Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - November 12, 1973, Winnipeg, Manitoba Printed us published Dally except sunday by Winnipeg press company limited 300 Cailton Street r. S. Malone publisher and editor in chief Peter Mclintock Maurice Western executive. Editor Ottawa editor r. H. Shelford general manager a til tin Canada i National newspaper Winnipeg monday november 12, 1973 Freedom of Trade Liberty o religion Equality of civil sights mess an editorial in this column a couple of weeks ago noted that the Trudeau government had bowed to nip pressure and withdrawn a Bill designed to prevent abuses of the unemployment insurance program. The editorial ended in view1 of the fact that no new Legisla Tion will be undertaken to prevent abuses of the unemployment insurance plan the government should at least assure the taxpayer that the insurance fund is it in an other what a Hope. Last week in the commons manpower minister Robert Aridas gave the latest news on the program. None of it was Good. The plan seems to be in financial mess As Ever. Last year it will be recalled the government needed nearly a billion dollars to bail the plan out of the Hole. This year or. Andras Dis closed despite this outpouring of taxpayers Irvin by the have a net deficit of million. So employ eeg will have to increase their contributions by 40 per cent employers by the same percentage. This or. Andras Hopes will enable the program to break even next year. But there is of course no guarantee that this will than the minister can that following withdrawal of the Bill to pre vent abuses there will be fewer abuses in the future than there have been past. If the government continues with this Ever expand ing program the least it could do in the interests of honesty is to change its name. Originally planned As an insurance program it has Long since lost any sem Bla Celto this. It is a social welfare program pure and simple paid for in Large part by thousands of canadians who can never Hope to Benefit from it. Breach of diplomatic Security the new democratic party member for scar Borough West John Harney made a bid for the Lime Light the other Day by publishing certain dispatches from the Canadian embassy in Santiago and using an extract from them basis for a motion which if carried would have led to the recall of our ambassador to Chile. Or. Stands on the left of his party apparently had no qualms about exploiting a breach of Security for the advancement of a but ideological convictions Are not a valid defence in such a should be Clear to anyone regardless of his views about affairs in Chile or about the ambassador s Choice of words five cables extracted from the con text of a general and confidential correspondence that or. Harney has endorsed by his actions conduct which can Only be subversive of the foreign service of Canada. While ambassadors have Many duties two have always been of primary importance. The first is to As Sist the foreign minister with a flow of information the Best available at the moment inadequate As it May seem in time of crisis combined with impressions and Frank judgments of men and policies. They must not be deterred from Candor by. The likelihood in certain circumstances that what they have to report will not be palatable to the Home government. The second is to and Vance our interests As Best they can and in accordance with their instructions with the government to which they Are accredited whatever they May think of it. Unless dispatches Are protected no ambassador can Hope to Dou Job. How can he be Frank about foreign personalities and policies if he knows that his words Are going to be quoted in parliament broadcast to the world and Woven into critical commentaries on the Csc if the observations so reported Are not flattering what sort of reception is he Likely to receive when he Calls on a minister the next Day to Advance a Canadian View or to transact business on behalf of this country or. Harney As must be perfectly Plain shares with someone in the department an unfavourable View of ambassador. Ross. But there May be someone else in the department holding conservative would like to be i d of another ambassador whose dispatches to the suspicious Eye might suggest undue sympathy for a Radical government. Is he then entitled to follow the lame course to break Security run to some my of rightist views and produce copies of confidential Docu extracts from which May be used to support a motion demanding recall what is legitimate in one Case must legitimate in the other unless ideology makes right of wrong. And if All is fair that embarrasses the government How can we Hope to have influence it has Long been apparent from the number of Docu ments smuggled into the political Arena that a serious problem exists in the Public service. There has probably been some tendency to minimize the importance of these incidents. Obviously they have had to do with Domestic politics and Many feel that the government in such matters is too secretive pleading the Public inter est when suppression accords with its own interest but now for the first time the rot has spread to foreign affairs where the Case for confidentiality is overwhelming always been conceded by the government s responsible critics. Or. Harney by his irresponsible course is plainly encouraging this Curt of thing. This is no service and there May indeed be some our foreign posts that the member for scar Borough West escaped rebuke from the minister of external affairs. Washington the mid die East