The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge - Your Turn -- What Canada Means To You, and The Ranter On The Trade War

Episode Date: September 10, 2026

A summer away from The Bridge has given you lots to think about, especially about the importance of your country. Comments from coast to coast to coast make up this first Your Turn of the new season. 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. It's Thursday of week one of this season. And it's your turn. And the random ranter coming right up. Well, here we are. We've made it to Thursday already of our first week back for the new season. And it's been quite a week.

You know, we were gone for the summer. I look at the Apple podcast ratings for this week, this morning. when I got up and hey, guess who's number one after just three days? Gotta love it. Anyway, that's tribute to you as listeners who are looking for something to engage them. And that's apparently what we've been doing so far this week. And engaging means everything, right? It means agreeing or disagreeing.

It means makes you happy, makes you unhappy. Whatever, though, you're listening. And for that, we appreciate it. And that's what Thursdays are all about. It's giving you your chance to have your turn on whatever the question of the week is. And the question this week was in some ways about the summer. Well, in a lot of ways about the summer. Because the question was,

what did you learn about yourself or your country or about any particular issue this summer? And you didn't hesitate. Lots of answers here. And many of them, well, many of them from some of our regulars, but also many from new listeners, or at least listeners who haven't written before. And that's great. That's what we're always looking for. Not everybody who wrote in made the list.

Some of you were well over the 75 word limit that we place. And we had the usual back and forth about fewer or less or more or under or what have you. And as usual, I was wrong. I'll concede I was wrong. My grasp of the English language ain't great. Excuse me. Isn't great? So here we go. Enough from me. Somebody complained earlier this week.

You take too long to get to the point. Okay. Let's get to the point. First letter this week comes from Eve Parry in Vancouver. I realized how much of Canada I've yet to discover. I learned of Laura Seacord's 32-kilometer trek aided by Mohawk allies to thwart an American attack. of Saskatchewan having the first avowedly socialist government in North America and of Scottish Canadians' outsized contributions from Bertha Wilson, first female justice on the Canadian Supreme Court,

to Harold Innes, a political economist, widely credited with initiating an important theory on media from a Canadian perspective. While visiting Sue Lookout in Ontario, I caught walleye. that's what many of us call pickerel, but walleye is what they call it up in northwest and Ontario and in the northern U.S. And I glimpsed near Sue Lookout, my first moose. How privileged I am I am to call this place home. Yes, we all are. No doubt about that.

Love Sue Lookout, by the way, who spent a lot of time in Sue Lookout in the early 70s. Andrea Hadley in Victoria, in June. my hip replacement surgery was postponed due to a heart condition. This along with political conflicts, both within and outside of Canada, brought much grief. After weeks of spiraling into sadness in the waking hours, it came to me that my thoughts are at the root of my sadness, not my health, nor external conflicts. And I have a choice as to how and what I think and subsequently feel. Steve Abba in Toronto.

Toronto has two new and remarkable parks. There's B.D.A. Seguet Park on Lake Ontario at the mouth of the Don River. A park for children, hikers, art, and nature lovers, accessible by Toronto Transit with downtown skyline views. And here's the elevated park. Excuse me. And there's the elevated park at CIB.

square. You take the elevator to the fourth floor, the new CIBC complex, great views, nice gardens, a great place to hang out. New parks. I learned there is hope for the world. Now that sounds pretty local and of particular interest to people in Toronto, but it's the whole concept of spending time building new parks. That's a good thing, no matter whether it's Toronto or Moose Jaw or wherever it happens to be. Marilyn Wallace in Fannie Bay, BC. Now, Marilyn, if you listen to this program, you know she's on almost every your turn.

What I love about Maryland is where she lives in Fanny Bay. That's on the east coast of Vancouver Island. Maryland's one of our regulars, so we all know Fannie Bay, but since this is a new season, we're locating even our regulars this week. So Fanny Bay. Marilyn writes, Recently, I learned about Quebec's visionary approach to Maid, M-A-I-D, for dementia sufferers. My father passed away following years of advanced dementia, even though he had been very clear

that he did not want to spend his final days in such a debilitative state. However, in Alberta, there are no options. My research led me to a non-profit group whose mandate is to make Maid available to all Canadians in this situation. I'm cautiously hopeful. Bev Duek in Steinbeck, Manitoba. Steinbeck's kind of like a, you know, I used to live in Manitoba, right? Steinbeck was known at least when I lived there as a big car city.

