The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge - Your Turn - What's Your Nation Building Project?

Episode Date: June 5, 2025

The prime minister & premiers are seeking national projects that will inspire the country & laying the groundwork for a future powerhouse. 

And hello there, Peter Mansbridge here. You're just moments away from the latest episode of The Bridge. It's Thursday. That means your turn. What's your nation building project and the random ranter. That's all coming right up. And hello there. Welcome to Thursday.

Welcome to your turn. Nation building projects. That was the question this week. What are yours? Hello there, welcome to Thursday, welcome to your turn. Nation building projects, that was the question this week, what are yours? And we had lots and lots of answers. As a result, we'll never get to all of them. But we'll get to many of them that came in on time. Still a lot coming in after the deadline of 12 noon Eastern on Wednesdays and I'm sorry we can't fit you in after that because of the process that we go

through here. Anyway we have lots of lots of great answers from you on this question and looking forward to getting to it. But before I do just a moment on something. You know, yesterday I flew back from the UK. I was in Scotland for the last little while and I flew over and you know I love those transatlantic flights, especially the daytime ones because you can look out the window and pretend, know you can pretend You're an astronaut, and that's just what I was doing yesterday looking out the window I was in a window seat and You know I Passed by Iceland and Greenland and coming in over in Newfoundland And I was trying to imagine, you know, what must mean, like, it's one thing to do it for seven or eight hours,

it's another thing to do it for seven or eight months, like some of our astronauts have done. And it was roughly around that time when I'd done the full flight Wi-Fi and internet, so I was following stuff that was going on. And suddenly an alert came through, an alert about Marc Garneau, a Canadian astronaut, a former cabinet minister, that suddenly died at 76. Now I don't know the details of what happened but I know I've talked to Mark a number of times in the last year as he was writing his book and getting ready for publication. I was so sad because this guy's a, he's a true national hero. I mean he was a national hero for his astronaut days. The first Canadian astronaut in space.

He's an astronaut for his public service days. First in the Navy and then in politics. days, first in the Navy and then in politics. And I covered his, that first flight in 1984. That's when I first met him. We stayed in touch over the years. He sat with me at Cape Kennedy when the Canada's second astronaut went into space, Roberta Bondar, first Canadian woman in space. He did the kind of color commentary sitting with me. I went down to Texas, watched him training for one of his, flight, his third flight. Just a wonderful man and a true Canadian in every way you can describe that word.

You know, it seems not enough to say he'll be missed, but he will be missed. Nobody with that kind of record would not be missed. 76, that's not fair. I'm 76, about to turn 77. So we remember Mark Garneau today. All right, let's move on. The question once again was, what is your nation building project? Governments, federal and the provincial are looking for nation building projects. That's

what they want. They're prepared to spend real money. So what are your ideas? Patton Wharton of Vernon, BC. I think we need to standardize our electrical grid across Canada. We could stop selling and buying power from the US. It would encompass development from coast to coast to coast. A couple of facts on that. Canadians tend to use more electricity during the winter for heating, while in the US their demand is higher in the summer for cooling. Rather than building up for a peak that will happen just a few weeks of the year, importing and exporting electricity usually makes sense.

But the system has been built around tariff-free trade. So these days, what usually makes sense may not make sense. Canada is a next exporter of electricity. In 2023, we imported $1.6 billion worth of electricity. From the U.S., we exported $4.3 billion of electricity to them. So we're a net exporter of electricity. Tom Wilson of Edmonton, I suggest a sea to sea renewable energy grid. Canada is so wide solar from one part can supply with the needed infrastructure the parts in the dark. At least for a while. Wind generation as well can be connected to that grid and can supply areas the wind is not blowing. The future is ours should we choose it. Dave Charleswood in Iqalibit. We should electrify 80 to 85 percent of the nation. Generation transmission

consumption and long-term research. Solar rooftops, wind and tidal generators. All provinces and territories can benefit. Canada lags the rest of the world. Let's choose a plan where we leap to the front. Eric Barube in Sudbury, Ontario. If electrification is going to continue in Canada, then there is only one answer. Nuclear, nuclear, nuclear. Not just large nuclear, but also micro nuclear. Get going because once it's too late, that's it. Okay, so in case you're wondering what Eric is talking about, it's small modular reactors or SMRs. They are a new class of nuclear reactors that are considerably smaller in size and power output than traditional nuclear power reactors.

