Letters, Jan. 26

LNG wrong way to go

Re: B.C. energy minister Dix says North Coast Transmission Line will boost LNG project (Jan. 20)

I really appreciate Free Press publishing this B.C. news because it is a truly national embarrassment that Canadian electricity ratepayers and taxpayer are being set up once again to subsidize Houston-based Western LNG.

First, B.C. Energy Minister Adrian Dix claims the Ksi Lisims LNG project will create thousands of jobs, but independent analysis indicates final job numbers are expected to be in the hundreds. Second, imports of liquefied natural gas are already falling in Asian markets such as China, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Japan, and South Korea, due to efficiencies and electrification.

In addition, new U.S. LNG projects are expected to cause a glut in the LNG market in the next couple years, just as B.C. is building out its capacity. This projected glut probably explains why Shell and Mitsubishi are looking to sell their stakes in the $40-billion LNG Canada project, despite bullish words coming from this sector and from the Canadian government.

S. Chris Crawley

Saanich, B.C.

Keep up the boycott

Fantastic speech by Prime Minister Mark Carney this week in Davos, Switzerland. Let’s follow that up with action to support his words. Let’s continue to boycott travel to the U.S., refuse to buy American products, and buy Canadian whenever possible.

The only thing that seems to have changed U.S. President Donald Trump’s tune on invading Greenland was a drop in the stock market, so let’s hit them where it hurts the most, in the pocketbook.

And a note to our mayor and council: could we please remove the American flags from our city arenas? Why are we waving the flag of a country that threatens us, our NATO allies, shoots mothers, and arrests five-year-olds? Shame on you.

Sharon Tod

Winnipeg

Coaxing contemplation

Re: The power of one, real object in a virtual age (Think Tank, Jan. 22)

Fine words, once again, from Stephen Borys, on the phenomenology of viewing art in its original form. How long will such hold, as we digitally meld with an infinite universe and, byte by byte, reframe consciousness?

Thank you, sir, for coaxing along our contemplations upon life’s fleeting nature, and being human.

Chris Jensen

Winnipeg

Disappointed in Axworthy

Re: Carney returns from trade trip (Jan. 22)

I applaud Prime Minister Mark Carney’s pragmatic approach with China by taking “the world as it is,” but am very disappointed in Lloyd Axworthy’s criticism that we have abandoned Canadian activism on the world stage on issues like human rights.

The world order has changed, as the United States is no longer a reliable partner in defence of our boarders or as a free trading partner. As a middle power, we are vulnerable to the big powers in the world and can no longer push our strong values on large economies without attracting punishing tariffs that diminish our employment opportunities and high standard of living.

Carney understands Canada’s precarious position and thankfully is taking action to diversify our trading relationships away from the U.S. and build stronger ties with like-minded middle powers. Axworthy should take note of Carney’s excellent speech at Davos that clearly outlines the new path we must to follow.

Bill Speers

Winnipeg

Lloyd Axworthy criticizes the trade agreement with China as “an abandonment of an 80-year project of Canadian activism.” Activism which of course produced little or no results but paid a lot of bureaucrats a lot of money in that 80 years.

Conservative MP Shuv Majumdar then claims China and Qatar have “dire human rights records” and says Canada instead should boost ties with countries that support Israel — whose human rights abuses including 60,000 dead civilians, refusal to provide humanitarian aid to the rest of civilian population in Gaza, and accusations of genocide by many reputable international agencies, which somehow don’t count for Mr. Majumdar.

Axworthy has made himself look irrelevant and living in the old world order, while Majumber has just made himself look foolish. Carney on the other hand is looking increasingly like the best prime minister we have had in a long time.

Rob McConnell

Winnipeg

Medical mismanagement

I am infuriated by this province’s ongoing mismanagement of public health. As if dropping all COVID-19 precautions (including eliminating masking in health-care facilities) was not enough to endanger Manitobans, the province has continued to put the public at risk by erecting nonsensical barriers to measles vaccination.

The most-effective way to get vaccines into people is to make them free, easy, and convenient to access. It is no secret that medical clinics are not physically, psychologically, or culturally safe environments for a great number of people, and are simply not accessible for many others due to geography, disability, or transportation issues. Requiring Manitobans to obtain a prescription and pay (roughly $70 per dose) to get the MMR vaccine from a pharmacist is unconscionable, especially while we are trying to stop repeated measles outbreaks in the province.

Stop playing these games with people’s health, Manitoba.

Get the vaccines to the people at no cost, and let them be administered by providers who are safe, trusted, and accessible.

Kristen Hardy

Winnipeg

Identifying a whiner

Re: Lutnick cautions Canada on recent China deal (Jan 23)

It was interesting to read Howard Lutnick’s comments regarding Prime Minister Carney’s speech at the World Economic Summit, specifically when he said “all I got to do is listen to this guy whine and complain.”

Although the comment was certainly aimed at the prime minister, the choice of words could also be taken as a reference to his boss, namely the Whiner-in-Chief Donald Trump, whose own speech at the summit was filled with complaints.

This situation could be considered hilarious if the underlying issues weren’t so serious for the world.

Peter Zahradka

Winnipeg

Think first, speak second

Re: Rift surfaces between Doug Ford and Mark Carney over EV deal with China (Jan. 19)

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is a big mouth like Donald Trump. If Prime Minister Mark Carney would had said something to him, he would have told the world. Same as Crown Royal bottling moving to U.S. He likely got mouthy with the company.

Here is an old English saying for Ford: put your brain in gear before you open your mouth.

Carney did what is best for Canada, not just Ontario.

James Thompson

Winnipeg