Letters, Nov. 27

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This article was published 27/11/2023 (1024 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Shame on senators

Re: Conservative senator from Manitoba apologizes for ‘losing my cool’ on Senate floor (Nov. 23)

Sen. Don Plett, true to the good-old-boy dinosaur mentality, showed his mantra of if you can’t get your way then rant, bully and intimidate. This behaviour is a form of politics that needs to stop.

I very much doubt that if the recipients had been male that Plett would of charged across the Senate floor and berated the senators if they had been male.

It is past time that this misogynistic behavior should be tolerated.

As for Conservative MP Andrew Scheer putting out a wanted poster on the women? It was a disgusting stunt by another misogynistic Conservative member that lead to the police advising Senator Clement to leave her home.

The other senators who shared the Scheer tweet should also be held accountable for their disgusting behaviour as well.

Scheer once was leader of the opposition till booted to the curb by his party.

These two just showed all of Canada the true face of the Conservative Party of Canada. White, privileged, and misogynistic.

Time for Plett to resign. Time for Poilievre to bring his party into the 21st century and purge his party of those who support this behaviour. This might include himself as he has been silent on these incidents.

Lois Wales

Selkirk

Forests under siege

Recently, numerous citizens have expressed concerns about plans to provide further housing development where the Lemay Forest is located in St. Norbert. There are plenty of spaces available for residential development within the perimeter not occupied by precious forests.

At a time when the city could lose one third of its canopy due to Dutch Elm disease, it is not the time to sacrifice an asset like the Lemay Forest. It is one of the last riparian forests in the city.

South of perimeter highway and east of the Seine River is another forest that is threatened by development. The area consists of at least 40 acres of valuable forest adjacent to where the Sumka Market Garden was located. The forest in question was evaluated by city naturalists to be of very high quality and does not contain trees affected by Dutch elm disease. This valuable forest needs to be protected as well.

One only needs to think of the huge success of the Bois-des-Esprits forest along the Seine River in south St. Vital to understand the importance of our forests. Hundreds of citizens enjoy two-and-a-half kilometres of trails in the 117 acres of pristine forest. Students, seniors, and community members at large enjoy this haven for animals, birds, insects, and a variety of native and wild plants. It took many years of volunteer work and dedication of community members and elected officials to save the Bois-des-Esprits.

Winnipeg has only six per cent of its land surface dedicated to green spaces, whereas the average in other large cities is at least nine per cent. This is an opportunity for the city to show a willingness to improve its commitment to addressing the issue of global warming. It would be a step in the wrong direction to replace green spaces with housing development when we know that there are plenty of open spaces elsewhere to allow for residential development.

Hopefully, elected officials, corporate sponsors and community members can unite their efforts to save both the Lemay and Sumka forests. A giant step for future generations.

Denis Gautron

Winnipeg

Rethink perspectives on protests

Re: I am Jewish – and I want freedom for Palestinians (Think Tank, Nov. 22)

As an Arab and Muslim woman who has always been pro-Palestine and has attended a couple of pro-Palestine protests, I always made sure to mention the distinction between Zionists and Jewish people while talking about the situation in Palestine because there is no place for amalgams and hate against people blamed for the actions of people not speaking in their name.

Like some people on social media, I’ve seen the video of Jewish Voices for Peace (JVP)’s sit-in at Grand Central Station in New York City demanding a ceasefire on Oct. 27 or videos of Naturei Karta, a group of Orthodox Jewish people who reject Zionism and attend pro-Palestine protests presented as a sign of unity. On the other hand, I am constantly fed by media unfairly describing pro-Palestine protests and protesters as being antisemitic and pro-terrorism as a way to discredit the Palestinian cause.

Alison Moule is right; the media has tried to divide us, and I can not emphasize enough the need for a better portrayal of these protests that only the tiny space given to Jewish people can defend. A shift is needed so that people, from the Muslim or Arab community especially, speaking on behalf of these protests are sufficient enough to not be questioned as being antisemitic or pro-terrorism.

Fatima Haidar

Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East

Montreal

Grateful for Carr’s input

Re: Why Israel matters to Jews (Think Tank, Nov. 21)

Thank you to Winnipeg South Centre MP Ben Carr for his articulate description of challenges faced by Jewish people in today’s world.

As one who is part of the Christian community, I am deeply aware that we have wrongly vilified and ostracized Jews over the past 2,000 years. In doing so we have contributed to untold pain and hardship.

I am grateful to Mr. Carr for presenting a window on the Jewish experience that helps us understand a little better the complexity of the divisions and animosities in the world in which we live.

It is unconscionable that in this day and in our community, Jewish schools, synagogues, homes, and individuals would be the objects of violence, but they are. I can only hope that in the days to come, those of us who seek a better world, will listen to stories from a variety of perspectives that will help us understand and appreciate the diversity of people who call our city home.

Paul N. DuVal

Winnipeg

The precautionary principle

Re: What’s more important? (Letters, Nov. 23)

Letter writer John Fefchak’s common sense contributions are always appreciated; with respect to the proposed Sio Silica mine currently under environmental review he asks, “Is sand more important than water?”

This past summer, Manitoba’s arm’s-length Clean Environment Commission issued a report calling a pause on licensing for this project and urged significant further study, given the possibility of irreparable harm to the underground aquifer which provides water to the growing towns of south east Manitoba.

Allow me to add a policy note to Mr. Fefchak’s common sense caution, namely the “precautionary principle.”

As a guide to risk assessment the precautionary principle with respect to environmental protection states, “a lack of scientific certainty should not be used to avoid taking action to prevent that damage”.

The precautionary principle was embedded in Manitoba’s Sustainable Development Act, which was repealed by the previous Conservative government in 2018. The law was unique internationally and I continue to think of its repeal as a wanton act of regulatory vandalism.

It’s said that water gives life, so in terms of Sio Silica, the precautionary principle would seem to provide us with clear guidance.

Sig Laser

Winnipeg