The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge - Your Turn -- Conspiracies Anyone?

Episode Date: June 16, 2022

It's Your Turn with letters about everything from aging to conspiracy theories.  Your thoughts, comments and ideas about the issues of the day.  And as always, you don't hold back.

And hello there, Peter Mansbridge here. You are just moments away from the latest episode of The Bridge. It's Thursday. That means your turn, your opportunity to let us know what you think about some of the pressing issues of the day. That's coming up. All right, then. Big day here at the bridge. Why is it a big day?

Is it a big day because we're almost about to hit the 4 million download mark in terms of the bridge since it started on SiriusXM? Since SiriusXM Canada started punching out The Bridge as a podcast, 4 million downloads. That is a lot of downloads. And I'll tell you, it's enough that once again this week, we're number one on the Apple charts in terms of political podcasts in Canada, and that's nice to know.

Is that the reason why it's a big day here at the bridge? No. No, that's not the reason. Is it a big day because we're a week or so away from the summer hiatus on the bridge? No. No, that's not the reason. The reason is, for the first time in the history of the bridge, for the first time, I'm aware in my broadcasting career, I'm sitting talking on a mic that has one of those like sponges on it. Big mic, big sponge.

Windsock, they call them sometimes. So I've got one of those on here. And why is that? Well, of those 4 million downloads, a couple of people have written in on occasion and said, you know what, you should really try a Windsock because your peas are popping. And some have written that they're hearing every slurp, you know, like I've got a coffee

here, and when I drink coffee, some people complain that they hear my lips smacking. Well, this is supposed to deal with that. I don't know whether it does or not. I guess we'll find out today. But it sure looks funny, this kind of windsock in my little study studio home office spot where I record the podcast every day. So it's a big day. I mean, you feel like you've made it to the big time. Because now you have a windsock. You have one of them spongy things.

We'll see how it works. Okay. Thursday, your turn. And there were a lot of people writing in this week. So we should get to it. And it's funny because this week we tried something a little different on the program. We did what we call our kind of notes section there was a monday notes and tuesday notes where topics would come up where i just basically read a story from some you know news agency in different parts of the world and make a few comments on it and then move on didn't dwell on it and then move on. Didn't dwell on it one way or the other, but some of them seemed to hit the mark because people have written in. One of them was when I talked about aging and my sort of, you know,

my experiences with aging. And, you know, I made a number of comments, everything from how fast time goes by, the older you get, and hearing aids, falls, those kind of things. And a lot of you have written in, like Kathy Bolin writes, well done to spend some time talking about aging. This helps normalize things like getting hearing aids and what it's like to get older. We don't often hear men's perspectives on aging either, so doubly well done. Jane Brody, she was the writer from the New York Times who I was quoting, is one of my favorite reporters.

For your information, I'm a bit younger than you, but older than the millennials in your crowd. I appreciate that you kept it brief, but it was still thoughtful. Thanks and be well, Kathy. Robert Piggott. He writes from North Vancouver. I've been a frequent listener to your broadcast for the last six months, but this is my first time email to you. You sure hit the nail on the head with the hearing aid story. I've been wearing them for about six years. I'll be 88 next month. They are very expensive, but it's the only money you will spend over the period with your audiologist. After years of urging from me, my wife is currently in the trial stage of her first pair.

That's the same as me. Like many new users, she is surprised at sounds she has not heard for years, like the click, click sound of the battery kitchen clock on the wall. A word of advice to current users. Be sure your property insurance company is aware that you wear them, so they are covered for loss or damage. A lesson learned from recent experience. Thank you, Robert. That's good to know. Sean Hammond.

Doesn't mention where Sean is writing from. Just finished your Tuesday episode. The second half about aging was very interesting. I'll be 51 at the end of June. I'm prepared to use any and all things at my disposal in order to continue having a regular life. We all wear earbuds or headphones, so wearing hearing aids wouldn't stand out anymore, and you get to hear clearer. I believe once you have lived most of your life, do whatever you can to continue that.

