The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge - Your Turn -- on Political Messaging, Wildfires and D-Day.

Episode Date: June 8, 2023

It was a busy week managing the incoming letter's file as you had a lot to say about Moore-Butts Conversation #9 and particularly the issue of political messaging. There were also some climate change thoughts brought up with comments on the wildfires, and some memories about D-Day. Plus the Random Ranter drops by with some sage advice for all politicians.

And hello there, Peter Mansbridge here. You are just moments away from the latest episode of The Bridge. It's Thursday. You've been writing a lot this week. It's your turn day, and the Random Ranter. And welcome to another edition of Your Turn on the Bridge for this Thursday. And I can tell you right now, there were a lot of letters this week on a variety of different subjects. I'm barely going to get to a fraction of the letters that came in, and even then, of each letter, as usual, I'm just going to read small portions. There is one long letter, though, that I am going to read, but it'll be at the end of the program today, but it's well worth waiting for, let me tell you. Okay, so let's get started.

I think the most written about topic this week was our Monday episode, which was the Moribuds Conversation number nine, which dealt a lot with political messaging and whether or not it's changing as a result of the movement of generations, as we've been through many different generations, haven't we, in the last century. Okay. Brent Bush writes from Nanaimo, it wasn't until I was listening to your recent podcast with Jerry Butts and James Moore that the light finally went on for me. When discussing the changes that your guests saw during their political life, James made the point that really resonated with me.

There is complete lack of interest in the long-term health of the country and society. Everything is short-term thinking from all sides. Nobody sees the horizon. He made that point that society in general has to make the sacrifice now to save the future with no immediate benefit to them in sight. The big question remains, how do we make the shift away from divisive party politics to a mutual concern for the well-being of our planet? At the age of 73, this question will not be mine to solve, but I fear for the coming generation. Mary Moore in Spencerville, Ontario.

That's just south of Ottawa. I dare these people or my local MP to come up to me in person and speak to me the way they do on Twitter or in the House of Commons. That schoolyard bullying by Polyiev in the House last week, disgusting. I was sorry, Trudeau responded, albeit mildly. Frightening to watch the PP party, Pierre Poliev party, stir the stick to the bottom of the barrel to further their quest for power, playing on popular anger to line their coffers without offering one solution. J.P. Godbout in Montreal.

I wanted to note how I almost spat out my coffee while listening to Jerry Butz's acknowledgement of how Gen X is often left out. Really? We all know Gen Xers feel like they've been duped by the boomers who hung on to their jobs too long. But trying to get an ounce of empathy by playing the long-lost forgotten ones? No.

That said, the forgotten ones, I'd say, are much more those like myself, born between 1977 and 1985, that belong to a micro-generation, the Xennials. It's a very mixed group of adults in our 40s who grew up watching news on TV and reading it in the papers while being projected into the digital age in the late 90s. We were early tech adopters and today continue to consume media in a hybrid traditional and digital manner. In our case, the messenger that acknowledges our specificity wins our loyalty because they get us. Okay, JB, sorry, I kind of butchered that one, but I'll try harder.

The print for some reason on that was very small. Tim Brody from Fall River, Nova Scotia. We, my generation, the end of the baby boomers and Gen X, raise this new angry group. We appear to have done a lousy job. We didn't teach conflict management skills. We didn't teach the value of sweat equity. We didn't teach the values of tradition.

Instead, we praised half-hearted participation, encouraged reliance on technology, and undervalued real social connections and community. These are all coming out of the Moorbutts conversation. If you didn't hear it on Monday, you should really dial back and listen to it. It was pretty good. Pamela McDermott also writes about the Moorbutts conversation. She writes from Burlington, Ontario.

Another level in this debate is the concentration of wealth and power all across the world. Some of these people seem to have more influence than some nation states. They have the power and the finances to manipulate algorithms on social media and meddle in other countries' politics. If their politics are skewed too far in either direction or their moral compass is faulty, we all suffer. Just a thought.

