Incentives wanted for stores

Premier David Eby is all hat, no cattle.

His latest attempt to be the tough boy in the sandbox is yet another distraction from his own poor track record. His latest "whim" of mandating government staff and crown corporations to cancel their subscriptions to American magazines will really show those damn Yankees a thing or two. B.C. can rest easy knowing ministers won’t be reading Bon Apetit or Mad Magazine on their coffee breaks.

Many Canadian businesses went bankrupt under the provincial NDP government. We have no Canadian department stores left, which has left us no choice other than buying more from other countries and shopping at the only department store that’s left, which is Walmart. Where’s the maple leaf in this?

The Canadian government could consider implementing incentives to encourage the opening of Canadian-owned department stores. That could involve various measures such as tax breaks, grants,or loans specifically targeted at supporting Canadian retail businesses. Such initiatives could boost the Canadian economy, support local jobs, and potentially revitalize communities.

But, as it is, thanks to poor oversight, Walmart is what we’re left with,thanks to a variety of provincial and federal governments allowing this mammoth to invade our country, driving other department stores into bankruptcy.

We need real action on the home front from these politicians that have taken to waving the flag, and are all of a sudden talking tough in encouraging us to buy Canadian. Where’s the beef? Where are all the Canadian products?

This didn’t happen overnight and they have no one to blame but themselves for making Canada less Canadian than ever.

L. Larkin, Vancouver

(Editor’s note: The B.C. government’s move was not just to cancel U.S. subscriptions. It was actually part of a bigger move to cancel American contracts and use Canadian suppliers wherever viable, a response to U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods entering the U.S.)