Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 6, 1973, Winnipeg, Manitoba Printed and published Dally except sunday by fice press company urn Ilou 300 Callon Stool Winnipeg Manitoba. R. S. Malone publisher and editor in Chisi Pher Mclintock Maurice Western executive editor Voltea motor r. H. Sii Elfont general Manar Jor Winnipeg free press Western Canada t National newspaper Winnipeg Friday july 6, 1973 Freedom of Trade Liberty of religion Equality u civil Kights a serious affair negotiating with the russians about Security is like negotiating with a Tiger about the Price of its skin this is the chinese View of the great Security Confer ence in Helsinki and external affairs Minisini Mitchell Sharp is quickly finding out that the Sovie Tiger is quite willing to negotiate about everybody else s skin but its own. The 35 governments meeting in Helsinki have Only a vague idea Why hey arc meeting. The catchphrase is detente and to clothe this elusive ghost in palpable substance All too Many appear willing to gloss Over unpleasant facts and pretend that empty cliches when embodied in High sounding communiques can miraculously replace reality. In this the Pap producers Are abetted by communications Media that have been build ing up the present conclave As a second Congress of Vienna or another Versailles and Here All one cat do is to Point in the old roman fashion the forefinger and the third Finger downwards and murmur hopefully Absit the French foreign minister Michel Jobert in an address to the conference on wednesday tried to straddle the unhappy dilemma haunting the con Ference France Over the years actively supported the soviet Call for this monster meeting yet it is France that now realistically distrusts the empty talk of a de Tente. Or. Jobert warned his fellow foreign ministers against giving Rise to too Many expectations and dressing up the Helsinki spectacle in too Gaudy a garb. This is a serious and weighty affair whose outcome can in no Way be indeed it is a serious affair and there is now much doubt in the minds of Many statesmen about the feasibility of a jumbo Summit of 35 Heads of state to take place at the end of 1973, solemnly to Seal the joyous agreements that Are to Blossom Forth in Helsinki and later in Geneva with the naturalness of summer and fall Flowers. President Pompidou who was being lured to agree to this super Summit by an offer to have the 35 Heads of state assemble in Paris where he would then preside Over this modern Durbar has rejected the proposition that was an offshoot of the Nixon Brezhnev talks. The French Are in no hurry nor Are the British. And Canada is wisely eschewing All cliches about Security peace and disarmament with barbed wire continuing to disfigure the heart of Europe and soviet tanks missiles and planes bristling on the continent and is concentrating on the mundane affairs of reuniting families that famous policy of Small Steps that has evoked so much scorn in Andrei Gromyko s mind. Despite or. Gromyko s contempt the Security of Europe will ultimately depend on the premise that a can freely marry b without any state interference that a ukrainian czech or polish grandmother or aunt can freely visit her family in Canada and that people be Hind the Iron curtain can freely communicate across the european continent and across the Atlantic. A com Munique by czech intellectuals that has found its Way to in Mon and has been published by the times there states clearly we declare Fiat european Security is unthinkable without the full Security of the citizens of any european country. As Long As there exist in any european country Legal uncertainty and tyranny there can be no real Security in Europe we declare that genuine european co operation and Security Are unthinkable without the free movement of people across the frontiers that they Are unthinkable when in any one country travel abroad is the prerogative of a privileged in not a lost Federal cause the Power of disallowance 0 Ottawa there exists apparently a r a t h e i wide spread impression that the Federal government has now lost the Powers of Reser vation or disallowance of provincial statutes which it formerly exercised in accor dance with provisions of the British North America act. The argument is Somo mics that the Powers have been lost through simple Dis use. At other times it is armed or assumed that the Lowers Are incompatible with modern ideas of federa ism that accordingly Edural government would now resort to them and they should therefore be de eted from the Constitution. I n these circumstances proceedings in the Senate May occasion some Surprise. For that House has been considering an urgent matter brought to us attention by senator Van Roggen of Van Couver namely British co Lumbia legislation the Paci i c National exhibition Bill voiding existing Cun tracks and the desirability of Federal intervention to Avert lion. Potentially dangerous a me chaos of the immediate postwar Europe i aspect of this debate which Ernie Bevin had a vision of the future when he could go to Victoria station in buy a ticket Lor any part of the world and leave at a moment s notice. Three decades later this vision still belongs to the realm of utopias. Unless the Helsinki conference can translate it into reality the laborious formulas produced by the 35 foreign ministers will amount to Little More than shoddy window dressing. Value of influence the Liberal parly officials who allegedly attempted to raise Campaign funds in the United