Letters: Threatening rail strike harms the province in the short and long term

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With the prospect of work stoppages on Canada’s rail system very real, now is a good time to provide some background on this vital service to Canada, Saskatchewan and the city.

Our economy runs on rails. Canada’s rail network transports $380 billion worth of goods each year, $49.3 billion of which comes from Saskatchewan. So it’s fair to say that our province is disproportionately dependent on a fully functioning, efficient rail network.

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In short: a railway shutdown endangers our economy – and that harms everyone.

In the short term, a supply chain disruption of this magnitude could exacerbate Canada’s existing productivity problems and potentially reduce GDP growth. The long-term impacts of a disruption to rail service could be even more worrying and far-reaching.

However, those more directly affected would be the 4,100 employees in Regina’s transportation and logistics sector, which accounts for annual sales of $1.3 billion.

There are no winners in a rail strike, but the potential for collateral damage is real and significant.

We encourage all sides to continue to work towards a constructive, workable solution to this issue, which, first and foremost, keeps the trains moving.

Chris Lane, Regina

Lane is president and CEO of Economic Development Regina Inc.

Value of CBC detected at Juno Beach

As I watched the ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings of Canadian troops at Juno Beach, France, I was reminded once again of how important the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is to Canadians’ sense of who we are as a country.

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As a member of the Royal Canadian Legion, I appreciate CBC being back in Juno Beach on June 6 to cover the commemoration and speak with the 13 surviving veterans who were able to attend.

The CBC television network broadcast a two-hour special about the commemoration ceremony and the events of that day, which included historical footage and interviews with some of the older veterans and their families in attendance.

Fox News and the talk show/shock jock radio networks have never, and never will, provide the kind of on-the-ground reporting that CBC does, which connects our country by documenting Canada’s ongoing story.

Equally important, the light that CBC’s professional reporting often sheds on dark corners sometimes embarrasses politicians of all stripes but serves a critical function for the health of our Canadian democracy.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has promised to defund the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation if he forms the next government. I urge his supporters to ask him to reconsider this destructive promise.

Defunding the CBC will break a centuries-old bond that unites our nation and is one of the cornerstones of Canadian democracy.

Doug Bone, Elrose

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