Dear Editor:
I take exception to the cartoon in the Dec. 11 edition of the Advertiser. It seems to imply that Prime Minister Mark Carney is lying to us about the homeless problem.
I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have a magic wand that can suddenly make thousands of new affordable homes appear. These things take time. Cutting back on provincial and municipal bureaucracy would also help get more new homes built quickly. Carney has very limited power over these lower levels of government.
The whole financial world is in a state of chaos right now thanks to U.S. President Donald Trump. The U.S. is no longer a reliable trading partner for Canada or the rest of the world. There is no way to meaningfully negotiate with a man who is as erratic and unpredictable as Trump. Instead, Carney has been travelling the world trying to find new markets for Canadian goods and services. These efforts will reduce our dependence on the U.S. as a trading partner.
Recently, Microsoft announced it will be investing $7.5 billion dollars in Canada for an AI Data Centre. Swedish company Saab is talking of building their JAS 39 Gripen in Canada. That would create 10,000 new Canadian jobs. The list goes on.
Thanks to Carney’s efforts, companies around the world now know that Canada is a more reliable trading partner than the U.S. Numerous other countries are cutting back on their dealings with the U.S. and looking for new markets for their goods and services. There are tremendous opportunities for Canada right now to increase bilateral trade. Again, these things take time. There are no magic wands. None of this will happen overnight. Be patient!
Finally, I’d like to point out that Carney is a well educated and experienced man. He has been the Governor of the Bank of England and the Bank of Canada. He has worked at high-level jobs in the business world all his life. He has contacts all over the world and is well known and respected. He holds a PhD in economics.
Compare that to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in international relations. He’s had a couple of low-level jobs in his youth, but has been a politician for most of his working life. He has almost no business experience and, in my opinion, is not even remotely qualified to deal with Canada’s current situation.
He is always quick to criticize, but offers nothing more than three-word slogans when it comes to solving our trade, housing and other problems. I’ll take Carney every day.
Peter Douglas,
Erin
*Editor’s note: The Dec. 11 cartoon references a Carney housing announcement in Ottawa, after which the housing units unveiled were removed from the site. Carney’s office explained one of the homes went to a family in Nunavut while townhouses went to a project in east Ottawa.