The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge - Your Turn - Has Carney Retreated From His Campaign Pitch?

Episode Date: September 11, 2025

During the April election campaign, Mark Carney dropped a lot of hints and some promises about what he would do if Canadians gave him their vote. The question this week, is Carney retreating? You had lots to say. And the Random Ranter drops by with another of his takes on AI.

And hello there, Peter Mansbridge here. You're just moments away from the latest episode of The Bridge. It's Thursday. That means your turn and the random ranter. The question this week is Mark Carney retreating on some of the commitments he made in the April election. Your answers on that coming right up. And hello there. Peter Mansbridge here. Yes, it's your turn. And the question is about the liberal government's new term, really. We're into it. And things are about to happen. In fact, they started happening today with the first of the major projects being listed. But the question is whether or not you think Mark Carney, the prime minister, is delivering on some of the things he said in the election campaign in April that returned the liberal.

liberals to power. Some critics have been saying he's backed off, especially on some of the environmental promises. Well, your answers to that are coming right up, and there were a lot of them. The program today is chock full of your words in response to that question. So, uh, why don't we get going? The Random Rantry, by the way, we'll be by as well with the latest of his two episodes on artificial intelligence. First was last week. The second one is coming right up. Okay, we start with Pat Wharton and Vernon, British Columbia.

I will say no to the question. I don't think he's retreating. But I am trusting his plan does include climate change. Fingers crossed, I can trust he hasn't changed from the beliefs in his book. Remember his book, values. Turns out a lot of you read this. that book, or at least parts of it, because you refer to it more than a few times in these letters.

Kyle 80 from Peterborough, Ontario. Yes, he's retreated. However, it is no revelation. In his book Values, Mark Carney writes about our climate crisis as an opportunity to be solved by the market. This market manipulates consumer behavior through advertising with psychological mechanisms like emotional triggers, addictive media, repetition. etc. It is driven by

misers with no regard but packing their purses. Do not count on an economist to solve the climate crisis with a corrupted market that's saturated in oil money. Tim Stought in Minnesota, Manitoba

living in rural Canada, I don't believe the Prime Minister has rolled back the EV mandate far enough. It's a classic cart before the horse. I would support the EV mandate if the infrastructure and technology was there. It's not feasible for rural Canadians at this time. Christine McDonald in LaSalle, Ontario. No, I don't think he has retreated. He stated he'd try to get the best outcome. I believe he's trying to give us time to shore up ourselves.

We got too comfortable and lag behind without much concern. Now we have to pick up our socks and get busy. People don't like change, so they grumble. Luke Robinson in Maple Ridge, B.C. No, he clearly signaled that he was pragmatic and would eliminate unpopular planks of the climate plan. It is painful for me to see good, important, effective climate policy removed, but it is the prerogative of democratic society to ask our leaders to sometimes make bad choices, even going against their own judgment. Carney is wisely dealing with the wedge issues, pruning a few branches of. off the climate plan so the tree can live. Ken Peloshock in Newstad, Ontario. For now, I'll reserve judgment and give Carney the benefit of the doubt.

The previous administration would promise the moon and act like they deserve credit for the announcement. I suppose that's called politics, and I appreciate Carney for not playing. We're in a mess, so we need unpolished reality. He's who we've got, so do your best, and let us know when, where, and how we can help out. Joanne Pettus in Winnipeg. I don't think Carney has abandoned his environmental commitments

by postponing the EV sales mandate. He's been an environmentalist for too long. However, he is pragmatic. I think he listened to automakers who were reeling from Trump's tariffs and decided to ease their burden at this time. I think the economist and the pragmatist won over the ideologue, or,

the politician. This is a leader you can follow. Scott Jansen, new Westminster, BC. Mark Carney hasn't veered off course. He's misguided and not progressive enough. Canada's top priority must be building interprovincial transmission lines. A more electrified future is inevitable. Total electricity use will rise and its share of energy will climb even faster. Carney must lean harder into this future to match the scale of what's needed. Michael Artendale in Sudbury, Ontario.

I would give Carney four out of five for doing what I expected. While he may not be able to do much about the USA due to how they seem to be changing on a whim, I'm happy with how he's doing with the rest of the world. Peter Arato in Toronto I must challenge your premise. There were no campaign promises Carney made for which the goals have changed. Obviously, tactics must continually adapt in his efforts to get the best deal for Canada, which remains his unwavering goal.

