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I’m getting pretty tired of not being able to read the news without an urgent need to write a letter to at least one if not several levels of government regarding the wrongheadedness of their pursuits.  Today, at least, I got a little encouragement. PM Carney’s office replied to me regarding *one* of my messages, assuring me it had been read. Of course, it was the one where I thanked them for deciding to recognize Palestine and stayed mostly in the realm of positivity.  So *I* replied:

 A letter adapted from #BreakFreeFromPlastic’s campaign regarding the UN negotiations regarding a Global Plastics Treaty taking place in Geneva right now.  Send your own letter here Dear Minister Dabrusin CC Leader of the Green Party, interim NDP leader, interim Conservative leader, local MP This is urgent. Manitoba was under the highest air quality advisory yesterday after a summer of smog and cancelled activities. This isn’t just seasonal forest fires or silly accusations of arson. Drought and extreme heat are driving these wild fires – and those are caused by climate change, which in turn is caused by massive industrial extraction of fossil fuels.  Plastic is driving climate change and polluting oceans, rivers, soil, air, impacting humans and other beings. Plastic is poisoning our communities, our homes, and our bodies. Citizens should and must make better choices regarding how they manage the plastic that comes through their hands but we desperately need you ...

A little letter to the FreeP: Thank you for the work of your newsroom. Hearing how PostMedia has taken over Canada, including the major newsrooms in the largest Canadian cities, I'm proud scrappy little Winnipeg has maintained an independent free press.  If I may be so bold as to offer some suggestion/critique... The constant air quality warnings and drought conditions we're experiencing are deeply worrying. What is equally disturbing is the general conversation around it which acknowledges the unpleasantness, blindly hopes it's temporary, and moves on, without addressing the climate change at the root of the conditions – and most importantly, that it is crucial we act in as many ways as we can as quickly as we can to do things to address it. Notably, pressuring our politicians that more pipelines are not the direction to go.  Public transit is an important climate mitigation as well – getting people out of wasteful private vehicles into more efficient buses and onto ...

Another form letter adjusted with my own sentiments added. Click here to send your own, either as is or comments added . 

To the 20 (re-elected) Liberal MPs who signed the Vote Palestine platform.  You signed the Vote Palestine platform.   The time to fulfill your pledge is now.  Gaza is facing mass starvation. This isn’t food scarcity. This is intentional blockage of food as a tool of genocide. Canada’s joint statement with 25 other nations called on all the parties to “uphold the obligations of international humanitarian law.”  But Israel has been flagrantly violating multiple obligations of international law almost daily since October 8, 2023 and certain on every day since Canada’s statement was released. There is no need to wait, to give Israel the benefit of the doubt to do the right thing.  “We are prepared to take further action”, the statement reads. So do it.  Canada must immediately impose a true arms embargo on Israel – a two-way arms embargo – and it must actually put it into force and close all loopholes.  Canada must immediately levy sancti...

 A letter to the organizers: While Russia is carrying out unprovoked war against Ukraine, Folklorama is eschewing holding a Russian pavilion, even though such a display is about 100s of years old Russian culture, not today's regime led by Putin. That's a fair and compassionate decision.  So why is the Israeli pavilion allowed to continue without any censure while Israel commits war crimes condemned by the International Court of Justice? *Jewish* culture is thousands of years old but it's not a Jewish pavilion, it's an explicitly *Israeli* pavilion. It's celebrating the state that is committing genocide. It's celebrating settler colonialism that is going on to this very day. Why are you allowing the Israeli pavilion to continue?

 How many times can they make utterly meaningless, toothless "strongly worded" statements and keep doing nothing while hundreds die from Israeli violence each day and hundreds more quietly slip away from starvation? Dear Minister Anand and others If you are truly "prepared to take action" to respond to the suffering of civilians in Gaza, the time to do so was more than a year ago. The time to do so was the day after your May statement when it was obvious there was no "if", but Israel would continue its actions unabated. The time to do so is now.  There is no need to wait and see. We know Israel is ignore this statement as it did every other one.  You will not escape the charge of genocide for having made these "strongly worded" statements accompanied by no meaningful action.  You must enforce ​ a two-way embargo now. You must use all the means within your power to get food into Gaza now.  There is no time to wait.  No more meaningless word...

Famine is not a natural disaster -- it is caused by political decisions. Gaza is already in a medical crisis due to bombed hospitals and blocked supply chains, it's already in a humanitarian crisis from relentless bombing turning entire cities into rubble and now it is in crisis due to starvation. Famine.  I saw the outline of the synagogue in Heidelberg (destroyed on Krystallnacht) today, and I walked past gold blocks on the sidewalk marking the homes of Jewish people who perished in the Nazi era. What are these memorials doing if not urging us not to stand idly by as atrocities happen again to a group that has been dehumanized? Mr Carney and Ms Anand, I wrote you the letter below back in May when you came out with a joint statement opposing Israel's military operations in Gaza.  It is long past time to stand up and do something about it.  The Hague Group has already done so. The Western nations no longer have any claim to moral high ground on international...

A response to Winnipeg's Executive Policy Committee regarding their endless delays on making modifications to Wellington Crescent after a cyclist was killed 6 June 2024.  A piece of context that is needed is that this stretch of roadway was identified by the bike advocacy organization as a crucial stretch with inadequate protections for more than a decade before the vehicular murder occurred. Every day, I open the news in the morning, and the frequency of times death due to road violence is one of the items is shocking. What's even more shocking is how blasé this carnage is treated.  Why do we accept these deaths without question? But folks like to focus on the positive, so I'm coming here to be positive. And I'm writing to you from the Netherlands, where I'm feeling really positive about riding bike. To address the road carnage, you're recommending a bike lane on Wellington. I support the recommendation to fund a bike lane. I support reducing the speed l...

