Meaning of words takes new twists

UPEI business professor Tim Carroll’s guest column (Oct. 9, The Guardian) started: “Once again Canada’s supply management system has remained intact after another trade agreement.” Evidently the business professor needs to look up the meaning of the word “intact” in a dictionary.

This leads to the editorial titled “MacAulay on hot seat” in the Oct. 10th issue of The Guardian. One paragraph states and I quote: “The trend to approve concessions on dairy started with the CETA deal with Europe, then TPP with Pacific rim countries and now the revised NAFTA deal. It was Mr. MacAulay’s responsibility to defend those sectors. He didn’t. He promised on multiple occasions that the federal government would protect dairy and other supply-managed agriculture industries. It’s true that our supply management system remains, but it’s also evident that system is being seriously eroded.”

The CETA and TPP trade agreements diminished Canada’s supply management system by chipping away at that system, and there will be even more weakening if the latest deal is ratified as is.

Evidently Lawrence MacAulay needs look up the meaning of the words “being” and “was.” At the reception in Poole’s Corner last Friday where more than 100 dairy farmers “showed up to voice displeasure with the federal minister of agriculture for what they consider a betrayal and sell-out of their industry,” he was heard to say, “being a dairy farmer myself.” The word “being” speaks of present tense. He was a dairy farmer many, many moons ago.

Chris Mermuys,

Baldwins Road