The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge - Your Turn, and The Random Ranter Takes on Jagmeet Singh

Episode Date: September 5, 2024

First week back and lots of thoughts from the Bridge listeners on what the summer meant for them and their families. And the Random Ranter starts off all wound up about Jagmeet Singh as the NDP leader pulls the plug on his party's deal to keep the LIberals propped up until next year. Lots to ponder on this week's Your Turn.

And hello there, Peter Mansbridge here. You are just moments away from the latest episode of The Bridge. It's Thursday. It's time for the random ranter's first rant of year five. If you're Jagmeet Singh, you better turn it off now. And it's Thursday, which means your turn. It's all coming up right after this. And hello there. Welcome to Thursday. Welcome to, well, it's your turn. Thursdays are your turn, but they're also the Random Rancher. We're giving him full billing today because it's his first one of the year, year five that is. And as I said, if you're Jagmeet Singh, you better turn it off now. You know, just when we thought Canadian politics was really boring, you know, compared to our friends south of the border who've had it a summer. Well, a summer of excitement unlike anyone we've witnessed in our lifetimes.

It's been quite something. I remember I had to point out to some friends that if you went back in 1972, Two, you did watch a situation where the Democratic nominee for president, George McGovern, who had appointed Thomas Eggleton, I think from, was he from South Dakota? I can't remember for sure now, but he was going to be the vice presidential nominee. That happened at the convention. But, whoa, wait a minute. They didn't vet him properly.

And they discovered that, in fact, well, he'd had a kind of incident that had something to do with mental health. And the papers went wild, and the Republicans, Richard Nixon, went wild saying, really? You're going to place somebody like that a heartbeat away from the presidency? So what did McGovern do? He dumped him. He dumped his vice presidential candidate and brought in a new one. That was quite a time.

Never thought we'd see that happen again. Well, what did we witness this summer? We watched a president get sort of squeezed out by his own party and Joe Biden. And Kamala Harris steps in with the Democrats well behind in the polls and suddenly it's a horse race. Although we hate to use that term when we're talking about individuals running against each other.

Spit it out, Peter. We hate to use that individual, those words to describe individuals as horses. This is a long way of getting around, saying that I shouldn't have used the term horse race. I've tried to not say that over the years, but it always starts to come out. And when you look at the polls now in the United States, but it always starts to come out.

And when you look at the polls now in the United States, it is a really close race between Harris and Trump. At least that's what the pollsters keep telling us. I'm still, as I've said for the last year, the last year I'm on the record on this program, Trump will not win. In fact, it's not even going to be close at the end. We'll see.

You know how right and wrong I am on most things. So we'll see where we are on this one. Okay. All this to say that the Random Rancher is going to step in and discuss the Canadian situation, which the landscape has changed completely since yesterday. Why? Because, checkmate saying,

the leader of the NDP has pulled the plug on the agreement between the Liberals and the NDP, the agreement being the NDP has pulled the plug on the agreement between the Liberals and the NDP, the agreement being the NDP would support the Liberals and keep them in power until an election next fall. No deal, no more. That's gone. That doesn't mean they're going to pull the plug and force an election, but they might. And every day that will be sort of hovering over the situation in Parliament. So, was it a smart idea? Was it the right idea? Was it an idea that had to happen? Well, everybody's going to have a view on that.

And tomorrow, of course, Good Talk will have its say with Chantel and Bruce. But we're going to start some of this later in this hour with the Random Ranter. When he comes on and gives his feelings about what just happened. Remember the Random Ranter for new listeners, and I know we have a few, and it's always nice to have new people join us. For new listeners, the random ranter is somebody whose identity we've protected basically is a gimmick.

But he's been with us for the last couple of years. He's had some terrific rants, some that you've enjoyed, some that you haven't, and that's perfectly okay. The rancher comes from, we describe it as sort of western Canada. In other words, he's west of Thunder Bay, somewhere. I think we pretty well conceded that he's from the prairies. He's an ordinary guy. He's not affiliated with any party. He doesn't work for any party. He has a good job, works really hard, travels a lot in his job, but primarily in Western Canada.