Hearing aids, scooters, and other mobile vehicles. Use them all. Cheers. Let me get this in the right order here. Catherine Clark writes from Mississauga. I can relate to your reluctance to get hearing aids. I felt the same way when in my 40s I was told that I would need orthotics. My first thought was people in their 80s get those.

That's not for me. Anyway, I got them knowing I could hide them and no one would know. Now, 15 years later, not only am I very happy I did, but I don't care. Who knows? Now, I know you can't hide hearing aids so easily, but they are making the aids smaller and easier to hide. If you need them, please reconsider. It might be more serious than just turning up the volume. Yeah, you know, I think I'm there. You know, I've been testing these out, and there's no question you hear things

you didn't hear before. There's no doubt about that. But, you know, we'll see I haven't pushed that piece of plastic through the machine yet but we'll see here's the last one on aging Ian Gorman he writes from Ottawa that's what he says about Ian Gorman, he writes from Ottawa.

That's what he says about aging. There is a good test for aging if you live in Ottawa and ride OC Transpo. Being two years older than you, I learned to give up a bus seat to a standing woman. But as I got older, young women started offering me their seat. Some years later, middle-aged women also began to offer me their seat. Like you, I have trouble picking conversation out of background noise, but can still get by without hearing aids. I also have low vision, for which I've bought some electronic gadgets about as expensive as hearing aids. The gadgets are quite useful, and I wish similar gadgets had been available for my father and my grandfather. I'm not sure what he's talking about there.

Electronic gadgets for vision? But here's a great line. There is at least one thing worse than getting old, not getting old. You're here. Good line, Ian. Moving on, different subject now. I mentioned the other day in another one of these short notes features about how we were in the kind of convocation time.

You know, May and June are convocation time at colleges and universities across the country and high schools. And it's a big day for students. And it's a big day for teachers who get to see the product of their work moving on. But these last couple of years have been tough. And I told a story about how our son, Will, had just graduated from University of Toronto last year. But his whole last year and a half because of COVID meant no classes and everything was done, you know, by Zoom. There was no sort of personal touch to anything, which he found really difficult.

Not in terms of learning, but in terms of the camaraderie and the whole experience of going to university. And then on convocation day, it was all done by Zoom. And we sat there crowded in our little apartment in Toronto, looking at a laptop screen as names went by. I mean, that was it for graduation. That was as big a moment as it was. Now, I was still emotional. I got quite emotional watching it, watching our son graduate, something neither Cynthia nor I had done. We never went to university. And this wonderful young man did. And it was great to watch.

Anyway, I mean, it was great to watch, but we all felt like we were missing the moment we'd been waiting for, you know, all his life. Anyway, Don Dufour writes from Ottawa. Your short story on Will's university graduation touched me the other day, more so today when we received our son's University of Ottawa diploma via courier on our doorstep. As he's currently working up in Nunavut for the next two weeks,

we texted him to see if we could open the envelope. Adam graduated last month summa cum laude from his Bachelor of Applied Science program in mechanical engineering. At the end of his five-year co-op program, having endured the last two grueling COVID years via online classes, labs, exams, endless hours of lectures, he did not want to attend the in-person ceremony nor order that iron ring that some say is the hallmark of those in his profession. He just wanted to be done. Yeah, Will was like that too, just like, get it over. While both his dad and I are university graduates and would have enjoyed seeing him walk across that stage,

we remain super proud of his fantastic accomplishments and respect his graduation decisions. He's been hired full-time by the mining company he worked for during his three co-op work terms, and is starting to enjoy life after academia, and most surely understands that his hard work has paid off. As parents, we couldn't ask for more. He's one of those young people you mentioned who listens to your podcasts, is politically aware, and I feel will make great contributions to the world in his lifetime. Oops, sounded a little like a mother there.

