The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge - Your Turn on The Monarchy and The Ranter on China

Episode Date: May 11, 2023

A  wide range of opinions on various issues today are headlined for the most part by things triggered by the Random Ranter.  Last week he tore into the monarchy, some of you agreed but others argued for the tie to be kept.  And then the Ranter heads off in a new direction - China.

And hello there, Peter Mansbridge here. You are just moments away from the latest episode of The Bridge. It's Thursday, that means your turn. This is your turn. And the Random Renter on China. Don't you just love Thursdays? Thursdays on the Bridge is all about you, right? I mean, that's the idea. It's you and a little bit of the random rander, too. But you in the sense we hear from you on the various topics we've been discussing on the bridge and, quite frankly, anything else you want to bring up.

So I enjoy getting your mail. You've been writing to the Mansbridge podcast at gmail.com. And as I said, on any of the various issues of the day. By Thursday, I've kind of gone through the mail and sorted things out and decided which ones I kind of like to put on the program. Rarely do I read the whole letter. Just in case you're new to this, I just might read a paragraph or a couple of sentences from different letters. Sometimes I'll read the whole thing, but usually it's just excerpts. That way I obviously can get more in. I like to know who's writing, and I like to know where you're writing from.

It just gives us a better sense of kind of the country, right? I'm not suggesting that everyone in Newfoundland feels the same way, but it is great to hear from people in Newfoundland and hear what they have to say. And then likewise for any other part of the country. So keeping that in mind, starting off today, Monday's program was, uh, it was an interesting one. We had a feature interview with Jordan Bittoff, the, uh, owner, CEO, publisher of the, of Torstar, the company that owns its major centerpieces, the Toronto Star, but it also owns 80 newspapers in different parts of the country.

And it, the issue was all about the struggle to keep print journalism alive in some form, whether print or digital. And Jordan Bitoff made his case. Some of you agree with it, some of you don't agree with it, but he made his case. And I appreciate the fact that he came on the program and was pretty forthcoming in terms of what his thinking was. But as I said, not everybody's in the Bithoff camp on this one. So we heard some from some of you,

and I'm just going to highlight a couple of the letters. Matthew Kipe from Kitchener. I just finished listening to your interview with Jordan Bithoff, and it left me both happy and disappointed in him. As he preached how Canadians need to support our own, I'm disappointed that when I visit the sports section of the Toronto Star, that there are not specific sections for the CFL, the most uniquely Canadian league of them all,

the Canadian Hockey League, U Sports, the Canadian Premier League, our tier one pro soccer league as recognized by FIFA, and the Canadian Elite Basketball League, which is our tier one basketball league as recognized by Canada Basketball. All right, Matthew, you've made your point there. Derek Fildebrand, who's the publisher and president and CEO of Western Standard New Media Corporation. I'm oddly enough a grudging fan of your show, Peter,

but don't tell my readers then. I just finished listening to your interview with Jordan Bitoff of Torstar. Oddly enough, about one hour after I finished testifying before the Senate on Bill C-18. That's one of the legislative tools that Jordan Bitoff was talking about. If you care to blow five minutes, you can watch or listen to my statement and question and answer here. And he gives the fairly long link to go to his testimony before the Senate.

But you can just go Senate of Canada and look up the hearings on C-18 and find where Derek Fielderbrand is. Clearly, he's not in the same headspace as Jordan Bidoff. The attempts by the legacy media, says Derek, to grift their way to profitability will leave the new startup media as collateral damage and severely damage the free press. Anyway, I appreciate the very intelligent, albeit Laurentian, show that you're putting on.

And Derek, I appreciate your letter. I do. And I have already penciled out a time slot this weekend where I'm going to watch your testimony and hear what you have to say. So I appreciate hearing from Derek and his grudging respect for the bridge. Jim Sellers writes this. After listening to your interview with Jordan Bitoff, I am reassured that journalism is not dead, print or digital.

