Last week, voters across the United States participated in their midterm elections where some seats in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate were up for grabs along with positions for state governor and various other elected offices. Canadians have always paid a disproportionate amount of attention to politics south of our border, but for observers in Manitoba and across Canada this was especially so during this midterm election cycle.

After two years of trade disruption and comments that challenged the sovereignty of Canada, local observers were eager to see what judgement U.S. voters would pass and what effect it might have on restoring more traditional relationships between our two nations. Of course, the state of cross border relations is much closer to the top of mind for most Canadians than most Americans. U.S. voters identified the high cost of living, the war with Iran and corruption as their key concerns. But the relationship with Canada did register with many voters and particularly in certain states such as Michigan and Maine where it was a key part of the campaigns.

When the night was over, the Democratic Party in the United States had made sweeping gains. They not only won the majority in the U.S. House, which was expected, but also the U.S. Senate, which was less certain. And they did so in dramatic fashion making gains in deeply held Republican states like Texas and Kansas. Even most Republicans expressed surprise as the strength of the Democratic results.

Like with most election results, there are different ways to interpret what message voters sent. Clearly, given the overwhelming nature of the results, Americans were unhappy with a number of issues. President Trump repeatedly stated after the results were in that it was not a reflection on him because he was not on the ballot. Realistically, midterms are always a reflection of who is in the White House. And exit polls show that the dominant issues on voters’ minds were largely those that were driven by the Trump administration. The fact that local voting results reflect the top leaders of the country is true in Canada as much as it is in the United States.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who responded to the survey that was sent out. Your feedback is extremely valuable and important, and I want to assure you all that your concerns have been heard.

One concern that was raised a number of times in the survey responses was the safety concerns regarding the intersection of Hwy. 12 and PR 210. These safety concerns continue to rise as more and more accidents resulting in serious injuries, and even fatalities, continue to occur at this intersection. According to information provided by the RCMP, there are currently 49 recorded occurrences linked to this intersection, dating back to 2020, including 17 vehicle collisions and 20 provincial offence complaints. The RCMP also stated that all occurrence files have purge dates, with less serious incidents being removed from their systems sooner, and that the 49 recorded occurrences only include accidents linked directly to the exact intersection. This means some historical occurrences at the intersection may no longer appear in the available records, and collisions that occurred a short distance down either highway may also not be included.

The safety of Manitobans is of the utmost importance, and that is why I have, and will continue to bring this concern forward to the minister until a firm timeline for the necessary safety measures has been provided.

On another note, it is deeply disappointing to see Bill 232, The Autism Strategy Act, become another partisan battleground. Introduced by independent Liberal MLA Cindy Lamoureux, the bill included supports for autistic children and adults. After public concerns about amendments narrowing its scope to children, the NDP government committed to restoring the original approach. The autistic people, families and advocates who spoke up deserve recognition for ensuring that adults would not be left behind. Their lives and futures should never become secondary to a contest over political credit.

On Nov. 11, people will attend Remembrance Day ceremonies held across Canada, including many cities, towns and villages right here in Manitoba.

It’s a tradition that extends back to the close of the First World War.

The armistice agreement was signed between Germany and the allied forces in Paris on Nov. 11, 1918, at 5 a.m. The ceasefire that followed came into effect at 11 a.m. the same morning on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

According to the Government of Canada website, the first Armistice Day was observed in 1919.

“Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die.” American President Herbert Hoover said those words. Sadly, he was absolutely correct.

Next week we will mark Remembrance Day. It’s a day to reflect on the impact of war, and a day to remember those Canadians who lost their lives serving in our country’s military. The recent tragedy on an Alberta armed forces base, that took the lives of four servicemen, reminds us of the steep cost of war, even during the stage of training for battle. The men who died at Wainwright in October were all very young, one a teenager, and the others in their early 20s.

When I lived in Hong Kong, I frequently visited the Sai Wan War Cemetery, where some 250 Canadian soldiers are buried. They died defending Hong Kong from the Japanese when they attacked the city just hours after bombing Pearl Harbour. A considerable number of the men buried in Sai Wan are from Manitoba, since the Winnipeg Grenadiers regiment was serving there during the Second World War. The cemetery is a very peaceful and beautiful place but I found it so sobering to walk along row after row of tombstones etched with maple leaves.

The soldiers’ ages weren’t listed on their grave markers but there was a book at the site where you could look them up. Leafing through its pages, reading about the dead from Brandon, Winnipeg, Selkirk and Fisher Branch, I would note how young the men were, many in their early 20s, a few of them even 19. Inevitably I would start to cry thinking about the mothers of those boys, receiving word back home in Manitoba their child had been killed overseas, and was buried in a place they would probably never get to visit.

This is an open letter. I am sending it to the RM of La Broquerie council and also sharing it publicly, because the question it raises, (whether residents can watch their own council meetings) belongs to every ratepayer in this municipality, not just to me.

First, congratulations to each member of council on your re-election. It was a hard-fought campaign, (in the reeve’s case, about as close as they come), and I appreciate the time and effort every one of you put into this election cycle.

With a new term starting, I’d like to bring forward a request that council stream all council meetings live, with recordings posted to the RM’s YouTube channel.

But before I get to that, thank you. Council has begun including links to supporting documents in the meeting agendas. That is a real improvement, and I want to acknowledge it publicly.

“As a kid, I was taught that if you opened the Bible in the middle you’d probably land on the book of Psalms. And near the middle is everyone’s favorite, the 23rd, there is this line: “You prepare a table before in the presence of my enemies.” I don’t know how many times I’ve read or recited this Psalm without pondering what that line actually means, but here is my take on it. When things are a bit tense, when life is not going at its best, when the potential for disaster is just around the corner, when your enemies are all around you - and even staring you down! - that’s when God lays out the red-checkered picnic cloth and says, “Oooo, this is a nice place. Let’s hang out here together for a while…just you and me.” ―David Brazzeal

As a hospital chaplain, I never tire of reading Psalm 23 aloud. The words are familiar, yet each time I speak them at a bedside, another jewel catches the light. This week, I share a few more of those precious gems starting with verse four to the end.

4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.” Wait a moment! Didn’t the Psalmist just say that ‘God leads us in paths of righteousness’ in the previous verse? How, then, can those same paths pass through the valley of death? Maybe Psalm 23 is quite realistic. The righteous path is not a detour around suffering but often winds directly through it. Every one of us must enter that valley. The promise is not that we will avoid it, but that we will not walk it alone. The Shepherd enters the darkness with us. The staff comforts us by drawing us closer to Him and the rod is also comforting in that it keeps danger away.

5 “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” Do you remember being asked to set the table for company? For many of us, the table was where family gathered, stories were shared, and love was served alongside the meal. Hospitality mattered. The table was a place of welcome. Remarkably, this verse pictures God as the host. He carefully sets the table for us, honours us and the provisions flow. May we not focus on the evil around us but enjoy the God who sets the table for us and pours the drinks.

On Oct. 21, I attended an event at Canadian Mennonite University that focused on transforming education through evidence-based instruction.

The event was jointly co-hosted and sponsored by Dyslexia Canada and the University of Winnipeg’s department of mathematics and statistics. Sir Nick Gibb was the keynote speaker.

Gibb served as Minister of State for Schools in England from 2010 to 2012 and from 2014 to 2023. During his tenure, England saw student achievement steadily rise, as measured by international assessments such as the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

Considering that student test scores in other first-world countries such as Canada declined over the same period, it’s important to ask why England’s schools beat the trend. The answer, according to Gibb, is that England’s schools finally embraced the science of learning.