That's where great car dealers were. It's also the third largest city in the province. It's about 60 clicks southeast of Winnipeg. Bev writes, I've learned this summer that hummingbirds have a back-off or mating flight path of a huge upside down arc from a point to a specific point back to original point and back and forth they fly it's amazing did you know this well no I didn't but I looked it up and it's true Peter MacArthur in Valde Mont Quebec I've been to Valde Mont too used to

used to summer in that area it's about 40 kilometers north of Ottawa against a backdrop of border tensions I learned from Madeline Droghan's, he did not conquer about America's invasion 250 years ago. Benjamin Franklin was in occupied Montreal to secure the 14th colony, but lost at Quebec City. He underestimated indigenous mistrust and French loyalty. Britain secured through the Quebec Act. The Americans also did not inoculate soldiers against smallpox. Franklin concluded it would be easy.

easier to buy Canada. Sound familiar. I discovered the effort was more existential than the war of 1812. John Minchell in Comox Valley, BC. One thing I learned this summer is that I am proud to be Canadian. With all the challenges our country has faced in recent times, Canada has shown its quiet strength better than in any time in recent memory. The last time this kind of pride in the country was so openly shown

was the 2010 Olympics. However, this time Canada has a much more potent reason to show its quiet strength. Mike McNaughton in London, Ontario. Since gas prices have been high, many unsuspecting people have asked, how I like my EV. We purchased it last year and took some flack from neighbors and friends about it. Since the Iranian conflict, it's been interesting to see people's mindsets change. I've been driving gas trucks and diesel tractors for 20 plus years, so it has been quite the switch. Regardless, I'm loving it and have recently ordered a second EV.

You know, I've been toying with the idea on EV for the last few years. I'm, as you may have guessed, I'm in Scotland this week. I'm regularly back and forth. second home thing in retirement. But we have a vehicle here in Scotland, and it's a hybrid. It's my first hybrid, so I'm getting used to the EV portion of hybrid.

And so far, it's working out great. Brian Butt in Massey Drive, Newfoundland. Butts a well-known name in Newfoundland. Brian's on the West Coast. I learned that it's important to focus on the here and now. I took a road trip to PEI from Newfoundland with my young family. It was what we needed to escape from our reality and focus on what's important, something I need to do daily and not worry too much about what I can't control.

It's important. Constance Menzies in Narrow, Manitoba, that's east of the Red River, just north of Winnipeg. What did I learn this summer? Can governments do that? Whether it's to change a name of a lake or permanently end our iconic Canadian snowbirds, I learned this summer that a pause is a soft way to ease the abrupt likelihood that our beloved Canadian institution will not be returning after this flying season, and official people are not disseminating this information at all.

tough to grapple with when all forms of Canadian unity is required right now. Well, you know, Constance, you obviously aren't believing the government statements that the snowbirds will be grounded after this season, but they'll return in the early 30s when its Tudor jets will have been replaced. It is an iconic view, though. I remember, I think I've said this before, but in 19, 67, that was centennial year. I was in the Navy. I was based in Portis of Prairie.

I was taking flying training on C-45s, expediters. But the golden centenaires had taken delivery of those Tudor jets, and we're doing the acrobatic thing for a centennial year. They became the snowbirds later, but we used to watch them every day at lunchtime. They'd get the airspace when we, we were having our lunch and they'd do their thing, practicing their aerobatics.

It got so common that we didn't even look up sometimes. But they're pretty spectacular. And Willie sent me pictures just the other day. For those you don't know, Willie's my son and works on this program too. well, he sent me pictures from downtown Toronto that he took of the sentinaires, or the snowbirds circling the CN Tower for one last go.

I guess that was on Monday before they're grounded. They'll be back in a new plane and just a spectacular, let's hope. Martin Partridge in Peterborough County, Ontario. I learned that Mark Carney is a master strategist with backbone. You know, the polls show enormous support for Mark Carney. And then in those by-elections, what was it last week,

you got more than 50% of the vote or the Liberal Party, got more than 50% of the vote based, I think, strongly on Carney in all three writings. Now, that's almost unheard of. But that's what happened. In this moment, in this moment, there's a lot of support for Mark Carney. and you saw it in some of the letters this week. Mark Lebrun in Milton, Ontario, west of Toronto. My wife of 22 years vacation for a week with a girlfriend this summer,

I missed her while she was gone. Things felt lonely without someone to share my morning coffee, go for an evening walk, or to help me complete my daily honey-do list. Especially as our young adult son spend less and less time at home. This summer, I re-learned how blessed I am to share. my life with her. Oh, Mark.

