Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 22, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba The toll of residential schools Re: Residential schools: considering intentions and consequences (Think Tank, Jan. 20) Imagine having so little empathy that you hand- wave abuses on children as “crosses to bear” that “are not our problem.” Imagine being so dismis- sive of a century of colonialism and ill-treatment that you elevate a handpicked few instances of mild tolerance over the lived experiences and recollections of thousands of survivors. It was the stated intent of the residential school system to kill a culture and destroy family bonds — how is that ever acceptable? The implication is that Indigenous people should be grateful to not have been even more systematically murdered, as though that lets all the perpetrators off the hook. The usual excuse, unsurprisingly parroted here, is that “people of an era” thought such things were fine, so we in the modern era should accept them uncritically. This bit of illogic is as wrong about residential schools as it is about slavery, witch trials or the Inquisition. If spurious good intentions are enough to whitewash the most egregious actions, will Jerry Storie be writing next in praise of the ostensibly benign origins of these once acceptable practices? Also, the physical, mental, emotional and sexu- al abuses of residential schools are not somehow less awful, just because corporal punishment was also inflicted in other schools! For the record, I got to speak whatever language I wished with my friends in school. I got to see my parents. If I got sick at school, my parents were notified. None of my schools had a graveyard. Imagine not caring that whole generations of Indigenous children were denied all this. SOWMYA DAKSHINAMURTT Winnipeg Lifting coal moratorium is madness Re: Alberta government lifts coal mining morato- rium, critics say it’s ‘open season’ (Jan. 20) Alberta has decided to lift the open-pit coal-mining moratorium. It is completely mind-boggling that this province can be so blind to the realities of the world. Countries such as India and China that con- tinue to burn coal have air quality that cannot sustain human life. The few remaining natural areas in the world are being destroyed at an alarming rate that will eventually result in an uninhabitable world. And here’s Alberta Premier Danielle Smith demonstrating zero grasp on reality by encouraging the increase in production of atmosphere-polluting coal and the continued destruction of our natural areas all for the sake of money. Sadly, continuing with this madness will eventually lead to an environment where all the money in the world won’t help us. Rich and poor will be in the same mess. KEN MCLEAN Starbuck An important story to share Re: A story turned devastatingly personal (Jan. 20) Similar to Alison Hall, I was diagnosed with stage zero, non-invasive breast cancer in No- vember 2023. My diagnosis was the result of a mammogram, followed by a core needle biopsy a few weeks later. I didn’t have an MRI or an ultrasound even though, like Alison, I have dense breasts. My treatment plan was a lumpectomy, a re-excision and 16 rounds of radiation. I respect Alison’s choice of having a double mastectomy. I think there is still a stigma when someone hears the words “you have cancer.” When I was told I had DCIS by my GP, I asked how this is treated, and I felt good knowing it was caught early and dealt with in a timely manner. This is the first time I learned about the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool (BCRAT). Is this tool used more in the U.S. than in Canada? Will this be an opportunity for women in Manitoba to see what their risk of having breast cancer is? If a woman is classified as being high risk, how quickly can she be screened? I want to thank AV Kitching for bringing awareness to this important topic and to Alison Hall for sharing her story. CINDY KELLY Winnipeg Good news about good citizens Re: In step with dinosaurs (Jan. 20) Thank you for In step with dinosaurs. I have become increasingly reluctant to engage with the news media lately, finding the endless stream of bad news from home and around the world overwhelming with seemingly no way to make a real difference. Stories covering climate-related disasters, wars, and world leaders with no interest in the common good need to be balanced with news that encourages and inspires. AV Kitching’s article featuring Maximilian Scott was both interesting and hopeful; a young man looking back in history to help guide us into a precarious and uncertain future. I know there are many more Manitobans and those beyond our borders who are making a significant positive impact and could inspire us to become an active part in the work of making the Earth sustainable for generations to come. Let’s make sure we hear from them alongside the reminders of all that is going badly. Our world needs caring and engaged citizens now more than ever before. ESTHER REDEKOPP Winnipeg Preserve the forest Re: Seeing the forest for the trees (Jan. 19) I read Brent Bellamy’s article on the value of the Lemay Forest with interest. At a time when the papers are filled with sto- ries of the Los Angeles fires, increased attacks on sound environmental policies, and the higher fre- quency of stress and anxiety, it seems fortuitous that Winnipeg has a resource that would result in positive steps forward. Let us devote a few of our hard-earned tax dol- lars toward protecting Lemay Forest and it will pay dividends far into the future. DONNA ALEXANDER Winnipeg Poor use of tax dollars Re: Aerospace funding yet another corporate handout (Think Tank, Jan. 18) Premier Wab Kinew and