‘Do something’
Dear Editor:
Please put your money where your heart is and support the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) and their Ukraine Humanitarian Fund. It’s easy and quick to do, and so necessary. Instead of complaining alone, or just worrying because today it’s today’s issue, do something.
What would you do if your 18-year-old son was recruited today into a fighting force against an evil vicious aggressor. The embassy of the Russian Federation is at 285 Charlotte Street, Ottawa, ON K1N 8L5. Consular General of the Russian Federation 17 Bloor St.E. South Tower, Suite 801, Toronto, ON, M4W 3R8.
Put a Ukrainian blue/yellow flag on your Facebook page, in your window and on your lapel. Tie a yellow (andblue) ribbon round your old oak tree, tie them to your car aerial, get some blue/yellow balloons at Looney Tooney, etc. Talk to your kids. Support your Canadian ethnic Ukrainian friends and neighbours, and listen. Approach your Canadian ethnic Russian friends, and listen to their concerns. Don’t judge them.
But, to quote the Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.N. Sergiy Kylsyltsya regarding President Vladamir Putin, “There is no purgatory for war criminals. They go straight to hell.”
If you pray, get at it. If you don’t, catch up. It’s not all about you and your ever expanding never satisfying list of today’s made-up rights or your tribe of the day. It’s about us, not against the them. If you are one of those that uses the phrase “We are all in this together,” then be the tolerant person you state you are and follow your motto. We is not you.
Ask a person who survived a holocaust, or East Germany or the hell-hole that was Soviet Europe. Abandon Twitter’s curse of division. Communism, socialism, Marxism and progressivism and that sorry lot will always promise to serve and satisfy, while always in the end, only desire to destroy and dominate, even its own proponents much to their shock. Always.
We are all broken, and if you think you are better than the others you are mistaken. Do something, while you are still allowed.
Protesting at your high school about an issue is not bravery. Bravery must be earned, not given by opinion. People who fight with their bare hands for their very lives are heroes with true courage, and deserve all our support. We have it so well, and we are so ungrateful. It’s about all of us.
David Hawkins,
Wellington North
‘Lost the plot’
Dear Editor:
I sincerely hope that the readers of this paper who have been sending in letters dramatically bemoaning the loss of their freedoms in this country are paying close attention to the situation in Ukraine and Russia and realizing just how impudent their whining comes across when presented with examples of what real oppression and real conflict look like.
“The government has declared war on its own people”? “Here lies Democracy, dead because of Dictatorship”? Some Canadians have really lost the plot.
How long have we seen “No more lockdowns” and “F*** Trudeau” signs and flags “gracing” the roads of our country with, unsurprisingly, zero repercussions? How long did the “Freedom Convoy” sit blocking other citizens from gainful employment or a good night’s rest before they were even asked to disperse?
Look to Russia where protests against the unlawful invasion of a neighboring country are instantly met with hundreds of arrests, where 18-year-old kids can get arrested for hanging a “No to war” sign from their apartment balcony – that is what real oppression looks like.
We’ve been spoiled rotten by decade after decade of peace and freedom, and that privilege appears to be lost on many. I can only hope that this awful turn of events in Europe is at least providing a wake-up call to those claiming to be the true champions of freedom that they’ve been busy tilting at windmills.
Jarrett Quan-Hin,
Erin
Rights vs. privileges
Dear Editor:
The Ottawa truckers leader spoke of his rights to protest. But he did not realize a right also has duties as well as privileges.
In order to sit on a parking spot he must pay for that right – and by the minute! In order to park on a highway and block the rights of other riders to use that roadway, he has no right, he can go to a special rest area but he must leave the roadway open for other drivers.
With our rights do come privileges, but we cannot expect that we can only have those privileges. Our rights must be paid for through taxes or licences.
In a downtown area our parking space is also meant for a specific use: parking spots for parking only. It is not to be used for an amusement tent or cooking pit, etc. or other short-time activity.
There is a vast difference between a right and a privilege (perhaps teachers should teach these differences to students in civics class). Hopefully this will be evident to the next generation!