crisis has switched the focus of con Cern in american Canadian relations from Trade and co operation latest entry from the Well give till it hurts de Quebec residents shiver ing in anticipation of a fuel o i 1 shortage this Winter must feel warm All. Over thinking about Ontario in minister Darcy Mckeough s offer on behalf of his province to give up Sun Day driving to help heat Quebec Homes. Who can say the spirit of confederation o f French English co operation is dead it dwells in the heart of or. Mccough ready to ask his people to give up sunday outings just so that tiie Beers can keep warm. All or. Mckeough needs to do now is develop a con tin e e n c y plan organizing into a Gigantic car Pool each to tote a few Gallons across the Quebec Border. There s no other Way of getting Oil from Ontario to Quebec in Winter. Re member or. Mckeough today s scripture 1 say unto you which hear love your enemies do Good to them which Hale you bless them that curse you and Pray for them which Dospil fully use you. Luke 6 27-28. Birthdays p. W. Parker Winnipeg born Lachine Quebec nov. 12, 1882. M1 air Canada is closely following the spate of statements by Cana Dian and foreign politicians on the current International Oil shortage. The company is concerned but so far nobody s in a state of a spokes Man said. Our contingency planning appears to have met the demands of the situation As it has developed to air can a a has Good cause for concern. It will relations a switch in concern economics to tic ulary Oil. Although Canada has been supplying Only about 6% per cent of the daily Petroleum needs of the United states the Arab Oil embargo has underlined dramatically the importance of Canada As a source of Supply. Indeed Canada is the largest single foreign exporter of Oil to the american Market. Recent decisions of the Trudeau government to in crease the Export Price of Canadian crude have caused he Nixon administration concern Bumont nearly As much As the urgent need to continue importing Canadian Oil at or near current Levels. Official Washington accepts tacitly the Canadian policy that it will sell its Oil to foreign buyers at competitive International rates. The availability of Canadian Petroleum Init he future is the real concern. This is the consensus of a number of american govern ment officials interviewed Lere in recent Days no. Longer Are economic questions the most contentious issues Nin Canadian american relations As they were on aug. 15, 1971, when president Nixon devalued ii Dollar and clamped a in per cent imports. The world balance of Trade of the United states is turn no in its Ivor even though the american deficit in its Rade with Canada has in creased. However the . Realizes that the imbalance with Canada is due in Large on by Paul Whitelaw measure to increasing dependence on Canadian Natu Ralen Ergy. Washington Hopes to solve these problems multilateral 1 y through the new round of International Trade talks which got under Way this september in Tokyo and not through direct talks with Ottawa in addition such a Long standing irritation As the Canada . Auto agree ment is no longer having the Adverse effect on the Ameri can balance of Trade that it did Only two years ago. While Trade in automobiles and parts with the . Provided Canada with a surplus of More than million in 1970 and 1971, it dropped to Only million last year. In the first six months of the current year the situation had reversed to the extent that Canada showed a of lion deficit. The . Government is annoyed that the temporary safeguards in the 1965 agreement Are still in Force but the effect of the Auto pact has changed considerably. Concern Over the agree m e n t has lessened Here while Canadian arguments Lor its in some altered been strengthened. In 1964, the year before the agree ment went into effect the imbalance of Auto Trade in . Ivor was an astronomy million. While Lor three years Canada had a surplus the total surplus in Ivor of the americans had been billion end of 1972. While the economic Pic Ture has been altering la v o r a b 1 y for the United states the drastic Energy conservation measures out lined by president Nixon on nov. Point out Why officials Here Are worried about Canada s Oil Export policy. If the Trudeau government does indeed extend the trans Canada pipeline from Toronto to Montreal to less in Eastern Canadian dependence on foreign Oil officials Here believe it could Lead inevitably to a cutback in Canadian Oil exports to thu United states. Since has been supplying approximately 1.2 million of the 6.3 million barrels of Oil imported each Day the United states at least before the current Arab embargo. This Rooks Canada in Britain when the Canadian government decided that among the various subsidies it pays to Canadian publish ers there should be amounts allocated to the propagation of Canadian books abroad one of the markets it had in mind was Britain. As part of an o v e r a 11 cultural sales program Canada House in London was revamped and Sam Stewart who has been a publishing House manager in both Britain and Canada put in charge of the promo Tion of Canadian books and authors under the Aegis of books Canada a consortium of 48 Canadian publish ers with guaranteed Federal subsidies of a year for three years. Judging by the october 36 Issue of the times literary supplement or. Stewart knows his Way around. The Issue is Given Over largely to a consideration of Canadian books and authors with the front cover Mes Sage Canadian writing today. Inside Are articles on