Handling Russia the Canadian way
Re: “MPs, Ukrainians call for probe of Russian atrocities,” April 9.
So, after emptying our limited storage of weapons from our military to give to the Ukrainians, with nothing left to donate/transfer, let alone for our own military’s needs, our federal politicians have decided to bring out the “big guns” (pardon the pun) to put the Russians in place.
Let’s form a government commission to conduct a general inquiry on Russian activities in Ukraine. The poor Russians in the Kremlin must be quaking in their boots over this bold Canadian initiative.
One can only imagine how many months/years this commission will take to study the obvious … yes, the Russians are bad guys.
But before this, the commission will have to travel from coast to coast to coast, with bilingual services offered, the need to consult with First Nations, first-class hotels and travel expenditures for the participants, ensuring every province, municipality and special-interest group are involved (at government expense), while ensuring that no one’s sensitivities are hurt. Meanwhile, any committee reports will be delayed due to the “complexity” of the subject.
The most likely outcome, after all the time and expenditures involved, will be the recommendation to form a Royal Commission, to repeat the process all over. That will teach the Ruskies a lesson.
Meanwhile, to show our resolve in actual material assistance to the Ukraine and our military, in last week’s federal budget, the military expenditure is increased by $8 billion. Sounds like a lot, but wait, this is over a five-year period, or $1.6 billion a year.
With a total federal government budget of $452 billion in fiscal 2022, this represents an impact of 0.35% of the budget. Boy, that’s putting your money where your mouth is.
One can only imagine that in next year’s federal budget this “commitment” will have been conveniently forgotten.
Meanwhile, the bureaucrats in the Ministry of Defence (not our military personnel) are decades behind in replacing our aging naval ships and aircraft, while the army is severely limited in its on-the-ground capacity to deal with the current and changing world geopolitical situations to protect our nation’s interests and values.
No wonder Canada is not taken seriously by countries around the world.
Peter Davis
James Bay
Loss of doctors will affect us all
All of our cherished family doctors’ fees for service have been nickel-and-dimed down to the point that they can’t financially continue to operate their practices.
It all started with the introduction of medical clinics. Businesses over individual family GPs.
Now even those can’t make a buck. Doctor’s fees again. The erosion of the one relationship we all will need at some time in our life, no matter who we are. Our doctor. And with it, consistency of care.
Kevin Norman
View Royal
Give us health care, not public relations
The B.C. government’s latest bandage on the festering wound of primary health care follows the familiar pattern: “We’re investing $X million to add Y.”
How much will this help? Does it solve even 0.1% of the problem? Data about current shortfalls are literally a state secret.
Patients with no access to primary care. Growing waits even for those with a family doctor. The number of minutes a day that any walk-in clinic in Victoria is open to patients.
The gaping chasm between the promise and reality of urgent primary care centres. The waste, lapses and catastrophic health outcomes when longitudinal family practice is supplanted by episodic care.
This isn’t a private company safeguarding proprietary competitive information. Health care is a vital public service we’ve tasked the government with managing. If “our representatives” won’t tell the truth for fear of partisan political consequences, who will?
Hiding facts citizens need to make informed health decisions is unacceptable. Full disclosure is essential, even if it provides ammunition against the government of the day. Legally mandated with third-party oversight.
We are owed more than public relations. Transparency, oversight, and accountability cannot remain optional.
Mark Roseman
Victoria
Fine for veterinarians, but what about doctors?
Re: “B.C. doubles number of subsidized seats in veterinary college to address shortage,” April 4.
I shook my head just reading the headline.
I certainly do not begrudge shortening the waiting time for family pets to receive care, or for farmers and ranchers to access a veterinarian, but what steps is the province going to take to address the critical shortage of family physicians in British Columbia?
Barbara Humphreys
Victoria
Cutting off pipelines and economic harm
If cutting off the Russian pipelines is the best way to cripple the Russian economy, then why did the United States and Canada voluntarily cut off their own pipelines?
Al Skiber
Parksville
Eroding our faith in governments
Re: “NDP cabinet changed Police Act as all-party panel was reviewing it,” April 9.