The Ontario government has approved the start of construction on Canada's first small modular reactor to be built next door to the Darlington power plant east of Toronto. It would provide electricity to supply about 300,000 homes. It would be the first of four reactors that will be built on the site at a total cost of about $21 billion. See, I said they're willing to spend money. Daniela Gadotti in Beasley, BC, that's in the Kootenays. Climate proof the power grid by putting it underground, protected from forest fires, snow storms, and hurricanes.

Help develop the technology to bore tunnels underground without disrupting structures on the surface. The technology is almost there. Resilient power grid, pleasant landscapes, fewer electrocuted birds, and the technology could be exported. Ryan Smith in Kitchener, Ontario. and the technology could be exported. Ryan Smith in Kitchener, Ontario. Why are we not looking at making an east to west energy corridor?

We take the TransCanada Highway, widen it to place LNG and oil pipelines next to it, which would make it easily serviceable, minimize construction costs and environmental impact. Or we look at building a high-speed raised rail line with the oil and LNG pipelines below it and design an all-in-one machine that can place the posts, run track, and connect sections of LNG and oil pipe. Something amazing. And who wouldn't that be? Lisa Lebrek in Rosedown, Saskatchewan, about 115 kilometres southwest of Saskatoon. An oil pipeline to connect the country to

help all Canadians to be more independent and stop importing oil into the East from other countries. This will drastically improve our economy, and if done properly with indigenous ownership and consultation, we can do it in a cooperative way. Now, here's a note of opposition to pipelines, but with an alternative from Constance Elaine Menzies in Nero, Manitoba. Can you imagine if we started 30 years ago? If we, all levels of government, private sector, commercial and residential developers, and the rest of us, worked towards establishing infrastructures across Canada to accommodate

a combination of no carbon emitting energy sources, geothermal, solar and wind, we would be in a position of strength now. Instead, we are so far gone into the oil and gas industry, we've become dependent and financially myopic to anything else. Lawrence Rainey in Muskoka, Ontario. Nation building? We must protect our very sovereignty first by investing in our defense focused on our woefully undefended Arctic with roads, communications, military vessels, aircraft and our armed force personnel, Navy, Army, Air Force. This will boost our high-tech industries and manufacturing to partially

offset any effect of Trump's stupid tariff war. We will purchase and produce as much as we can for this effort within Canada boosting our economy. Ken Malegas in Regina, Saskatchewan. Nation building through an effective passenger rail service, not just a tourist train, but effectively timely travel across the nation. This would be to include the Southern Prairie, Regina and Calgary, Vancouver to Halifax, without needing to give priority to freight trains. Ken says Vancouver to Halifax, excluding Newfoundland. That may be because Newfoundland hasn't had any passenger rail service since 1988.

Another fan of rail, Neil Douglas Fraser in Edmonton, construct a high-speed railway that reaches coast to coast to coast that costs less than flying. I'm an Albertan. And until I married my wife from Montreal, I never thought much about traveling to Eastern Canada because of the cost of plane tickets. Now I love the experience, the culture, and now I've been learning French for the past four years. This is the type of connection we need in Canada to understand each other more and to drop these veiled threats of separation.

Clark Solos in Victoria. I spent the last three years of my life on exchange with the Royal Air Force living in the UK. Now back in Canada, I've learned a key nation-building project has to be high-speed rail. It saves time, it's better for the environment, and it's a much more enjoyable way to get around compared to airports or stuck in traffic. Canada just needs to get on with it. In fact, high-speed rail across Canada was the number one suggestion for a national project. And that meant a lot of letters on this subject. But here's one more from Thomas Freeman in Cambridge, Ontario.