You know, got full marks for that one. Andrew Wilson in Harrow, Ontario. That's south of Windsor. I had a very busy summer of learning. At 29 years old, I learned how to change diapers and burp a baby like a pro. My daughter came a month early, but she lights up every room she's in.

I also learned how amazing our health care workers are. in Ontario, and how much they are taken for granted and underfunded. To every nurse on the second floor of Med Hospital in Windsor, thank you. Good for you, Andrew. And we'll send that thank you to nurses on various wards in hospitals right across the country. Lee Amram Islet in Shoham, Israel. That's a little east of Tel Aviv. Alat, Elat.

Lee writes, This summer I've learned that my country may have a way out of the current government. Gaddy Eisencott has been gaining momentum, a centrist alternative to Netanyahu. Elections are not until late October. That's not that far away. So no one knows who will win and whether a coalition could be formed. But after four years, liberal Israelis finally have hope. So many Israelis are a key.

committed to liberalism, democracy, peace, and security. Don't give up on them, please. There's a little information on Isenkot. Gaddy Issenkot. I think it's Isenkot. He's the leader of the Yashar Party. He's a former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, and from 2023 to 24 was a minister without portfolio in Israel's unity government. A poll this week said there's a path for him

to leading a coalition of several parties to form a new government. It's always tight in Israel on the voting. You know, I've covered a couple of elections there on the ground, and it's like well into the night or next day or sometimes next week before you really know who's won. Roland Lewis in Gatineau, Quebec, I watched a very aggressive president create a lot of Canadian unity. Mr. Trump wants all our natural,

resources and not pay for them. We love our American neighbors. Some are part of our families. We don't ever want to be part of the U.S. The U.S. has a large credit card which they use to buy energy. I don't want to subsidize their energy needs. They can pay or others will. Kevin Bauer in Calgary, I'm a senior and hold a doctorate degree, but I know some things, certainly not everything. Being Canadian, I learn negotiating and navigating are neither the same nor opposites. We negotiate to establish the plan, the what. We navigate the plan, the how, adapting, overcoming obstacles and finding a way forward. What struck me is that we Canadians seem to be masters of this distinction. We negotiate the plan, then navigate reality

to achieve the outcome. Bill Day in London, Ontario. One thing I learned this summer was stunning if it's true. I listened to Paul Wells, great guy, and his summer reading pod, and one of the people talked about a book on opioids and organs. The stunning part, that because of the opioid crisis in our country, that we have significantly lessened the organ donation crisis in this country. Well, here's a couple of thoughts on that. That's not exactly a good news story, but it does seem to be true. Between 2014 and 2017, there was a 295, there was a 295,000. percent increase in organ donors who died of a drug overdose. In BC, for example, in 2017, one quarter of the organs transplanted in the first six weeks of this year were donated by a

patient who died of a fentanyl overdose. Of course, it's not good news that there have been more than 50,000 opioid-related deaths in Canada since 2016. Carol Hutchinson in Ottawa. This summer, I came to terms with Doug Ford as my Premier. His abusive language and demeanor forced me to come to terms with his leadership. No longer can I support Ford. He has crossed the line for me.

Respectfulness for your supporters is an essential quality for politicians. He was neither smart or funny. Mr. Carney, on the other hand, is disciplined, respectful, and controlled. Well, that may all be true, Carol, but Ford and Carney seemed to have worked out

a relationship in spite of their differences. Rick McKendee in Gattano, Quebec. This summer, my son and I went on multiple golf trips in Canada, golfing in Kingston, Gannon-Aquay, Levy, Boishtel, Peaconsfield, Grand Mare, Irizat, LaValle, and Montreau-Bronblanc. Great golf, great food, great people, and what an awesome country we have. Golf can get you there. I'm in Scotland.