But he has interesting views on a lot of subjects, some of them about politics, some of them about everyday life. And he's been a welcome addition to our program. We love him. We love the ranger. But Thursdays primarily is your turn. And even though we've only had two days to get you interested in writing, you've been writing.

And there's some familiar names in here, some regulars. We don't mind that, but what we really strive for is new voices, and there's some new voices in here as well. So let's get going with some of your thoughts. I asked for, you know, what you learned about the country this summer, you know, what's on your mind, but to keep it tight, to keep it short. And most of you did that.

Some of you went into short-form essays, and if I can, I'll pick a sentence or two out of those. But the idea is to keep this moving. And keep it moving, Peter, is the word right now. So let's get going. Kate Wilson from Toronto. Hi, Peter, so glad to hear you back on my favorite podcast. Looking forward to exploring and learning more during the upcoming season.

This summer I learned that countries can embrace the Paralympics. France has done an amazing job of putting on the competition. The French have totally impressed by buying most of the tickets, cheering on the elite athletes, and celebrating both wins and try-hards. In a world that can often seem cynical and divisive, the French have done something impressive. You're here to that.

Carolyn Black from Waterloo. For me, the highlight of this summer was the Paris Olympics. It was not only seeing Canada's success on the podium, but seeing the beautiful city of Paris and other regions of France so beautifully showcased. More importantly, seeing the exceptional sportsmanship of the athletes it gives me great hope for the future the olympics was also a wonderful distraction from all of the news we hear on a daily basis so great to have you back for another year well great to have you back as well caroline thank you troy bork of okotoks, Alberta. Looking back over the summer, what I learned, or was surprised by, is the looming crisis due to labor unrest.

The summer started with WestJet, their strike, which I think many saw as a one-off. But with the railway strike and the government forcing arbitration, labor unrest seemed to be more of a systemic problem. Now Air Canada pilots are up next. If I was a politician, I'd be really worried that labor unrest will derail any political agenda going forward. Maybe right there, Troy. Mike Berenick in Belleville, Ontario.

Hope you had a great summer. The fall is here and my thoughts are returning to politics. I saw a headline this morning, an opinion piece that wondered if the independent Senate could block the conservative agenda if they're elected. I have to confess I didn't read the article, but it got me thinking. Pierre Pelliev has already hinted he will use the notwithstanding clause to push his law and order agenda. My question is, could he use the notwithstanding clause to either fire the existing senators and put his own picks in their place, or could he increase the number of senators sitting

to ensure there is a conservative majority? Thanks as always, Mike Berenick. Mike, some of the things you suggest or ask about, you need a change in the Constitution for anyone to do, any government to do. And changing the Constitution, as we know, is nothing easy to do. You know, you need the consent of a majority of the provinces, if not all of them in some cases.

And it's not going to happen because other things suddenly get tied into it. Could he use the notwithstanding clause? I'm not as clear on that. I don't think so. I don't think he could use that to change the makeup of the Senate. It will be interesting to see, I mean, there would be, you know, if a majority of Canadians elect a massive majority conservative government, it seems a stretch to believe that the unelected Senate appointed by previous governments could disrupt the will of the people.

But we'll see. There may be some issues where it comes to a crunch, but it's certainly not going to be on everything. Jason Craig from Conqueror Mills, Nova Scotia. Our young family had a great summer in Nova Scotia, although it was difficult to fill the void of a great podcast. We missed the bridge. Thank you. I'd like to hear more on the subject of complexity,

especially as it relates to hard problems we face of what some call meta or polycrisis. I'd love to see guests who tackle some of these subjects. I think our mutual audience would benefit to hear from great thinkers who tackle the nexus of technology, philosophy, society, and politics, many of whom do not shy away from climate change, pollution, etc. Just my nickel. I haven't seen a penny in a while.

