‘Shame on these Liberal/NDP politicians’
Re: Liberals to cut GST on beer, children’s toys and Christmas trees — Catherine Lévesque, Nov. 21; Trudeau’s cynical GST ‘holiday’ that no one asked for — Jamie Sarkonak, Nov. 22
So the shaky Liberal/NDP coalition is spending more borrowed money on the backs of already beleaguered taxpayers in a vain attempt for re-election. Rather than address serious issues (health care, immigration, spiralling debt levels) they choose once again to bamboozle (they think) gullible Canadian voters.
Not this time! Shame on these Liberal/NDP politicians for attempting to bribe voters with their own money. Taxpayers are not the collective lemmings they think they are.
Richard Stonehouse, Delta, B.C.
Every small business will now have to recalibrate its newly GST-free products, until February, when they will have to recalibrate them again.
The proven ability of the Trudeau government to get absolutely everything wrong — even bribing voters — is almost as impressive as Donald Trump’s ability to root out the most unqualified candidates for running the U.S. government.
Mary Lou Finlay, Toronto
A news item claimed seniors were outraged at the possibility of being excluded from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s $250 rebate cheque. As a senior I am outraged at the blatant vote buying involved in sending out any cheques. Civil servants will have to be paid to record the process, cheques will have to be printed and all will have to be mailed. An expensive process, much of which will be reclaimed at income tax time.
Roger Lenney, Oakville, Ont.
Translation of Liberal “GST holiday” and rebate cheques: Gimme your credit card. I want to buy you a beer.
John P.A. Budreski, Whistler
‘Sign me disgusted’
Re: Montreal burns, Trudeau dances — Michael Higgins, Nov. 23
Justin “Nero” Trudeau danced away the night while haters and traitors massed to express their disdain for the rule of law and Canadian values disguised as those protesting against NATO and Israel’s defensive war against a bloodthirsty, immoral cadre of enemies.
Europe has seen much too much of the lawlessness expressed under the banner of being pro-Palestinian supporters, in reality, perpetrated by useful Caucasian idiots, and more so, by Islamist extremists with animus towards their host countries and hoping to throw Jewish Israelis into the sea in the Middle East. Canada’s local constabulary are unprepared or under resourced to deal with violent throngs.
In the same way, as has been said ad nauseam that Jews are the canaries in the coal mine, the unrest in Europe is a signal that all is dreadfully not well in countries with unmitigated and unvetted immigration, and the disruption we see there not only is coming, it has arrived here. The university encampments, attacks against property and people and the burning of our Canadian flag attest to this.
Someone has to have the courage and moral compass to say enough is enough, and if the politicians of all levels and the police at all levels can’t or won’t act, bring in the army.
Sign me disgusted with our leadership and enraged and frustrated at the inability to have access to a recall process to evict dancing Nero Trudeau from his post.
Israel Lachovsky, Calgary
Our Canada Post dilemma
Re: The only way to save Canada Post is to privatize it — Matthew Lau, Nov. 27
You work for a corporation that lost $748 million last year but you actually expect them to pay you more and lose even more money? I have a suggestion for striking Canada Post workers: go to work for a company that is profitable.
We don’t need Canada Post; we need a company that will deliver flyers at lower cost. No one needs mail anymore. The entire concept of a post office is obsolete.
We need to find more efficient ways of doing things in this country. Canada Post? The best example I can think of an obsolete, inefficient corporation that needs to be put out of existence.
Bill Stemp, Calgary
Matthew Lau has recommended that Canada privatize Canada Post. It is unclear that this option is available. Canada Post serves many regions that cannot or will not afford economic postal service. Once Canada Post was privatized, the government would have to continue subsidizing service in remote areas. There is nothing left in Canada Post that would be so attractive as to justify a new owner’s subsidizing service in remote regions and no new owner would want to be bound by the union obligations that presently strangle Canada Post.
The government could attempt to give the whole of Canada Post to its employees, but the employees would have to be paid an enormous sum to take on the task. And, if they did, what guarantee would Canada receive that the new entity would continue to serve remote areas indefinitely? Guarantees from economically bankrupt companies are worthless.
So what can Canada do? It could purchase remote delivery services from existing private companies, offer to give the corporation to its employees, and then when that offer is declined, shutter Canada Post completely. With any luck, the grousing from aggrieved customers and employees of Canada Post would subside fairly quickly. But let us face it, no political party will be eager to spend its political capital this way until voters are demanding a fix. Apathy will likely prevail. Such is the dilemma we call Canada Post.
Patrick Cowan, Toronto
The postal strike doesn’t matter in major centres. There are lots of delivery options there. For remote and northern Canadian communities, it means no delivery for online orders/supplies such as Amazon. Small businesses cannot ship their goods out cost-effectively. This directly affects our northern crafters, whose biggest season is right now.
The starting wage for a post office assistant where I live is $18.44/hr. Instead of the GST holiday for booze and Christmas trees, pay the workers a decent wage and get them back to work.