Yeah, you did. Good for you that you did. So congratulations to you, Adam, and congratulations to all those young people and some not so young who are graduating this spring and early part of the summer and as they move into the next stage of their lives. Robert Ong, he writes from Toronto. I want to share with you that I too graduated from university exactly one week ago with a virtual convocation. It marked the end of six administration and... Well, something's wrong in the way that printed up. I'm missing half this email.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry about that, Robert. But I get the thrust of what you're saying. And you're just one of those who, you know, who went through this incredible last couple of years because of COVID. And, you know, I've watched, you know, one of my grandchildren doing the same thing at the University of Ottawa. And in her first year, you know, there were no classes. It was all virtual.

I think until the last semester, they had to do some lab work in person. She's in chemical engineering. But, you know, how difficult has it been for all of you? And, you know, you are a special cohort. There's no question about that. You know, for the rest of your lives, you will always be able to point to the fact that you went to university and you graduated university during a period of time in which you were not allowed to go to university.

That one day that will not be a burden to you. It will be something that you wear as a badge of honor. Next subject, and this is kind of a mix of a number of different things we've talked about over the last little while, January 6th, the committee hearings, conspiracy theories, and the media. So let me get to it. Jim Dole writes from Perth, Ontario. It's a little south of Ottawa, a little north of Kingston. Referencing an Angus Reid poll on trust in Canadian media

that was released last week, 39% of Canadians polled distrust the media to tell the truth. When broken down by political persuasion, a full 67% of Canadians on the right do not trust the media to tell the truth. When broken down by political persuasion, a full 67% of Canadians on the right do not trust the media to tell the truth. I read an article today where it was speculated that the reason for this was in part years of Trump screaming fake news whenever he heard something that he didn't like, which was often. However, rather than reporting in a fair and balanced manner, the Canadian media will often report news, particularly with regard to our

Prime Minister and the governing Liberals, with a strong right lean to try to appease those on the right that cry fake news. That's funny because those on the right say the Canadian media is always, you know, protecting the liberals or the prime minister and report from the left, not the right. So it's, you know, it's nice to hear on occasion somebody like Jim tell us that it's the other way. Rob Bjarnason writes from Carberry, Manitoba. Bill Barr and others can characterize Donald Trump as being detached from reality with his election fraud campaign, but that's very far from the truth. All of Trump's actions are carefully planned

and delivered in a timely manner. He foreshadowed a rigged election and then doubled down after he lost. A master of distraction and propaganda, nothing sticks to Teflon Don and he knows how to walk the tightrope of lies versus truth. Well, he has so far. Trump has also monetized his big lie

and will walk away with millions donated by his gullible minions under the guise of a legal defense fund. The January 6th committee is only verifying what we already knew. Lies, half-truths, and grifting are firmly entrenched in the American political machine. Mr. Trump is just working the system and a disillusioned electorate to the max. Paris Nicolaitis writes from Sioux Lookout, Ontario. I used to, you know, Sioux Lookout used to be part of my beat when I worked out of Winnipeg and was responsible,

this would be early 1970s, was responsible for Northwestern Ontario. And Sioux Lookout was always an exciting place to go. We'd head out the Trans-Canada Highway from Winnipeg. You'd hit the border with Ontario. You go through Kenora. And then on your way eastward towards Dryden, just before you get to Dryden, there's a little town called Vermillion Bay, and that's where you hang a left and head up the highway as if you're going to Red Lake. And on the way to Red Lake, you go through Sioux Lookout. So there you go. I remember it well. I

remember driving to Sioux Lookout at all different times of the year. And in the winter, it was pretty tricky. In the summer, it was spectacular because it's all, you know, it's a land of lakes there. And the fishing is great. Pickerel or walleye as the Americans call it. Fantastic. Nothing like a fish fry at the side of the lake. And many of them around Sioux Lookout. You could fly in.

