Letters, Sept. 30: PM didn't trigger Nazi gaffe however he ought to have instantly responded

Article content material

Re: Rota’s resignation doesn’t ease gaffe, Opinion, Sept. 27

Don Braid says that ex-Speaker Anthony Rota was “put in by the Liberals.” Whereas he could have been one candidate put ahead, the Speaker of the Home should be voted on by all members. His function is to behave as an neutral presiding Officer of Parliament; he doesn’t report back to the prime minister.

Article content material

There are requires the prime minister to reply for having invited a former Nazi and applauding him within the Home. However the Prime Minister’s Workplace can not intrude with, or vet, the actions of the Speaker – although I’m certain they will surely wish to have achieved so. That may infantilize the workplace and weaken accountability. 

Article content material

What the prime minister should do now could be choose up the items of this monumental, worldwide gaffe. That’s his job and he ought to have been on high of it within the Home days in the past.

Nancy Marley-Clarke, Calgary

A historical past lesson

Re: Home rocked by Nazi ‘hero’ gaffe, Sept. 26

Members of the Nazi SS “Galicia Division” had been interned after the tip of the Second World Battle close to Rimini, Italy. They had been screened by the British, Individuals, Canadians, and even the Soviets, with no proof of wartime criminality uncovered. Later relocated to the U.Okay., they had been saved working for a number of extra years earlier than being “civilianized,” following which a quantity emigrated to different nations.

Issues expressed when veterans of this division had been lastly granted permission to come back to Canada in 1950 had been investigated by the Excessive Commissioner of Canada to the UK. He dismissed  these accusations as nothing greater than “Communist propaganda.”

Beginning within the late Nineteen Seventies, the KGB efficiently orchestrated a disinformation marketing campaign, Operation Payback, intentionally stoking tensions between the Jewish and Ukrainian diasporas over the alleged presence of “1000’s” of “Nazi conflict criminals” in Canada and the U.S. These costs had been completely examined in 1984-1987 by the Fee of Inquiry on Battle Criminals headed by Mr Justice Jules Deschênes. He concluded that reviews about “1000’s of Nazi conflict criminals in Canada” had been “grossly exaggerated” and famous how there was no proof of wartime wrongdoing on the a part of the veterans of the “Galicia Division.”

Article content material

Article content material

Need extra info? Learn the official report at https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2014/bcp-pco/CP32-52-1986-1-eng.pdf

Borys Sydoruk, Calgary

Alberta’s calls for affect the remainder of Canada

I’m vehemently against Alberta taking on my retirement cash. I don’t consider there’s a potential for greater funds which relies on getting over half of the CPP fund.

The prospect of an APP comes on the heels of the federal PCs (Stephen Harper) wanting to extend Previous Age Safety eligibility to 67 from 65. I’ve already written to Pierre Poilievre asking his intentions. Not like Alberta MLAs, I really acquired a response.

This problem needs to be tied to the federal election in my view. Why is it provincial and federal PCs are so intent on getting their palms on my retirement cash? I’ve an e-mail from Rob Anderson in 2019 that states separation needs to be pursued if an Alberta pension plan doesn’t proceed. Is that this the tip recreation? If that’s the case, please be upfront and clear.

I’m outraged that Alberta is demanding half of the fund which might enhance premiums for different Canadians. I’ve family members and household in different provinces. I’ve by no means been so ashamed of my province. The time period that involves thoughts is “separatist greed.” Let’s hope Alberta doesn’t have one other case of BSE the place borders shut in a single day. Canadians rallied across the trade to assist eat our method by culled cow meat and beef merchandise destined for export. Do you suppose we’d get the identical assist if Alberta will increase CPP for everybody else?

Article content material

The CPP has a superb monitor document of return on funding and doesn’t put my retirement cash in danger. I like being half of a bigger pool with different Canadians. I can’t consider the UCP is doing this to us. This isn’t the Alberta I’ve liked and promoted all my life.

JR Lemke, Airdrie

An ‘assault’ on democracy

Re: Open Letter to Albertans from Premier Danielle Smith, Sept. 27

“We gained’t change the CPP with an APP until Albertans make it clear they need a referendum on this problem and approve it in that referendum (which might probably be held in 2025).”

Till studying this assertion, I used to be comforted that for Albertans to abandon the Canada Pension Plan would require a referendum. Additionally after studying editorials and letters from well-informed residents, I had concluded that this act of desertion could be unpatriotic, probably an unsafe gamble of our pension cash, and most Albertans wouldn’t vote for it. 

Nevertheless, now it appears that evidently Smith should obtain an unspecified variety of Albertans requesting mentioned referendum or our authorities could go forward and move laws with out consulting the residents of Alberta. That is an alarming assault on democracy.

Donna Bolan, Calgary

Article content material

Tide is popping towards Battle Room techniques

Consideration Alberta Large Oil Battle Room: Individuals on Vancouver Island can suppose for themselves. When a duly elected (Nanaimo) municipal council votes to take motion to cut back greenhouse gasoline emissions to safe an honest future for his or her kids and future generations, you could be assured that they’ve thought lengthy and exhausting about it.

Organized efforts to throw sand in our eyes (2,377 letters and counting) by a rich outsider foyer group should not appreciated or applicable. Most of us have mates in Alberta, and most of us additionally know that almost all of these mates should not in assist of those disruptive and undemocratic techniques, nor of the “Battle Room” that has spawned them. The truth that a few of their hard-earned tax contributions are getting used to fund these efforts could not play out effectively through the subsequent election.

Residing on the coast, we perceive all about tides. You can not maintain them again. It’s time you realized that the local weather change and fossil gasoline tide has already began to show.

Roy Collver, Qualicum Seaside, B.C.

Digital citizenship mustn’t grow to be actuality

Article content material

I believe Immigration Minister Miller has been watching too many digital actuality reveals. His concept of immigrants clicking a button to grow to be (digital?) Canadian residents is at finest Hollywoodian. What’s subsequent? Graduating college students printing their diplomas from a web site and celebrating on Meta with their classmates?

If Miller needs to do one thing productive, he ought to eliminate permitting a number of citizenships, and re-establish what’s lacking on this nation – a Canadian identification. A Canadian passport is accepted all around the world for journey and work. However too many so-called Canadian residents are utilizing that citizenship as a safety blanket whereas they’re concerned in political actions of their residence nation.

Sure, I’m a ‘landed immigrant’, and I needed to give up my citizenship and passport once I turned a proud ‘naturalized’ Canadian citizen in 1974.   

Hans Firla, Calgary

Article content material