When I think of nation-building projects, I'm reminded of the railway that united this vast country from coast to coast. Today Canada has an opportunity to invest in a modern equivalent, high-speed passenger rail to better connect our major urban centers and strengthen our national ties. Canada is the only G7 country without any high-speed rail lines. It's time that Canada invested in a modern transportation network. Well, we may not be the only G7 country without high-speed rail. The generally accepted definition of high-speed rail is a train that can go at least 300 kilometers an hour. In the United States the fastest train can't go even 250 kilometers an

hour and there aren't many of those. Some of the problems the US has are the same we have in Canada. Even the fastest trains travel on old tracks that pass through dense population centres crowded with other infrastructure. Old bridges and tunnels create choke points. Freight and commuter lines have to share. Five months ago Ottawa announced a high-speed rail service to be built from Toronto to Quebec City. Well, Debbie Sampson in Lewisdale, Nova Scotia, it's in Cape Breton, she's talking not necessarily rail but something. My nation building project would be to have better affordable inter-provincial travel

capabilities similar to European countries to not only facilitate provincial trade but increase people's abilities to visit and explore other provinces. Here's a letter about getting around not between cities but in cities. It's from Robert Ong in Toronto. Subways, subways, subways, plus light rail, commuter, and a high-speed rail across Canada's major cities would be my nation-building project. Jonathan Young in Brussels, Belgium. He's actually from Nova Scotia, but he's in Brussels now.

A nation-building project is to build a firmer sense of true national identity. Let's continue the spirit of solidarity which was prevalent during the election and work toward what it means to be Canadian. Pipelines and smoother inter-provincial trade will all be made easier if the entire country has a stronger sense of who we are together. Here's another note from Belgium. It's from William Nauden. He's also in Brussels. It may not be a large-scale infrastructure project,

but the creation of a complete foreign intelligence service seems like a worthwhile and timely national project that will enhance Canadian security and promote Canadian interests abroad. Many countries, much smaller and arguably with less global presence, see the benefits of such an agency as do medium-sized powers like Australia. This new agency will be on the front lines of protecting the national interest. So if you're thinking Canada already has a foreign intelligence service, you're sort of right, but the Communications Security Establishment, the country's cyber intelligence agency,

collects foreign intelligence only through electronic means. It doesn't use human sources. William is saying we need that human part. Edwin Platt in Three Hills, Alberta. That's southern Alberta, northeast of Calgary. I found it interesting that I saw a clip of the premier of Manitoba, Wab Kanu, saying exactly what I thought. Building more pipelines to get the resources from Saskatchewan and Alberta to Tidewater.

The brunt of the resentment of people in Alberta is that Quebec takes billions of wealth transfer payments from the revenue generated in Alberta and yet won't let any pipelines cross their land to increase our revenue. They import high-priced oil from Saudi Arabia in eastern Canada and refine it at the Irving refineries and won't take cheap priced Alberta oil. Why? Good questions. There are some answers on these. Not ones you're gonna be happy with, but ones that are used these days. But there's a change in mood. There seems to be in the country, including in Quebec. Carolyn Black in Waterloo, Ontario. My vote for a nation-building project goes back to a suggestion that Dr. Janice Stein made a

few weeks ago. Take advantage of the brain drain that's happening in the U.S. and bring the professors, scientists, and other professionals to Canada to establish and build on existing centers of excellence. We started doing that, Janice being part of that process to bring them in. Bringing these people to Canada not only requires funding, it also requires the removal of barriers so that it's easier for them to move and establish themselves here. Raiden al-Sikaf in Ottawa. I'm pitching an Arctic logistics facility. We know climate change will cause increasing viability of Arctic shipping routes,

but without logistical support it will prove risky. You're right about that. Canada stands to position itself at the heart of global trade starting in the next 50 years, but needs to make the infrastructure available from icebreakers to Dubai-like port and transit services. And if Dubai can prove anything, it's that when you make that decision and you've got the bucks and you have the labor laws that they have that I'm not sure we would want. But Dubai has proven you can do this in a relatively short period of time. Pamela McDermott in Burlington, Ontario, she's got a few ideas.