Sytske Drijber,
Rockwood
‘Real tyranny’
Dear Editor:
It’s hard to imagine how just a couple of weeks ago, we Canadians were subject to a bombardment of protest by a “freedom convoy” and their breathless supporters about how our country is ruled by a tyrant, how our media is full of lies, and how our freedom has been stolen. This now seems like a distant memory, but sometimes history moves extremely quickly.
Since then, an actual tyrant has sent Russia’s sons to die in a war of aggression. Thousands of Russian citizens have now been imprisoned for simply protesting their own government’s actions, police crack down in their cities to prevent others from joining the protests, and the Russian state-controlled media manufactures disinformation and propaganda. And tragically, it’s now the Ukrainian people being subjected to bombardment, not of protests, but of actual bombs and missiles.
All I can say is thank God I live in Canada. These people, who were free to abuse Ottawa residents and block our borders and trade all those weeks, they should be thankful too. They were given all the time in the world to have their say and make their point … and when they finally outstayed even this most generous of welcomes, they were treated carefully and respectfully by police. No crackdowns, no deaths, just a handful of arrests. Restoration of order, Canada style.
Does the convoy understand now what real tyranny and oppression looks like? Will at least some of them realize, as the city skyline of Ottawa fades in their rear view mirrors, how much closer freedom is than it appeared?
Chris Klein,
Fergus
Positive sign?
Dear Editor:
RE: Federal Emergencies Act invoked for first time, Feb. 17.
At the end of this article by Jordan Snobelen, it says “Signs were already showing on Tuesday that the federal measures were working …”
This is not accurate.
The Ambassador Bridge situation was solved the previous Sunday and the border blockages were already in the process of resolution using and enforcing existing laws. The Ottawa “occupation” could also have been resolved if laws were enforced before they had partied for two weeks.
While the prime minister hid and hurled insults the “protestors” became emboldened. In the end all the Emergencies Act did was get tow trucks.
The previous legislation, the War Measures Act, was only used one time – except for the two World Wars – by former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and he did not get re-elected so maybe some good will come from this.
George Milne,
Cambridge
Divide for political gain
Dear Editor:
RE: Declaration of war, Feb. 24.
Your “Editor’s note” at the end of this letter gives me the impression that Trudeau’s invoking of the Emergencies Act was no big deal because any actions taken through the act must respect Canadians’ constitutional rights.
Try telling that to supporters of the Freedom Convoy whose bank accounts and credit cards were frozen, so that they were (and I believe many still are) unable to spend their own money on food, gas, heat, rent, mortgages, etc.
The protestors were no doubt guilty of being a nuisance and overstaying their welcome, but by most accounts this was a peaceful protest that did not endanger the lives of any Ottawa citizens. And Barry MacKillop, deputy director of FINTRAC, told the Commons finance committee that as far as his agency is concerned none of the people whose accounts were frozen intended to bring down the Canadian government or destabilize the country’s economy.
On Nov. 30, 2020, during farmer protests against agricultural reform laws that had brought parts of India, including the nation’s capital, to a standstill, Trudeau told a virtual gathering of Sikh Canadians that he stood with the protestors.
He said: “I would be remiss if I didn’t start by recognizing the news coming from India about the protest by farmers. The situation is concerning … Let me remind you, Canada will always be there to defend the rights of peaceful protesters. We believe in the process of dialogue … This is a moment for all of us to pull together.”
By vilifying peaceful protestors and supporters, refusing dialogue, and needlessly invoking the Emergencies Act, Trudeau, supported by the mainstream media, showed that he was willing to divide this country for political gain.
Henry Brunsveld,
Puslinch
Another election?
Dear Editor:
It’s a shame that politicians are elected because they are popular and not because they are smart.
The Emergencies Act was recently invoked in Ontario. Why? It was invoked because the government wanted to use force to remove peaceful demonstrators in Ottawa. Let us not argue over whether the demonstrators were right or wrong. The demonstrators were there for three weeks and achieved national media exposure.
My disagreement is with the use of force to remove them. The government could have simply cordoned off the demonstrators and not let any fuel or supplies through. Without fuel for heat or food the demonstration could have been ended without force.
