Opinion: Letters, Jan. 28
Events in U.S. a terrifying example
Re: A president takes aim at the transgender community (Editorial, Jan. 27) and “Drawing a line, speaking up” (Letters, Jan. 27)
Thank you to the Free Press editorial board and letter writer Brandy Cook for their wise, heartfelt, and courageous words about Donald Trump’s transphobic and despicable actions in his first few days in office. What is happening in the United States is a terrifying example of what can happen when those in power are driven by bigotry and hate.
Unfortunately, we here in Canada appear to be headed in a similar direction. Already, several provinces including New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, and Alberta have passed transphobic laws, with some going so far as to pre-emptively invoke the notwithstanding clause, since they know such laws are contrary to human rights.
Just recently, supposed prime-minister-in-waiting Pierre Poilievre echoed U.S. President Donald Trump when he said “I’m not aware of any genders other than man and woman.” This is gaslighting of the highest order. Instead of assuring Canadians that he will protect the rights of transgender people, Poilievre chose to feign ignorance (despite the fact that Progressive Conservatives approved anti-trans policies at their last convention).
So for those who say they despise what Trump is doing but plan to vote for Poilievre anyway with a “I don’t agree with everything he says, but it’s time for a change” justification, we need to remember the words of Martin Luther King: “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”
Robbie Scott
Winnipeg
Painful history
Re: Growing number of Canadians believe Holocaust exaggerated, survey suggests (Jan. 27)
I was appalled to read that 18 per cent of Canadians aged 18-24 are of the opinion that the horrific event we call Holocaust has been exaggerated, and that 15 per cent of Canadians aged 25-34 think so. Even more appalling is the fact that 22 per cent of those aged under 25 get their “information” from the internet.
In light of what is unfolding in the U.S. as President Donald Trump — who also seems to get most of his “information” from the internet — daily sets about dismantling the U.S. Constitution, the Free Press could do us all a favour by reprinting the stories about the liberation of the concentration camps in the waning days of the Second World War, along with stories about what happened in Germany in the 1930s under the rule of a brutal demagogue. Perhaps you could run those stories alongside the latest information about Trump’s plans for immigrants, LGBTTQ+ people, imposition of excessive tariffs, and generally doing his best to create an echo of the Third Reich just south of us.
Perhaps that 33 per cent of Canadians who have never known anything but life in a country that is one of the most tolerant and inclusive nations in the world would come to realize that the country that Trump glibly refers to as the 51st state stands in danger of being another Poland (they can check the internet to find out what happened to Poland on Sept. 1, 1939).
Rene Jamieson
Winnipeg
Rail yard relocation a distant goal
Based on this city’s planning history, replacing the Arlington Bridge is the only way we can guarantee the relocation of the CPKC railyards. And, again based on history, we can expect huge cost overruns for the bridge. I would think the enormous costs for cleaning up the vast railyard prior to redevelopment would be even higher.
Recovering even a small portion of the costs of remediating and repurposing the yards into viable industrial, commercial or residential use just seems out of reach.
Allan Robertson
Winnipeg
The Canadian state
Talk of our annexation by the U.S. can only be taken seriously if the King did allow America to take his dominion in order to create a new state, or more. I propose that such a scenario may not work out well for the ruling Republicans.
If we did become a new American state, (or maybe more than one) it is my projection that the majority of Canadians would register as Democrats. Aligned with New York, California, and other reliably Democratic states, the newly expanded party could easily shut the Republicans out of government for a very long time. America could then build a true democracy.
Furthermore, with the renewed political clout of the Democrats, we could then impeach the presidential buffoon and, with the new number of senators, finally convict the rascal and start the road to his just punishment.
After that was done, we could then regain our independence. So let us look on the bright side of one of the more absurd speculations of the great clown.
Maurice Mearon
St. Clements
Potash power
Just wondering if U.S. President Donald Trump and company know what potash is and where it comes from. U.S. food production will be vastly impacted, including prices, if something should happen to that supply. The U.S., I understand, only produces three to four per cent of what Canada does and the bulk of the Canadian potash goes to the U.S.
If Trump wants to destroy best-buddy relationships, cheap potash can also go out the window. The rest of Canada would have to compensate Saskatchewan for the lost revenue, but we have our own wrench to throw at an anti-Canadian /world bully. This is in addition to energy and other critical materials and counter tariffs .
We should be best friends with the U.S. but we should not be bullied by the twisted aspiration of the world’s new tyrant. He does not hold all the cards and the rest of the world is quickly having enough of him.
Harold Wiens
Winnipeg
Reworking regulations
Re: Probe into literacy one of human rights commission’s top priorities (Jan. 16)
The Manitoba Human Rights Commission’s renewed commitment to improving literacy outcomes in Manitoba, notably pertaining to the challenges children and their families face with respect to the identification, assessment and treatment of learning disorders, is laudable. In my opinion, it would be greatly facilitated if the current government were to immediately support the establishment of an inclusive professional regulatory framework for all psychologists in Manitoba — a move that would very quickly alleviate long wait times with respect to the diagnosis and treatment of learning disorders as well as other neurodevelopmental disorders.
While master’s-level trained psychologists working in schools — by virtue of an exemption clause that precludes oversight by a professional regulatory body — provide a wide array of mental health services, a restriction on the provision of identical services outside of their work environment is adversely affecting the availability of services to children and families, especially in rural and northern areas of our province.
Similarly trained psychologists in provinces like Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador do not face restrictions with respect to title, scope of practice and independent practice that currently exist in Manitoba.
If Manitoba is serious about improving access to the diagnosis and treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders, aligning our provincial regulatory framework with those of other provinces would not only would extend the scope of practice for those already working here, but also make Manitoba more attractive to qualified professionals who might want to relocate to Manitoba.
Vern Kebernik
Gimli
