Hard to see why some admire Harper

Re. “Harper’s plan after politics,” John Ivison, May 26

The intellect John Ivison sees in the former prime minister is not obvious to everybody, and Ivison doesn’t define it either.

Stephen Harper seems to think you can have an economic system in which people are not factors, or certainly not key factors. Well, we may not be the centre of the universe, but human beings are definitely the stuff of economics and the trans-Pacific Partnership, a Harper enthusiasm, is definitely not about people.

This trade deal, also mindlessly supported by Justin Trudeau, will lead in the direction of the lowest common denominator. Canadian workers, farmers and manufacturers will be competing against countries that have very low standards of human rights in terms of working conditions and remuneration. Environmental and health concerns will also take a back seat, or none at all. How very “Harper,” whose legacy continues to contaminate. Doris Wrench Eisler, St. Albert