See, the Americans now are thinking of stopping to make pennies as well. Okay, Jason, let me think about that. Good idea. Ken Pellishock from Newstead, Ontario. I think we're talking Newstead, Ontario. I think we're talking Newstead, Ontario. Welcome back, Mr. Mansbridge, sir. I hope you had a great summer. Nobody calls me Mr. Mansbridge.

Nobody calls me sir. I'm just Peter. I'm happy with it. Anyway, Ken writes, What's on my mind lately is misinformation and how it seems to be eroding many of the values peace and freedom-loving democracies used to agree on. It's as if I suddenly woke up in a world where billionaires, politicians, and pundits

are openly questioning, were Nazis really the bad guys? Yeah. You know, when you hear that, Ken, you really wonder what the world's coming to, right? Sean Aiken in Whitby, Ontario. Summer's over, kids are back to school, and my weekly summer pick-up hockey game has also ended. You mentioned the other day your upcoming interview with Ted Barris to discuss his new book, The Battle of Britain.

He and I also play summer hockey together. Ted plays right wing and I play left wing. Occasionally we score, but mostly we laugh a lot and have fun with our friends. I don't want to spoil your interview or leak any secrets, but his hockey pals and I have had this book for a few weeks now, and I loved it. We buy most of his books as soon as he writes them. The Battle of the Atlantic, Rush to Danger, Dam Busters, and The Great Escape are all wonderful. Ted reminds us of Canada's underrated and understated wartime contributions. I hope your listeners enjoy the upcoming interview and buy his book. I asked Ted if I could write into you when he told us a few weeks ago

you were interviewing him. He laughed over his beer and chicken wings and said, yes. Ted's on next Tuesday. And Ted and I have been, you know, friends, I guess, for, you know, quite a few years. And I've always had a lot of time for Ted's books. I think they really hit exactly the point that Sean just said. They remind us.

They tell us as Canadians about our history in a way that for many of us, we just didn't realize. And I like to think I know a few things. But man, whenever I read one of Ted's books, I know a lot more about us. So anyway, Ted Barris will be on next Tuesday. You know, Tuesdays is kind of like the feature interview of the week or a feature conversation of the week. You know, the More Butts conversations usually run on Tuesdays,

and there'll be one coming up in the next few weeks, a new More Butts conversations usually run on Tuesdays, and there'll be one coming up in the next few weeks, a new more Butts conversation. In fact, I was just talking to James Moore yesterday about that very fact, and we're kind of focusing in on now on what it is we're going to talk about. Anyway, next Tuesday, Ted Barris. Make sure you don't miss it. We've got a number of authors coming up in the next little while. They'll always be focused on Tuesdays.

Marilyn Wallace from Fanny Bay, British Columbia. I was out in B.C. this summer for five days up in the Sonora Island area, up the coast from Vancouver, fishing. Just had an absolute fantastic time. The weather was gorgeous for every day we were there. I guess that's why they call it the Sunshine Coast, because it sure was. Anyway, Marilyn Wallace writes from Fannie Bay, in the last few weeks I've learned what some incredible humans can accomplish. I've had time to watch the Paralympics, marveling as I watch a swimmer fiercely compete as she moves through the water with only one arm and one leg. A badminton

player who somehow manages to serve a birdie with only a single hand. A blind runner who has trained herself to miraculously find the finish line in record time. One proud, emotional parent told us that she took the worst thing that could happen and turned it into the best thing. While it's certainly true that all Olympians must have immense stamina, determination, raw talent, what these people have been able to achieve as they also conquer their disabilities is nothing short of heroic. In a world that seems so full of negative news, these athletes help restore my faith in humanity. Okay. Don Mitchell from Ottawa.

Glad to see you're back, Peter. I went on a trip to see family in southwestern Manitoba, southeastern Saskatchewan. What I discovered is that there is zero public transit available outside of urban centers on the prairies. You are severely limited in rural Canada to get around unless you have a car. What can you do, or what can be done about that? Bicycles? Bicycles?