Good one, too. Jamie Rothenberger writes from Calgary. In several recent episodes, you and some of your guests have used the term statesman with regards to how the leader of the official opposition should act as the potential prime minister in waiting. Actually, we were quoting from a conservative who was saying that very thing. I know exactly the type of leadership and comportment the term statesman implies. However, isn't it time we all embrace more gender-inclusive language? A quick internet search brought up NATO's manual on the topic.

It suggests using political leader, head of state, diplomat, and political figure as alternatives. Maybe these aren't the best options, but it is an attempt. Perhaps statesperson could be added to the list. You know, I know we've all been moving towards this over the last 20, 30 years, been moving to more inclusive language in using our various descriptive words for titles and functions.

And I get it, I understand it, and I agree with it. There are times where it sometimes seems to go a little too far. Not this one, although we were basing our discussion on this around a quote from a particular, in this case, conservative. But nevertheless, let me just tell you one quick story. When we first started to see this movement towards more inclusive language, which I agree is the appropriate thing. I got an internal memo once.

This would have been in the 1980s from somebody who is supposedly from the Office of Language Usage at the CBC. It sounds like a Monty Python movie, right? But there was this office. And this person wrote to me and asked me, had I considered whether or not I should change my name from Mansbridge to Personsbridge? I leave that with no further comment.

Gabriella Zilmer. The Moribot's conversation was so insightful and enlightening. To hear these two gentlemen share their experience, knowledge, and opinions with us is like doing a master's degree in politics and current society. They have given me a new way of looking at what is unfolding before us in both our political system and also in our society. That's great to hear, Gabriella. That's the whole intention of the More Abouts Conversations. You know, and like so many of the things we do, it's there to get you thinking.

You don't have to agree with them. In some cases, people disagree vehemently with what they have to say and what the random ranter has to say. But what's good about it is it gets them thinking, gets them talking. Rob McPherson from Vancouver, BC. I enjoyed today's Mooer Butts conversation, particularly the discussion about how politicians today are tailoring their messages and sending specific messages to specific groups, hoping that other groups won't notice. It reminds me of the long history of putting out different messages in French and English. A partial solution, while imperfect, is of course to call out mixed messaging

and to be really careful to pay attention to statements made for the benefit of base supporters and making sure that all Canadians hear them too. All right, there were many more, as I said, on the More Butts conversations, but that'll be enough for this day. There were also a nice number of comments about our special on Tuesday where Brian Stewart and I talked about D-Day and our memories of the various anniversaries that we've attended on the shores, on the beaches

of Normandy over the years. Mike Wright writes from Amherstburg, Ontario. I wanted to say how much I love your show. It challenges me to see so many perspectives. A good thing as I approach 56, an open mind is a great power. Isn't it though, right? Your episode with Brian on D-Day was one of my favorite episodes. My father had some brothers in the war. I was fortunate to hear some stories from them. I found Tuesday's conversation so grounding, just to think what a time it was back then.

Thanks for giving that day some needed attention so we never forget. Kate Turvett writes from Listowel, Ontario. I listened to your discussion with Brian on Tuesday regarding D-Day, in fact, played it again. You see, my late father-in-law was a World War II veteran, Sergeant George Turvett, Tank Commander, 3rd Division of the 19th Canadian Field Artillery. It was one of those young men from small-town Wingham, Ontario, who left the dairy farm to defend his country.

On June 6, 1944, he drove his tank and crew of eight men off a barge onto the beach at Perniers-sur-Mer. My husband has said that growing up, his dad rarely talked of his time at war. But many years later, when D-Day and the Holland Liberation celebrations were organized, George and his wife Barb traveled to Europe with other surviving members of his regiment. Together, they toured battle areas, cemeteries, shared some beverages, stories, and were honored by many. You know, I've watched many of those groups go back,

and it's, you know, it takes your breath away. You just watch as they remember some of the moments that they had spent together and with friends who never came back. And you can see it in their face. You can see it in their eyes. The good times and the bad times. Betty Ricketts writes from Halifax. I listen with interest and gratitude to your podcast today around the topic of D-Day.