The golf's pretty good here, too. Matthew Scalarsik and Vernon, B.C., that's in the Okinawagon Valley, of course. After suddenly losing one of our German Shepherds to cancer, my wife and I drove down to Seattle to pick up our fourth rescue dog from California. Our stop for breakfast at a mum and pop diner reminded me there's a difference between Americans and the American administration. We need to be careful in not calcifying our elbow position and painting all Americans with a broad brush.

Most of them are not like him. Gee, I wonder who they're talking about. I'll tell you a funny story here in Scotland the other day. I was in a store, and the person of the cash register said, Oh, you must be from America. And I said, no, no, no. I'm from Canada. I said, it's kind of like me saying to you,

a Scottish person. I guess you're from England. Somebody in the store, another customer, piped up and said, hey, I'm from America, but when asked, I say I'm from Canada. I thought that was great. On the other hand,

Diana Van Heerden in Colonna, BC, we Canadians who say that we are not directing our antipathy towards the American people, but towards the American administration, have completely lost sight of the fact that it is the American people who voted for Donald Trump. He did win the popular vote,

and no one contests that fact. That's an idea. Both elections he ran for president. Excuse me, two of the three elections he ran for president, and he lost the election and the popular vote, no matter what he says in 2020. Joan Turner in Halifax, my retirement is a great place to be.

It is my situation and allows me to remain conscious of the need for balance and daily life to make conscious choices around how I use my time. Engagement with healthy activities such as reading, fitness, art, play, and travel support the necessity of avoiding unhealthy behaviors tied to overconsumption of unhealthy food, negative news, and social media and sedentary behavior. Norma Jack and Stoville, Ontario, just north of Toronto. Firstly, I suppose that as a country we need to rely on ourselves definitely to continue to buy Canadian-made goods and food

as much as possible and not imported from the U.S. But mostly I think I've learned to take each day at a time and try to enjoy what we do have. An amazing country that we live in good health, family, and good friends. Ken McFarlane in Sarnie, Ontario. I'm in my 70s. What I've learned this summer is that the Canada I grew up in, in terms of national spirit, is still there.

Good for you, Ken. Debbie Fletcher in Jackson's Point, Ontario, it's on the shores of Lake Simco. What I have become keenly aware of this summer is how fractious the Conservative Party is. Watching the Liberal Party Tand expand shows, how their base appears to be so much more fluid than the conservative tent, which makes me think Canadians are way less partisan than I would have thought, which ultimately speaks to Prime Minister Carney's ability to unite the country

under an existential threat. He was custom-built for this moment in our history. You know, maybe this is a good place as any to take our break, come back with the random ranter, and then finish the letters. There's still quite a few to go. So we will. We'll take our break right now, and we'll be back right after this. And welcome back.

You're listening to The Bridge for this Thursday right here on Sirius XM, Canada Talks. Good to have you with us. You're also the could be listening on our podcast, which is available on any number of different platforms. I hope you hook up with us on one of these methods. A couple reminders. Tomorrow is Friday and Good Talk, where the program, is also available on YouTube. That's with Chantelle Baer and Bruce Anderson.

The buzz, my weekly newsletter, comes out Saturday mornings at 7 a.m. delivered free of charge to your inbox. But you have to subscribe. And you can do that at National NewsWatch slash... Or no, National Newswatch.com slash newsletter. Okay. All right. random renter. He's ready to rock, as he always is on Thursdays. And a couple of reminders

if you're new to the program and you're wondering who the random ranter is, we've never given his name in, what, three, four, four years of this program. But what we do tell you is he's from Western Canada. It's from the prairies, specifically. He's not in the media business. He's not in politics. He's not in politics. He's a self-employed business person. He travels a lot. So he talks to a lot of people. He sees a lot of things.

And I've always found, you don't have to agree with the ranter, but he inspires you to think about issues. He's also no fan of Donald Trump, as we've found out over the last few years. But he's currently caught up with the whole issue. of the tariffs and our attempt to hit back where things are on the talks, all about. And so not surprisingly, that's what he wants to talk about today.

