Opinion
Taxes worth it
Re: “Campaign on what helps” (Letters, March 28)
Those running for Parliament at this time really need to understand that many of us (a majority, I believe) realize promises of tax cuts, if actually made, have to be accompanied by reductions in the essential services that our taxes pay for.
We cannot pay for the many benefits we enjoy as Canadians without paying taxes to support those benefits.
I happen to think that’s it’s worth paying the taxes.
Gary Robson
Winnipeg
Dismayed by union response
Re: Province hopes to pluck nurses from the U.S. (March 27)
Manitoba’s health minister announced efforts made to recruit nurses from the U.S. to our province. I am at a loss for words at the response from Darlene Jackson, head of Manitoba Nurses Union.
After years of expressing concerns about the nursing shortage in our province, she basically trashed our province saying nurses would be better off working in California. Does this help our government’s efforts to increase the nursing work force numbers here? No. Is this bordering on unpatriotic, given that the U.S. is not a friend of Canada? Absolutely.
Perhaps it is time for Jackson to step down and for someone who supports Manitoba and stands up for Canada to take her place.
Ariel Lee
Winnipeg
Time to renegotiate
There was a time when the United Kingdom was the force to be reckoned with in the world. Then, during the Cold War, the president of the United States started to be referred to as the “Leader of the Free World.” That all changed when Prime Minister Mark Carney said the current relationship between Canada and the United States is “over.” And more importantly, there is no turning back.
Retaliatory tariffs is the road we have started down with our current leadership. The leader of the Conservatives wants to tell the U.S. to “knock it off” so we can get back to being friends. Ian Lee, of the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University, wants us to demand the renegotiation of all issues between the two countries, including immigration.
Lee’s proposal has merit but I wonder how it would be received by the man who is currently in the Oval Office. I believe in Canada so I have faith that in the hands of Mark Carney, we will find a new way in the world.
Ianthe Warner
Winnipeg
Problems with ‘common sense’
The other day I received a political brochure in which the Conservative Party of Canada boasted that its election platform is based heavily on common sense.
Now, common sense has some applications such as: don’t dive into deep water if you can’t swim; don’t light a cigarette if you’re standing in a puddle of gasoline; and don’t skate on thin ice unless you’re in a hockey rink.
Each of these is a relatively simple rule to offset a dangerous consequence. However, when the term “common sense” is nominally used as the major background for a plan of action, it is highly suspect. There is little “common” in common sense. Common sense is not a universal concept. Nor is it a divine truth. Whatever is posed as common sense varies considerably from person to person.
Most often, politicians use the term common sense when one, two or three things are in play: the political party does not have a viable platform; or the party hopes to delude a portion of the electorate into believing that there are simple solutions to governing the country’s affairs; or the party is using the term common sense to disguise their real political intent.
Any one, or all three, should raise concerns for the thinking voter. Furthermore, common sense tends to have its roots in the past. A case in point is the Conservative MP who during the pandemic kept denying that a COVID-19 vaccine could be developed in a few months when it took decades to develop an anti-polio vaccine. The relevant science had changed. We are in the 21st century. The whole world is changing, environmentally, population-wise, knowledge-wise etc.
We need politicians who have the capability and the mindset to utilize the best knowledge available to meet Canada’s needs. And we don’t need politicians who create or are looking for scapegoats.
Canada is a very complex country. It is huge geographically, has multiple regions and each has its own history of regional development and a variance of resources. We are a diverse nation and we are working hard at recognizing and supporting our diversity. We should be proud of our international reputation. We have a solid education system, a solid medical-care system and a non-political judicial system, all of which are open to improvement but nevertheless are vastly superior to similar systems in many other countries.
In closing, governing Canada is a complex task requiring people of intelligence, training and experience. Common sense does not lend itself to creating new, workable solutions for Canada’s governance for 2025 and beyond.
David Halstead
Winnipeg
Security clearances and hidden truths
More than a few questions surround Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s refusal to get his security clearance. Previously, he has offered weak justification. Today he merely rejects it, falling just short of calling it, “fake news.”
In the real world, many keep secrets, even harbouring them for decades in some cases. My grandfather, who served his country, signed The Official Secrets Act 1911 and my father signed The Official Secrets Act 1939. He flew Lancasters during the Second World War. The purpose of the acts criminalized espionage by prohibiting certain conduct that is carried out with a purpose prejudicial to the safety of interests, including obtaining or disclosing information which would be “useful to an enemy.”
Those who serve and have served in the Canadian Armed Forces, and those like me who serve and have served in the RCMP, all share an oath of secrecy with the same purpose as the earlier examples. Doing so aims to remove a “weak link” in the chain.
Despite what we know today about tangled webs of lies, half-truths, and big secrets, many questions remain unanswered by Poilievre, and his rejection to obtain the clearance is troubling as he wants to be prime minister. Yes, he possessed a security clearance as a cabinet minister under Stephen Harper, however he must update that when required.
The journey toward understanding of secrets is fraught with challenges yet brimming with potential. By unravelling the tangled threads of bad actors, we unlock the hidden truths that shape our lives whilst maintaining Canada’s security.
Using the Conservatives leader’s words: “that is what it means to put Canada first.”
William Perry
Victoria, B.C.
