Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 5, 1968, Winnipeg, Manitoba Printed published daily except sunday by Winnipeg free press company limited 300 Carlton Street Winnipeg Manitoba. John Sifton president r. S. Malone publisher and editor in chief Peter. Mclintock Maurice Western executive editor Ottawa editor Winnipeg free press Winnipeg monday february 5, 1968 Freedom of Trade Liberty of religion Equality of civil rights six noes _ the Manitoba government at least has the courage of its convictions. It has decided not to be stampeded by Ottawa into entering medicare next july. Alberta has done likewise so has Ontario new Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Quebec has said that it will have its own health insurance plan. This leaves four provinces Nova Scotia Newfoundland British Columbia and Saskatchewan that May or May riot take advantage of. The Federal government s offer to pay 50 per cent of the Cost of a provincial health plan. They represent two fifths of the provinces and Only Canada s population. Even if All four come in this is a pretty feeble Start for a so called National scheme and it accurately reflects the Lack of Public support for the Ottawa program. The refusals to play Ottawa s game should have come As no Surprise to the Federal government. A majority of provincial premiers have for some time been speaking out bluntly against the medicare program either against some of its More restrictive conditions or against the timing. No against the form that most people feel it should take that those who cannot afford to pay for their health insurance should be helped to do totally or in part but those who can afford to pay their own Way should not be forced Hito a Universal scheme. But the Federal plan everyone participate no matter what his financial conditions. A plan of this kind Means higher taxes both Federal and provincial As the premiers know omy too Well. And even if the compulsory aspects of the plan were acceptable the general feeling is that this is the worst possible time to introduce a new program that will produce View taxes new spending and new pressure on the demand for Money. Nor is this feeling restricted to politicians. The other Day in Newfoundland the governor of the Bank of Canada warned again about the necessity of the phasing of desirable developments so that Over All development can be kept within economically and financially Bounds. But in spite of the reluctance on the part of most provinces to set up a medicare plan on the lines Laid Down Ottawa insists on the july 1 Date for implementation. Its desperate tenacity is like that of a Man clinging to a rope hanging from a rapidly ascending knows he should have let go a Long time ago. Now he fears it is too late every minute that passes worsens his situation so that All he can do is hang of and Hope for a Miracle. In fact the Federal government is going through the motions of trying to get itself Down by passing the Buck to the provinces. I Pearson is said to be ready to inform the premiers when they Are in Ottawa this week that they can have a "phased-in1 scheme if they All agree to join on july 1968, and if they can agree on the provisions of the phased in plan. The government must know very Well that there is not a Hope of agreement. Some provinces May favor the Federal plan and its timing As they now stand. Others see nothing much wrong in the plan but object to starting it others want aspects of the program changed. In Light of past discussions the phased in idea . Flagrant attempt by Ottawa to get itself out of an embarrassing situation by making the provinces the Goat. For Ottawa s own mistakes. A the provincial administrations that have served notice that they will not come in for at least a year if at All have done so in the knowledge that it will Cost them Money. As a result they will be under heavy pressure from the vociferous believe in medicare now and at any Cost. The Weir government is already under fire from the nip on the ground that Manitoba s failure to participate next july will province of million that it would get from Ottawa As the matter s annual share of the Cost of. . But if provincial governments who stay out Are unpopular with some voters and it is doubtful if nip criticism is going to bother or. Weir How unto up the Federal government going to be if it continues to insist on the. July starting Date if the e situation does not change 100 per cent of Canadian taxpayers will be paying new taxes to subsidize the health programs of at most 25 per cent of the people. The government at Ottawa listening to men like or. Gordon and or. Mceachen May fear a loss of political popularity if it does not go ahead As planned. It should Stop and consider just How much opprobrium and unpopularity it will reap for certain if it continues to Blunder ahead on its present course. Frustrated