Thanks to Les Leyne for bringing to attention the government’s repeated practice of passing legislation while all-party committees are reviewing the subject matter.
At a time when trust in government is a global crisis, such cynical acts do nothing to reduce public scepticism.
It’s hard to understand why the government would want to undermine the work of legislators when there does not appear to be a level of urgency that would make the case for doing so.
I am sure the members of these committees don’t appreciate it, and it certainly colours my opinion of how our government works. I won’t fasten flags to my back bumper yet, but this is the type of thing that does erode faith in politicians.
Michael Hill
Esquimalt
A budget that is insensitive to renters
What the budget failed to address was the 30 per cent of Canadians who rent either because they simply cannot afford a home or choose to live in rental accommodation.
Everybody is entitled to a roof over their head, and a secure one at that. We go to great lengths to provide for the homeless, but ignore that large proportion of the working population that lives at marginal levels.
They deserve the security that a rental home should offer.
Yet we read of daily instances where affordable rental homes are pulled down to make way for expensive condos.
Legislation should be in place to guarantee renters a long-term home for as long as they wish to stay at a fair rent.
If their home is demolished, then the developer or the city should be required to provide interim housing and a guaranteed place in the new development at a similar rent.
Homelessness does not arise from a shortage of houses for those who can afford to buy, but as a result of those that are displaced from affordable rental space that is their home.
Anthony Rose
Victoria
Balanced-budget ideas are abandoned
Re: “Missed-budget penalty scaled back for B.C. cabinet ministers,” April 7.
This is a disgusting indictment of responsible governance in our province.
Retroactively reimbursing these “servants of the people” 20 per cent back for not performing their previously agreed balanced-budget mandates is unacceptable. All swept under the carpet.
The private sector and ordinary households cannot survive permanently abolishing balanced-budget principles.
Where are the protests in the streets around the legislature by suffering taxpayers?
Ian Mackay
Victoria
Eventually, the debt has to be repaid
Who could argue that low-income folks need to be able to go to the dentist? Who could dispute that people need an affordable place to live, and have access to health care? We are a rich First World country.
So why can’t our federal and provincial governments provide services without creating huge debt? Businesses and individuals who manage finances this way go bankrupt eventually.
Not my problem, but the chickens will come to roost, down the road. Shame on all politicians who vote to borrow for re- election.
Phil Harrison
Comox
The size of the deficit indicates a problem
Like many Canadians, I’m concerned about the federal deficit. But I’m not concerned that the deficit is too large. I’m concerned that it’s too small.
There are many other deficits that are more concerning: health care, long-term care, cost of living, infrastructure and climate mitigation to start. The pandemic has exposed what was already broken.
As the saying goes, we have to build back better. We cannot do that if we’re trying to balance the budget.
The federal government has the capacity to sell more bonds so budget deficits are not a problem. The needs of people have to come first.
Kip Wood
Nanaimo
Those fighter jets are gas-guzzlers
Ottawa has set a mandatory target for all new light-duty cars and passenger trucks to be zero-emission by 2035.
Yet that same government has announced it is buying 88 of the F-35 fighter jets that are big gas-guzzlers. Each F-35 jet will burn 21 gallons of fuel per minute, and these 88 jets will be around for at least 30 years.
That is an immense amount of fuel being burned and pollution being created. This is certainly not a green initiative, so why is it happening?
Roger Cyr
Victoria
Real problems are found elsewhere
Re: “Oak Bay has anarchists, Oak Bay has troglodytes,” letter, April 9.
I want to thank the letter-writer for taking a swing back at the elitist attitude shown by this, and many residents of Oak Bay. I live here too, but am embarrassed to say that sometimes as I’d surely get lumped in with horrible selfish attitudes.
Apparently social problems have borders. While bylaw officers in Victoria need two police officer escorts to avoid getting assaulted on a daily shift, I look out into the park I back onto, and see our police ticketing a dog owner for something.
I bet someone living around here phoned the police and demanded something be done to stop it. And they came, because we have privilege here, and aren’t willing to help people with real problems five minutes up the road.
Jeremy Walz
Oak Bay
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