Similarly, his goals of nature conservation, water security, indigenous stewardship, and climate were not changed by delaying the EV mandate. In fact, a production mandate might not be the most effective policy to promote EV, adoption Christopher Club in Toronto I feel Prime Minister Carney is duped the electorate with a traditional political bait and switch Carney is retreated disappointingly in three ways

governing as a non-traditional prime minister he's operated entirely conventionally campaign of urgency 135 days since the election with very little achieved. Economic Security. The fiscal deficit will likely grow from $65 billion towards $90 billion. Assessing Carney

on the first 100 days metric, I'd give him an F. Laura Mischito in Toronto. I voted for Mark Carney believing he would act in a pragmatic and responsible manner when it came to climate change. I believe he is doing so, with some

of the changes which recognize the reality of the Canadian consumers' demand for zero-emissioned vehicles and the state of the Canadian economy. For our country to thrive, we need projects that will help bring our natural resources to the global market. Sarah Allinger in New Westminster, BC. I'm reminded of the old pre-election rant where Rick Mercer reminded us that when it comes to choosing the leader of our country, it's very important to choose the lesser evil. because otherwise the most evil will win. And that would be bad.

While I'm not suggesting that Mark Carney is evil, it's hard to be too disappointed when my main expectation was that he'd be better than the other guy. Zachary Whelan in Bathurst, New Brunswick. Yes, he has retreated too far on environmental policies, but this began with the carve-out for home heating oil under the Trudeau government. It has been politically convenient to chew away at our climate change policy over the past few years,

but I am not seeing any alternative strategies presented to achieve our emission targets. Jesse Wright in McKenzie, BC. What I'm perplexed about Carney and his retractions on climate is I am unsure who the real Carney is on climate. He did not campaign on climate change granted, but he was literally a use. UN Special Envoy on the topic, and had written quite a detailed book on the importance of climate policy. But now he not only seems disinterested, but actively opposing what he once preached. I have a hard time putting these two Carnies together in my head. Kate Welsh in Stratford, Ontario. Yes, I do believe that PM Carney has stepped back on

some of his platform statements. However, I believe that these are challenging times and the world is changing faster than anything we've seen before. He's dealing with a president that is not stable and cannot be trusted. I truly believe that he is doing his best for the country and that he has a plan. My only hope is that Canadians stay patient and give him a chance because the alternative is just not an option. Scott LaBuss in Blind Bay, BC. Blind Bay, BC.

Where's that? Well, it's the southwest end of Shuswap Lake in the southern Ontario. Scott writes, While it seems Mark Carney is now focused on developing Canada's infrastructure for global competitiveness, I don't believe he's abandoning his commitment to the environment. Rather, it appears he's aiming to. to balance economic growth with environmental protection. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt for now.

Callum Arnold in Guelph, Ontario. Yes, I believe Carney has retreated too much on green policies, whether it's the moribund carbon tax or the rumors about a new pipeline project in our national budget. I've begun wondering whether I elected Mark Carney or a Mark Carney-shaped puppet being tugged along by whatever policy Palliyev and the Tories feel strongest about that week. I hope Carney's retreat shifts into a pivot towards better solutions.

Matthew Nesbitt in Langley, BC. I disagree with the idea that Mark Carney is backed away from environmental commitments in an outsized way. Nation building projects don't necessarily run counter to freshwater protection, conservation, climate resilience, and other environmental elements of the liberal election platform. Leo Bourdain in Ottawa. On the EV mandate, yes, I believe he has retreated. EVs make economic sense. In 2023, my wife and I bought a Chevrolet Bolt.

The cost of most EVs are the same or lower than a gas vehicle. To get around, it's costing us roughly 10 times less to use our EV than our previous gas car. The federal government should embrace EV mandates as good for the economy, just as it's good for the environment. Ron Fisher in Moncton I'm concerned, but I think we need to wait and see what comes out of the nation building projects office. Well, that's started today.

If we get a dozen projects related to green energy, grid integration, and building the green industries of tomorrow, we will be well on track. If all we get is pipelines, and coal plants, then I will be very disappointed. Peter Cochlin in Kingston, Ontario, or Coglin. I think the environmental issues are important to this government. There have been changes on the carbon tax and the EV mandates.