genocides by Stan Mcdowell a change in constitutional priorities Ottawa on the eve of a conference which looks to substantial revision of the Canadian Constitution by 1970, Premier Manning has objected that the proposed entrench ment of civil rights would constitute an abandonment of the of sovereignty of parliament and the Legisla if this criticism should Harden into Senou opposition it would derail the Federal project described in a working paper on sunday evening s for it is the thinking of the Pearson government that agreement should first be achieved on rights to be constitutionally protected. Once this5 Lias been accomplished perhaps with some complementary changes in Pur Cental institutions specifically the Senate _ and the supreme court it is hoped that the old problem of the division of Powers May appear in a different Light and yield to a functional approach. The test would then be simply which government Federal or provincial can most a particular responsibility7 or. Manning s criticism overdrawn it implies that one principle is being thrown another substituted for it. In fact the birthdays Robert Harvey Brandon born Clent Worcester land february 5, 1884. V by a Juliee Western Premier e. C. Manning s fear that if Canada entrenches civil rights in the Constitution this will mean abandoning the idea of parliamentary sovereignty seems overdrawn. Proposed change would be one. Of d e g r i. Whatever. The theory there Are. Already some very practical limitations on the sovereignty of parliament and the it could scarcely be otherwise in a Federal state. The theory is roughly this the. Imperial parliament has delegated certain Powers to parliament of Canada some to the pro Vinces taken together they now add up to. Sovereignty theren is still the formal a on Don Iorez amendments tout this does not result from Lack of on the reflects our past inability to reach agree ment on the Means of exercising that Power there Are however practical limitations which do not exist at Westminster. The British parliament can not merely legislate As it likes the. Manitoba government should give prompt and full to the suggestion of Liber Al Leader Gil Mol Gat that All provincial estate taxes be eliminated As a Means of attracting new the province arid of keeping firms and businesses. Here in " the hands of. Succession duties life to of As being applicable to Only very Large and so the Ordinary. Hinr has Little in Teresa in them. This is far estate taxes from fact. As or. Mol Gat pointed out any estate valued at More than is subject to these taxes. And valuation includes the value of a Home personal effects life insurance benefits . P n. As taxes Mboi often impose real hardships on widows who Are deprived of the Benefit of a of hard Vand on other inheritors of estate Svery often they mean company or business has to be sold to interests outside the province. It creates problems right on red the metro streets and Tran sit committee and the Mani Toba Highway traffic and motor transport Board Are doing All in their Power to confuse the Issue on the question of right turns on red lights. As part of a test program they have already allowed right turns on red lights at in the City now they propose to allow three More. But whereas a flashing Arrow will continue to indicate a right turn on a red Light at the first three intersections the second three will have a sign saying Stop before right turn on if the aim is to confuse the Public it might Well succeed. Today s scripture he shall feed his flock like a Shepherd he shall gather the lambs with his Arm. Isaiah 40 11. When a father pass the fam l farm on to his son. Manitoba would not breaking new ground if it eliminated Succes Sion duties. Alberta has had an estate tax rebate act in operation now for nine and reports from that prov me indicate that it is playing a larger part in business and without fear of veto by the courts it can also legislate when it likes. With us Riitters Are not so simple. For example the Bennett 15 government in 1935 attempted to create a National system of unemployment insurance the legislation was declared Ultra Vires by the judicial commit tee of the privy Council then the court of last resort obviously the provinces could not create a National system. Thus a delay of years was imposed until the Way. Was cleared in 1940 by a formal amendment to the ban act listing unemployment insurance among the Powers in o ill advised could at. Some future Date Politi Al or Legal rights from protected no doubt would be a difficult and me consuming business this f the idea. Or. Manning is reported to ave said that if Ucli constitutional entrench ment provinces wishing to h Ange existing civil rights legislation that in any Way overlapped Federal legislation would be required to seek unanimous approval of Parlia ment rand., All other provincial e g i s is he Speaks six