ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½

President Donald Trump spends a great deal of time lamenting trade deficits. He pouts that foreign countries don’t buy as much from the U.S. as the U.S. buys from them. According to him, this is just further victimization of the United States inflicted upon it by the rest of the world.

I think it reasonable to assume based on completed trade frameworks that Trump will insist any trade agreement reached with Canada must include commitments for Canada to buy more American goods to reduce the trade deficit.

Trump might want to consider relative populations. Is it surprising Canada, with a population of nearly 42 million, buys less than does the U.S. with its population of 342 million?

Facts aren’t on the list of President Trump’s favourite things, but given his stated rationale (well, at least one of his stated rationales) for tariffs are trade deficits, he might want to apply the tried and true adage about not comparing apples and oranges.

Robert Prior, Etobicoke

Hey Elon, where’s the love for your Canadian roots?

A letter to Elon Musk: You were born with Canadian roots. Yet while China’s BYD is assembling electric buses in Newmarket, Ont., you’ve built giga-factories everywhere but here — in China, Mexico, Germany and across the U.S.

Why not Canada?

You’ve been gifted this country’s citizenship, its education and its minerals — nickel, lithium, cobalt. Yet we Canadians watch as our tax money subsidizes EV purchases and charging stations while Tesla creates jobs elsewhere.

It’s time to build something meaningful and lasting in the land that welcomed your family. We don’t need another luxury sedan. We need electric buses, clean jobs and a public commitment.

BYD beat you to it. Are you okay with that?

A Canadian who still believes technology should serve people — not just profit.

Yang Jun Zhao, Richmond Hill

Trump’s transactions are nothing more than a shakedown

The world is caving to Trump’s one-sided trade ‘deals.’ Canada should show him the door, July 26

David Olive’s column spelled out the hide-in-plain-sight imperialist-monopoly tariff strategy of the ‘transactional president’ south of the border. The ‘transactions’ are nothing more than a protection racket.

Tariff threats then include a demand for countries and companies to build new plants in the U.S. Cute trick, especially from a Canadian perspective since American petro-giants recklessly drain our water resources to extract our gas and oil at stupidly low royalty rates, directly contribute to continental droughts, poison our environment and then simply walk away with no Canadian requirement to clean up the thousands of orphan gas wells. They get the profits, we get the toxic mess.

Buried in this global whack-a-mole are bizarre off-the-rails unrelated demands for other countries to surrender their own national priorities, foreign policies, activities and internal manufacturing structures on demand. What business is it of any country to tell us or any other country how to run, for example, our dairy industry? Our military? Our democracy?

The leaders of sovereign independent nations betray their own citizens by racing on demand to grovel cap-in-hand, trying to satisfy endless out-of-the blue red herrings.

There is no king of the world.

Daphne Lavers, ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½

Canada is doomed if it doesn’t stand up to Trump’s demands

The world is caving to Trump’s one-sided trade ‘deals.’ Canada should show him the door, July 26

David Olive is right to say Canada will not benefit from negotiating with Trump. It’s becoming clear Trump wants more from Canada than we can afford to pay.

Thinking strategically, Trump has a long-term goal of destroying Canada’s economy in order to get what he wants. And what he wants is Arctic oil drilling rights, which could heat up the world like we’ve never seen before.

To win those drilling rights,  Trump will drain Canada’s economy with never-ending demands for special concessions and more and more military spending.

If we don’t stand up to him now, and create our own kind of economy with more renewable energy and less military spending, this country is doomed.

Max Moore, ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½

When it comes to mobility aids, there’s a decided lack of awareness in society

As a disabled Canadian, I rely on a bicycle as my mobility aid. It supports me in maintaining independence, reaching essential services and participating in my community. But far too often I’m questioned, harassed or outright denied access simply because my mobility aid doesn’t look like what people expect.

Many Canadians — including frontline workers, store managers and even city officials — are unaware that under federal accessibility law, a mobility aid is not limited to wheelchairs or scooters. The Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations (ATPDR) define a mobility aid as any device a person with a disability uses to facilitate mobility.

That includes bicycles when used for this purpose.

I always walk my bike respectfully indoors, the same way someone using a walker might. The issue here isn’t about safety — it’s about awareness. What’s missing is education.

We need better training for public-facing staff to recognize that mobility aids come in many forms. We also need a cultural shift in how we view disability, especially when it’s not visible.

I’m not asking for special treatment. I’m asking for equal treatment, the kind guaranteed under federal law.

Andrew Way, Sudbury, Ont.

Poilievre’s outrage over longest ballot protests rich in irony

Poilievre calls for law to block long ballot protests that ‘abuse’ democracy, July 22

So the currently seatless leader of His Majesty’s opposition is upset by what he called the ‘longest ballot scam’.

What I’m upset by is that Poilievre, having recently been soundly rejected by voters in his long-held riding, didn’t do the right thing and immediately resign as leader of the CPC. Instead, he resurfaces mere weeks later in a by-election, with more pliable voters, a couple thousand kilometres west of his former riding and home, in all likelihood resuming his duties in the House of Commons for the fall session.

Just which ‘scam’ is the greater affront to democracy I leave to readers to decide.

My mind is already made up.

Craig Gibson, Thornhill