Brian Stewart provided so many vivid details of the angst during the preparation phase and of the courage of the young men as they ran from their landing craft. Seeing as my dad, Earl Netherton, really didn't talk to any of us about that day or subsequent months fighting his way to Holland. I found myself tearing up at the sheer magnitude of the sacrifices. Brian reminded us none of them had to be there. Dad could have been home with my mom and his young daughter. Thank you for your continued commitment to bringing us stories and information

on topics that are so important to us Canadians. A lot of discussion about wildfires, right? As there should be. It's horrific and those images continue. Starting to clear up a little bit in central Canada. But it's heavy days in the U.S., New York City, Boston, on the Atlantic coast. Probably won't clear up for another day or so,

but meanwhile it's certainly making the headlines there. Canadian forest fires. Ben McKay writes, I'm a 21-year-old progressive conservative from Nova Scotia, but federally independent. Ben McKay writes, was sickened to see the headlines. Trudeau drops a smoke bomb on us, and blackface gives us black lung. They also had a commentator smoking a cigar as they showed fires burning in Canada and the smoke in New York City. While I don't expect much common sense and humanity on from a Fox News show, this was truly beyond the pale.

While people have been displaced from their homes and had their lives turned upside down and put at risk, the far right is cracking jokes and making political hay. Doug Johnson writes from the Okanagan, Vernon, B.C. Our CPC MP is unconvinced by climate science and that the role of human activity in the rise of global temperatures remains undetermined. When this broke in 2015,

the CBC, the Narwhal and Huffington Post covered it. But no local media other than CBC Kelowna. It really hasn't come up since and the MP keeps winning with 50% of the vote. Well, well, they keep calling them out, right? They keep asking their party if they stand by their candidate's position on climate change. Percy Phillips, he writes from Portage to Prairie, I grew up in northeast Alberta, where forest fires are a normal part of the life of the Canadian boreal forest. Jackpines require fire to release their tightly held seeds from the cones and provide favorable conditions for the seeds to germinate

and the young jack pine plants to grow. We seem to be unable to have a facts and database discussion regarding the fires of 2023 without getting immediately into an ideological discussion regarding climate change and what we're doing about it. If you build a house on a floodplain, you're going to be flooded at some point. If you put your cottage or home on a picturesque forest, in a picturesque forest, there's a real risk of it burning at some time due to fire, unless you take deliberate action. Climate change is the answer for everything these days. However, there's no plan on behalf of this current government other than increasing the cost

of fossil fuel, and the net result will be to make Canadians poorer in the process by increasing the cost of everything. See, we do get a variety of opinion on the major issues of the day. Dylan May writes from Victoria, When are politicians left and right going to come forward and be upfront and honest about the real perils and threats we face from climate change? I see people in my day-to-day life that admit it's real, but still don't seem to grasp the enormity of the compromises that are necessary. So I ask again, when will our politicians be willing to run on a necessary but unpopular platform in true service of the nation and of the globe? A platform willing to say that things won't be easy, that things will be difficult.

Why do they keep painting an existential threat as a new investment opportunity? A couple more before we take our weekly listen to the random rancher, and we'll take a break, and then we'll close out with a couple more letters. Judy Skeen writes, While having my lunch today, I was listening to you and Brian Stewart talking about D-Day and Richard Romer's role in keeping Rommel away from the front. I looked over to a stack of Zoomer magazines that I had been neglecting,

and on the top was the Honorary Lieutenant General of the Canadian Armed Forces, Richard Romer. Coincidence? Next May, I have booked a cruise that circumnavigates the UK and Ireland with a stop to get to Paris. Having been to the City of Lights many times, I plan this time to go to Juneau Beach. Enjoy your summer.

Get those plans to visit Antarctica finalized. Yeah, I want to do that. Brian Dale writes from Sherbrooke, Quebec. I'm a relatively new listener to your podcast, but I've been very much enjoying it so far. I just wanted to respond to your introductory comments made on yesterday's episode. As an academic and someone who's very concerned about the climate crisis,

I echo people's encouragement for you to discuss these topics on the bridge. And we've been trying to, you know, for the last few months to have something on climate each week. And, you know, we've been doing that, perhaps not in the way that some of you were hoping for with extended interviews all the time, but at least commentary that deals with it, and we dealt with it to a degree yesterday because of these fires.

