The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge - Your Turn -- Should We Deal Big Time With China?

Episode Date: October 30, 2025

With the Prime Minister in Asia and talk of a much closer trade relationship with China, the question this week is "Should We?". Listeners weren't shy, as the emails came tumbling in. And the Random Ranter came by with his toughest rant yet on Donald Trump -- move over Doug Ford! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

And hello there. Peter Mansbridge here. You're just moments away from the latest episode of the bridge. Do you trust China? Simple question. Your answers coming up on your turn. And hello there. Welcome to Thursdays. Your turn coming up in a few moments' time. But hey, Now about those Blue Jays You know, you got to pinch yourself really First of all that they've made it this far After the incredible start they had To the season which was bad

But here they are One game away from winning the World Series By beating the Los Angeles Dodgers Can they do that? Well, we're going to find out In Toronto As the teams now come back with Toronto leading three games to two in the best of seven series.

And what a game that was last night. Back-to-back home runs to start the game. Two home runs on three pitches. First pitch, bang. From Davis Schneider, of all people. And Vladdy, I tell you, it's great to be Canadian. Okay, let's get to work on your turn. Because lots of, you know, I was wondering once again this week,

well, will people write about this? Well, you wrote. We got lots of letters, so we'll get at it. The question of the week was, and this is especially relevant this week with the prime minister in Asia and kind of a trade delegation. And lots of high-level talks,

including over the next couple of days, with Xi Jinping, The Chinese leader. So the question is this, with rumors around about deals that could possibly be made between Canada and China. The question is, is it smart to expand the relationship with China, or does that have dangerous downsides? Okay. Are you ready? We've also got the random rancher today.

and you're not going to want to miss this. Okay, your letter's on the China question. Michael Pash from Victoria, BC. The many concerns about China raised by the last liberal government were indisputable. Unfortunately, as a weak, middle power, we can't do much to affect change. We can just be morally superior

all the way to the poor house. That serves no one. We must limit interference in our elections intimidation of permanent residents and citizens, all while maintaining solid beneficial trade. We also need to play the two giants off each other with skill and diplomacy. Without strength, we need to be smart and subtle.

Mitch Jacob in Toronto. It's inherently dangerous to have a relationship with any authoritarian regime. But the bigger question is, can Canada risk not having a relationship with China? With the current state of the U.S., it would be to the detriment of Canada not to explore other partners, and this may well include China. Riden al-Sacoff in Ottawa

China will be the world's dominant economic power, so improved relations are a must. However, the reaction from the U.S. under Trump might cause more damage short-term than what Canada would gain short-term. John Minchell in Comox Valley, B.C. I think it's smart to expand the relationship with China, as it is both the main source of rare minerals and at the moment the primary factory country in the world. However, the Belt and Road Initiative shows that China is also a country

which also needs to be interacted with carefully, and our own sovereignty and industrial and intellectual property control must be carefully monitored and managed to keep Canada strong and independent. John mentioned China's Belt and Road Initiative. Let me give you a bit of background on that. It's an incredibly ambitious infrastructure project launched in 2013 by the President Xi Jinping. It's a vast collection of development and investment initiatives originally devised to link East Asia and Europe through physical infrastructure.

But it has since expanded to Africa and Latin America, significantly broadening China's economic and political influence. The United States in particular is concerned that the initiative means greater development and military expansion around the world. Frank Wang in Surrey, BC. I must say we had a lot of responses from British Columbia this week. Maybe it's simply because nobody's closer to China than BC. see. But Frank writes, we already trade with an undemocratic nation that has a proven record of

foreign interference, human rights abuses, and imprisoning Canadians. Gee, I wonder who Frank's talking about. What's stopping us from trading with another undemocratic nation with a similar history of foreign interference, human rights abuses, and imprisoning Canadians? The rhetoric today mirrors the fears when Japan's economic rise was seen as a threat to Western economies. What we're witnessing now is nothing but thinly veiled xenophobia. Denis Centailleur in Winnipeg. Canada must strengthen its trade relationship with China in order to secure its sovereignty, support social programs,

and build its infrastructure and military. Canada will only do so with a strong economy. Let Canada pursue free trade with China and India based on economics and commerce and then let Canadians decide on their individual moral and ethical beliefs whether they will or will not purchase products from those countries. I remain dedicated to not purchasing products from the USA. Mark Engleton in Barrier, BC is about 75 kilometers north of Camloops.

