‘Making a laughingstock’ of Canadian government
Re: So long, Randy (Strong Eagle Man) Boissonnault, you won’t be missed — Michael Higgins, Nov. 20
Unable to bring himself to fire Randy Boissonnault, despite the employment minister’s repeated failings to address his heritage and his business dealings with any sort of clarity, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau instead agreed with Boissonnault’s decision to “step away” from cabinet so he could “focus on clearing the allegations made against him.”
Instead of admitting that he is responsible for the situation in which he finds himself, Boissonnault, with Trudeau’s complicity, wants Canadians to believe that he is somehow a victim of others making allegations against him. Boissonnault has made a laughingstock of the Liberal government. And Trudeau’s lack of action to remove him from cabinet until now has once again demonstrated his own lack of moral compass. Yet for all this, Trudeau wants Canadians to give him yet another term as prime minister. We’re not laughing.
Paul Clarry, Aurora, Ont.
The aphorism: “it’s not the crime, but the coverup” from the Watergate days of 50 years ago applies neatly to the only two Liberal MPs from Alberta.
George Chahal (Calgary Skyview) was “outed” for his surreptitious switching of an election flyer from a constituent’s mailbox to his own advantage. Randy Boissonnault (Edmonton Centre) has been “outed” as a “Pretendian” in tracing his evolving claims of Indigenous ancestry.
Chahal’s schadenfreude at Boissonnault’s predicament must be somewhat satisfying in that the latter was promoted to Cabinet, whereas Chahal was not, as Boissonnault’s indiscretion had not yet become evident. To president Richard Nixon’s dismay, “it’s not the crime, but the coverup” has become cemented in today’s vernacular.
Morton Doran, Fairmont, B.C.
If only the dinosaurs had unionized, like Canada Post
Re: Canada Post versus the union — Is this the last strike? — Terence Corcoran, Nov. 21; B.C. port union challenges constitutionality of back-to-work order — Nov. 20; and Labour minister moves to end port lockouts in Montreal and British Columbia — Nov. 12
Here we are again on the carousel of unions holding the Canadian economy hostage, and demanding an ever increasing (“fair?”) share of a diminishing pie.
Far from being a reliable partner in expanding the economy, unions seem intent on bringing it to its knees through strike action. The path to sustainable higher wages is through increased productivity per worker, but moves in that direction through automation and more competitive practices are vigorously opposed by unions. You would think that wage negotiations would be more easily settled around productivity per worker, where there would be a better alignment on successful outcomes and actually growing the economy per capita.
If only the dinosaurs had had the foresight to unionize.
Richard Sheppard, Calgary
The postal strike reminds us that it’s well past time to deregulate all postal services and open up the business to others who may offer better service at better prices and without subsidies. The postal “service” — like health care, supply management and all the other government-sanctioned monopolies — works well for those employed directly or indirectly, while failing on service to the taxpayers who subsidize them.
We are now at the point where the taxpayer is tapped out and can’t afford to guarantee others a nice life. While the health-care system is the most egregious offender at sucking up taxpayer dollars while giving proportionately lousy service, the post office is right up there. Throw it wide open to competition and see if it can compete. I’m guessing Amazon could do better for less.
Barry McIntyre, Calgary
Trudeau’s ‘bad actors’ in immigration
Re: Of the long list of Liberal blunders, immigration takes the cake — Kelly McParland, Nov. 19
Kelly McParland’s otherwise excellent column missed a key point — Justin Trudeau’s (former?) habit of denouncing any pushback on immigration levels as racist. I’m thinking his old arguments won’t age too well unless we are to conclude that he is now racist, also. Obviously that’s as ridiculous as were his smears but it brings to mind the old Groucho Marx quote that epitomizes our Liberal government, “Those are my (our) principles, and if you don’t like them … well, I (we) have others.
Jeffrey Barker, Mississauga, Ont.
