Re "Yes, Minister, there really is an Ottawa" (Editorial, Oct. 18): Political compromise is, I think, Canada's defining and best characteristic.
Times when the Feds tried forcing their will on a province have never gone well: Think the National Energy Program. In my view, a pipeline is in the national interest if its economic benefits outweigh the costs, including those tied to support for Indigenous communities and the environment.
Your rationale for the use of federal powers in the case of this pipeline is the same one used to justify the NEP: The economy needed it, so Alberta had to pound rocks. Now the economy needs a pipeline, apparently, so it's British Columbia's turn.
Let's do the economic analysis first and then see what kind of compromise we can fashion based on that. I think the benefits are not great with crude around only $60 a barrel.
Reg Plummer Retired economist, energy economic and fiscal analysis, Natural Resources Canada; economic forecasting and analysis, National Energy Board; Ottawa
Yes, the Prime Minister has a duty to lead, but he is not a king who can or should lead by decree.
One example of where the federal government should provide more clarity is on the conditions for approval of a pipeline to the Northern B.C. coast. As long as there is a ban on oil tanker traffic and a fuzzy meaning of the "duty to consult," no proponent is likely to step forward. The large investments required, the long lead times involved and the uncertain prospects for achieving consensus likely guarantee this outcome.
Equally important is for provincial, territorial and Indigenous leaders to rise to the occasion. Canada's lumber, auto, aluminum, agricultural and steel industries are all under serious threat.
Unless we overcome the inertia of local interests, enormous damage would be visited on all Canadians, without regard to those interests.
Tony Manera Ottawa
Since the Northern Gateway pipeline project was first proposed, both the federal and B.C. governments have enacted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Climate change has caused recent warming of more than 1.6 C, with droughts and wildfires happening more frequently and severely.
Towns such as Jasper and Lytton have been scorched. And the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion was built with tens of billions of taxpayer dollars to increase oil sands' exports, but it is still not operating at full capacity.
The Oil Tanker Moratorium Act followed years of our communities fighting the Northern Gateway proposal that would have put our salmon watersheds and coast at risk of irreparable harm. Many of us who fought for this legislation to prevent future proposals are still here - and we still say no.
Nikki Skuce Smithers, B.C.
Re "A much-needed facelift for the upcoming federal budget" (Report on Business, Oct. 18): Old Age Security needs reform, not retreat.
Contributor Paul Kershaw proposes a balanced solution: Reduce payments by about $3,200 annually for retired couples earning more than $100,000. That adjustment would save roughly $36-billion over five years while protecting benefits for those who truly rely on them.
Those savings could fund the Bloc Québécois proposal to extend a 10-per-cent OAS increase to Canadians aged 65 to 74, costing an estimated $16-billion over the same period. These two measures together would create a fairer, fiscally neutral system that respects both seniors and younger taxpayers.
Mark Carney's government has a chance to prove that compassion and fiscal discipline can co-exist. This is the kind of generational fairness Canada urgently needs.
Ray Brow Three Rivers, PEI
Let's change our perspective on Old Age Security and the rules around it.
OAS is not supposed to be a gift from taxpayers to enhance the lifestyles of those who are lucky enough to reach age 65, it is an income support for seniors. In other words, it is welfare to alleviate poverty. A person should not qualify unless they have insufficient income from all possible sources to meet their basic needs.
We should stop using the term "clawback," a non-technical and biased term, in relation to OAS. Welfare does not get "clawed back" from the needy.
Those who receive reduced welfare payments or don't qualify at all should be glad to be self-sufficient.
Penny Becklumb Comox, B.C.
Thanks to contributor Paul Kershaw for consistently urging a reappraisal of Old Age Security. It is a difficult task as seniors, myself included, usually cast their votes and form an impressive lobby.
My feeling is that OAS is a grossly expensive program which is not affordable in its current form, yet the Liberals overturned the push to increase the minimum age to receive payments. It should have been a no-brainer given the longer lifespans of seniors.
Yes, we need to ensure that seniors are not impoverished, but we should not lavish more funds on those who really do not require it. We have many needs and limited resources.
I am hopeful that this time around, the Liberals can finally address this issue in a fair and equitable fashion.
Jeff Solomon Nanaimo, B.C.
Re "Fifty years ago, national pride supercharged anglo-Canadian publishing. Could it happen again?" (Arts & Books, Oct. 18): One area of publishing that never gets mentioned is self-published works.
Due to the inability of some authors to break through to multinational publishers and fewer independent publishers, many of them have turned to self-publishing. This was looked down on at one time and considered vanity publishing. No more.
Thousands of writers across Canada are now self-publishing. Not every book is a Giller Prize winner, but there are some serious and substantive books out there that never get the recognition they deserve.
I host a radio program called Writers for Readers and read every book before interviewing the authors. In my opinion, there are some damn good self-published books out there.
Gary Johnson Whitchurch-Stouffville, Ont.
Re "Why we're blowing a generational moment for Canadian culture" (Arts & Books, Oct. 18): Thank you for exploring the soul of the Buy Canadian movement. It is heartening that arts organizations and individual Canadians are rallying.
Theatre companies, for example, are creating more Canadian content. Kamloops' Western Canada Theatre's 50th season, which includes Indigenous work, is all-Canadian. Likewise Winnipeg's Prairie Theatre Exchange, Toronto's Shifting Ground Collective and Theatre Burlington, among others, are all-Canadian in 2025-2026.
As individuals embrace Canadian streaming services and the National Film Board, and as Canadian authors top bestseller lists and headline writers festivals, let's redouble our efforts. By maintaining a practice of giving gifts of Canadian books and other creative experiences, we heighten our sense of identity. By donating to performing arts organizations and groups such as the Canadian Children's Book Centre, we amplify the Buy Canadian cultural movement.
Governments should get with it and follow the lead of Canadians on the cultural trail.
Ginny Ratsoy Kamloops, B.C.