Date: May 13, 1993
Author: Valentina Krčmar, Thornhill, Ontario
Addressed to: Letters to the Editor, The Toronto Sun
View the Original Letter: krcmar book 3_Part4_Part9.pdf
About This Letter
In this impassioned letter dated May 13, 1993, Valentina Krčmar responds to an article by Mr. MacDonald, titled “Me Too Joins Wafflers”, published in The Toronto Sun. Her words burn with frustration toward Canada’s foreign policy during the Yugoslav Wars, accusing Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and the Canadian government of appeasing Serbian aggression under the guise of neutrality and diplomacy.
Krčmar begins by commending MacDonald for “once again pointing at the truth,” before expanding his critique into a scathing condemnation of Canada’s actions — and inactions — throughout the war.
“The world tour where our Prime Minister is spending our hard-earned money is not just a farewell tour — it is also a tour to help and support his Serbian friends.”
Her tone is fierce and unfiltered. She argues that Canada’s leadership had sided with the aggressor by refusing to confront Serbian atrocities in Bosnia and Croatia. For Krčmar, this wasn’t ignorance — it was complicity.
“Since the beginning of this terrible war, Canada, its Prime Minister and External Affairs Minister have done everything in their might to defend Serbia and its aggression forces.”
She accuses Mulroney of hypocrisy and bias, pointing to his personal and political associations with Serbian figures and lobbyists. Her anger is sharpened by the belief that Canada’s peacekeeping efforts were being used not to protect victims, but to shield Serbia from accountability.
“The peacekeepers were sent to Croatia and were housed by the Serbian population on purpose. They are ready siding with them. These Serbs looted, plundered, mutilated and destroyed everything in sight — all in the name of minority rights.”
Krčmar’s letter crescendos into a broader moral outcry, lamenting that humanitarian aid sent by Canada and other nations was being misdirected or exploited to finance the very regime responsible for mass suffering.
“Do you know how the help that comes from Canada is distributed? Out of every shipment to Sarajevo, 20% of the goods — food or medicine — goes to the aggressor. It certainly pays to rape, plunder, destroy, and kill.”
Her words carry an undercurrent of despair, but also fierce defiance. She calls out not only politicians, but journalists and the public, urging them to see through propaganda and demand accountability.
“Journalists from all over the world are going to Serbia ‘to see the truth.’ Take the case of our own Mr. Paikin or Martha Howitt — again, who is paying for it? Every adult and child that manages to leave Bosnia has to pay 1000 or 750 DM for a head. Let’s not kid ourselves — those that stay are probably killed.”
Krčmar concludes with devastating irony — juxtaposing the brutality of war against the complacency of those who claim to champion peace.
“The horror, in the meantime, continues. The Serbs have won again. The world tour of our Prime Minister goes on. The Serbs are getting away with killing. The numerous children from Vitez are dead. They were dying on Mother’s Day, together with their mothers. I wonder what kind of Mother’s Day Mrs. Mulroney had.”
This letter captures Krčmar’s rare combination of intellect and rage — a moral voice unafraid to expose hypocrisy, even in her own government. It is one of her most unrestrained indictments of political cowardice and the world’s tolerance for evil disguised as diplomacy.
