Published on April 30, 2025
Dear Prime Minister,
Look, I know you get a lot of mail. Most of it probably starts with "Dear Sir/Madam" and ends with someone asking you to fix their neighbor's fence. This isn't that kind of letter.
I'm writing because I spent last Tuesday stuck in traffic on the 401, listening to my usual rotation of CBC and talk radio, when it hit me: we're all complaining about the same stuff. Housing costs more than a kidney on the black market. Healthcare wait times are longer than some actual lifespans. And somehow, despite living in a country with more natural resources than we know what to do with, everyone feels broke.
You might wonder why I still think you're the right person for this job. Sometimes voters make decisions based on surprising factors—party platforms that resonate, candidate appeal, or single issues that matter. Democracy isn't always purely rational.
Leadership isn't complicated.
Good leadership follows a simple principle: fix what's broken before you build something new. It's practical advice that works whether you're running a business or a country.
Canada doesn't need a grand vision right now. We need someone to look around and say, "Okay, what's actually broken, and how do we fix it without making everything else worse?"
Let's talk about what's actually bothering people.
The Housing Situation (Or: How We Made Shelter A Luxury Good)
Remember when houses were places people lived instead of investment portfolios? That bungalow down the street just sold for $800,000. It's a nice house, but it's not "send your kids to community college instead of university" nice.
Young families are making spreadsheets to figure out if they can afford to have kids. That's not a housing market—that's a hostage situation.
The solution isn't rocket science. Build more houses where people need them. Cut the red tape that makes developers choose between building affordable housing and staying in business. And maybe, just maybe, stop treating housing like a stock market where everyone's a day trader.
Electricians making decent money are living in their parents' basements at 32. That's not a personal failing—that's a policy failing.
Healthcare: Where "Universal" Meets "Eventually"
I love our healthcare system in theory. In practice, try waiting four hours in an emergency room with a kidney stone while listening to someone with a broken finger explain their life story to everyone within earshot.
We've got brilliant doctors working in a system designed by people who apparently never got sick. It's like having a Ferrari with square wheels—impressive engineering undermined by basic design flaws.
The fix isn't to copy the Americans (who somehow made healthcare even more complicated than we did). It's to ask doctors what they need to do their jobs better, then actually listen to their answers instead of forming another committee to study the problem.
Also, maybe we could train more doctors instead of making medical school harder to get into than becoming an astronaut. Just a thought.
The Government Service Experience (Or: Why Everything Takes Forever)
Last year, I tried to renew my passport. The process involved three different websites, two phone calls, and a form that asked for my mother's maiden name, my first pet's birthday, and possibly my blood type. By the time I got the new passport, I'd forgotten why I wanted to travel in the first place.
Government services shouldn't feel like puzzle games designed by people who hate puzzles. Most Canadians aren't asking for perfection—we just want systems that work without requiring a degree in bureaucracy studies.
The Education Investment (That Actually Pays Dividends)
Many Canadian schools have thirty students per class and textbooks older than some of the teachers. Meanwhile, we're wondering why Canadian students aren't competing globally in science and math.
This isn't about throwing money at problems—it's about investing in the people who'll be running the country when we're all complaining about kids these days and their flying cars.
Good teachers change lives. Give them the tools, respect, and support they need, and watch what happens to the next generation of Canadians.
Making Democracy Feel Less Like A Reality Show
Politics has started feeling like entertainment, and not the good kind. More like reality TV where everyone's angry and nobody wins anything useful.
Canadians want leaders who solve problems, not create better soundbites. We want policies that make sense when you explain them to your neighbor over coffee, not talking points that only work on Twitter.
Maybe try this: before announcing any new policy, explain it to a room full of people who work regular jobs and pay their own bills. If they look confused or start checking their phones, go back to the drawing board.
The Infrastructure Reality Check
The 401 is a parking lot masquerading as a highway. Our internet is slower and more expensive than countries we used to make fun of. And don't get me started on what happens to our roads every spring when the frost comes out.
Infrastructure isn't sexy, but it's what makes everything else possible. Good roads, reliable internet, and bridges that don't make engineering students weep—these aren't luxuries, they're the foundation of a functioning country.
The Simple Truth About Public Service
Most Canadians aren't asking for miracles. We want competent government that solves problems without creating new ones. We want systems that work. We want to feel like our taxes are buying something more useful than reports about why things don't work.
And honestly? We want to feel proud of being Canadian again, not just politely defensive about it.
My unsolicited advice from someone who pays taxes and shovels snow:
Stop overthinking it. Fix the stuff that's broken. Build the stuff we need. And when people complain (because they will), listen to the complaints that come with practical solutions attached.
Canada doesn't need to be perfect. We just need to be better than we were yesterday, and functional enough that people can build decent lives without having to choose between paying rent and eating vegetables.
That's not too much to ask from a country with more oil than Norway, more fresh water than everyone, and enough space that we could probably fit three other countries in here if they asked nicely.
Good luck with the job. Most of us are rooting for you, even when we're complaining.
Sir Looniesworth
Professional Opinion-Haver and Part-Time Economic Philosopher
P.S. - If you ever want to grab coffee and talk about any of this stuff, I make excellent coffee and only complain about politics about half the time. That's practically therapy-level restraint for a Canadian.
Email: maple@eh-conomics.ca