Letters, Jan. 29

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This article was published 29/01/2025 (422 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Standing up to hate

Re: “Drawing a line, speaking up” (Letters, Jan. 27)

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Brandy Cook for her heartfelt letter about what it’s like to be the parent of a trans child in this time of Trump. The Free Press’s editorial and Scott Forbes’ op-ed also spoke about it.

What we are seeing today is a deliberate effort to foment hate against an identifiable group of people, all for political gain. It’s frightening to see this hate creeping north into Canada and being stirred up by certain politicians. It feels like Germany in 1933.

Trump’s declaration that there are only two (immutable) genders also goes against science. Thanks to extensive research, we now know that sex, gender, and sexual orientation are complex and multi-faceted, with biological, psychological, and social aspects, and there are no strict binaries. What the X and Y chromosomes say, what the body’s organs say, and what we know to be true in our hearts and minds doesn’t always neatly line up.

For those of us who have trans, non-binary, or otherwise gender non-conforming family members or close friends, this issue is not academic. It is very personal. You may think you’re not affected because you don’t know any trans individuals (actually you do, you’re just unaware they’re trans). But it should matter to everybody. Trans people won’t be the last. “First they came for transgender people, but I did nothing…”

David M. Bergen

Winnipeg

“I will channel my pain and anger into loving harder, listening more and speaking up.”

You wrote those brave and powerful words, Brandy Cook. And, while the Haters use their megaphones and platforms to breed hate and intolerance, please know many, with and without transgender friends and family, stand firmly behind you on the side of love and refuse to be influenced by this deplorable behaviour.

Darren Stevenson

Winnipeg

Trump’s hook

Any successful con starts with a good “hook.” The hook has to be enticing yet simple enough not to confuse the “mark.” Trump’s hook for Canada is simple, no tariffs, low taxes, military protection.

What he doesn’t tell you is that statehood does not go through the Oval Office, it goes through Congress. Further, this is not a simple process. It requires a lot of moving parts he obviously is not aware of. (No surprise there.)

What Trump really wants is Canada to become a U.S. Territory. Which means the U.S. now possesses the country. In no way does it guarantee Canadians U.S. citizenship. Puerto Rico was (and is) a U.S. possession and those people weren’t given citizenship for more than 40 years. Not to mention treated as second-class citizens when it was finally awarded.

Are there perks to becoming a U.S. territorial possession? Not as many as you think. And here’s the real reason why Trump and the Republicans will not make Canada a state. As a territory, even if Canadians are given U.S. citizenship, they will not be allowed to vote in a presidential election and they will not have representation in Congress. They can elect observers to attend congressional sessions, they can even propose legislation. But that’s as far as it goes. Which means Canadians would be subject to U.S. federal law(s) without having any real input. Any objections raised by Canadians would be, basically, ignored.

So, are you, my fellow Canadians, going to fall for the “hook” or are you smart enough to recognize a con being sold by the biggest con man on the planet?

Don Reed

Winnipeg

The tariff game

There is a lot of hand-wringing going on regarding the tariffs threatened by Donald Trump. Much talk of dollar-for-dollar retaliation. I think that is a foolish game.

Imposing tariffs on incoming goods from the U.S. just punishes the consumers and businesses in Canada even more. A better approach may be to reduce tariffs applied to goods coming in from other countries to encourage an increased international trade. Perhaps start with the 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicle (EV) imports so people can afford those urban-centric EVs that actually make sense compared to overpriced luxury EVs. But even that is likely unnecessary. The economy will, in time, take care of itself.

Governments can really do very little to affect the economy. This has been evident for a long time. Eventually consumers and businesses will realize that the tariffs imposed by Trump (if he even follows through) are bad for business and bad for the U.S. economy. Pressure will be brought to bear and even Trump will have to change course because in our society, rightly or wrongly, the economy drives everything.

Rob McConnell

Winnipeg

Library proposal a great solution

Re: Group’s library proposal a win-win (Jan. 25)

Finally, a common-sense perspective on the challenges with homelessness facing the Millennium Library! Public libraries across North America are experiencing these challenges. And almost every public library system has implemented a service much like that being proposed by the Downtown Community Safety Partnership.

Searching the internet (admittedly briefly) did not find any library anywhere offering “community connections” style services. In fact, Ottawa Public Library did offer a similar service in the lobby of their downtown branch, but have since cancelled it because of problems with violent and aggressive behaviour, drugs and other problems.

Today almost every library system retains a social worker(s) or partners with an independent social service agency that specializes in assisting the homeless and others. Clearly this is the best way for a public library to assist all patrons and support its staff, without adding thousands of dollars to an already-tight operating budget. As Dan Lett says, it is a true win-win.

The proposal before council now is supported by a highly successful partnership between Manitoba, Winnipeg, Downtown BIZ, Fire and Paramedic Services, Winnipeg Police Service, and True North Sports and Entertainment, who are major stakeholders in the downtown. The DCSP proposal will not cost the library anything, and will do more than the previous “service.”

If the Millennium for All group is sincere about continuing community connections in its previous form, then they should do what so many other non-profits do: raise the money themselves.

That’s how the Millennium Library came to be — volunteers raised millions of dollars from the thousands of businesses, families and individuals who believe in the value of the public library. True, asking the city for money is easier, but doing it yourself is far more rewarding for the people you wish to help.

Thank you Dan Lett for the insightful article.

Gordon Todd Pennell

Winnipeg

Tragedy, then farce

After reading the daily news comes looking at the relaxing newspaper comics, which help to counter some of the mental damage caused by caustic reality.

Yes, the comics are totally unreal, and silly by normal adult standards, but they are so very therapeutic.

It is impossible not to chuckle and sometimes really laugh at the zany drawings and captions which are so at odds with the serious important printed stories and photographs.

On a daily basis, the comics provide a sane oasis in the desert, an antidote for some of the toxic human folly in regular news.

Thank goodness there are artists with a sense of humour who can provide a visual sanity balm against the destructive doses of sobering and wrenching negativity.

Comics are the ultimate painkillers.

Holly Bertram

Winnipeg