Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 15, 2024, Winnipeg, Manitoba Responsibility in health worker safety Re: Arbitrator sounds alarm over HSC safety, gives Shared Health month to fix problems (April 11) Carol Sanders’ article “Scathing report assails HSC security” outlines serious concerns relating to the security measures at HSC and the failure of Shared Health to keep employees and users of the health-care system safe. Workplace safety is a fundamental responsibil- ity of anyone who is responsible for management of a workplace. The employer as well as individu- al managers are not just morally responsible for safety; they are legally responsible and should be held accountable. Perhaps if this were to occur they wouldn’t ignore safety issues in the future. TOM PEARSON Winnipeg Don’t dilute Holocaust history This letter is in response to the comment made by Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt during Tuesday’s public works committee meeting at City Hall, where he referred to the executive director of Bike Manitoba, Mark Cohoe as a “bike Nazi.” Whether this comment was made in haste or in frustration does not excuse the impact that our words have in the public domain. As an educator and human rights advocate, I always teach my students that the words we use have power and can have consequences, even if there was no malice intended. However, with the continuing rise of antisem- itism in our world today, we must be even more aware of what we say and the context in which it is being said, as this could lead to further prov- ocation and justification for others to use these terms. I have no doubt that Coun. Wyatt acted out of haste, but as a public figure he needs to see how this could look in the context of the current social and political environment. Using the term “Nazi” to define or describe people is a form of Holocaust distortion and triv- ialization which can perpetuate antisemitism and cause unnecessary conflict and fear within soci- ety. Holocaust education is one way to help people understand why these phrases and statements are dangerous to be throwing around in a city hall meeting. Coun. Wyatt should know that this is not a professional way to act and demonstrates the lack of awareness of the power of words, espe- cially those related to fascist and Nazi ideologies. We must remember that the Holocaust did not begin with gas chambers, but with anti-Jewish laws that further contributed to the indifference of a nation, leading to the state-sponsored exter- mination of six million Jews and other people deemed unworthy of life. I do not write this letter to have him resign, but to reinforce the impor- tance of Holocaust education and the importance of the words we choose to use in a professional capacity. We must stop using misplaced compari- sons and normalizing antisemitism, as it leads to the trivialization of one of the most tragic events of human history. KELLY HIEBERT HEAD IB HISTORY TEACHER WESTWOOD COLLEGIATE Winnipeg Long-term lake plan needed Re: Keep Clear Lake open after zebra mussel scare: province to feds (April 9) Stopping trail maintenance and closing several backcountry campgrounds does not usually find me defending Riding Mountain National Park decision makers. However, the potential zebra mussel infestation in Clear Lake leaves administrators in a very difficult situation. Extensive testing and con- sultation prior to making a decision regarding watercraft on the lake this summer would be difficult enough. The premier and environment minister, as well as area merchants, advocating to ignore the potentially preventable infestation and carry on business as usual appears to ignore science, complicate planning and could prove to be reckless. National parks have a mandate to protect for future generations not to sell out for short-term interests. Actions most likely to protect the lake should be taken. If that means closing the lake to all watercraft while high risk areas are treated, that is the correct action. Afterwards, personal watercraft and boats without bilges could be permitted for use solely on Clear Lake. Larger boats that were inspected early in the season and stored within RMNP could likely be safely permitted this summer while a decision regarding future use of such boats on the lake is carefully considered. Effective leadership on this issue should not be a short-term popularity contest, but rather re- quires a well-researched plan that is most likely to benefit all, including area merchants, for years to come. CLARK WILKIE Winnipeg Rudeness not new for some Re: The deterioration of common decency (Think Tank, April 12) It’s not that I disagree with Dave Taylor — he makes good points about the increasing polar- ization of politics, the falsehoods and pejoratives slung by public figures, the coarsening of online and in-person behaviour — but as I read his op- ed, it occurred to me that he may belong to one of society’s privileged classes. Because people from marginalized groups — racialized or LGBTTQ+ individuals, the disabled, women, etc. — have had ample opportunity throughout history to experience rude, intimidat- ing, foul, abusive or violent behaviour. We’ve seen that “common decency” is often a veneer, so none of this is shocking. It’s just that a slice of it is now being shared with a wider audience. CHERYL MOORE Winnipeg Poilievre’s plan There seems to be no shortage of misleading dialogue in the opinion section on the approach of the federal conservatives and the matter of climate change. The general consensus being that Mr. Poilievre doesn’t recognize the urgency of climate change as evidenced by his “axe the tax” campaign. Had folks attended Mr. Poilievre’s speech a couple of weeks ago, they would have heard him speak of a much more aggressive and realistic approach to dealing with climate change. That be- ing, investing in infrastructure needed to market our liquefied natural gas (LNG) to coal-producing nations. Specifically on the east coast of Cana- da. The U.S. is way out ahead of Canada on this, with production facilities and shipping already