Letters, March 14

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/03/2024 (597 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Stick to local issues, Kinew

Re: Kinew calls for ceasefire in Gaza (March 12)

I was bemused when I read the headline Kinew calls for ceasefire in Gaza.

Kinew has the right, like any Canadian, to express his opinion on conflicts in foreign lands. He must know, however, that international matters fall under federal jurisdiction. That is why we have a minister of foreign affairs, Melanie Joly.

Do we want provincial premiers expressing opinions on foreign affairs? For example, do we want Scott Moe telling us how to end the civil war in Yemen ?

I suggest Kinew focus on matters under provincial jurisdiction. It just kinda makes sense.

Kurt Clyde

Winnipeg

Premier Kinew reviews his agenda.

Crisis in health care in Manitoba: nah, not today.

Homelessness: another time.

Discharge of raw sewage into the rivers: how boring.

Climate change: not on my radar.

Wait, I know what I’ll do. I’ll draft a 3,000 word statement on a war that is going on 6,000 miles away from Manitoba and which is completely outside provincial jurisdiction. How clever am I!

Joe Leven

Winnipeg

Pleased by premier

Re: Kinew calls for ceasefire in Gaza (March 12)

On the first day of Ramadan, I heard Premier Wab Kinew’s statement in person at the legislature. I was pleased he called for an unconditional ceasefire. His statement has to be read and understood in totality, with all the nuances and arguments he made, for a fair analysis or critique.

If people with clear minds and honesty read the entire statement, they will appreciate what this statement offers. My takeaways are: The unconditional ceasefire; an unhindered flow of food and water to address the human-made famine that is starving children to death, including the flow of medical help; and Muslim and Jewish communities to come together and address Islamophobia and antisemitism as Manitobans, all within the framework of international humanitarian human rights laws, the Geneva convention and United Nations resolutions.

However, I knew in today’s polarized climate people will take from it what they think suits their worldview, biases and preferences, and will offer their own spin.

The last line of the premier’s statement, where he states that Hamas should be eradicated, has been taken by some as justifying the killing of Palestinian civilians. In their perverse logic, they claim that all Palestinians are either Hamas or are being used as human shields by Hamas. This twisted and false equating of Palestinian civilians and Hamas’s actions on Oct. 7 is as deplorable as conflating the Israeli government’s actions with the Jewish faith.

I am deeply disturbed that people can express their inhumanity with such arrogance and pride that they celebrate the starvation of children and wholesale killing and destruction of Palestinian people and their land and call it a victory.

If we are to recognize that Hamas committed terrorism by targeting civilians in their struggle for freedom, then it should also be acknowledged that the Israeli government is guilty of state terrorism and continued colonial occupation.

Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the opposition continues to prevent the vote on the motion for ceasefire. What a shame. Such brazen disregard for rule of law, justice and human rights cannot be explained with civil discourse but I have to say they are a loud minority and their stance has no moral substance.

Thankfully, an overwhelming majority of people, including fellow Manitobans, are raising their voices for justice and human rights.

We are feeling helpless, frustrated, in pain and shedding tears of remorse for the innocent victims whom we have allowed to be oppressed, occupied, killed and starved to feed our thirst for revenge.

My prayer for Ramadan: may the merciful Creator have mercy on humanity and grant relief to all who are suffering.

Shahina Siddiqui

Winnipeg

Not wrong to reconsider

Recently, our provincial government announced it was going to pause, for this year, provincial exams.

In response, MLAs heard a great deal from parents, and from professional educators. As a result of the response, the government has decided not to pause provincial exams.

It’s simple. All of us, in our personal and our professional lives, have changed our mind on a particular issue after receiving more information.

I fail to see the value in labelling the change of mind, pejoratively, as a flip flop. I am reassured that we elected a provincial government that is sufficiently comfortable and confident to say to Manitobans that, on the basis of additional information and feedback they have changed their mind. We’ve had several years of a government unwilling to open their eyes and change their mind about anything.

Additionally, a group of people is now aware that communicating with this provincial government is a potentially powerful strategy.

Finally, perhaps all of us, including the Winnipeg Free Press, could reconsider the value of incendiary language and headlines.

Lynn Silver

Winnipeg

ID concerns

Re: The right idea, but for the wrong card (Editorial, March 9); Time for a better card (Letters, March 12)

I am in total agreement with Karen R. Grant’s letter to the editor, in which she urges the province to replace our current flimsy health cards with durable plastic ones.

I would further suggest that, in doing so, every Manitoban 18 years of age and over receives a card with his or her or their picture on it. The card could then be used as a government-issued photo ID document.

Currently, the two common pieces of identification that include a photo are a driver’s licence and a passport. If you do not possess either of these, you are out of luck when it comes to transactions such as flying commercially, purchasing liquor, or getting into establishments that require photo ID.

Without photo ID, it is also more difficult to vote either federally or provincially, unless you can produce two alternative documents that are accepted by each of these jurisdictions. This process lengthens the time required to vote and often holds up the entire process.

A universal Manitoba plastic health card, with photo ID, would address the above concerns, as well as solving the problem of constantly having to replace the old, paper cards.

Evelyn Fletcher

Winnipeg

Rough drive

Re: Brutal roads, battered vehicles (March 12)

My husband and I moved to Winnipeg from Mississauga, Ont. in April 2023. Our municipal taxes doubled (despite downsizing from a house there to a condo here). We love our new city — with one exception; our adventures driving city roads are truly that, adventures.

Winnipeg ought to be ashamed for its perilous potholes and streets that turn into lakes with the snow melt. The crumbling roads here rival those I’ve seen in East Africa. Why do drivers and insurers stand for this state of affairs?

Patricia Paddey

Winnipeg