Letters, April 25

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/04/2025 (336 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Shameful QP performance

Re: Speaker apologizes over breakdown in decorum (April 24)

Watching what happened during Question Period this week, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed and honestly, embarrassed for our elected officials. What should have been a serious exchange about public spending and accountability turned into a shouting match that ended with the Speaker issuing a rare public apology.

Yes, Opposition MLAs are supposed to ask tough questions. That’s their job. But tossing out a half-formed accusation about a minister’s personal therapy, without checking the facts, wasn’t tough, it was irresponsible. And the government side didn’t handle it much better. Shouting across the aisle, grandstanding, and drowning out the debate — it’s no wonder so many people have lost faith in our political system.

When the topic involves support services for people dealing with the trauma of searching a landfill for murdered loved ones, the least we can expect is maturity and respect. What we got instead was noise and finger-pointing.

The members of that chamber should be embarrassed. There is no other forum or workplace where this is acceptable. Manitobans are dealing with real problems. We expect leadership not theatrics, not deflection, and definitely not this level of dysfunction.

They all need to do better.

Marc Robichaud

Winnipeg

Looking at crime rates

Re: Rhetoric, outdated policy won’t solve crime issue (Think Tank, April 24)

Kelly Gorkoff’s informative article on crime in Canada should be required reading by all Canadians prior to voting for one of our political parties. As opposed to the sloganeering language espoused by our political leaders, Gorkoff actually tells us the truth about crime statistics in Canada.

Who knew that violent crimes, including homicides actually decreased in 2023? Or that U.S. states that incorporated three-strikes-you’re-out type policies saw increases in violent crimes and have since repealed those laws? After listening to Pierre Poilievre and the other leaders speak, one would assume that the increase in violent crime in Canada was on a rampage. Gorkoff sets the record straight.

Canada’s criminal justice system needs serious revisions that focus on preventing recidivism not on increasing punishments. Policies that actually improve the plight of the poor and the addicted would also have positive, long-lasting effects on crime rates. Those are not policies that make a great political soundbite, but they are true. I would appreciate a political leader who actually offered a progressive solution rather than one that’s intended to buy ill-informed votes.

Brent Corrigan

Winnipeg

When I saw the line “As an expert on crime, my bipartisan head is spinning,” I knew that I had to read this article because during my 35 years as a police officer, and in all my reading since, I’ve never seen anyone else make this claim.

I was disappointed. Professor Gorkoff used a half a page of newsprint to show crime trends over the years, something a high school student with a laptop could present. Her quote from the movie Don’t Look Up, “the truth is way more depressing,” best describes her article.

National crime stats are of no value to Winnipegers nor are city crime stats. They average things out. As a professor for 35 years in the heart of Winnipeg, Gorkoff has only to look out her window to see the deterioration of our downtown and the accompanying crime. That’s what we Winnipeggers are concerned with.

I’ve had the privilege of being able to travel the world since I retired and for those of you who haven’t, trust me in saying that I’ve never seen a city centre as rundown and crime-ridden as ours. I walked from the waterfront of Chicago for six blocks to my hotel and never saw a homeless person or any any indication of a threat. The American cities have reclaimed their downtowns.

In her last paragraph, Professor Gorkoff states “We know how to prevent and decrease crime,” so what we have, in our midst, is an expert on crime who knows how to prevent and decrease crime. Please, Professor Gorkoff, share that knowledge in future articles, as believe me, we are all interested.

Stan Tataryn

Winnipeg

Universities under attack

Re: Pierre Poilievre says he’ll end ‘woke ideology’ — he isn’t saying what that means (April 22)

There is a lot to unpack with the CPC election platform, but as an educator I would like to draw attention to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s suggested changes to post-secondary education. His crackdown on universities for “woke ideology” is right from the Trump playbook.

Universities in the past have flourished because of the academic freedom and independence that they have from external influences. We can only look to the U.S. to see what happens when, as Vice-President JD Vance says, “Professors are the enemy.”

We are not the enemy. Our job is to find, preserve, and disseminate knowledge. Universities are under attack in Canada as well, and in Manitoba, we are facing our own challenges of underfunding and dramatic changes to curricula brought on by our provincial government (especially changes to math and science K-8 education). Universities need to be autonomous and make their own decisions about what they teach and how. We also need more financial support from the federal government. Trump’s path leads to the defunding of institutions that don’t follow his political leanings. We don’t want that to happen here.

I would urge voters to carefully look at all of the party platforms on post-secondary education — a topic often overlooked in elections — and find a view that supports improving our system. There is an opportunity here to be more welcoming and supportive in our Canadian universities — to newcomer students, to faculty fleeing the U.S., and to ideas of inclusiveness.

A strong education system benefits us all.

Chris Wiebe

Lorette

On driving habits

Re: “Retesting drivers” (Letters, April 24)

I feel compelled to respond to the letter by Karen Zurba regarding the retesting of drivers. I agree that our driving behaviour is likely to change with age, but as far as retesting goes, we can all pull our act together for a test and then go back to our poor habits the very next day.

I also disagree that older drivers may likely be less focused on the road. They are not the generation obsessed with their cellphones, and yes, less in a rush, so likely much more mindful of what they are doing.

Lesley Mowat

Winnipeg

Geese a nuisance

Re: City to control squirrel population in eight parks (April 17)

It is not the squirrels who have ruined St. Vital Park. It is the geese.

We can no longer walk around the pond or the beautiful flower garden or across the field or along the river because the geese have nibbled the grass down so that only mud remains and it is impossible to avoid walking in poop. After more than 55 years of enjoying our one area park, we no longer can walk there.

We haven’t noticed the squirrels.

Shirley Adam

Winnipeg