Should Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have met with the demonstrators? Again let us not argue the point, let us just admit that Trudeau, had an opportunity to end the demonstration without force and choose not to accept it.
According to Trudeau the unvaccinated are racists and white supremacists. He and other politicians have led the charge to ostracize the unvaccinated.
Politicians and other public figures have been blaming the unvaccinated for the COVID-19 epidemic. Are the politicians and other public figures correct? You be the judge.
If you summarize the number of COVID-19 cases reported daily on the Ontario government website, for the period Aug. 9, 2021 to Feb. 26, 2022:
– the number of unvaccinated people that caught COVID-19 totaled 110,754 cases;
– the number of double vaccinated people that caught COVID-19 totaled 380,305 cases.
Is there an early election on the horizon?
Ross Chaulk,
Wellington North
*Editor’s note: Considering about 86% of people in the province have received at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, the vaccinated outnumber the unvaccinated by over 10 million. Data shows that as of Feb. 28, an unvaccinated person in Ontario is more likely to test positive for COVID, is six times more likely to be hospitalized with it and almost 12 times more likely to end up in an ICU than a person with at least two doses.
‘Absurd’ rhetoric
Dear Editor:
Our physical and mental well-being are not the only things that have suffered deterioration at the hands of COVID – so too have our language and our political discourse, as manifested weekly in your letters pages.
First, I would ask someone from the other side of the barricade to explain how a prime minister who heads a minority government in a still-functioning democracy can achieve the status of dictator. Every week at least a few letter writers dismiss, condemn, curse Justin Trudeau as just such a creature.
While I am not a particular fan of the prime minister (or of any other political leader or party, for that matter), I have to tip my hat to him if he has managed to wrest totalitarian control of our federal government by using the simple methods of democracy. Until I hear from the other side of the barricade, I will continue to assume that this is just one more example of the sloppy, lazy—even pernicious—use of language by someone who cannot be bothered to address ideas squarely and fairly.
According to Wayne Baker, our prime minister “declared war on his own people.” Now perhaps I’m being a bit too sensitive in view of what is happening at the moment in Ukraine, but I find such emotional, irrational, simply exaggerated language to be downright wrong and hurtful. Our government declared war on COVID – not literally but certainly figuratively – and it certainly declared war on Germany and Japan in WWII.
But, really, Mr. Baker, do you equate emergency measures to end the occupation of a city-centre and international crossing-points with an actual act of aggression by the federal government against you or against me or against any other Canadian? Get real, please, before you escalate your rhetoric to even more absurd levels.
Our country is facing a dire crisis, as is every other country in which COVID still rages. As I write these words a new Omicron variant has appeared, which may be even more contagious. And also people are dying at the hands of invading armies. It seems obvious that this is a time for measured, thoughtful responses to what is happening in our world.
All of us need to step back, take a deep breath, and silently commit ourselves to pulling together to get ourselves out of these messes, regardless of where we tend to place the blame for creating these messes in the first place.
I’m not a religious person, so I won’t end my letter by invoking God to curse or bless any individual, group or nation (even though we obviously need all the help we can get!), but I will ask all those within my sphere of influence to be a bit more sensitive to the meaning of every word we express because, simply, every word matters.
Richard Giles,
Mapleton
Buyer’s remorse?
Dear Editor:
RE: County donors gave over $24,000 to ‘Freedom Convoy,’ Feb. 24.
I supported the trucker convoy.
Yes, I am one of “those people”. The problem is I was missed on the list! Somehow I was left out of Dragnet and I am not too happy about it. They failed to catch me, and make me famous. Oh well, maybe next time. Perhaps I’ll donate to the “wrong” church, or some other crazy idea.
The good news is now I realize that abandoning my fellow man after risking so much to be heard so little, in the middle of winter, would probably have been a better idea. I am truly sorry. I thought I was helping, but I was so, so wrong.
From now on I will trust only in the safety of government, and not deviate in any way from thinking that is not provided through trusted sources.
Chris Beresford,
Arthur
Shaming or lifting?
