Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - September 24, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba Changing the CFL Re: CFL changes met with shock (Sept. 23) A brief reflection on the proposed CFL rule changes. Fifty-one years ago, we immigrated to Canada following up on a job offer and have stayed. I love Canada. But I have always been befuddled about Canadian football. See, in my hometown in central Kansas, population 2,700, the local high school football games draw more fans in the stands than the University of Manitoba does. And to watch CFL games with half-empty stands, with the exception of games in Winnipeg and Regina, has always been a “head-scratcher” for me. Why? How can that even be? In Kansas and every other state, football games from high school to university and the pro games are almost always sold out and some have been sold out for decades already. My armchair analysis is Canadian football needs a heavy revamp, especially the CFL, or it will continue to fade away from lack of interest. KEN REDDIG Pinawa I am disturbed by the proposed CFL rule changes. At a time when many Canadians are upset with the American government, it seems ridiculous to change the CFL to NFL North. The goal of Stewart Johnston is obvious. He wants to convert the Canadian game to a 4 down, 11 man team entity, with the ultimate aim of creating NFL North America, with American owners calling the shots by the way. The NFL would love to get its hands on a Toron- to franchise and southern Ontario money. It is darkly humorous that, at a time when Ca- nadians are saying “Elbows Up”, we are meekly transforming the CFL into the northern branch plant of the NFL. KURT CLYDE Winnipeg I’ve been a CFL and Blue Bombers fan since the Kenny Ploen and Bud Grant era. Some of the changes proposed for the game make no sense to me at all. Reducing the field to 100 yards and shortening the end zone will result in more field goal at- tempts instead of touchdowns. Having only three downs compared to the NFL has always made our game more explosive and the offense willing to take chances. It’ll be interesting to see after the first year what the total number of touchdowns will be compared to the average number per year beforehand. I am against these kind of changes. The CFL should concentrate on getting the 10th team in the Maritimes. That would add an excit- ing new perspective. VOLKER BECKMANN Thompson Return honours, make a statement Re: Canada officially recognizes Palestinian state (Sept. 22) With regard to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state without debate in Parliament and appropriate consulta- tion with Canadians, I think it would be a good idea for Jewish Canadians, or any like-minded, supportive Canadians, to return their Orders of Canada. This would show the government that they do not appear to represent Canadians as they purport to do and that the process, as well as the result is seriously flawed. Consideration could also be given to returning the King Charles III medals, as he is the head of our government. IAN J. GOLDSTINE Winnipeg Proud of Canada I write with pride and gratitude to applaud Prime Minister Mark Carney and the Govern- ment of Canada for taking a courageous and moral step in recognizing the state of Palestine. For far too long, the voices calling for justice and peace in the Middle East have been drowned out by fear, cynicism, and deliberate misinforma- tion. Some claim this recognition is premature, or worse, that it rewards Hamas. Nothing could be further from the truth. Recognition was nec- essary long before Oct. 7 — and it is even more urgent today. But it must also come with clarity: the release of all hostages and the disarmament of Hamas are essential, and Hamas can have no place in a future Palestinian government. This decision is not about rewarding violence; it is about affirming the universal right of a people to self-determination. It is about declaring that peace cannot exist without justice, and that the only viable path forward is two states — Pales- tine and Israel — living side by side in security, dignity, and peace. Canada has taken a bold stand for what is just and right. Yet recognition alone is not enough. Canada — and the global community — must act to ensure that Palestine is not merely a symbol, but a living reality: a state where its people can thrive in freedom, safety, and hope, contributing to a future of shared peace for both nations. Today, I stand as a proud Canadian, inspired by my country’s willingness to embrace justice, humanity, and peace. AB FREIG Winnipeg Tipping point Re: Restaurants struggle as more Canadians look for value, dine out less: report (Sept. 22) Is anyone really surprised that sit-down restau- rants (not fast-food restaurants) are struggling right now? A relative of mine very recently sat down to eat in a local Italian restaurant and a small plate of pasta was $28 plus tax. I was sent a picture of the plate before it was eaten, and it did look good, but the portion was smallish and when my family member got home I asked what the price was and was told to guess. Based on the portion size I said $16, and was shocked to hear $28. Now couple the high cost of meals in a restau- rant with the fact that they expect you to leave a large tip, as some restaurants do not even give you the option of no tip. This makes dining out unaffordable to a lot of regular people. Now if there were a policy that there was no tipping, that would make a difference to many people, I think. Servers are getting paid an hourly wage which is usually minimum wage, so I do not know why it is expected to