‘Utter dismay’

Dear Editor:

I am writing to voice my utter dismay at the editorial cartoon that ran on page 11 of last week’s Advertiser. I moved to Fergus last year and have been struck by the friendly, welcoming reception my family has benefited from.

So imagine my horror when I opened the community paper to see someone trying to compare Trudeau’s fiscal response to an unavoidable international emergency with the imminent danger that Indigenous, Black and other communities face just by virtue of leaving their homes. George Floyd was murdered, slowly and deliberately, by a white man in a position of power.

Chantel Moore and Rodney Levi were killed by police recently, right here in Canada, under very dubious circumstances.

The fact that your paper would run such a hurtful, incendiary and blatantly disrespectful piece of ‘copy’ infuriates me.

Community resources such as yours are in place to inform and support members and communities, not to spread anger and hate where dialogue and education are truly needed.

Spinning tragedy for political purposes is completely out of line. I expect better and I know I am not alone. I demand that you issue an immediate apology to the community and educate your editorial staff on the insidious issue of racism that runs through our community and across the country.

Dayna Lamothe, Fergus