What I am concerned about is the state of journalism as a profession and the vast ownership of Canada's print media by very few corporate elites, or sorry, excuse me, very few corporate entities. I've always had an enormous respect for journalists, having known many in my lifetime. What we are missing right now is a formal clarification of who is a journalist, something that certifies professional journalists in the same category as doctors, engineers, and electricians. Currently, anyone can call themselves

a journalist and muddy the waters of who to trust when looking for facts and information. Why can't we certify professional journalists? You know, I don't think I agree with that, Jim. I mean, it's pretty clear to me that if you're working for a professional news organization, you're a journalist. If you're a citizen journalist writing on Twitter or whatever, social media channel, you are what you are. You're just you. You may be a doctor but has thoughts on various national issues.

Doesn't make you a journalist. Makes you a doctor who has ideas and thoughts, and that's okay. But recognize where you're coming from but anyway jim goes on also news media in canada one cannot open a store that lends money and call it a bank but anyone with a website can call themselves the news well they can call themselves that doesn't make them the news this is the main problem with trust in journalism, in my opinion. What is really missing today is local coverage.

I don't disagree on this. I have no problem with government support of newspapers as long as they are locally owned and operated. We support the arts. We support publishing in Canada. If we can support a vibrant local print online newspaper industry without mass corporate and foreign ownership, we may be able to revive an industry that has suffered in the vice grip of declining in income and increasing corporate profit margins.

So, Jim, you got some good points there, especially in the latter half of that letter. There were a lot of letters this week, wait for it, about the monarchy. The random ranter went on a rant last week about the monarchy, you may recall. And as a result, there were a number of letters to the bridge. So let me get started on one of them. Bill Manalakos in Maple Harrow, Ontario. If I'm correct, that's... I'm not sure. I may be confusing it with a different town. But anyway, Maple Harrell in Ontario.

And this is the main point he was making about why we need the monarchy. We are not Americans, and the Crown has helped establish and remind us of this fact. Ideas from the British imperial past, such as the Westminster system of government, Canadian concepts of responsible government and peace order and good government, are good things from our colonial past that monarchs represent and make us different from our American cousins. A shining example, we don't have the U.S. Second Amendment and the cultural baggage that Americans must deal with that right. Just part of Bill Menelakos' letter. Fergus Lavelle from Bowmanville, Ontario.

He heard our piece on coronation chicken. I also weighed coronation chicken from Tesco. That's one of the supermarkets in the UK, right? I was in Scotland the same time as you were. I thought it was interesting, yet my co-workers were unfazed when I told them with excitement, I'm delighted to have the validation from a big name broadcaster for my fascination with the limited edition grocery store item. Thanks for that. Also, the random ranter triggers me. Not always, but I suppose if I went through life without having any of my views challenged or tested, my ego would run wild and unchecked. I eagerly await a good test of my views each week. And that's the whole idea. Thanks, Fergus. That's why we have the random ranter on there. It's not just to spew his thought

and say to you, you have to agree with this. Not at all. It's to provoke you into challenging it, agreeing with it, thinking about it. That's why the ranter's there, and that's why he has become so popular over the course of whatever the number of months is now, since last fall. I guess it was last September that the ranter started his ranting, and we're happy to have him. I'm telling you, we're very happy to have him.

Finally, do we know how many takes he does to get the final recording? Fewer than Rick Mercer? I don't know. All I ever hear is the final take. So for all I know, he only does one take. But I would be surprised. Nobody, you know, except me, does just one take.

I'm sure that occasionally he gets it on the first take. Ron Fisher from Moncton, New Brunswick. Well, sometimes I'm not the ranter's biggest fan, but this week he nailed it. He made a great case for leaving the monarchy behind, and I agree with him completely. I also agree that tacking 24 Sussex Drive onto the monarchy is a stroke of genius. Canada needs to get its mojo back, and this could be the start of it. You know, he suggested we get rid of the monarchy, dress up 24 Sussex, fix it, spend the millions that's apparently needed on it

to make it the home for the replacement of the monarchy and a new head of state. We'll see. Remember, head of state is the monarchy and a new head of state. We'll see. Remember, head of state is the monarchy. Head of government is the prime minister. In the states, both are the same person. In Canada, they're two different people. All right?