states last fall were not. Short of optimism. After All the republicans and democrats at that time were spending in the grand manner and the Corporal c cupboards had presumably been Well tapped before the arrival of visitors from abroad. In any Case if there was resort to . Parent co panics the venture was most unwise. The risks were of debate which has ranged far beyond the Issue of immediate concern to sen. Van Roggen is that in 1ms been taken very seriously in deed by All the speakers including some of the Busl known constitutionalists in Canada. It May be even More remarkable Given the misconceptions now sur rounding the subject thai Only senator Ernest Manning expressed emphatic opposition and even then with qualifications to the Reserve Powers. Sen. Manning would be sex by Western Goldenberg held that they should be resorted to Only in the most unusual Circum in effect sen. Gol Denberg reasserted the pre Aberhart Liberal View hat questions involving fairness were Best left to provincial electors and those involving jurisdiction to the courts. A notion May also have developed that reservation and disallowance Are a lost Federal cause Willi Appeal Only to Ultra conservatives or perhaps to some business interests. Yet senator for sey who recalled that he had a Power to be exercised with Reserve " then later in the absence of enforceable guarantees constitutional disallowance been Active on casinos in dra calling on the Federal gov. Can mint to use ils Powers did so either on behalf of a civil rights organization or on behalf of the labor unions. It is notable also that sen. Van Roggen in the present Case was moved partly by protests of the teamsters whose president senator Lawson. Declared that the controversial . Clause would justify his Union in declaring its c Olla tic agreements void in May at some time be Neces sary to protect fundamental civil rights or minority rights. It May be necessary to protect the rights of Resi dents of other provinces who have no political remedy against the government responsible for the legislation. It might also have to be used in a Case where Provin serve Powers were no longer available to the Federal gov eminent. In fact As was pointed Oul by sen. Van Roggen the con. Stit Lional proposals put for. Ward by the prime minister which did envision abolition of these Powers were Hope fully based on the Assumption hat a Bill of rights binding on All governments could be enshrined in the Constitution. There has been no agreement on such a Bill and none appears now to be in Prospect. Thus the situation remains France s Road killers by Leo Ryan Paris it is one of the incongruities of France s newly affluent society that the better the High ways become the More peo ple Are killed. Having recently returned from Canada i can con firm that i feel much safer driving on Canadian roads. The drivel s in Quebec Are perhaps worse than else where in Canada Hul at least there Are Speed limits on highways. Driving on French roads has become so dangerous that russian Roulette seems a tame sport by com Parison. The mortality rate is the worst in the world proportionately triple that of the United slates and double that of Britain last year nearly persons were killed in Road accidents France while were injured. The other Day when driving along the Middle Lane of t h e Highway approaching Paris from the North i gasped in disbelief at the spectacle in front of me. As at speeds of More than g5 . On All roads except uie super highways. It is now mandatory for Drivers of cars built after 1970 to Wear safely belts when outside built up areas. Henceforth too motorcycle riders in France will have to Wear crash helmets. Heavy lorries arc barred from the roads on sundays. New driving licences Are handed out Only after severe test s and on a three year provisional basis. New Drivers who have committed major infractions during the three year trial period win have to pass another test be fore being Given a Perma nent licence. Excess Speed is said to be responsible for one Quarter of the Road accidents Alco Holic consumption for 15 per cent. Irresponsible conduct generally accounts for the great majority of the haps. I have always found the parisian to be particularly adept at driving in Paris. Vroni have Only to note How few accidents occur every at Rush hour around such whirlpools As place and then Cut across three other vehicles As it virtually f is. Sla Lomed ils Way Back to the j network. Similarly French living in Rural areas and accustomed to the smaller roads appear to have few notions of Safe driving when they find them selves on the highways. In countries such As Fin cocktail party a Frenchman it from an upper crust family he irom Tho actually boasted to me How a _ i___11., Ulii. Inside Lane before turning to sharply onto a right hand exit. In order to save maybe five seconds of his Lime the Driver had endangered the lives of Al least a dozen peo ple. On another occasion at a or the Regula a new and four Iek isolation interferes rafting petitions Sci to ulv with the operation he Federal gov of in Cral legislation and policy and the problem can not be solved by inter governmental Compromise these Are quite Large admissions. They suggest that it is irresponsible to say the least to talk As if the re the argument that Ade quate Protection is provided by the courts would have More substance if govern ments showed greater willingness to seek judicial Deci Sions. In fact As senator Forsey noted it took 20 years to bring