Re: "Heron's response to Cooper's protest attendance unfair," "Heron should have asked residents before speaking for us," "Heron's, Sohi's comments on Cooper unprofessional," and, "Heron owes Cooper, St. Albertans, an apology," Letters, The Gazette, Feb. 16.
I found it ironic that in all four letters, the writers felt a need to defend MP Michael Cooper. They all painted him the victim of unfair criticisms. He’s the one who should be apologizing to his constituents for attending the event. My take is that Cooper is no victim and is playing with fire. Granted, he may not have seen the offensive flag behind him, but why was he even there in the first place?
It was reported early on that the movement had been hijacked by unsavoury elements. Some were acting on false information; and some were downright dangerous elements. It seems to me Cooper is pandering to the far-right elements in his party. I applaud both mayors Cathy Heron and Amarjeet Sohi for condemning his attendance early on and not waiting to see which way the wind was blowing, like some provincial and federal leaders of all stripes did before they stepped up to lead.
Character matters. I am, like many citizens, sick of all the nastiness that pervades our politics. All this nastiness seeps down with negative consequences. Politicians jockeying to score cheap points does nothing to improve their constituents' lives. If we’re not more respectful and thoughtful in our civil discourse, the freedoms we actually have will be gone.
Fran Preston, St. Albert
