Letters to the editor: Irony and inspiration in Pope Francis’s visit – National Post

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Readers weigh in on the Pope's remarks, Jordan Peterson's appraisal of our PM, and preserving the culture of Canada's 'Second Nation', in the Letters to the Editor

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Re: Papal visit should not obscure federal obligations to Indigenous-Canadians, Terry Glavin, July 27

Im sure the glaring ironies of the continuously referred to water metaphor, and repeated references to mothers and grandmothers in the various remarks made by Pope Francis, didnt escape many observers of his visit to Canada.

That water is the essence of life didnt need to be pointed out to those bands who still need to drink from plastic bottles on a daily basis despite Justin Trudeaus promise from 2015 to deliver clean driving water to all First Nations by 2021.

And the fact that headdressed males swarmed a stage in a disorderly and unseemly fashion to get selfies with the Pontiff while women stood on the periphery with no overt welcome to that apparently spontaneous moment spoke more loudly about the hypocrisy of womens place in the Catholic Church than could ever be over-ridden by Franciss words.

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Larry Baswick, Stratford, Ont.

I am deeply appreciative of the recent work of the Posts Terry Glavin in regard to the mistreatment of Canadas Indigenous peoples.

I have found his reports compelling and enormously valuable and perhaps more accurate and balanced than those found elsewhere within the Canadian media landscape.

And I am in awe of the measured, gracious comments from Canadas Indigenous leaders in Glavins articles. Their dignity in the face of these horrors should inspire us all.

Al Coates, Cambridge, Ont.

Re: Worst is yet to come from Trudeau Liberals, Jordan Peterson, July 27

If only one of the comments garnered by Jordan Peterson from conversations during his travels is true, it is an indictment of Justin Trudeau, the Liberal Party of Canada and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh. Canada is indeed the laughingstock of the world.

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Canada was once a proud country, punching above our weight in war and peacekeeping roles, a middle economy, trading with the world and a recognized nation of peace, order and good government. But the Liberals handling of the pandemic, overreaction to the truckers protest, climate hysteria, penalizing of Canadian taxpayers instead of China, decimation of our economy with constraints on our energy sector, condoning of public-sector incompetence, creation of chaos at airports, and contempt for our parliamentary system (while Britain illustrates how our democracy should work), expose a different picture. Justin Trudeau and the current Canadian government are a joke. The joke is on us.

Larry Sylvester, Acton, Ont.

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Bless the National Post for having the courage to publish Dr. Jordan Petersons appraisal of the current state of affairs in Canada. However, Postmedia must be very worried that publishing the article will jeopardize its standing as a qualified Canadian journalism organization. There is a way to mitigate the risk. Simply publish a rebuttal by noted Liberal pundit and deep thinker Gerald Butts.

Peter Keerma, Aurora, Ont.

Re: Trudeau will continue winning if Conservatives keep flip-flopping, Jamil Jivani, July 25

Jamil Jivani hit the nail on its head regarding the need for Conservatives to stop trying to cater to the left the left being bigger government resulting in greater intrusiveness into individual rights and the destruction of the fabric of a free society with all its consequences. A little more to the left and you can see the authoritarian communist party of China ruling. A little to the left and you can see the dictatorship in Russia.

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The more control a government has over its citizenry the greater the dictatorship. Nazism and communism share the same core concept, which is control by a small group using force to eventually control a society. These systems have resulted in incalculable suffering for humankind. Being in the spectrum but not on the extreme should not absolve our left-wing parties, however well-meaning they appear. The end result is always the same.

If we want to uphold freedom, the Conservatives should stop flip-flopping, whether they get elected or not.

Andr Behamdouni, Sturgeon Falls, Ont.

Re: The first rule of Poilievres Fight Club is there are no rules, John Ivison, July 27

Perhaps Pierre Poilievre is right that its time to get angry and charged up to vote and take down the real divisive monster in Canada: Justin Trudeau. Maybe Poilievres scorched-earth, take-no-prisoners approach is exactly what is needed to shake up and revitalize our failing institutions and restore a bit of trust in them.

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We keep taking the same tired, failing, status quo approach to politics and it just isnt working for the people anymore. Time for a change, even if it means tearing it all down to do it.

Corey Needer, Vaughan, Ont.

Re: Charest and Poilievre have an opportunity to build bridges between English and French Canada, Conrad Black, July 23

Pierre Trudeau was correct: French-Canadians must be masters in their own house, but their house is in Canada. Hence it is the prerogative of French-Canadians to pass laws that will protect their culture and language, and this is what Bill 96 is all about. It is the rights of the Quebec nation to take steps to preserve its heritage.

