Letters to the editor, May 19: ‘No wonder many think this is the same old Liberal government'

Re 'Canada should reduce Syria sanctions to align with U.S. and Britain, experts say' (May 15): Throughout its tenure, I saw the Trudeau government endlessly drag its feet on numerous issues before finally acting, even though the right responses to these issues had been obvious for months.
Anita Anand, as Canada's new Foreign Affairs Minister and former minister in that Trudeau government, is already declining comment. Looks like it's hard to abandon ingrained habits.
Let's hope our Prime Minister is ready to set a new energy and pace.
Edward Carson Toronto
Re 'Finance Minister Champagne suggests Ottawa won't present budget this year'(May 15): I was shocked by our Prime Minister keeping Steven Guilbeault in his cabinet as Canadian Identity Minister, given his time as climate change minister and his adverse impact on Alberta relations.
Already he is at it again questioning new pipelines, even though it's not part of his new portfolio. No wonder many think this is the same old Liberal government with this guy at the table.
The Prime Minister should curb this environmentalist before he causes more damage to Canada and Alberta relations, if he is truly intent on uniting the country and governing for all.
David Field Calgary
Re 'An old Liberal front bench bolted to a new Carney mission' (May 14): The election was upended by an external threat to the country. Voters decided to place their trust once again in the Liberals and in Mark Carney.
Experience and knowledge is crucial in the short term. Placing inexperienced MPs on the front bench would have attracted as much, if not more, criticism. Who would you suggest instead?
Elizabeth Caskey Vancouver
To my friends in the West, some advice for the next election: If they want to have a seat at the table, they should vote with their heads, not their hearts.
Take a page out of the Quebec playbook and elect MPs who will be part of government, rather than mere observers and critics. The reversal of Liberal fortunes was evident before the election.
Although it may seem traitorous to the Western soul, voting for the party that was likely to win the election would have been a more strategic choice. To be properly heard, they need to be in the thick of it with their sleeves rolled up, not just shouting into the wind.
Steve Edmonds Mississauga
What, no Minister of Alberta Whining? Quebec Self-importance? Foreign Interference? American Lunacy? Global Climate Inferno? Digital Addiction?
What about Budget Deficits? Frustrated Snowbirds? Procurement Logjams? Grocery Gouging?
Last but not least, what about a Minister of the Next Pandemic?
Nigel Smith Toronto
Re 'Month to month' (Letters, May 14): A letter-writer suggests that Pierre Poilievre should pay rent for continuing to stay at Stornoway, and considers this a taxpayer-funded free ride.
Mr. Poilievre has said he will not take the $150,000 transition allowance owed to him for losing his seat, I assume because he feels in all likelihood he will win the upcoming by-election.
Stornoway is for the leader of the official opposition. Does it really matter if it is Andrew Scheer or Mr. Poilievre? It costs taxpayers the same regardless. But having Mr. Poilievre move out and then back in would be a waste of taxpayer money.
The Conservatives and Mr. Poilievre have chosen what seems to be a practical decision that saves taxpayers the maximum. If the letter-writer is truly interested in saving taxpayer money, then she should be completely in favour of this.
Robert McCullough Edmonton
Re 'Canada's electric vehicle strategy has failed, and there are lessons to learn' (Report on Business, May 12): I see only one lesson: Governments cannot pick winners and should not give away billions of dollars of borrowed money to construct the industrial landscape that suits its worldview.
The market is always correct, money will go where it is wanted and where it can do the best.
Clay Atcheson North Vancouver
Re 'Canada needs a foreign human intelligence service' (May 12): As a long-time advocate for a standalone foreign intelligence service, I was pleased to read this opinion. I would disagree on only two points: timeframe to establish such a service and suggested costs.
Several departments are engaged in foreign intelligence collection. A determined and committed government could direct that these disparate groups be merged into one agency, which would form the core of a service.
The funding supporting these groups, and indeed any budget to expand foreign intelligence outside Canada, would be redirected to a new service. These actions would require strong leadership from government to overcome bureaucratic intransigency.
There would be no need for a lengthy period of drafting appropriate legislation: On March 17, 2003, then-MP David Pratt introduced bill C-409, an act to establish the Canadian Foreign Intelligence Agency. The legislation and tools are available, awaiting government action.
Alistair Hensler Assistant director (retired), Canadian Security Intelligence Service; Ottawa
Re 'Ottawa should look to B.C.'s fast-track blueprint for big projects' (Editorial, May 13): A lesson can be learned from the book People in the Way: The Human Aspects of the Columbia River Treaty Project by James Wood Wilson, published in 1973.
Mr. Wilson was an urban planner who had been in charge of the resettlement of people displaced by the flooding of the Columbia River due to dams built by BC Hydro. Villages, farms and homes were flooded, displacing Indigenous and settler populations and disrupting their lives.
In 1969, I was a planning graduate student at the University of Waterloo where Mr. Wilson was on faculty. He was writing his book at the time, and in his seminars we discussed how bureaucracies treat 'people in the way' of large projects. I learned a lot.
Reiner Jaakson Oakville, Ont.
Re 'An honest mess: Is the pressure to deep clean for guests sabotaging our social time?' (May 14): There is no frantic cleaning in our home prior to guests arriving.
I have a bottle containing Pine-Sol that I spray around the house. Presto, a clean-smelling home in about 30 seconds that I jokingly refer to as 'Fake House.'
Peter Dielissen Fredericton
Just adopt comedian Phyllis Diller's attitude: 'If your house is really a mess and a stranger comes to the door, greet him with, 'Who could have done this? We have no enemies!''
Greg Milosh Oshawa
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

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