Letters to the editor, May 22: ‘Plans for the royal visit look perfect … there will likely be envy in the White House’

Picture perfect

Re “Pageantry, spectacle and hockey to mark King Charles’s visit to Ottawa” (May 21): Plans for the royal visit look perfect.

Regardless of the future for Canada and the Royal Family, we need every bit of leverage now to prove how different we are from the United States. The King opening Parliament, as Canada’s head of state, will emphasize that uniqueness.

If I were younger, I would go to Ottawa to cheer them on. There will likely be envy in the White House.

Pour it on. We are never going to be part of the U.S.

Rochelle Carrière Hatton Sudbury

Twice as nice

Re “Romanian centrist wins presidency while Warsaw Mayor leads race in Poland” (May 19): Romania and Poland are just two of numerous countries that use a two-round system to vote for their head of state, a more common electoral system than first past the post.

By holding a second vote between the top two candidates from the first round, unless one of them received at least 50 per cent, the second round guarantees the winner will receive a majority of votes cast. This is much simpler than the single transferable vote system that has been proposed in Canada.

I fail to understand why this alternative to our widely criticized current approach has not been promoted here.

John Williams Ottawa

Until it drops

Re “The Liberals sing the same (nonsensical) housing refrain” (Editorial, May 20): The Housing Minister seemed to simply be deflecting the question, rather than formally admitting that prices must fall, which – if we want to significantly improve affordability for new owners – they must.

That said, the more critical question is: Can the government actually do something to engineer such a drop? Corrections are a function of the market, not of government policy. The majority of annual sales are existing homes, most already priced lower than new homes.

Reducing some government taxes and fees on new homes would only indirectly, and slowly, affect those prices.

Steve Pomeroy Industry professor, McMaster University; Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative; Ottawa

Painful cycle

Re “In Britain, the left is chasing the populist right on immigration. Canada must not do the same” (Opinion, May 16): Scapegoating immigration is not productive, and on the whole, immigration is beneficial to countries such as Canada and Britain. However, I challenge the depiction of recent immigration patterns in Canada.

I find that immigration in Canada has turned into a cycle: Businesses and landlords cry of a purported labour shortage; government imports workers en masse; wages are suppressed; housing costs rise; businesses and landlords profit.

This cycle results in many negative consequences for everyday Canadians. These include lower or lost wages, higher shelter costs, overburdened health care systems, crowded and dangerous roads, overwhelmed food banks and reduced financial ability to raise children.

The public call to rectify the Canadian immigration system should not be seen as a right-wing xenophobic tool. Mass inflows without adequate social nets and infrastructure are straining the system for all involved.

We cannot continue at this exorbitant pace, and should return to healthy levels of immigration.

Jeremy Davies Toronto

Made in Canada

Re “Is it time to finally take the dream of a Canadian automaker seriously? Flavio Volpe makes his case” (Report on Business, May 21): I wonder if Mr. Volpe could name one car producer that makes vehicles for the mass market, and is still independent.

Saab? No. Volvo? No. MG? No. Land Rover? No.

None seem to come to mind.

Given the continuing consolidation of the world’s carmakers to achieve economies of scale, any thought of a wholly Canadian manufacturer is a dream that will become a nightmare.

Richard Austin Toronto

Public good

Re “Bill me” (Letters, May 20): A letter-writer feels physicians should be allowed to run their businesses as they want, and compares their plight to that of a garage owner or hairdresser.

It costs enormous amounts of money to fund the education of doctors. The vast majority of that money is paid out of the public purse.

We who contribute gladly to medical training should have a significant role in dictating how doctors are paid.

Jack Kornblatt Montreal

On all fronts

Re “The CRTC has failed to protect the Canadian broadcasting industry” (Opinion, May 15): The criticism is timely, but the problems facing Canadian broadcasters are far more complex.

For example, cable television is not only losing subscribers to streamers such as Netflix, but also to social-media platforms such as TikTok and Facebook, not to mention YouTube or the burgeoning podcast universe. The most worrisome players are those online outlets masquerading as purveyors of news or public-affairs content, while relying on misinformation, disinformation or conspiracy theories to build an audience.

Our democracy depends on a media universe that enables journalists to speak truth to power. The situation south of the border should be a great concern for every Canadian.

Reid MacWilliam Kings County, N.S.

Mail out

Re “Canada Post receives strike notice, workers set to walk out on Friday” (Report on Business, May 20): We should phase out door-to-door mail delivery.

Now in my 80s, I’ve recently shifted all my bill payments to the internet. I continue to get the occasional snail mail and some unwanted flyers, all of which could be taken care of by a community mailbox.

Les Dominy Renfrew, Ont.

Hard work

Re “Supermarket workers are wearing body cameras. Welcome to the new dystopia” (Report on Business, May 19): After spending most of my working life in retail at various levels, I can say that most of the public has no idea about the abuse, threats and theft that staff endure. As I have commented to my friends, “you live in a bubble” not appreciating the people who serve us.

And, perhaps rightly so, we should pay more to these front-line staff. Except wait for the howls of outrage when the public ends up paying more for everyday products. Retail is not a high-profit industry.

While I appreciate both sides of the argument put forth, I am not at all surprised this is happening.

Stephen Gill East Gwillimbury, Ont.

Posthaste

Re “Mohawk athlete Bev Beaver excelled on the baseball diamond and on the ice” (Obituary, May 15): Why has this extraordinarily accomplished athlete not been recognized and inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame?

After reading about Bev Beaver, I suggest she be honoured posthumously. Not only is this woman invisible and ignored, but she is an Indigenous woman ignored.

Marianne Freeman Vancouver

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