‘Military spending can become politically risky when Canadians do not perceive real threats.’ Letters to the editor for July 18

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Persistent prejudice

Re “Federal report warns of rise in antisemitic incidents against children in schools” (July 14): When I was a 10-year-old Jewish boy in Grade 5 at a Winnipeg elementary school in 1961, a non-Jewish classmate asked me: “Why don’t you leave the old man alone?”

He was referring to the then-Israeli government prosecution of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann.

My classmate was holding me responsible for the actions of the Israeli government.

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose (the more things change, the more they stay the same).

Philip Berger OC Toronto

Are those teachers still employed and those antisemitic students expelled?

Louis Bodnar Toronto

Spell it out

Re “Reviving the military is risky political business, but the threats facing Canada are far worse” (Opinion, July 12): I agree with the conclusions about both the necessity for increased spending on the Canadian Armed Forces and political buy-in.

But the article falls short in justifying why “the threats facing Canada are far worse” than the political risks because it does not adequately explain those particular threats.

The authors justify the value of military spending to improve its capabilities (which is important), but I think military spending can become politically risky when Canadians do not perceive real threats. Right now, it may seem clear who and what the threats are, but it may not always be obvious to many Canadians.

If politicians and national-security experts are going to get political buy-in from Canadians, if and when spending is increased beyond the 2-per-cent NATO defence spending target, they’ll need to ensure they are properly communicating what those threats are, rather than just saying our defence policy has left Canada undefended.

Noah Leve Montreal

Here’s a suggestion for a way to increase our defence spending and, at the same time, get a tangible and very useful result.

Order lots of additional Canadian-made CL-415 water bombers, paint them in camouflage (instead of yellow) and call it the water bomber wing of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).

With the number of wildfires raging in Canada, there’s a clear need for them. We could also rent them out to California when they have a need for additional assistance fighting their wildfires.

David Enns Cornwall, Ont.

Burning issue

Re “Wildfire smoke prompts air-quality warnings for much of Central Canada and Manitoba” (July 15): With all the air quality alerts and evacuations, it seems quite evident that Canadian wildfire agencies and politicians are resigned to the public dealing with mass evacuations, unhealthy air and destruction.

Year after year, nothing changes.

Compared to landslides, windstorms, floods and earthquakes, public emergencies from wildfires are the easiest to prevent.

All fires start small. When acted upon quickly with the right resources, mass evacuations can be avoided. As a former wildfire protection officer and incident management team member, the right type and number of aircraft dispatched on discovery determines the outcome.

With changing weather and changing landscape, fires need to be hit extra hard and fast from the air on initial attack, night and day.

Ground crews are no match for moving crown fires. Wildfire agencies and politicians must give initial air attack a higher priority.

Otherwise, we can expect more of the same – small fires turning into monsters.

Clarence Friesen Kelowna, B.C.

Re “We have to learn to live with wildfire smoke” (Opinion, July 16): A small title correction: “We have to learn to live with wildfire smoke, for now.”

While we may currently have to sit with the smoky consequences of our overheating planet (caused by decades of fossil fuel pollution), only our actions today will determine how long we will have to live with it.

If we want to lose more of our best summer days to wildfires, smoke and tragedy, then let’s keep on the same path, expand fossil fuel infrastructure, weaken environmental protections and become a cowed accomplice to our fate.

If, instead, we want to share with our children the same summer memories that we’ve always cherished, let’s inspire the world to act with actions here at home.

Let’s strengthen the costs for industries to pollute, let’s limit the amount of pollution they are allowed to pump into our atmosphere and let’s safeguard a Canadian summer worth savouring.

Mark Taylor Calgary

As six Republican Members of Congress wrote a joint letter to the Canadian ambassador to the U.S., did it ever occur to any of these Republicans that their denial of human-made climate change and terminating any initiatives to do anything about it only makes the problem worse?

Doug Payne London, Ont.

Glenn McGillivray is right. We have to live with wildfire smoke.

But we also have to think of action to keep things from getting a whole lot worse.

The boreal forest is not just burning more because of poor forest management in the past. It’s burning more than before because of higher temperatures. Drier vegetation and more accompanying lightning strikes are a recipe for more burning. And more smoke as well.

So in the reply by the Canadian ambassador to the complaint letter from U.S. lawmakers about smoke from Canada, maybe there could be an addendum. Let’s all put more effort into fighting climate change as well.

Ed Dunnett Qualicum Beach, B.C.

Canary in a coal mine

Re “Birding is the most exciting scavenger hunt nature has to offer” (First Person, July 15): A First Person contributor suggests that she loves the optimism inherent in birdwatching. I used to feel that way, but not any more.

I notice nesting ducks in distress from extreme heat in Ontario. I see forests destroyed by hurricanes and devoid of songbirds in Prince Edward Island. Now I read about the devastating effects of forest fires on avian respiratory systems.

Because I am a birdwatcher, I am keenly aware of environmental degradation and it saddens me, to say the least, and I feel hopeless when I read about calls to repeal Bill C-69, which deals with environmental assessments.

Mary Burge Toronto

Cloak and dagger

Re “Acclaimed author of Gorky Park engrossed readers with Russian thrillers” (Obituaries, July 15): In 1981, when the late Martin Cruz Smith published his Moscow-set thriller Gorky Park, I was assigning book reviews for a Toronto daily newspaper.

I decided to find a Russian to review the book, and hired a communications staffer from the Russian Embassy. He duly delivered his piece (a rave) and it was published.

A few days later, I got a visit from an RCMP officer, demanding to know the details of our dealings. It seems they were following every move of this Russian staffer.

Briefly I felt very much part of the cloak-and-dagger set.

Anne Moon Victoria

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