A one-year conscription service for 18-year-olds. This might help provide a sense of purpose for the many teens who feel lost at this time. Develop an electric car and utilize the vacant factories and the already drained automotive workforce that has been laid off. Design and build a drone or satellite manufacturing industry. Develop a satellite launch program, support our brightest in research and development at our world-class universities. Glenn Rigby in Kanata, Ontario.

It's a suburb of Ottawa. There can be no greater Canada building project to improve the lives of all Canadians, create jobs and strengthen the fabric of our society. That's a massive investment in public health care. Build new hospitals, train new doctors, hire more nurses, improve health record technology and lower barriers to care for all. What could be more Canadian than that? Deb Greening of District of Lakeland 521 in Saskatchewan. Living in the heart of wildfire country, the intensifying conditions has made it clear that fighting climate change and embracing technological advances in energy production is not only a nation-building initiative, but also a planet-saving one. We ignore

the seriousness at our peril. Somehow the public must be convinced that consumerism must give way to environmental protection and embrace it like our lives depend on it, because they do. Not tomorrow, but right now. tomorrow but right now. Where are we? We're halfway. Sounds like time for a break. Well let's take our break and then we'll come right back with the Right? That's right after this. And welcome back. Peter Mansbridge here with the Thursday edition of The Bridge. And that means your turn. And we certainly got a lot of your answers to the question. Name your nation building

project that you'd propose to the governments of Canada, whether they be federal or provincial, that would cost money, that it would create jobs and it would help build the nation. Add what so many of them describe as a crisis moment in the country's history. Well, much of that crisis, well, some of it's self-inflicted, but some of it is also coming from a certain person south of the border who the renter loves to talk about. So let's hear from our friend, the Random Rantor. Here he is right now. Tariffs, tariffs, tariffs. Can we ever get away from tariffs?

I guess with the new 50% tariff on steel and aluminum, the answer is a hard no. With Trump in charge, if we get past this round of out of the blue tariffs, there's sure to be another round, and that goes for whether we manage to land a trade deal or not. Trump is total chaos. He's a dishonest player. His word, his signature, they all mean nothing the moment he leaves the room. So without good faith, or any faith for that matter, how does this all end? If you ask me, I'll say, not in negotiation,

because I'm a firm believer that Trump needs a punch in the nose. Figuratively or literally, I'll let you decide. But right now, it's like the whole world is standing around watching and waiting for this situation to magically improve. And not so magically, it's not. We can't let this become the new normal. and we can't afford to try waiting it out, hoping that Trump will somehow come to his senses or eventually see the light.

Because he won't. He's an idiot. He's a grifter. He's a disruptor for personal gain, and that's it. End of story. I mean, the last time he saw the light was when he took off his protective glasses to stare directly at the sun during an eclipse. Did I mention that he's an idiot?

Because I feel like it needs saying again. Look, we've all heard Trump's new nickname, Taco, short for Trump Always Chickens Out. He certainly earned it, but Trump chickening out still has an impact. Trump chickening out still does real damage. These 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum aren't going to last, because they're not going to bolster the American economy. They're going to grind it to a halt.

Trump will chicken out, yet again. But that's not what matters. What matters is that the world economy runs on stability. It runs on smooth moves and predictability. Trump's sudden spiking of tariff rates? Well, that's a smooth move, alright. As in, smooth move, xlax. There's not a snowball's chance that the Americans can make up their steel and aluminum imports

domestically. And the same goes for lumber, oil and gas, potash, and a whole list of the Canadian exports sustaining the American economy. He keeps saying he doesn't need anything from us, but we all know he's full of it. So as Trump plays the, hey look at me and not my 3.75 trillion dollar tax cut for the rich tariff game, American manufacturers will need to choose between paying jacked up prices and passing them on to consumers or waiting it out, banking on another taco moment. But in the meantime, how is a business supposed to plan? How are they supposed to invest?