However, reviewing these policies with the current world chaos is reasonable. Disappointing? Yes. Climate change is having a terrible impact upon our world. I think that leadership should involve thoughtful review where needed. Revisions can still meet the goals of reducing the harms of climate change. Yaz Badgiel in Calgary. I don't think he's retreated. I think he's done exactly what he was selling.

Center, right, canceling carbon tax, being careful, conservative. I think people expected him to be more progressive, but that wasn't what he campaigned on. I thought more Albertans would see this and vote. vote for him, but people only seem to see the logo or brand of politics, not the actual policies. Ernest Warnelius in Comox Valley, British Columbia, in a world of shifting tariffs and volatile geopolitics, clinging to last April's promises would be irresponsible.

We can leave rigid ideology to Pierre. Wendy Cecil in Toronto I know Mark Carney is backslid on some important environmental promises Why do I accept this? I believe it is critical that our Prime Minister not be doctrinaire and remains capable of adapting to changing circumstances Carney's strategic overview determines what works best for Canada even if it means temporarily surrendering some clearly held a goal

at times the practical must override the ideal and a Toronto and a truly effective leader is not afraid to make adjustments Connie Proto in Salmon Arm BC In my view Carney is doing exactly what I expected him to do all talk and no action

Brandon Roberts in Hartzell al-Balla Alabama. Heart cell Alabama. Well, you check the map. That's the northern part of the state of Alabama. Brandon grew up in Sue St. Marie, Ontario. He writes, during the campaign, Mark Carney claimed Canada was in a trade war with the U.S. Now we hear he and his minister state that Canada has the best trading relationship with the U.S. of any country. But have the the underlying facts and tensions in the trading relationship changed since the election? Marilyn Wallace, Fannie Bay, B.C. Context matters. I would have been angry if Mr. Carney had decided

to eliminate the EV mandate before the tariffs were announced. The effects of the climate change emergency are already devastating and demand attention. However, given the reality of the immense pressure on the auto industry right now there really is no other choice but to change course my conflicted brain struggles with the dilemma you know i was in edmonton earlier this week for a speech and uh as it turned out i ended up in the same hotel as what seemed like most of the liberal cabinet and caucus as they gathered for their meetings this week that They're still going on now. I'm back in, well, right now I'm in Toronto.

And, you know, there was kind of a buzz in the hallways and in the kind of breakfast room. And some of it was dealing with this kind of stuff, what Canadians are saying about what they're doing. The pollsters say most Canadians are still on side with the Carney government and the way they're doing things and they're giving them the benefit of the doubt. And you see that through these letters. And we're only halfway through. I find the letters really interesting because it's not just sort of, you know, I'm against them or I'm with them.

It's detailing their reasons why, even in 75 words or fewer. And, you know, good for them. That's why I love Thursdays because these aren't just rants. We have a rant coming up, but these aren't just, you know, partisan rants. These are, this is what I'm thinking. I may change my mind, but this is where I am at the moment on this. And that's good to hear. We all sadly know the dangers of over-partisanship.

We're going to take a break here right now, and we'll come back with the random ranter for this week. But as I said, there's lots more letters to come, and we will get to them. But first of all, we'll take this break. And welcome back. Welcome to your turn for this Thursday on the bridge. I'm Peter Mansbridge. You're listening on Series XM, Channel 167. Canada Talks, or on your favorite podcast platform.

We're glad to have you with us, no matter what venue or platform you've chosen to listen to us on. A reminder that tomorrow was Good Talk with Chantelle-Bear and Bruce Anderson, which is also available on our YouTube channel. Okay. Last week, if you were with us last week, the Random Ranter, Took, you know, I was surprised because he's, the random rander is a tech guy. Like he understands tech, and he uses tech. But he was on about artificial intelligence and was taking the approach that this is dangerous.

And there's a downside to AI. Well, he decided this week that he'd take another run at that. with some new facts and some new thoughts. So let's make way for the random renter. Last week, I got some pushback from Peter when I remarked on the cost of AI finding a cure for cancer. So this week, I want to clarify that comment by acknowledging that I see the potential upside to AI. I really do. It's an immensely powerful tool, and I've no doubt there will be amazing breakthroughs in a ton of fields, including a cure for cancer.

