YOU SAID IT: Chipping away at rights, freedoms

CHIPPING AWAY AT RIGHTS, FREEDOMS

John Diefenbaker was the 13th prime minister of Canada. He was a champion of human rights. His legacy is the Canadian Bill of Rights. There was also the extension of voting rights to Indigenous peoples (without losing treaty status). And the appointment of the first female cabinet minister.

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“I am Canadian, a free Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship God in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, free to choose those who govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind,” Diefenbaker said in the House of Commons on July 1, 1960.

It both shocked and saddened me to realize that we no longer have most of those rights and freedoms. A decade of Liberal governments have slowly chipped them away.

How tragic that this once-great, beautiful, prosperous country has been driven into the ground.

BETTY-ANNE TREMBLAY
OTTAWA

PAMPERED PUBLIC SERVANTS

Re: Federal public servants earning more than $150Gs grew 96% over five years, online, Dec. 5

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During the long, costly decade of Justin Trudeau, the federal public service grew by whopping 40 per cent and is now 368,000 strong. This growth has become a massive additional drain on taxpayers, especially with huge increases in salaries, including bonuses for many.

Yet, even with such a huge public service, taxpayers were still on the hook for $19 billion on external government support services in the past fiscal year? Is it any wonder so many Canadians, especially those running small companies, are angry that what they considered a pampered, over-paid group with Cadillac pensions they can only dream of are being so richly rewarded?

LARRY COMEAU
OTTAWA

MANAGED TO OUTSPEND TRUDEAU

Re: Mark Carney outspent Justin Trudeau on 2025 cabinet retreat: Documents, online, Dec. 4

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So our new prime minister, who said he will balance the budget, just spent over a half a million dollars on a two-day cabinet meeting in Toronto. What is wrong with holding cabinet meetings in Ottawa?

To those certain Canadians who decided in the last election that the Liberals have to stay in power, are you now thinking you made the wrong choice?

BARRY HARRIS
EDMONTON

HAVE YOUR SAY

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