Isn't it a moot point? All your kids' toys, most brand name quality clothes, smartphone and computer components, tires, car parts, tools, all made in China. The real question is, how could we ever decouple from the Chinese factories that supply us with everything? Kyle 80 in Peterborough, Ontario.

This question presents a false dichotomy. China is the global leader in renewable energy technology. and Canada can solve some problems trading in this sector. China is also an autocracy with sequacious population, a sequacious population. By the way, we've got to look that word up. It means subservient, lacking independence.

China also has an impulse for invasions, annexations, and genocide. A stronger partnership with China will carry benefits, but implications too, like an expectation, Canada idols while Taiwan is invaded, for example. I don't know the answer. I just know it's complex. Not this or that. Marty Zylstra in Maple Ridge, BC. Yes, I believe expanding our relationship with China is strategically smart.

China leads globally in electric vehicles and green tech, creating a strong market for our raw materials. While concerns about its regime exist, it's important to recognize that the United States is currently problematic. Both nations can benefit Canada economically and environmentally. Pragmatic partnerships, not ideological purity, should guide our international trade decisions. Ken Pellyshawk in Newstad, Ontario. I worked in the auto industry when the Looney briefly reached parity with the dollar. Despite massive investment and upgrades, the company closed the plant within months.

I'd love to be wrong, but the days of the Canadian auto industry are numbered. We're in a trade war with China to protect a dying auto industry and to appease a toddler king. We should proceed, but with healthy boundaries, fear, and trepitation. Peter Arato in Toronto Expanding trade with China is necessary despite downsides, but the depth of entanglement can be managed to minimize the danger. Canadian markets, industries, and strategic capabilities need protections while fiscal and security ties that weakened sovereignty must be prevented.

Canada needs an international trade dogma that prioritizes business value with any trade partner. This might help the U.S. appreciate the strength of the existence, integrated North American supply chain that it takes for granted. Ruthie Muller in Toronto. It's smart to have a strong relationship with China. China's focused in areas like the environment because that's also part of the economy and China and Canada have industries that want to trade.

Delicate issues are better dealt with privately, not in the public eye. China's DNA is harmony. They are a peaceful nation. Lizanne Donnelly in Sutton, Quebec. Canada is wise to revisit its relationship with China. 1.4 billion versus 40 million people answers the question for me. Xi has the right stuff to lead and feed his people on a forward-thinking path.

We're a small country, with a lot of land and talent. Canada needs to be at the table and resolute in our sovereignty. I'm very interested to watch how P.M. Carney takes this forward. Thomas Duplessi in Stratford, Ontario. Is it smart to expand the relationship with China, or does that have dangerous downsides? There are two questions here, and my answer to both of them is yes. We need China, more than China needs us, especially if we want to diversify our exports away from the USA. licenses, airbag, seat belts.

We know driving is dangerous, but we've made it as safe as possible to do so. Two things can be true at the same time. We just need to be smart about it before we hit the road. Tim Snott. Sorry, Tim Stott in Kennesota, Manitoba. Canada has put itself in a precarious position. The government is trying to make trade deals with the two superpowers in the world that would love to annex us.

One of the superpowers has outright stated this fact. The other is more into playing the long game. We are in a dangerous place as a country, and in a way we are all to blame for the situation we are in. So, yes, there are many dangers when it comes to trade deals with China. Bill Chichard in Grand Bend, Ontario. I don't know where that is on the shores of Lake Huron in South Weston, Ontario. Beautiful town.