Anyway, I'm getting carried away here. Paris Nicolaitis writes from Sioux Lookout. I'm listening to your appraisal of the case made by the House Committee. I'm struck by the plain fact that no matter how clear the indictment, how well evidenced, it still takes 12 jurors to find Trump guilty. Just one juror insisting that they have a reasonable doubt and Trump walks fully vindicated. And in his case, fully vaccinated too.

There are Trump supporters who will never convict him no matter what. Well, that would certainly be the case if, in fact, he's charged and if, in fact, it ends up as a jury trial as opposed to one person like a judge making the decision. I don't think that'll happen. He's no dummy. Mike Berenik from Belleville, Ontario. I work with people who share some of these conspiracy theories.

The scary thing for me is these are not poorly educated people, but people who seem like intelligent people who are well spoken some with post-secondary school educations it seems so ridiculous and yet i'm not perfect either there are conspiracies that i do believe in for example i don't believe the official story on the jfk. I believe there was more than one shooter. There wasn't. There was one shooter. You know, it's been, what, 55 years around since November 63 and that assassination. Nobody's ever proved

and please don't bore me with Oliver Stone stories. Nobody's ever proved and please don't bore me with all of her stone stories nobody has ever proved that there was more than one shooter anyway i digress sadly i don't see a way out of this i get my news from traditional media like cbc sometimes ctv unfortunately most people don't at least. The ones I know, and I'm 65, they're using Facebook. Thanks again for another excellent podcast. Thank you, Mike. Don't believe the JFK nonsense. Judy Gorman writes from Scarborough I have my own theories on how many of the people who believe in conspiracy theories reach their conclusions Many of the hard right supporters have ties to perhaps more fundamentalist Christianity

They were very much in support of keeping the theory of evolution out of schools They wish to have only creationism taught. This perhaps was the start of the anti-science movement. Many of the conspiracy theories are based on a mistrust of science. Therefore, they can get up in arms on the origin of COVID, the dangers of death or chips and vaccines, and quality of journalism, depending on who broadcast it. They see balance reporting as being in the pocket of leftist yahoos because it is left of their own views. Well, I'm not sure I agree with all of that, but I do agree with your last point.

You know, if the news organization they're listening or watching or reading is left of their views, they may barely be in the center. But to them, to those who don't trust them, they're leftist yahoos. Malcolm Campbell from Minnesota, Manitoba. It's been said that conspiracies are facts that have not yet come to light, a set of truths deliberately suppressed. I certainly appreciate the intuition to be highly skeptical of conspiracy theory

when the content is highly serious and the ramifications perilously dangerous. Equally dangerous conspiracy theorists used as a pejorative to discredit those who consider themselves intelligent, critical thinkers, and observers. Has there never been questionable events that shaped our history? The JFK assassination. The Gulf of Tonkin false flag. that was pretty well exposed at the time as a false flag

and certainly is accepted as a false flag today and for some 9-11 there are certainly some who believe that 9-11 was orchestrated by the US government really no one wants to believe that our Western governments are capable of committing atrocities. Actually, we do know that they've committed atrocities.

My Lai in Vietnam, that was exposed, not immediately, but as soon as the media got wind of it and were able to confirm it, not only was it exposed, people were charged, people went to jail for those atrocities, and there have been others. However, as Malcolm writes, that does not mean that they have not or will not. Consider your own sense of truth and reality. Can you honestly expect someone to abandon theirs if it simply runs counter to the prevailing narrative? We all have biases and take legacy media for granted as being an impartial institution. But what if?

The what if is the key to the success of conspiracy theories. And I, you know, I sort of, I understand where you're coming from there. Preston Lewis writes from Little Rock, Arkansas. I've made a big effort to push back by balancing my responses to friends and family with empathy and timely facts. Why empathy? Simple. Lack of it only polarizes people more. That's a really good point. That's been the biggest mistake by leaders. Whether intentional or unintentional, they have too often dismissed this crowd as deplorable. And we know what Preston is referring to there.

