Letters, Jan. 9

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This article was published 09/01/2025 (498 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Time to diversify

Re: Canadian leaders slam Trump’s 51st state claims (Jan. 8)

When then-U.S. president Ronald Reagan and then-prime minister Brian Mulroney first promoted the idea of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in the 1980s, it was criticized by groups such as the Council of Canadians as making Canada too economically-dependent on the United States and even making our sovereignty more vulnerable.

Since the implementation of NAFTA 30 years ago, there have been economic benefits and challenges for Canada. Our trade with the U.S. has increased, resulting in economic growth for Canada, Mexico and the U.S. Some of our challenges have included tariffs on steel, aluminum and softwood lumber that Trump imposed on Canada in his first term and the re-negotiation of NAFTA. Again, Trump is threatening even broader tariffs on Canada and Mexico and suggesting that Canada become the 51st U.S. state.

While Canada must weather these current challenges and protect its interests and sovereignty, we should consider diversifying our trade and other relationships particularly with Europe and developing economies in Asia.

Richard Dilay

Winnipeg

Health-care travesty

Re: Man dies in HSC ER waiting room eight hours after arriving (Jan. 8).

Another preventable tragedy in a Winnipeg ER. Nobody should be waiting for treatment in an emergency room. Everyone should be seen quickly.

We keep hearing about access block, so why isn’t our government moving on this? The other factor — people using the ER as a warming space — is unacceptable. If we can find container units to build a makeshift fire station in Waverley West, then surely we can come up with a use for them to help the homeless.

Finally, enough of this blame-game rhetoric from the NDP. It is time to step up, take action. You’re the ones in power now. Premier Wab Kinew and Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara: stop with your social media grandeur, spend some time in the ERs, talk to staff and patients and fix this now. Nobody should die waiting for care!

This is terrifying. People are going to stop going for care out of fear of being left to die.

Candace Weselowski

Winnipeg

It is quite apparent that the head doctors and nurses in Manitoba have not been publicly critical enough against the NDP and the “dragging of their feet” to fix the health-care system.

I am sure that the NDP will blame the PCs for the current state of our health care, and the PCs in turn will point out the Brian Sinclair death at the HSC in 2008 while the NDP were at the helm.

It is time for a weekly update on the health-care crisis. Some transparency has to start being given. The NDP were voted in on the promise to fix the health-care system and there has not been any significant moves forward in improving it, only steps backwards.

Alfred Sansregret

Winnipeg

I just wanted to take a moment to thank Premier Wab Kinew and his government for the gas tax holiday we’ve all enjoyed over the past 12 months. Complainers will complain about hospital bottlenecks, over-capacity emergency rooms and understaffing, but — and I don’t want to brag — I saved almost a dollar a day on my drive to work.

To the family of the gentleman who died in a Health Sciences Centre emergency waiting room and to the staff who did their best to serve him, I join you in despair and rage and sorrow. We cannot allow this to happen again.

Daniel Rothman

Winnipeg

Leave greenback behind

Re: Tips for leaders dealing with Trump: keep calm (Think Tank, Jan. 7)

Yes. Just wait for the next squirrel to cross Trump’s path and he will take after it like a puppy with a new friend and forget all about whatever he was chasing a split second before.

I would say that one thing leaders of countries he attacks could consider doing is start talking about moving back to the gold standard and away from the U.S. dollar. Why use the currency of the president who threatens your country and its economy just to score cheap political points as the basis for trade?

Although, really, there just needs to be a push from enough countries to move away from using the USD as the reserve currency for global trade. The gold standard is after all very restrictive, volatile and problematic. So is the U.S. though so again, why use the USD for global trade?

The U.S. arbitrarily ended its use of the gold standard around 50 years ago and somehow convince the world it should be the greenback that is the generally accepted currency globally. Probably a “if you wanna do business with us, use our currency,” kind of thing.

So even if it’s not the gold standard it doesn’t have to be the U.S. dollar. Canada is a constitutional monarchy after all. If anything we should align ourselves more closely with European countries and currencies in my opinion.

And if we want to join with another country that better fits with our political system, rules of laws and values in general, there are others out there to consider. Because the U.S. is currently a house on fir,e so I don’t know why anyone would want to move in with them while Trump is happily fanning the flames while standing on the lawn of the White House, howling at the squirrels and shiny objects.

Brian Spencler

Winnipeg

In search of affordability

We have heard from various governments about their determination to bring affordability to Canadians. and Manitobans in general. It was then, and it is now, an outright lie. Virtually every revenue entity, both provincial and municipal, has increased way beyond the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recently. Thus reinforcing the lie of affordability.

Here in Manitoba, we have seen property tax increases above the CPI. Water and sewer rates, again well beyond the CPI. MPI, again well beyond the CPI.

Governments have been utterly incompetent in their financial planning over the past couple of decades with regards to properly increasing taxes according to provincial and municipal needs, all to garner votes. Provincial corporations keeping rates low and giving rebates, all the while knowing the chickens were eventually coming home to roost, and those chickens have now landed.

Thanks to the utter incompetence of those we elected, both past and present, and the bureaucrats who did their bidding we are not experiencing affordability.

We can blame the greed of corporations with food, gas and housing prices but that is just greed, as bad as that is.

Being bribed with our own money in rebates is not a good strategy. Being honest and open about costs and keeping plans and future plans in the public eye gives us an opportunity to respond and accept or reject them. We the taxpayer are not their employees. They are ours. We have the right to openness and honesty from our employees. The recent egregious increases speaks to the lies we have been told over decades.

I love chicken, but I want competence and honesty more.

Brad McKay

Winnipeg