Conservative interim Leader Candice Bergen speaks in the House of Commons on Feb. 28.The Canadian Press
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Prospective renter
Re Ottawa Paid Almost $20,000 To Prepare Stornoway For Interim Tory Leader Bergen (March 21): Perhaps the Leader of the Official Opposition should be housed in an Airbnb from now on.
Edie Lewis Brantford, Ont.
Stop it
Re The West Is Allowing Vladimir Putin To ‘Escalate’ His Way To Victory (March 18): Finally, someone has referred to Vladimir Putin’s victory route and Herman Kahn’s Thinking About the Unthinkable. Western leaders should recognize what they are allowing to occur.
They should make a credible threat and, if need be, disable a Russian ship or two, for example, and finally find out whether Mr. Putin will live up to his vague threats. It may be unthinkable, but his escalation of the war and humiliation of the West cannot be allowed any further.
David Grimes Ingersoll, Ont.
In my humble opinion, there is only one outcome and end to the war in Ukraine: Russian citizens, politicians and military leaders must take control of their country from Vladimir Putin.
I see no room to negotiate a face-saving outcome for Mr. Putin and his immediate supporters. No one should give them that opportunity. They should be arrested for war crimes and tried in Russia or the International Court of Justice – no leniency, pardons nor safe passage to neutral territory.
Unfortunately, I suspect the West and Ukraine may seek a ceasefire, which Mr. Putin would use to recast his war efforts for later reprisals.
John Edwards Langley, B.C.
Re Might Canada Be Able To Afford Both Guns And Butter? (March 18): Let me enlighten Mélanie Joly on “convening” negotiations and ceasefires. I have been involved and frequently in charge of such negotiations on at least a dozen occasions in four countries.
In one country, the former European Community had a habit of arranging ceasefires during two-day meetings in neutral territory. They would declare a time when ceasefire would commence, which was usually in 24 to 36 hours to give time for word to reach opposing forces. My tiny command was to enforce it.
Sounds good, right? What happens is that opposing forces know they have 36 hours to secure more territory. Fighting and killing intensifies. During one particularly nasty increase in fighting, I said to the United Nations and EC, “For God’s sake, please no more ceasefires.”
Our country’s military, in spite of political leadership, will continue to perform on land, sea and air whenever asked and make us proud.
Lewis MacKenzie Maj.-Gen. (ret’d); Mississippi Mills, Ont.
Canadian response
Re A Global Economic Cold War Is Coming And It Could Change The World (March 21): Sanctions are designed to hit an adversary while reducing collateral damage, but it is ordinary citizens who fall prey to its serious threats. To see Canada’s active participation in this form of warfare is deeply concerning to me and should come to a halt.
The ruble is worth less than 1 cent because of tightening sanctions. This decrease in purchasing power means shortages in food and medicine, unaffordable health services and higher rates of unemployment. Such a turn of events unequivocally jeopardizes the survival of civilians.
It is vital that Canada remember this war is of Vladimir Putin’s making, not the Russian people. The government should reassess its use of sanctions. To stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine should not equate to the destitution of ordinary Russians.
Ifsia Zaman Burnaby, B.C.
Re Canada Can Still Fulfill Our Commitment To Afghan Refugees (March 17): I applaud columnist Robyn Urback for reminding us that we have successfully, and in a timely manner, integrated Syrian refugees into Canada, and we will do so with Ukrainian refugees escaping this shocking war.
But I fear for the Afghans still stranded and facing retribution for having worked for Canadians in a conflict zone. They, too, were promised refuge in Canada.
We are a wealthy, multi-ethnic nation that should have more population growth, increased refugee allocations and immigration staffing – and the political will.
Diana Chastain Toronto
Safety first
Re The World Has Changed. Our Policies Will Have To As Well (Opinion, March 19): A little over two years ago, we were hit by a pandemic and caught underprepared: out-of-date protective gear, too few masks and the list goes on. Now we find that less than a month after war has broken out, our military cupboard is bare. If we were actually defending ourselves, we likely couldn’t.
So what else are we unprepared for? Massive earthquakes? Nuclear fallout?
Government is responsible for the safety and protection of citizens. We cannot afford to fail a third time.
Colin Lockhart Florenceville-Bristol, N.B.
Prime location
Re To The East (Letters, March 21): If Cornwall, Ont., became the eastern terminus for an oil and liquefied natural gas terminal, as suggested by letter-writers, any vessel loading there will be very restricted in size by the requirements of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Cornwall seems to have as much chance of becoming an oil and gas hub as the suggestion of Churchill, Man., which is icebound for a majority of the year. Let’s get a pipeline built to a year-round deep-water port in Atlantic Canada and forget the pipe dreams.
John Wright Oakville, Ont.
Hello, Canada does not stop at Quebec.
I invite Canadians to travel down to the Maritimes and partake of our wonderful provinces – and ask why pipelines don’t reach us. It’s a question I have been asking for years.
Edna Pollock Fredericton
Looking at a map, considering markets and accounting for the national interest in establishing a presence in the North, it seems an obvious candidate for an oil and gas terminal would be Churchill, Man.
The big icebreaker we need for the North would have real purpose and the military would have another asset to protect. Then again, in the West we decided to snake tanker traffic through the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Gulf Islands, Strait of Georgia, English Bay and Burrard Inlet, rather than Prince Rupert, where it would be a few boat lengths to open ocean.
A pipeline would also be thousands of kilometres shorter to Churchill than anywhere further east. There would be no Ontario or Quebec to deal with. There would be muskeg and polar bears, though.
Bill McEachern The Blue Mountains, Ont.
Letters to the Editor should be exclusive to The Globe and Mail. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Try to keep letters to fewer than 150 words. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. To submit a letter by e-mail, click here: letters@globeandmail.com