Dear Editor:
RE: County donors gave over $24,000 to ‘Freedom Convoy,’ Feb. 24.
Is it really helpful for your community to know that an elected official donated $200 to the Freedom Convoy on Feb. 6? Are you trying to shame him or are you lifting him up?
If you are trying to shame him, please note that he was one of many random rural Canadians who donated to the GiveSendGo campaign. On Feb. 6 there was no way of knowing how the convoy would turn out.
Many fully vaccinated people supported the convoy with small donations – it just seems to many people that perhaps we have had enough mandates.
I have heard from a number of people who said if they did not push as hard to get everyone vaccinated, they probably would have. But many people feel vaccination should be a personal choice.
Osiah Horst,
Cobden
Other side of fence
Dear Editor:
RE: Rae sums it up, Feb. 24.
Bob Rae sums up what, hypocrisy? “…An occupation is not a protest. A blockade is not a freedom, it blocks the liberty of all. A demand to overthrow a government is not a dialogue…”
Why did Bobby not write this during the Mike Harris years? Were there not enough train and bus terminals, entrances to workplaces, etc. occupied and blockaded to warrant Bobby’s attention?
How about blocking Queen’s Park and spitting on Conservative MPPs? How about CUPE leader Leah Casselman, in a speech reiterated in every city the protesters crippled, stating their goal to “…bring down the Mike Harris government before the next election”?
Do you suppose his sudden epiphany might have something to do with this behavior crossing from his side of the fence to the other?
Spencer Duxbury,
Harriston
Sidewalk maintenance
Dear Editor:
RE: Sidewalks, Feb. 23.
I would like to echo the comments made by Paul Taylor in last week’s Advertiser. Our roads are generally well maintained during winter but sidewalks are definitely an issue.
To be fair, I believe township staff do their best but if, as a community, we want to promote active and sustainable transportation, the condition of our sidewalks in winter has to improve.
In 2023, our council has approved the addition of bike lanes and improvements to sidewalks along St. David Street as a “starting point” to promote active transportation. In accordance with MTO regulations, the new bike lanes must be kept clear during winter.
I only hope that when this is required, that our council also has a plan to keep the sidewalks that run alongside the bike lanes, clear too.
Edward O’Shaughnessy,
Fergus
Campaign advertising?
Dear Editor:
Isn’t it interesting that even before any election campaign officially begins, there is a campaign underway by the governing party before the election campaign?
It is no coincidence that all of a sudden we are being bombarded with messages on TV and radio about how great it is in Ontario. Videos of plans for new roads, etc. They always end with “Sponsored by the Province of Ontario”.
They should add in this case, “And for the benefit of the Conservative Party.”
Don Senek,
Minto
Editor’s note: *The following letters were submitted prior to the Feb. 23 announcement by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the federal government was revoking a declaration of a public order emergency under the Emergencies Act.
‘Morass of extremism’
Dear Editor:
Recently I wrote a letter expressing my frustration and disappointment with the conduct of the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada, who had expressed support for the so-called “protestors” who blocked international bridges, occupied downtown Ottawa, traumatized ordinary residents and harassed health care professionals.
The convoy of malcontents received cash and full-throated support from the extremes of the American far right. This was combined with deliberate efforts to spread misinformation by Fox News, Rebel News, and other media sources that are purveyors of angertainment.
I also called on my Member of Parliament, Michael Chong, to speak out against those extreme voices in his party. I watched his speech about the Emergencies Act with great interest.
What I saw was a thoughtful, reasoned and rational argument put forward in a coherent, disciplined manner.
I remain unconvinced about Mr. Chong’s position that existing laws would have solved the problem of the occupation in a timely manner.
A month of political paralysis arising from the failures of multiple parties and multiple levels of government inflicted unprecedented chaos on the citizens of Ottawa. However, I am impressed by Mr. Chong’s demonstration of what a parliamentarian should do in a time of national distress.
My sincere hope is that the thoughtful, rational voices of Conservatives like Michael Chong will counterbalance the efforts of others in his party to lurch into the morass of extremism that makes the Republican Party in the U.S. almost unrecognizable.
