The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge - Your Turn -- Have We Given Up On Climate Change?

Episode Date: November 16, 2023

Is it the issue of our times or is it the forgotten issue of our times?  Climate change.  You had lots to say about comments we made yesterday on SMT and today you get the Bridge to air your thoughts.  Plus the Random Ranter is by with his take on the "axing the taxing" debate. And some special letters about your feelings on last week's Your Turn on Remembrance Day.

And hello there, Peter Mansbridge here. You are just moments away from the latest episode of The Bridge. It's Therapeutic Thursday. That's right, you get your therapy on Thursdays right here on The Bridge with your turn. Coming right up. And hello there, Peter Mansbridge here once again. Thursday, it's your turn, your opportunity to let me know what's on your mind about maybe something you heard on the bridge during the week, maybe something that you have a question about, you have ideas about, you have comments about. That's what we look for on Thursdays.

You've written in to the Mansbridge Podcast at gmail.com, and I've been through the mail, and I give you that assurance every week. But I do read everything that comes in. And, you know, sometimes I read all of your letter on the air. Sometimes I read a part of your letter on the air. Sometimes I don't read any of your letter on the air. It all depends. What makes the cut sort of kind of makes the cut. And I try for new participants every week. There are some regulars who write in a lot, and it's always great to hear from them.

Sometimes I use their comments, sometimes I don't. So if we all have that kind of understanding about things, that makes it that much easier to make this show work every Thursday. And I enjoy it, as I've said before, because it tends to give a, well, it gives a reflection of at least the feelings of those who are prepared to sit down at their laptop and write their thoughts down.

And some of you get quite carried away with your letters, And that's good. You know, good for you. That's, you know, that's a kind of therapy in a way, right? Is you sit down, you write out your thoughts. And you share them. And you're prepared to share them. People give their name.

They give their location when they remember. And so you get a sense of, in a way, you know, it's nothing scientific about it. You get a sense in a way of how the country's feeling about different issues. And this week it's interesting because, you know, I said something yesterday in Smoke Mirrors and the Truth with Bruce Anderson. I kind of threw out this question about climate change, you know, of have we given up?

Has the country given up? Has the government given up? As a result of things that have happened, and you know what they are in the last month or so around carbon tax and home eating oil and all that. And you're going to sort of wonder, is there a feeling out there that, you know, Canadians are tired of it, tired of the discussion,

tired of the debate? Well, by the way, there goes that bell again. I have yet to figure out where it is inside this machinery that I have, but I will find it. Anyway, back to climate change. A lot of letters about that comment I made yesterday. And they're interesting, and they kind of cover the spectrum. Here's the first one.

Once again, these are in no particular order, right? They just sort of, here they are. My name is Mark Dunham. I'm a 34-year-old engineer, and I'm writing from Mississauga, but I'm from rural southwestern Ontario. Regarding your discussion about Canada's response to the climate crisis, I've heard about the need to address climate change for nearly my entire life, and yet Canada still has higher emissions now than when I was born in 1989.

It seems to me that the answers about how to reduce carbon emissions have been there all along, and Canada simply doesn't want to do it. Countries like France, the UK, and Sweden have only one third of our emissions and similar living standards. Before people start saying it's colder here and the distances are different, keep in mind that one, building heating is only 16% of our emissions. And second, everyone drives within their own city every day. The same as Europeans, not across the country. To address the majority of emissions, we simply have to build more nuclear power, electric rail, denser, walkable cities,

and have a good public transit. This is in contrast to what has been happening all over Canada even now, which is low density, urban sprawl, which necessitates cars. That is a deliberate choice at the municipal and provincial levels and reflects Canadians' high carbon choices. The fact that Canadians choose to spend an average of $650,000 on a house, but not $15,000 on a heat pump, shows that they are choosing a high-carbon lifestyle when low-carbon options are available. Canadians should stop blaming companies for emissions and look in the mirror.

Suncor doesn't burn the gas, you do. Also to blame a Chinese person with one-sixth of your carbon footprint for climate change is the epitome of entitlement. Now, Mark, that's not even half of Mark's letter. It goes on on a number of fronts. But that's the nub of it on this issue. And, you know, it's a pretty good argument. So thank you, Mark.

