Two can play at that game
Dear Editor:
Ontario Premier Doug Ford threatens to cut off hydro to the U.S. and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith will continue to let energy flow freely to the U.S..
Ford wants to hit鈥檈m hard and Smith sees no reason for punishing the American population. Might I suggest a compromise; reduce the daily requirement of the U.S. essential commodities to the U.S. by the percentage of tariffs being imposed by the U.S. on us. For Ford, if the U.S. hydro requirements are a million whatevers - send them 750,000. For Smith, if the U.S. daily requirements are 200,000 barrels -- send them 180,000.
As Donald Trump raises tariffs in retaliation to our retaliatory tariffs, Ford and Smith should reduce the flow accordingly. Why would I suggest such a plan? Surely it will do nothing better that antagonize the American citizen to the point of being angered at Canada.
So be it; but it should highlight for the American citizen that the good old U.S. of A. is not in a self-sustaining position and perhaps Trump should drop the tariffs to buy time to become self-sustaining.
Meanwhile, we in Canada can ramp up our efforts to find new trading partners. Because Ford, Smith or Trump will not be reading this letter; it ain鈥檛 gonna happen. But I feel better for having said it and you! LetB次元官网网址 have some fun with it!
Dallas Elliott
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Does MP write her own column?
Dear Editor:
Having read letters to the editor from Max Boake and Paula Diakiw in regard to MP Tracy GrayB次元官网网址 name calling (Feb. 26), I can only place my thoughts along with the majority of people. GrayB次元官网网址 childly behaviour is not what the general populist want to hear nor expect. Of course we all know where she gets the name calling from.
Mr. Boake is right. Gray since being elected has done nothing that I can recall for this area of the Okanagan except to show up for wreath laying, or attending a barbecue somewhere. The only other thing I have noticed she does is have her name and picture put on the opinion page under the heading From the Hill, which could be written for her by someone else.
So, I ask, why is her name put there on the page as if to make the reader think she wrote it? And yet here today March 5 is another From the Hill she expects people to believe she wrote.
Ms. Diakiw suggested Gray list her accomplishments since being elected which is a splendid idea, for I can only think the list will be short -- if at all -- and almost nothing other than the fact she has collected a nice fat pay cheque with a gold pension.
Looking back at her predecessor Stephen Fuhr, who helped to bring several very large amounts of investments to the valley, I feel were he still to be in place, things would be quite different.
Ian MacLean
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My question of the week
Dear Editor:
Re: According to Canadian Press, while Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed Mark Carney to run the Bank of Canada at the beginning of the 2008 financial crisis, Harper says it was then-finance minister Jim Flaherty who made the 鈥渉ard calls鈥.
ThatB次元官网网址 rich coming from Harper, who inherited a booming economy from the Liberals and a $13.8 billion budget surplus, which became seven fiscal deficits in a row.
In his eight years as finance minister (2006 - 2014) Flaherty fought constantly with the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) and refused to provide data to which the PBO was entitled.
HereB次元官网网址 one example from 2013. Following a PBO report that concluded the existing Old Age Security (OAS) structures were sustainable -- contradicting Conservative claims -- Flaherty launched a personal attack on then- Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page, accusing him of 鈥渨andering off鈥 from his mandate.
Instead of holding the government to account, Flaherty argued the PBO should be more of a 鈥渟ounding board鈥 for the government. So much for fiscal accountability.
Both Harper and current Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre seem panicked at the thought of Carney winning the Liberal leadership on March 9.
Why? Harper and Poilievre have read the polls.
