Readers Speak Out: August 11, 2019

Curious achievement

Re: PM defends religious freedom (July 14-21):

This is a curious achievement for a prime minister who reduced the status of the Office of Religious Freedom from an ambassadorship with a significant budget to a bureau within the Global Affairs Department.  

Does Trudeau need to be congratulated on this file after he obstinately denied Church and other groups access to summer job grants because they refused in conscience to support his abortion agenda?  

You may have given Trudeau some precious Catholic votes because some of your readers unfortunately do not read beyond a headline that appears to have been written by Liberal staffers.

Donald Macdonald,

Ottawa

Confusing ethics

I am confused by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s endorsement of Steven Guilbeault to run in the upcoming election as a Liberal candidate in a Montreal riding. What angers me is that the prime minister gladly accepts into the Liberal fold someone who has a diametrically opposed view on the environment (Guilbeault opposes the Trans Mountain pipeline), but vehemently rejects any candidate who supports the right to life.

Why is it easy for Trudeau to be flexible in his ethics on the environment and not for the right to life?  

Jennifer M. Prior,

Newmarket, Ont.

Contradictions

In your July 14-21 edition you portray Justin Trudeau as a defender of religious freedom. Really? Isn’t this the same leader who ordered that nobody bring their pro-life position to his party? Isn’t this the same leader who denied summer job funding to those who hold pro-life positions? 

A defender of religious freedom? I think not.

Barry Costello, 

New Minas, N.S.

Fossil fuels

Re: “Carbon tax gains are lost in the pipeline” (July 14-21):

The welfare of Albertans appears to be woefully low on the minds of Canadians.

Alberta is rich in dinosaur fossils, which indicate a once tropical province. We have remnants of glaciers which indicate a shift from a tropical to an arctic climate. Perhaps, just perhaps, our warming climate is more natural than man-made. 

As long as we still need fossil fuels, does it not make sense to use our own resources, rather than import foreign oil? With the improved economy coming from pipeline and local oil production, we could use some of the royalty dollars to find alternatives to fossil-fuel energy, leaving a healthier economy for future generations.

Please diversify your views to consider the above thoughts for the sake of an abandoned Alberta and a brighter future for all Canadians. 

Martin Schoenberger,

Bonnyville, Alta.

A sad loss

I am very sorry to hear that Fr. Thomas Rosica felt it incumbent to resign from Salt+Light Media Foundation. It was his baby and he nursed it along until it became a world-class station.  

It covered the funeral of Jean Vanier, our great Canadian (read saint), which was not covered by any other station. Salt+Light also covers Vatican news and special feast days over which the Pope presides. A welcome blessing!

I don’t know the details of Fr. Rosica’s “case” but if any items he used were taken from the Internet, then that is free-for-all and, if used, should be expected or discarded as one sees fit. One can only hope that this is a temporary glitch and he will be back to carry on his inestimable work with many blessings.

S.M. Barry,

Victoria, B.C.