Letters: Harsh treatment of Freedom Convoy leaders was undeserved

Having spent nearly 40 years working in the justice system as a law enforcement officer, I hope I never again see it being using it as a political weapon in this country.

The charges against Tamara Lich and Chris Barber never warranted the extreme hardship they endured, while the same Trudeau government was mollycoddling serious criminals by quickly returning them to society.

For her bail appearances, the diminutive Lich was shackled in leg irons, which are usually reserved for the most dangerous offenders. To further punish Barber, there have been ongoing efforts to have his transport truck, “Big Red,” seized and sold.

What must not be forgotten is that in his January 2024 ruling, Federal Court Justice Richard Mosley declared it was unreasonable for the Trudeau government to have used the Emergencies Act to quell the Freedom Convoy.

In essence, in order to punish those opposed to his policies, Justin Trudeau ran roughshod over the guaranteed right to peaceful protest as set out in his father’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Michael Higgins is totally correct that the Ottawa police had all the weapons they needed to control or disband the Freedom Convoy, but in effect did nothing. However, the blame should not be restricted to them. The Ottawa city council also sat on its hands, as did Doug Ford’s provincial government.

By rights, those are the people who should have been sitting in the dock, rather than Tamara Lich and Chris Barber.

If Tamara Lich and Chris Barber can be hounded, jailed, de-banked and ultimately convicted of “mischief,” what of the incessant “mischief” being executed across this country by those supporting terrorism? They have been disrupting lives everywhere. Few charges have been laid and this antisocial crowd is growing in strength and size.

The lesson our political masters are teaching is plain to see. Better to be violent and wave the flag of a terrorist group than set up a circus on Parliament Hill.

It could all be halted if their “mischief” was taken seriously.

Barbara Okun, Scarborough, Ont.

Before being elected for a second term as president of the United States last November, Donald Trump promised he would end the war in Gaza and Ukraine (in 24 hours in the latter case). It appears he could finally succeed in Gaza. It could also be said that he helped end the recent 12-day war between Israel and Iran, which was no small feat.

He must now demonstrate the same resolve in the Russo-Ukrainian war. The United States and NATO have the means to force Russia and its would-be tsar, Vladimir Putin, to back down. All it takes is the will to act.

Russia has no claim to Ukraine. Moreover, Ukraine declared its independence in 1991. It was Vladimir Putin who changed the situation in the 2000s, by distancing himself from the West and democracy.

Kicking Russian soldiers out of Ukraine would not only restore Ukraine’s full independence, but also serve the poor Russians who are paying dearly for this dirty war waged by a dictatorial clique. It would also send a clear message to other countries like China, who also tempted to play the bully.

Who knows; if NATO countries intervene in such a way that Putin’s army is forced to withdraw from Ukraine and it appears that Donald Trump was responsible, he might dream of next year’s Nobel Peace Prize.

Sylvio Le Blanc, Montreal

Greta Thunberg’s shift from climate advocacy to geopolitical activism — exemplified by her role in the Global Sumud Flotilla — reflects a troubling departure from her original mission. The flotilla, which carried no meaningful aid and ignored alternate delivery routes, failed to address Hamas’s role in Gaza’s suffering. Thunberg’s silence on these complexities, coupled with inflammatory accusations against Israel, undermine the credibility of legitimate human rights work. Her actions lack ecological relevance and instead serve as symbolic, politically charged provocation.

Whether naïve or complicit, Thunberg’s selective outrage and ideological pivot are transforming her from a pseudo-principled advocate into a partisan figure. True justice demands moral consistency, not theatrical activism.

Alberta can’t recruit enough support to separate from the Canada Pension Plan and set up an Alberta Pension Plan, despite having the constitutional right to do so. If the separatists, either inside or outside of government, can’t generate enough public support to make that happen, the likelihood of full-blown separation is little more than a rainbow.

For the secessionists to suggest they’ve achieved one degree of separation from the POTUS is meaningless. Alberta is one of 13 jurisdictions in Canada. Becoming one of 51 in the U.S. without any vote in the House or Senate (see Puerto Rico) will simply result in Alberta becoming the masters of their own deception.

Paul Baumberg, Dead Man’s Flats, Alta.

One cannot fault anything Les Viner wrote in his recent column about Canada Post. I take exception, however, to the impression he leaves that the postal workers are being unduly intransigent and that everything would be better if just they were more reasonable.

Canada Post Corporation has about 75,000 employees. Canada Post offered them jobs, which they accepted. The managers of Canada Post and the Government of Canada have failed over many years to deal satisfactorily with serious structural problems confronting the corporation. For a very long time, the government and Canada Post’s employees have been aware of these problems and of managers’ failure to deal with them. While it is not the job of regular employees to fix these problems, they have been free to leave their employment at any time. Similarly, the managers at Canada Post have been working hard with their hands tied behind their backs by successive governments that have insisted Canada Post continue to provide services that are not economically viable.