And you can see the kind of reaction that's been prompted on it. Arpan Palmer writes from Toronto. During your Thursday, June 1st episode, you rightfully noted the ongoing daily COVID deaths around the world and the WHO declaring the global emergency being over. However, you also noted that

technically the pandemic is over. Technically the pandemic actually isn't over, according to our pen. The continued spread, spikes, and evolution of the virus are all part of the ongoing pandemic. It does seem like a bit of a definitional gray area, but the pandemic is not being declared officially over by the WHO, the WHO, or Health Canada. According to the WHO, in most cases, pandemics truly end when the next pandemic begins.

Okay, that's a good point. Ted Van High from Exeter, Ontario. A couple of points on the ranter's discussion of biodiversity in agriculture. I'm an agricultural research technician with the University of Guelph and hold a Master's of Science degree in plant agriculture. First, from its inception, agriculture has never relied on natural selection,

domesticating any species, whether plant or animal, is done through artificial selection. Second, the crops and varieties a farmer chooses to grow are based on a multitude of factors. The primary factor is profitability. This is influenced by a crop's variety's yield capability, global demand, local supply chains, ease of marketing, tolerance to environmental stressors, and many other factors.

All right, Ted, thank you for that. Brian Dale from Sherbrooke, Quebec, writes, I was very happy to hear the random ranter raise some important issues regarding the food system last week. He discussed several critical points from biodiversity loss to the fact that we should be concerned about heavily processed foods, even if they're labeled organic. The random ranter concluded his segment by suggesting that the food system is stacked against us. In fact, I'm convinced that as consumers, we largely fail to recognize the potential power we hold to change the food system.

It won't necessarily come from shopping more responsibly, at least if we're going to be blindly guided by labeling schemes by local organic and fair trade foods, but rather by consistently asking the kind of pertinent questions raised by the random ranter. Okay, this one comes from Carol Cornwell from Lacombe, Alberta. She raises a number of points. I'm just going to read a couple of them.

She talks about, you remember that scene in Alberta, Grand Prairie, when was that? Last summer? last fall, where Chrystia Freeland was kind of stopped by an angry constituent. Not of, it's not her writing, she's from a Toronto writing, but she was born in that area, grew up in that part of Alberta.

Anyway, the man was angry about the way the government was running things and a variety of other stuff. And here's the point that Carol Cornwell makes. On the one hand, I understand that when politicians are traveling, they probably adhere to a tight schedule. On the other hand, could Christian not stop for two minutes and ask him why he was so angry? Did he lose his job? Did he lose his home? How is he coping? Or how is your family? No, she put her nose in the air and walked away.

That is what the media reported, and they portrayed the man as a threat. Christian didn't seem very curious about the reason for his anger. Let me just say this. I understand where you're coming from on this, but I also understand that Minister Freeland is under express advice from security officials when there have been issues of politicians being attacked, politicians from a number of parties being attacked physically in the past couple of years.

They're under express, the express advice of security officials, don't engage when it's clear that the person is not speaking or acting in a normal way. Move out, move away. Let others deal with it. And that's what happened there. I'm just saying, okay? You clearly have your opinion on that. I'm just telling you what else would have played into that moment.

Now, Carol also mentions there were comments about Pierre Polyev setting the tone for question period. How do you set a tone when you have a prime minister who doesn't seem to know how to answer questions? I watched most of the question period of May 31st, 2023. That's the one that's been up for discussion at times. I'm assuming that's the one you were referring to in the podcast. And I saw that both Polyev and Trudeau were belligerent and argumentative. Why doesn't Trudeau have just as much responsibility to set the tone in the House? Why isn't he expected to be respectable,

especially to those who disagree with his views? Is Justin willing to listen? Well, you'll be happy to know that that moment, which has had much discussion and some people writing in to say, why didn't you tell us exactly what Polyev was talking about? Well, because it was not true, that's why. And it's been proven to be not true. And just, you know, talking about it and expressing

what his words were about only makes the lie spread further. However, you'll be interested to know that the random rancher has a take on that moment. And we're going to get him ready for that. The only thing you need to know, and you should remember, is that if there's been anybody that the random ranter in his almost year on the job here has been consistent on,

is he does not like Justin Trudeau. He has a bias against Trudeau in terms of his style and his communications and in some cases his policies. But keep that in mind as you listen to what he has to say about this. So here we go, the random ranter for this week. That doesn't sound right, does it? So let's get it right. Pizza.