Iausly of the veto Power by the five members of the United a ions Security Council. But is this not a description of jthe., status quo if a Irp Vince noisy passes Legisla Ion which infringes on fed ral jurisdiction the. Courts vill find it invalid in whole or in part. If the province wishes o persist it can Only seek a institutional amendment and Here is at present no agreed individuals to invest in Al the Motorist is now faced with three possibilities As he approaches a red Light 1 he can make no turn 2 he May turn if he sees a flashing Arrow 3 he May turn if he sees a sign telling him he May do so. He has to Stop look around and consider the Situa Tion in each Case before he makes a move. Continuing test programs of this sort could drive Bot i motorists and pedestrians out of their minds. All that is needed for a right turn on a red Light is for metro to legalize it throughout the metro Aven As a whole with the proviso that a Motorist come to a full Stop before a turn is made. A uniform regulation of this sort can be understood and followed by anybody without the confusion of assorted signs and arrows to make the hazardous task of driving More Hazar Dous than it is. Feta by setting up Legal . Under the Alberta Legisla Tion eligible estates get a 75 per cent rebate on death duties this is the returned by the Federal government to the province after Ottawa has imposed and collected taxes on the estate. So far the Alberta govern ment has paid More than in rebates and the effect of this on investors cannot be negligible. Saskatchewan is reported to be considering similar Legisla Tion. Manitoba would be Wise to do likewise and thus improve the economic climate of this province for invest ment and investors. Section 91 parliament Over which of Canada the has exclusive legislative authority even More instructive is the Nova Scotia me delegation Case of 1951 in this instance there was no disagreement bet nerf Ottawa. The province the government and Nova Scotia prepared a Bil which would have authorized it to Delegate to f Edera parliament Power to legislate with respect to employment in areas under provincial Juris diction. There were provisions anticipating a delegation o certain Federal Powers to Nova Scotia. The trouble with this arrangement of convenience that u n d e r the scrutiny of the supreme court it proved unconstitutional. Seventeen years later it stil remembered words from Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold the sea of Faith was once too at the full and round Earth s Shore Lay like the folds of a Bright Girdle furled. But now i Only hear its melancholy Long with drawing Roar retreating to the breath of the night wind Down the vast edges drear and naked shingles of the world. This in no Way disprove the existence of an ultimate sovereignty. But that Man Westly is what it is. Ali difficulty with or. Manning concept of the sovereignty o parliament and the Legisla Tures is that it sometime takes a very Long time t mobilize the Power shared by the two Law making author ties. Nevertheless it is quite. Tru that a constitutional Bill o rights would within specific Fields further restrict the Power of governments. The ultimate sovereignty would b unchanged parliament an the Legislatures if they Wei formula for obtaining such an amendment. The Federal government stronger basically is in position because it has solid precedents for acting without provincial consent. Since the War however it has generally chosen to obtain Priclar agreement there is a provincial interest and this modern convention Means exactly what or. Manning says unanimous approval of parliament and the Provin Cial Legislatures. Ii is interesting that or. Trudeau has almost completely reversed the procedural priorities recognized for 40 years by reforming Federal Ern ments. Attempt after attempt the last one the ill Stan de Fulton Favreau formula has been made to achieve an agreed amending formula and Patria Tion first changes of substance after wards i always the result has been failure. Or Trudeau accordingly gives priority to agreement in principle on changes of substance begin Ning with a constitutional Bill of rights. If he can achieve this through the daring strategy unfolding this week then the Hope is that perspectives will be altered radically Enovich to remove the Long standing barriers to an Accord on he mechanism of Amend Merit. Xebec City Doris Lussier is the actor who played the raffish old Uncle in the Plouffe off camera he is More urbane than that Lusty Oldy rustic from the Beauce but just As charming. And his r e 1 i o n s with English speaking acquaintances Are Friendly and this Point is relevant be cause or. Lussier one of the most enthusiastic supporters of Rene Levesque has some things to say about English speaking Canada in a chapter in or. Levesque s new Book option roughly we choose or. Lussier s