Dear Editor
A couple of our own Conservative MPs have been making the news the past few days, once again drawing attention to their mean-spirited outlook on representing us poor clods here in the Saskatchewan hinterland. For more than a few days, it's been the guy my neighbours voted for - Gerry Ritz - and now it's been that MP from the nearby gerrymandered riding of Saskatoon, Rosetown, Bigger - Kelly Block.
Gerry Ritz, stood up in Question Period in Parliament, and after feebly maintaining that even the union at XL Foods backed him up on the adequacy of federal inspectors there (They didn't, it later turned out.), concluded that all 15 of the known cases of E. coli-induced illness caused by XL meats had recovered. That was good news! I guess that means we shouldn't get worried when a plant that processes about a third of all the cattle brought to market in Canada turns out tons and tons of possibly contaminated meat for us to eat. At least Ritz didn't joke about it as he did during the listeriosis crisis a few years ago when he made his famous comment about death "by a thousand cold-cuts."
Monday, news surfaced about a flyer Kelly Block sent out to her constituents about the Conservative's plan to end health "benefits" to refugees. She seemed to be surprised that a great many of those constituents didn't see the wisdom of not offering humanitarian medical aid to people who come here to escape persecution, inhuman conditions and possible death. The flyer stated, "Working hard for you. Ending unfair benefits They've had free prescriptions. Not anymore."
When did helping a person in trouble become an "unfair benefit?" The answer could be, when one doesn't believe the message of the Sermon on the Mount, or other wise lessons from the past and present.
Russell Laht
Battleford