Our politicians would like us to think their main job is to pass new laws, formulate new policies and fret about climate change. The fact is their main job is to ensure that the existing government apparatus is being run efficiently and effectively. The prime minister needs to stop worrying about Gaza and taking guns from farmers. His main job is to whip the delivery arms of government back into shape. Focus on Canada Post, the judicial system, the Armed Forces, the Canada Revenue Agency, passports, unresolved claims against airlines, and yes, even trade and tariffs!

Patrick Cowan, North York, Ont.

I am not in the least surprised by the postal workers’ strike. Upon returning from service in Europe in WW2, my father was rewarded with the postmastership of Stellarton, N.S. Over a 30-year career he rose to retire from the position of director for Atlantic Canada.

He had seen it all. He often (pejoratively) stated that the qualifications for a letter carrier were nothing more than to see lightning, hear thunder and understand the difference. That CUPW has initiated these labour disruptions has simply tasked postal workers with drilling holes beneath the waterline of a sinking ship.

John P.A. Budreski, Whistler

This headline and the message contained in the article will have shocked many readers. However, there is evidence that the situation is even more worrying. Public Health Agency of Canada and Canadian Institute for Health Information data suggest there are about 220,000 health-care associated infections (HAI) per year in acute care hospitals nationwide. These are infections that patients get after admission. Beside estimates of up to 12,000 deaths there is a huge cost because patients with HAIs stay longer in hospitals. In fact, it is estimated that 4,700 fully staffed hospital beds would not be needed if this problem were solved.

It is known that approximately 70 per cent of HAIs are caused by inadequate hand hygiene by staff caring for patients. The World Health Organization and our provincial health ministries require staff to perform hand hygiene before and after coming into contact with a patient. Hospitals are required to report the compliance of their staff, but the reporting is over-optimistic and ranges from 60 per cent to 100 per cent. Our research finds much lower rates.

I want to end this letter on a positive note by congratulating Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto for taking a leadership position working with our researchers to tackle this difficult and very worrying problem.

Geoff Fernie, Emeritus Scientist, Kite, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network; Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto.

Reading Terry Newman’s column about how deeply anti-Israel groups such as Hamas have influenced Concordia University’s student union made my blood boil.

We need to do more to combat this vitriol coming our way. It may mean that people in authority will have to take a stand and actually do something about the lies and hatred stemming from the various so-called “resistance and anti-colonists” who want to subvert western society and replace it with their own version of a Muslim Brotherhood utopia.

It’s time the West woke up and dealt with the enemies of our society head on. If that means arrests and deportations then so be it, or our children and grandchildren won’t have a chance. The Russian, Chinese, North Korean and Iranian governments are our mortal enemies, and as hard as it is for our elected officials to grasp that fact, we ignore it at our peril.

Ted Mead, Winchester Ont.

The playing of our national anthem in Arabic at Toronto’s Earl Haig Secondary School on the anniversary of the October 7, 2023 massacre was anything but an error or oversight. It was a deliberate attempt to create fear among the Jewish students in the school.

Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra said it was hard to believe that no one in the school knew the significance of the date. I agree with him. No educator in any of our schools would be unaware of the October 7 brutality perpetrated by Hamas, the killing of 1,200 innocent individuals in Israel and the kidnapping of 250 hostages. Yet, this travesty at Earl Haig Secondary School was allowed to occur without consequences.

Calandra referenced the blaring of our national anthem in Arabic as a legal matter; that the official lyrics are in English and French. Sadly, he did not comment on the moral issue; that of the intimidation of Jewish students.

For the past two years, Jewish students in too many Ontario schools have been threatened, bullied and belittled by classmates and even school staff without consequences. Schools are supposed to be welcoming and safe for all students. Yet, when Jewish students are targeted, little is done.

It is time for Minister Calandra to take appropriate steps to ensure the virulent antisemitism in our schools is no longer be tolerated. Teachers who do not follow the expectations set by the Ministry of Education must be dismissed.

The teacher shortage in Ontario is real, but it cannot be used as an excuse for ignoring the Education Act. The law is clear: school boards, superintendents and principals are duty-bound to ensure every student receives the mandated curriculum and consistent instruction. Staffing challenges do not erase these legal obligations.

When classrooms go without qualified teachers or when students are shuffled into situations that fail to meet program requirements, the system is breaking the very law designed to protect children’s right to education. Boards and leaders must be held accountable. If recruitment and retention are the problem, then policy-makers and administrators must put forward real solutions — whether through incentives, streamlined hiring, or better working conditions — but not by lowering standards or leaving students behind.

Compliance with the Education Act is not optional. Leadership means ensuring the law is followed even in difficult times. Our students deserve action, not excuses.

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