‘An effective opposition voice’
Pierre Poilievre won the right to stay on as leader — Terry Newman, May 5
In 2015, Canadian voters swooned over “nice hair” and voted in a sophomoric leader who decimated our economy, boasted his “faux-feminist” leanings, nearly doubled the size of an already bloated federal bureaucracy, and sponsored immigration that far exceeded our capacity for housing and health care. Under two successive leaders, the Conservative opposition failed to hold the (minority) governing party to account for its numerous ethical breaches and policy blunders.
Since assuming leadership in 2022, Pierre Poilievre, a smart, polished communicator, has been an effective opposition voice, with an unrelenting message of “axe the carbon tax,” “tough on crime,” and making housing affordable for working Canadians.
Fast forward to the coronation of Mark Carney as Liberal leader and prime minister, and the recent election. Formerly a card-carrying member of the Davos climate zealots, but willing to put his hypocrisy on full display, Carney immediately stole a page from the Conservative playbook, cancelling the consumer carbon tax.
The Conservatives earned 41 per cent of the popular vote and increased the size of the CPC caucus by 24 seats. To contemplate further leadership chaos would be an insult to the millions of Canadian voters who have put their confidence in Pierre Poilievre as our next prime minister.
May it happen sooner rather than later.
Susan Silverman, Toronto
Canada needs another national broadcaster
Re: On election night, CBC shamelessly cheered on Mark Carney — Terry Newman, May 1
Beyond doubt, anyone who is not powerfully committed to the Liberal party gritted their teeth every time they tuned into the CBC’s coverage of our past election. This is nothing new for anyone with a desire for more objective reporting of all things political in Canada. The bias against conservative themes and leaders is a constant factor in the national orientation toward left-leaning solutions to all issues.
But the issue is not just the CBC. All major Canadian broadcasters seem to share the same monochromatic view of issues that vary only in the sequence of presentation of their offerings. Of even greater concern is the selection of issues on which they report. Items of conservative interest generally receive lesser or no reporting when they might reflect badly on the government in power — particularly when the government is Liberal.
Canada desperately needs another national broadcaster beyond CBC, Global (Corus Entertainment), CTV (Bell Media), and Rogers. The monopolistic power of this group is controlled by CRTC licensing regulations that limit the emergence of another network — one that might reflect a more open interpretation of what warrants being reported.
The National Post is the only print/digital media that offers a centre-right balance in its content; there is no reason why the Postmedia-owned news site could not evolve into a national broadcasting network.
Canadians probably do not want a carbon copy of the U.S. Fox network, but a less partisan version of our current left-leaning media would be a welcome change. It’s high time for Canadian media to develop a more balanced interpretation of the events that inform and guide our national policy debates.
Raymond Foote, Ottawa
Notwithstanding crime concerns
Re: Doug Ford floats idea of electing judges during ‘rant’ on bail reform — The Canadian Press, April 30; Why Poilievre’s three strikes plan for violent offenders has promise — Jamie Sarkonak, April 17; and Mark Carney has quickly become the ultimate establishment Liberal — Chris Selley, April 22
Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s desire to reduce the frequency of criminal attacks is welcome, but late in the game. The hateful protests that occur regularly in the streets and schools of this province serve as a powerful message that people do learn to tolerate and fear a mob, and adjust to this as normal. It is very hard to put the brakes on when judges also alter their attitude to crime and deny their power to protect innocent citizens.
Inadequate policing and mental health care are damaging our society. It is now obvious that even a simple street festival is too hard to manage safely.
So it is hard to understand why, during the federal election, Ford seemed to support Liberal Leader Mark Carney, whose party created all these conditions, and turned his back on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who feels the same way as Ford does about crime. Personal feelings seem to have gotten in the way of good governance. Ford let us down.
Barbara Okun, Scarborough, Ont.
The subject article on Doug Ford missed a critical point. Canada has a notwithstanding clause in its Constitution. The Ford government does have the final say in the cited (bike lanes) case. Ford and his government could have invoked the notwithstanding clause. Politicians need to be reminded that they can be held accountable for not invoking this clause when the judiciary oversteps its mandate.
Steve Schillaci, Pickering, Ont.
Mark Carney’s concerns about the preventive use of the notwithstanding clause are understandable, but they miss the point. Section 33 of the Charter is not a loophole — it’s a constitutional safeguard designed to preserve parliamentary sovereignty.
Both federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Quebec Premier Yves-François Blanchet are right: elected governments need tools to act in the face of complex issues, especially when urgent action is required. In Quebec’s case, the decline of the French language is not theoretical — it’s measurable.
The clause doesn’t abolish judicial oversight. It temporarily suspends certain remedies, allowing governments to act while remaining accountable to voters.
Rather than framing its use as undemocratic, we should recognize it for what it is: a deliberate feature of our system, not a bug.
Sébastien Chagnon-Jean, Montreal
Raining on Trump’s parade
Re: U.S. Army confirms it will hold anniversary parade on Donald Trump’s birthday — May 2
The U.S. army has confirmed it will be staging a military-style parade on President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday in June, in conjunction with celebrations of the service’s 250th anniversary.
Trump has long wanted a parade, but I, probably along with many others, wonder how the parents and relatives of those who were injured or killed in the wars feel about the man who allegedly referred to American war dead as “suckers” and “losers.” The hardest part is knowing that he himself successfully avoided the draft five times.
Peter Raschig, Barrie, Ont.
