Well, here we are into an election with no shortage of existential issues facing Canada and the world.

The rise of sloganism in our political discourse is painfully apparent. With a clever quip a politician can avoid having actual well-thought-out policies.

A snappy slogan needn’t care about the complexities of issues. If it rhymes it’s a policy. The electorate loves that sort of thing, at least they seem to, south of the 49th parallel.

So, in this spirit may I suggest some policies to take us through this election: Toast your Boast, Fry the Lies, and Cap the Crap.

Mike Mitchell

Saanich

Re: “Don’t assume Trump is telling the truth,” letter, March 22.

While the letter has a valid point about Donald Trump changing his mind repeatedly — case in point, his continual flip flops about instating tariffs, to the point of giving many Canadians mental whiplash — the truth is much simpler: He lies like the rest of us breathe.

In the case of his comments about which Canadian government he’d prefer to deal with, you can take it to the bank that if he says he’d prefer to deal with a Liberal government, the opposite is true.

Trump’s acolytes have been watching Pierre Poilievre for some time, and have taken note of his participation in anti-vaccine protests; his photo ops with the lawbreakers at the truck drivers’ protest in Ottawa in January 2022; and his general wooing of the disaffected and disgruntled.

They see, in him, someone who wants power and is not shy about smearing his political opponents to get support (it’s no accident that the picture of Mark Carney, in those TV ads, is tinted red and reminds folks of the devil) — just like their boss.

When Trump says he would prefer to work with a Liberal than a Conservative, he means the opposite. He’s relying on Canadians who cannot discern his true motives to vote the opposite of what he says, thinking that they are saving all of us from a Trump-friendly federal government.

Don’t believe it? His record while in office the first time speaks for itself: 30,573 documented false or misleading claims, an average of 21 per day, according to Wikipedia, with four footnotes from two news gathering agencies who have staked their reputations and livelihoods on telling the truth for a combined total of more than 300 years.

Lorraine Lindsay

Saanich

A recent letter suggested a solution to the battle between pickleball players and nearby residents objecting to the noise might be to take pickleball inside. Good point.

I am a keen pickleball player but I would not want to live near pickleball courts for that very reason.

I started playing at the Kerry Park Recreation Centre in Mill Bay, which put four courts in the curling arena after the ice had been removed in April.

They were the only local courts and well used until six beautiful outdoor courts were built behind the recreation centre.

Now, everyone plays outside pretty much all year round, braving the heat, cold, wind, sun in our eyes and sometimes wet, slippery courts.

These courts are so far removed from any residential area that noise is not an issue. However, not every community offers such ideal locations so it does make sense to build indoor courts for climate-controlled year-round play.

Using curling rinks while they are ice-free is a great option and would be a revenue generator for the arenas. Other options could include converting sections of empty commercial buildings and shopping malls.

At least the spaces would be used and generate revenue. It happens elsewhere, so why not in Victoria?

We all prefer to play outdoors but, for whatever reasons, it isn’t always possible.

Offering year-round access to courts makes perfect sense to me: It would satisfy the growing appetite for playing pickleball and remove the source of irritation for local residents.

E.J. Rayner

Mill Bay

Now that........

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