Letters: The EU is not the answer to Canada’s needs

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Rabbi Mordecai Bulua, Montreal

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Not just a ‘Trump problem’

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​​​​The perspective isn’t “maturity” — it is dangerous, historical amnesia wrapped in sentimental nostalgia.

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To suggest that Canada’s economic bruising is purely a “Trump problem” completely ignores decades of reality. Both Democrats and Republicans have consistently waged economic warfare against Canadian industries. Whether it is the decades-long “Buy American” policies, the endless softwood lumber disputes, or the tearing up of trade agreements, Washington’s priority has always been America First, regardless of who sits in the Oval Office.

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Relying on the memory of 9/11 and shared geography is an emotional distraction from a hard truth: the United States treats Canada as a convenient resource pool, not an equal economic partner.

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While some preach “balance” and wait for a friendlier face in Washington, Canada is getting pummelled economically. Passivity masked as diplomacy isn’t a strategy — it is a recipe for continued exploitation. We cannot afford to romanticize a relationship that our “neighbour” treats as purely transactional. It is time to stop waiting for Washington to change and start aggressively decoupling our economic future from an inherently protectionist empire.

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William Perry, Victoria, B.C.

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Ignore Trump’s bombast over Bombardier

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U.S. President Donald Trump says that if Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier wants to sell planes in the United States, it must build the planes in the States. Not surprisingly, he isn’t aware that Bombardier already directly employs over 3,500 people at a number of sites in several American states. Additionally, its aircraft are built with American-made components such as engines, avionics and many more key systems provided by American companies. Trump needs to brush up on his homework, if he ever does any.

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Alexander Ross, North York, Ont.

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iPhone ushered in new era for blind persons

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A hearty thanks to Terence Corcoran for his timely history of the Apple iPhone as it enters a new era. I would like to add one more first. Steve Jobs required the iPhone soon after its introduction to be fully operational by a blind person. With the flick of a finger engaging “VoiceOver,” we have full access to all of the phone’s functions. Since then, hundreds of applications specifically designed for blind persons have become available. With one phone call for example, I was connected to a trained agent who, through their computer’s screen using my iPhone’s camera, guided me through a busy retail store. We are informed while standing on a street corner when there are no cars in sight. In short, technology has closed the information gap for blind persons, an insurmountable chasm only a few decades ago.

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Jim Sanders, Guelph, Ont., Executive Director, The Sir Arthur Pearson Association Of War Blinded, Past President and CEO, Canadian National Institute For The Blind

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Trump’s $5K ‘dividend’

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Re: Questions loom over Trump’s promised US$5K ‘dividend’ — Aoife Walsh and Victoria Craw, Sept. 11

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I cannot understand why people are tearing their clothes and gnashing their teeth over Donald Trump’s buying of votes by promising a US$5,000 dividend to every American adult if Republicans retain control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.

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Our Liberal government has engaged in this very practice for decades by promising to spend on this and that program or “investment” if only we voters would elect them.

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Sure, the American president is more brazen about it but I, for one, appreciate the honesty.

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Tim Harkema, Calgary

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Boycott ‘has nothing to do with bettering the lives of Palestinians’

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Apparently Prime Minister Carney’s trade war with the United States is not enough of a challenge for him. He has now decided to add Israel to his adversaries. In spite of the fine-sounding rationale mouthed by Carney and his wing-person, Anita Anand, it is hard to see how this is anything but political posturing for personal gain: Carney to curry favour with EU, and Anand to stay in Carney’s good books, as well as securing votes from the substantial Israel-hating mob that has mustered political capital in this country.