From the article, 鈥淭he Numbers: The polls have gone crazy鈥 (Feb. 26) by Eric Grenier and Philippe J. Fournier on (thewrit.ca):
鈥淚tB次元官网网址 been a whirlwind few weeks in the polls as the Liberals have closed the gap on the Conservatives. At first, the Liberals were merely on track for a smaller defeat than before. But now the polls are pointing to the possibility that the prime minister after the next election might not be Pierre Poilievre. It could be Mark Carney.鈥
Pollster Eric Grenier said in his March 5 projection update: 鈥淩egardless, we鈥檙e now in territory where the Conservatives can no longer count on a majority victory. ThatB次元官网网址 the kind of competitive race that seemed unthinkable two months ago.鈥
On Feb. 26, I sent a signed email to Conservative MPs Tracy Gray (B次元官网网址-Lake Country) and Dan Albas (Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola):
鈥淚 can鈥檛 think of even one current Conservative MP who has anything close to the economic and negotiating expertise that both Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland have. Can you name a few Conservative MPs who do? Please provide reasons for your choices. Thank-you in advance.鈥
On March 4, I received an email from Dan Albas, who said as he is not my Member of Parliament, he will leave it with MP Tracy Gray and her office to deal with her constituentB次元官网网址 inquiries.
I replied to Albas: 鈥淚t shouldn鈥檛 matter if you are my MP or not. Sad.鈥
My question this week: Do you think I will receive an email from MP Gray that directly answers my question?
David Buckna
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Shame on SOEC for flying U.S. flag
Dear Editor:
Driving by the South Okanagan Events Centre on Tuesday, I noticed that the flag of the United States was flying next to our proud and glorious Maple Leaf.
Considering that the orange balloon knot they call a president has declared economic war on our country with the express purpose of amalgamating us as the 51st state, I find this not only extremely distasteful but verging on traitorous as that piece of tainted material has no place flying in our city, province or country, especially on a publicly-owned city facility.
After calling the City yesterday to register my disgust and disappointment I was basically shuffled off and obviously ignored as itB次元官网网址 still there today and continuing to insult every patriotic Canadian that sees it.
How can our city government not understand what a colossal insult this is to the loyal citizens that they represent and that they are making a statement that they not only agree with the orange idiot, but are actually supporting him and his car full of orange tainted clowns?
Please do the right thing and remove that symbol of colonization,prejudice and hate from our midst.
I fully understand that not all people from the U.S. agree with the despicable orange despot but that is not the point, not everybody supported Hitler either.
Surely somebody at City Hall understands what a disrespectful at best and traitorous at worst message this is sending.
Butch Burns
Penticton
This Canada of mine
Dear Editor:
This Canada of mine
With crashing ocean bookends
This Canada of mine
With fishing people in the East
This Canada of mine
With the St. Lawrence and Mount royal
This Canada of mine
With towering bluffs and thundering falls
This Canada of mine
With prairies golden and wide
This Canada of mine
With Rocky Mountains, white capped
This Canada of mine
With towering Pines, swimming salmon
This Canada... is mine
Bill Peckham
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Our world turned upside down
Dear Editor:
Satan really has turned the world upside down. Modern Russia has turned its back on the past. It is a nation that was not built on truth. The gulag commissars had retired long ago unpunished; with medals and pensions. Russian people have lived in a history of timeless subjection to brutal authority.
Now in the U.S. we have a leadership building their own selfish kingdom and the first step is to expel exceptionally brave 鈥渕igrants鈥 who could become, like their predecessors over the years, remarkable citizens.
There was no repentance for the recent humiliation of President Zelenskyy on the grounds that this servant of a country in constant agony had not sufficently worshipped the kingdom of armed power and wealth.
Our Church has come from a place where we have failed; where there was sin and neglect - but a place where you are vulnerable and asking for forgiveness is the true place to start from because there is humility there and it is saying: it is time for this remnant people of Christ together in all the parishes, women and men, young and old to begin again and zealously put ChristB次元官网网址 love in the world everyday.
The pilgrimage of Lent, available to all in their own way, leads us to Good Friday where Satan, father of lies, was firmly defeated on the Cross of Calvary. Lent calls us to the greatest and most urgent enlightenment of our time. Why should we go there? To get in touch with our humanity again. You go because you are old and need to understand something more about Christ before it is too late. The future has grown more violent than the past. Our youth are the awkward by product of this changed world. Changes in the world render faith as obsolete. We have a sense that here is the heart of a new life for all.
Fr. Harry Clarke.
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