Oh, hold on. Hold on, Peter. I knew I'd forgotten something. Let's try it again the other day in question period pierre polyev delivered what he thought was a knockout zinger to justin trudeau by making light of his time as a drama teacher well hats off to justin because he turned it back on him with an epic burn about Pierre never having had a job outside of politics. Now, I'm not doing it justice here, but Trudeau's comments were well-timed and delivered with aplomb. His side of the house rose in a chorus of cheers and full-on belly laughs at Polyev's expense. To say Pierre got owned does not do it justice, and when the camera cut back to him, there was no denying he was rattled.

Now, if you've ever had the pleasure of owning someone so thoroughly as Trudeau owned Polyev, you would have recognized the look on his face as Trudeau's shot rattled around inside his head over and over. It was written all over his quivering facial tick. In board game parlance, Trudeau scored a direct hit. But then Polyev totally lost his battleship by firing back with one of the oldest, completely fabricated stories in Ottawa. I, for one, cannot believe he went there. Because the story isn't so much a story as it is pure right-wing fantasy. There's more truth to Bigfoot than this one.

I mean, like the guy or don't like the guy, but don't make stuff up. And when someone else does, and you know it's complete BS, don't repeat it. Because it's not some kind of white lie. It's complete slander. And it should be beneath even the lowest of politicians. Polyev knows this, but he chose to go there anyways. But listen, before all the Trudeau haters start defending what Polyev said, just think about all the oppo research Trudeau has endured, all the leadership conventions and general elections, not to mention the whole

Me Too movement. If there was even a shred of some real dirt on him, it would have surfaced by now. Because believe me, people have been looking for it for years. But there's nothing to it. And by repeating it, Polyev is really just showing us his true character. And it's not very prime ministerial. Because it's not just his awful decision to say what he said. It's that he lost his cool so easily. I mean, think about it. He lost his cool when he had his own resume thrown back in his face. Trudeau just stated a fact. Polyev has never had a job outside of politics. It's a fact that taxpayers have been paying his way through life and will continue paying his way via a big fat government pension until the day he dies. He can talk about

the Laurentian elites all he wants, but he's a career politician forged on the mean streets of Ottawa. He's never known anything but politics. So he, of all people, should know that rumours, innuendo and complete fabrications can cut both ways. And there's plenty of salacious rumours floating around about all kinds of politicians, even conservative ones, maybe even especially conservative ones, maybe even a certain leader of the opposition. See how that works? It's that easy to imply something nefarious. So politicians of all stripes should be careful, because going low only starts a race to the absolute bottom. There you go, the random ranger for this week.

Not holding back. I can see the cards and letters coming in already. Okay, we're going to take a quick break. We'll come back on our final letters for this week's Your Turn. And welcome back. You're listening to The Bridge, the Your Turn Thursday episode, and The Random Ranter. You're listening on SiriusXM, channel 167. Canada Talks are on your favorite podcast platform.

Back to our letters. We've got a few more to close out on. Yesterday, we mentioned Rowan Atkinson and the article he wrote for The Guardian in terms of EVs, electric vehicles. And his concern, although he's a big booster and we made that clear, we made it very clear that he's a booster of the concept of electric vehicles and has been one who's been concerned about petrol-driven vehicles for years,

I think almost 20 years, and has written about it and is known for that. He's also known around the world for the television character he portrays, Mr. Bean. And yesterday, it's got to be coincidence, I'm sure, if one believes in coincidence, got two letters within the space of about 10 or 15 minutes from Cumberland, BC, from two different writers who were very concerned that we were shameful in referring to him as Mr. Bean at different times. Well, I'm sorry that you felt that way.

Both Lauren Finlayson from Cumberland, B.C., and Mary Newcomb from Cumberland, B.C. We didn't mean to be in any way disparaging to Rowan Atkinson, but we did refer to him a couple of times as Mr. Bean. We also referred to him by his name and his accomplishments on that file. But nevertheless, I hear what you're saying. Susan Cook from Trenton, Ontario. Could you please tell me what's embroidered on your cap that you wear on YouTube? Is it an antenna?

