Charity begins at home

Re: Severe storm in B.C., Dec. 22

The ferocious wind storm that decimated B.C.’s coastal regions claimed the life of a woman in Duncan. The tent that the victim and others were living in was flattened by a tree brought down by the storm. Yes, you read that correctly: they were living in a tent a few days before Christmas in Canada.

A couple of days after the tragic death, all Canadian media focused on a visit by our prime minister to Canadian Forces participating in a year-long peacekeeping mission in the West African country of Mali. Of course it’s important for peacekeepers to have support from the government, but taxpayers have to wonder how money can always be found for such missions to far-flung corners of the globe. Then there’s the many months or years of ongoing financial support for thousands of non-documented asylum-seekers entering Canada at illegal border crossings. Yet we still have Canadians living in tents in the middle of winter; they may be homeless due to mental-health and addiction issues, or simply the inability to find affordable rental accommodation.

The worst part is that this is nothing new under the present federal Liberal regime in Ottawa and the NDPGreen alliance in Victoria. A decade ago, when the federal Conservatives ruled in Ottawa and provincial Liberals ruled in Victoria, a body was found in a burned-out shelter under an Abbotsford highway overpass (a homeless person trying to stay warm), while the powers-that-be were in the midst of spending billions of taxpayers’ dollars on the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler. Another bottomless pit of money for another international event, but little or none to take care of those most in need at home.

It’s high time that all levels of government in Canada become familiar with a simple dictum that has biblical roots: Charity begins at home. Bernie Smith, Parksville, B.C.

DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS Waves batter boats at the end of the White Rock Pier that was severely damaged during a ferocious windstorm that lashed British Columbia last week. The storm also claimed the life of a woman living in a tent in Duncan, B.C.