happening on their east coast. Our current leader supposes that there isn’t a business case for selling to Germany, Japan and now Greece, who have all come calling for our resources over the last year. The U.S. takes in $82 million a day from the sale of LNG. That would be welcome income for our country, while at the same time, seriously addressing the matter of climate change instead of the virtually insignificant use of a carbon tax. BRIAN MCWHIRTER Winnipeg Enough about inquiries Re: Trudeau expressed frustration about ‘sensa- tionalized’ leaks of intelligence (April 10) Are inquiries becoming covert electioneering funded by taxpayers? Increasingly, politicians demand public platforms from which to criticize actions by opponent parties, especially those in government and to communicate their own views, mostly critical ones, to Canadian voters. It is time to ask what benefit taxpayers get from such political grandstanding. It is expensive and detracts from time that elected politicians could spend actually working on behalf of Cana- dians. Consider this inquiry into political interference, or so it is portrayed. Much relevant information cannot and should not be public, as it provides information of value to sources of threat. Even deciding what can be advertised to our adversar- ies must consume considerable resources. Surely a closed-door process would allow better access to information, identification of risks and corrective actions. But that would not allow the posturing so en- amored by politicians in constant election mode. Inquiries offer greater impact on voters than whining in Parliament, another waste of taxpayer money and is cheaper than political parties hav- ing to pay for campaigns! JIM CLARK 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 inclu- sion 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@winnipegfreepress.com Think Tank submissions: opinion@winnipegfreepress.com ● 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 COMMENT EDITOR: RUSSELL WANGERSKY 204-697-7269 ● RUSSELL.WANGERSKY@WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM A6 MONDAY APRIL 15, 2024 Military renewal moving too slowly I T’S a changing world — and it’s changing fast enough that Canada may have trouble keeping up. On Friday, we carried an op-ed on our Think Tank page written by Takeo Akiba, Japan’s national security advisor. We carried it not just because it was an interesting piece in its own right — outlining Japan’s 2022 decision to change its stance on its military, increasing the size and capabilities to improve its ability to play a larger role in protecting the rule of law in the world — but because Canada should think about doing the same thing. Because there are signs that the United States is pulling away from that role. Thursday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida took Japan’s message one step further, telling the U.S. Congress, “I detect an under- current of self-doubt among some Americans about what your role in the world should be. This self-doubt is arising at a time when our world is at history’s turning point. The post-Cold War era is already behind us and we are now at an inflection point that will define the next stage of human his- tory. The international order that the U.S. worked for generations to build is facing new challenges, challenges from those with values and principles very different from ours. Freedom and democra- cy are currently under threat around the globe.” So why the sudden interest in a Japanese policy change from a Manitoba newspaper? Simple — because Japan’s place among nations in the post-Cold War era has had some similar- ities to Canada’s. And they may be offering an important lesson. Last Monday, the federal government continued the process of slow-leaking its budget plans ahead of Tuesday’s federal budget and one of the many topics was Canada’s military. Labelled Our North, Strong and Free: A Re- newed Vision for Canada’s Defence, the new pol- icy particular spells out improving the Canadian military’s arctic capabilities. That spending got what has become a tradition- al Canadian budgeting tactic, regardless of who’s in power — you could call it the Alice-in-Wonder- land method, with no jam for your toast yesterday or tomorrow, but plenty half a decade from now. In the case of defence spending, it was $72.3 billion in new net spending over the next 20 years. But only $8 billion of that would be spent in the first five years of the program. That amount of spending would mean that, even by budgetary year 2029-30, Canada would still be spending less than the two per cent of GDP that we have committed to NATO that we would be spending on defence. And the Canadian military was told to come up with cutback savings of $4.4 million already this year. The new program may have good numbers, but it has a lousy timeline. Quite simply, we’re gear- ing up for potential future military challenges far more slowly than we should be and far more slowly than many of our traditional allies. We share a huge and, well, melting Arctic Ocean with a militarily aggressive Russia. As Prime Minister Kishida rightly points out, freedom and democracy are under threat around the world, but the United States suddenly seems fickle. The U.S. brought its full attention to Iran’s attack on Israel this past weekend. But while the Americans leapt to Israel’s aid, the U.S. Con- gress has dragged its feet on helping Ukraine for months, deliberately turning support into a political game of chicken. There are significant portions of the United States government that don’t seem to care about democracy in the way that they once did. Is it any wonder that American allies might start to have doubts? Having Canadian military spending set to increase significantly — but not during the next five years — is a horrible misreading of the global barometer. EDITORIAL Published since 1872 on Treaty 1 territory and the homeland of the Métis AP PHOTO/JACQUELYN MARTIN Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida addresses a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress, April 11. ;