So let's bring him on. Here he is, the random ranter. I know it's easy to say and harder to do, but in the throes of an escalating trade war, there's no time or place for doom and gloom. We don't need to pine for what we've lost or what we're losing, and we don't need to waste our efforts trying to get it back. We need to face this head on, and that means coming to grips with the fact that our relationship as we've known it with the United States, our trust in them, our faith in them, it's gone and it's not coming back. This isn't a situation of our making. We're being attacked out of an ignorant,

and an arrogance that's out of our control to stop or even reason with. The only thing in our power to do is to react to the moment, or rather rise to it, with action, action from our governments at every level in terms of support and response, action from our businesses, big and small, to figure out how to first survive and then to thrive in the face of all the daunting challenges. And most importantly of all, we need the strength of a united population to magnify the effects of all our individual actions. So what does that look like? Well, first off, our governments need to get on board with dropping interprovincial trade barriers once and for all.

We can replace much of the lost U.S. trade by simply trading more with ourselves. All we need to do is start looking east-west instead of always the last. defaulting to north-south. The best example of this I can find is one of the first things Trump tariffed. Honey. We import more honey into this country than we export to America, but the kicker is the largest importers are all in the east and the largest exporters are all in the West. Now, I'm assuming that Trump's tariffs and our counter-tariffs will rectify this problem, but it really serves to highlight how weak East-West trade is in this country. I mean, when the whole elbows up thing started, a friend of mine managed to find a new supplier for his

business from Quebec to replace his American supplier. He was so happy to keep his money in Canada. But to further my point, he found him at a trade show in Las Vegas. He stumbled into it. He had no idea that there was even a Canadian source available to him because he was always looking south for new business and so was his new Canadian supplier. How much more of the other than that he was, that is out there. I mean, there are all kinds of industries being disrupted by this trade war right now. And it sucks and it's stupid and it's pointless and it's stressful. But the flip side of that is that it's also an opportunity for businesses willing to get creative and pivot their production, their business model, or even their primary market. There are Canadian businesses with needs.

And I have to think for many of those needs, there will be a Canadian company willing to do whatever they can to help. In the meantime, I think Canadian individuals should keep doing more of what they've been doing, sending a message with our buying habits. I know the experts like to remind us how small a market we are, but the truth is, if we all act together, we can have a big impact. Corporations are all about growth, growth that can be seriously put at risk by Canadians collectively taking a pass on their brands. Even if we represent just 5 or 10% of their sales, that's 5 or 10% they won't be able to just replace.

Like what happens in Ohio when Canadians on mass take a pass on whirlpools and may tags? I'll tell you what happens. Layoffs. But it's not always easy to cut out American brands. I mean, even if they printed Trump's face on it, you wouldn't catch me squeezing the show. Charmin, but I still use Tide and Don. I try and make sure all my produce is Canadian, but when you

need a lemon and the only option is from the U.S., I'm buying the lemon. Sometimes there are no good alternatives, but when there are, I'm choosing Canadian. We didn't ask for any of this, but Canada has been tested before, and we've always come out on top and been the better for it. nothing will be different this time. But that doesn't mean it won't hurt. There will be pain, massive disruption and loss. There will be times where we question our resolve. But capitulation to a clown like Trump?

It's never going to happen. There you go. The random ranter. Ranting as he does. I'm sure you have some thoughts on what he had to say. Well, play them around the dinner table this evening or this weekend, see what people think. Okay, on with the letters here on the second half of the bridge.

Your turn for this Thursday. Don Thompson in the Woodlands, Texas, the suburb of Houston. I'm learning how to be retired after 22 years as a school administrator in Thompson in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This has been a surreal September, as it is my first year in decades, not returning to school. I am fortunate to have had the means and support to retire early to allow my husband and opportunity to accept a four-year posting to Houston, Texas. We arrived at the end of July, and we're learning the ins and outs of living in a new culture

very different from our home. I'm happy to report that everyone we meet in Texas has been joined. joyful to learn, we're from Canada. We have been welcomed by our neighbors, and we have yet to encounter any red hats. I miss Canada, but moving to Texas has been a great distraction for this life transition. I'm glad to hear things are working out. I mean, Houston's a long way from Thompson. And the temperature is sure different.

Houston, man, it gets hot in the summer. Suzanne Shear in Aurelia, Ontario. After my brother Bob died in June after a three-year battle with melanoma, I realized how valuable it is to know trustworthy people. My brother was a very trusting, loyal, honest, family-driven person. His promises were written in permanent marker. Never pencil. Adam McBurney in Bruce Jack Camp, BC.

