Today’s letters: Trudeau was just fishing for votes

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Trudeau was chasing Canadian public opinion

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Re: Trudeau has no right to criticize Meloni, May 24.

The headline writer on Tasha Kheiriddin’s column has it wrong. Justin Trudeau has as much right to criticize the Italian prime minister as anyone else. Kheiriddin herself is quite critical of Giorgia Meloni. The important question is whether such criticism is useful.

There is no chance that Trudeau’s public remarks would influence Meloni’s policies or help Canada. The leaders of democratic countries frequently use their words to a foreign leader as an opportunity to impress their own voters. Trudeau was not really talking to Meloni; he was talking to us.

Democracy turns many leaders into followers; instead of doing what they believe to be best for their country, they do what they believe will get them the most votes. That’s what Trudeau was doing. Sadly, our other “leaders” and representatives do the same.

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As Winston Churchill said, “ … democracy is the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” Democracy would work better if all of our elected representatives could remember that their job is to improve our country, not fight the next election.

Dave Parnas, Ottawa

We can buy Canadian planes

Re: Bombardier teams with Ottawa firm to offer RCAF new surveillance aircraft, May 18. 

I concur with the comment that the Canadian government appears to be more interested in creating other countries’ aerospace and defence industry jobs than Canadian ones.

While it can be argued that the CP-140 replacement aircraft is a specialized craft whose role and deployments warrant choosing an airframe similar to or identical to our closest allies, there have been other aircraft procurements that do not require this degree of interoperability, yet the government has ignored Canadian manufacturers.

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A classic example is the choosing of the Airbus C-295 to replace the CC-115 Buffalo in the Search and Rescue (SAR) role. The Buffalo was a Canadian design (de Havilland DH-5) whose short takeoff and landing and other capabilities made it perfect for the SAR role. A new modernized Buffalo, available from VIKING AIR in western Canada, would have offered all the capabilities provided by the Buffalo in a new airframe with modern technology.

I wonder, as the replacement of the CC-138 Twin Otter (de Havilland DH-6 design) looms, if the government will been choose the VIKING AIR Canadian built version of this timeless classic or buy some other plane from a foreign company again.

J.A. Summerfield, Wincheste

Fix inhumane wildlife strategy

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Re: Wildlife strategy must be effective and humane, May 19.

Ottawa’s beautiful green spaces are a part of the city and Ottawa residents love nature and the animals who live there. The city should have put in place an effective “Living with wildlife” program.

Instead, the city continues to kill coyotes, beavers, bears and other wildlife. It is failing its residents by not providing the support needed for human-wildlife coexistence, including education and leadership.

The reluctance of the bureaucracy to adopt proven practices for biodiversity-friendly solutions, and its unwillingness to work with the community on a humane wildlife strategy, is responsible for the unnecessary destruction of wildlife. It’s time for our new mayor and council to change this.

Michaël Gazier, Ottawa