Dr. Stein may not have known what the question of the week was, but in the first segment on Monday, she used the words, We Can't Ignore China, and proceeded in her eloquent fashion to explain why. I also recall the words of Ronald Reagan when he cautioned anyone wishing to or forced to deal with China to remember they are only to be trusted when you can verify their intentions. As a national coach, I know this when competing with Chinese teams. Bill's been a curling coach for many years. At one time, he was Curling Canada's National Development Coach

at Curling Canada's National Training Center in Calgary. Harry, hurry hard. Bill has been a frequent writer to the program as well. Frederick Petrie in Winnipeg, more necessary than just smart. Trade policy has shifted from integration with the U.S. to playing at tables where we have cards to play. And China is one of the five big games. And Trump has taught that trade deals can no longer be built on trust.

Any deal with China will be explicit in writing nothing left to trust. John Kelly in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. China is a major player in the new world order of high tech and manufacturing. We have to establish a productive trade relationship with it. Canada is the breadbasket of the world. Let's leverage our breadbasket status into leadership status in the new world order, agri-trade capability, and we'll have a counterbalance that will keep China beholden to us for something it will continue to desperately need food in abundance that it can't produce.

Patrick Chung in Toronto. Yes, we need to trade with China. We can't let our economy, especially Ontario's auto sector, entirely on the U.S. When Japanese automakers came to Canada, we didn't block them. We encouraged them to build factories like Toyota and Honda did. The PM could negotiate similarly with Chinese carmakers to use facilities abandoned by Stalantus and GM.

Chinese EVs increased competition, push legacy automakers to innovate and ensure we aren't left behind in the EV future. Deb Greening, in District of Lakeland, Saskatchewan. China is less a danger to Canada than other powerful entities. It's been a positive factor in our daily lives. Chinese immigrants help build our railways, influenced our cities culturally, and gives small towns diversity by providing services

that reflect Chinese heritage through hospitality and respect for community. It seems that any negative diplomatic issues we've had with China have arisen when, and our interactions have been influenced by the U.S., for example, the two Michaels. And if you need to be reminded, the two Michaels were Michael Kovrick and Michael Spavore, who were arrested in China, allegedly, for spying,

but in reality because Canada had arrested Meng Wanzhou, the CFO of the Chinese company, Huawei, on behalf of an American court that wanted Meng extradited to the United States, The two Michaels were imprisoned for 1,020 days. They were freed on the same day as she was. Marilyn Wallace in Fannie Bay, British Columbia. Marilyn writes this week,

Although a trading relationship with China has immediate economic importance to Canada, I'm hesitant to offer complete support. I'm already concerned about the rampant international investment in our critical industries. We must retain control. control of our resources. More importantly, we cannot forget our Canadian Michaels who endured three years of horrendous prison conditions in China. They were retaliatory pawns trapped in an American Chinese legal mess. Can we really trust Chinese leaders? Scott the Bus in Blind

Bay, BC. That's at the southwest end of Shuswap Lake in the southern interior of BC. Yes, we should expand trade with China, but only after the U.S. and China settled their trade dispute. The U.S. is our largest trading partner. Yet if Washington undermines Canada's auto industry, we must pivot. Canada buys about $53 billion in vehicles annually and exports roughly $51 billion in U.S. made cars. If those jobs vanish, it's reasonable for Canadians

to shift purchases towards vehicles from China, or Japan instead. Tracy Wang in Surrey, BC. Your former best friend, number one in the world now, bullies and threatens you, while number two, whom you once kept a distance from, is seeking your favor and partnership. You can't fight both.

You must choose wisely. Doing business with China absolutely feels uneasy and insecure, but that's where strategy matters. The world isn't a playground anymore. It's the Wild West. You'll need muscle and tact, a gun, and a rose. Steve Loudon in Simco, Ontario. The answer is actually in your question.

