Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at an International Union Of Operating Engineers conference in Winnipeg, on Aug. 28.JOHN WOODS/The Canadian Press
Speak up
Re “A new Taliban law is silencing women’s voices in Afghanistan” (Sept. 2): There are few stories more dispiriting for me to read than this news from Afghanistan.
To imagine an entire population silenced by the whims of state misogyny is crushing. This is sadism.
What next? Do the Taliban criminalize the sobs and wails of their daughters, sisters and mothers?
Ron Beram Gabriola, B.C.
During a golden 20-year reprieve from the Taliban, Afghan women, under NATO protection, eagerly attended universities in droves and became productive citizens in multitudes of fields, from medicine and teaching to politics, music and beyond.
Then, in 2021, the curtain dropped again. Their worlds darkened in a flash and the barbarism began.
When will we hear massive condemnation from Islamic countries for Taliban atrocities against women under the guise of religion? When will Arab leaders pressure them to stop such inhumane treatment?
How could this still be happening in 2024?
L.H. MacKenzie Vancouver
Tear us apart
Re “Liberal staffers’ rebellion reveals growing tension over party’s stand on Gaza conflict” (Sept. 2): The free world’s democracies are being rent asunder by opposite loyalties as the war rages on in Gaza and on Israel’s borders.
Montreal’s coming by-election has been affected by bitterly divided staffers, many of whom oppose Ottawa’s tacit approval of Israel. Those who sympathize with the Palestinian people don’t feel loyal to the Liberal government. The internecine hatred is visceral. Meanwhile, there is no reconciliation in sight as the war rages on.
Daily images in the news reveal piles of rubble where once there was a city. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres states the conspicuous but seemingly incomprehensible fact: The solution is to stop killing people. Just stop.
Then, and only then, can there be a roadway toward peace.
Hugh McKechnie Sudbury
Re “Israel’s deadly incursion into the West Bank is another reminder Netanyahu seeks total victory” (Aug. 30): There is a path to remaking the Middle East in a way that recognizes the legitimacy of a Palestinian state. But as long as Benjamin Netanyahu remains in power, that will likely not happen and neither will Hamas nor Hezbollah be destroyed.
I believe the sooner world leaders accept that and push for regime change in Israel, the sooner the Middle East will be remade in a peaceful manner.
Roger Emsley Delta, B.C.
Re “Conspiracy of silence?” (Letters, Sept. 1): I am deeply moved by a letter-writer who asks if ordinary Canadians are rendered silent on the matter of antisemitism, because they are so shaken by the menace.
My pen has not rested since Oct. 7. Never in my life have I witnessed this level of hate in my midst, thrown out in university classrooms and daily life in such ordinary, almost casual, ways. I never believed it could reappear like this in Canada.
I had the privilege of working with Holocaust survivors on a memorial project. It is not normal to have synagogues and schools with barricades just so that people can be safe.
I call for provincial governments to ensure their education systems are better equipped to fight this ancient hate, for antisemitism is a gauge of the health of a democracy – and ours is doing poorly.
This cannot remain our new normal.
Karin Bjornson Montreal
Big picture
Re “Toxic rhetoric” (Letters, Sept. 3): It should be indisputable that supervised consumption sites save lives. A drug user who accesses safe drugs and safe needles will have a better chance of living another day than otherwise.
But that person will be the same person, with the same addiction, as yesterday. This cycle will likely repeat until they die of drug use or other complications. The outcome, then, is only delayed, not changed.
In a few cases, if an individual wants, they may be able to enter a rehabilitation program. And in fewer cases, this can result in a successful outcome. I know, because I’ve been there.
By providing only safe-use sites, I believe nothing will change unless we also provide proper rehabilitation opportunities. The only metric that should matter is the percentage of safe-site users who actually defeat their addictions and move on to productive lives.
Anything less than that is, frankly, benign information.
Cam Kourany Kelowna, B.C.
When we read that treatment and recovery centres have lineups at the door and interminable wait-lists, as opposed to seeing the social decay brought on by supervised-injection sites, perhaps immediate neighbours and the fed-up public at large will be more understanding and sympathetic.
Martin Wale Dorval, Que.
Beer me
Re “A new era dawns as beer and wine hit Ontario’s corner-store shelves” (Sept. 3): Does anyone recall Doug Ford ever suggesting that the cost would be up to $225-million in compensation to the Beer Store chain, in order to overdeliver on his promise of beer distribution in convenience stores this year?
Ontario doesn’t have enough money for health care and postsecondary education, but we seem to have lots of spare funds to advance the timing of increased beer distribution by a scant 16 months.
Priorities, priorities. Mr. Ford should spend on the big “stuff” that Ontario voters care about.
Stephen Kouri Toronto
How comforting it is to know I will be able to stop by a corner store to buy some coolers, to kill the pain in preparation for an hours-long wait in an emergency room. Later, I look forward to reading the inevitable economic impact study that will undoubtedly show a massive increase in employment attributable to this policy.
Cheers to Doug Ford. Well done.
Tom Driedger Toronto
At heart
Re “ ‘The best big brothers a little girl could ask for’: Katie Gaudreau pays tribute to her brothers online” (Sept. 3): When Johnny Gaudreau left the Calgary Flames, people were sad. Hearts were broken. But in time they understood his desire to play closer to home, where his heart was.
Now his sudden, senseless death is numbing, and hearts are broken again. There is no good news in this story, no silver lining. Only quiet reflection and a reminder it all could have been different.
Let’s hope people remember how poor decisions to drink and drive can break many hearts indefinitely. Rest in peace.
John Pentland Calgary
Letters to the Editor should be exclusive to The Globe and Mail. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Keep letters to 150 words or fewer. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. To submit a letter by e-mail, click here: letters@globeandmail.com