That's worth a check on that, about public transit in rural Canada. We have a good point there, Don. Cindy Duchesne Giroux, Beaumont, Alberta. What I learned this summer, so many things, one of them is that I've lost faith in our country under Justin Trudeau. As a lifetime liberal, I'm ashamed that our government has let so many companies or organizations arrive, scam, lob laws, pharma companies, rip us off. Not to mention the immigration issue.

We've let too many in, not enough housing for Canadians, let alone for others. So now we scramble. Where are the watchdogs? We are still not doing our part in helping Ukraine and to meet our financial goal for NATO. I sure know how much I paid in taxes and it was ridiculous. I'd like a show about this and what the government is going to do about it. Thank you for your time. I'm glad you're back, Cindy.

Thanks, Cindy. Cindy, listen, obviously there's a lot of people who feel the same way you do. And we talk about it. We talk about it every Friday on Good Talk about some of these concerns and where they sort of align themselves with the future of government in Canada and the next election. But thank you for that. John Moreland from Port Wade, Nova Scotia.

I learned that Canadians really don't seem serious about taking personal responsibility in the fight against climate change. The political party with absolutely zero realistic plans to fight climate change and a membership of a significant number of climate change deniers has a 22% lead in the polls.

Paulie Ev, who was, by the way, there was a poll the other day that showed the lead was only 13%. These polls pop around, as you well know, but there's no doubt they have a significant lead. Polyev, who's chosen to announce policy by slogan, coins, acts of the tax, and instead of investigating the tax and how it works, Canadians simply join the chant and dismiss the tax.

Jasper burned this year. Everybody calls it a new normal. There isn't going to be a normal anymore if we don't do something. And instead of cries for actually reducing the release of CO2, which is the real cause, we concentrate on recovery only. The recovery is necessary, but is only going to get more expensive and complicated if we don't actually do something real about lowering the CO2. We have quietly accepted the 100% tariff imposed by our government on cheaper Chinese EVs. Canadian auto manufacturers who have been producing expensive electric SUVs and pickup trucks have failed to produce a reasonably priced EV.

Will this make them change as we insist on buying large resource gobbling vehicles? Okay, John. Time for a quick break. Let's take a quick break and then we'll be right back. Still coming up, you know, we've got the random ranter. He's got a few things to say about Jagmeet Singh. First rant of year five of the bridge. Okay, let's take the break and then we'll be right back after this. And welcome back.

You're listening to The Bridge on Sirius XM, Channel 167. Canada Talks are on your favorite podcast platform. It's Thursday. It means your turn, and we've certainly been hearing a lot from you already on this program. Let's take that break and listen to the ranter on his thoughts about what happened yesterday in Canadian politics. It's more than a little bit interesting. So, where are you,ter go for it i don't know what the impact of the ndp ending their supply and confidence agreement with the liberals will be but i'm not betting on it triggering an election anytime soon i mean an election right now would be the absolute surest

way of guaranteeing the Conservatives a majority government. And the NDP knows it. Mr. Polyev's lawn sign-supported, sell-out-Sing nickname has landed, and with devastating effect. No doubt they're seeing it in the polls, they're hearing it at the doors, and by all accounts, they're about to experience it firsthand when voters serve them some bitter results in the next round of by-elections. Look, I totally understand and even applaud the NDP for supporting the Liberals. They scored some serious concessions. I mean, dental care is great. I went to the dentist the other day and it was packed with low-income seniors. And access to free contraception and diabetes medication? That's a program that helps a lot of people.

