Letters to the Editor, March 16, 2026
HEALTHY COMMITMENT As an Asian female youth, I know how easily women and children can be marginalized when resources are limited. Too often, they are treated as expendable on the global stage. They are not. A person’s gender or age should never determine whether they live or die. Yet for the first time this century, global child deaths are projected to rise, increasing by more than 200,000 to an estimated 4.8 million and reversing 25 years of progress. This alarming shift follows a 26.9% drop in global health funding in 2025. These are not just statistics, they represent millions of children whose futures are being cut short. Canada has the ability and the responsibility to help stop this reversal. As a young person myself, it is impossible to ignore how unfair it is that preventable deaths continue while countries like ours have the resources to act. That is why Canada must continue its longstanding support for the Global Financing Facility by making an early pledge of $340 million over the next five years at the World Bank-International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings in April. Canada’s leadership matters. When Canada commits to global health initiatives, other countries pay attention and often follow. Bernice Ko Vancouver (Saving any child is a worthwhile investment) OUT OF GAS The Iran war has shown us how addicted the world is to oil. Does this mean that we should build more pipelines and feed this addiction? There is another way. Install solar and wind power. After installation, clean energy is free. Electrify everything. No more dependency on fossil fuels. The fossil fuel companies want you to believe that you need more pipelines, but that is just like the drug dealer convincing addicts that they cannot break free. Do not be tricked. Cathy Page Calgary (Canada could help itself by building more pipelines)