That was the Hillary Clinton line in 2016 and probably cost her that election. That approach plays right into the hands of scoundrels like Trump and Bernier. Max Bernier, I guess Preston Lewis is referring to. Governments and media should be very careful to write off the millions who have wandered down the rabbit hole. Stick to the facts, hold the ringleaders accountable, but let's not forget that many of these people are our neighbors. Healing will be easier if we avoid the temptation to retreat to our own corner. Good point, Preston. And thanks for writing from Little Rock, Arkansas,

one of our American listeners to The Bridge. We're going to take a quick break, and we're going to come back with a kind of Thursday notes section of our letters. And there's still lots of them to go, but they're all over the map on different topics right after this. And welcome back. You're listening to The Bridge on SiriusXM Canada, channel 167, Canada Talks.

Or on our podcast that you receive, The Bridge, on your favorite podcast platform. Glad to have you with us. Okay, moving on with more letters. Actually, this next one really didn't say anything other than the headline, which was, I started my day in Vancouver and drove to Calgary, filled up a gas tank in both cities. Price disparity shown here, and it just sends two pictures. Price of gasoline when he gassed up in Vancouver, $2.31.

$2.31. Same day $231.9. Same day, drives to Calgary. Oil-rich Alberta. Note, I just took a sip of my coffee. Did you hear it? Did you hear that sip with the new special microphone cover. Anyway, Vancouver, $2.31.9 a gallon. In Calgary, and the video evidence shows, $1.79.9.

Half a buck difference. Same day, Vancouver, Calgary. There were a number of comments about the Moore-Butts conversation, number three, which was on leadership. That was

two weeks ago, and there were still getting comments, lots of comments last week, a couple more this week. This came from Mark McElwain in East York, Ontario, who took issue a little bit with both James Moore and our friend Jerry Butts and their theory that the political leadership these days, the way parties pick leadership was good. Here's why Mark takes issue with that. He's writing from East York, Ontario.

The party membership base provides only a weak foundation for party democracy. Some leadership races have been flooded by instant members, which can distort the public agenda. From dairy farmers protecting their high prices, to gun advocates, public sector unionists protecting their salaries, fundamentalist religious groups, they've all affected leadership choice, but often three years later have little interest in the party they joined. That's true, Mark. Good for pointing it out. Lindsay Ross.

Lindsay is in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. I'm a millennial listener of yours, and I've been a fan of yours since I was young And once met you in Hinton, Alberta As you were a keynote speaker many years ago I currently now live in Antigonish, Nova Scotia I listen to your podcast every day I was giggling at your latest podcast on Tuesday When you were reading the article about aging gracefully I'm an older millennial as I just turned 40

But I was already relating to many things you were talking about, especially the hearing aids, but I'm not ready for that yet. I'm a recruiter for a company here in the Maritimes, and one thing I'm fascinated with our workforce is that this is the first time in history, I've never thought of it this way, I love this, first time in history that we could possibly have over five generations in the workforce. We discuss a lot about cultural competencies, but a really important cultural competency would be learning to work in industries with multi-generational workforce. I know your podcast focuses a lot on political issues. However, this multi-generational workforce is such a unique phenomenon. And I personally love learning about how to work

effectively with boomers, Gen X, Gen Z, and whatever other letter is added for younger employees. Isn't that interesting? Five generations in one workforce. First time in history. Richard Valkovicak writes from Toronto. Truth equals trust. We're on the same channel there, Richard. Pivoting, reframing, spinning, changing the narrative, not telling the truth, lying. These all have similar meaning and connotation.

All politicians do it across all parties, said your guest the other day, Lisa Raitt. You wonder why we have such a divided society? You wonder why our democracy is under attack? Truth equals trust. What a very sad political world we live in. God help us all. I don't go all the way with you on that, Richard, but I go a long way with you. It's a sad commentary that those words are part of the political playbook in so many parties. Pivoting, reframing, spinning, changing the narrative, not telling the truth, lying.