No, no, it's not an antenna. It's a shipwreck. It's actually from the Nantucket Shipwreck Museum. And I wore that hat in the Canadian Arctic during the search for Franklin years. And a lot of people wondered whether it had something to do with the Erebus and the Terror, the two Franklin ships, but it didn't.

It just kind of looked that way. But that's the hat. It's one of my favorite hats. Douglas Much. That's the hat. It's one of my favorite hats. Douglas Mutch. He heard our D-Day show the other day, too. My father, A.D. Sandy Mutch, 1920 to 2018, was an RCAF Lancaster pilot during World War II. Although he rarely talked about the war for many years, in his final years

he did open up a bit more. As he faded physically, he was still cognitively sharp and alert, right to his last breath. I spent more and more time with him as he faded physically, and over his last year I had extended daily visits three days a week. He was mostly appreciative of the quality time we were able to share, reflecting on many things. I love the image of that. Douglas, I'm glad you shared it with us. We should all try to remember how important those last days are,

especially when the cognitive skills are still with the person we love and care about. Okay, here's the last letter. And I warned you it's a long one, but it is a great one. Do you remember our interview last week with Brandon Mitchell? He's the Canadian from the Miramichi. Do you remember our interview last week with Brandon Mitchell?

He's the Canadian from the Miramichi in northern New Brunswick who has been basically volunteered to be in Ukraine, and he's a medic, former Canadian military reserve former British army young fellow decided he wanted to go to Ukraine and help and if you didn't hear the interview with him and you should dial that one back too a week ago Tuesday

it was a fabulous discussion anyway Or we could go Tuesday, sorry. It was a fabulous discussion. Anyway, let me read this letter. It's from Tyler Heppel in Red Deer, Alberta. I teach grade eight and nine language arts and social studies at a rural school in Ponoka County. I had my students listen to the interview you did with Brandon Mitchell. Suffice it to say they were enthralled, and what resulted was some of the most engaging discussions that I've ever had in my classroom. Some of my students

chose to write a response to the interview as part of their end-of-week writing assignment. I've transcribed some of their work below. I was hoping you could pass their words along to Brandon. Well, Brandon listens, so he'll be listening now. Also, please feel free to share any of their words on your turn. That's what we're doing, as they would be thrilled to have their voices added to the nation's discourse.

So here we go. And each student's identified by their initials. Here's the first one, FC. Honorable, passionate, and patriotic. These are all terms I use to describe Brandon Mitchell. Honor, Brandon defines to me what honor really means. Not every person in the world that lives in a completely different country has enough courage to help that country fight in a war. Brandon Mitchell, I honor, and he honors himself in a humble way to being a person that

is willing to fight for something bigger than himself. Passion. Brandon has gone to Ukraine and has put himself in a position where he can make a difference in the war. Brandon is more passionate about helping others before himself. One of my favorite examples is that instead of eating a Snickers bar, he would rather give it to children for them to experience a small kindness and even a passing moment of joy. The way Brandon talks about the struggles through the war tells me he is a passionate person and that he actually cares. And finally, patriotic.

As Brandon grew up in Canada, that makes him a Canadian, but it is his honour and passion that defines what it really means to be a true patriotic Canadian. Brandon Mitchell in the war represents us as Canadians, and I and he represent how great Canada is. Brandon Mitchell makes me proud to be a Canadian. Next one, the initials SJ. War can bring out the worst and the best in people. These words spun around my mind while listening to Peter Mansbridge's interview with Brandon Mitchell, a Canadian medic who is currently serving in Ukraine.

