Letters, Jan. 27

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/01/2025 (256 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Don’t follow America’s lead

As a former American, I have watched the ongoing, surprisingly quick and unopposed destruction of principles in the government of the U.S. this week with horror. The cancellation of the diversity, equity and inclusion work is devastating (with the firing of so many staff) and undoes so much humanitarian progress since 1965.

As a society, no one truly wins from the exclusion of others. Instead, a society and the persons within it become narrow, hate-filled, fearful and deadened.

I beg all Canadians to protect the human rights and dignity of each one of us, and to make certain such solid principles do not come under attack here in Canada.

Julie Collings

Winnipeg

Drawing a line, speaking up

It has been a challenging week being the mother of a transgender daughter. Since she first shared her truth with me in Grade 7, I’ve lived with a sliver of fear for her every single day. As she has grown, so too has my fear, because it becomes harder and harder to shield her from a world where some people deny her existence or wish her harm simply for being who she is. This week it became impossible.

She has faced more than her share of heartbreak: playdates that weren’t allowed to happen, sleepovers that were cancelled, and the sting of transphobic remarks by friends and family. Yet, she has been privileged in some ways that other transgender teenagers are not — surrounded by enough people who love and support her transition that their love has often drowned out the hate.

But this week, we couldn’t escape it. The hate was on display in the highest office in the most powerful country in the world.

I told myself I wouldn’t watch the inauguration. As a Canadian, I didn’t need to hear what was said. But as the text messages of support rolled in and concerned colleagues checked on me, I decided I did need to know. I sat down and turned it on.

The moment that shattered me most was when he stood before a crowded room and declared there are only two genders, decided at “conception.” He labelled gender-affirming care as “mutilation.” That was enough to break any mother’s heart — but then the room rose in applause. A few people stayed seated, silent, but their silence wasn’t enough.

We are at a moment in history where silence is complicity. We cannot allow hate to prevail. That is why I am writing this today.

My daughter is now in her first year of university. She earned As and Bs in her first semester. She’s a brilliant thinker. My dad often says that no one he knows can discuss geopolitics as thoughtfully or knowledgeably as she can. He’s been saying that since she was 11. She’s a bit of a homebody—she loves Dungeons & Dragons and video games. She’s not into sports but gave her best effort in high school phys-ed because education matters to her. She will also take her brother to a hockey game in a effort to foster that relationship and let him know that she cares about what he likes even though she couldn’t tell you what “offside” means.

Does any of that sound frightening to you? Does she sound like someone you need laws to protect yourself from?

My daughter prefers gender-neutral bathrooms — not to make anyone uncomfortable, but simply to use the bathroom in peace and move on with her day. She is unsafe when there are no neutral options not the other way around. She’s never tried to take anyone’s spot on a sports team. It would have been comical if she had tried. My daughter has never gone door-to-door trying to “convert” anyone to being trans. But she has invited Jehovah’s Witnesses into our home and listened to their beliefs with respect multiple times. She is a listener and a peacekeeper.

Do you still feel the need for laws to protect you from her?

I don’t care if someone’s religion leads you to believe her existence is wrong. I would disagree with you on the message of Jesus, but that wouldn’t stop me from being respectful of you and your right to your beliefs. You can think she’s strange. You can believe you wouldn’t support your child the way I have. That’s your right. You may choose to raise your children however you want. I should have the right to do the same. None of the decisions for my daughter were made lightly. They were in consultation with doctors (multiple opinions), psychologists, teachers and most importantly her. It is her existence after all. Also, if gender-affirming care is mutilation, what is the cosmetic surgery you and your friends undergo to serve only your vanity and feel better when you look in a mirror or see your photo on the front page?

Where we must draw the line, is at the government mandating how we live in our own bodies. We cannot allow powerful people to vilify vulnerable children and the parents who are simply doing their best to love them. We cannot remain silent while those in power discuss my child’s identity instead of focusing on the economy or protecting people from real dangers — not fabricated ones. Gender should not be a discussion in politics unless it is about equality.

So yes, this was a hard week to be the mother of a transgender daughter. But I will channel my pain and anger into loving harder, listening more, and speaking up. I will not be silent while they applaud.

Brandy Cook

Winnipeg

Ethics in animal stewardship

Re: “Animal care laws inadequate” (Letters, Jan. 24)

Manitoba’s industrial hog production model is built on practices that disregard animal welfare, subjecting pigs to cruelty, a lack of concern for environmental sustainability, and indifference to human health threats.

Factory-style hog barns that are dominating the hog industry are a far cry from the family farms that many of the public still envision. The pigs are never outside, but are constantly confined in large facilities with slatted floors, through which their urine and feces fall to the pits below. The toxic fumes, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide emanating from the pits will suffocate the animals in a matter of minutes, if the ventilation systems fail. The imminent danger of ag-gag legislation having passed in this province means these Manitoba pigs will have no one advocating for their welfare.

There will be no way for Canadian consumers and export customers to know of the inhumane conditions these pigs endure. Instead, the general public will be at the mercy of the industry’s secretive treatment of farm animals.

Nature did not intend for animals to live by the thousands, crammed together inside buildings, raised on pharmaceutical products, with no access to the outdoors for grass, sunlight or the clean healthy scent of fresh air. The industrial production of farm animals is a grim saga of pollution, health risks and animal misery.

Do ethics matter, in this dismal fashion of raising animals? Apparently not! Animal stewardship is completely ignored.

Intensive livestock animal care is running on empty in Manitoba.

John Fefchak

Virden

Canada can’t play patsy

Re: ‘Make sure that it hurts the Americans’ (Jan. 23)

I read this quote today: “An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.” — Winston Churchill.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith immediately came to mind. We need all the premiers on Team Canada and we need everything on the table, no exceptions. Match the tariffs and cut off the supply.

When millions of Americans in the northeast have no electricity, farmers in the Midwest cannot get potash, millions in the northwest cannot get gas and refineries in Texas can’t get oil, even Trump will take notice. It will be painful for Canada and the U.S., but it will get the point across and lead to a quicker solution. Playing patsy with one hand behind our back will ensure a painful and protracted economic war.

If we are stupid enough to play patsy, we will deserve all the pain Trump wants to inflict.

Ray Hignell

Winnipeg