A12 OTHEGLOBEANDMAIL | MONDAY,OCTOBER21,
EDITORIAL
PHILLIPCRAWLEY
PUBLISHERANDCEO
DAVIDWALMSLEY
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
C
anadians going to the polls on Monday can reassure
themselves that, whateverthe next federalgovern-
ment throws at them, it will pale in comparison to
the recent crimes and misdemeanours of the Trump admin-
istration.
In the past few weeks, U.S. President Donald Trump has
trapped his country on a busted elevator that is crashing
through the lowest floors of morality and common decency.
It was on Oct. 6 that Mr. Trump suddenly announced he
was pulling the last American troops out of Syria, an act de-
signed as an invitation to Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan to attack Kurdish forces that had, until that mo-
ment, been allied with U.S. forces fighting the Islamic State.
The subsequent conflict has killed more than 100 civilians
in Syria and displaced more than 300,000 people. Despite a
partial ceasefire, Mr. Trump has likely condemned to death
hundreds if not thousands of men, women and children, and
callously forsaken a loyal ally.
He has also inexplicably allowed Iran, Russia and the
genocidal Syriangovernment of Bashar al-Assad to increase
their influence in the region, to the detriment of U.S. inter-
ests. And he has sent a blunt message that the United States
cannot be trusted, even by those who fought shoulder-to-
shoulder with its military.
And yet, while the blood was caking on the bodies of the
innocent this week, and captured IS fighters were escaping
from Kurdish prisons, Mr. Trump was focused on what really
matters: making a buck off of real estate.
It seems preposterous to be writing these words, but the
White House last week announced that the 2020 G7 summit,
to be hosted by the United States, would take place at a strug-
gling Florida golfing resort owned by Mr. Trump.
Never mind that the U.S. Constitution says a president is
not allowed to accept payments from foreign interests and is
not allowed to take any payment from the federalgovern-
ment beyond an annual salary. No, no. Mr. Trump’s hotel
would host the G7 “for the good of the country.”
By late Saturday night, the hapless Mr. Trump had changed
his mind and announced the summit would be held else-
where. He blamed “both Media & Democrat Crazed and Irra-
tional Hostility” [sic] for his reversal.
This is not an excerpt from a proposed script for a black
comedy about a witless, third-generation dictator trying to
direct state funds into his family business. This is the actual
state of the degeneration of Mr. Trump and his presidency.
Were we really supposed tobelieve thatgovernment offi-
cials independently came to the conclusion that the best
place to hold the G7 summit was a Trump resort?
“It’s almost like they built this facility to host this type of
event,” said an unnamed but enthusiastic official. Not likely.
Canada once hosted a G8 summit (before Russia left the
group) in a resort that brags of being the world’s largest log
cabin. The most recent G7 summit, in August, was held in a
century-old French beach hotel. It went off without a hitch.
But only a Trump resort will do when a Trump sits in the
Oval Office.
Mr. Trump is now facing a deepening impeachment inqui-
ry related to a July 25 phone call to Ukrainian President Volo-
dymyr Zelensky, in which he implicitly threatened to with-
hold aid for Ukraine unless Mr. Zelensky agreed to investigate
spurious allegations against Mr. Trump’s domestic political
rivals.
In the capper to the latest White House insanity, last week
the U.S. President’s acting chief of staff frankly admitted that
there was indeed an expectation that Mr. Zelensky would get
his aid money in exchange for doing what Mr. Trump de-
scribed in the phone call as a “favour.”
At this point, the Trump administration is in such disarray
that it can’t even stick to basic talking points. Its shameless
efforts to prevent White House andgovernment officials
from testifying at the impeachment inquiry are also failing.
Last week, Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, for-
merly an unbreakable ally of the President, confessed that an
impeachment trial may now be inevitable.
Still, Mr. Trump continues to insist there was no “quid pro
quo,” and that he was onlypressing a foreign government to
investigate his election opponents out of his great concern
for fighting corruption wherever it exists.
That concern ends where Mr. Trump’s bank accounts
begin, obviously.
Meanwhile,
inthelandof
DonaldTrump
ALBERTAVS.THUNBERG
Re Why Jason Kenney Is Afraid Of
Greta Thunberg (Oct. 18): Alberta
Environment Minister Jason Nix-
on says that Greta Thunberg
“doesn’t understand” the prov-
ince. How can a 16-year-old from
Sweden know a Canadian prov-
ince better than a grown man who
has lived there all his life? But
maybe, with the benefit of a dis-
tant viewpoint, she really does.
Either way, Mr. Nixon and Jason
Kenney’s reaction to Ms. Thun-
berg’s visit to Alberta, along with
the “we love oil and gas” posters
pasted on the legislature win-
dows, seems to show a lot less ma-
turity than this precocious young
woman.
LukeMastinToronto
For more than 30 years, I have nev-
er missed voting in a federal, pro-
vincial or municipal election. I
may not vote this time. I want to,
but I am struggling to see why
Alberta matters.
Greta Thunberg has just spent
multiple days here. That’s about
as much or more time than our
federal leaders have spent in the
province this campaign, including
Andrew Scheer, who is confident
of Alberta’s Conservative base.
What does it say about the
province’s place in federal politics
when a famous anti-pipeline cli-
mate activist has upstaged those
seeking election?
