Letters and comments, May 25

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This article was published 25/05/2016 (3622 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Reactions trivialize violence against women

Re: Brosseau on Trudeau: ‘Do I have justify how hard I was hit in the breast?’ (May 20).

I don’t condone Trudeau’s actions last week. He could’ve handled it better.

I thought MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau’s “reaction” to being elbowed was overdramatic and worthy of an Oscar. I also thought her remarks, the NDP’s and the Conservative party’s remarks on the incident were equivalent to making a mountain out of a molehill. I even think these hyperbolic remarks were in fact, demeaning violence against women.

If these people were trying to raise the issues of violence in the workplace or violence against women, they have committed a disservice to these causes. It is this kind of behaviour that make makes one jaded when it comes to politics and politicians.

Dennis Duy Nguyen

Winnipeg

 

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Shame on anyone who has criticized MP Brosseau for reacting as she did following the PM’s assault and daring to suggest that the incident was somehow her fault. The evidence was on video for the whole nation to see.

Trudeau, acting like a boor, charged across the floor, grabbed the Conservative whip and then collided with Brosseau. How is that her fault, and why should she be ashamed to be a woman?

Trudeau should be suspended for his actions, but because the Liberals have a majority on the committee, we all know that will never happen. First a boxer, Trudeau is now an all-star wrestler.

Joey Pillock

Winnipeg

 

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Re: Liberal motion sets stage for brouhaha, May 20.

Your parliamentary reporter correctly apportioned blame to all sides in the unfortunate incident in the House of Commons. The so-called “manhandling” incident, with its accidental “elbowing,” resulted in opposition members erupting into theatrical indignation, and partisan exploitation of the incident continued far too long.

If any MPs want to know what a deliberate workplace “molestation” feels like, there are many women who could give you a reality check. In a tense, competitive workplace, you must learn how to stifle your tears and state your objection right away, and directly, at anyone who “elbows” you. If you get the timing and words right, your status recovers.

If the Speaker needs a megaphone to bring order in a timely way, he should get one and use it, so that procedural mischief is quickly stopped. Maybe he needs to learn from this incident, too.

Jean A. Paterson

Winnipeg

 

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As usual, Mia Rabson’s perspective is clear and fair.

In addition, I agree Mr. Trudeau’s behaviour was wrong. However, the suggestion he is now no better than Mr. Harper is absolutely and entirely wrong. Mr. Harper remains the unmatched example of absolute misuse of power and disrespect for Canadian democracy. Mr. Trudeau still stands head and shoulders above Harper.

If Mr. Harper was displaying schadenfreude, I advise that he is not entitled. Many of Canada’s problems are of his creation and much of the results will land at his feet.

Canadians need to remember that Mr. Harper delayed the discussion of physician-assisted dying for several months, resulting in the current time pressure.

Lynn Silver

Winnipeg

 

Care for city’s greenery critical

Re: City landscaping in new suburbs ‘spectacularly hideous’ (May 20).

No, the grass is not greener everywhere else. The grass, or should I say weeds, in the park area behind our building has not been cut since 2010, and at that time it was not the city but a bunch of seniors from our co-op who tried to cut it using a walk-behind lawnmower and a scythe. It soon became obvious that it was to dangerous to continue. We have been told by a city representative that they like to keep the riverbank in its natural state.

The fact is this section of the riverbank has become so eroded since the timber retaining wall failed that it has become dangerous to even walk on the path behind our building. We have had signs up for five years warning people of these dangers, but we still get seniors falling while trying to get some exercise and additional signage has been installed to warn everyone using this path of the dangers.

The city is well aware of the problem but seems reluctant to address it; they have a complete engineering report outlining what needs to be done, but still no action has been taken.

The erosion this spring created a five-foot dropoff beside the path, and we expect it to be far worse if nothing is done very soon.

Tom Ellis

Winnipeg

 

EgyptAir crash poses questions

Here we go again. An airliner crashed, no one knows anything yet about the circumstances, no one has admitted or claimed responsibility. The media all over are trying their hardest to bring terrorists into the fold, even on the first night.

We have no facts yet except a plane went missing. I guess we have to perpetuate this to keep the war machine going and justified.

Pat Rogoski

Winnipeg

 

Crowded hospitals

Re: Hospital-crowding fixes planned (May 21).

I’m flabbergasted there wasn’t even a hint of the possibility of increasing the number of front-line doctors, nurses and other health-care workers on duty in emergency rooms.

Better prevention and community-health programs and improved services in the home are lovely ideas, but what about the cold, hard, present facts?

And thank goodness patients here are sometimes kept in hospital a little longer than the numbers dictate, according to their needs, rather than the numbers desired by the administrators.

Alison Preston

Winnipeg

 

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Re: Grit, Tory grassroots ready to rumble (May 23).

The Tories have to move back towards the centre to be once again relevant. It may be the mushy middle, but that’s where the votes are.

— OBSERVER6

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Here’s a suggestion for rank-and-file Liberal and PC party workers:

Why don’t you come up with a social-media protocol that makes sense in 2016? Too many good candidates are being thrown under the bus for Twitter and Facebook comments that date back many years. Many of these comments were not posted for wider public consumption. Dirty launderers from other parties’ war rooms are more than happy to ferret out these comments and use them in or out of context… whatever suits the objective of the day.

Maybe a good place to start: pass a resolution that social-media comments are not sufficient cause for a person to be declined as a worthy candidate, or asked to resign while a campaign is in progress. Let the voters be the ultimate censorship department.

— paragon58

 

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“Angry, maladjusted and even hateful constituencies within parties may not be able to win an argument with an entire country, but they often can get their way within the much smaller ranks of one political party.”

Which is why Harper was an advocate of centralization. Who knows what damage a dissident EDA president can do? The media love controversy and gleefully pursue it. The example Mr. Lett gives is a good one. One association president makes a comment and it’s put out there as a grassroots revolt, when in reality it’s simply an opinion. Yet it was deemed newsworthy. Hey, everyone has an agenda. Party politics doesn’t always mean party time.

— Waynefd