his government seri- ously need to ask themselves if this is what they stand for — supporting a wealthy company with handouts, funding weapons of destruction and encouraging students to prepare for work in this kind of industry? James Wilt has done a masterful job of expos- ing the true facts about Magellan and how our tax dollars could be spent so much more wisely and effectively. ERNIE WIENS Winnipeg Wiebe deserved better Re: ‘They should have kept him and made sure he was safe’ (Jan. 17) So tragic and unacceptable that another person should lose their life when in a mental health emergency. Have the RCMP and Winnipeg police not learned how to assist people yet? Mental health care in Manitoba is appalling. What is the NDP hoping to change? Cory Wiebe deserved better, as did all the other people who have been killed while calling for help. To leave a family of seven with no provider, maybe think before you shoot to kill. How many more may die? JANE ROMANIUK Winnipeg Consider drones Concerning the police needing a new helicopter, if the Ukrainian army can fly drones carrying artillery shells and explosives hundreds of miles into Russia, dodging air defences, why can’t the Winnipeg Police Service test out if drones can replace the helicopter? They can be equipped with the same infrared high-resolution cameras and other equipment and they can have multiple drones in the air at the same time. They can be launched from almost anywhere, would be a fraction of the cost and easy to replace. It’s worth testing before spend- ing millions on a new helicopter and hundreds of thousands a year to keep them flying. JASON SUDYN 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. OUR VIEW YOUR SAY COMMENT EDITOR: RUSSELL WANGERSKY 204-697-7269 ● RUSSELL.WANGERSKY@WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM A6 WEDNESDAY JANUARY 22, 2025 Trump’s plans and executive actions get darker T HE circus has officially come to town. But it’s a sad and bitter circus. And perhaps, for Canadians, a dangerous one. Performative, reactive and revenge-driven, Day 1 of the second Donald Trump presidency brought everything from attempts to rewrite the U.S. Constitution with the stroke of a president’s pen to executive orders that will have profound effects worldwide to presidential orders that are reminiscent of the fripperies of a tinpot dictator. As Trump tossed pens used to sign executive orders to the crowd watching him sign, you have to wonder how many Americans recognize just how personally they will be affected by things like Trump’s executive order cancelling former president Joe Biden’s reduced drug prices for Americans receiving Medicare and Medicaid. An executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America? As petty and puerile as a past effort to rename French fries as “Freedom Fries” because France was opposed to the American invasion of Iraq. A plan to use an executive order to nullify birthright citizenship? Well, the 14th amendment to the U.S. constitution is pretty clear: “All per- sons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” And U.S. courts, including the Supreme Court, have decided that people born in the U.S., except for particular limited circumstances, are automatically American citizens. Another executive order to leave the World Health Organization because of its “globaliza- tion” of health care (leave aside that a global view is something you might expect to see from something named the World Health Organiza- tion)? Fine and dandy, except for the fact that the order directly contravenes a 1948 joint resolution passed by both Congress and the Senate to join and fund the organization. Pulling out of the Paris Accord? Well, we at least knew that was coming — because it hap- pened the last time Trump was president. In fact, most of the executive orders that rained down yesterday had been well telegraphed by Trump in the lead-up to inauguration. Other things are, however, suddenly seeming both more clear and more unsettling. Probably the most concerning for Canada, a neighbour and friend of the U.S. for generations, is that we find ourselves the target of possible pu- nitive tariffs and veiled and not-so-veiled threats about our natural resources, like fresh water. Trump’s inaugural address brought another sort of commitment, especially where the new president spelled out his plans for the future of the U.S.: “The United States will once again consider itself a growing nation, one that increas- es our wealth, expands our territory, builds our cities, raises our expectation and carries our flag to new and beautiful horizons.” We live right next door. When Trump jokes about Canada becoming the 51st state, tells voters that we have available resources like water that the U.S. can just take, and tells all Americans that the U.S. plans to expand its territory, well, we might want to take heed, especially as the rhetoric turns in the “manifest destiny” direction towards U.S. expansionism. The U.S. has been a great friend and neighbour for generations — there have been hiccups, to be sure. But it might be time to consider how friends behave with each other, and whether continuing to build this particular friendship should be put on hold for a while. Like, maybe four years or so, to start. We should also carefully consider how our own politicians, federal and provincial, see and ex- plain their roles for keeping Canada safe, strong and independent from a neighbour that, as Trump has said, will lean towards being explicitly, di- rectly and consistently “America First.” EDITORIAL Published since 1872 on Treaty 1 territory and the homeland of the Métis KEVIN LAMARQUE/POOL PHOTO VIA AP U.S. President Donald Trump ;