Interesting discussions were had in Hub Forum this week, where readers commented on Trudeau’s reaction to the Bell Media layoffs, the impact of Canada’s low birth rate on the economy, and the reform needed for Canadian media content. They also discussed why supporting Ukraine is more important than ever.
The goal of Hub Forum is to bring the impressive knowledge and experience of The Hub community to the fore and to foster open dialogue and the competition of differing ideas in a respectful and productive manner. Here are some of the most interesting comments from this past week.
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Corporate Canada gets caught in the crosshairs
Monday, February 19, 2024
“The apparent problem with this government (and definitely too many Canadian voters) is failure to understand that government doesn’t generate wealth. It seems these days that, like vaccines, capitalism is a victim of its own success.
Government largely provides services. These are primarily wealth redistribution, not wealth creation. What services, and to what level, is the eternal debate.”
— Gord Edwards
“The more that the current government is threatened with defeat, the greater the potential of this emotional lashing out.”
— Eric Kahlke
The plummeting birth rate is everyone’s problem
Tuesday, February 20, 2024
“Marriage and family will need support to survive. With all the pressures of a fast-changing world, the days of ‘go it alone’ are not sufficient to meet the needs of change. Publicly funded programs such as universal daycare, health care, dental care, pharmacare, and free education from prekindergarten to post-secondary are all necessary to promote good family health and growth.”
— A. Chezzi
“How can couples afford to have children in these financial times? Both work to meet the rising rent or maybe even save for their own house. Food prices are the highest I have seen in my life.”
— Paul Nesbitt
“At a whole population level, a policy nudge or two (i.e. incentives) might be enough to move the birthrate higher.
Something tells me (evolutionary drive) that given a better environment (more resources, safer, more stable) the big-brained human animal, living in the northern part of the North American geographical region known as Canada, will feel secure enough to have more children.”
— Paul Attics
“It is no surprise that people with significant financial stability and wealth are having more children; they have a safety net that the populous does not.”
— Rod H
Canada’s CanCon regime must be reformed
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
“The cultural argument for Cancon was long ago consumed by the economic interests of creative industry stakeholders and other CRTC co-dependents. The most important thing is not telling Canadian stories or even whether anyone watches. It’s money—the entire system is an industrial subsidy.
— Peter Menzies
“I think it is great that we have a film industry in Canada that uses Canadian talent, but I absolutely think we could make shows that are proud to be Canadian.”
— Alice
“We should work towards amplifying regional storytellers and content creators like Letterkenny Tales and The PEI Encyclopedia as they tell authentic Canadian stories and deliver them in an enjoyable format.”
— Zac Waldman
“Perhaps it is time to end subsidies. We don’t live in a three-channel universe anymore. And, while the average American may have insular viewing habits, I’d say there is a taste for novelty and different cultures in many countries. With rare exceptions in my experience ‘Canadian TV’ has meant ‘change the channel’. There is another way: make good content. But they would need to be good stories where the writers’ definition of Canadian culture is the backdrop, not the purpose.”
— Gord Edwards
“Defining what makes us Canadian is a long-standing issue. With such a diverse, multilingual nation with vast geography, it’s not easy. What it means to be Canadian in Charlottetown is very different from Montreal, etc.”
— Cathy
Actually, minister, Canada needs more roads
Thursday, February 22, 2024
“We obviously need to move goods, internally and for export markets. Currently, roads are the primary way this is done (at least by value). Even if the government were to try to shift this transport mode balance, it would take a decade to begin to change the mix. Until then, if were to happen at all, we need to invest in roads to meet the need.
Perhaps [Minister Guilbeault] was thinking more about city roads, and the incentives for commuter/commercial sprawl and badly laid out urban areas when roads are expanded in/out of cities?”
— Paul Attics
“I’m not sure we will necessarily spur the economy with new road construction, but we will certainly strangle economic growth if we fail to build adequate roads.”
— Brian Tiessen
Ukraine needs our support now more than ever
Friday, February 23, 2024
“I agree we should be supporting Ukraine against this aggression. Once it is clear that the West does not support maintaining international boundaries the future is bleak. Canada needs to step up and at least meet the 2 percent of GDP to defence spending threshohold.”
— Jo wearing
“It is up to leaders to lead. Our federal leaders should be regularly speaking with one voice on the baseline need of this conflict:
- It is just that Ukraine defeats the illegal and brutal aggression;
- money spent now will be much less than the money required should Russia win;
- it is in Canada’s interest that Ukraine prevails.
The parties can debate specifics of course, but they should not politicize any aspect of our support.”
— Paul Attics
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