Letters, May 10

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/05/2025 (320 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

What Trump wants

Re: Dealing directly with the unhinged neighbour (Editorial, May 8)

U.S. President Donald Trump’s strategy, when engaging with other important people thinking he can mould them into accepting his policies, is to slather them with praise whether he believes his own words or not. Another part of his strategy (as with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy) is to get them in front of televised meetings and manipulate or humiliate them into submission. That strategy backfired with Zelenskyy and was a public relations disaster when Zelenskyy stood up for himself and his country.

He again couldn’t stop himself from musing about annexing Canada on camera, thinking Carney might just smile like a good polite Canadian does. Carney’s response was a measured but firm “never.” Ironically, Trump couldn’t afford another public relations disaster, so neither himself nor his attack dog Vice-President JD Vance resorted to further insulting or demeaning remarks.

Trump’s disingenuous statements about not needing anything from Canada purposely evades the issue of water resources, something the U.S. covets.

Canada has an abundance of fresh water, more than we need at this point. Many states rely on oil and electricity imported from Canada. His “subsidizing the Canadian economy” rant flies against logic.

As the wealthiest country in the world, the U.S. has an unsatiable consumption appetite. Naturally, when you have so much wealth, you will be buying more products from other countries at bargain basement prices than they buy from you. With today’s exchange rate, a U.S. dollar is worth C$1.38. Of course, this is the major reason the U.S. buys so much Canadian commodities. U.S. demand for our lumber is so great it has driven up our prices, adding to significant inflation and a lack of affordable housing in our country.

His wanting to make a new deal for CUSMA before the agreement is up for review next year reminds me of dealing with large corporations on a personal level; eg. banks, communications companies. You think you have a contract but it is often changed to whatever terms they want at any time.

We know Trump wants what he considers personal victories, the sooner the better. He’s willing to trample over other countries and people to get them.

Gary McGimpsey

Winnipeg

Dealing with discarded vapes

I drive around the city everyday and the number of e-cigarette vapes I see on the roads and boulevards is disgusting.

In what world is it OK to roll down your window and just toss it out? These retailers should be regulated by the province to charge a substantial deposit that would be refunded when another vape is purchased.

Ken Warkentin

Winnipeg

Combining the old and new

Re: Getting beyond just grading and tests (Think Tank, May 6); Grading by percentages is failing our students (Think Tank, May 7)

While I do think the two opinion pieces regarding traditional student grading, particularly the use of percentages, raise some legitimate concerns, I also think that perhaps they exaggerate somewhat and thereby risk “throwing out the baby with the bathwater,” as the old saying goes.

By this I mean, yes, percentages are not perfect measures of student achievement, and can be used inappropriately, and should not be the sole or only indicator. However, it does seem to me that a percentage grade can be a very useful shorthand and encompassing means of indicating where a student is at in their learning if three conditions are applied.

First, what the percentage means and assesses is clearly defined, i.e. the percentage of the material the student should have learnt that was satisfactorily learnt. Second, whatever percentage assigned is accompanied by significant additional information such as comments on report cards, student portfolios and demonstrations, parent and/or student/teacher discussions, etc.

Third, teachers are adequately trained, and committed to doing the best they can, in terms of assessing and reporting student achievement, particularly with respect to the proper and appropriate use of percentages in conjunction with other information and indicators.

In other words, let’s combine the old and the new and move forward.

Gerald Farthing

Winnipeg

Threshold lined out in code

Re: Manitoba Opposition leader wants changes, clarity on gender expression bill (May 6)

I was one of many Manitobans who spoke in support of adding gender expression to the Manitoba Human Rights Code at the justice committee. The anti-Bill 43 lobby subjected those in attendance to hours of slippery slope arguments and other logical fallacies, fervent religious sermons, cherry-picked data and disinformation about gender identity — which is already a protected characteristic under the code.

The threshold for pursuing human rights complaints is clearly stated in the code. Karen Sharma, executive director of the Manitoba Human Rights Commission, who is quoted in the article, also made this clear in her presentation to the justice committee. A full transcript is available to PC Leader Obby Khan and anyone else who still has questions.

Human rights are not a “matter of conscience,”as Khan suggests in this article. They are vital protections informed by multi-disciplinary, peer reviewed and reputably published evidence including case law — sources which unequivocally demonstrate the need to make gender expression a protected characteristic.

We live in a democratic society in which we have agreed to uphold human rights for all — even those we disagree with. However, it seems that Obby Khan and his party are intent on trading human rights for the political support of the fundamentalist right.

Erica McNabb

Winnipeg

Byelection questions

Re: Alberta MP to step aside to allow Pierre Poilievre to run for seat in Parliament (May 2)

My questions are simple. The cost of the Alberta byelection could cost more than $1.38 million (what happened to axing taxes?).

How much is Damien Kurek being compensated for stepping down? What consideration was given to the decisions of the constituents?

Pat Lewicki

Winnipeg

Spinning tires on serious issue

Re: Curb expectations on province’s grandiose homelessness strategy (May 5)

Dan Lett does an excellent job breaking down the challenges and shortcomings of the rightly ambitious “Your Way Home” initiative. But where do we go from there?

We desperately need a wide-scale recalibration of our priorities federally, provincially, and locally away from vastly overfunding punitive and reactive programs (police, prisons, military, etc.) to more proactive and reparative programs.

This discussion also has to be coupled with much higher marginal tax rates for corporations and the wealthiest and most privileged among us, as well as capital gains and inheritance reforms.

Without talking about how we’re going to/why we can’t fund the vital services needed to end chronic homelessness, poverty, and the plethora of related crises, then we’re stuck spinning our tires on issues that we know the solutions to.

Evan Marnoch

Winnipeg