the Canadian literary scene by such Canadian writers As Margaret Atwood Tony Kilgallin Brian Stock and Ronald Sutherland plus reviews of Canadian poets Earle Birney and a k. Page. One Page contains six poems by Canadian poets and another has a full Page advertisement from books Canada. Canadian readers will find Little new in the articles published and some May cringe a Little at Ronald Sutler land s suggestion that in the Quality of its writing Canada May be experiencing its elizabethan but what is old hat to canadians will be new to British readers arid this is the importance of the tvs breakthrough. Certainly to have gained such a play in a periodical of its prestige is a considerable achievement. Both British and american periodicals from time to time have made a Bow in the direction of Canadian but none has made so deep a Bow As the current Issue of tvs. Whatever part of this year s sub. Sidy went into the Effort it is Money Well spent. It re Mains to be seen of course How much in terms of Ca Nadian Book sales All this will accomplish. The pres Tige of tvs is one thing Reader response As reflected in the wholesale houses and retail outlets of Britain is quite another. Meanwhile or. Stewart has the satisfaction of hav ing brought off a remark Able coup. But it will be a hard act to follow and one is left to wonder where he will go from Here. Remembered words from i Walsh not fortunes Frowne by Joshua Sylvester i Faine not Friendship where 1 hate i Fawne not on the great in i prize i Praise a Meane estate neither too lofty nor Loo Low this this is All my Choice my cheese a Minde Content a con science Clare. Month Canada s National Energy Board Cut Back the Supply by barrels a Day because of heavy Domestic demand. When each barrel of Oil becomes so important that the president has called Lor a voluntary 50-m.p.h.-Max mum Speed limit and government offices Here Are considering a four Day work week Canadian Oil policy becomes a vital concern of the White House. Certainly i t would in. C a t e that Secretary of state Henry Kissinger is Likely reschedule quickly his talks with external affairs minister Mitchell Sharp postponed because of the Middle East crisis the future course of american Canadian relations focussed on be affected considerably by or. Kissinger s efforts to resolve the conflict Between Israel and the arabs. But Ameri Ca s growing dependence on foreign Petroleum indicates that Energy will be the major Issue of Canada-. Relations for years to come. Keeping air Canada flying by Rob Lull use about 390 million Gallons of kerosene i kerosene Type aviation fuel this year. The company spent about ?57 million or 11 per cent of its total expenses on fuel last year. This year the Price could rim As High As ?95 million which is a pretty hefty Bill. Maintaining a steady fuel Supply used to be a fairly simple matter. The company w o u i d negotiate five year contracts Shell Impe rial Oil and Gulf in Canada from Shell in the United states from to bile and Texaco in Europe and from Jaxxon in the Caribbean. But it in t simple any a the five year a thing of the Man said. Contract is past. We still have Mem but they Are full of escape clauses and escalator clauses this year started to work on the fuel prob Lem Day by Day even Mak ing Short term deals with other suppliers for a few weeks or months. It has be come a fact of the fuel Supply is taken care of by the airline s Pur chasing and facilities Branch in place Ville Marie. The Branch buys the uniforms for company the rugs for company executive offices and the fuel Lor the air planes. The Man in charge of fuel supplies is John Isson Koskii a harried Man with thinning hair who in of co worker has grown phone in his left ear. Or. Sosnkowska has been putting in a great nights and weekends recently at a desk piled High contracts and teletype Mes Sage s from around the world. He works in close Contact with men. In similar positions in air Canada s various regions and com Pany offices in los Angeles and London. We Haven t had arty prob lems yet with imported fuel arriving in Montreal but we did have at least one close a company spokesman said. A big Factor is that the pipeline f r o m Portland Elaine to Montreal is still bringing in Arab and venezuelan while Montreal is the com Pany s maintenance base its busiest ail port is Toronto which has a secure Supply of Western Canadian Oil products. President Richard Nixon s announcement on possible controls for All Petroleum products and the recent notification by Texaco inc. That it would be making massive cuts in bonded Jet fuel deliveries in the United states have had Little effect on air Canada s . Operations. We had Short term plans already in effect to Deal with the company spokesman said. Our air Craft now leave Canada for the . With full tanks in Stead of with Only enough fuel to get from Point a to Point b. We Rivay. Introduce this policy on transatlantic and Caribbean runs As Well. We have also negotiated privately for alternative emergency supplies in the . Another possibility is a change in air Canada s foreign routes from single Stop flights Between Mon Treal and London or double Stop flights Between Mon Treal Brussels and Zurich for example to a Multi Stop flight Between All Lour there May be a Pool arrangement with other air lines if there is a substantial deterioration in the Luel Supply to keep transatlantic air services in operation. Looming in the Back ground but Remote Lor the moment is the likelihood of another hike in air fares. International