Letters, Feb. 10

On doing good business

Re: Kick trash collector to the curb: union (Feb. 7)

I was amused at Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 500 president Gord Delbridge’s statement about ending the GFL Environmental contract because he felt the taxpayer should not be paying for a $350-million yacht.

Have you ever ordered from Amazon, Gord? If so, you are helping to finance Jeff Bezos’s lifestyle.

The fact that the CEO of GFL has a yacht is testament to his business skills, plain and simple. If two-thirds of his business is in the U.S., it’s still a Canadian company taking American dollars from them.

Give it a rest.

Jim Temple

Cooks Creek

Go with the Gripen

Re: Buying expensive fighters from unfriendly neighbours (Editorial, Feb. 7)

The Canadian government air force should highly consider buying F-35s from the U.S. a national threat. The U.S. president has in the past mentioned a 10 per cent reduction in performance for the F-35s sold to other countries “because someday, maybe they’re not our allies, right?”

Having a fairly new car, I can tell you that OnStar reports to me every month the health of my vehicle. They know the mileage. They know and tell you when to bring it in for service. They can deactivate the vehicle if it is stolen. They also know where the vehicle is. About once per month it automatically does an update on software.

Knowing these facts, we should be aware that it is very feasible for these features to be in the F-35 and our jets could become lead weights falling out of the sky, or be rendered unable to fire their weapons. And while the U.S. could deny software updates, they could also install malware, such as the software that destroyed Iranian uranium enrichment equipment.

While the Gripen would be similar to the F-35s in electronics and software, we have to go with who we trust more. And right now we cannot trust the U.S. for such an important purchase and for the security of Canada.

I also understand the Gripen has less downtime and is more agile. I encourage the government of Canada to deal with the Swedes. Plus, they would be partially made in Canada.

Gerald Trudeau

Winnipeg

Preparing for the future

Re: Is the concept of Canada as a ‘middle power’ meaningless? (Think Tank, Feb. 5)

I agree that labelling Canada a middle power may not have relevance in today’s world, but I don’t think that we can simply “muddle through the next three years of Trumpism.”

Peter McKenna chose to refer to Trumpism instead of Trump, because I believe he recognizes that Trump’s political philosophy is likely to persist after the man is gone. Given that, it is better to prepare for the world as it is instead of hoping that things will somehow go back to what they were.

Gordon Boyer

Winnipeg

Saying no to Amazon

I really don’t understand people who claim “it would be impossible” for them to boycott Amazon. Jeff Bezos, a man worth nearly a quarter of a trillion dollars, just spent US$75 million producing and promoting a Melania Trump documentary while simultaneously firing 16,000 of his employees.

Since purchasing it in 2013, he’s essentially made a burnt offering of the Washington Post, as his evident allegiance to U.S. President Donald Trump has driven readership off a cliff. Amazon itself produces about as much CO2 annually as the country of Morocco and is as infamous for its history of workers’ rights violations as its corrupt business practices.

But perhaps even more crucially, to visit amazon.ca is to take in an array of consumer goods representing a virtual checklist of the stuff I used to haul off people’s properties by the trailer-full while working for a private junk removal company a number of years ago; cheap, plastic paraphernalia destined for the landfill after a few short years spent collecting dust in your home. If you really need or want a product, buy it locally. If that’s not possible, buy directly from the manufacturer’s website.

Will it be more expensive? Yes, for reasons to do with fair wages and actual market value. Cancel your Prime Video account; it’s not like there’s a shortage of alternatives. What am I missing that’s so “impossible” here?

Joey Penner

Winnipeg

Our Canadian flag

Since the inauguration of our flag on Feb. 15, 1965, our maple leaf has become the prime national symbol of our sovereignty, reflecting our common values, such as: freedom, peace, respect, justice, and tolerance. In addition, the maple leaf on our flag plays homage to our geography, reflecting our history and representing our national identity.

Our flag honours Canadians from coast to coast of all origins who have helped to build and maintain our great country for generations and into coming years.

Over the past months, the Free Press in many articles has provided excellent coverage showing how Canada’s diversity is a strength not a weakness and how our rights can be protected and equal freedoms endured. Many times, the media mentioned that Canada’s core values will be the key factor in upholding its sovereignty.

As mentioned, Canada is a free nation, choses its own destiny, providing substance and identity for us all. Canadians have achieved recognition throughout the world, whenever and wherever our national flag is flown. The flag belongs to all Canadians.

The flag of Canada is a symbol of unity, expressing our pride being a Canadian and many times serves a beacon of freedom to the rest of the world. Our flag must continuously be cherished, treasured and admired, it has roots in Canada’s history.

Peter John Manastyrsky

Niverville

Selective bans

Re: ‘I have chills just thinking about it’ (Feb. 6)

It was interesting to read the story about the Israeli bobsled team at the Olympics. However this story prompted a bigger and much more troubling question for me.

Russia has rightly been banned from the Olympics. Russia’s war on Ukraine has resulted in an estimated 15,000 civilian deaths with more than 40,000 civilians being injured.

By comparison, the Israeli attacks on Gaza, going on for two years, have killed 70,000 Palestinians and injured more than 170,000. (Israel has recently finally acknowledged the accuracy of these estimates.)

Of course the actual civilians killed and injured in both conflicts is likely to be much higher. The troubling question is why has Russia been banned from the Olympics when Israel has not? Supporters may say that Israel is justified in their attacks because of the Hamas attack two years ago. But all aggressors find ways to rationalize and justify their aggression. Russia has their rationalizations as well. De-Nazification being one of them and protection of Russian speaking Ukrainians being another.

Both countries have been accused of genocide by reputable international agencies, both have targeted civilian infrastructure, both have been accused of being indifferent to civilian casualties. The parallels between the two conflicts are clear. Yet Russian athletes sit at home while Israel athletes attend the Olympics.

It would be nice if someone could explain why. Just to be clear, I am not advocating for Russia to be in the Olympics. I am just wondering what the rationale is for not excluding Israel as well.

Rob McConnell

Winnipeg