That's great. It's incredible. But I don't for a second think that any of those miracles will be accessible to people like you and me. There's nothing egalitarian about the billionaires behind AI. They're not looking to improve society or make life better for mere common folk. They're just looking for a better tool to make more money. They're less interested in the breakthroughs themselves than how they can monetize them. And when it comes to monetizing, what's a cure for cancer worth?

I know this. It's worth nothing if you share it with everyone. Just think about how much obesity costs society and heart disease and diabetes. But a Zempic, it ain't free. A cure for cancer? Tell me that won't break the bank and the health care system. Look, last week I talked about all the jobs AI would destroy and how that would impact society. But it's not going to only destroy jobs.

It's going to decimate small and medium-sized businesses by capitalizing their revenue streams. It's already happening. Think about when you Google something. The first result to your question is usually an AI overview, a generated answer to your quarry formulated from the information gathered by bots that have combed and categorized every corner of the internet. The overview is there supposedly to save us time. But the reality of the situation is that if you rely on the AI overview, then you have no need to visit the source material firsthand. If I'm running a website that produces revenue from eyeballs, that doesn't

work for me. But you know who it works for? Google, Amazon, Facebook, AI keeps you on their platform and off other sites. I feel like it's only a matter of time before companies will be able to pay to be mentioned in the overview the same way you can pay to be the top search result. Online is such a driving force for businesses these days, but the access points are all controlled by tech giants heavily invested in AI. They are the gatekeepers, and there's no doubt they're keeping people out. Human web traffic has dropped to the point where it's now been surpassed by bots. And the bots? Well, they don't all have good intentions. Many of them are malicious, looking for weaknesses and probing for vulnerabilities. As AI pairs with quantum computing,

it's going to leave us wide open to exploitation. Believe me when I say it won't just be billionaires reaching into our pockets fishing for every last time. It will be savvy AI-powered, high-tech criminals too. Look, in the wrong hands, AI can be like a gun, but a gun that can both aim and pull its own trigger. It's way too powerful not to come with strict rules and restrictions, but try telling that to the people developing it, because most of them have been able to blinders on to all the havoc it can wreak. Or worse, they see the havoc, but they've secured high ground, and they're fine with it. And that's really the crux of my issue. It's not so much AI itself, it's the people developing it. They're like boys with toys, recklessly pushing the

limits, and completely dismissive of the risk. Now, I've been a boy with a toy, so I know Boys with toys, that's bad news. No boy with a toy has ever said everything in moderation. And apparently, neither is a tech bro. There you have them. The random ranter on AI. You know, I mean trying to decide lately whether to do another show on AI. Maybe we'll let these two thoughts from the random ranter kind of sit for a while,

and maybe we'll take a run at AI. I just haven't chosen which day and which expert and which thought to be using on that one. Because I go back and forth on this, just like I'm sure many of you do too. But I thank the ranter for his rents on this in the last couple of weeks. Okay, let's get back to our question. And if you remember, as I'm sure you do, the question really is about, is there a difference between the government you see today

and the government you, most Canadians, voted for in April? In terms of the kind of things that Mark Carney and his ministers were saying in April, are they still saying the same thing today? Or have they retreated somewhat in what they've said? And if so, do you accept that retreat? And I think the letters so far today have shown that at least the Canadians

who are riding to the bridge and there have been many of them and they've been from all over the country are basically giving them a pass for the moment but they're all saying that, you know, for the moment. I kind of understand where he's coming from in this moment. Anyway, let's continue on with some of these letters. Next one comes from Mark Renick in Guelph, Ontario.

I think we have to give him a year. If at that time there is no progress, we have a problem. Richard Wright writes from Hong Kong. Survival beats promises. Carney's learning that the real world and survival in it sometimes supersedes promises. Would you rather have a leader who keeps every promise or one who keeps our country? His changes aren't betrayals, they're survival. When America has the world's biggest military and wants your resources,

campaign promises become luxuries to revisit in better times. Lisa Fraser in Toronto. Mark Carney is completely disappointing. He promised climate change priorities but is now promoting pipelines. Promised elbows up, but cut the digital service stacks. And is collaborating with the U.S. on the Golden Dome. Promiseed affordable housing, prosperity, and equality, but is cutting government services and wage women and gender equality