How are they supposed to hire? I love a good taco, but even I have my limits. How many more tacos can businesses eat before everything grinds to a halt? And I mean everything and everyone, because while Americans may pay the actual tariffs, we all pay the price. A slowing of the world's largest economy hurts everyone, but the good news is it hurts the Americans most. Take the 50% steel tariff. It's an epic self-owned. It may in theory protect American steel workers but it directly threatens American manufacturing jobs and there are a lot more of those. That US-made

car or washing machine or air conditioner, it's going to cost significantly more. And look, tariffs are just part of the story. The other part is the impact all these taco moments are having on the supply chain, all the production disruptions and the scarcity of supply they will cause down the line. We all remember how that worked during COVID. So good luck to the US inflation rate and good luck to American exports on finished goods and good luck to the American people,

because at some point the world's going to come to their senses and start seriously hitting back. And I hope Canada leads the way. Well, you can't say shy, can you? Um, although I don't know what he'd do without Donald Trump. Donald Trump has created jobs just as the random render. Okay. Back to your letters, your thoughts on a nation building project for the country.

And once again, thank you for your letters. Lots of them, lots of them this week. There are two or three times more than we could possibly cram in here, so here we go. Sean Aiken in Whitby, Ontario. As I sit here this evening writing to you, the setting sun is hazy and the sky full of smoke. I'm more

persuaded than ever that massive investments in a national forest fighting force is perfect nation building. If funded under national defense, it satisfies our NATO commitments, employs Canadians, can be equipped with Canadian-made hardware and is needed everywhere immediately. and is needed everywhere immediately. Jennifer Spencer in Brooklyn, Ontario. Canada needs to set up another manufacturing facility to build many more water bombers to fight forest fires. To have one Canada needs to build more faster and Canada needs to place orders.

Fires are threatening our citizens and our country. This is an essential project. Sonia Jensen in Montreal, her list included a wilderness survival camp, four weeks for all Canadian kids aged 14 and 15 years, can be land or sea based, world-class university hospital medical research facilities in every province, carbon neutral roads and infrastructure. 100% electric cars by 2030 to reduce air pollution. Patrick Tallon in L'Original, Ontario. My idea for a nation-building project is to add a

pipeline to the existing TransCanada or Enbridge corridor to move Western Canadian crude to the Irving refinery in St. John, New Brunswick. No more Saudi oil tankers off our coast. Let's supply our own Eastern refinery with our own energy. The tragedy at Lac-Megantic might never have happened if this infrastructure had been in place a generation ago. Well, it was almost exactly 12 years ago, July 6, 2013, a runaway train carrying 72 tankers filled with crude oil derailed as it approached the center of the town of Lac-Megantic, Quebec. The tanker cars exploded, the oil caught fire,

47 people were killed, and the center of the town was destroyed. Conrad Amenta in California. The recent attack on Russian airfields by Ukraine could not have been more illuminating. Cold War era bombers taken out by cheaply produced drones. Ukraine is a fraction of the size of Russia and is holding its own Canada similarly small. Canada, similarly small, should look to establish an industry for easily manufactured drones and artificial intelligence. The new deterrent is not nuclear, it is a self-directing defense made up of easily scalable drones guided by AI. Carolyn Leckie in Ottawa. Despite early and intense wildfires, we are on a path to push

off the energy transition and strike a new bargain to double down on pipelines and military spending. While some of this may be necessary, national electrical grids are the linchpin to make inexpensive renewable energy effective. A national grid can not only connect us east and west but also across generations. The young deserve some hopes for their future. Ashley Taylor in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. She has a very simple answer to the question. A nation building project. Her answer 24 Sussex Drive. Well, that's a very short suggestion, and I presume

that Ashley is suggesting that Canada do something about the house where the Prime Minister is supposed to live. Mark Carney, like Justin Trudeau, isn't living there because it's so run down. It has problems with mold, asbestos, lead, rodents. Before he left office, Justin Trudeau wrote a letter to his public services and procurement minister to come up with options for a new official residence by January of 26. But nothing's happened. Trudeau's letter said there are three main options, a new or heavily renovated complex on the existing property, a move to a second

property in the neighborhood with a better security profile, or an upgrade of Rideau Cottage, which has been the Prime Minister's unofficial official residence since 2015. Experts say the lowest cost option will cost at least a hundred million dollars, which is a lot of money. But given that most national projects we're talking about are billions of dollars, maybe this can get on the list. Derek Dillabo in Ottawa.