the infamous padlock Law to the attention of the supreme court of Canada. Such Protection however satisfactory to i famous social credit Legisla Tion was set aside or Clisdal. Lowed by he Kins govern Vious serious embarrassment to the party and the gov ment. His argument was the simple one that such action today would cause great Public bitterness in the of peeled to hold Strong feel a some theorists May Well Ings on the subject he that affected citizens heir apparent to the late Wil 1 i a m Aberhart when Ihn night. The fact police caught no draconian alcohol citizens sustaining injury or injustice it will be open As ils predecessors were on like occasions to the charge of dereliction of duty. Are not equipped for them e r n m e n t announced Mca one cannot help but be sures aimed at reducing the sceptical about the chances carnage. Since july 1 it of a significant drop in the has been illegal in mount Carmel and seven Oaks what Are the future costs Winnipeg s North end has needed a Hospital since St. Joseph s closed and the c h i 1 d r e n s Hospital moved near the general Hospital. Seven Oaks Hospi Tal is the result of that need. At first it was opposed by the advocates of Community clinics. The rationale to the opposition was that there were already too Many acute care Beds in Winnipeg. This opposition to the seven Oaks Hospital soon foun dered on the realities of North end politics. The hos Pital need was generally Felt and Saul Miller represented the people of this area. There was no Way that Ern ment it supports and the aggravation of Public suspicions already being stirred by David Lewis and his Campaign against corporate rip offs. It is obvious that 1jjj-u11o. F parties must have funds and it is Apar Tom a common knowledge that they have Long relied on corporate donations. What May now give Rise to greater con Cern than was evident except on rather rare occasions in the past is the fact that government has abandoned ils former and rather modest role in the Economy. It is dispenser of Grants and con tracts Worth hundreds of millions a year. In these changed circumstances the value of influence in Ottawa is bound to appear much greater than in former times. Even if both sides arc scrupulous Public suspicion will always be latent. A Good argument can doubtless be made for the much tougher legislation on election expenses now before the House. But the prob Lem is not simple resourceful fund raisers especially in the heat of difficult campaigns May very Well find Means of circumventing legislation purporting to control the registered parties and their agents. It is the More important therefore that parliament should look warily on legislative proposals intended to convey even More Power to ministers and heir officials. One of these As Paul Ilell yer said thursday is the Bill which will enable he government to screen foreign in vestment permitting or denying it in accordance Wilh the new concept of significant As such terms arc extraordinarily difficult to define decisions Are hound in Iho end to be based largely on subjective considerations. In other words there will be an interest which did not exist before in influencing the govern Mentlo interpret the formula in a sense favourable to the corporation. The political parties agree on the importance of allaying Iho Public suspicions already Evi Dent yet icy now have before them legislation which will substantially Widen those government activities Fiat involve the exercise of discretion and Are Uius Likely to give Rise to suspicions. Sen. Manning however he speakers divided along lines once familiar in this country. Whereas Eugene Forsey declared him self an Urc Vised and unrepentant Follower of sir John Alexander who took a Broad View of be re serve Powers and was not reluctant to use them Carl i the Hospital would not be sustain irreparable damage. Is o one suggested that the debate was irrelevant As it would certainly have been if the Reserve Powers were Long since dead. As sen. Gol Elan Harg was replying to the Strong Case developed by senators Van Roggen and Forsey his views Are in this respect particularly significant. He said among other things i know that senator for sey has expressed the View that parliament has the Power to advise on executive acts i accept but As Edward Blake said in 1x90, in a debate on this very sub or place it is wheat demand b e c a e of uncertainly about the size of ibis year s wheat Harvest the in Lorna t i o n a i wheat Council is somewhat less than precise in its estimates of the wheat situation but its Bestes Tim ate is Ihal in the next 12 months the world will need 2.30 billion bushels while the total Supply available for Export will be sumo 2% million bushels loss than this. All of which Good news for Prairie Farmers who Only Throe years ago were being advised la in grow was too much around there is such a demand for their produce that the advice they Are being Given is totally contradictory in i h a i. Which Crl to the lift pro Gram. Or. The ruin i s t c r responsible for Tho All of which i be Point that wheat Hoard recently advised Farmers to Lake a Chance on late seeding in the Hope that ibis will add to the size of the fall Harvest. Accentuates was made continually by the late j. G. Gardiner when he was Feder Al minister of agriculture. When critics railed at the size of wheat surpluses but Ler surpluses egg surpluses or any other kind and advocated the artificial holding d o w n of production or. A 1 a y s claimed mi., u i w ;