Letters: Academics should not fear university discrimination training

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Peter MacKinnon’s Donald Trump-like call for the government to interfere in university programming is disturbing. The cloud he yells at is a faculty training program on racism and bias in the workplace. It sounds like a program that might help him better understand this issue.

If hearing an Indigenous view of history is considered such an affront that someone should storm from the room and demand government intervention, that’s the problem right there — one that Indigenous people face daily in the workplace.

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Discrimination is a genuine, well-documented problem in academic settings, stalling the career progress of too many bright minds. Much of this has to do with inherent biases surrounding behavioural double standards and perceptions that women are somehow unsuitable for leadership roles.

Trust me: I’ve lived it, and could only dream of a program to help male colleagues understand how daily words, actions and decisions can entrench systemic discrimination — whether intended or not.

As for the University of Saskatchewan program, I see nothing wrong with people learning about the problem and having a chance to reconsider their position in the world. What they choose to take away from the experience is up to them, but all should participate equally with open ears and minds.

If anyone is on an ideological crusade, it’s those desperately clinging to old power structures in a world that is changing and growing.

Trish Elliott, Regina

Lack of Air Canada flights disappointing 

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I don’t understand why Saskatchewan is being underserved by Air Canada. I am a fan of the airline. I’ve been using Air Canada since the 1980s and have been an Aeroplan member since the early 1990s. I’ve probably flown about two million miles with the airline and its partners. Air Canada is our first choice, if given a choice.

Every day, WestJet has seven flights to Calgary, three flights to Winnipeg and two flights to Edmonton — all from Saskatoon. Regina has similar numbers. Air Canada has none. With all the WestJet flights from here, it appears to me that a market does exist. WestJet is not flying empty planes.

The biggest loss to me is the lack of flights to Calgary. Calgary simply adds more options for connections to other cities. Kelowna has a regional population of more than 200,000.

But it has Air Canada flights to Calgary. So it should. Regina and Saskatoon have a combined population of approximately 600,000 but Calgary is not an option. We don’t understand the abdication of Saskatchewan.

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Today, we have no Air Canada options to fly to our two neighbouring provinces, Manitoba and Alberta. Perhaps there is a business case for this. But from the customers’ perspective, it’s simply bewildering. Hopefully, Air Canada will reconsider this.

David Colman, Regina

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