In his video published last weekend, our prime minister blamed “bad actors” for the easily predictable catastrophic impact of his excessive immigration. But, he had agreed with their wishes. He did not assess our capability to integrate such a high number of newcomers. And a good PM is accountable for his decisions. Trudeau has again shown that he does not understand the concepts of leadership, responsibility and accountability.
It is worth noting that the federal Liberal party recruited and, later on, elected a person with (basically) only name recognition as its “leader.” The role of political parties in a democracy is indeed crucial!
André Corriveau, Stittsville, Ont.
Save the planet; don’t feed your kids
Re: Trudeau to Canada — starve your kids for climate change — Terry Newman, Nov. 20
Justin Trudeau’s condemnation of those more concerned about their family than climate change shows how he is a leading member of the “insulated.”
The “insulated” are protected from compassion and reality by positions in government and academia, or by wealth (much of which comes from oil and gas — such as Justin Trudeau’s). Amazing how these people, so quick to criticize what they see as “privilege” in others, are so blind and wilfully oblivious to their own — and the pain they cause for many, many others.
Paul Keery, Brampton, Ont.
Canada should have boycotted COP29
Re: FIRST READING: The Taliban is there, Putin picked the venue — Canada at COP29 — Tristin Hopper, Nov. 15; Taliban bars Afghan women from hearing each other’s voices in new edict — Ehsanullah Amiri, Oct. 29
The United Nations’ COP29 this week had delegations from Russia (which instigated a war by invading Ukraine) and the Taliban (which bars women from speaking in public and girls from attending school after age 12).
Canada and other serious countries should have boycotted this conference on account of those attendees. Stopping war and achieving equal rights for women should take precedence.
If the UN’s New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) takes the form of financial aid, will Canada end up funding these despotic regimes?
Scott Newson, Nanaimo, B.C.
Defending medical assistance in dying
Re: More alarming statistics about ‘medical assistance in dying’ — Chris Selley, Nov. 12
Once again, we disagree with Chris Selley and appreciate the opportunity to clarify. The recent reports from the Office of the Chief Coroner in Ontario illustrate that overall, MAID recipients are less marginalized than people who die naturally. The reports showed that Track 2 MAID patients are no more marginalized than those who die naturally or who live with chronic illness.
There were six complex cases discussed by the review committee and in their summary they stated that these were not representative of most MAID cases, that no MAID assessor of these cases had acted outside the legal boundaries of MAID law, and no patient received MAID because of an inability to access housing or other social supports.
Suffering from marginalization and the lack of social supports from all levels of government is a long-standing issue in our country, but we can’t conflate it with medical assistance in dying.
Helen Long, CEO, Dying with Dignity Canada
Mayor’s comparison of Mandela and Hamas leader was ‘odious’
Re: Mississauga mayor compares Hamas leader to Nelson Mandela ahead of vigil for Yahya Sinwar — Ari David Blaff, Nov. 14
Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish said she consulted lawyers about the planned vigil on public property commemorating Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Did her lawyers tell her to equate Sinwar to Nelson Mandela? Doubtful. It is not a legal matter. If, however, her lawyers did tell her to make that invidious comparison, she ought to retain different lawyers.
The presidents of so-called elite American universities who gave testimony before Congress had been lawyered up in advance. In response to a simple question, they uniformly gave a response that was disastrous. Lawyers do not always exercise the best judgment with regard to non-legal matters.
David C. Nathanson, Toronto
Mayor Carolyn Parrish has been criticized by many commentators and rightly so. Her comparison of Sinwar and Mandela was odious and entirely unsupportable by the facts.
President Barack Obama wrote in his foreword to Mandela’s book, Conversations with Myself, “I continued to watch Nelson Mandela with a sense of admiration and humility, inspired by the sense of possibility that his own life demonstrated and awed by the sacrifices necessary to achieve his dream of justice and equality. … A liberation figure became a passionate voice for reconciliation; a party leader became a president who advanced democracy and development.”
