Heart Burn

Glen Argan's March 9 column "Trust in God trumps tariff bullies" sadly illustrates one of my trusted touchstones about the truth missing the point. Tariffs are a blunt instrument used by governments from time immemorial to protect domestic industries. The U.S. has always had a beef (pun intended) over Canadian tariffs on dairy and lumber.

If tariffs result in Canadians buying more local and reducing inter-provincial trade barriers, they can be for the good. What this is about is the orange bogeyman. The lowest points in our history were the imposition of the federal Emergency Act, the toppling of statues of Sir John A. and others, an arson attacks on our churches. Tariffs hit the wallet. Those were a blow to the heart.

Michael Dias
Markham, Ont.