John Hirdes,
Elora
Trump comes to Canada
Dear Editor:
We are a country that can express our opinion. But when it goes beyond a peaceful demonstration and affects fellow Canadians from making a living and having a peaceful sleep then it is all about them.
Our economy is under enough stress.
For a Conservative to say it was just a parking problem we have an issue.
All governments need to do better. The world has changed; too much social media, wrong info. This is another war. Too much anger. This is addressed to that young man who gave me the finger when I asked him to keep his distance.
Appreciate our health care workers – we all need them. I cried when I saw what was going on in Ottawa and elsewhere. Trump has crossed the border.
Touche to our Olympic athletes who carried our flag with pride.
Norma Seibert,
Elora
Naked PM?
Dear Editor:
The emperor has no clothes. His name is Justin Trudeau.
Chris Woode,
Fergus
More to be done
Dear Editor:
Ottawa has declared a state of emergency. If we, as Canadians, expand our vision beyond our own country and needs, we might look to Afghanistan to see what a real state of emergency might mean.
A financial system that has collapsed, assets frozen in American banks, no money to pay for labour or food.
The media that I watch, listen to, and read has been covering this crisis since Canada, the United States and other NATO partners fled from the country in August 2021, leaving the people there to a slow death.
We know what winter can be like in Canada; so do the poor, the children, the homeless, the disabled, the malnourished know what it looks like in a country ravished by decades of war.
In Canada, we can make a difference if we want to do so. It seems to me, we don’t, so we continue to look inward. COVID coverage has taken up 98% of our news for the past two years.
Don’t we ever get tired talking about ourselves and our problems as if there wasn’t another world out there that deserves our attention and help?
Starvation kills in Afghanistan. There is no vaccine against it. Call your MP, organize protests, write opinion pieces.
Ask the Canadian government to do more.
Janet Calderwood,
Rockwood
‘Big dictator’
Dear Editor:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has created a different type of dictator with help of the NDP, firing anyone that says he is showing favours to corrupt dealing or doesn’t agree with him.
Free speech on social media will be outlawed. He has already closed bank accounts without just cause.
Every major blockade and protest is financial supported by foreign money, especially in the oil industry. Beware, big dictator is watching.
Kenneth Chapman,
Belwood
Like father, like son?
Dear Editor:
Just a quick history lesson about how the Constitution and Charter of Freedoms and Rights came about. I was not aware of this myself until I researched Brian Peckford, the last surviving premier directly involved with the forming and writing of these two documents.
This historical moment happened over a 17-month negotiation process in which the prime minster at the time, Pierre Trudeau, left the table half way through and initiated an act through the House of Commons to unilaterally patriate his version of the Constitution and Charter.
Three court cases arose to challenge his constitutional authority to do this, one from Newfoundland, one from Manitoba and one from Quebec. On Sept. 28, 1981, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on all three accounts that what the prime minister was trying to do was unconstitutional and he could not continue without the support of the provinces. Trudeau was forced back to the table.
It was the proposal from the provinces over the night of Nov. 4/5, 1981 that led to what we have today, not Trudeau’s proposal that was defeated by his own court, the Supreme Court of Canada. Sterling Lyons, another premier at the time, was concerned that the government in the future would do the same thing that Pierre Trudeau tried but failed, and will find a way to “usurp” individual rights and freedoms. This sounds like very strong language, but it comes from again someone who was there at the time and found that the prime minister at the time could not be trusted to negotiate in the best interests of the people of Canada.
Does this sound like that phrase “history repeats” itself? With this tidbit of political history truth, you decide. Brian Peckford lives in British Columbia and speaks regularly about his concerns of what has happened over the last two years.
Michael Thorp,
Mount Forest
Trudeau tyranny?
Dear Editor:
This letter is in response to recent letters from several concerned patriotic Canadian heroes (Swavin, McClure, Van Grootheest Kruskie, Charbonneau and probably others).
The only logical culprit as to who hacked GiveSendGo is our federal government, led by Justin Trudeau, who called the truckers and all Canadians who disagreed with his views of the freedom convoy narcissists, racists and misogynists.