Head of state, head of government. John Mullen writes from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Still not missing an episode and enjoying them all. I just haven't written in a while. I always suspected that the ranter was a person that was reading a script that you had written, and you were keeping your opinions under cover of the ranter until last week. The dressing down of the Royal Family and what it does and doesn't mean to Canadians is

spot on, in my honest opinion, but it really didn't sound like you or your opinion at all. So my ranter theory is blown out of the water. I believe that it's time that we have serious minds, spend serious time to plan what our governments will look like post-Royal. The courage to do that will win a lot of favor in the next election. And you know the only parties that can say that, they will study that with conviction are the ones that aren't red or blue. Hope that you're enjoying the work, Peter. For sure your listeners are enjoying the podcast.

Well, thank you, John. I do enjoy it, and I enjoy especially Thursdays when I get to read what you have to say. Most of the time. Scott Corley writes from Saskatoon. Since moving to Saskatchewan, I've become much more informed about the history of Indigenous peoples in North America and the challenges they face. In general, there seems to be much less awareness of Indigenous issues in the U.S. I enjoy reading columns written by Doug Cuthand, a great columnist, Indigenous Affairs columnist for the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix,

and the Regina Leader Post. I found this column in today's paper particularly interesting. Doug describes how treaties with Canadian First Nations were made between the First Nations and the Crown. By maintaining the British monarchy as Canada's head of state, a legal framework is preserved that protects and defines the relationship between the First Nations and Canada. There are many arguments in favor of doing away with the monarchy

as Canada's head of state. However, preservation of First Nations treaty rights is the strongest argument I have seen for retaining the status quo. Alexis Harper, she writes, with respect to your recent coverage of the monarchy, I have found it to be somewhat prescriptive in that it favors and pushes the view that the monarchy lacks contemporary relevance. My biggest concern is with respect to the absence of deep coverage regarding King Charles' passion and work for the environment. We badly need leadership from all and everywhere if we are to save our planet. Surely this is not the time to ignore, diminish,

and attempt to render irrelevant those who are making a difference. We need deeper coverage on the new monarch's involvement with the environment. Then let people choose. Thank you, Alonso. Bill Herta. Bill's in Thornhill, Ontario. I watched the coronation up to dropping the crown on the Queen's head. I thought it was quite moving.

You know, I still hesitate when I see that. I'm not a Camilla fan, okay? I'm still a bit of a monarchist, less so than I used to be, but I'm still a little bit there, but sorry, I don't buy Camilla. Anyway, back to Bill's letter. I thought it was quite moving, but I couldn't stop thinking about the contrast between this ceremony and the inauguration of a U.S. president. There are many, but to name a few, while both are aspirational in promise,

one is highly religious and the other seems to be so functional. One swears to God and the other to a constitution. I'll leave it there. But maybe these differences tell us a lot about these two nations. And maybe it can inform us in our deliberations on the future of the monarchy in Canada. Rob Donaldson in Waterloo, Ontario. Rob attaches a column or a news story, news story actually, from Aberdeen, Scotland, from AberdeenLive.News,

where the headline is King Charles III Coronated at Westminster. So Rob writes, Peter, coronated is an actual word. So you were right. Trust the UK media. This is a result of me kind of making fun of the possibility of a word such as coronated. I did that a couple of weeks ago, and I got ticked off

by a few listeners for using the word coronated. Well, apparently I'm in good company. Doesn't mean it's right, but at least I'm not alone. Thank you to AberdeenLive.News. All right. Those letters on the coronation or the coronated King Charles prompted in large part by the random ranter

and his rant last week on the monarchy. So what's he going to talk about this week? Well, one of the things that we've spent a lot of time on, the bridge and all newscasts and news commentary programs like the bridge over the last while, has been about the relationship between China and Canada as a result of the stories of election interference and you name it, the Michael Chong story, all those have been at play. Well, the rancher's no slouch. He's been listening.