That's a gold mining camp in remote northwestern BC. Sounds like a movie, right? This summer I've learned that the divisions of my lifetime, left, right, economy, environment, pro-choice, pro-life, woke traditionalists, are minor differences of opinion, not battlefields. Only battlefields are battlefields. We in the democratic world would do well to remember that.

I disagree with Doug Ford on most points that don't matter, but agree on the only one that does. Trump and his synchophants can kiss my Well, you know what comes next. Sean Aiken in Whitby, Ontario. CBC did a news bit on the DeHavillan Super Scooper, the $80 million water bomber. Another story was about very large drones

capable of carrying water or fire suppressants. Combined with satellites and sensors within the forest itself, swarms of them could extinguish fires in their infancy. I wonder, should this become part of our future, forest fire strategy. Jean-François Furnier in Montreal. We spent this summer's family vacation

on the south shore of Nova Scotia, as we've done for the last 10 years. Again, our kids learned that this country is a big, beautiful, and filled with friendly, proud, peace-loving people. As a bonus, my wife caught her first Atlantic cod. Good for her.

Ritha Lambrex in Parkland County, Alberta. It's about 50 kilometers west of Edmonton. With Canadians asking for export taxes on Alberta oil, some Canadians, I learned that Eastern Canada's oil comes from the U.S., Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and Newfoundland. As far as I know, that's still part of Canada too, right? With Trump's threatening Quebec and Ontario jobs, it's hard to miss the irony.

For years, these voters threatened Albertan's jobs while buying dirtier oil than Alberta except for Newfoundlands. With the shoe on the other foot, do they now understand Albertans fight better? No, I'm not a separatist. I just hope for more tolerance next time you vote.

Just a couple of points. Ontario gets most of its oil from Western Canada, and Quebec gets almost half of its oil from Western Canada, too. It's Atlantic Canada that relies almost entirely on foreign oil.

Keith Sudaby in Las Vegas. I learned that the U.S. administration is no longer a wolf in sheep's clothing. It's simply a wolf on Canada's the prey. Robert Jones in Amhertsburg, Ontario, near the mouth of the Detroit River. It's actually south of Detroit. This summer, I learned that Canadian political identities are surprisingly fluid. The intensifying trade war with Donald Trump forced a pragmatic shift across the spectrum. I watched staunch liberals reluctantly acknowledge the economy necessities.

the economic necessity of our oil and gas sector to safeguard national sovereignty. Meanwhile, staunch conservatives began appreciating our centrist prime minister for maintaining a stable, unified front. Ultimately, threat of economic pressure proved that Canadians prioritized national stability over rigid partisan ideology. That appears to be the case at the moment. Let's see how that works out. B.J. B.J. B.B.J. B.C., this summer, I had the pleasure of attending the Cowichon Valley Wine Festival in August, and also visited wineries on the peninsula of Vancouver Island. I was remarkably surprised by the high quality of the wines we tasted, learning in the process of

the more refined nuances of what I was smelling and tasting. Go, Canada, wineries. Tina Millette. Let me try to pronounce where Tina's from. She's from the Nea-Shin-Ning Ming First Nation. That's in Ontario. It's the main reserve of the Chippewas of Nawash Unseated First Nation located on the eastern shore, the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario. The summer of

2026 was all-encompassing, watching sycophants bow to Trump, earthquakes in Venezuela, ice caps in Tibet and Nepal, and global wildfires, leaves me without words. But I enjoyed a summer Anishinaabe Owen camp.

Enjoyed the powwow with family and friends, laughed and cried at a healing ceremony and visited my son's family in Calgary and marveled over the mountain tops in Canmore, Alberta. Throughout the summer, Carney continued to show up with a steady, measured tone.

Thanks for that, Tina, and I'm sorry. I'd probably butchered all those names in there. But I tried. Kathleen Negrief in Vancouver. This past summer, I cycled the iconic Lansand to John O'Grote's tour. It's the length of the UK. That's right.

Lansand right up here, just north of where I'm in, the highlands of Scotland, John O'Grote. The route average, about 115 kilometers a day, over 14 days of stunning scenery. I never laughed so much in my life. The British have a sense of humor like none other. They make light of everyday stuff as it unfolds and do not take themselves too seriously. What I learned this summer is a laugh is more.