He likened us/them to swastika-waving Nazis, confederate white supremacists and property-destroying vandals. I don’t know about you but I don’t know anyone who falls into those categories. Not my family, not my friends, not my neighbours – no one. Imagine that.
I really would like to know how many you personally know that are certified prosecutable Nazis. Anyone? I didn’t think so.
So let’s get back to GiveSendGo. No one but our federal government has any reason to hack this site and then publish names, amounts donated and who they donated to. Our current anti-terrorism laws are such that any unlawful activities can be detected and handled legally. We didn’t need the Emergencies Act. Our RCMP, OPP and municipal police forces have all the tools they needed to clear the bridges and borders.
Yes, there were a few bad apples. There always is, but they are certainly not representative of honest law abiding Canadians. Trudeau’s overreach is absolutely disgraceful. Look at his record: blackface, seducing women, embarrassing vacations to India and becoming a national laughing stock, the WE charity and SNC-Lavalin contract scandals, forcing Jane Phillpot and Indigenous and finance minister Jodi Wilson-Raybold out of their positions and now the use of a law only to be used during a huge national disaster or a declaration of war.
What will it take to get rid of this dictator? Please don’t stop supporting freedom. The opposite is tyranny.
Ronald White,
Mount Forest
*Editor’s note: There is no evidence to support the claim that the federal government hacked GiveSendGo data.
New model needed
Dear Editor:
There are more than two Canadian federal parties. As I write this Ottawa is finally being cleared and only two things have changed: the police chief resigned and the Emergencies Act was enacted.
Quoting MP Michael Chong in the Advertiser, “The only issue is Ottawa and there it’s not lack of tools but other issues that are the problem.”
Could Mr. Chong please explain this statement while we are seeing action to remove people who called for the removal of an elected government?
Looking at the actions of the two main Canadian political parties you would think that parliament was a poorly run school yard with two bullies pouring out juvenile and crass remarks at each other while there was no adult supervision.
It is important for these two parties to remember that normal Canadians are appropriately disgusted with both for these vary same reasons.
While party-blinded individuals look to throw out boiler plate nonsense to try and silo the politically unaffiliated majority of Canadians when they dare state the obvious about a party’s representative’s remarks, it is best to remember that come election time we will remember that there are more than two political parties in Canada.
The recent displays are about as relevant as two old guys arguing about which of the two old truck brands is the best.
Thinking Canadians know there is more than two truck brands and it may be time to try a new model?
Thomas Althouse,
Fergus
Setting a bad example
Dear Editor:
Family trips to the Ottawa protest? What’s next, tickets to the Ukraine? Like numerous other Canadians I have found the last few weeks to be stressful and concerning. The events that I have watched are something that I attribute to the COVID-19 global pandemic. We are told that this pandemic has resulted in a marked increase in persons seeking treatment for mental health. Possibly for some this translates into a need to participate in a protest.
For me these last few weeks have been very disappointing. I am disappointed in the federal government’s handing of the Ottawa protest. I am also disappointed in the Conservative Party for their handling of this protest as well. Both parties appear to have turned this event into a political game where each party was more concerned about scoring political points. It appears that showing good leadership was not important. The heckling (verbal abuse) that I witnessed in the House of Commons, mostly by the CPC members, was childish and ill timed. I am a life long Conservative supporter and now I question that.
I am also disappointed and concerned by two Letters to the Editor that I read recently in the Advertiser. Is it possible that these are “spoof” letters? I find it hard to believe that parents would take their children to the Ottawa protest rally and hope to see violence. In addition to being a total waste of fuel, it seems totally irresponsible that a parent would do this.
Hopefully the Wellington Advertiser admits that these letters are not genuine and were only published to stimulate discussions by it’s readers. Over the years I have read many great letters to the editor in the Advertiser.
The majority of these letters reflect readers that are articulate and are expressing views that are both civil and well thought out.
Dave Dorman,
Erin
*Editor’s note: The Advertiser is unaware of any “spoof” letters that have been printed in recent editions.