Readers have their say about an 'insolent' president, the GST rebate, the F-35 vs. Gripen dogfight, plus much more in letters to the editor

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Re: Outrage across Europe after Trump says NATO avoided Afghan front line — Jan. 24

Governments have denounced the insolent remarks of U.S. President Donald Trump, who claimed that NATO allies “stayed a little back, a little off the front lines” in Afghanistan during the war that raged there from 2001 to 2021.

While some 2,450 U.S. soldiers fell there, it is worth reminding this president with his selective memory that approximately 1,100 soldiers from these supposedly cowardly allied countries also remained. Trump found a flimsy excuse not to fight in Vietnam; these allied soldiers, however, did not back down.

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NATO soldiers came to the aid of the United States because it had been attacked on Sept. 11, 2001. One for all, all for one! And it is this same North Atlantic alliance that Trump has tarnished and provoked by wanting, until recently, to seize Greenland, a constituent country of Denmark, a small NATO member state of six million inhabitants, which mourned the loss of 44 soldiers in Afghanistan.

Sylvio Le Blanc, Montreal

The association I represent is strictly apolitical. Our only mission is to advocate for Canadian veterans, their families and serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces. Recent comments suggesting that NATO “does nothing” for the United States, and that NATO members stayed “behind the lines” in Afghanistan, require correction.

NATO has invoked Article 5 only once — on Sept. 11, 2001 — when all Allies stood with the United States after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Canada responded immediately, welcoming diverted flights to Gander, N.L., and supporting thousands of stranded passengers with compassion and pride.

From 2002 to 2014, more than 40,000 Canadian Armed Forces members served in Afghanistan, primarily in Kabul and Kandahar. A total of 158 Canadians lost their lives, and many others returned with life‑altering injuries. Their missions included improving security, supporting governance and helping Afghan girls return to school. These were front‑line operations, carried out with courage and professionalism.

For decades, Canadian and American forces have trained and deployed together. The U.S. veterans I’ve met understand and respect Canada’s contributions. I hope those who served continue to speak the truth about the sacrifices made — shoulder to shoulder — when America needed its Allies most.

A.R. Dunham, President & CEO, Dominion Command, ANAVETS (Army, Navy & Air Force Veterans in Canada)

Re: How a decades-long love affair ended with homicide — Nicholas Kohler, Jan. 22

Nicholas Kohler’s article on mercy killing was a beautiful story........

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