contribution to option i Quebec is news worthy because it is probably the most concise statement to Date it comes close to but is Only the sharper for that of an important aspect of the thinking of the most whole some people in the Quebec Independence movement. He begins with the pro found conviction that Independence is a matter of life or death for. The French Canadian if Quebec remains in confederation ithe nation is on to way1 toward the gentle death of progressive Massimila at Point English speaking Canada makes its first appearance Tri or. Lus sier s argument the English canadians know it that confederation equals Massimila after All we must not fake them for imbeciles. Their leaders can see that with the situation they have Only to patient another Century and that s it assimilation is a fait and of it because they know it that they hold out so of confederation. It is because of their weight a majority they do their utmost always to delay constitutional change they know very Well they do they understand better thar we do i that the Politica Independence of Quebec is our a French Canadian actor suggests that English speaking canadians know that time is on their Side in the English French de Bate in Canada and that., this is Why they believe so firmly in the constitutional status quo. Only salvation and they will do every thing to temp Orize argue stall play at Compromise concede a Little always up conscious that our death off until they Are quiet assimilation will come o itself like a gift of destiny and a smile of in Short English speaking Canada comes out As a people that is committing genocide knows it and is determined t keep it up until the goal u achieved. This is the picture o Canada that justifies the argument for Quebec s political Independence. But onco this Independence is achieved or. Lussier like or. Levesque wants a new association with e n f s h peaking the argument that the Independence Ould be More or less painless depends on the belief that this new association would be possible. Judging by the Pic ure or. Lussier has Given of Inglish Canada the prospects o r a new and harmonious Union should not be too Good. Hell May have no jury like a woman scorned but a frustrated genocide should come a close second. So English speaking Canada urns up again in a new Light must say to those who see in our Independence inevitable reason for the system Atic hostility of English can Ada that they know Little of political psychology Rof Peoples and that they Arie acquainted even less with the National soul of English canadians or that the French canadians. We Are two traditionally peaceful Peoples who Haye lived together in a relative but real tranquil to for 200 years. Just because we want to be associated otherwise than. By the of our present political contract the Engliski canadians Are no going turn into huns and want to destroy no. People Are civil sized and above All practical. I am certain that they Are Over the very understandable emotions a. U s e cd by our achievement of Independence they will realize that beyond the differences that s distinguish and. That will have led us to choose different p o 1 i t i c a 1 regimes and will remain a comr Unity of. Inter ests spiritual As Well As material that makes it worthwhile for us to work together in a new context for these two faces of English speaking Canada turn up sooner or later in most separatist arguments. But not before or. Lussier s venture into what he Calls political science had they appeared quite so closely together. Christian slaves president Washington s Pueblo might nations Europe used that body by British naval fact the trading Phe loss of the spy ship l Pueblo m korean Waters s not by any Means the first such incident to try american patience and cause auctions and discord at Home and abroad. Similar problems were endured by the americans during the civil War and at the time of the War of 1812 the Pueblo incident had its first forerunner however Dur no the last years of the eighteenth Century when the then infant nation was Strugg my to establish itself As a maritime Power. The Mediterranean was at that time not yet dominated in of of water at some peril and Only managed to carry on their trading in the area by Means of elaborate treaties and Tri Bute payments exacted by the powerful moslem rulers on the african Side of. The water. European ships sailed unmolested through most of the Western end of the Mediterranean Only they held special passes issued by the powerful1 Deys of Algiers and Tripoli. Merchantmen not holding a pass who fell into the hands of roving moslem Zebeck faced the Prospect of capture and slavery at the hands of the Barbary corsairs. Before the revolution american shipping had enjoyed immunity under British treaties but when the Republic was established the Deys pretending to be deeply annoyed at the colonials for