What worries me most is the youth growing up in today's world. I would love to see nation building from the perspective of young people who will inherit whatever it is we leave them. Think of Pierre Trudeau's Katimovic and John F. Kennedy's Peace Corps. Invest in the youth of this country. Help them thrive and grow and to see and experience this beautiful country and give them hope and excitement for the future. Allen Avis in Flushington, Ontario, that's southeast of Owen Sound. Construct a second east-west road system between Ontario and Manitoba.

It's remarkable that there's only one major road, the Trans-Canada Highway, that connects these two provinces. Recent wildfires have demonstrated the vulnerability of having a single umbilical cord connection, and for goodness sake, resolve the lack of clean water, housing, and reliable energy for our Indigenous communities throughout Canada. Adrian Hill in Crystal Beach, Ontario, that's northeast shore of Lake Erie. Create a wing of the Canadian military to focus on disaster relief and response, fires, floods, earthquakes,

pandemics, and wars. Canadian-built short landing takeoff aircraft, a cadre of personnel trained in responding to the calamities of climate change, war, terrorism, including medical evacuation, crisis management, leadership, emergency housing, engineering, specialized skills to match the relentless climate and human challenges that now occur yearly. Christine McDonald in La Salle, Ontario. Each province should specialize in a type of military manufacturing. Various skills will be required and will benefit our people both with jobs and defense, a two-for-one

for ourselves and our allies. Andrew Ferguson in Ottawa. A multi-purpose deepwater port at Greyays Bay in the Canadian Arctic would provide strategic military and economic benefits to many regions of Canada, enabling the projection of our sovereignty in the north and exploitation of nearby high-value critical minerals. Or containing critical minerals could be shipped to existing refining operations in various regions of the country, expanding economic benefits within Canada beyond the Grays Bay region.

Dwight Powell, in Wasega Beach, Ontario, I suggest a national project in line with British Prime Minister Starmor's plan to increase defence spending to improve the lives of the working class, in our case by building new and renovating existing Canadian Forces base housing and increasing incomes of those serving to attract enlistment in all branches. This would be a pan-national effort and benefit. Marcy Taylor in Toronto. I think we should invest in renewable energy materials manufacturing. Steel is the most dominant material in wind turbines. Solar panels require aluminum and rare earth minerals. Canada could transition from fossil fuel

expertise to renewable energy expertise. Mark Engleton in Barry Air, BC. I'm anti-war and anti-pipeline, but I'm a realist armed with my parents' war stories of World War II in England. Trump is a fascist, and we must be prepared for the worst. So a pipeline to Hudson Bay because Quebec and B.C. do not want it. Massive Army spending to defend the Arctic Circle and our southern border. Gold mines and rare earth minerals as soon as possible. Sad that environment takes a back seat. Margot Stevens in Mississauga, Ontario. My nation-building project would be to rewrite French language curricula across the country,

to teach Canadian rather than Parisian French. As an Anglophone, I studied French until grade 12 and took courses in university, none of which prepared me to converse with Francophone Canadians or work bilingually. The formality of French language training and lack of connection with how French is spoken in our Francophone regions only increases the distance between the two solitudes. Rosalie Wald in Wainwright, Alberta. This is a favourite of mine. The Port of Churchill is ideally positioned to capture new export business. Churchill has played an important role in the development of Canada's North and with increasing economic activity and changing international trade options, it is

common sense to build up this deep water port. It's been operating since 1931, handling mostly grain, however with upgrades the tankers could handle oil. Other benefits include building highways, train routes and shorter pipeline routes. You know, I've been pushing on the Churchill port thing since, well, since I lived there in the 1960s. Rodney Parker in London, Ontario. Don't forget New Brunswick. If there's a pipeline to Churchill carrying crude oil, ship it to St. John for refining and then on to European markets. Nova Scotia can build the icebreakers in New Brunswick the tankers needed to make it happen.