Laugh more and life will roll a lot better. Mariam Rajabali in Colonna, BC. I learned to play pickleball this summer and it's surprisingly addictive. I'm definitely a beginner, but my badminton and tennis background gave me a pretty decent swing. One player even accused me of lying about being a beginner. I'll take that as a compliment. Pickleball continues to show enormous growth in Canada. Pickleball Canada says about 1.8 million Canadians play the game.

14% increase from 2025 and an 80% increase from 2022. It also says younger people are choosing to play in greater numbers than ever, which is lowering the age demographic for the game that a lot of seniors play. Isabel Sinclair and Sam and R&B.C. What I learned this summer, Canada needs to stand on our own two feet. Be self-sufficient, calm and aware, support each other, unity.

Robin Ward in Edmonton, I learned how wide the Atlantic Ocean is. I went by ship from New York City to Southampton, England, and then back again, seven days each way. Days and days of nothing but ocean. I loved it and gained an appreciation of how vast, it is. It's vast.

New York to Southampton's about 5,500 kilometers. That's a little more than the straight distance between St. John's and Victoria. Alex Steuick in Vancouver. This summer I learned about the importance and significance of strong leadership and how much of a difference it makes when leaders have the right blend of courage, conviction, humility, altruism, integrity, and authenticity. We need more people with the people. these strengths and traits to step up and lead in both the public and private sectors in Canada.

Mavis Lowry in Vancouver. I've been surprised to find myself so self-motivated to avoid at all costs buying anything from the U.S. I'm an 83-year-old senior and I have become a fanatic. I walk blocks to find celery that's not American. I've bought food from Mexico, Chile, Peru, in many other places. I developed a lack of patience with folks not on board with Team Canada. I hear of those going to the U.S. or buying whatever they see when they needed and not bothering to determine if the item is an American product. I say nothing, but feel this flame of rage inside.

Is this the new state of the determined Team Canada senior? We are seething, but we are loyal Canadians. Adonia O'Hara in Grand Dayton, Nova Scot. I am so proud to be a Canadian. My husband and I own a tiny cafe on the Cabot Trail. It's called Cafe Les Sweat. And we had our busiest summer yet. So many Canadian travelers and we appreciate it immensely. Canadians are friendly, but we are also loyal, industrious, and tough when we have to be. Vive la Canada. Brenda Johnson and Calgary. What I discovered this summer is that I'm much more passionate about about my country than I ever realized that the separatists in my province make me angry,

and I will scream long and loud to stay in my fabulous country. I also fully support my country and government standing proud and hard against the bully from the south. Don Dufour in Ottawa. This summer I learned more about the technical specifications of electric vehicles than I ever thought possible. We're weeks away from purchasing our first EV. battery chemistry, 400 versus 800 volt architecture, eye pedal driving, single versus dual motor, charging methods, ask me anything, and I sound knowledgeable.

Funny though, while at the dealership today, all of this was forgotten when I asked whether a vehicle was available in dark ocean blue. Bernard Dubuque in Quebec City. It has become much more important to me to purchase Canadian. I dropped Netflix, using Amazon much less. I'm redoing the roof on my house. I made it mandatory to use Canadian supplies.

Shannon Bradley Green in Cochran, Alberta, just west of Calgary. As an Albertan who loves Canada, I was happy to travel and enjoy the beauty of our amazing country in the summertime. Surgeries have kept us close to home, but sometime in BC always brings health and healing. This summer I learned how much I and others love this country, of mountains and sparkling lakes seen from inside a kayak. Oh, Canada, I could drink a case of you.

Paul de Grattan in Merrimachia, New Brunswick. I realized this summer that I really can do hard things. I lost my dad in 2024, and from that realized that I want to live, not just exist. So I challenged myself with goals that I felt unachievable, but I somehow managed to achieve. Along the way, I've gathered so much support from both friends and strangers, so do the scary things, the hard ones too.

It's worth it. Kristen Gite in Langford, B.C. I learned that sometimes the best way to stick to the plan is to change it, which is how we ended up on Vancouver Island and may also be Canada's emerging strategy for the United States. Tim Creelman in Calgary, I learned the strength of Canada as far beyond what I thought it was. Weak federal governments in the past allowed Canada to become irrelevant on the world. stage and seen as just a nice, safe place to visit. We now have the attention of the world with the new leader of the free world in PM Carney.