defying their King and Mas refused to Honor outdated passes and began american shipping Mediterranean. News travelled by Christopher Dafoe molesting in the slowly in those far off times and when word of the loss of two a Meri can the Maria and i the Dauphin finally reached Philadelphia in 17s5, the a e a m e n involved had already been put up for Sale in the slave markets of Algiers. The americans of course were outraged and various Hawks of the Day demanded sudden and president Washington was concerned but he was reluctant to create and outfit an american naval Force to Deal with the situation. Both Spain and Portugal had attempted to break the Power of the Barbary corsairs by Force and had failed dismally. American sea Power at that time was minute and funds were Low. The use of Force consequently was hardly considered. A treaty would have to be negotiated and the americans poor As they were would have to fall into line with the europeans and pay tribute Money. With a slowness difficult to imagine in this age of rapid communication the american diplomatic apparatus heaved into action. A suitable person would have to be found to negotiate with the Dey and funds would have to be located in the sadly depleted Treasury to pay the Ransom that would be demanded. Weeks turned into months and months turned into years and the preparations for the release of the american Sai lors dragged on. Various men were appointed to represent american interest in Algiers trips were made Back Anc Forth across the Atlantic instructions from Home often arrived in Europe and Africa after the men they were intended for had already departed for Home to seek guidance. The Dey who Hac been used to dealing with Europe an envoys who were closer to Home began to Doub american sincerity and Kep breaking off negotiations. One sailors settled some of them american envoy in Algiers Vas ignored by the Dey for several years because h 5 s appearance annoyed the mos pm. _ the de ship changed hands at least once during the protracted negotiations and the american envoys often discovered that Points they thought were settled were far from solution. Meanwhile As the. Years dragged on the american into slavery. The least fortunate to work on the Harbor mole at Algiers but on whom Allah smiled were purchased by the Dey himself and lived their lives in relative Comfort As Domestic servants a form of work that was in Many cases far easier than what they had been used to As seamen. H. G. Barnby in his Book the prisoners of Algiers de scribes the various functions of the Christian slaves in the Dey s Palace the Dey s Pri vate apartments were on the top floor of his three Storey Palace and the staircase Lead ing up from the second floor was built especially narrow As a precaution against Surprise attack. He shared his top floor with five personable Anc Youthful Christian slaves who acted As Nis pages and valets de Chambre. On the second floor were 14 Christian slaves who acted As Ordinary Domestic servants while on the ground floor there were 33 More who worked in the Palace Kitchen and Slaughter House and who gathered up and removed All offal and refuse. Fourteen other christians were employed in the gardens of the Palace when their main task was to attend to the Small menagerie tha the Day kept there _ for i amusement. Usually ther vere about 64 Christian slaves employed at the Palace arid in Ither parts of the City other grandees maintained similar though More modest s gradually they to understand the algerian and turkish temperament and the Viser among them discovered Vays of avoiding the Bastina do a favorite moslem Lori of in ashment in which the victim upside Down while the soles of his feet were beaten with rods the brighter seamen did quite Well during their Captivity. One of them James Leander Cathcart Bec Arhe chief Christian Secretary to the Dey and Arri Assed a Ortune As the owner of several taverns. He was later released and returned to Al Giers As american envoy. Back in America life went on. President Washington re tired and John Adams assumed the presidency. The sailors of Algiers were gradually forgotten As Domestic events to waylay Public interest. At the highest Levels however negotiations dragged on. Treaty after treaty was drawn up and discarded. At times the americans Felt the matter was settled Only to discover that the Day had demanded Newn concessions or changed his mind about things previously agreed on. Finally in 1797, Hassan Bashaw Dey of Algiers signed the treaty of Tripoli under which the americans agreed to pay Royal Duros Spanish 33 pocket1 five Seal rings and 140 jells of clock As Well As 25 barrels of pitch and four anchors. A further sum of about was _ handed Over in 1799 and the slaves Many of them now Rich men were allowed to sail for Home. The Pueblo incident one Hopeb will Cost less and require less time to Settle a ;