Letters to the editor, June 29:‘Aging egomaniacs around the world … dropping bombs on their perceived enemies. What do we do?'

Globe and Mail

12 hours ago

Re:'What was the point of the conflict in Iran? To keep three men in power'(June 26): When kids fight and one hits another with a bat, a thoughtful parent would take the bat away, put them in separate corners to cool down and eventually shake hands to make peace.
Now we have aging egomaniacs around the world, whose powers are waning, dropping bombs on their perceived enemies. What do we do?
Do we take away the toys from oppressors acting like children? There is the opposite happening, and countries on the sidelines of the conflict are also encouraged to weapon up themselves.
Shouldn't countries get together and encourage mutual disarmament? After all, who profits? The arms industry is making a killing.
What countries and corporations are investing in planes and bombs? Is it in their financial interest to plead for peace?
Of course Donald Trump wants other countries to contribute to the arms industry. War is big business.
Melody Wales Squamish, B.C.
Re 'Shifting winds' (Letters, June 26): A letter-writer argues that Doug Ford's controversial comments about Indigenous peoples, for which he apologized, are simply a reflection of a shift in public opinion away from sympathy for reconciliation.
He describes himself as 'a tax-paying citizen and descendant of immigrants' who expected and received nothing from the government. I think, however, that immigrants to this country expected and received rather a lot from Indigenous peoples: Canada with all of its resources. The government may have had something to do with that.
If only land acknowledgments, apologies and thank yous were enough.
Anne Morris Mississauga
Re 'Cambodia allowing 'slavery and torture' in scam compounds, report says' (June 26): The Khmer Movement for Democracy urges the Canadian government to take urgent action in response to a damning report on human rights abuses and cybercrime operations in Cambodia.
Canada should move swiftly to protect not only Canadian victims of cyberscams, but also the countless individuals trapped and exploited in these brutal scam compounds.
A crucial first step would be to impose sanctions on the Huione Group, which is reported to have facilitated up to US$4-billion (about $5.5-billion) in illicit transactions since 2021. While the United States has proposed banning the group from accessing its financial system, Canada has yet to respond – despite reports that Huione is now seeking a new licence.
Canada has not participated in new sanctions against such cyberscams since 2023. The time has come for an independent investigation to identify those enabling these abuses, as well as co-ordinated international action to prevent further exploitation and uphold human rights.
Mu Sochua Former Cambodian politician; president, Khmer Movement for Democracy; Providence, R.I.
Re 'As Trump plans to overhaul manufacturing, U.S. factories struggle to fill nearly 400,000 jobs' (Report on Business, June 24): Why aren't younger people going into manufacturing jobs?
For the last 40 years, many thousands of manufacturing jobs were eliminated by automation and outsourcing to countries with cheaper labour such as China. So with that in mind, can we blame younger people for not going into a field that looked like it had no future?
Did no one look to the future to see the possible consequences of eliminating these jobs?
Doug Payne London, Ont.
Re 'How to crack open Canada's coddled egg market' (Editorial, June 20): While the number of farms in this country is generally on the decline, Canada's egg sector has seen the opposite outcome.
Programs such as Egg Farmers of Alberta's new entrant program are actively adding egg farms to our food system. Why? Because the stability of supply management ensures egg farming is a viable career and this co-operative model supports their success.
The administration of the system through provincial quota is critical in safeguarding the distribution of farms across the country, driving rural economic activity, enabling rapid response to disease outbreaks and delivering the fresh, local eggs Canadians want. This approach supports smaller farms and maintains a steady supply of high-quality, affordable eggs.
That's not coddling, that's informed agricultural policy.
Roger Pelissero Chair, Egg Farmers of Canada; West Lincoln, Ont.
Re 'B.C. First Nations offer haven for Texada grizzly, but officials say relocation not an option' (June 21): Don't watch and wait, help Tex now.
Inaction gets my goat. This grizzly's fate is at the mercy of the Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, Minister of Environment and Parks and the B.C. Conservation Officer Service. He needs new management.
Tex is not a body of water, resource or park. He is someone who finds himself in the wrong place.
Government stewards have no business leaving him on Texada Island to make a mistake, collide with humans and be killed. The chances of him leaving the island on his own are slim, so what are they waiting for?
Decision-makers should accept help from other professionals who are knowledgeable, capable and willing to relocate Tex. Why is that so hard?
Jennifer Azizi West Vancouver
Re 'Amateur conductor pays Toronto Symphony Orchestra to lead Mahler performance, shocking some musicians' (June 20): I've heard far worse from bigger names for more money. It had some great moments and they nailed the end.
I saw Mandle Cheung rely heavily on section heads and not immersed in the tempo. But it was, as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra's principal timpanist predicted, a solid performance.
Unless we find ways to fund more classical performances, Mahler's Symphony No. 2 in C minor and other pieces requiring vast numbers of performers will likely go unheard. It was a casual, accessible night.
Galas performances are year-long projects for donors. They take up large overhead and immense staff hours, with very little in the way of hard cash at the end. They often don't attract new audiences and their dollars.
I don't like that extremely wealthy people exist and hold this kind of power in our time, but this is our reality – and hardly a fiasco here, as portended.
Rosalind Robertson Toronto
Re 'Billionaire founder of FedEx revolutionized freight transport' (Obituary, June 25): In the mid-1970s, I was with World Airways in Oakland, Calif. We had a guy come from Memphis who had flown in himself.
This was Fred Smith, a plain-talking southerner who, even when seated, exuded energy. He wanted three DC-8 stretch aircraft on a wet lease with our crew, our fuel and landing and uplift costs.
He wanted these in cargo configuration and explained that he planned to use them for a hub-and-spoke package delivery system in the United States, initially, then in Canada and elsewhere.
He had the initial deposit, so the deal was signed. When he left, we mused as to whether or not the deal would survive.
Of course it did work. Mr. Smith then bought his own planes which now fly the skies around the world.
In the words of writer Hilaire Belloc: 'From quiet homes and first beginning, out to the undiscovered ends.'
Jim Mulrooney Toronto
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