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Many in need
Re: Pharmacare finally taking shape (Editorial, Feb. 27)
Thank you for the editorial regarding the Liberals and NDP reaching an agreement to launch a national pharmacare program. There are indeed so many prescribed medicines that are very expensive, and private medical plans are expensive to maintain and are limited in their coverage.
There are many other medicines that I hope will also be covered, for example, pain control medicines that are based on cannabis medicines. I am not talking about products that can be purchased at cannabis stores, only those medicines that are prescribed by a physician and filled at pharmacies, all legitimate and approved by Canadian medical health.
There are over eight million Canadians who have to live with incurable chronic pain conditions, and while these medicines are not for everyone, those that can be helped may be one step closer to living normal, decent lives. Thank you.
Judy Herscovitch
Winnipeg
Power-saving mode
While I support the further development of green energy supply, I am also a strong advocate for resource conservation.
How much electricity would be conserved if people/households turned on only the lights needed at that time, instead of having the house “all lit up” most of the time?
The same applies to water when taps are (conveniently?) running more or less continuously and needlessly.
Most countries in the world frown upon these practices, shaking their heads while commenting: “only in North America!”
Birgit Detscher
Winnipeg
Squandered opportunity
Re: Federal, Manitoba governments offer more money on northern railway and port (Feb. 23)
As much as I applaud the commitment by our federal and provincial governments to reopen and upgrade the rail line and the existing port facilities of Churchill, it’s done nothing to alleviate the problems obstructing Arctic Gateway’s success in the long term.
Twenty thousand tons of ore departing Snow Lake per summer generates merely two trainloads of revenue. That’s a far cry short of the millions spent to reopen that line and the additional millions in revenue necessary annually to maintain its operational status as a Class 2 rail line. Shackling your financial wagon to two existing mines in northern Manitoba, hopes of a golden stream of wheat flowing north, and boatloads of tourists hasn’t been and isn’t a recipe for a railway’s financial sustainability.
I fault both levels of government for failing to stand and be counted. It is a perfect opportunity to place Canada and Churchill front and centre on the world’s stage.
Churchill should be an export terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG). At the risk of being labelled a heretic in today’s environmental climate, LNG is still a far greener option than what the world relies upon. Canada has within its borders fuel that the world needs. It would supply Europe with heating fuel it so desperately needs, in the process depriving Vladimir Putin of money he relies on to fuel his ongoing attack against Ukraine.
The federal government can turn reconciliation into action, not merely a slogan. Arctic Gateway could be running LNG north, showing that we’re working on behalf of the citizens of Alberta, that we are committed to NATO, and not just in words (it sure hasn’t been our financial contributions to our military in recent years). Canada could be a deciding force for Ukraine and for the environment.
There comes a moment in everyone’s life when it’s “stand up and be counted.”
It takes a leader to show us the way forward — for all our benefit.
Tory Phinn
Winnipeg
Hold Hamas accountable
Why is the world letting Hamas get off scot-free?
The Hamas terrorist attack on the people of Israel on Oct. 7 was splashed across news channels and in print for all to see.
The true brutality, which I am not going to go into detail on, came in bits and pieces over the next several weeks. One detail I will focus on is the taking of several hundred hostages from southern Israel, on the border with the Gaza strip.
Many of the people living in that area of Israel were committed to finding a peaceful solution to the problems and were working in partnership with Palestinians of similar belief. As well many youth were attending a weekend music festival in the area.
Israel immediately demanded the return of the hostages. When that did not happen, they began an incursion into the Gaza strip, which has since developed into the situation we see today.
The brutality of the Hamas terrorist attack exhibits a blatant disregard for the lives of Israelis and their allowing the current situation in Gaza to continue exhibits the same disregard for Palestinian lives.
This should not come as a surprise to anyone aware of the treatment Hamas has visited upon their own people for over a decade.
I, like so many, want the current situation to end. This can only be achieved via a negotiated settlement, which of course would take agreement on both sides.
Watching a variety of North American news channels, I see report after report showcasing the Israeli incursion and hear the pressurization on the Israelis to agree to a ceasefire. The Israeli government, like them or loathe them, has repeatedly declared that the war could end in an hour, if the hostages were released. Rarely, if ever, do I see or hear of any pressure being put on Hamas to release the hostages.
Why is this? Is it that the world actually supports Hamas? Is it that people are so afraid of Hamas that they fear calling for the release of the hostages to end the war? Is it because people don’t actually care about the Palestinians and want to use them as pawns in this conflict? Is it anti-semitism in a newly subversive manner? Perhaps it is all of the above.
The world needs to hold Hamas accountable for the Oct. 7 attack and the kidnapping of Israeli citizens.
The world needs to hold Hamas accountable for not seriously negotiating an end to this war.
The world needs to hold Hamas accountable for not caring about the people they profess to represent by allowing the war to continue.
It is time for the world to respond to Hamas by seriously pressuring them to play a responsible role in ending the terrible suffering of the Palestinian people by releasing the Israeli hostages.
I hope the March 10 deadline round of negotiations will result in a positive outcome for all. Israel has agreed to come to the table. Now it up to Hamas.
Chris Melnick
Winnipeg
Look at it this way…
Many Canadians watching the Israeli attacks on Gaza may feel torn between the two sides of the conflict. Who can tell which one is right? The issues are complicated, but the following scenario might help to clarify the question.
Imagine that authorities in Winnipeg had reasonably reliable information saying that a gang of violent criminals was operating from a building somewhere on Henderson Highway or Portage Avenue. Perhaps the police even knew the exact location the gang was using.
However, instead of going to arrest the criminals and put them on trial, the authorities set off bombs in apartment buildings or grocery stores all around the area on the assumption that gang members might possibly be hiding there or that there might be sympathizers at those locations. Would anyone accept those actions as legitimate? I highly doubt it.
In Canada, we like to think that we uphold values such as the rule of law and protection of the innocent. I read today that the government is suspending arms sales to Israel because of public pressure in light of the high death rate of Palestinian civilians.
We need to keep up that pressure to ensure that our leaders demand accountability in Gaza and Israel.
Susan Huebert
Winnipeg
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