Letters, July 16

Opinion

Double standards

Re: PM must sell trust assets: Poilievre (July 15)

It seems that Pierre Poilievre wants rules followed when they don’t affect him. The public are still waiting for him to get his security clearance.

Until that happens, perhaps he should defer making statements about other people’s ethics.

Lori Walker

Winnipeg

Nothing will please Trump

Re: Trump’s ongoing, lunatic tariff war (Think Tank, July 15)

Just wanted to say that Judy Waytiuk’s column is the best column I’ve seen in the Free Press for a long time.

I’ve been saying for years that Trump is a madman and lunatic, and nothing will please him till he gets what he supposedly wants. Hope Prime Minister Mark Carney keeps on looking for other more sane countries for us to do our trading with.

Also really disappointed with the media in the U.S. that lets this joker get away with the things he is doing in the U.S. and the world.

Rick Station

Winnipeg

Questioning feedback process

Re: Bumps on the road (July 12)

After reading the feedback included in the Free Press, I question how feedback was sought prior to implementing transit changes. Several of the criticisms are predictable; were transit riders directly engaged early in the process or was it driven by city planners?

A year is a long time. Waiting for changes would be disastrous. If the bus riders need to get to or from destinations, and find routes no longer available or require much more time or walking, current riders will adopt other options and will not return.

I’m no longer able to use public transit, but was a daily passenger in the 1970s and 1980s.

Lynn Silver

Winnipeg

Kinew’s climate stance

Is Premier Wab Kinew a “climate-denier?” He hasn’t come out and said as much. But, since actions speak louder than words, he might as well have.

His cheerleading stance on building more pipelines and shipping oil through Hudson Bay surely flies in the face of the best climate science on the planet — posing the threat of immense environmental devastation, as spills will surely happen in this environmentally fragile region.

That he’s doing this as his province burns, and many First Nations people are being disproportionately hit by the devastation, must surely put him at risk of alienating much of his voter base, too.

As Manitoba’s Climate Action Team (MCAT) indicates, we can’t afford to be complacent — constantly patting ourselves on the back for having a low-emissions electricity sector (Hydro).

Larry Powell

Shoal Lake

The premier’s comments about building oil and gas infrastructure verge on the unbelievable. Unbelievability seems to be a chronic condition for our governments.

As human-caused climate change advances its frightening and destructive consequences, and while repairs to the problem exist and can be implemented without harming our society, politicians continue to give the line fed to them by the people who have profited off of the mayhem of climate change.

Our premier seems to have joined that chorus and has even taken on a solo performance role.

His problem is compounded by the willingness of too many of the rest of us to go along with the narrative that we will suffer if thoughtful change is implemented, or with the idea that our politicians know best. But the politicians are not listening to the scientists, environmentalists, and sustainable economists who have for many decades told us of the looming disasters awaiting us if we do not take action.

We are now witnessing only the first stages of the disasters as they increase in frequency and scope. What is ahead?

All of us need to respond and expect our governing institutions to do the same. Government action, in which the scientists’, ecologists’ and the renewable energy sector’s decades of work is front and centre, and in which climate change is equal in priority to health and affordability, would be good. But I fear that they are tone deaf to the reality of climate change. Since our government seems disinterested in recognizing the crisis, there is little chance they will advance the necessary initiatives.

Absent that, Clayton Thomas-Muller’s suggestion of an enormous social movement, similar to the civil rights movement of the ‘60s, is clearly in order. As part of that, as David Suzuki says, doing what we can to build sustainability and resiliency into our communities is critical.

Steve Rauhj

Winnipeg

The king bows

Re: Trump to make second state visit to United Kingdom (July 14)

King Charles has now joined a long list of sycophants who have bowed to the bully, Donald Trump, by inviting him to a sleepover. How cosy! It is apparent that the King wants to curry favour with Trump for the United Kingdom.

Is Charles not aware, or does he not care, that Canadians — who are part of the Commonwealth — have their “elbows up”?

Linda Boughton

Winnipeg

Trump’s tariff threats

I am so tired of hearing about these threats. The best thing the Canadian government could do is pass a law that makes it illegal for anyone or any company in Canada to even trade any goods into the United States, period.

If you can’t find another buyer, then get another job. With all these threats, countries around the world, including us, are still negotiating with this guy.

Get a life and find another source to sell everything to.

Brian Short

Stonewall

Wildfire strategy

Every time the wind changes direction, so does the plan to deal with wild fires.

If we can remember the spring of 2020, COVID-19, with no vaccine, hundreds of Canadians dying every day, everyone was scared hell. Our province was dealing with an unprecedented event as we are today.

No lead time on actions, decisions made on the spot, all to save lives. Remember that.

My fathers was in palliative care in St. Boniface hospital in April of 2020. We couldn’t see him. The day he passed, his cardiologist Facetimed us. That was our last conversation.

The needs of the many must outweigh the needs of any individual.

You would hope the tragedy of COVID-19 would have given all of us an understanding of community needs. Apparently it’s still me-me.

Bill Allan

Winnipeg

Look at history

Re: From 2025 to 1851 (July 11)

This was a most insightful, enjoyable article vividly describing the knowledge necessary to become an historic interpreter.

Also appreciated was the inclusion of the constraints of different classes of women in the 1850s. We’ve come a long way. Thank you, Jen.

Barb Howie

Winnipeg

Benefits of neutrality

I think Canada should leave NATO and declare itself a neutral nation. Instead of increasing our military spending to five per cent, we should use that money ($150 billion annually) to support our businesses and unemployed through the current American economic attack on our country and to build the infrastructure to reduce our reliance on the U.S.

I am not sure what benefits we get for NATO membership. The only countries capable of launching a military attack on Canada are Russia, China and America. The U.S. surely would not tolerate Russia or China to occupy/take over Canada and so they would be stuck coming to our military aid. None of the other NATO members has the military resources required to effectively come to our aid.

The only attacker Canada need worry about is the U.S. I don’t think the American population would support a military attack on Canada. What Canada needs is economic protection to prevent becoming the 51st state.

American tariffs are attacking our economy. Increasing our NATO spending (as dictated by America) only exacerbates the effectiveness of that attack.

Barry Oswald

Winnipeg