while prioritizing the military and surveillance. Neil Douglas Fraser in Edmonton Yes, he's retreated too much. With all the elbows up talk, I think Carney should be getting a penalty for delay of game. We are fools to attempt to negotiate with this authoritarian fascist. I think we know who he's talking about. about. Have we lost our dignity as a country? We've done everything he's asked for us, of us, minus giving up our sovereignty. And yet there is still no deal to be had. Hmm. Seems to me like

there won't be until Carney bends the knee to kiss the ring of the fascist chito like Danielle Smith. I hope it doesn't come to that. All right. Annie Trey Penae in Montreal. you bet he backed out too much. First, all those deadlines with the U.S. with no consequences have weakened Canada's position. And dropping of the digital tax adds up too. And then he seems to be dropping the environmental battle as well. And I now fear he will cut into Canada's social safety nets.

I didn't vote for this. I voted to block the conservative agenda, not to get a lighter version. Derek Dillowow in Ottawa to use another tortured hockey analogy we are only 10 minutes into the first period and have been facing an onslaught of shots we have weathered it well so far

playing well as a team and kept the puck out of the net the other team has some good players but their coach is a fool and knows nothing about team play our best plays have yet to come I have trust in Mr. Carney to find that that sweet spot between defense defense and offense, and to rally our team to play our best and to eventually lead the league in expert and quality competition.

Saul Mummy or Mumi in Calgary. Canada wasn't doing enough to address climate change before Carney, but the 2030 targets are seeming ever more a pipe dream. Whenever the conservatives attack a climate policy, Carney abandons it. Unfortunately, the liberals were terrible about communicating how the consumer carbon tax worked and that it was actually a benefit to many Canadians. We await an alternative to the carbon tax, but I'm very doubtful. Ralph Goring in North Sanich, BC.

As Mark Carney retreated on some of the issues? Yes, but during the election we had a president where it was thought, yes, we can get a deal. The rules have changed. President Trump does not want a deal. We are fighting to survive and must pick the battles we need to win. We cannot have everything. Need a great economy first before we can deal with other issues.

Constant Menzies in narrow Manitoba. That's just a little northeast of Winnipeg. It's too soon to tell. Perhaps Mark Carney is looking to fortify Canada with those mega-projects, partially to bolster our economy whilst ensuring sustainable development via proper environmental assessments. Let's see what's in the upcoming federal budget too.

That federal budget is probably while the House of Commons returns on Monday the federal budget is expected sometime in October. We'll see. With all kinds of warnings being attached to it, that this is going to be a budget unlike anything we've seen before. That doesn't mean good.

Or it doesn't mean inconsequential to ordinary Canadians. You might argue that that's good or you might argue that that's bad, but it's going to have an impact. Pat Provo in San Basil de Grande, Quebec. That's in the Richelieu Valley in southwest Quebec. I welcome Mark Carney's win, expecting strong climate action. He promised tougher industrial pricing, EV mandates, and faster clean energy approvals. Instead, only the carbon tax cut and permitting reforms stand out,

while EV goals are rolled back and industrial policy stalls. Economic challenges are real, but Canada cannot sacrifice climate. climate leadership to short-term pressures like Mr. Trump. Carolyn Lecky in Ottawa. Yes, Carney has retreated too much on climate. I was impressed by Carney's deep understanding and commitment to addressing economic and climate issues simultaneously. Nation building projects are necessary, but there's no discussion of wind farms, a national

grid, pumped hydro, or incentives for moderately priced electric vehicles. There are daily meetings with oil lobbyists and constant discussion of pipelines. I'm gobsmack to hear Carney discussing decarbonized oil. He knows better. Later today, the first real list of nation-building projects comes out. So I, you know, and it's going to take a while to go through that list to determine just how much of what Carolyn writes here is, is reflected in that. Gregory Heller in Thornbury, Ontario, that's between, well, roughly between Barry and Owen Sound on Georgian Bay. I used to have a place near Thornbury, beautiful little town, which has expanded rapidly, actually, in the last 10 years.