Some people actually believe that. Maybe it's true. And have expanded our economic power and trade relationships across the planet. And most Americans side with us in our trade war with their leader. That seems to be backed up by polls, yes. Janet Carr in Paris Sound, Ontario. While vacationing in Newfoundland this summer, I was seeking the perfect souvenir for my young grandson.

To support his recent interests in snakes, I was determined to buy a stuffed version for him, only to be finally advised that there were no snakes on the island. Upon researching after returning home, I discovered that indeed the non-native garter is now a resident. These count as two things I learned this summer. By the way, there are snakes in every province, but in only one territory.

The Northwest Territories has one species, the red-sided garter snake. Yukon and Nunavut have none. Michael Rennie in Montreal. How are we doing on time here? Just may squeeze all these in. Michael Rennie in Montreal. A country's character and identity is forged in adversity. Sorry, I got stuck together here.

A country's character and identity is forced in adversity. As a young country, that is geographically vast, with many diverging interests, Canada is still searching for its defining national identity. These major trade disputes and Trump's challenges to our sovereignty have created an existential threat that is forcing us to reckon with becoming a country that is more than an extension of our powerful neighbor to the south. What I learned is that this inflection may be our greatest opportunity, to build a much stronger and more prosperous nation. Ken Malagos in Regina, this summer we visited my wife's home country, Columbia,

to spend time with her aging parents. The family is struggling with decisions on the future care of their parents. It leads me to wonder if my wife and I will have the wherewithal to understand when the need arises to change our future care when that time comes, as we are childless. Well, that's a big question. Carol Ellis in Calgary, I read elbows up this summer

written by various authors and contributors, I was one of them, from many different perspectives. I learned that the United States has been quietly taking over our country for many decades in many different ways. I've learned that I am a fiercely proud Canadian. I've always wheled up

over winning important hockey games. now I well up with pride over counter-tariffs. My sense of national pride has never felt more urgent or stronger. Betsy Dobb in St. Agatha, Ontario, that's near Kitchener. I learned crabgrass grows very quickly. Husbands will eventually listen to their wives. You worry about your kids even when they're adults. Canadians do have a backbone.

Long live said backbone. I love live theater and fresh garden tomatoes. We all miss the crew of the bridge over the summer, especially Janice Stein. Thanks for being back. Hey, it's good to be back. Rhonda Aaronberg in Winnipeg. What I learned, I can't believe how much I've missed listening to the bridge every day.

Honest, the letters just came in. These are not relatives. of mine. Your insights and those of your many knowledgeable guests always give me a really grounded perspective on life in Canada and around the world these days. Welcome back to a new season. I can't wait to hear everything you all have to say. And here's our last one for this week. David Schwartz in Edmonton. This summer, I discovered that life without a daily episode of the bridge is a disastrous for my productivity. I drifted through each day like a politician without a platform.

Directionless, unproductive, unelectable, and desperately recycling old material. I suffered from the bridge-related, no new episode syndrome. Now that new episodes are finally here, I'm recovering beautifully. The moment I hear Janice Stein's voice, I expect to make a full recovery. Listen, thanks for all your letters this week. There were more. There were quite a few more. But we can only fit in so money

and some are kind of repetitive. So that's what you got for your turn for this weekend, the random renter. We love Thursdays because it's really your day. I throw in the odd line here and there. But Thursday is your turn. And, you know, somebody said to me the other day, oh, why don't you let comments on your YouTube channel?

I say, we have all comments. They're on Thursdays where people actually have to think what they're going to say and write it down and send it in and own up to it as to who's writing. I'm, you know, nothing, well, lots of things bother me, but one thing that does bother me is reading comments from people who are afraid to put their name down or deliberately don't put their name down or who don't even have names because they're bots and they're coming out of some Russian factory somewhere.

I'd like to know who's writing and where they're writing from and also what they have to say. All right, that's going to do it for this day, for this week, for your turn and the random ranter tomorrow. It is Good Talk with Chantelle and Bruce. We're looking forward to talking tomorrow. I think you can probably guess the topics that we'll be talking about. But you always find it interesting.

Last week alone on our... YouTube channel. Over 300,000 views. That's amazing. Thanks so much for listening today. I'm Peter Mansbridge. We'll talk to you again in less than 24 hours.