Letters, June 6

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/06/2023 (1197 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Cost of a rebate

By now many of you have received your provincial education rebate cheques. It seems many governments use rebates to buy votes. This concerns me as the rebates are taking money out of much needed programs such as health care, education, social services, climate change, Indigenous services, safety, clean water etc. This is a short term personal gain.

I implore all of you to consider why taxes are paid and needed. Many of us do not need the rebates and if you do, then by all means take advantage of them. However, in my opinion, if you can do without the extra money, it could be used to build up a stronger more resilient society.

More essential workers are needed in Manitoba and around the world. To ensure these workers are available to all us we have to pay taxes, good wages and ensure our taxes are seen as long term investments for all of our futures.

A provincial election is coming up in a few months. Ask the candidates what they plan to do to build up the programs that we all do or will rely on. I am considering donating my check to a much needed program.

Debby Neufeld

Winnipeg

Time to trim MLA benefits

Re: The departing dozen (June 3)

Whilst I cannot support the recent Tory doctrine, I do want to thank all retiring and active MLAs on both sides of the house for their service to Manitobans. Without them, we would not have a democracy.

The profiled members appear to be heading to retirement with their lifetime, gold plated and indexed pensions and will also qualify for CPP and OAS at age. Why do Manitobans have to pay those MLAs that retire, resign or are defeated a transition (severance or ‘golden handshake’) payment that could amount to one year’s pay after 12 years’ service?

All MLAs have been paid a salary of over $100,000/year as well as many additional allowances (constituency, travel, commuter, living, moving committee, etc.) while in office. They certainly don’t need another big payday at the end of service.

These are desperate times for many Manitobans, rein in the golden handshakes and give it to those more in need.

Bob Sales

Winnipeg

Hearing Latin Americans

Re: Op-ed unbalanced (Letters, June 1)

As a Venezuelan, I must say it is time for people to stop telling Latin Americans how to feel about our own countries.

I understand it is important to show the role the U.S. has in contemporary Latin American politics. However, I’ve come to notice that not only do people pretend Americans are the only interventionists in the world (gleefully ignoring the role Russia and China have on financially, politically, and militarily supporting dictatorships), they tend to ignore the fact that we come from an infamously violent, repressive, and corrupt region of the planet.

People of a free country have the privilege of ‘moving’ rather than ‘escaping’ via hand-made boats to neighbouring countries. This is not meant to absolve the U.S. of its past and present role in the region (problematic at best, abhorrent at worst), but please realize that our own governments are the ones with boots on the ground beating protesters, obstructing journalism, incarcerating political prisoners and engaging in human rights abuses.

Life is hard for Cubans (or Nicaraguans or us Venezuelans for that matter) for many more reasons than simply poor economies.

No amount of poverty nor luxury will ever justify governmental abuse; it is to be expected people will fight such treatment and journalists will feel compelled to write about it without simplifying complex historical, cultural, and political environments into “Also, it’s the Americans’ fault”. We deserve better than that.

Santiago Trestini

Winnipeg

Will an inquiry work?

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he is committed to keeping David Johnston in place as Canada’s special rapporteur on foreign interference, despite a majority of MPs voting in favour of his stepping down from the gig.

Other than spending more of taxpayers’ dollars, and appeasing the opposition side of the house, I am not convinced that an inquiry will serve, any “useful purpose”, One way or another, costly inquiries usually end up gathering dust in government closets.

Interference into Canadas elections and politics, although subtle, have always been with us. There are more and much better ways of spending our tax dollars.

John Fefchak

Virden

Effective climate policy necessary

Re: Asking candidates about a carbon tax problem (Think Tank, June 5)

I would have applauded Robert Parsons’ request to tweak the carbon tax if it were a genuine concern about improving the tax rather than yet another attack on the carbon tax itself, an unfortunate but favourite mantra of modern conservativism.

I would have said a veiled attack but the suggestion to fix the technical problem is preceded by the statement that the carbon tax is “completely ineffective” and that “there is growing evidence to confirm this situation.” In which case, why fix the tax? And what is this evidence that the tax is ineffective?

International evidence, such as from a peer reviewed paper last year in the Journal of Economic Surveys, offers this conclusion: “An increasing body of empirical studies shows that carbon taxes can effectively reduce carbon emissions or at least dampen their growth while not negatively affecting economic growth, employment, and competitiveness. Lump-sum transfers are shown to be better suited to mitigate regressive effects for lower incomes.”

What Robert Parsons and other conservatives would propose is to scrap the tax and, presumably, the lump-sum Climate Action Incentive payments that help lower-income families cope with high fuel costs. Of course, the Climate Action Incentive is typically ignored in these proposals to scrap the tax, but the Incentive payments are fully funded by carbon tax revenues and would have to be repealed or financed by increased deficits or budget cuts or higher taxes elsewhere.

And I am at a loss to see what would replace the carbon tax that is not either an alternative form of carbon pricing or simply weaker climate policy at a time when it is demanded by the impacts of global warming.

“The smoke from next door”piece on the same page is a useful reminder that no policy, or ineffective policy, is not an option.

Wayne Simpson

Winnipeg

Time makes fools of us all

Re: The age-old discrimination over old age (Think Tank, June 3)

Kudos to Charles Adler for raising the issue of age discrimination. To someone who is the late stages of the seventh inning of life, ageism is real and somewhat puzzling.

Racism and bigotry are considered the cardinal sins in today’s enlightened society, yet ageism gets a free pass. Discrimination against a person, based on their age, is not decried by the “woke” and “cancel culture” advocates.

Kind of sad, when you’re the person being discriminated against. But ageism is an equal-opportunity kind of discrimination because we will all get to experience it. Despite your best efforts as a young person, your body and your brain will betray you. Hair will change colour or fall out, skin will wrinkle, eyes will weaken, ears hear less, muscles stiffen up and your memory won’t be what it used to be. Yet, as old people, we are living the best years of our lives. No more reporting for work.

Satisfied with the careers we had, and with the contributions that our work made to the lives of others. Proud of the citizens that our children became and enriched by the grandchildren they gave us. Proud of our ability to adapt to and embrace societal changes and technology.

So, in conclusion, if you see a couple of old folks that look like us, drive by in a paid-up red convertible, it’s us.

Wally Barton

Winnipeg