If Quebec doesn't want a pipeline, fine. But they can't continue cutting the Atlantic provinces off from the rest of Canada and holding their economies hostage in the process. Here's another idea for a deep water port. This one comes from Elliott Frost in Ross Ferry, Nova Scotia. That's in Cape Breton. The Nova Port deep water port in Sydney, Nova Scotia, including rebuilding railways and bridges in the area, would be great for overseas maritime cargo traffic through Eastern Canada and help grow international trade with Europe and other countries.

Nova Port is awaiting federal approval. It promises to be a modern, deep-water, zero-emission port that offers something no other Canadian port does, a direct Atlantic gateway to global markets. Wendy Cecil, Toronto. Stir the Pot, a mandated one-year national service after high school, would strengthen civic engagement in our country overall. Participants working on infrastructure, both physical and social, would experience new dimensions of Canada as they forged relationships born of shared purpose and fellowship, whether

they are Canadian-born or new to Canada. National service programs spin strong threads which knit a country together physically and emotionally. Canada would reap enormous benefits. Deb Johnston in Edmonton. Dr. Stein talks about all the things that Canada does great. We need to have this front and center for all the naysayers. Let's have a national unity project that engages journalists, social media experts and historians to do unbiased reporting on our great Canadian accomplishments both past and

present. Include the upcoming projects Carney wants movement on and report on their incremental successes. We have so much to celebrate. Jordan Thompson in Edmonton. I believe our country needs to rebuild labour unions and stop violating workers' rights. Let's remember most cherished social benefits we enjoy exist because of unions, whether public health care, paid vacation, maternity leave and more. Crucially, unions redistribute the benefits of economic growth. No nation-building project will succeed unless it builds widespread prosperity. In the face of rising inequality

and overlapping crises, it's pastime we enable and support the workers' unions. Jean-Four, in Notre-Dame-de-Lasse, Quebec, about an hour north of Ottawa. If I was going to propose one project, it would be affordable neighbourhoods or subdivisions built in many of our cities across the country. These newly built neighbourhoods would have affordable

housing, lots of trees, parks and schools. They would be built in the far suburbs where land is cheaper but would have rapid train transit going into the cities. Tracy Potter in Sacramento, California, she calls herself a proud Canadian, originally from Goddard, Ontario. To complement the Build, Baby, Build affordable housing plan, Canada should have a nationwide tiny home building initiative with finished houses transported and placed in designated tiny home communities throughout the country. Specifically a set building plan blueprint for a tiny home and funds for materials. It could be distributed to participating high schools with wood working shops and be built by students in class or as an after-school club. The

build would be overseen by teachers and local volunteer tradespeople to ensure strict adherence to the provided specs. It's interesting. Julie Beddow is in Toronto. Let's decide to end homelessness. Let's put all orders of government and housing experts of all specialties in a room together and not let them out until they've agreed

on a national program with committed funding and short timeline. Maureen Manning in Nanaimo, BC. I propose a disinformation task force comprised of communications and security experts at federal and provincial levels. It would include local community representatives and utilize municipal libraries as a hub for disinformation monitoring and reporting. Each municipality would staff a disinformation specialist.

