Letters, Feb. 10

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/02/2025 (409 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Trump’s empire

Re: Trump’s choice for chief trade negotiator says tariff threat is about fentanyl (Feb. 6)

So it’s all about fentanyl overdose deaths of which about .2 per cent of the total amount of drug crossing into the U.S. from Canada has been seized, compared to 96.6 per cent at the Mexican border. China is widely accused of being the largest source of fentanyl manufacturing but apparently that only deserves a 10 per cent tariff on their exports to the U.S. Perhaps we can hit back at the grossly exaggerated claims that Trump has made vis-a-vis the “harm” Canada is doing to the states.

We should be bringing up how many Oxycontin overdose deaths and/or addictions have been caused in Canada by allowing that drug (manufactured legally by Purdue Pharma, a U.S. company) to be legally prescribed before being shut down. Purdue Pharma had this drug approved in 1995 without any long-term studies and no assessment of its addictive capabilities. Purdue made over US$35 billion in revenue from this drug before it was banned in 2010 in its original form because of the thousands of deaths and addictions it caused. Another U.S. success story when private enterprise isn’t overburdened by regulatory laws!

This brings up the bigger issue of the unfettered capitalism on which Trump’s empire is being built. No concern for the environment, no real concern about low-income people, no ethics, no adherence to the Constitution, just the “art of the deal” and intimidation. Neoliberalism without the name where democracy is no longer relevant.

By the time the majority of the people of the U.S. see through the lies and deceit Trump and his uber-rich oligarchs are spouting, it may be too late. Autocracy will reign and Trump will be manipulating extended terms of office.

Gary McGimpsey

Winnipeg

Agency provides critical aid

Re: From ‘America First’ to ‘America Everywhere’ (Feb. 6)

Sixty years ago, I worked alongside the U.S. Agency For International Development (USAID). Working with Mennonite Central Committee in the country of Jordan, my job was to co-ordinate water projects between outlying villages with inadequate potable water and agencies that had expertise in developing clean water. I worked a lot with USAID. And they were fantastic.

It was noted in your article that the current U.S. president wishes to shut down this vital agency. I fail to understand the logic behind such a move. USAID is an outstanding agency in building crucial infrastructure in developing countries.

Why kill an agency that provides critical aid to host countries and promotes tremendous goodwill between those countries and the United States?

Ken Reddig

Pinawa

Make sure you’re heard

To boo or not to boo — is that really the question? If you don’t want to boo, then don’t. But find other ways to give voice to your anger and displeasure.

Whatever you do, do not hide from what is happening. Find ways to fight back, to promote and give voice to caring for one another and our country. Silence and passivity is the enemy of compassion, as it allows only the voices of hatred and self-interest to be heard. Too many in the U.S. were/are silent and we see what happened there. I cannot believe that is the Canada we want.

It is so hard to figure out what and how to fight in a way one is comfortable with. If buying Canadian is a platform you are comfortable taking action on, then go at it whole heartedly and do it and promote it.

If the subversion of Canadian politics by a rich American makes you angry, then fight for Canada in our next election.

If you truly are concerned with not booing at a hockey game, find your own words and courage to speak up to friends and people around you about what is wrong or right. We did it in our last election when Manitobans said they had had enough with a vile campaign and made a change.

Is it perfect? No. Nothing ever will be perfect … but it’s a lot closer than what is going on in the U.S.

Do not give power to the bullies and haters by confusing being “nice” with being silent.

And speak out on how to do this as we all need each others help and ideas on how to keep our values and country.

Val Kellberg

Winnipeg

Down with the ‘czar’

Canadians, please stop referring to the newly appointed head of border security as “the border czar.”

This is a disreputable title to affix to a Canadian official.

A brief history of the word “czar”:

The title, czar or tsar is a Russian variation on the word/title “caesar,” which was also adopted by Hitler (and other Germanic “emperors” before him) who was referred to as “kaiser.”

Russian czars have been notorious for their brutality toward their subjects. The last emperor/czar of Russia was so afraid of his own people — who had come in droves to beg for his help when they were starving — that he sent his troops to massacre them instead.

The title is deeply bloodstained. It carries with it a legacy of upper-class corruption and mistreatment of a nation’s citizens. Not a good fit, even for someone who is charged with policing a border.

How about “head of border security” or something that refers to the actual purposes involved, instead of perpetuation of Russian fascist, imperialist ideals and brutality?

Michael Boss

Winnipeg

Point of a pipeline

Re: Ottawa, provinces should discuss possibility of west-east oil pipeline: Wilkinson (Feb. 6)

I found the quote from McGill University’s Amy Janzwood misleading when commenting on the Energy East pipeline, as she says that “Proposing a massive new oil pipeline that would be dramatically expanding oil production.” Aside from the rhetorical language she uses, she’s just plain wrong.

The idea behind the Energy East pipeline is not to expand oil production, but to simply move more of our raw and refined oil products from Alberta — where we have too much supply — to Eastern Canada where we have an excess of demand. The reality is today, Eastern Canada has to import oil from the U.S., and Western Canada has to export oil to the U.S.

It makes good sense to fix that supply and demand imbalance. By building the Energy East pipeline, we reduce Canada’s need to sell oil products to the U.S., to buy oil products from the U.S., and overall, our reliance on our neighbour to the south. This would be a long-term win for Canada, all without any additional oil production coming on stream.

Kevin Krystik

Oakbank

Cost of advertising

Re: “The need for supply management” (Letters, Feb. 6)

The dairy industry would have more credibility claiming supply management is about preventing farmers from going broke if they didn’t spend a fortune on expensive TV commercials telling us they are “all from a good place” (whatever that means) and portraying cows in deceptively humane living conditions.

The next time the dairy industry wants to hike the price of milk, they should be required to disclose what they spend on advertising telling us how wonderful they are.

John Youngman

Winnipeg