Dear Mr Carney and Ms Anand The nations of the Hague Group have plenty of black marks to their names regarding human rights abuses. Yet even they can recognize and condemn genocide when they see it. Even they declare " Either we act together to enforce international law or we risk its collapse.... Let this moment mark the beginning of a renewed commitment to internationalism and the principles that bind us as a global community.”   I join with them to beg Canada to support the findings of the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice with more than words. We must take meaningful action to stop the genocide.    I join with Greenpeace to demand  that Canada: support an immediate and permanent ceasefire; halt all arms sales and military cooperation with Israel; ensure the safe and unrestricted delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza; uphold international law and human rights; and actively work toward a just and lasting peace for both ...

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...

Re: Joint statement on Gaza Dear Mr Carney and Ms Anand First of all, congratulations to you both on your election to Parliament. Mr Carney, thank you for the beautiful words of your acceptance speech, touting humility above all else and your desire to “fight for” all Canadians (although I might suggest “ govern for” is both more accurate and less adversarial in framing). Thank you for your joint statement with the leaders of the UK and France. Thank you for “strongly oppos[ing] Israel's military operations in Gaza.” Thank you for denouncing the “wholly inadequate” trickle of food aid. Thank you for “denouc[ing] the denial of essential humanitarian assistance as “unacceptable.” Please note that it does not merely “risk breaching international humanitarian law” but has clearly already done so. Thank you for the call to release the Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity. Please note that should have been accompanied by a demand to release the Palestinian hostages in Israeli “adm...

Dear Premier Wab Kinew  The wildfires are terrifying. Not because they’ve been anywhere near me, but because they are evidence the climate scientists have been right all along, and a hellish future of floods, fires and famines awaits us sooner than we think. And we’re just idling our cars with our "gas tax holiday" full tanks. I was extremely disappointed to hear you briefly discuss the fires with Marcy on CBC the other morning and mention in passing the huge expense of purchasing more fire bombers, but not the reason we need them (climate change) and certainly not your failure to show any leadership on climate (pausing pollution pricing instead of embracing its potential). Manitoba is a wonderful province and it has so much potential but we need to do so much better. And that leadership needs to come from the top. Manitobans need massive mode shift – and it’s going to take all levels of government to fund public transit within cities, between cities and increases of acti...

A letter to the premier dashed off very quickly without much re-thinking or even re-reading because then I would just pause and never send it. The minister of environment told a member of a citizen lobby group I'm connected with to “hold us accountable” and that hearing from people face to face or phone or personal email is better than form letters. So here goes... The wildfires are terrifying. Not because they've been anywhere near me, but because they are evidence the climate scientists have been right all along, and a hellish future of floods, fires and famines awaits us sooner than we think. And we're just idling our cars with our “gas tax holiday” full tanks. I was extremely disappointed to hear you briefly discuss the fires with Marcy on CBC the other morning and mention in passing the huge expense of purchasing more fire bombers, but not the reason we need them (climate change) and certainly not your failure to show any leadership on climate (pausing pollutio...

A little addendum to a form letter on worker's rights.  https://workerstogether.ca/ Prime Minister Carney, much of what currently ails us circles back into income inequality.  Please don't fight workers' demands while MPs give themselves raises: if people deserve comfortable remuneration for their labours then all people deserve comfortable remuneration for their labours.  Please don't fight the postal workers.  Please don't fight Indigenous people in court.  Please don't leave it to the private sector to address housing shortages (but only for those they can make a profit off of).  And please don't make jobs on the backs of a livable future for humanity on the planet.  Oh, and please, sir: you seem like a very decent man -- your speech on humility and kindness was beautiful -- please condemn the genocide. Silence is complicity. On any other human rights issue, it doesn't seem so hard. Please: indiscriminate bombing and starvation of a people trapped i...

 Dear Federal leaders, I am dismayed to learn that a recent report lists a Canadian company as the sole provider for $78.8 million of artillery propellants to the U.S., destined to Israel, being held by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems - Canada (GD-OTS-Canada). This contract was awarded in September 2024, months after the Liberal government promised to halt weapons exports destined to Israel, as they are being investigated for genocide against the Palestinian people.  There is simply no measure by which the actions of Israel against the Gaza Strip are not egregious. This is no time for politeness. The government must not be allowed to continue to violate human rights.  As a signatory to the Arms Trade Treaty, it is prohibited to continue the sales of arms if there is a substantial risk of them being used to violate international and humanitarian law.  I call on you to halt the General Dynamics Ordnance contract immediately and impose a true two-way arms...

  Dear Free Press Re: “Bubble zones sought after protests clash over Hamas” AKA “Pro-Palestinian protest at Jewish campus sparks call for safety-zone legislation” Thank you for changing the headline of Chris Kitching’s article on the event by Students Supporting Israel at the Asper Community Campus. The body of the article raises good questions about the appropriateness of protesting religious spaces. However, even after the removal of the gross mischaracterization from the headline, the second paragraph of the article gratuitously invokes Hamas, biasing the discussion. Why does the article prominently invoke memory of the violent and cruel attack on October 7, 2023, without any mention of the more salient point that the event that raised the discussion platformed soldiers of the army that has been committing a genocide for more than 500 days? (The Rome Statute, of which Canada is a signatory, defines war crimes and genocide and other states’ obligations not to participate in or...