And not only has he been listening, he has his thoughts on China. In dealing with the People's Republic of China, I think the biggest mistake we make is in thinking they're at least somewhat like us, when nothing could be further from the truth. The Chinese Communist Party is a brutal, xenophobic regime that is perpetrating a genocide against the ethnic minority Uyghurs.

They dominate the private lives of their own citizens, they strictly control the free flow of information, they brutally crush any form of dissent, and they laugh at the very notion of democracy. If we had the strength of our own convictions, if we had the courage to do what's right, we would never do business with China. But the problem is, it's just so cheap. Cheap labor, cheap energy, and lax environmental laws. It draws in Western capital like flies to a cow patty. We just can't say no. It's like China's a crack dealer and we're hooked, lined, and sinkered.

Because you name it, it's made in China. It stocks the shelves of every Walmart, every Costco, every Dollarama, and even mom and pop shops. But if you really want the full experience, why buy name brand? Go online to Amazon, or better yet, go to knockoff central Alibaba, because the People's Republic of China, they don't care about copyright. They don't protect Western trade secrets. They openly steal them. And that's just the price of admission. China is the fox and the West.

We're the hen house. It's a toxic relationship. And by toxic, I mean literally toxic. The whole world ships them their e-waste and they don't care about the consequences. If it has value, they'll take it. Environmental impact be damned. That cheap energy. It's coal. They'll take it. Environmental impact be damned. That cheap energy, it's coal. And get this, they account for 50% of the total global consumption.

That's right, 50%. And cheap labor, it doesn't get much cheaper than forced. But hey, I know it's not all horror stories. There are some great operators manufacturing in China, but as great as that whatever it is, it'll be cheap. And those ethical arguments, they tend to wilt in the face of a good deal. But look, this is all the making of our own greed. We're the ones who shifted our production there. We're the ones who buy the goods, and we're the ones that are more than happy to keep supplying them with the raw materials they need to keep fueling their furnace.

And again, I mean literally fueling their furnace because the number one Canadian export to China, you guessed it, it's coal. And for the record, I'm calling stuff made in the People's Republic of China cheap, but that's just referring to cost because the quality, well, I'm not complaining about my iPhone or my computer or any electronics for that matter, because if they aren't made in China, then they're surely made from Chinese components. So we need to face it. Chinese technology, it's leading edge and we should never underestimate them on how they can use it because no one leverages technology quite like the Chinese Communist Party from TikTok to Huawei to the way they monitor and manipulate their own citizens. It's next level Orwellian. So is it any surprise that they try to influence elections? Is it any surprise that

they go after Chinese Canadians here in Canada? I don't know, but there's not much we can do about it beyond some tough talk, because Canada and the rest of the West, we're too dependent, and the People's Republic of China, they know that better than anyone. Our friend, the Random Ranter, this week on China, how do you feel about that? How do you feel about what he had to say on our relationship with China and our thinking about China? Because it's been dominant in the news now for at least the last, what, six weeks? And probably will continue to be on a lessening scale as we move forward until the next big story breaks.

We'll see when that may be. All right, we're going to take our mid-show break, but there's lots more letters from you on a whole variety of subjects, kind of potpourri, potpourri, potpourri of thoughts from you right here on your turn on the bridge. But first, this break. And welcome back. You're listening to The Bridge, the Thursday episode, your turn,

right here on Sirius XM, Channel 167, Canada Talks, or on your favorite podcast platform. All right, moving on with more comments and thoughts from you right here on the bridge. This one comes from... Okay, we can turn the music off, Peter. Thank you. Thank you very much for that production moment.

All right, this one comes from Jacques Pelche. He's in, I love this, he's in Peachland, British Columbia. Peachland. Doesn't that sound wonderful? As I've said before, one of the great things about Canada is the variety of names for communities across the country, from coast to coast to coast. Love them all.