Kirk Anderson writes, I've been enjoying your podcast for some time now, particularly good talk on Fridays. I would be very curious to hear your reactions to John Ibbotson's column this week in the Globe. He takes the position that Pierre Palliev should not pivot to the center and tries to tie it to his explanation for the success of Doug Ford.

All right, I missed John's column, and I tried to dig it up this morning, but I was not successful in doing that, so I can't vouch for if that's exactly the take he took. All I would say is, and I would be surprised if John was trying to suggest that Doug Ford never pivoted. He pivoted. He pivoted a year ago. He pivoted away from losing positions and took a much more middle-of-the-road position, which he ran through the last year, through the campaign, and right up to the night he was crowned the king again with a second majority government. So it's just that he didn't pivot in the campaign, or for the campaign. He pivoted when he was in dire straits a year, year and a half ago,

and became the man of the middle, and the man who was ready to cut deals with Ottawa for both their benefits. Paul Gauci. He writes from Toronto. I remember, actually, I like this letter. I'm going to save this one for the end. I'll just put this aside for a minute. Angelo Milo from Ottawa. He's talking about Brian Stewart's piece the other day on the really delicate situation Ukraine finds itself in right now in the Ukraine-Russia war. Things have not gone well for Ukraine of late. Angelo writes,

well, that sure cast a pall of gloom over me about the situation in Ukraine where the barbaric invasion by Russia has brought ruin and misery. It was not news or a surprise as I've noted in following media that the Russian oligarchs are making

gains. Sadly, it may come to Ukraine losing geography and Ukrainians isolated under Russian rule losing their ethnicity. Here's my question. If Russia and Ukraine ever come to peace, how will the West deal with Russia after all their exposed and documented war crimes and brutality? Will the West drop sanctions and normalize diplomacy? This war is going to end one way or the other. And usually, as we've said many times, wars end with some form of negotiation.

Maybe a big negotiation, maybe small, but at war tend to be dropped or phased out over time. And one would assume that's what would happen with the sanctions against Russia and diplomacy. I mean, look at America and Saudi Arabia. It's a little hard for a lot of people to stomach the fact that Joe Biden is going to go to Saudi Arabia. But he's going to. We gave the stats a couple of days ago about the most used websites on the part of Canadians, and we're kind of surprised, at least I was, to see that Canada Post was the number four used website by Canadians after Google and Facebook and the same kind of websites that people around the world use. But Canada Post was right there as number four. Mark Russell writes from Ottawa, why is Canada Post popular? Well, I'm no expert, but they provide support to e-commerce platforms,

and it's very likely people didn't even know they create traffic to the Canada Post servers when they shop online or enter an address in an online form. Through an application programming interface, API, Canada Post web services provide real-time shipping quotes for online shoppers, validate mailing addresses through postal codes, and can also provide package tracking services. I'm also sure there is someone out there with greater technical eloquence than I that can explain.

There is a little, there is little, I'm going to punt on that last line. I'm not sure. I think there's a couple of words missing. But we get the message, Mark, and a better understanding of why it's ranked so highly. Kathleen O'Grady from Saskatoon. I laughed out loud last Thursday, June 2nd, when listening to Good Talk, when Bruce Anderson made an analogy likening something to, it's like pineapple on pizza.

Pineapple on pizza? It's the only way to get, only way to go. I'm with you all the way on that one because I took a few hits for saying it was okay. I like pineapple. Pineapple on ham. A pineapple on ham pizza, please. Another pitcher, Charlie Lappin, writes from Berlin. We talked about what's happening to the old phone boxes around the world, and many of them are being basically towed away, heading to the junk heap.