air f a r e s were raised in january. If the Cost of fuel continues to Rise and absorb Ari Ever increasing proportion of air line operating budgets the airlines of the world May decide to get together and raise their fares again. Washington scene 5 the northward look Washington by the time the news came through from Ottawa the state department in Washington received exactly one Liaf hour s Advance notice when the Canadian govern ment imposed its preliminary tax on Alberta Oil exports. What notice was Given be fore the tax. Was roughly quadrupled t h i s reporter does not know. But certainly the american government had a right to feel aggrieved by such a brusque treatment from its closest neighbor and Trade partner. Though Canadian government explains rather unconvincingly had to move too fast for consultation with foreigners or even with Al Berta the incident still ran k 1 e s in Washington and raises More serious questions for the future. It should be understood that the american government did not. Com Plain against a Rise Price of Canadian Oil since All Oil prices were rising. But at a moment of Peculiar sensitivity for familiar a by Bruce Hutchison and t e r g a t e reasons it amazed affronted alarmed by Ottawa s in neighbourly manners. While nothing in Public s o m e Long thoughts took shape in private and they will have qing economic effects on the whole Continental relationship. It should also be. Under stood that the state ment is again in full control o f foreign policy in All aspects. For a Short time the Treasury then headed by the Bellicose John c o n d t e d an economic foreign policy of its own infuriated the constitutional custodian of that policy bul lied Many foreign govern ments and in particular out raged the government of Canada. This ugly interlude has passed. Henry Kissinger has unfortunately he knows very Little about Canada but his experts know it in the most minute detail Down to the finest nuance of Federal provincial and even Munici know another dirty trick by the Energy crisis conspiracy. Pal business. They and the Canadian government will educate the Quick learning Secretary of once he finds time to look northward from the immediate crisis spots of the world. Having looked northward for at least a Century his department has followed for the last year a considered strategy which few canadians have suspected. When the Trudeau govern ment was obviously planning an election sometime in 1972, the United states did not wish to Embarrass it or the opposition by pressing for an Early settlement of such so called irritants As the controversial automotive pact. But it intended to get on with these affairs As soon As the election1 was Over. Then to its Surprise the Trudeau government failed to. Win a majority and Canadian politics were Sud Denly deranged. In these new and Slippery circumstances the state department again postponed its pressure for a decision on the irritants lest it exacerbate the anti americanism always latent or overt in Canada. The last thing the american govern ment wants to Sec is a Cana Dian election fought on that old Issue or grudge. Besides the Energy crisis thrust All other business into the background and Lor the first time made the average american citizen aware of his vital stake in Canada. Compared to this mighty problem those already pending on the Border seem Small and the United states can live with them. Nevertheless it is thinking beyond the crisis in both Short and Long terms. For the Short term like canadians themselves it can not foresee what government will be in office at Ottawa even a months from now. For the Long it cannot foresee what National policy Canada will follow under any government Over the next decade or two. Where it wonders will the Continental relationship stand by the end of the Century and it is Here that canadians most misunderstand the position or rather the attitude and doubt of the United states As explained by men who deeply understand these matters the United states thinks that Canada came Glo tingly out of the last round of Gatt Trade negotiations with probably the highest average tariffs in the Western world under a Liberal ostensibly Low Tariff this cannot be allowed to happen again. In the new round now begin Ning Canada must drastically reduce its tariffs if the United states has its Way and if the round succeeds at All which is by no Means certain yet. Any reduction of itself will not necessarily satisfy the United states or Canada s other great foreign customers. For As Washington sees it the Trudeau govern ment s latest so called Industrial strategy Means Only the old protectionism with different names and cosy Back door devices. The various Federal and provincial tax incentives the regional Grants subsidies secret pressures on Ameri can owned industries and Hie like Are seen As nothing but a potential method under any government of getting around the Public Gatt trading rules. And that among other things is Why with All its current distractions the United states is quietly but fundamentally reassessing its economic re lations with Canada. Now of course there is an opposite Side to this vastly Complex a valid Canadian Side a Strong Ca Nadian leverage and also a grave Canadian problem for later discussion Here. Before canadians can Hope to understand it however they must first realize that their closest Friend and largest customer is not angered but is worried a Little saddened and perhaps misled by the Long run prospects of the undefended Border. Filth of it Lii ;