Gregory writes, I'm confident that Carney is doing what needs to be done to negotiate a good deal with the U.S. We bought our first EV five months ago, and we are happy with it. I'm sure that Carney will be back on the sustainability bandwagon as soon as possible. He's no dummy,

and if he's retreating, it probably is for good reason. Constance Blundee in North Vancouver, B.C. Still waiting to see if Carney's retreated too much, but fearing, yes. Because of his work in the last few years and his book, I had hoped that part of the new economy for Canada would be an electrical grid based on renewables, battery storage, and yes, nuclear, which has proven to be way less dangerous to human and planetary health than burning fossil fuels. Let's be leaders in new technologies.

instead of purveyors of the old poisonous ones. Rose Shim in Vancouver, BC. Since the election, I've been alarmed, by the way Mark Carney is rolling back environmental targets and policies. After reading his book, I thought he valued nature for itself, not just for the resources we can extract from it. But so far, his actions don't match his words. Megan Sargent in Edmonton

I'm disappointed with Carney on his walk back on the environment and standing up to Trump what happened to elbows up I'm also still waiting on the promise CBC funding which was a critical promise for me when I voted well a little explanation on that

Carney promised a $150 million annual funding increased to CBC and Raja Canada as a start. He said he would continue to increase funding until it could be compared to the money provided to other public broadcasters. Right now, CBC SRC is almost to the bottom of the world in per-capital funding of public broadcasters.

Maybe we'll see that in the budget? I know in the CBC's case, they're assuming it's coming because they're already spending it, mainly in increasing local coverage by having news bureaus, kind of pocket bureaus in some cases, established in different parts of the country where they didn't exist before.

Percy Phillips, who writes quite often to us from Portis to Prairie, Manitoba. This week, Percy says, yes, Mark Carney has retreated from his promises of the 2025 election, but he hasn't retreated sufficiently. What he sold to Canadians who voted for him was a soupy mixture of liberal promises, a stellar international resume, and hints that he can handle Trump and Trump light. His problem, being PM, is now real, and he has to deal with the unwillingness of the liberals to take the red pill of 2025 reality.

Nancy O'Donnell Jeffrey in Oro-Madante, Ontario. That's the northwest shore of Lake Simco. I'm glad Carney is rescinding many Trudeau ridiculous bills. Net Zero is a pipe dream, and we will never achieve it globally. I'm concerned about climate change, but with effective emission controls, Canada's oil industry can grow, increasing GDP considerably benefiting all Canadian standard of living. Canada's contribution to global emissions is 1.5%. Canadians need to understand both sides of the oil argument. Why are we shooting ourselves in the foot?

Eric Wees in Ottawa. It's still early days. We haven't seen the list of major projects we will today. Haven't heard the October budget, nor has this minority government had to negotiate with other parliamentary players. I was impressed with Carney, given his experience, willingness, to think big,

to compromise where necessary, and his determination to focus on outcomes. The proof will be in the pudding, and the pudding hasn't come out of the fridge yet. Yeah. Michael Pash in Victoria. The word that comes to mind is real politic. Taras needed to come off, Kuzma,

covered goods to reduce the impact on our economy. Environmental issues may be compromised by mitigating circumstances. Decisions must fit and respond to ever-changing conditions. Excuse me. It's all not flying back and forth, and yes, you know, I contribute by flying. I contribute to the problems, but I also contribute to a fund that helps deal with those. Anyway, back to Michael's letter. Decisions must fit and respond to ever-changing conditions.

I still think Canadians have chosen the best leader for the times, given the alternative. I trust Mr. Carney to keep a level head when faced with the madness from down south. Bernard Wood in Ottawa. Mr. Carney promised principle with pragmatism. The digital tax and reciprocal tariff changes made sense. The EV mandate was running far ahead of consumer demand

and supply capacity even before the tariff chaos. We will still need a mix of energy. sources and resources for decades before the fossil fuel era ends. Streamlining project assessments is not abandoning them, and he knows indigenous consent must be one.

Honorable compromise is the essence of democracy. Mary Reinhardt in Barry, Ontario. Mark Carney is not retreated too far on the environmental aspect. I'm a liberal and an environmentalist. Unfortunately, we, Canadian,

have to make some tough decisions and trust in the process. The future of Canada depends on sound, thoughtful, engaged decisions and action. Some I do not like, but see the need. Never agreed with EV mandates. Let the market determine. Alan Dunn in Whitby, Ontario. Simple, the only reason I voted for Carney was not policy-driven. He wasn't Trudeau or Polyev.