I think it's the first time we've heard from you. And as I said, we love to hear from new listeners at any time they want to sit down and write. Penny Robertson. She's in Napanee, Ontario. Today you asked Bruce whether he thinks thinks this is yesterday's program again today you asked bruce whether he thinks canada has given up on fighting climate change i don't think our federal government has but i do think the majority of canadians have if they're planning to vote for a conservative government they can't truly care about combating climate change.

Also, I've observed that most Canadians don't seem to want to do anything about climate change if it means paying for it or changing their behavior, even if they've been personally impacted by floods, fires, droughts, hurricanes, etc. For example, one very simple way to lower one's carbon footprint is to drive a smaller vehicle, which uses less fuel. However, I still see many people driving much larger vehicles than they need while complaining about the cost of filling up the tank. If the cost of gas alone can't prompt people to get rid of their gas guzzlers, I don't know what will.

Naomi Herberg. She's in Toronto. I was listening to your discussion with Bruce about whether the liberals have lost the plan or the government has abandoned its plan on climate change. I think it's really interesting that the poorly considered Liberal action, the carbon price carve-out, has had an interesting ripple effect on the related story regarding heat pumps. This debacle has had an unexpected side benefit in exposing the public to the existence of heating pumps. This tobacco has had an unexpected side benefit in exposing the public to the existence

of heating pumps. I guess there really is no such thing as bad publicity. It feels like everyone's talking about them, and this is probably a good thing, isn't it? When all is said and done, I would not be surprised if there's an uptick in installing heating pumps from this whole discussion. So maybe the liberals will have the last laugh. P.S. And this will mean something to you if you listen to yesterday's podcast, which is really good, Smoke Mirrors and the Truth. Naomi writes this, I don't think taylor swift would appreciate

donald trump being referred to as the taylor swift of anything even rage farming let's hope justin and pierre can resist the urge to do their own cage match That was Bruce at that Taylor Swift line yesterday. And when he said it, I was looking at him, and I was over Zoom, I was looking at him, and I was thinking, oh, man, you're going to hear about that, buddy. Well, Naomi wrote about it. As for the cage match between Polyev and Trudeau, I don't know, that could probably raise a lot of good money for charity of some sort.

Put those two in a cage match, let them go at it. Pam McDermott from Burlington. I'm a centrist, and I'm tired of the aggression in the political discourse in the last few years. I guess you wouldn't be going to the cage match. What if the Liberal Party removes the main target of that aggression, Prime Minister Trudeau, and has a woman run? It might just shake politics up enough to get us invested in the Liberal Party again. It is time for a change. It might just shake politics up enough to get us invested in the Liberal Party again.

It is time for a change. So says Pam McDermott. Simon Brooks is in Caledon, Ontario. And he's written a long letter here. I bet we're going to read a part of it. I agree wholeheartedly with Bruce on the insidious, caustic, subterranean erosion of our democracy through right-wing misinformation, lies, and disintellectual, debateless, easy critique of the difficult solutions to very complex problems. Unfortunately, base is where we're headed.

The problem, though, is not that it's happening. We are now very sure it is. I see it every day around me, the disintegration of societal norms that allowed Canada to function easily, collectively. Simply, in the way people interact with each other now, it's sad. So many signs reminding people to act humanely. So many signs reminding us to be considerate, because we're not anymore. Hmm.

Well, Simon agrees with Bruce. Al Short in Coldstream, British Columbia writes, I heard you and Bruce talking today about whether people and companies still care about the need to reduce carbon emissions. I think there's no stopping this transition. It may not be in the headlines unless climate change gets more coverage during a drought or floods or wildfires. I've been to India and China, and those countries have a long way to go. Yes, Canada emissions are very small, and we are probably a carbon sink for the world, given that our huge land mass of trees and vegetation. I think Canada can help other countries by developing our natural gas reserves

and get LNG to countries to get them off coal. My view is that we better find ways to live with our climate realities until our planet gets our emissions down. I think it will take countries around the world 75 years to get emissions down to acceptable levels, then another 100 to 200 years for the CO2 levels in our atmosphere to dissipate and reduce to acceptable levels. All right, Al. I think Al wrote last week, and he just said from Coldstream. And so I looked it up, and I thought, where is Coldstream?