Mandela won the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with his former adversary, F.W. de Klerk.
On October 7, 2023, the leaders of Hamas caused an unprovoked invasion of Israel. The brutal horrors perpetrated against civilians was based on Yahya Sinwar and his cohorts’ determination to destroy Israel, a country established legally by the United Nations in 1947 as part of a two-state solution that the Arabs never accepted. Sinwar knew that Israel would retaliate; he wanted that response and he knew that he would be putting his own Gazan citizens at risk. The “Butcher of Khan Younis” had no respect for human life.
As an expatriate South African and proud Canadian, I am ashamed that Mayor Parrish could make and stand by her demonstrably unseemly statement.
Richard Steyn, Thornhill, Ont.
Mayor Carolyn Parrish must be censored for the heightened fear and anxiety she has caused in her city. As mayor, it is her duty to ensure the safety and well-being of all her constituents. Yet, how is it possible for the citizens of Mississauga to feel safe when their mayor was willing to have a vigil take place on city property to honour a heinous individual, one who was the leader of Hamas, a terrorist-designated group, and who planned the murder, torture, rape and kidnapping of innocent victims in Israel on October 7?
Mayor Parrish has yet to apologize for the divisive decision to allow this “vigil” to go forward; a decision that demonstrated a total lack of moral clarity during these times of heightened antisemitism. Although the vigil was cancelled, the cancellation had nothing to do with her leadership. She also displayed a complete lack of understanding of world issues when she had the audacity to compare Nelson Mandela to the monstrous criminal Yahya Sinwar.
If Mayor Parrish does not make a heartfelt public apology, her council members must censure her for her offensive remarks and actions. She must be made to understand the consequences of her words and decisions.
Phyllis Levin, Toronto
‘We continue to fail our veterans’
Re: Veterans deserve our support year round — Nick Booth, Nov. 11
It is a sad commentary that on Remembrance Day, we were again reminded that we continue to fail our veterans.
I will never forget Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaking at a 2018 town hall meeting in Edmonton. Retired corporal Brock Blaszczyk, who lost a leg fighting in Afghanistan, was given the opportunity to ask a question. As he said, “I was prepared to be killed in action. What I wasn’t prepared for, Mr. Prime Minister, was Canada turning its back on me.”
Blaszczyk was upset that the Trudeau government was forcing veterans to continue their legal battle to receive disability benefits they were promised and more importantly were due. In response and to paraphrase, Trudeau said the veterans were “asking for more than we’re able to give right now.”
I can only say that our veterans gave far more than they could afford and any of us should expect. If we want to honour our fallen and our military, it’s time this myopic prime minister and his government are removed from office. That way our veterans and our country can begin to heal.
Paul Baumberg, Dead Mans Flats, Alta.
Turning back the clock with tariffs
Re: Trudeau Liberals finally recognize their dance partner — and it’s not Mexico — John Ivison, Nov. 20
In 1773, the Sons of Liberty disguised themselves as native Americans and boarded British trading vessels in Boston harbour, to dump wooden chests containing tea into the water. The reason? These American patriots objected to tariffs imposed by the British government on that tea. The tariffs increased the price of tea (by about a tenth of a cent per cup) making life more expensive for their fellow countrymen. It was an outrageous action of a despotic government, apparently.
We are not that far removed from the days when import duties — tariffs — were the prime source of revenue for most western governments. Protectionism was seen as the solution to any domestic economic challenge. But economists eventually saw the flaw in the argument — tariffs promote inefficiency, a reduction in capital investment, higher prices for consumers, and income and benefits that favour the wealthy and the established, at the expense of competition and opportunity.
It seems that our neighbours to the south have decided to turn back the clock, not to the 1950s, but the 1750s. Could it possibly be that their new president prefers policies that benefit his already-wealthy friends, and not his lower- and middle-class voting base? Surely he couldn’t have misled them, could he?
Tom Curran, Consecon, Ont.
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