But in some countries, they're being used for other things. In London, we saw them being used for defibrillators used for a Wi-Fi hotspot for telecom customers. And if you're a customer, you get to use it for free as a Wi-Fi hotspot for non-customers they actually got to throw some coins in the machine brent bush writes from nanaimo bc once again on my morning coffee walk i've been listening and thinking about the various opinions expressed on the subject of gun control. I must preface my comments by saying in years past I've enjoyed trips to the U.S. In fact, I still have a few bucket list trips like the Grand Canyon, New York, New Orleans. But over the past few years, my attitude has changed. I'm actually somewhat afraid to go to the U.S., afraid of simply being

in the wrong place at the wrong time. On the one hand, I feel sad about that, but on the brighter side, I've still got a lot of great things to see north of the border, and I'll enjoy doing so. Well, good for you in terms of wanting to spend more time north of the border. Listen, there are still some spectacular sights to see in the U.S. And during your lifetime, I hope you get to see them. But in the meantime, we live in a country that has an equal number, if not more, spectacular sights.

You've just got to get to them. We live in a big country. But travel is not impossible. You know, my friend, co-author Mark Bulgich, you know, grew up with his daughters. He and Rhonda decided that they were going to take their kids to every part of Canada, to get to every province in Canada as they were growing up so they'd have a better understanding

of the nation we live in and the spectacular beauty of so many parts of it and the grace and understanding of the people who we shared with. And they did. They traveled by car and train and plane and they went to every province in the country. Now, not everybody can do that, but they were determined they would before they started exploring the world outside Canada.

And so I've, you know, I've always appreciated that part. I've, you know, I tried to duplicate it with my kids to limited success. Let's just say, certainly not the success that Mark has had. Okay, final letter. We go back to Paul Gauci. Paul's writing from Toronto. I always like to try and save one particular letter for the end. So here's the last one.

I remember you once said that you do your podcast to help people think about the issues that you introduce on your show. One such topic made me think, and I had to write to you about my opinion. It had to do with two topics you raised this week. The first was an article about a study that said 8 in 10 delivery workers admit to eating part of the food order they are delivering. The other was about how the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. That the billionaire's growth rate is equal to the growth rate of people going into poverty. These two stories made me think, and I came up with an important question. Why? Why are these people eating the food? Well, perhaps the answer has to do with the second story.

Perhaps these people are eating part of the order because they are hungry. They are hungry because they could not afford to buy food. Many people like these are called the working poor, and they are only paid minimum wage, if that, which we've discovered recently is not enough. I would not be surprised that many, if not all of them, cannot make ends meet because of the rise in food costs, rent, and transportation. As a teacher, I've seen children come to school with not enough

food or no food at all. Many families are trying to make ends meet, but unfortunately many fall shorter through the cracks. It is truly sad when I hear stories or articles like the delivery people eating food and individuals make assumptions about them without looking into the root of the problem. I would imagine that article did not follow through with why they are doing it. Like you said, you want us to think. Well, how about we all ask the truly important question when we see these articles or stories. Why? Thank you, Paul. Paul Gauci, from Toronto. Great letter.

Why? Okay, we're going to wrap it up for this Thursday. Here's something for you to keep in mind. You know, we also reference a number of letters today to the January 6th committee, the continuing investigation of what happened on January 6th of last year, 2021, in Washington on Capitol Hill. It's the Watergate of our times, say a lot of people, and a lot of people who covered Watergate say, not only is it the Watergate of our times, it's worse than Watergate. It's a lot worse than Watergate, and some of the evidence we've seen

last week would suggest they are right. It is worse than Watergate ever was. Here's the interesting thing to keep in mind as we watch this it was 50 years ago tomorrow that the Watergate break-in occurred that was a break-in by Republican operatives on the payroll of the Republican Party breaking into the Democratic headquarters for the 72 election campaign. Their headquarters were in the Watergate Hotel. By a fluke, that break-in was discovered.

They had gone in there to try and place bugs, listening devices, get out of there, whatever they could get out of there. 50 years ago tomorrow. So there's one to think about.

Alright, that is it for the Your Turn episode of The Bridge. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back again tomorrow, Friday. Good talk. Don't miss it. I'm Peter Mansbridge. Thanks so much for listening. Talk to you again in 24 hours. Thank you.