‘Drastically increasing government debt’
Re: A 10-point plan for the election winner to fix Canada — Derek H. Burney and Raymond Chrétien — April 29
Canada needs a Margaret Thatcher now more than ever. We have elected a government that promises to drastically increase the government debt. We have elected a government that will not make any changes to supply management in agriculture, yet promises to expand our trading relationships with other countries. In the past, freer trade discussions have been halted because of our refusal to alter supply management. We have elected a government that promises to create an “energy corridor” but will not repeal the “no pipeline act.” We have elected a government that will not reverse legislation that eased the granting of bail but will take guns away from lawful gun owners.
I predict that in about 18 months, inflation in Canada will be higher than it was under Justin Trudeau. We will have added billions of dollars to the public debt and we will feel the impact of carbon taxes on industry and the carbon tariffs Prime Minister Mark Carney is promising on imports.
Young people in particular should not be happy with the federal election results.
Rick Hird, Whitby, Ont.
Musings on separatism
Re: Danielle Smith lowers bar for Alberta referendum with separatism sentiment emerging — Rahim Mohamed, April 30
I’m glad to hear that Premier Danielle Smith is seeking a better deal for Alberta.
After we separate and we don’t have to send money to Ottawa anymore, I hope we have a referendum on Calgary leaving the province. It’s much wealthier than Edmonton, and I am tired of supporting those lazy Oilers fans with my tax dollars.
Next, my neighbourhood will be seceding from Calgary, because my neighbourhood is wealthier than Forest Lawn, and I don’t want my property taxes being used to clear their snow off of their roads.
Finally, my condo unit will be seceding from the rest of the building, because I’m richer than my neighbour. He speaks French and lives east of me, so I don’t care if the roof caves in over his section of the building.
Zack Shapiro, Calgary
Accuracy paramount in accounts of Canada’s past
Re: New campaign aims to give more balanced account of Canadian history — Louis Charbonneau, April 25
The Canadian Institute for Historical Education is right, often, that “context matters.” But sometimes it’s not context that is needed — but accurate evidence.
To say that the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway in Ottawa was renamed because of his role in the “creation and the expansion of the residential school system” is factually wrong. He did speak in favour of separating Indigenous children from their families for education, a common view then, now rejected. Yet the 1884 law he introduced said “schools,” not “residential schools.” The worst aspects of those schools came years after he died. And, for the record, Egerton Ryerson had nothing to do with them, either. The words “residential school” appear nowhere in his writing.
What we need is accuracy — balance certainly if the evidence shows pluses and minuses, but there are some real scoundrels and some genuine heroes. Get it right.
Lynn McDonald, fellow, Royal Historical Society, Toronto
Concerned for Ontario wildlife, especially endangered species
Re: Ontario Species Conservation Act, 2025
The Ford government is proposing to wipe out the Endangered Species Act, 2007 and replace it with legislation so weak it may as well be a death sentence for Ontario wildlife.
The Species Conservation Act, 2025, is not conservation — it’s cover for deregulation. It strips away science, silences independent experts, guts habitat protection, and hands unchecked power to politicians and developers. This is not modernization. This is ecological vandalism.
Let’s be clear: the ESA was created because we had already failed endangered species for too long. It was a turning point — making recovery not optional, but a legal obligation. The new proposal reverses all of that. It abandons recovery planning, removes science from the equation, and redefines “habitat” so narrowly it would exclude vast areas that species rely on to survive.
Under this new law, politicians would decide which species deserve protection — not scientists. Developers could bulldoze critical ecosystems without independent review. Worse, it signals a chilling truth: Ontario’s government no longer sees the loss of species — or the health of ecosystems — as its responsibility.
We are in the middle of a global biodiversity crisis. More than 230 species in Ontario are already at risk of extinction. This is not the time to walk away — it’s the time to act with courage.
The ESA needs to be enforced, not erased. Future generations will judge us by how we protect what cannot protect itself.
Gord Miller, Chair, Earthroots, former Environmental Commissioner of Ontario
Jewish Canadians faced dilemma in election
Re: Bad blood, perfect luck and campaign by ‘gut’: Inside the election that surprised everyone — Simon Tuck and Stuart Thomson, May 3
Last Saturday’s Post delivered a detailed analysis of the federal election but did not touch on the dilemma faced by Jewish voters.
Canadian Jews in the majority have voted Liberal in the past, the party being viewed as one that champions universal social causes while keeping Canada strong and free.
In this past election, those who I know asked themselves, “Do I vote Liberal as I have in the past, or do I vote Conservative, given the party leader’s willingness to take real action in the battle against antisemitism in Canada and his stated position of supporting Israel, as opposed to the Liberals’ negligible response to antisemitism and their anti-Israel voting at the UN, along with financial support for UNWRA.”
Apparently the Jewish vote was divided. I can only conclude that some Jews found championing social justice issues more meaningful or less controversial than policies mainly of Jewish concern.
While universal liberal values including freedom, justice, and security and prosperity for all Canadians remain important to us, with the growing fear for our own safety, we must appeal to our new Liberal government to act forcibly this time to rein in this growing threat to the security of Jews and their institutions.
As Jews, we must at this time be for ourselves in the particular, and focus on antisemitism and support for Israel until this irrational pandemic of Jew hate in Canada and against Israel is cured. By doing so successfully we will be helping our country become once again, a place for all those who support freedom, justice and other democratic values, to support democracies overseas and to live here without fear from harm from those who hate.
Ron Hoffman, Toronto
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