Lose the anger and bring civility back to Canada

DEAR EDITOR:

Anger abounds. Polarization prevails. It's time to wake from our slumber, fellow Canadians.

Extremists at both ends of the political spectrum seem to be taking over.

"Wokeism" needs to be constrained. For example, holding people from centuries ago to today's standards seems absurd. Ordinary people stay silent for fear of being labelled as bigots.

A balance needs to be struck between essential civil liberties and vital collective rights. Totally unrestricted individual "freedom" leads to anarchy. Critical lifesaving vaccines need to be encouraged.

There are many serious issues in our country which need immediate attention. However, many of our grievances would seem trivial to people in most of the world who struggle just to survive. Maybe we all need to just chill out a bit and smile more.

Our most urgent priorities should be the environment and biodiversity, which need to be cherished and protected. Without these, we have nothing. Our elected representatives are working hard to address these and other current issues. They often have significantly different solutions in mind, and we need to listen carefully and elect the best people to make improvements.

Civility must return to political discourse. Our politicians and servants deserve no less.

Let’s return to the Canadians we used to be – friendly, polite, respectful, caring and tolerant. Let’s genuinely consider the opinions of others and strive for consensus.

Canada is a wonderful country. Nowhere is perfect, but we have an open and fully functioning democracy. A strong social safety net exists. We have a good standard of living and can live without fear for our personal safety. Let’s keep it that way.

Tom Brown, Kelowna