.5-million. I can’t even guess the additional cost of nearly a dozen inquiries and a pending RCMP investigation.
Now the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner has announced yet another probe. I doubt this commission will provide any additional or useful information. But it will add to the total cost of the whole fiasco.
Michael Gilman Toronto
International reputation
Re “Stop undervaluing the contributions that international students make to Canada” (March 12): My concern is not about international students’ value to Canada, but rather the meteoric increase in their numbers.
According to the Canadian Bureau for International Education, there were 1.04 million international students in Canada in 2023, a 29-per-cent increase from 2022 and a 200-per-cent increase over the last 10 years. According to Statistics Canada, 19 per cent of international students do not actually enroll in a college or university.
As to how many students work in Canada after graduation, CBIE puts the number at approximately 60 per cent. In Germany, highlighted as an example of a country that values international students “highly” and “actively” encourages them to stay (suggesting that Canada does not), the Wissenschaft weltoffen report puts the figure at approximately 45 per cent.
Scott Walter Ottawa
International students are young. After a year or so in a postsecondary school, most can speak English or French which enables them to contribute to Canadian society.
Just as important, international students bring their first languages which enable them to communicate with the many different cultures that now make up Canadian society. Not just government resources such as police, medical, judicial and immigration services, but companies that offer direct services to people who don’t speak English or French.
Canadian business now has access to almost every country in the world to do business. Just a few months ago, our government requested that all prospective international students bring at least $20,635 plus the cost of one year‘s tuition (”Ottawa doubles the cash foreign students need to study in Canada” Dec. 8, 2023). That in itself should have been enough government involvement.
Anything more would just be political and do nothing to benefit Canadian society.
Ken Stock Port Hope, Ont.
Cash in
Re “Don’t meddle with Canada’s pension-plan model” (Report on Business, March 11): Thanks to the outstanding former pension fund managers for their reasoned response to Canadian CEOs wanting government to create more red tape for Canada’s pension funds, by requiring pension funds to invest more money into business operating in Canada.
I wonder how many of those 90-plus CEOs’ companies have shuttered their employees’ defined benefit pension plans, or never offered one? (DB plans being the only pensions to have accrued enough money on behalf of employees to draw CEO interest.)
What I do know is that many of these companies are on the Institut de recherche et d’informations socioéconomiques list of corporations that have used tax avoidance schemes, so that profit can be taxed in foreign havens such as Luxembourg to avoid paying appropriate Canadian amounts.
Talk about having one’s cake and eating it, too – then demanding more.
Don Scott, Former senior policy analyst, BC Pension Corporation Victoria
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