Yes, it is smart for Canada to expand its relationship with China, and there are dangerous downsides that we need to identify and work around. That way, we can achieve the upside, potential. Scott Jansen in Vancouver. Trade with China can be smart, but only if it's intentional. Canada could invite Chinese EV makers to manufacture vehicles in BC's indigenous-led industrial parks powered by clean hydro and local solar, using Canadian minerals and skilled labor. That creates jobs, training, and shared ownership while keeping value at home. Smart trade means turning global demand into local opportunity,

using our land, power, and partnerships to strengthen indigenous and Canadian industry, not just fuel someone else's. You know, it's almost time for our mid-show break, so let's read one. one more and then go to the break. Wendy Cecil in Toronto. My wise Chinese-Canadian friends say, never listen to what China says, but watch what China does. Chinese leaders think in centuries, not decades. Canada must not naively accept short-term success. Mark Carney is smart, strategic, and disciplined. He's planning for the long-term and understands the inherent dangers. China is not the only country he's courting for trade

So he won't put all our eggs in a fragile China basket There is hope All right As promised we're going to We're going to take our break Then come back with the random ranter I'm telling you you don't want to miss this He's been tough on Trump

for the last year but now he gets really tough all right we'll be back right after this and welcome back listening to your turn the Thursday episode of the bridge

right here on SiriusXM Channel 167 Canada talks or on your your favorite podcast platform. Whichever platform you've chosen to listen to us on, we're glad to have you with us. Okay, as promised, it's time for our good friend, The Random Ranter, with his rant for this week. I don't think I need to say anything more than that. Here we go.

The Random Ranter for this week. I don't care what the reason is for Trump ending trade negotiations with us are. I don't care if it's because of the audacity of Doug Ford to remind Republicans of Ronald Reagan's words, or Mark Carney daring to push back on U.S. automakers, or Trump just, well, pulling a Trump and undermining his negotiating team. It doesn't matter why the negotiations are over, and honestly, I'm glad they are. I've said this before, you can't negotiate with a liar, you can't negotiate without some level of respect for the other side, and you can't negotiate without trust. If you do a deal under those conditions, you're just deluding yourself.

Nothing will change and you'll end up weaker for it. Trump might be able to pass his dementia test, but he certainly fails the smell test when it comes to being a dependable negotiator. I mean, look at the so-called deals he's done. They've all got one thing in common. They're short on details and not worth the paper they're written on. So I'm not sure why some of our political leaders think a deal with Trump will solve our problems. The way I look at it is, deal or no deal, when it comes to Trump's plans or Canada, all roads lead to the same place. He doesn't want an independent Canada.

He wants us on our knees. He doesn't want a partner. He wants fealty. He wants us to choose between 51st state and vassal state. So either way and any way, we lose. So I say, screw him. He wants to walk away from the table. He wants to have a truth social hissy fit.

Let him. I mean, deal or no deal, Trump intends to make us suffer. So let's remind ourselves what we're dealing with. Trump is deploying the militaries to cities that don't support him. ICE is operating like an unaccountable paramilitary force, concealing their faces, disappearing people off the streets, and rubber bulleting people in frog costumes. King Trump has blown through any checks on his power

and is ruling by decree to the point where there's little difference between a truth social post and an executive order. He's shut the government down with no end in sight, and it's not even impacting his golf game. They're gutting the few federal social programs they have, and out of nowhere, they decided to pave the rose garden. After coating the entire West Wing and Goldleaf, Trump decided to tear down the east wing of the White House in order to build something that looks to me like a Vegas version of a Versailles ballroom. Add to that all the toxic masculinity, the attacks on vaccines, climate change, and science in general.

Then there's the racism, Islamophobia, misogyny, homophobia, and the rabbit attacks on trans rights. How about the summary execution of South American fishing boats, or are they drugboats? We only have Trump's word to go by, but either way, it's cold-blooded murder. There's so much bad stuff. I mean, the military are being paid by a billionaire private donor right now. It's pretty crazy. But with Trump, it's just par for the course, as every day with him brings something new to the list of corruption and outrage. And this just in, he's ordering the U.S. military to begin testing nuclear weapons again.

How can that go bad? So do you see what I'm saying? We shouldn't be overly concerned about making a deal with Trump's America. Instead, we should be very concerned about finding a way to survive it. I told you, he's on a roll today, our friend the random renter, prairie boy, prairie worker. He's out there traveling the roads of the prairies, doing his thing, and yet at the same time,

and this is a guy, he doesn't work in the media. I mean, he's not a journalist. He's not a reporter. He doesn't work for a political party. He doesn't do any of that. He's just a guy. A guy with strong feelings, just like so many of you do,

and you write about them every week. And that's why I love Thursdays. You know, some people say to me, geez, why do you do that show on Thursday? Why do I do that show on Thursday? I spent a career where I didn't have time to hear what everybody else had to say. Our viewers,

this is an opportunity to hear what the country is feeling, at least that part of the country that listens to the bridge. And we're happy to do. I was looking at the rankings again from Apple. There we are again.