Valerie Gundersen, Creighton, Sask.
Matthew Lau’s assertion that Canada Post should be privatized is simplistic at best. Canada is a large far-flung country. There is a reason that FedEx and UPS do not deliver to vast regions of it. There is no money in it. Furthermore, if it was privatized, the price for parcel delivery would skyrocket beyond the means of the average Canadian. It isn’t cheap to send a package by Canada Post but it’s cheaper than the alternatives. Canada Post is a public service. We subsidize transit and roads. Why not Canada Post?
Jane McCall, Ladner, B.C.
Were protesters not breaching the peace?
Re: In Trudeau’s Canada, Ezra Levant arrested to protect pro-terrorist protesters — Tasha Kheiriddin, Nov. 25; and NP View: A modest proposal — restore order to our streets — Editorial, Nov. 27
Rebel News CEO Ezra Levant was arrested for “breaching the peace.” He did this by walking across a street to where people with hidden faces were making death threats to Israel and Jews and taunting onlookers with a cosplay of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s final moments. Levant’s purpose, as a Jewish person and a journalist, was to film the hostile crowd and report on it. The police apparently worried that his presence could incite the pro-Palestinian crowd to violence.
If one person merely walking across a street to a hostile group is enough to be arrested for “breaching the peace,” then what about a large group of people travelling to a Jewish neighbourhood in order to protest and threaten them? Is that not “incitement and breach of the peace” on steroids?
Why didn’t the police arrest the protest leaders, as they did Levant?
Anthony Dayton, Thornhill, Ont.
Sorry Trudeau, this isn’t who we are
Re: Of course Trudeau would arrest Netanyahu, he has no principles — Adam Pankratz, Nov. 21
“We stand up for international law, and we will abide by all the regulations and rulings of the international courts,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, when asked if he would allow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant to be arrested if they came to Canada. “This is just who we are as Canadians,” he said.
This is just who we are not, PM Trudeau. You have chosen to degrade Canadian values with your egregious support of the clearly anti-democratic ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant. Issuing warrants for Israeli government leaders fighting a war to defend their country from the Islamic Republic regime, which clearly calls for the elimination of Israel (that is the definition of “genocide”), sickeningly twists the moral values of all Canadians who value their freedom.
Shame on Trudeau and Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly for their dangerous, cowardly comments under the guise of the rules of the ICC.
Paul Resnick, Toronto
I believe the appropriate term for Justin Trudeau’s fine words is “putting lipstick on a pig.”
What Trudeau is doing is what he always does: smoke and mirrors. By agreeing to the arrest warrants, he is appeasing the Jew-haters, all the while knowing full well that he will never have to make those arrests, since the chances of Netanyahu and Gallant visiting Canada anytime soon are virtually nil.
One might wonder where all this respect for the rule of law was when Trudeau booted Jody Wilson-Raybould out of Cabinet for upholding the law in the SNC-Lavalin scandal or throwing up roadblocks in the way of the election interference inquiry or any of the other numerous scandals that have soiled his tenure.
E. Joan O’Callaghan, Toronto
At least Joe Biden and the White House responded to the International Criminal Court warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister quickly and decisively.
“The ICC issuance of arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous,” Biden said. “Let me be clear once again: whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas.”
That is how a sane, common-sense western democracy responds to this absolute craziness.
The lack of clear, steady support Trudeau and the Liberals have shown for Israel and the Jewish community through this very dark period has been shocking and disgusting. Meanwhile, the pro-Hamas hate-fest rallies continue across this country unabated.
If we had enough MPs in Ottawa (regardless of party) who had scruples, guts and conviction, there would be a non-confidence vote initiated immediately, and an election forced now to finally oust Trudeau (and his band of blind followers) from office. Canadians should not have to wait another 11 months.
Brad Shaddick, Newmarket, Ont.
‘Where is the justice?’
Re: Freedom Convoy protester Pat King found guilty of mischief in Ottawa — David Baxter, Nov. 22
Where is the justice when convoy organizer Pat King could be facing 10 years in jail for “mischief” while pro-Palestinian protesters, who have been setting fires, defacing Jewish buildings, smashing windows and threatening Jewish students on campus have not been arrested for their violence, which is far beyond “mischief”?
The Palestinian protests have gone on for over a year with virtually little to no action from our federal government or any other law enforcement agency to stop them. Yes, the truckers were noisy and disruptive but they were not setting buildings on fire or threatening anyone. If any protest deserves the Emergencies Act being invoked, it is the destructive pro-Palestinian ones.
What kind of country have we become when a peaceful protester gets jail time and destructive protesters go free? What kind of country sends money to organizations linked to terrorist groups while our veterans suffer homelessness and untreated medical issues that they developed when they were fighting for our Canada?
It is time for Canadians to demand a stop to destructive behaviour and the easing of punishment for “mischief” makers.
Barbara Cantlie, Etobicoke, Ont.
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