DanPetrykCalgary
UNDERFIRE
Re Ex-Dragon Cranks Up Heat On
Oil Sands’ Critics (Report On Busi-
ness, Oct. 18): It astonishes me
that Brett Wilson and his fellow
Alberta oil boosters keep raising
the idea of separation. If Alberta is
having problems building the in-
terprovincial infrastructure need-
ed to transport oil and gas, do they
think those prospects would im-
prove if the province became a
sovereign entity? Separation
would make the environmental-
ists’ day.
Moreover, if the fossil-fuel in-
dustry collapses, Alberta would
likely need the support of a broad-
er confederation to transition its
economy.
LeonardBaakStittsville,Ont.
OH,OBAMA,OH
Re Oh, Obama (Letters, Oct. 18): A
letter-writer credited Barack Oba-
ma for the quality of drinking wa-
ter that Canadians and American
share. One should ask the people
of Flint, Mich., how they feel about
Mr. Obama’s response to their wa-
ter crisis.
But I believe we do share much
with our U.S neighbours: We too
have a leader who has flouted the
rules, yet still seeks re-election.
However, it would be on Cana-
dian voters if we do not hold our
politicians to a higher standard.
ShawnLeasaStratford,Ont.
Real capitalism requires steward-
ship of public and private capital.
Democracy depends on reasoned
consensus forged from respectful
dialogue. Conservatives have tra-
ditionally exemplified these val-
ues, but on both sides of the bor-
der they have more recently
shown disdain for science, equita-
ble capitalism and rational lead-
ership. Society needs to rise above
the tired frontier of economy ver-
sus environment, partisanship
versus citizenship.
There is prosperity in building
sustainable economies to meet
the challenges of climate change
and the care of our planet. I be-
lieve Barack Obama was right in
voicing support for a prime minis-
ter who is more attuned to that
challenge.
GordonCartwright
HighRiver,Alta.
AMINORDETAIL
Re The Major Facts To Consider
With Minority Governments (Oct.
17): The salient fact behind a mi-
nority government in Canada is
that Canadians themselves have
not voted to support a majority
government. It reflects political
diversity among the people them-
selves and must be respected.
A minoritygovernment is not
an aberrant form that requires
rectification. On the contrary, it
demands that the political parties
themselves work together in a
way consistent with the popular
will. Under those conditions,
some form of co-operation or
coalition is not a sign of failure,
but a duty to the electorate.
LarryHannantVictoria
The scientific evidence on climate
change now tells us that Canada
must not only meet its targets
from the Paris Agreement, but
surpass them. This election may
deliver the means to accomplish
that goal: a coalitiongovernment
whose left-of-centre leaders may
just have the fortitude to more se-
riously address the climate crisis.
As such, it is my fervent hope
that such a coalition would un-
derstand any government’s fore-
most obligation should be achiev-
ing a consensus on an issue that, if
not prioritized over the next four
years, may become an irreversible
disaster.
LeonePippardNationalRound
TableontheEnvironmentandthe
Economy,1989-1994;Fredericton
Re Scheer Makes Minority Leader-
ship Pitch (Oct. 18): Andrew
Scheer says that if the Conserva-
tives get more votes than the Lib-
erals in a minority election out-
come, he should have the right to
form government. Is he trying to
change the rules of Parliament?
It’s a sitting prime minister
who has that right, and in Canada
it’s about the confidence of Parlia-
ment – not the number of votes
one party gets. Mr. Scheer seems
to be thinking like an American.
ElizabethFernandesToronto
BANTHEMALL?
Re The Parties’ Takes On Guns
And Crime (Oct. 18): Those who
fight the banning of handguns ig-
nore their biggest use: suicide.
The great majority of suicide
deaths are by handgun, including
two in my extended family.
If banning them prevents even
one suicide, it is worth it.
DavidChalmersOttawa
Would a handgun ban include the
police? Like the theft of a handgun
from a store that was then used to
kill people on the Danforth in To-
ronto, a stolen police handgun
could be used for the same pur-
pose. Why should the police be
given the privilege of self-protec-
tion when I would not be extend-
ed the same? Yes, let’s have a ban,
but it must include all of society –
otherwise, there would always be
a group with better access to safe-
ty than everyone else.
AlexDoulisToronto
GARNEAU’SRECORD
Re Worried Canadians Urged Gar-
neau To Halt Max Jet (Oct. 18):
Transport Minister Marc Garneau
is an accomplished Canadian who
has been an astronaut and head of
the Canadian Space Agency, and
holds a doctorate in electrical en-
gineering. The catastrophic acci-
dent involving an Ethiopian Air-
lines Boeing 737 Max jet seemed
to be one where a prudent minis-
ter would want further informa-
tion prior to taking any action –
like Mr. Garneau did in seeking a
briefing the next day – or possibly
none at all.
The plane was not built in Can-
ada. The accident did not involve
a Canadian airline. It did not take
place in Canadian territory. I be-
lieve Mr. Garneau’s behaviour was
entirely appropriate for the cir-
cumstance.
BrendaDunbarWaterloo,Ont.
DONOTTALKABOUTIT
Re Moment in Time – Fight Club
Makes Its Debut (Oct. 15): I quote:
“There’s probably not a person
alive older than the age of 20 in
the Western world who doesn’t
know what the first rule of fight
club is.” For my benefit, since I am
older than 20: Could someone
please tell me what it is?
LindaLumsden
Peterborough,Ont.
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