The number one Canadian political podcast in the country. Which is pretty nice for our little hobby show here out of the... I do the... I'm doing this show this week out of, you know, Scotland again, back to Canada and the next week. But my little studio is in the larder. Like I share, this is a very small room, half is my little podcast studio, the other half is, you know, various things that are stored, you know, for the kitchen.

So it's a great little background. Anyway, back to your letters, because that's the purpose of Thursdays. So I hear what you have to say. and I love the sense we get from across the country. That's why it's always important to get your name and the location you're writing from and keep it under 75 words. A couple were over and didn't make it this week.

Or were late. Came in after 6 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday yesterday. All right, back to the letters. Joanne Stevens in Vancouver. Dealing with a bully who has all the cards, or at least most of them, always fraught. I won't bore you with examples. I sincerely hope that people smarter than me can navigate through our current minefields. Michael Artendale and Sudbury. Yes, we should open Canada up

to trade with China. That does not mean opening the floodgates. We did that decades ago with the USA and look at the mess we're in now. However, if we are methodical about it, we may be able to gain a new safer trading partner without losing who we are. Mark Renick in Guelph, Ontario. Trade with China, we need to get our, over our reluctance to doing business with people who are different from ourselves. That doesn't mean we let them take liberties with our freedom, but we need to move canola, and it's looking like we need to accept their cars. This is the best way for the short term, at least. Jeff Bonney in Vancouver. the nature of international diplomacy, requiring a safe decision precludes action. Is expanding the

relationship with China an acceptable risk? Considering Canada's changed relationship with the U.S., yes. Risk management is a fluid balance of mathematics and the experience to effectively react to changing conditions. Ask any winning Formula One driver. Whether you like him or not, Carney is a proven driver of international finance. Canada is on the right. track. Percy Phillips in Portis to Prairie, Manitoba. Canada is a country that

exports many products and must fish where the fish are, that is the USA, China and India. Canada is a country with a trust fund mentality based on natural resources that were here before we arrived. Currently, we are in a world

with malevolent international actors. China is a country we trade with. They are not our friend. Canada's risk is only if we confuse the two, a trading relationship with friendship. Amy Noon in Cambridge, Ontario. Canada can have an agreement with China as long as they can be held to restrictions. Joint ventures with technology share if they want to operate in Canada. If the U.S. doesn't want Canadian car manufacturing, allow China's e-fee companies to take over factories, ownership limits, open-source code on all products to verify

no Chinese data monitoring. China follows agreements better than Trump. Let me read that last sentence again. China follows agreements better than Trump. Brett Christensen in Gannon-Akway, Ontario. That's Eastern Ontario. Gateway to the Thousand Islands. Beautiful country. Growing ties with China, can help, big market, cheaper supplies, and more sales. But there are real risks becoming too dependent, pressure on retaliation and disputes, cyber and data threats, stolen ideas, and clashes with Canada's values or U.S. policies. A smart approach would be trade more in lower risk areas, screen sensitive investments, diversify suppliers, protect cybersecurity and intellectual property, check human rights risks, coordinate with allies,

have backup plans. Engage carefully. Don Dufour in Ottawa. As a major economic powerhouse, it absolutely makes sense to repair and expand our relationship with China as we endeavor to lessen our dependence on America. More trade with them is essential. Engaging with China is tricky, but I have full confidence in the federal government

to create and or strengthen the necessary guardrails to protect Canada from the possible increase in political and technological interference, which may ensue. Ian Walker in St. John's. Almost all smart actions have dangerous downsides. It would be foolish to think we can replace access to the largest market in the world without expanding into the second largest. Brent Bush in Nanaimo, BC. When I was growing up on the farm in the 1950s, my guess, grandfather told me, you should learn Chinese because when you are as old as I am, China will

rule the world. He was 82 at the time, and I've got seven years to go. I believe it's incumbent upon Canada to develop better relations with China as my grandfather's prophecy seems not far off. Smart man, your grandfather, Brent. Frank Padisi in Toronto. Canada must absolutely wiggle its way back into our historically sound relationship with China. We will be foolish not to do so. The USA will try to direct us otherwise, but that risk is all just talk at this juncture. However, if we cave now, there may be no future for Canada. It's time for Canada to control what it can and leave sovereign states to answer for their own policy decisions.