The primary function is to identify and report fraudulent social media accounts, issue public warnings about offending influencers, and list astroturf organizations, revealing their funding sources and mandates to the public. Astroturfing is a term for deceptive grassroots campaigns, where an organization appears to be independent and locally based, but actually is funded and controlled by larger entities, often corporations or wealthy individuals. Willie Petty in Winnipeg, charging social media platforms to cough up two cents for every comment

that reaches Canadian eyes could pay for all these projects. These platforms fan the flames of nation-destroying projects that we all end up paying for but that's just my two cents. Rick Conroy in Toronto, Canada needs a modern airship fleet for cargo delivery. Their ability to land anywhere fly quickly and quietly all year round while carrying heavy loads make them perfect for serving northern Canada. Unlike airplanes and trucks they don't need long runways or highways through tundra and their hydrogen powered electric motors have zero emissions. They carry food, housing supplies and heavy equipment to underserved

northern communities paid for by carrying precious metal ores back south. Jamal Tekelveld in Toronto. Let's talk critical mineral refining. Let's come up with ways to create a critical mineral refinement value system across Canada. Let's get innovative and think of ways to clean up these industrial processes. If done right, it can be a large step forward towards economic growth for our domestic economy, as well as creating a new market for other nations. Canadian government says critical mineral mines.

This is a little fact stuff. Smelters, refineries, or advanced projects are located in all Canadian provinces and territories except for Prince Edward Island. Critical minerals are the foundation upon which modern technology is built. They are used in a wide range of essential products ranging from mobile phones and solar panels to electric vehicle batteries, medical devices, and defense applications. Canada's critical minerals list identifies 34 minerals and metals. I guess that red sand in PEI isn't one of them.

Norma Jack in Stouffville, Ontario. My first and foremost nation building project would be to make sure we continue to be united as a nation. I find it annoying when Premiers refer to being Albertans or Quebecers first. We are all Canadians first, and we live in provinces or territories of Canada, the true North strong and free. Gordon Albini in Hamilton, investment in education must be the cornerstone of Canada's nation-building efforts as vital as infrastructure to our long-term prosperity.

A true Canadian enlightenment nurtures our children through math, science, the arts and humanities, equipping them with the creativity, critical thinking and global perspective needed to lead in a complex world. By valuing both innovation and imagination, we prepare future generations to shape a sustainable and thriving Canada. A Canadian enlightenment. Why not? Henri Vaudan in Ottawa.

Infrastructure and economic development are important. I support it fully. Nation building, however, requires vision and purpose. Building an energy superpower is meaningless if it's done at the cost of more people needing food banks and homeless shelters. If we want to truly build our nation, we need to do something constructive with that wealth. This is why I suggest a universal basic income program. Okay, this brings us to our last letter and this really is a classic. This one will go down in the history of your turn.

It comes from Mavis Lowry in Vancouver. Here's what Mavis wrote. Vancouver. Here's what Mavis wrote, I'm 82, retired, but I have a project. I am devoted to keeping healthy and not becoming a drain on our health care system. I got rid of my car and now dance and walk everywhere. Downstairs to the gym, 64 blocks to visit my husband in a nursing home. Keep my carbon footprint to a minimum. Don't turn on the heat even in the winter. Recycle, compost and keep my condo clean. No American product goes into my basket when I shop. I support my two governments, assist my family, and donate to many other worthy causes.

I join community groups, volunteer, play in a seniors band, attend the TED Talk discussions, and the karaoke singers. I read three books a month, attend the TED Talk discussions, and the karaoke singers. I read three books a month, attend the Ted Talk discussions and the karaoke singers. I said that. I read three books a month, I said that. And the newspapers. Now studying Mark Carney's values, that's Carney's book. Yes, studying.

It's like a grad school textbook. It sure is. It's pretty thick in parts. My goal is to be a wise, friendly, helpful neighbor. Be an agent of goodwill in a cheerful community and a reliable and productive citizen. Oh boy, Mavis, that is great. What a great letter. And what a great way to end this, another really special edition of Your Turn. Great ideas. Thank you to all of them.

And thank you to those who didn't make it onto the program today. As I said, there were lots and lots of letters. Appreciate all of them. Read all of them. So thank you. That's going to wrap it up for this day. I'm Peter Ransbridge tomorrow on Friday. Of course it's good talk with Chantelle Bear and Rob Russo. Lots to talk about as there always seems to be on Friday mornings. We'll talk to you then take care. Have a great evening.

Bye for now.