Mandate a call-back when it’s a customer’s turn, instead of forcing people to remain on hold for excessive periods.

As companies move customer service requests to automated systems, shouldn’t there be a requirement that, if a live agent is needed, the hold time cannot exceed 5 minutes? Personally, for every minute I wait beyond that, the first thought that crosses my mind is: Do I really need whatever it is I’m calling about?

At 69, my time has become far more valuable. Recently, I called my TV provider and waited 59 minutes in the queue. Many considerate service companies now allow customers to remain on hold or request a callback when it’s their turn. That should be the universal standard.

One of the banks I deal with has a minimum hold time of 60 minutes, no matter when you call. To add another layer of frustration, the call is outsourced to another country. Apparently, Canadians are incapable of providing this service—even though I’m paying for it in Canadian dollars. If the work is outsourced to the Philippines, perhaps I should be billed in their currency. Prime Minister Carney, introduce a policy like that and watch how quickly those jobs return to Canada.

Any company using AI as the first point of contact should be required to provide examples of the most effective questions and commands for navigating their electronic systems on their website. Frankly, some days I feel like digging two large holes—one for all the dysfunctional AI systems and another for the people who designed them. It seems evident that many programmers never call their own systems to experience how their creations treat real customers. And the cherry on top? The announcement that “your call may be recorded.” At this rate, it won’t be long before frustrated callers’ wait-time rants are streamed for entertainment.

I recently heard a podcast featuring a proud Gen Alpha caller—barely in his early twenties—who claimed that everyone over 60 should be purged to “make Canada better.” I was tempted to contact the show and suggest starting with his own senior relatives. Better yet, cut off the financial support younger generations rely on while older generations continue doing the hard work, and see how quickly attitudes shift. They may soon find themselves forming communes with people who share their views just to survive.

In summary, much of today’s social disruption stems from a complete disregard for other people’s time. For me, future purchases of goods and services will be directly tied to the overall quality of my experience with the provider. If I am a customer, I am a buyer—and the true golden rule of prosperity is that you gain value from what you buy, not from what you sell. In our society, money is simply the tool we use to exchange one person’s time for another’s.

So please, Prime Minister Carney: impose a mandate with meaningful penalties for companies that waste our irreplaceable time by leaving us on hold when they could call me back when it is our time. Start with all levels of government, then require the same standards across every sector.