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National Post readers speak out on the issues of the day

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Re: Trudeau and other partisans should rein in the rage, John Ivison, Jan. 4

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While reading John Ivisons column, the concept of the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few bounced around in my mind. Whether Dickens or Spock, the idea has clearly been lost on both the populist and progressive sides in modern (and dysfunctional) politics. In the past, politicians developed and implemented policies aimed at the needs of the many. Red Tories and Blue Liberals ensured their parties stayed focused on the centre that captured the vast majority of people also known as voters. Compromise was a critical capability of any successful government in developing, modifying and deploying policy changes that would benefit the greatest number of Canadians and maintain both a stable economy and a stable rich Canadian culture.

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How times change. The fallout from the Trump years continues to be felt everyday as a very vocal minority drives rage from the right, destroying any chance of a reasoned political discourse, replaced instead by an attitude that if you are not with us, you are against us. We Canadians and our system are clearly much better. But one doesnt have to dig very far to see we are in the same boat as America. It is simply leaning hard left instead of hard right, well off the centre that has traditionally been Canadas advantage. Justin Trudeau and his band of progressives clearly have the attitude that if you are not with us, you are against us. Instead of building a better, stronger, and more prosperous society for all, it seems they focus more and more on policies that benefit a very vocal minority at the expense of the majority of Canadians and seem hell bent on destroying what has made Canada great economically, socially and culturally. Whether the ship capsizes to the right or the left is somewhat academic. The rage builds up to a breaking point and the ship still capsizes.

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I, too, have great hopes for 2022 and pray the illiberal left reins in its rage. After all, the needs of the many must outweigh the needs of the few if Canada is to avoid the precipice the U.S. is heading towards at flank speed.

Stephen Gesner, Oakville, Ont.

Truer words were never spoken and I hope that the spreading of fear by the prime minister and others will end before this pandemic does. COVID has provided the perfect cover for Justin Trudeau to distract from rising inflation, his irresponsible spending, his war on fossil fuels and pushing woke ideologically driven policies. Using fear, now against the unvaccinated, continues to keep Trudeau in control of his radical agenda. COVID has in fact given the political class something they could only dream about having absolute power.

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Larry Comeau, Ottawa

Re: Schools open for Omicron except here in Canada, Chris Selley, Jan. 5

It is an axiom that you cannot manage what you do not or cannot measure. OMICRON has overwhelmed our ability to test, contact trace and measure its spread in the broader population. There is no way to know when to unlock the lockdown when the data we have used to date to manage lockdowns is no longer reliable, if at all available. OMICRON is now managing us, rather than the other way around, and business people and school-aged children and young adults are suffering inordinately as a result.

It is too easy to blame Ontario Premier Doug Ford for all of this, but it should be noted that neither Steven Del Duca, the Ontario Liberal leader, nor Andrea Horwath, the provincial NDP leader, have offered a different way forward. Both of these leaders have shown they are capable only of frothing at the mouth over the obvious failures of the current government. It would appear that the only winners in the Lockdown Games are the politicians who claim to be following the science and the public health officials who abet their failure to actually do so.

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Paul Clarry, Aurora, Ont.

Re: Open the damn country back up, before Canadians wreck something we cant fix, Jordan Peterson, Jan. 10

I would sharpen Jordan Petersons opinion that it is time for some courage in the face of COVID. People with no medical reason for not being vaccinated must have the courage of their convictions not to use our publicly funded medical system when they contract the illness. If these anti-vaxxers still want medical attention after contracting COVID, then courageous politicians must permit the private sector to provide it. This solution would recognizes the Canadian value of choice and ease the stresses COVID has caused our public health system.

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Dal Corran, Toronto

Re: I see it coming: Mandatory vaccinations on the horizon, federal health minister says, Jan. 7

I am a fully vaccinated Canadian, even boosted, but I see mandatory vaccinations and vaccine passports as a huge intrusion on our freedoms and basically useless, as proven by Omicron.

Here is a novel solution for our underfunded and very inferior health-care system that so many Canadians still think is superior to other models.

Why dont we prohibit smoking and require all obese people to go on mandatory exercise programs? The money we save in health costs could be used to treat COVID patients.

After all, if were not going to be concerned about personal freedoms, we should look at all options.

E. Arndt, Yorkton, Sask.

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Letters to the editor: Rein in the rage on the left and the right - National Post