Norma Jack and Stowville, Ontario. I have no problem with Canada trading with China as long as Mark Carney is our prime minister. Maybe then China will one day start producing their electric cars in Canada, hence more jobs in Canada. My patience is rapidly running out with Mr. Trump. Well, you've got more patience than most people if you still have some. Christian Stang in Cornwall, Ontario. Expanding ties with China offers diversification and short-term

leverage, but carries real strategic risk. Canada can't rely on China as a stable or transparent partner, yet balancing U.S. dependence is prudent. With Trump's tariff agenda, threatening autos, selective engagement, focused on critical minerals, tech inputs, and non-sensitive sectors, The priority is reshaping our manufacturing base beyond autos to reduce vulnerability and build revenge, or excuse me, and build leverage with both Washington and Beijing. Celia McConville in Stratford, Ontario, two letters from Stratford this week. Expanding the relationship with China would be an excellent economic move. I'd take a reliable tyrant over an erratic one any day. If Canada removed all tariffs on Chinese electric cars and struck a deal,

so these vehicles would be made by our auto workers, it would achieve two great aims. Firstly, auto workers would continue to be employed, and secondly, these affordable electric vehicles would lower our CO2 emissions. Mason Dernbach in Nanaimo China has shown us they are a hostile country but it's obvious we don't have many friends on the world stage due to poor management and growth over a decade. Further, Mark Carney appears heavily conflicted

through his mysterious dealings and holdings in China and Canadians deserve proper, transparent answers. I'd like these concerns address before we we go looking for a new dance partner, though I don't think we will like what we find. Okay, so let's go over what we know for Mason here. Mark Carney is the former board chair of Brookfield Asset Management, a global investment firm with over a trillion dollars of assets under management. Before he became Prime Minister, Carney had stock options worth almost $7 million.

dollars. Since he became prime minister, Carney has put all his assets in a blind trust. He has no control over any of his financial holdings, but experts say that the trustee is unlikely to trade away those Brookfield assets. So even though Carney doesn't actually know if he's invested in Brookfield, he probably knows he likely is. And public documents from Brookfield show that it maintains over $3 billion in politically sensitive investments with Chinese state-linked real estate and energy companies, along with a substantial offshore banking presence. So that's the conflict some people see. But to reemphasize, Carney has done everything he is required to do to avoid any conflict

of interest. Alex Makos in Vancouver. If Canada aims for a sovereign future, we should move to better relations with China. Of course, there are dangerous downsides to this, but those dangers lie primarily in the U.S. response. This is the real threat. If we overcome our Stockholm syndrome and attempt to position ourselves for a less U.S.-centric future, American interests will not let us go easily. Nonetheless, sovereignty requires escaping those golden handcuffs.

Cindy Zampra in Erdry, Alberta. It's imperative that Canada diversifies trading partnerships. Yes, there are risks and potential downsides to expanding our relationship with China, security, human rights concerns, political pressure, environmental issues, to name a few. However, I trust the balanced, intelligent approach Mark Carney offers on the global stage to engage with China to set appropriate guardrails while continuing to develop productive ties with other allies. Hopefully, Canada thrives while our values are preserved. Chris Stuparik.