And it turns out there's a Coldstream in Alberta and a Coldstream in BC, so I wasn't sure which one. Well, today, Al tells us. And it turns out there's a cold stream in Alberta and a cold stream in BC, so I wasn't sure which one. Well, today, Al tells us. He's in cold stream British Columbia. Rita Archer from Salt Spring Island, BC. Have you ever been there? It's fantastic.

What a place. It's a great place to visit. it must be a spectacular place to live Rita Archer writes from beautiful Salt Spring Island, B.C. I'm a regular listener to your podcast but man oh man can you not find someone to replace Bruce Anderson who is just a tad less pro-liberal? Just asking.

Rita, you know, I get these thoughts every once in a while. As you've heard already, some people love Bruce. Some people wonder about Bruce's attachments to certain political biases. Let me tell you this about Bruce. Bruce is a very respected political analyst in Canada. His advice and thoughts are sought after by people of all political stripes. He lives in Ottawa, so he hears a lot from different MPs from all the parties. He's been in the political scene for decades.

He's worked for both conservative leaders and prime ministers and liberal leaders and prime ministers. Both sides have sought his advice at different times. And you know what? He's not a journalist, and that's why he's on this program. Because I love the mix of his thinking and where it is. He's also one of the country's most respected pollsters. So he sees data all the time, research data on Canadians' attitudes to various things. the country's most respected pollsters. So he sees data all the time,

research data on Canadians' attitudes to various things. So I have him and I have Chantal. Clearly the, if not the top, certainly one of the top political columnists and commentators in the country. Love from coast to coast to coast. And then you have me bumbling around in the middle. So what you're hearing from the three of us is our thoughts on whatever the issue is of the day. Okay? whatever the issue is of the day. Okay.

But Rita, that doesn't take away from Salt Spring Island, man. Loving it. Matt McDonald in Ottawa. For me, from a Canadian perspective, the science shows that Canada contributes less than 1.5% of greenhouse gases. This tells me that Canada doesn't have any climate issues and should probably help other polluters, such as China, transition to natural gas, for example. We have a large supply and should take advantage of our natural resources.

The climate issue in the next election is near the bottom of my list. Issues such as the economy, cost of living, food, and our increasing debt are at the top of my list. In addition, how can Bruce say the carbon tax doesn't have an effect on inflation? It's applied to everything that has to be transported in this large country of ours. Anne-Marie Klein. It's interesting that Anne-Marie is in Toronto. It's interesting that most of the mail, certainly so far in today's episode, is coming from central Canada.

And that's unusual. We usually get a lot of mail from Alberta, quite a bit from BC, some from the Maritimes. I mean, Ontario does represent most people in the country in terms of straight-up population. But today, a lot of the comments, and as you've heard so far, they're mainly about climate change, have come from Ontario, southern Ontario. Anne-Marie Klein's in Toronto. Great show today with Bruce Anderson.

Thought I must admit, it's mind-boggling to hear that centrist voters are drawn to the federal PC party in the belief that they will manage the country better than the current government. We only need to look at the seven provinces presently being led by conservative premiers and the belief that they will manage the country better than the current government. We only need to look at the seven provinces presently being led by conservative premiers to see that there's a mix of transfer of monies from public dollars to private hands, misuses of the notwithstanding clause to remove the charter rights of children as well as unionized workers, not to mention the complete chaos unfolding in Alberta with regards to wanting to leave the CPP. How does anyone fool themselves into thinking someone who is

already misrepresenting federal policies would make a competent prime minister? I hope two years is a long enough time for people to wake up to the fact that while it's mostly municipal provincial policies that affect our lives in the most meaningful ways, we don't need a federal duplicate in Pierre Polyev making things even worse than they currently are. I don't know. What do you think? Do you think Anne-Marie is not a Pierre Polyev fan? It seems like it.