No, the problem isn't with the programs the NDP has ushered in. The problem is with the branding. Because everything the NDP claim as proof of their success is also claimed by the liberals. And for a myriad of reasons, some legitimate and some purely emotional, the liberals are absolutely hated. I mean, I remember back in the day, there was a whole stop Harper thing where people were putting Harper stickers on stop signs. Well, that is a long, long way from the F Trudeau movement of today. Now, I know not everybody is waving that flag, but there's no denying that the sentiment is surprisingly common. And by association, that sentiment has spread to the NDP. So despite scoring some big goals

with dental care and pharma care, there's no winning for them. In my opinion, ending the supply and confidence agreement isn't about bringing the government down. It's really just a desperate last-ditch effort to put some daylight between the NDP and the Liberals before next fall's election. But good luck with that, because Mr. Singh is out of cards to play. He's going to need more than his wonderfully produced feel-good announcement video and more than his spectacularly graying Gandalf-esque beard. He's going to need time, but he's pretty much out of that. And in the little time that he does have, Mr. Polyev will be triggering as many non-confidence votes against the government as he can. Mr. Singh is between a rock and a hard

place, trying to differentiate himself from an unpopular government while at the same time being faced with the unenviable task of having to shore it up. Because it's either that or face certain annihilation at the ballot box. Like it or not, and I honestly really do like Jagmeet, but he's in the same boat as Justin his window of effective leadership has closed he just hasn't figured it out yet if anyone is going to defeat Polyev in the next election it's going to need to be someone new someone from outside and someone with a fresh platform free of the Trudeau stink. All right, then.

Thank you, Random Ranter. We certainly know where he stands on this issue. Tomorrow, we'll hear from Chantel and Bruce. Today will unfold as it does. You know, Jagmeet Singh is giving a news here. We'll probably hear from the other parties some more as well. We heard from Trudeau yesterday on what this will do. But then we'll get right down to it with Chantal and Bruce as well. But the random ranter kicks certainly was on this one. All right.

Let's get back to your thoughts, because it is your turn. Christina Marshall has this to say from Thunder Bay. I hope you had a great summer, and I'm glad to be able to listen to the podcast again, even though I have to adjust to being in the same time zone as you. Previously, I wrote to you from Phnom Penh. And now I have moved to Thunder Bay. Very different city, I bet. I moved here two months ago and I'm still adjusting to the changes. Since moving, one thing on my mind is health care.

I talked to one person who moved here over four years ago and still, you know what we're going to hear now, and still does not have a primary health care professional, whether a doctor or a nurse practitioner. The health care system in Canada does not have a, wait a minute, where are we on this letter? The health care systems in Canada are not in good shape, and I am not confident that the responses from politicians on any level are sufficient to provide for the needs of the public. I miss my doctor in Phnom Penh, who was so very responsive and knew my history.

Will I ever be able to find the same level of care here? I realize I was one of the privileged ones in Cambodia, but believe we should be able to do better here. Mark Dunham. Yeah, it's a long letter, but there's some stuff in here that's important. He headlines it, A Young Person's Perspective. My name's Mark Dunham. I'm 35 and writing from Mississauga.

It's true, a lot of the cost of living crisis came from factors outside of government control. However, it's their response to them that can be criticized. Most youth would tell you the housing crisis is the number one issue. What did Trudeau do in response? Increase immigration to the highest level since the 1950s? What did he do when wages fail to keep up with inflation? Increase TFW approvals, despite the fact that employment is rapidly increasing, 6.5%. These have been widely reported in mainstream papers for the last two to three years.

The federal government has been deliberately increasing housing costs during a crisis and undermining the bargaining power of the working class. Regarding spending, the biggest criticism is not any new spending. It's what the government has already done. The size of the federal public service is up 40% since 2015. And we've had nothing but deficits after Trudeau promised balanced budgets in 2019. Yeah. A couple months later, the pandemic hit, in all fairness,

which cost billions of dollars to deal with. Billions of dollars they didn't have. Anyway, Mark, good points. Paula Graham in Miramichi, New Brunswick. American politics made my lefty heart sore. Canadian politics made me hope for more. Life at home was less than a bore. Aging parents, aging pets, heartache and more. Life at home was less than a bore. Aging parents, aging pets, heartache and more.