There is now Truth and Reconciliation taking place with First Nations, with all of us remembering that they were the ethnic groups that were the earliest known inhabitants of this country. Their common teaching is that people should live in harmony.

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Then came the Second Nation to inhabit Canada, the French, with Samuel de Champlain in 1608 founding what was to become the city of Quebec and New France. But then British rule took over and 10,000 Acadians, who were descendants of the early French settlers, were deported between 1755 and 1763. The Acadians had built a distinct culture and society over generations. The deportation was referred to as the Great Upheaval and the Great Expulsion. Obviously, the expulsion of the Canadian French nation was offensive and culturally oppressive.

Bill 96 should be seen as part of a reconciliation with the Second Nation, to bring harmony. It is to ensure the survival and flourishment of the Quebec Nation, to ensure the preservation of its heritage.

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Roger Cyr, Victoria, B.C.

Re: Ottawas unjust energy transition paints a bullseye on western Canada, Bill Bewick, July 27

The population of Sri Lanka is unable to feed itself after an economic meltdown and after their government forbade the use of agricultural fertilizers and pesticides. As a result of massive protests, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country, although he has said he will return at an unspecified date.

In Canada, Justin Trudeaus government has informed our agricultural sector it wants to cut greenhouse gas emissions from fertilizer by 30 per cent. When Canada experiences the resulting food shortages, let us hope Trudeau is forced to flee as well.

Robert B. Kalina, Oakville, Ont.

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Re: Canada shares expertise on moving grain from Ukraine, but faith in Russia nil, July 22

A Canadian Press article advised that some Ukrainian grain is being transported through Europe by rail.

Rail transport is complicated by the fact that Ukrainian railroads have a broad gauge (1.524 mm) track while most other European railroads have standard gauge (1.435 mm) tracks (as does most of Canada).

A way Canadian railroad expertise might help is by designing and managing the construction of a 150-kilometre standard gauge railway to link Odesa, in Ukraine, to the Bulgarian rail network for forwarding grain to shipping terminals in Istanbul, Turkey.

With war-time exigencies and temporary structures, it should be possible to construct this standard gauge trackage in several months. The Ukrainian Railway authorities have shown tremendous resilience and resourcefulness during the war and should be able to operate this railroad perhaps using 100-tonne grain hopper cars loaned by Canada.

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Derek Wilson, Port Moody, B.C.

Re: UNESCO: Nearly half of Telegrams Holocaust content contains denial, distortion, July 14

As a hidden infant child survivor whose father and whose fathers siblings and their spouses as well as other close family members perished in the Holocaust, I often wonder at the reaction of so many regarding the denial of this horror. A cursory study of Jewish history will show the presence of denial in one form or another throughout the ages.

Consider first the exodus from Egypt. From a purely secular point of view, the exodus of a slave nation from the most powerful empire on Earth, must have had cataclysmic economical, political and social effects on Egyptian society. Yet there is nary a reference to this event in Egyptian records. But Jews celebrate Passover to this day.

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And if we consider Persian sources, there is no record of the decree made almost 1,000 years after the Egyptian exodus, to annihilate every Jewish man, woman and child in the Persian empire. In the end it was a Holocaust that didnt happen. And Jews have celebrated their deliverance on Purim ever since.

If we fast forward to WWII, we note that it was the most documented war in history. We have an incredible storehouse of photographic evidence of the Holocaust, as well as the testimonies of thousands of survivors and rescuers. And yet with modern technology it is relatively easy to sophistically Photoshop extant evidence and to create new evidence.

So what do I expect my heirs to face long after I and all other survivors have gone? I am not suggesting that we, or they, should stop confronting Holocaust denial. Indeed, such denial should be vigorously opposed. Still, we should not be surprised or shocked when we see denial writ large. In the end, what is important, and lasting, is what we both Jew and Gentile pass down to our children. There will always be people of goodwill who will oppose the evil they confront. And I am alive to write this because of an extended Christian family who risked life, limb and torture to save a mother and her three children.

Eli Honig, Toronto

National Post and Financial Post welcome letters to the editor (150 words or fewer). Please include your name, address and daytime phone number. Email letters@nationalpost.com. Letters may be edited for length or clarity.

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Letters to the editor: Irony and inspiration in Pope Francis's visit - National Post