The Editor,
Re. "Port Coquitlam mayor should stay out of international affairs" (Letters, tricitynews.com, June 21) and "PoCo's West seeks cancellation of China reception for civic politicians" (News, tricitynews.com, June 18).
I respect Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West for bringing his concerns to the table so vocally. Why on Earth wouldn't we want our mayor to express his thoughts on issues like this?
Sure, we are a small city and we don't have much influence but how ridiculous to say that he should stay silent and keep his nose clean. The notion that he should use his feet and not his voice as insulting to our mayor as it is to tell a child that they should be seen and not heard.
It has been proven time and time again that individuals can often have louder voices and make a bigger impact then entire nations, and if Mayor West feels so strongly about not supporting an event hosted by a country that is currently not respecting our citizens, then he has an obligation to speak up like he did.
I wish more politicians would follow his lead. How often do people sit silently and allow injustices to happen because they are waiting for someone else to fix it because they believe it isn't their place? Don't we teach our children that every voice matters?
Imagine saying that the local Wendy's shouldn't get involved in the paper straw movement because it is just one restaurant in a small city. It's a ridiculous statement.
A small cog in a large machine can still make the machine stall.
The responsibility to speak up and make a difference lies with each of us and I congratulate anyone, especially, our mayor for sticking his opinions in the face others and being willing to make people uncomfortable. It makes me proud to have him as our mayor.
Camielle Taylor, Port Coquitlam
