Letters, Jan. 7

Weak response

Shame on Canada, shame on Carney and Poilievre. Our flaccid response to America’s actualizing the Monroe Doctrine in Venezuela has been to welcome the removal of a “bad guy” and the restoration of that countriy’s democracy.

America (and Canada) does business with a lot of bad guys; they are not kidnapped and dumped in an American jail. Does anyone believe that whoever succeeds Maduro will have a free hand in governing the country?

Will a left-wing or, god forbid, socialist government be acceptable to its U.S. superintendents? Will the country control its own natural resources? U.S. actions have nothing to do with human rights or democratic freedom. We have just acquiesced to America’s claim to own the western hemisphere.

Perhaps we are afraid that if a Canadian prime minister is deemed unfriendly to U.S. interests, he or she will find themselves in an orange jumpsuit in a New York courtroom.

Norman Brandson

Winnipeg

Really, it is time to say enough is enough.

Oh don’t get me wrong, Prime Minister Mark Carney is probably smart to play the patient diplomatic game. It is usually our way.

However, I think more than a few Canadians are ready to “drop the gloves.”

So while we support Carney, he needs to know that we are ready for a fight and it is coming down to that!

As we approach CUSMA negotiations, the U.S. is looking to Belarus potash and Venezuelan oil to strengthen its bargaining position. Neither is available immediately. It makes sense for Canada to not support an easy transition to other suppliers for the Americans. In fact we should consider an immediate export tax of up to 20 per cent on all resources leaving Canada for the U.S., including but not limited to lumber, oil, electricity, potash, and maple syrup.

Why should their government collect tariffs on our goods going into the states? Why don’t we help them and collect the money ourselves — they can alway collect their tariffs after our export taxes are paid.

Yes, this will be painful. But my Dad always said that if you had to deal with a bully by yourself, better to make sure you hurt them as much as you can so they think twice before hurting you again. What’s more, maybe others will chose to stand behind you if you do lead the way! The alternative is giving away your hard-earned lunch money and self respect.

Recent floor crossings in parliament are encouraging. We need a united Canada behind Carney. Many left-leaning Canadians supported a right-leaning Liberal candidate. We need a few more Conservatives to support a centre-right government and stop obstructing Parliament at every opportunity. We need our government to dance on a tightrope balancing the environment, social safety net support, Indigenous rights, economic survival and political independence. In these trying times we must find that balance to the best of our abilities.

Canadian visits to the U.S. are down 30 per cent — it should be 95 per cent — life threatening and really important reasons are certainly justified… but let’s just stop going there… invite friends and family here… travel to other destinations.

Sell off American stocks — buy Canadian or international … not at a great loss but judicially.

Stop buying American, not just at the grocery store. If it is American, look for an alternative!

Lastly, we need to take care of each other. What can we do to help other Canadians? How can we make better use of the resources we have? How can we reduce the stress on our health systems and social programs? How can we improve our efficiency and reduce our waste? Let’s rediscover Canada at school, at home and at work. Let’s encourage and support each other. Let us show the world what it is to be Canadian and stand together against the looming economic and political threat from the south.

Kirk Mallette

Vernon, B.C.

Trump, Maduro cut from same cloth

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is a thug, plain and simple, but I do find it ironic an American president who openly advocated for and provoked an attempted insurrection in his own country, claims to have taken the morally high road towards liberating Venezuelans from their ordeal, pledging to honour democractic ideals after having schemed to deny his own country the very same thing.

Truth is, there’s not much separating the likes of U.S. President Donald Trump and Maduro, these are people cut from the same cloth. If the welfare of the Venezuelan people were truly of concern to Trump, he’d have demonstrated his concern for humanity with unequivocal support for Ukraine, but he continues to genuflect before another tyrant in Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Some say there’s no predicting Trump and his actions, I say it’s actually profoundly simple, just follow the money.

Dan Donahue

Winnipeg

For Trump, might makes right

Few tears will be shed for the ouster of Nicolas Maduro, so-called socialist but de facto despot and military dictator of Venezuela, certainly not by the seven million or so Venezuelans who have fled their homeland over the past 12 years.

Nevertheless, the U.S. incursion into Venezuela to capture Maduro was essentially a well-planned and executed kidnapping. That Maduro has been indicted in New York State on serious charges — conspiracy to traffic in cocaine; money laundering; human trafficking — does not justify the violent extra-judicial process by which he has been brought to face these charges. Moreover, the recent pardon granted by U.S. President Donald Trump to former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez, convicted on much the same charges as Maduro, makes a mockery of the U.S. justice system.

By loudly proclaiming that might is right, Trump et al have shown China that it would be justified in invading Taiwan; that in retrospect Russia was right to attack Ukraine; that Greenland belongs to whoever has the best military capability. Who know what other targets are open game for the U.S. military: perhaps New York City’s new, socialist mayor?

Most Venezuelans voted to oust Maduro in 2024. He ignored that election. However, not one of those who voted for Edmundo Gonzalez voted for Trump.

Francis Newman

Winnipeg

Back to work

Re: Remote work option ending for thousands of public, private sector workers in 2026 (Jan. 2)

It’s getting to be a little much listening to the unions and workers pull out every excuse to show how much of a hardship it will be to have to return to the office to work.

You know, the job they were hired for to be there, and they accepted to be there, and that we’re paying for them to be there? The one excuse that settles it for me is that they will need to pay for child care again. Really? Employees are not getting paid to watch their children while they work. If a kid starts crying or is bugging their parent for something, what do you think they will ignore, the kid or their work? Of course they will take care of the kid, who wouldn’t?

If you’re working for a private company that lets you do that, then great, congratulations, you’re one of the lucky ones. The least you can do is show up to actually work the job you are paid to do, or else there’s a very long line of qualified people waiting who will.

Jason Sudyn

Winnipeg