But that one, I mean, you can't help but smile. Peachland, British Columbia. You think sun. You think fresh fruit. You think good times. You think sun. You think fresh fruit. You think good times. You think summer. Now that we seem to have finally got spring, here in southern Ontario anyway,

it's feeling pretty good. All right. Jacques wants to write about podcasts, sort of generally. He's been discovering podcasts and the impact they can have. So he writes a pretty long letter, so I'm going to read two small parts of it. Without having a broad base of knowledge to offer, it seems to me that the nature of political discourse that has brought about a lack of confidence in our political leaders and our government institutions, I am appalled that none of the political leaders or organizations are recognizing this situation and making efforts to address it. It also strikes me as a general statement

that news organizations prefer to find hot political buttons instead of asking relevant questions that address my assertion. Canadians view the political scene in the most cynical way. In my view, transparency, accountability, and integrity of our political leaders are primary ingredients to right the ship so that Canadians have the confidence that we are being led to take on the urgent issues we face. Without these qualities, our chances of success, that they can lead us successfully, seems awfully remote to me. Can't argue with that.

Eli Stoiku writes from the heart of southern Ontario, Stratford, Ontario. Eli's a trucker. I didn't get a chance to write to you last week regarding Gordon Lightfoot because I was driving trucks stateside. I thought you might find this interesting. I was listening to the 70s music channel on XM radio,

and they played Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The longtime channel host came on after the song and said that, hands down, that was the number one song requested by truck drivers. As a truck driver, that made perfect sense to me. I, as probably most truck drivers do, feel a kinship with those who have the difficult and often dangerous life hauling freight. Whether it's on land or over the water, enjoy your show.

Eli Stoiku in Stratford, Ontario. Thanks, Eli. I love to hear from you. We have a number of truckers who listen to The Bridge on XM Radio as they're making their way across our country and across the United States. And it's always great to hear from them

based on the experiences they have traveling the continent. Jim, you know, the other day, I was driving into Toronto from Stratford, and if you know that drive, a good chunk of it is on the 401, which is, you know, the major thoroughfare through central and southern Canada. And it is a home to the big trucks. Well, I just joined up on the 401 near Kitchener, and there'd been an accident on the westbound lanes of the 401,

so I was traveling east. So the backup was incredible. It had to be, I don't know, 10 kilometers at least. Wall to wall, wall stopped cold and it seemed to me 90 of the vehicles were the big semis one after another after another after another and when you see it like that i mean it's. You get the sense driving on the 401 at regular speed, but when it's full stop, you suddenly see there is the Canadian trade story and the Canadian movement of goods story right there in front of you. All those semis filled with stuff moving from east to west or west to east. It's remarkable.

You go, like, what is in all those trucks? Because there were thousands of them just in that stretch. It was quite something. And my, you know, I've always been impressed by truckers and what they go through. And hats off to them. I mean, some of them got a bad name as a result of a group of them, small group of them in relation to the number of truckers out there and the truckers associations, all of whom were against those boycotts um but they got a bit of a certain name as a result of those

demonstrations a year and a half ago but when you when you see what they go through on a daily basis, your appreciation comes back for the movement of our goods and for the safety they exhibit on the roads. All right, Jim Herchak from St. Albert, Alberta. He was listening the other day to our discussion about mercenaries in war. So Jim writes, The Geneva Convention's definition of mercenary includes several conditions, two of which are that the fighter in question is not a member of the armed forces of a party to the conflict

and receives material compensation substantially in excess of that promised or paid to combatants of similar rank and functions in the armed forces of that party. In the case of the foreign combatants fighting in Ukraine, they are part of Ukraine's International Legion, which is part of the Ukrainian army, and they receive the same pay as Ukrainian members of the Ukrainian army, so the UN does not consider them to be mercenaries. Okay, that's a good point um

i still think brian stewart framed the mercenary issue um in the right way but i hear what you're saying jim and technically i'm glad you added that added that point doug moore from the Noose Bay, B.C. He was talking about a conversation we had the other day, and I think it was with Rob Russo and Chantelle Hebert on a good talk a couple of weeks ago about the extraction of Canadians from

conflict zones. So Doug writes, when extraction is required from a conflict zone, it is the Canadian military that will be tasked with that job. Our military willingly place themselves in danger to extricate fellow Canadians who have to be withdrawn from the danger that their diplomatic duties have put them in.