The last couple of weeks we've been flooded with letters of people who want Trudeau gone. So I guess Henry's trying to even things out. Martha O'Brien in British Columbia. And this is also as a result of something we were talking about yesterday. We were having this kind of debate, this argument about the votes that were cast in the last two federal elections. That in the number of votes cast, the Conservatives had more votes cast in their favor than the Liberals had in their favor. And yet the Liberals won the election because of our system, right? Martha writes, yes, the Conservatives got a slightly higher percentage of the popular vote than the Liberals, 34.34 to 33.12, but if you look at the percentage of the vote that was left of the Conservatives, and exclude the Bloc Québécois, whose orientation is left but not obviously

relevant to left or right, i.e. NDP and Greens, it was 55.65%. So in no way did the Conservatives get a majority of the popular vote. Well, yeah, I guess that's right if you make all those conditions and exclusions. And I think Bruce is right on climate change, says Martha. As soon as we have another summer of forest fires and floods and heat waves, people will focus on it again. The temporary change to the carbon price on fuel oil plus heat pump subsidy plus rural rebate increase, all of which

applies in all provinces that have federal carbon pricing, is in line with the national justification for federal carbon pricing. Okay. Ben Delaney. Ben is in, where is Ben? He's on the eastern on eastern Nova Scotia. Let's look at our national homelessness crisis and ask ourselves,

what have the city planners been doing? Why do we have tent cities in every city in the country, and why haven't we figured out how to manage this situation yet? I've seen an oil patch work camp for 200 plus workers set up in about a week. It's unfathomable that we still see a homelessness epidemic in 2023. Zooming out now, we can look at the failings of our provincial government simply by looking at the state of health care in any of our provinces. Have you spent time in an ER lately? Or tried to find a family doctor?

Have you taken a walk or a drive lately to look at our decaying and crumbling public infrastructure? If you were driving, how many times did you look at your path and thought, I'm going to have to hit a pothole here. I'd better aim for the smallest of the seven in my way. It's a great letter from Ben. There's lots of points to it. A couple more. Speaking of the feds, why is it that we, the taxpayer, are paying for our MPs to simply represent the goals of the party? It's become clear to anyone paying attention that our MPs represent their party's interests first, the donors to their party second,

and their constituents somewhere after that. It feels like we're picking up the tab for our MPs to plan their party's next election cycle instead of planning for the future of our nation. And then he plugs my new book coming out, How Canada Works. It comes out next week. It hasn't been released yet.

Now, Peter, I haven't read your new book yet, but from what I gather, you've met with people doing the real work across the nation. The people who are really holding our society together, often with very little resources, holding their communities together with duct tape and hope. They're the real leaders of this nation and the ones making a difference. As I said, Ben, great letter.

If you want to know more about the book, you can go to my website, thepetermansbridge.com, and you can order it. Now, you don't have to wait for it to be in the stores it will be in the stores as of next Tuesday the 21st but you can order it online now another another letter that came out it was a comment about the whole Mark Carney thing.

That's going to be the savior of the Lord Boulevardian. Maybe, you never know. Robert McAllister wrote from Binbrook, Ontario. For the life of me, I can't imagine a world in which Mr. Carney would be content as opposition leader with a caucus that will fit inside a minivan. Best regards. Continue.

Thanks for the podcast. Hey, Rob, you got a nice sense of humor. Here's the last one on these kind of some of the things we've talked about lately. Not the last letter of the program today, because there's more and the random rancher's coming right up. But Bill Falk from Richmond, British Columbia writes, on your podcast of Wednesday, November 8th, you discussed an interview conducted by George Stephanopoulos

in which he posed a question to his guest seven times, never got an answer. In your conversation on this with Bruce, you wondered if going back to the same question that many times without getting an answer was good journalism or not. You suggested that some listeners, just some, grow frustrated with that persistence and would say enough already. He isn't going to answer that, so let it go.

Move on. Go to something different. I think that many listeners like me appreciate what George was doing. I get frustrated when politicians dodge a question and the interviewer lets them get away with it. When a good question is asked, I look forward to the answer and I'm annoyed when it isn't provided. Why does the interviewer ask the question if he isn't interested in the answer? And if the answer isn't provided, go after it. I grow weary of politicians evading the hard questions and applaud the journalists who won't let them get away with that.

Thank you, Peter. Thank you for the podcast. Thank you, Bill, for the letter. Okay, that's kind of the first half of things. And, you know, a good first half it was. We have more letters, and they're mainly about last week's program, the Remembrance Day letters. And they're interesting too. Before we get there, this is kind of related to what we've been talking about.

And it's coming from your friend and mine. What's his name again? The Random Renter. Here we are. In this whole axe the tax carbon pricing debacle, I find it mighty rich that two of the leading voices in favor of carving out a home heating exception, Daniel Smith and Scott Moe, happen to also be beneficiaries of record-setting oil and gas royalties. I mean, if they really want to provide relief to their constituents, they have the oil money in their coffers to do so.