Today my kids went out the front door. Off they went to grades nine and four. I don't have them home all day anymore. For some this is bad. For me, a score. That's my summer, like never told before. Oh, Paula, you got that rhyming down pretty good. Thanks, Paul. Nora Large in Ottawa. Hope you had a great summer. While I enjoyed some fun activities this summer, I also followed the serious situation in Jasper

and the devastating forest fire, wildfire. As part of the news reporting, I noted a reference to the 2023 book, Fire Weather, The Making of a Beast, by American-Canadian writer and journalist, John Veyland. It's an account of the 2016 fire in Fort McMurray, which in part is related to climate change.

I've picked up a copy, and it's on the top of my reading list. This is the interview. Well, Nora, why don't we start by reading the book? It's certainly interesting to hear the title. So I'll look for the book as well. And give it a read. Oh, here's a letter about Jagmeet Singh and the NDP. Now, in fairness, it was written before yesterday's decision by the NDP leader

to pull the plug on his deal with the liberals. It's from Dylan. Actually, you know what? I'm not going to read the name. Because this chap says he often works for the NDP. He's on a local riding association. So I'm not going to read the name or the location where it's coming from. I don't usually do that, but I will here.

This is an environment prime for NDP. Even if government would be a long shot, with the floor falling out from beneath Trudeau, we should at least be polling in second place. He's talking about we being the NDP. Instead, every potential vote we may have taken from the Liberals is offset by one the Conservatives have taken from us. We as a party are failing to capitalize on this movement,

and I believe there are two fundamental reasons why. Jagmeet Singh. I cannot understand why he is still our leader. In his first election, he lost us nearly 20 seats. Fine, they would have been hard to hold for anyone. But in his second, the best he can do is to net us a gain of one. There was a time we were looking at gaining 10 or 15, and we ended up with a net gain of just one. That's pathetic. Arrogance.

And this one, I think, can't be overstated. There is, I believe, a mindset among so many NDPers, especially those we run the party apparatus itself, who run, that our policy positions are just so objectively and morally correct that all we have to do is keep shouting them in the faces of the public until one day a plurality of Canadians have an epiphany, realize that we've been right all along, and come crawling to us hand in knee,

begging us to save them. We don't need to work on our messaging. We don't need to change how the party is run. We just need to wait for everyone to realize that we've been right all along. And until that changes, we'll never win an election. All right. Now, I can't vouch for the fact that this guy is on the inside of the NDP,

but I have no reason to believe he's not. Because you do hear that. Sometimes. Will Dawson. He's also concerned about the impact the economy is having on young people. The average rent in Canada is now $2,200. Based on wages alone,

that's bad. But think about the social safety net we've all paid into. The maximum EI payout is $2,672 a month. Even for retirees, CPP's average payout is about $817 a month. These systems haven't kept up because CPI and groceries are a different percent of the household equation for different people. Gone are the days where, even in hard times, you could find a place to live and hunker down until your fortunes improved. I don't think our methods for analyzing cost of living account for the two cities of renters and homeowners, something exasperated by an aging population. It's not accurate to downplay economic malaise to rhetoric. It's real, and I worry we're doing too little too late.

I wasn't in the workforce in 2008, but despite being a housing crisis, I don't remember so workforce in 2008, but despite being a housing crisis, I don't remember so many people being without homes. Will writes from Halifax, Nova Scotia, and thank you, Will, for that. Naomi Herberg. I'm always very... Naomi is... Where is she writing from? I don't know.

I'm guessing it's in Ontario. I'm always very perplexed that so many people that are hurting in the economy are gathering around the Conservatives and Pierre Polyev when it's very unclear what they expect to get out of them. It's like people in many countries around the world, including the U.S., who are unhappy with their financial situation, and so they're willing to say, let's try something else, anything else.