In such an extraction, I would add that if conditions allow, such as space aboard an aircraft, any Canadian passport holder or other citizen of the world would likely also be accommodated to the extent possible. Some believe that it is the Canadian government's responsibility to extricate any and all Canadian passport holders from a conflict zone. Such is not the case, according to Doug. Consular officials can provide assistance in the form of guidance and counsel,

but it is the responsibility of the individual passport holder to get themselves out of the country should they feel it necessary to do so for their safety. Canadians should understand that a personal choice to travel outside Canada does not bind the Canadian government to their safe return home. I think that's why you find when there are dangerous spots in the world or spots that are becoming dangerous, the Canadian government puts out advisories to all Canadians who are either traveling or about to travel in those areas, that they should be very careful and understand what the rules are about travel in those kind of areas.

So I hear what you're saying, Doug, and I agree with you that when space is available, it will be made available to those, but they shouldn't assume that that's some kind of guarantee. Martha O'Brien in Victoria. On Good Talk, there was some discussion about whether Melanie Jolie should be taking time to decide whether or when to expel one or more diplomats over the targeting of Michael Chong's family. Note that as of Friday, May 5th,

this is when she wrote the letter, there is no clarity as to whether there was any actual action in the nature of intimidation against the family, only that the diplomat wanted to find out about Chong's Hong Kong family. My question is, should the global affairs minister wait until vulnerable Canadians in China have been warned that China may retaliate. Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor,

not saying that the Chinese might engage in more hostage diplomacy in response to an expulsion, but pausing to consider the Chinese response and put protections in place, seems prudent. Thank you, Martha. Did you remember the end bit the other day about South Africa and their driver's licenses? Apparently in South Africa, a country of what? You know, almost twice as large in population as Canada.

They apparently only have one office in the whole country that punches out driver's license. And the machine that punches them out went, it was unusable, unserviceable. They couldn't work it. So for most of April, they could not send out new licenses. So Al Zwicker writes from Woodstock, Ontario, South Africa has one office to issue driver's licenses for a population of 60 million.

I would hazard a guess. Many drivers don't have a license then. That's possible. I'm not sure, you know, it is a population of 60 million. But how many actually drive, can afford to drive? Probably not so many. I travel by bus. Lots of buses running in various parts of South Africa.

Anyway, it was a crazy story. Rick Reed writes from Toronto. I'm 63. I've been a lifelong listener of CBC Radio ever since visiting my grandfather at the age of seven at his cottage in the Laurentians. Ah, so you remember the Laurentian elite. And listening to the morning news with him. Was it called World Report in the 1960s? No, it wasn't called World Report in the 1960s.

The morning news was called World at Eight. The evening news was called The World at Six. I remember those days in the 1960s because I used to report for CBC Radio to both of those at the end of the 1960s from Churchill, Manitoba anyway, Rick says I'm afraid that CBC Radio and I have grown apart

somewhat over the years I still rely on CBC Radio for my morning dose of news and several of the comedy shows are on my podcast playlist but much of the rest of CBC Radio content is no longer to my taste. Have I changed? Probably. Has the CBC Radio changed? Yep. In any case, since the end of Morningside, I've never really found a reasonable substitute,

either in CBC programming or elsewhere, until The Bridge. Well, hey, that's very nice of you, Rick, but really, The Bridge is fun to do, and we try to deal with interesting stuff, but it's not Morningside. It's not Peter Zosky. That was an incredible show. It brought the country together over, what, three hours every morning. What a show.

What a staff. Peter was able to surround himself with some of the most talented producers ever. And there is no comparison to Morningside of any kind. But we appreciate your thought anyway. Rick adds a little anecdote. As an aside, many years ago while he was leader of the opposition, I ended up sitting beside Stephen Harper on a flight from Montreal to Toronto. As he seemed occupied with some papers, and as I'm a mostly polite Canadian,

I left him alone, and we didn't speak for most of the flight. Near the end of the flight, he put his papers away and seemed amenable to some small talk. So we began with the usual, how are you? I hope week has gone by well, etc. But it seemed an opportune moment to ask a question, and I wanted to ask an intelligent question that perhaps wasn't obvious and not controversial.