Mitchell spoke about the terrors of this deadly war, from comforting a woman who lost half of her hand to putting the father of some young children into a body bag. The imagery invoked anger, fear, and sadness inside of me. I questioned how people could have so much darkness brought out of them to such an extent that they would inflict so much pain into the lives of so many innocent people. I was disappointed that members of humanity could cause so much turmoil for the silly little legacy of one power-hungry politician, Vladimir Putin. Thankfully, there is still hope. We can feel this hope when we hear about people like Brandon Mitchell. Brandon is just one of the thousands that have put their lives in serious jeopardy

in order to help the vulnerable and improve our world as we know it. Many have become the worst version of themselves. So many people who were good people have become killers because of this war. Others like Brandon have had the best brought out of them. They learn about a problem and don't think twice about helping. Every day they save lives. War gives us a glimpse into the darkness of humanity. However however war can also shine a light on how humans can unite to improve our world. People like Brandon are the ones that this light shines on. I believe that we should all strive to have that light shine on us. If we all learn to be the best version of ourselves, living in international peace could become a reality. KF writes, Brandon Mitchell is an inspirational Canadian that we need to

recognize for his dedication and service to the Ukrainian people. It's easy to see problems in our world that do not affect us and to just turn our heads, ignore them and hope they end. Brandon Mitchell did not hesitate when he saw a problem and he made a decision that would go on to affect thousands of people's lives for the better. We as a society can learn so many great things from Brandon. Brandon is showing us that stepping into harm's way to help solve a problem can be done. It can be as little as intervening if somebody's, if someone's being teased or bullied or as big as going into a war zone in Ukraine or Sudan to help people. Whatever the circumstances might be, stepping out of your way to help others is what the world needs,

and Brandon does a great job expressing it in one of the biggest conflicts of our time. FD writes, Brandon Mitchell is a shining example of what is great about Canada. If his story doesn't tell you how remarkable our country can be, then I don't know what will. M.O. writes, Brandon Mitchell is a humble, honest, and deeply motivated person.

As a Canadian, it means so much that someone that does not even live in Ukraine would take initiative and help others. He would rather risk his life for the safety of others than live his life, as he would say, unfulfilled. At first, Mr. Mitchell did not plan on going to Ukraine to help the frontline medics, but once he saw the opportunity to help and do something for people in need, he did not hesitate. He's a hero, not just to the people in Ukraine, but also to Canadians. He is what we want to be able to represent, that as a country we're willing to

help no matter the cost, and that we will be grateful for what we have. Multiple times throughout the podcast, the interviewer would ask him about his accomplishments, and Brandon would tell the whole truth with lots of details. But then he would also mention all the people that helped him accomplish his goals. Brandon Mitchell is who we should all aspire to be. He is kind, considerate, hardworking, and brutally honest in the best way. He is humble, and he tries things until he cannot anymore. I, for one, am happy to be called a Canadian if it means we have people like that serving alongside other countries.

The last one is anonymous. I believe that Brandon Mitchell skillfully represents what it means to be a Canadian citizen. He's gone above and beyond to help others in ways that few people can hardly imagine. Also, by getting a podcast interview, he shed light on the horrors that are occurring in Ukraine. One must be an incredibly selfless person to have or to leave their own country and give others the help they so desperately need. To be so modest about his actions, Brandon must rely, excuse me, Brandon must really care about going to Ukraine for the greatest good.

After being exploded by a landmine, he still wants to return to Ukraine to keep helping. One can hear the raw emotion in Brandon Mitchell's voice when he speaks of the things that he has seen in Ukraine and how his descriptions and analogies paint a picture in your mind. In conclusion, Brandon Mitchell is a truly exceptional person that should be a role model for everyone. Isn't that amazing? That's great. And I thank Tyler Hepwell from Red Deer and his students in the rural school in Ponoka County.

Grades eight and nine. Pretty impressive. Some great letters, some great comments from each of those students. And it leaves us with something to be proud of, the generations that are incoming, joining that list of particular generations that are going to influence our lives in the years and decades to come, influence our lives and our kids' lives and our kids' kids' lives. So once again, Tyler, thank you so much for sharing those thoughts with us. I'm glad you

did, and I'm glad you gave the kids an opportunity to listen to Brandon Mitchell, who is a pretty special guy. Okay, we're going to wrap it up for this day. Tomorrow, of course, good talk. Chantel and Bruce will be here. Hope you have a great day. Thanks so much for listening on this one, and thanks so much to all of you who contributed to this week's Your Turn. I'm Peter Mansbridge. Thanks again for listening. We'll talk to you again in, well, 24 hours.