But I'm not holding my breath, because they're not really concerned about the affordability of home heating. They're concerned about anything that threatens the price of oil. Let's face it, without oil, life in Saskatchewan, and especially Alberta, would be radically different. And as Western separatism gently simmers away, I think people should remember that. It was only a few short years ago that Alberta oil was selling in the negative. And in the future, as the world grows less reliant on oil, it will be the oil sands that go first. I mean, for all the marketing about friendly oil and committed to net zero, the tar sands produce the most carbon-intense oil in the world. And it's not just carbon-intense, it's low quality.

Alberta oil production can only be justified by high market prices. And for the most part, outside of the odd blip, we've had high prices for at least a generation or two. But the world is changing. It's going electric. It's going wind. It's going solar. It's even going hydrogen. I mean, you don't need to be the great Karnak to see that oil's days of dominance are waning, and axing the taxing isn't going to affect that reality. Now, I know change can be difficult to stomach, but the green age is coming, whether you like it or not, and it needs to come. We need to meet our targets for climate change, because every day it becomes more and more evident that civilization has backed itself

into a nasty climate corner. Fixing it is not going to help with the affordability of anything, but then no one said climate mitigation would be cheap. But it'll certainly be cheaper than the cost of doing nothing. There he is, the random ranter for this week. And a reminder to those of you who are maybe just the first time listeners to the random ranter or forgotten, one of the facts about the random rancher, he doesn't live in central Canada. He lives in western Canada. Okay?

That's where he lives. That's where he works. That's where he raises his family. Has all his life. Okay. We're going to take a quick break, and back to your to your letters right here on the Thursday episode of The Bridge. It's our Your Turn and the Random Ranter episode. You're listening on Sirius XM, channel 167.

Canada Talks are on your favorite podcast platform. And as we always say, we are happy, very happy to have you with us. Okay, back to your mail. Last week we did a special episode of The Bridge on your turn. We had your stories, your anecdotes, your family stories about Remembrance Day. And that's all we had for the whole program. And it was, as it turned out, people really, really found it important. I was going to say, you know, liked it, were happy about it. This seems the wrong word about that, but the opportunity to share some of their own personal stories,

family histories, was one that made a mark, not only on those who participated, but those who were listening. So I do want to read some of their letters, some letters that came in as a result of listening to that broadcast. I know that it's a little after the fact in terms of Remembrance Day, but these notes had an impact on me. Logan Young Ritchie in Toronto. He grew up in Sioux Lookout, Ontario. Been there, northwestern Ontario.

As a 30-year-old trying to forge a career and raise a young son along with my wife, I have some concerns about Canada's future based on many of the factors I see, lots of which have been discussed on the bridge. To summarize a few, I think Canada is a naive country that is entirely unprepared to face the rapidly changing geopolitical landscape and mounting uncertainty. I mean, we have no ability to protect our own Arctic, for starters, especially considering the unpredictable political future of our neighbor, ally and protector to the South.

On top of that, we have a housing crisis, a health care crisis, a homeless crisis, and we cannot seem to build any sort of infrastructure. I should note I drive past the Eglinton LRT tracks every day to work. That's an Inside Toronto story which I won't get into. All these factors can lead me to, at times, question how nice of a place Canada will be for me to grow old and my son to grow up in. In short, when I look around, I ask myself if there's anything to have faith in. That brings me to last week's Your Turn episode. I was deeply moved by the stories that so many wrote in to tell. I was struck by the deep

love these people have for Canada and how much they care about the future. It helped me remember why our country and values are so important. This country has been a place for those escaping war and horror to build a life and lay down roots in peace and prosperity. Through their stories, your listeners distilled the reasons why this country is important and precious and why our values and ideals are worth fighting for. The heart and soul that those people showed with their stories reminded me that this country is full of good people that believe in this place. It gives me hope.

So through listening to the stories of your listeners, it helped me answer the question of what gives me faith in the future of this country. You all do. Great letter, Logan. Jim Wernham. He's in London, Ontario. I just listened to today's Your Turn on the Bridge.