So I asked him which journalist or columnist in the Canadian media world he had the most respect for and thought most highly of their opinion. Okay, you ready for this? Are you ready for the answer from Stephen Harper? Yes, you guessed it, says Rex, or Rick. Yes, you guessed it. Chantelle LeBair. No kidding, right?

I sent that to Chantelle Lebert no kidding right I sent that to Chantelle she was embarrassed that I sent it to her Rick wrote another letter I'm going to save it for a minute John Dunn writes from Scarabray Ranch in Cowley, Alberta Scarabray Ranch in Cowley, Alberta. Scarabray? Recognize that name?

Peter, I enjoyed your Monday broadcast with Rick Mercer. Your introductory anecdote about Scottish fly tire Megan Boyd was particularly meaningful to me. My grandfather retired in the early 1970s to a cottage on Orkney, that's just north of Scotland, the Scottish mainland, near Scarabray to pursue his fly fishing passion. And I have his beautiful salmon ties displayed in a shadow box at my ranch house here in the foothills of southern Alberta, where I also fly fish. Scarabray. Love that address.

John Dunn, Scarabray Ranch, Cowley, Alberta. Here we go. David Gorofsky, you know, another guy wants to... for me to stay in Scotland, but he has a particular reason. Peter, two weeks ago, I hinted that you might be a curse to the Maple Leafs, and I pleaded with you to stay in Scotland even before the results are known for tonight's game. This was yesterday, he wrote.

I know who I'm going to be pointing my finger at. I'll be pointing it at you to come home. And they won last night. The Leafs, that is. And as I've always said and will say no more it's a best of seven series nothing less

so let's hold the shots Bill Archibald from Annis Moore Ontario enjoy your report on space junk re-entering the atmosphere a couple of weeks ago I was travelling an Ontario highway when my windshield was hit by an object I assumed was a rock pebble

and left a small fracture. After your revelations about space debris, I now think it might have been a small space particle traveling at bullet speed, one of 130 million pieces out there. Hey, why not? It's a much better story to say, hey, I got hit by space junk than it is to say, hey, I got hit by a pebble spit up by the truck in front of me. Derek Dillabo from Ottawa.

And it's particularly relevant to today. I think all of us can bring to mind our mother's voice. It is, after all, the first voice we all hear. It's not that a father's voice is any less important, but a mother's voice seems to touch a different part of your heart. On this Mother's Day, perhaps we can celebrate by listening to that voice a little more clearly. Yes, clean your room, eat your veggies is always good advice. However, other simple messages that mothers tell us from the time we're children could bear repeating. Be respectful and kind. Play fair.

Tell the truth. Read and study. Help your neighbors. I'm sure all of us can hear our mother's voice, either in our head or hearts, and we can remember many messages of this kind. On this Mother's Day, this weekend, let's listen as closely as we can to those voices and make them proud. You know, I'm going to close on that letter.

I mentioned there was another one from Rick Reed. I'll save that. I can read it any week, that one. Because I think this is the way we want to close the show today. A Mother's Day tribute. And I couldn't say it better, Derek. You know, I miss my mom. She passed, you know, quite a while ago now.

And, you know, I have her picture here in my office. I look at it. I remember the things she used to say to me. I remember the things she used to say to me as good advice, and I'd ignore. Wish I hadn't, but it was part of that beautiful relationship that one has with their mother. Difficult at times.

Incredibly rewarding at other times. So think of your mothers this weekend, and you mothers, thank you. Thank you for all you do. That wraps her up for this day. Tomorrow, good talk. Bruce is away again tomorrow. Rob Russo will be filling in with Chantal. And we'll certainly have some things to talk about.

What they are, I don't know at this moment. But we always find them. So thank you for listening on this day. I'm Peter Mansbridge. Thank you for your turn. Thank you for your letters. Thank you for your letters. Talk to you again in 24 hours.