He's currently in Henderson, Texas, building a sawmill there. He actually lives in Prince George, B.C. Chris writes, Canada not buying the things China makes won't have a large impact on their economy. They're not going away, but instead only going to become larger with world trade. Letting Chinese products such as EVs in

will let us consumers have more choice and drive prices down. There's no reason my one-ton pickup needs to cost over a hundred thousand dollars. Aaron Kappar in Toronto. It's up to each country's citizens to choose their system of government and mainland Chinese have chosen theirs for now. Well, whether they've chosen is debatable. Visit China and you'll find most people, including officials,

are well-meaning despite differing ideologies. Canada needs trade and prosperity to thrive. Let's put Canada first instead of trying to change other nations, which will end in failure. Coming up to our last couple of letters. Derek Dillowell-Bow in Ottawa. I believe it is both advantageous at... Try this one again.

I believe it is both advantageous and dangerous to expand trade and relations with China. This dichotomy is apparent because this is the reality of the complicated world we live in. We must have trade relations with the second largest economy in the world, and we must be vigilant to the dangers when dealing with a dictatorship. How to do this is above my knowledge level, but this is why we elected the brains of Mark Carney. to figure out the correct path. I have confidence that he will. Okay, the last letter is from one of our listeners in China.

It's from Richard Wright. We've heard from Richard before. He's a Canadian who's been living in Hong Kong since 1997. So he's got a few years of experience, like 28 of them. Richard writes, with escalating U.S. trade tensions and economic instability, Canada must renew our strong relationship with China. In just 30 years, China has lifted 750 million people from poverty, the greatest story never told, and revolutionized digital technology. Even street beggars now use QR codes for donations. Can you believe that? Canadians cannot afford to miss the benefits of Chinese trade reestablish strong Chinese ties today to position Canada as a friend

and when present leadership changes influence human rights issues you know a lot of wisdom in our letters again this week I love it you know I tell you this every week how much I'm impressed by it. The things you write, how you make us think, how you challenge us,

you know, sometimes read a letter and I just know the most people disagree with it, but they think about it. That's good. And the letters they agree with, they think about too. So this is all good. This is why we do Thursdays,

and this is why we'll keep doing Thursdays. Because you get enough programs that lecture to you about what you should think. This is one of those that's lets you think and in a way lecture us, right? And inspire others to come up with their ideas as well. So once again, I appreciate this. You know, people say, I don't have more comment sections online. I don't need comment sections online. I got common sections here every Thursday

where you actually have to write something and explain something and argue something without just being mean and, well, you know what I mean. All right. Enough said for today on your turn and the random rancher has given you lots to think about

as he always does. Quick note about tomorrow. Good talk, Bruce Anderson, Sean Tilly Bear will be here. And, you know, every week, we're never shy about things to talk about. We'll talk a little bit about Carney in Asia, what he's accomplished,

Carney and Trump in Asia. You've seen that picture, them kind of looking at each other across the dining table. I don't know. Anyway, there's that. But then next week, next Tuesday is budget day. Is the government going to fall as a result of the budget?

You know, I've kind of assumed there's not a chance. But now there looks like there is a chance. So we'll hear what Chantelle and Bruce have to say on that score. And we'll talk about the budget itself. Have we been set up? to believe certain things about what's going to be in the budget? Have we been set up, or have we been prepared? I guess we'll see, won't we, in a short period of time?

Anyway, that's all coming up tomorrow. Next week, I'll tell you about it. I don't want any letters yet, but every year for the last few years, the your turn that is scheduled for the week of Remembrance Day or just before Remembrance Day we ask for your memories your Remembrance Day memories

so I want you to think about it don't write anything yet or I mean you might want to write something don't send anything yet I'll frame the question properly on Monday and then you can start sending your contributions in. It's been an incredibly successful

program over the last few years. We got lots and lots and lots of emails on it. And we pick what we think of the best. And we'll do that again next week. But wait till Monday. Once again, anything that comes in the next

couple of days before Monday won't even be considered. So hold off. Okay. I don't usually give you this much advance warning, but it gives you an opportunity to think about. We're looking for your own, like, family memory for a memorand's day, some moment that happened. You know, could have been with a grandfather who'd served

or a father who'd served or an uncle. Or a mother who'd worked in a factory. There's all kinds of opportunities to say something. And I hope you will. all right that's going to do it for this day i'm peter mansbridge thanks so much for listening and we'll talk to you again with good talk bruce and chantelle in less than 24 hours