kar0ling

Dear Winnipeg elected officials  The North East ride of the Bike to the Future series was supposed to be today, but it was  cancelled because of unsafe air quality.  These rides are meant to raise awareness about the climate crisis, yet the crisis itself has shut these rides down twice this year. If the air isn’t even safe to bike in, how can we keep ignoring the need for urgent change? We can't keep making things worse.  Cancelled bike rides may not seem like a reason to install more lanes but in fact it is: we must reduce car dependency. We must have alternatives. There must be safe and easy walking, biking, and transit choices.  This is a time for courage, not compromise.  Instead of delaying plans for one crucial bike lane, we should be roaring ahead on implementation of multiple active transit projects, no matter how much drivers complain.  When will the elected representatives of Winnipeg make decisions appropriate to the level of crisis we ...

Dear PM Carney, In a recent interview you told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour “what’s needed is a Zionist Palestinian state.” Sir, Zionism is what is wrong with the existing Israeli state: it’s not even possible to have a Palestinian state if it’s “Zionist.” Why would you make recognizing Palestinians’ inherent right to self determination based on their accepting the supremacist ideology that has dispossessed them? How would that be any different than the situation that currently exists? As Craig Mokhiber noted in response to your comment, “calling for a ‘Zionist Palestinian state’ is like calling for a ‘Nicotine-based cure for cancer’ or a ‘Ku klux klan civil rights bill.’”  I beg of you to reconsider what I shall generously assume to be ignorance-driven poorly chosen words. It’s high time Canada get serious about Palestine. For years, Liberal governments have been pledging support for “a two-state solution” meanwhile refusing to recognize one of said states. If you have no intent...

A response to this statement, paragraph by disingenuous paragraph: https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/statements/2025/06/16/g7-leaders-statement-on-recent-developments-between-israel-and-iran Dear Prime Minister CC: Minister of Foreign Affairs, interim leader of the Conservative party, interim leader of the NDP, leader of the Green Party, leader of the Bloc and my local MP Respectfully, leaders of the G7, your words are worse than utterly meaningless. How can you possibly claim a “commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East” when you continue to sell weapons to the country who is making it unstable? How can you affirm Israel's “right to defend itself” when it is the unprovoked attacker? What about Iran’s right to defend itself? How can we claim to uphold a rules-based order if we only respect the sovereignty of countries we like? (And why we should like Israel remains a mystery: this is not a commentary on the people of the country, only the reprehensible actions of its gov...

With thanks to LeadNow, another letter to my MP – who is alright fighting Bill C-5 – with a message to Mr Carney.  While I agree that we must invest in projects to build the Canadian economy and invest in our future, Bill C-5 is the wrong approach. Instead of supporting sustainable development, the bill, as proposed, clears the way for large corporations, especially fossil fuel corporations, to cut corners, ignore public input, and push through harmful projects that are not in the public interest. This bill puts too much at risk: our environment, our duty to meaningfully consult Indigenous nations, community safety and input, and workers’ rights.  If this government is serious about investing in building our economy better, they must prioritize building critical nation-building infrastructure, such as a climate-resilient and affordable housing, a 100% renewable East-West grid, and high-speed rail, and show up to lead and fund these projects — not push through shortcuts that we...

Dear Mr Carney, Canadian party leaders and my local MP When Canadians voted Liberal, they did so with the belief they would be getting an adult in the room. They were voting for a Canada committed to peace. They voted for someone who promised to build homes for Canadians They voted for someone who promised to work in partnership with Indigenous Peoples regarding energy – clean energy. They voted for someone who recognized that kindness is a virtue, who promised to be humble. Sir, we did not vote for war. Increased NATO spending will not put food on Canadian tables. Increased NATO spending will not address the crisis of loneliness and despair that leads many Canadians to destructive addictions. Increased NATO spending will not mitigate climate change, a rising threat to all of us, as is so clearly demonstrated by the wildfires ravaging Manitoba and Saskatchewan as I write this.  Mr Carney, increased spending an on international military alliance is more likely to *cause* war...

After urging not to let up, it seemed as though I did just that, but the signatures continued even if the tailored letters did not. While the horror in Gaza continues apace with brutality and illegality burgeoning in the West Bank also, Canada has found itself a few buddies to give it the courage to take a few baby steps in the right direction.  Perhaps Ms Anand, tentative as she may be, has more heart than the glib Ms Joly. First... https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/statements/2025/05/19/joint-statement-leaders-canada-united-kingdom-and-france-situation Then...  https://www.canada.ca/en/global-affairs/news/2025/06/joint-statement-by-the-foreign-ministers-of-australia-canada-new-zealand-norway-and-the-united-kingdom-on-measures-targeting-itamar-ben-gvir-and-be.html  ...are welcome steps but still so very little in the face of such unfettered brutality.  So, another letter, slightly personalized, but mostly using Canadians for Justice and Peace's template.   Dear...