have to tip in this industry when another person who makes minimum wage in another industry, such as retail, does not get tips. Why do we feel we have to tip in the restaurant industry but not other industries? Are they not worthy of a tip also? The restaurant industry should not be sur- prised it is struggling. If they want to survive a good start would be have a no-tip policy, don’t you think? RON ROBERT Winnipeg The new religion Re: Kirk a ‘martyr’ for freedom, Trump says (Sept. 22); ‘Rules for thee, not for me’ in America (Editorial, Sept. 22) There’s a new religion on planet Earth. It’s called Trumpism. Your editorial begins with this: “First they came for the student activists and then they came for the migrants and now they come for the late- night TV talk hosts. Who’s next?” The reference of the Free Press to the Third Reich is appropriate. I may be biased, but in my opinion, Winnipeg’s Free Press is the greatest news organization on planet Earth. Keep up the good work folks! RICH NORTH Winnipeg Too much death to cover Every day, somewhere in America, people are shot and killed, so I found it odd that for the last week broadcast and print media have dispropor- tionately been covering the killing of someone who I had never heard of before his death. How is this any different than the daily shootings that I never hear about? The sad truth is that there wouldn’t be enough air time to cover all the shooting deaths to the extent that this one is. The unreported ones are no less tragic or devastating, but for some odd reason far less “fit to print”! LEO NIJSSEN Grandview 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 SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 Message to the U.S. ambassador: we’re disappointed, too T HE U.S. ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoeks- tra, is disappointed with us. On a long-running meet-and-greet trip to speak with Canadians and explain the actions of a somewhat capricious American government, Hoekstra expressed that disappointment during a session presented by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce. “I’m disappointed that I came to Canada — a Canada (where) it is very, very difficult to find Canadians who are passionate about the Ameri- can-Canadian relationship,” Hoekstra said. With every bit of ambassadorial diplomacy we can muster, we beg to differ with the highest U.S. representative in Canada. He’s wrong about that lack of passion. Canadians are passionate about the Ameri- can-Canadian relationship all right — just not in the way he expects. We’re deeply insulted the U.S. president belittles Canada and Canadians, and deliberately chooses to damage the Canadian economy. Hoekstra has made other statements to Cana- dians, stressing in Fredericton, N.B., that the U.S. wants trade — “We are especially open for business with Canadians… I’m a marketing guy. I want your business,” he said. “We believe, and the president believes, that this is a relationship that has great potential for the U.S. across a range of actions, a whole range of different industries and opportunities, that we can build on what we’ve already built.” But apparently, only on American terms. He’s said similar things in Winnipeg: “Let that fabric stretch, let it take a slightly different shape, but don’t do anything to break it,” he said in Winnipeg in July, referring to the connections between Canada and the U.S. “There’s no reason why it can’t continue to be the envy of the world.” We can think of more than a few reasons at this point. One? U.S. President Donald Trump himself, who has flat-out said that the United States doesn’t need Canada or Canadian products, even though the U.S. needs — and buys — potash, oil, natural gas, aluminum, uranium, rare earth metals and Canadian energy. And that’s just the beginning. Beyond annex- ing Canada and saying how much he wants it to be the 51st state, he’s talked about changing the Canada-U.S. border, and has targeted specific Ca- nadian companies and industries for retaliation. He’s manufactured fentanyl smuggling concerns about Canada that even his own intelligence agen- cies have said don’t exist. Trump has been dismissive and insulting about a lengthy, peaceful partnership between two sovereign nations. But back to Halifax, and Trump’s perennially disappointed ambassador. “You ran a campaign where it was anti-Amer- ican, elbows up… You know, that was an an- ti-American campaign. That has continued. That’s disappointing,” Hoekstra said. Yes, it is an anti-American campaign, levelled against a blatantly anti-Canadian government. Perhaps that sort of hurt-feelings world view is not unexpected from an ambassador who, on CBC’s Power and Politics this summer, char- acterized Trump’s musings on the annexation of a neighbour and ally as some kind of term of endearment. But from the outside, that “disappointment” sounds more like sour grapes from an American ambassador who, like his boss, is peeved that we don’t know our place. Hoekstra apparently expected Canadians — and our governments — to accept a heaping helping of Trumpian tariffs, annexation threats and presidential insults with a smile on our faces and joy in our hearts. And that after a metaphorical slap in the face from an American nation we fought beside and supported through world wars, we’re also expect- ed to accept that slap and dutifully chant, “Thank you, sir. Can we have another?” If that’s what Hoekstra is expecting, he’s come to the wrong place. EDITORIAL Published since 1872 on Treaty 1 territory and the homeland of the Métis STEPHEN MACGILLIVRAY / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra ;