Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - March 3, 2022, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A6 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COMNEWS I TOPICA6 THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2022 Give Ukraine troops, planes Re: Freedom will triumph over tyranny: Biden (March 2) In his State of the Union address, U.S. President Joe Biden said, “Throughout our history we’ve learned this lesson — when dictators do not pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos.” Apparently we haven’t learned our lesson, because what the rest of the world appears to be doing is watching as Putin takes over Ukraine as Hitler took over Poland in 1939. Yes, the world is sending supplies to Ukraine and imposing sanctions against Russia, but that is not enough. Ukraine needs military assistance, as in boots on the ground as well as planes in the air. Not doing so because Ukraine is not a member of NATO is a flimsy excuse — Putin will not stop with Ukraine, just as Hitler did not stop with Poland. We need to do more! GILLES ROCH Winnipeg Hoosli Male Chorus inspires Re: ‘Ukraine’s glory has not yet died,’ choir belts out (March 1) As a Manitoban and a Ukrainian Canadian, I was delighted to see before Tuesday’s Winnipeg Jets game the Hoosli Ukrainian Male Chorus sing the Ukrainian national anthem. The True North organization truly showed its colors: blue and yellow. PETER JOHN MANASTYRSKY Winnipeg Boycott Ovechkin hockey games Re: Capitals star Ovechkin addresses Russian invasion of Ukraine (Feb. 25) Alex Ovechkin’s evasive response to queries about his relationship to Russian President Vladimir Putin is pathetic. Putin was a despicable human even before the invasion, staying in power by poisoning and imprisoning his opponents. Ovechkin is not a victim of disinformation and still chose to harness a friendship with Putin, while being well aware of his psychopathy. Fans should manifest their disapproval by placards, by their voices and by forfeiting attendance of games involving Ovechkin. IVAN BILASH Winnipeg Buhler’s Russian link queried Re: Russian-owned Buhler Industries unaffected by sanctions, so far (Feb. 26) A statement from the company manager of Buhler Industries says that “while it is owned by a Russian company it is a Canadian company.” This sounds like a contradiction in terms. It further states that it hasn’t exported goods to Russia since 2019 and that it’s business as usual. Still, it seems to me that profits from its reve- nue stream will be going to the Russian owners. Where that money ends up is a question that deserves being answered. ROB JACKS Winnipeg Russian TV channel missed As of Tuesday, Russian television RT.tv is no longer available on the Shaw TV cable network. RT.tv gave context and background to news reports that is missing from Canadian news sources, including CBC. It’s like we live in a nanny state that tightly con- trols what we are allowed to watch on cable news. VAL GAFFRAY Winnipeg Glad Axworthy at helm Re: Readying for refugees (Feb. 28) I am glad Canada is willing to accept a leading role in taking in Ukrainian refugees. We should accept as many people as we are able. Also, it’s awesome to see the familiar face of Lloyd Axworthy at the helm. I know he will be a great help in assuring those who want to come to Canada will be given first priority. KEN CAMPBELL Winnipeg Not losing sleep over senator Re: Manitoba down a senator for a year… and counting (March 2) And no one even noticed or cared. Perhaps we all wish we were down a few more. JAMES ROBERTS Winnipeg Traffic-light journalism important Re: Winnipeg’s photo-enforcement system was set up for profit rather than protection, critics charge (Feb. 26) I would like to express my satisfaction about the stories on the city and traffic lights, which I consider an issue of true importance to the people of Winnipeg. How is the city spending our tax dol- lars? Can there really be transparency regarding public works? I look forward to more of the work by research- er Christian Sweryda. LAURA SORIANO Winnipeg Suspicious of Poilievre’s leanings Re: Spirited leadership race will aid Conserva- tives (Editorial, March 1) The perceived strengths and weaknesses of Jean Charest and MP Pierre Poilievre notwith- standing, Canadians of all political leanings should note that Poilievre stated unequivocally that he stood with the protesting truckers. His support remained steadfast even as they demand- ed the lifting of vaccine mandates and the prime minister’s resignation as conditions for removing their trucks from downtown Ottawa and blocking Canada-U.S. border crossings. By so doing, they were conferring the right of Canadian policy-making to themselves, not to the democratically elected government, the very government Poilievre now wants to lead. At the very least, he needs to convince Canadi- ans that, as prime minister, he would demonstrate greater fealty to democracy and the rule of law than he has shown in recent weeks. This task will not be easy. HENRY WEDEL Winnipeg Stastny should stick to hockey Re: Stastny gave $1,000 to convoy protesters (March 1) Jeff Hamilton’s article is a good reminder that while we can applaud what athletes do on the ice/ field/court, we should be careful not to idolize them. Paul Stastny’s convoy donation, Alexander Ovechkin’s cozy relationship with Vladimir Putin and Aaron Rodgers’ anti-vaccination views clear- ly demonstrate that being good at a sport does not make someone a perfect human being. These athletes are as imperfect and complicated as the rest of us. Just as I wouldn’t put much stock in an infec- tious diseases specialist’s thoughts on how to operate a power play, I don’t put much stock in Stastny’s thoughts on vaccinations or mandates. JIM HARRIS Winnipeg Your article outing Paul Stastny for contribut- ing to the “freedom convoy” is based on informa- tion illegally hacked from a website and is shame- ful. He is not a politician or a community leader. There is no public interest served by this public exposure of his private opinions. He had a right to expect his donation would remain private. I have seen Stastny interviewed many times. He comes across as a calm guy with opinions that are well thought out. Even if you disagree with his opinions on the protest, as I strongly do, he did not deserve to be treated so unfairly by the Free Press. ROB MCCONNELL Winnipeg So, Winnipeg Jets forward Paul Stastny is scared of where Canada is going. It would be nice if, instead of making such a generalization, he could actually enlighten us about which freedoms he has lost in the short time he has resided in Canada. He has indicated a mistrust of mainstream media and government overreach. To equate the situation in our democracy to one that his family was forced to flee is ludicrous. I wish Paul all the best in the future and hope that, as his father and uncle did, he will find a country to support the freedoms he so highly values. BRIAN DYCK Winnipeg Paul Stastny doesn’t like the direction Canada is headed, but likes it enough to work here and earn millions of our dollars. I call that a clear case of hypocrisy. BRIAN SHORT Winnipeg LETTERS TO THE EDITOR WHAT’S YOUR TAKE? THE FREE PRESS WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU. The Free Press is committed to publishing a diverse selection of letters from a broad cross-section of our audience. The Free Press will also consider longer submissions for inclusion on our Think Tank page, which is a platform mandated to present a wide range of perspectives on issues of current interest. We welcome our readers’ feedback on articles and letters on these pages and in other sections of the Free Press ● Email: Letters: letters@freepress.mb.ca Think Tank submissions: opinion@freepress.mb.ca ● Post: Letters to the Editor, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, R2X 3B6 Please include your name, address and daytime phone number. ● Follow us on Twitter @WFPEditorials OUR VIEW YOUR SAY PERSPECTIVES EDITOR: BRAD OSWALD 204-697-7269 ● BRAD.OSWALD@FREEPRESS.MB.CA ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM A6 THURSDAY MARCH 3, 2022 Aiding Ukraine is simply returning the favour W HEN bombs explode in Ukraine, Mani-toba feels the reverberations and shud-ders. This province is geographically distant from the country under siege, but the separation of thousands of kilometres and an ocean can’t weaken the special bond between Manitoba and Ukraine. The 182,000 Manitobans of Ukrainian descent are understandably appalled by news coverage of citizens in their homeland huddling in under- ground corridors and shelters, or caught in traffic jams while trying to flee the country. Their outrage is shared by many Manitobans of different ethnic backgrounds who, even with- out a personal family link to Ukraine, remain distraught to see the country attacked by Rus- sian invaders at the direction of a dangerously deranged tyrant. The public support is visible. Thousands of Manitobans gathered beneath the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag on the legislative grounds last weekend, some chanting “Glory to Ukraine,” and Winnipeg Jets fans on Tuesday evening gave an extended standing ovation after the Hoosli Male Chorus performed Ukraine’s national anthem. But many Manitobans want to move beyond symbol- ism and take specific, tangible action. We can support boycotts. We can donate money and goods to help Ukraine. We can pray, as Mani- toba churches have been doing this week. Perhaps most importantly, we can prepare to accept Ukrainian migrants when the time is right. To sharpen the focus so our humanitarian efforts are most effective, an appropriate place to begin is consultation with leaders of the Ukrainian community in Manitoba. They are well equipped to advise how best to help. Winnipeg serves as the head office of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, and is the spiritual centre of both the Ukrainian Catholic Church of Canada and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Can- ada. Officials in these and other Ukrainian organi- zations maintain on-the-ground contacts in Ukraine. A local Ukrainian official said this week some Manitobans have already offered to help welcome Ukrainian migrants, but it’s too soon to expect a flood of migrants, as most of the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians who have fled their bomb-ravaged country are temporarily sheltered in neighbouring European countries, perhaps waiting with hope to see whether the invasion of their country will soon be resolved. Encouragingly, Canadian governments have pledged to make it easier for Ukrainians fleeing the war to find refuge here. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last Thursday their immigration applications would be prioritized. And Manito- ba Premier Heather Stefanson told the crowd gathered Saturday on the legislative grounds that Manitoba will take in more Ukrainians under the provincial nominee program. While such government pledges are promising, immigration watchers note Ottawa was also en- thusiastic last year when it promised to welcome 40,000 Afghan refugees and, to date, only about 8,000 have been allowed in. The gap between in- tention and action on immigration matters is well known to Lloyd Axworthy, who chairs the World Refugee and Migration Council. His group urges Ottawa to tap into communities with a sizeable Ukrainian community — Mani- toba has the highest per capita of any Canadian province — for a fast-tracked private sponsorship program, and also for measures such as organiz- ing flights to Canada and deploying Canadian visa officers near Ukraine. When Ukraine migrants do arrive, Manitoba’s well-established Ukrainian community can lead the way in offering safe sanctuary among people who speak the language, share their culture and under- stand the challenges of adapting to a new country. Generations of Ukrainian immigrants have earned a high regard for their contributions to this province. During a crisis of catastrophic proportion, Manitoba can return the favour by offering to help where it’s needed most. EDITORIAL DANIEL CRUMP / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Thousands gathered at the Manitoba legislature in support of Ukraine. Published since 1872 on Treaty 1 territory and the homeland of the Métis A_06_Mar-03-22_FP_01.indd 6 2022-03-02 8:55 PM ;