I found the stories to be interesting, inspiring, and at times heartbreaking. As a man in my early 40s, these stories provide insight and perspective to what it was like to live in a time of war. They give a glimpse into our humanity and what it looks like when we're united behind a cause. They provide perspective on where we are currently. They help us all to remember. I'd love to hear more of them, and I don't think that I'm the only one who would. Is it possible to release a special episode of the podcast with more of these stories. We'll think about it. I appreciate the time and effort you put into making such a wonderful podcast. I've been listening for the

long from the start. It's fantastic. Thanks, Jim. Chuck Cameron in Cambridge, Ontario. I'm writing today as my experience with the bridge has come full circle. I came to your podcast via the June 8th edition of Your Turn, where you read a letter from my aunt, Kate Turvett, in Listowel, Ontario, about my grandfather, George C. Turvett's service in the Second World War. I haven't missed an episode since.

Today, as I made the drive from Cambridge to my hometown of Wingham to partake in this weekend's Remembrance Day events at the Cenotaph and Legion, I had the good fortune to listen to yesterday's Your Turn and all the stories of service and sacrifice from across this great nation. I simply wanted to thank you for providing the platform for these stories to be told. As many of your listeners mentioned, the men and women who went to war did not talk openly about their experiences while being deeply proud of their service. With each passing year, fewer and fewer veterans of World War II remain, yet it remains so important that their stories

are told. Even within my own family, where we participated in the Remembrance Day service for years in honor of Grandpa George, it took me 37 years to find out that my great-great-grandfather, Frederick Butler, was a World War I casualty and lays in eternal rest in a war cemetery in France. Speak the stories. Share the stories. Kelly Haggerty in Kamlaki, Ontario. I've listened to your podcast pretty much daily since it began. Thank you for your insight, knowledgeable guests, regular contributors like Chantel and the Radish Farmer, that's Bruce, Brian Stewart, the Random Ranter. I look forward to tuning into the show daily. I've often considered writing, but this is the first time I've actually followed through. The first letter you read last week

regarding the Polish soldier gave me goosebumps. I grew up in PEI, living across the road from my grandparents. My grandfather was a Polish soldier from World War II. He was captured and sent to a Siberian prison camp, then released, fought in Palestine, and then later Monte Cassino. Just like the writer's father, he moved to Canada, worked two years on a farm, but in PEI, met my grandmother, an Islander, not a fellow Pole, and made a life here. They had one child. My father and my brother and I were the only grandchildren. Sadly, we lost him in 1982 when I was six years old, so I didn't get the time with him. I wish now I had been able to. I immediately called my dad back home. I now live in Sarnia, Ontario to tell him about the letter you read

The similarities are pretty strong in terms of World War II experience We've limited knowledge about his service as he was apparently reluctant to talk about it But we know he cherished his new home, his family, his farm and all that was PEI and Canada I'm writing in the chance you might forward my letter to the other writer his family, his farm, and all that was PEI and Canada. I'm writing in the chance you might forward my letter to the other writer, as we would love to see if indeed my grandfather fought alongside this gentleman,

as my father and I would welcome learning anything we can. See what we can do on that, and hopefully, Kelly, last week's writer is listening right now. Marty Gregory in Montreal. I just finished listening to your latest podcast, where you read letters of war stories. This time of year, approaching Remembrance Day, I always get melancholy and edgy. My father and several uncles were in the war in various capacities, never talked about it, as is true of much of their cohort.

There was one uncle who I never met, Terence McGarren, a tail gunner, who perished when his Halifax was shot down over Germany. His story is nothing remarkable as compared to so many others I've heard over the years. What has always struck me, though, was the hole his death left in my mother's life. Her baby brother, she was crushed, and I always knew it. I don't ever specifically remember her talking about it, but I could sense, as children do, the effect it had on her over the decades. I was born in 53. Like you, grew up in a world of war movies, TV shows, and comic books, and later documentaries. There are always heroics,

both fictional and real, but little is ever said of the collateral losses. It's always bugged me when seeing people killed or maimed that they have families, loved ones and friends. Every one of those people are affected by that pointless death. The trauma filters down over the years from one generation to the next, diluted by time until it passes out of living memory. Until it comes again, over and over. What I cannot fathom is how the world hasn't learned. Many claim we have, but look around us. There's always war going on someplace, and what's happening now on such a large scale scares me. What lies ahead, the dead will be dead, but the survivors will be affected

for generations to come. So much hurt, so much sorrow. I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but just wanted to get it off my chest. I'm so grateful to be born Canadian and having grown up here in peaceful times, lest we forget. Wow, Marty. Marty's in Montreal. Got a couple more. Well, one more. There it is. I'm going to read all of it.