But our disregarding logic, like is this something else actually likely to make things worse, like destroy their safety net? But they seem to not factor that in. I'd love a coherent answer on what they think they're going to get under Polyev and have an expert comment on how realistic it is to get it. Perhaps part of the problem is that Polyev has not said very clearly what he'll do. Well, I can tell you what a lot of people who've decided to vote Conservative will answer that question by saying, what am I going to get? What I'm not going to get is Justin Trudeau.

That's why I'm voting for the Conserv conservatives. Now, you and they may disagree about the value of that position, but that's what they'll say. That's what many of them will say. Anyway, it's been interesting letters here today because there's been kind of something for or against everyone, which is interesting. Here's one from Bud Taylor. Bud's in the States.

He lives in Richmond, Virginia and listens on Sirius XM, Channel 167. You can hear it all over North America. Or he listens on the podcast. Either way. Anyway, Bud writes, I listened to the Janice Stein discussion today and it rolled over to Nala Ayed. That's right. Janice was on Tuesday. Nala Ayed, the best of show on Wednesdays, was her conversation about her new book, The War We Want Apart. What an impressive journalist, writes Bud. What an inspirational story.

I agree with her that these Canadian stories need to be told and that often it is war that connects us immigrants to the soul of our country. I understand that you are doing an RCAF segment later this week. Well, it's actually next week, Ted Barris on Tuesday. I'll listen. The RCAF is a connection to my Canadianism. Father and father-in-law served honorably overseas, but my icon is my commanding officer when I was in air cadets. He had a plane shot from under him during the Battle of Britain and another while escorting bombers over Germany. German doctors did their best on his skin grafts,

but the results weren't good. I remember when he was on parade that he wore his brown gloves to hide his hands, but his face was always on display. Nala said we should interview these people to preserve their stories. I tried, but if this was the greatest generation, it was also one that wanted to get on with living. I did my duty. If I need to talk war, I'll go to the Legion.

I've recommended Nala's book to my 16-year-old granddaughter who visited Juneau Beach with me 10 years ago. A modest visitor center, an equally modest cemetery. They both have changed a bit in the last 10 years. The cemetery is amazing. A couple thousand Canadians buried there in the cemetery near Juneau Beach. And a visitor center, which I support. A couple thousand Canadians buried there in the cemetery near Juneau Beach. And the visitor center, which I support, is really good.

Bud calls it modest. It is modest. But that doesn't mean it's bare. There's a lot of stuff there. Here's our last letter for this week's Your Turn. Comes from Norma Jack in Stouffville, Ontario. And I love this letter because I think it kind of sums up what for a lot of Canadians who spent their summer lucky enough to travel around and see things about our country that we haven't seen before.

Norma writes, I discovered Comox, British Columbia this summer. My husband and I went there for a week. Beautiful scenery. A quiet coastal town on Vancouver Island with amazing whale watching. Oh, and drivers. They actually stop to let you cross the road. Such a treasure. Well, it's a long way from Stouffville to Comox,

but I'm glad you had a chance to make the trip this summer, Norma. And thanks for your letter. Thanks for all your letters today on an opening week of your turn. We'll focus down with a question for next week, and I'll give it to you on Monday, opening the Monday show with You Know What Happens Mondays. Janice Stein will be back. Tomorrow it is Good Talk, of course, with Chantel and Bruce and lots to talk about this week as we open up year five with them on Good Talk.

A reminder, on the weekend, and you can subscribe now, it costs nothing, you go to nationalnewswatch.com, and you can subscribe to my weekly newsletter. You'll get it in your inbox, at your email, at 7 a.m. Eastern Time on Saturday morning. It's kind of what I look for during the week are articles that many people might miss from all kinds of different publications around the world. And I list them usually with a little commentary on my weekly newsletter. We just started a year ago. We've got a subscriber base of over 10,000, which is terrific for a newsletter.

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And we have fun with it each week. All right. That's going to do it for this week for your turn on The Random Ranter. Hope you enjoyed it. And look forward to talking to you tomorrow with good talk. I'm Peter Mansbridge. Thanks so much for listening. Talk to you again in about 24 hours.