That was enough. Jason Bro in Negawak, New Brunswick. It's about an hour southeast of Bathurst. Today's online world has led many of us to believe we know more about what the day-to-day happenings are in government than realistically possible. So for now, I will hold my judgment and continue to cross my fingers

that we are playing 4D chess. Okay, here's the last one. And it actually addresses the 75 words or fewer requests that we make on letters. And some suggestions that, you know, if you're having trouble getting to 75 words or less and you're over. it. Use AI. Use chat GPT or something like it to reduce what you've written to 75 words. Just give it that instruction. I don't know. You know, I prefer the fully natural, but I hear what you're saying. Ron Snyder writes from Edmonton. And I, you know, I thought about whether or not we should include this. I guess one thing leads to another, but this is my friend, Mark Bulgutch says, you know, first it's make it shorter, then it's make it more eloquent, but here's Ron's letter.

Probably a number of listeners have already written to you about this, but the way one can semi-legitimately use an AI assistant, like that one, you know, chat GPT or GROC or co-pilot is to write something and then ask or tell the AI system. If this is more than 75 words, reduce it to 75 words. And you'll get your 75 words. But it won't really be you. So if you use it and you send in an answer to the question of the week, include your name, your location, and whether or not you used AI to come up with your word limit.

Let's be totally up front here. I can honestly say I've never used AI on the podcast. Now, that's partly because I just. I didn't know how to use it. I know how to use it now. And I occasionally use it for other things. But as, you know, as the ranter said during the rant. These days, if you use Google or a search engine like that, like Google,

your first answer coming up on the search is usually AI assisted. And it says so right there. So keep that in mind. listen thank you for your letters I wasn't sure how this would do this week with this question but I was you know I was pleasantly surprised

lots of letters and thoughtful letters no matter which side of the argument you were on I think it's pretty clear from reading these that the majority of people who wrote in this week and this is somewhat similar to the kind of polls and surveys we've seen recently most people are on side with Carney for the moment for the moment

and you heard their reasons why in the letter say so this goes beyond what the polls tell you this tells you why people are thinking the way they're thinking at least those who wrote in and we got as I said a lot of letters we've really you know we get a lot of letters every week now and partly because of the

75 words or fewer. I was asked this the other night at the speech that I gave in Edmonton to the Edmonton Public Library, wonderful folks, and boy, talk about dedication of that city to its library.

It was packed. It was full house sold out, 700 or so people there. It was great. And in the question session at the event. One of the questions you know dealt

with this issue. A lot of different issues we're dealt with and I respect all of them. And we had a good time. A few laughs. It was all very nice. This week I this weekend I head back to Scotland for a little while

so the podcast will be coming from there. And, you know, it's amazing, really, when you think of it. It doesn't matter where you are these days. The information flow is so amazing. You can gather information, and you can talk to people from anywhere in the world, the drop of a hat. You know, our place is in a remote part of the highlands.

there's not a lot of people around and yet it's thought-provoking and the whole bit so I'm looking forward to that I'll be back in a couple of weeks once again the podcast is not affected at all by where I am

as I said I was in Edmonton for a couple of days this week but the podcast has continued no problem and it will while I'm in Scotland but I'll be back I've got to go to Calgary for a speech

near the end of this month so I'll have to pop back over for that and then later in October I've got a speech in Montreal so I'll be there for that and back and forth and once again as I said I do contribute

to a fund that deals with the pollution that is caused by airplane travel. So I know some of you are concerned about that and write about that, and I appreciate your thoughts. Okay, that's going to wrap it up for this day of your turn. Tomorrow we'll gather with Chantelle-A-Barre and Bruce Anderson, and lots to talk about this week. Lots to talk about this week, about various things that have happened. I know Chantelle was in Edmonton this week as well. So she'll have thoughts, I'm sure, on the Liberal Caucus and the nation building projects that were announces,

and so will Bruce, I assume, as well. So we'll deal with all those things and more tomorrow on Good Talk, which is available on Sirius XM as a podcast and also on our YouTube version. The buzz comes out on Saturday morning at 7 a.m. Eastern Time. We have thousands of subscribers, which we really appreciate. If you want to subscribe, there's no charge. All you have to do is file your email address.

And you'll see the opportunity to do that on national newswatch.com. slash newsletter and you'll get the buzz which is really just sort of my sense of the week and some of my favorite articles that I've read during the week which could be on

mainstream topics or not so mainstream I always have fun with the buzz okay that's going to wrap it up for this day I'm Peter Mansbridge thanks so much for listening we'll talk to you again

in less than 24 hours Thank you.