Re: “Nobody in Canada standing up to Trump,” letter, July 4.
There have been recent letters in theTimes Colonistlamenting that we are not “standing up” to U.S. President Donald Trump on the digital services tax and other issues.
Here is a brief economic primer on the issue.
America has 10 times our population, and much higher wealth per capita. There is absolutely no substitute for the massive, affluent population next door.
Buy Canadian? Sure, but even if everyone did, that’s not even a drop in the bucket. Trade with Europe is fine, but shipping costs are crippling.
Roughly 30 per cent of the Canadian economy depends on trade with the U.S.
If the U.S. stopped trading with us, our economy would be in ruins.
On the other hand, trade with Canada accounts for roughly 3 per cent of the U.S. economy. If we stopped trading with them, they’d barely notice.
Our half-witted boycotts do nothing except hurt a small number of niche businesses and tourism operators.
We can’t “stand up” to Trump any more than a rabbit can stand up to a bear. He has, as he is fond of saying, all the cards.
The correct (and only) strategy is to calmly and patiently negotiate a fair deal — without egregious new taxes on digital services or anything else.
Richard Brunt
Victoria
Re: “Nobody in Canada standing up to Trump,” letter, July 4.
While it was disappointing to see Prime Minister Mark Carney cancel the digital services tax, it was probably the best tactic to get meaningful trade negotiations re-started with the U.S. If the tax had merely been suspended, U.S. President Donald Trump would likely have used that as an excuse to continue to delay negotiations.
It’s more important for Canada’s economy to have a reasonable and stable tariff regime with the U.S. than to hold everything up to maintain the digital services tax. However, it remains to be seen if Trump will use the cancelled tax as a sign of weakness and push for more concessions that are damaging to Canada.
Craig Elder
Victoria
Re: “Nobody in Canada standing up to Trump,” letter, July 4.
When Prime Minister Mark Carney was asked about rescinding the digital services tax by a journalist, he replied that he was working in the best interests of Canadians, and that this is a negotiation.
Given that the digital tax was yet to be activated, what was lost?
U.S. President Donald Trump is powerful, and Canada, over the years, has developed a dependence on the American market, and as such is vulnerable. This vulnerability can be perceived by the arrogant as a weakness.
Taking this into account, it is just an appearance, so there is little to be gained by striking back. The way to negotiate with a megalomaniacal narcissist is to stroke the ego.
There is the perception in certain quarters that this is called the Chicken Dance — Elbows Up and Elbows Down. To borrow a hockey metaphor — it’s a deke in slow motion.
Trump will continue doing what he wants to do, despite us. In short, it’s about being clear-minded and understanding what you can do and what you cannot do.
Richard T.S. Wilson
Victoria
Re: “Langford girl shows need for single-payer pharma system: May,” July 5.
“B.C.’s health minister has said the decision to discontinue coverage of Brineura is not about money,” from July 5. “The individual drug is not a factor considered by the expert committees in recommending coverage,” from June 19.
The review itself was set up under the Expensive Drugs for Rare Disease program. It most certainly is about the money. If the medication were $10 a dose, it would never have been under review.
Kudos to MP Elizabeth May for looking into the matter.
Audrey Noel
Victoria
Re: “Battery fires by the numbers,” letter, July 4.
One aspect has not been considered in the risk analysis. It might be less likely that an electric vehicle will catch fire, but one must consider the risk if it does.
Conventional fire suppression does not work on lithium battery fires, as they do not require oxygen to burn. Often they are allowed to “burn out” while protecting the surroundings. On a packed ferry that would be a huge risk of torching the car deck.
Also, note that the EVs are not banned outright; it applies to damaged EVs.
Dennis Zozula
Victoria
Interesting: B.C. Ferries Corporation has decided not to allow EVs on the ferries if they show any signs of damage.
Will the same apply to the new electric ferries if they, too, show signs of damage?
Mike Spence
Victoria
Re: “Without more trees, B.C.’s next heat dome could be even deadlier,” comment, July 2.
What’s most annoying about these writers is their insistence on seeing everything through a climate-crisis lens.
Of course there are urban heat island effects.
Of course, we should strive to maximize our tree canopy in urban areas — these things were known long before Al Gore and David Suzuki created the climate crisis cottage industry.
Conflating this long-term wisdom with the dramatically named “heat dome” event doesn’t make much sense.
How many of those folks who allegedly died of extreme heat would have been saved by a larger tree canopy? Any?
More of an issue were procedural shortfalls with the 911 network that caused many people suffering to not be able to ask for help.
With a union making such horrific decisions, their actions will probably be never properly analyzed.
The biggest annoyance of these environmental groups is their ongoing attacks on the energy industry that does so much good for society.
These groups want the shutdown of our natural gas power facilities in B.C., including Vancouver Island’s only large backup facility in Campbell River.
I bring this up as during a heat dome in B.C. a few years ago, the submarine cables connecting the Island to the grid neared catastrophic failure.
Fortunately, the ingenuity and experience of the grid operators and technicians ensured that one of the cables remained intact or else we would have had to rely immensely on this one facility the government wants to shut down.
Yes, it would have provided some power, but large industrial facilities would have closed, while homes and businesses would have had intermittent power to ensure that hospitals and maybe schools got some power.
It would have been a nightmare for the Island.
With B.C. in a provincewide economic doom loop due to catastrophic energy and economic policies, those of us in the business world have had enough of certain virtue-signalling groups.
These entities are causing so much unnecessary fear and great harm to the people of B.C. and our future generations.
David R. Schneider
Saanich
Two recent writers blatantly proclaim Canada will “end up as the 51st state” and “Canada will be annexed.”
Such nonsense proclamations indicate they are totally out of touch with Canadians’ deep feelings of Canadian sovereignty and distaste toward such thoughts.
All supposedly because Prime Minister Mark Carney has succumbed to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Carney is the right leader, at the right time.
Canada will still stand proud and honourable long after Trump is gone.
John Vanden Heuvel
Victoria
• Email letters to:[email protected]
• Mail: Letters to the editor, Times Colonist, 201-655 Tyee Rd., Victoria, B.C. V9A 6X5
• Submissions should be no more than 250 words; subject to editing for length and clarity.
Provide your contact information; it will not be published. Avoid sending your letter as an email attachment