Murray Shalin from Oro, Medonte, Ontario. 35 years ago, I flew into my hometown to spend some time with my dad, who just had an unsuccessful do-or-die cancer operation. I got in late at night, and my dad got out of bed, and somehow we got around a bed, and somehow we got around a table, and we talked as we have never talked before, recognizing that this could be one of the last chances for conversation. Talk of what transpired during his war years in Italy, and then in Holland, Belgium, had always been short answer discussions in the past, but on this night, it was fair game.

My dad came out of the war a broken man, not the adjusted, high-octane personality he was when he misrepresented his age in order to be accepted as a volunteer in 1942. At one time, he could have been described as a lover, not a fighter. He did not do well with the idea that he had a gun given to him, and it was to be used to kill humans, or failing that, get himself killed. One of the many stories I heard that night, for the first time, was this.

As a mature soldier, he was sent ahead of his battalion to report what was around the next bend. As he was investigating what was thought to be an empty farmhouse, he came around a corner in the house and walked right into the barrel of a gun held by a German soldier that only needed to pull the trigger to finish my dad off. The German soldier was alone and so was my dad. Instead of pulling the trigger, the young German soldier just nodded his head and waved his gun, indicating for my dad to just get out of there. As my dad retreated, he feared that he would feel a bullet in his back. That shot never came. Several days later, there was a gunfire exchange a few miles down the road. On the Canadian side, my dad was not alone,

and several other soldiers fired bullets into a barn that was housing German soldiers that were firing back. After a while, it was thought that the Canadian army had flushed out the Germans. Carefully, the Canadians entered the facility and came across corpses that were lying around. My dad went up to one and using his gun, he flipped the corpse over. And at that point, my dad discovered it was the same German soldier who gave my dad a life pass a few days earlier. As we can all imagine, that was a hard sequence of incidents for my dad to mentally process, and as it turns out, he never did.

Rarely did he have a good night's sleep after that, and he no longer was the progressive, risk-taking farmer that he was when he first joined the army. Though he never hid from the fact, my dad never overly displayed pride of having served. With quivering lips and wet eyes, he spoke of the concept that it might have been one of his bullets that took the life of this soldier. The dilemma haunted him to his grave. I love you, Private William Adolph Shalin of the New Westminster Regiment, and have so much respect for what you undertook.

And I am so ashamed of myself and my country for not doing more to help you deal with these circumstances. I do think of this story every year at this time. Now I think aware of the fact that we got kind of taken by a storyteller last week. Murray made a point of giving all his personal details. And I believe him. It's quite a story.

I've heard similar stories of a similar nature. Not the same stories, but similar kind of things from veterans over the years. And how particular moments in the Second World War that they experienced have never left them. And it's affected them, you know, in many ways, many of them negatively. You know, the whole, why me? Why did I survive? Why did my buddy get killed? Why did this guy on the other side get killed? And I lived.

Anyway, thank you once again for your stories and i will i'll see what we can do you know my my friend mark bulgich and i have talked often about it because we've both been to so many different anniversaries of famous battles and famous moments in different conflicts especially the first and Second World War. We've often talked about what more could we do? Is there a story we could write? If you're a subscriber to my newsletter, which I hope you are, you'll see a story I tell about last week.

And I'm thinking of how I can pursue that, maybe in book form at some point or something like that. So it's important, as some of you have written in your letters this week, that we keep these memories alive. We tell these stories. We share these stories. It's an important part of our history, but it's also an important thing for those of us who are alive today to remember the consequences of conflict and war.

If you want to get the newsletter, write to national or email or go online. I get it right here. Nationalnewswatch.com slash newsletter. There's no charge. It's a free subscription. It'll come each Saturday morning around 7 a.m. Eastern time. And it's just an easy weekend read.

And please join us. All right. That's, um, that's it for this day. Uh, tomorrow it's good talk. Chantelle and Bruce will be here. And as I say, every Thursday, I'm sure we'll find something to talk about because we always do. And when we do, hopefully you'll join us. So that's it for today. I'm Peter Mansbridge. Thanks for listening. Talk to you again, 24 hours.