Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 23, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba 4 Winnipeg free press thursday april constitutional reference to god gets mixed reaction Here the Trudeau government s decision to recognize the supremacy of god in a Patriate Canadian Constitution Drew mixed reaction from Winnipeg s religious civil rights and political experts yesterday. Justice minister Jean Chretien justifying the decision to include the religious reference in a secular political document said the government has received thousands of letters asking for it. As a result the liberals decided to insert the words whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of god and the Rule of in the preamble to the Constitution. University of Manitoba political Sci ence professor or. Murray Donnelly said he wonders How Many letters the liberals will now get from those who oppose their decision. My own preference would be to leave it out. It s a meaningless thing for most people even believers. Belief or non belief in god is a matter of the individual conscience. It does t change the universe what we do he said. Patria Tion to confront new hurdles continued from Page 1 Clark believes it is the latter and it is for this reason that he has insisted from the Start that his vision of Canadian consensus building be used to create a new Constitution. He argues that the Federal govern ment in its present form does not fairly reflect the regional nature of the coun try and therefore that the premiers who do should have considerable Sway. The basis of Trudeau s Case is that provinces can opt out of charter Ottawa up the Newfoundland government claims that provinces May be Able to opt out of or repeal a constitutional charter of rights even if it passes the Canadian and British parliaments. The province one of eight contesting the Federal government s plan to unilaterally Patriate and Amend the Constitution makes the argument in Docu ments filed with the supreme court of Canada in preparation for personal arguments before the court next tues Day. The province joins the other seven in arguing that Ottawa s proposed charter of rights infringes heavily on provincial authority in several areas and with out provincial consent. It says this goes against the intrinsic sovereignty of the provinces As recognized by the courts and concludes Manitoba government says if the current Federal proposals Are Legal then Ottawa could just As easily con Vert Canada into a unitary state Abol ish the use of French in Quebec trans Fer ownership of All natural resources to the Federal referring to god in the Constitution might be a violation of the principle of Church state separation Donnelly said. Mac Watts Dean of theology at the University of Winnipeg said As a believer in the objective reality of god he had no objection to the constitutional reference. However he said he would not fight for the reference to god in the Docu ment. It s always easy to believe nothing and certainly the tendency in our society is to March to the Standard of somebody who says i believe Noth ing if everyone has to measure up to the standards of those who believe nothing what have you to measure up he asked. Reference to god in the Constitution is not out of keeping with our in which the primarily american concept of Church state separation has never been As Strong he added. There has never been a full separa Tion of Church and state in Canada Watts said. As to whether the reference to god May offend the religious beliefs or non beliefs of some Watts said the Constitution will not represent All canadians he said the document represents some measure of majority the dissent ing minority is not but the Protection it provides for the minor Ity is absolutely in the past the majority of canadians have recognized the supremacy of god and the Law. Watts said. Abraham Arnold executive director of the Manitoba association for rights and liberties said Marl has not Dis cussed the Issue and has no position on it. No one in our organization was pushing for it. We were concerned with the rights of my position is that the morality of it the Constitution lies in the Way human rights will be protected in ways that will be meaningful to he said. A Constitution should emphasize Freedom of religion and Freedom of religion recognizes that people have different approaches to the country is something More than an association of provinces a hanseatic league of City states or "500 shop Ping centres with a list of govern ments. There is a need for the National government to act in the National will anti retain the Power to Over Rule the desires and will of various regional leaders who May be acting Only in their own specific interests he has argued. At a deeper level the constitutional Battle is the Confluence of two radically different streams of thought about How. A nation should be run and a people governed. The Trudeau approach is a highly structured precise and architecturally clean vision of running a country. Vari Ous Levels of government would have their responsibilities and would act within them. Rights of Man written Down in Stone could not be violated by any of the layers of government including his own. The cartesian thought process behind today s flurry of activity conflicts at the most Basic level with the vision of running a country favored by Clark and Many of the premiers. Power shift their View sees various shifting Levels of Power and emphasis and its basis is the British evolutionary approach to a Constitution. They say it works has worked Well for Canada in the past and above All leaves the coun try in the constantly adaptable and adapting. If the linear plan does t work it is hard to scrap. Under the Clark pre Miers approach the various shifts would be taken As the natural course of events. Today s constitutional Resolution is far from the form it might take if Trudeau s approach were extended. He argues that it deals Little with existing Powers except to take away the Power from All Levels of government to violate a specific set of rights and freedoms set Down in the charter. Meanwhile the House of commons yesterday contented itself with the de tails. An armed guard hired at a mine in Eastern Kentucky to keep out picketers watches As some Coal is loaded onto a truck. Four gunmen steal million Tucson Holdup maybe the largest Cash Bank robbery in . History real or fake Jean Marie Patry of Quebec City holds a photograph of a painting he bought for he believes it s a Renoir Worth million. Quebec police Are investigating the Sale and Purchase. Patry quit his Job to work full time proving it s not a fake. From the news services Tucson Ariz. In what May be the largest Cash Bank robbery in the . History four gunmen stole an estimated million yesterday from a Branch of the first National Bank of Arizona. Bank officials declined to say How much was taken but sources close to the investigation said the four gunmen involved in the robbery took an Esti mated million in Cash in cleaning out the Bank s vault. They said the figure was approximate pending a final audit. No shots were fired in the Early morning robbery during which two employees were held by the gunmen then released unharmed authorities said. Police spokesman Mike Walsh said the masked gunmen used a Van crudely painted to resemble a Tele phone company vehicle. Gas Price Rise expected can expect to pay higher prices for gasoline and Home heating Oil later this week when the government imposes a special Levy to pay for the takeover of Petrosina Canada inc. In february by govern ment owned Petro Canada. Government sources said yesterday the Levy is expected to be announced in the commons today. The Levy May increase prices by about half a cent a litre or cents a gallon. Insulation ban continues Ottawa the Federal government has decided to continue its ban on further use of urea formaldehyde foam insulation in Homes because of possible health hazards health minister Moni que begin said today. Begin made the announcement As she released the final report of an advisory committee that has been studying problems associated with the foam since last fall. Five outside experts who did the study recommended that a temporary ban announced dec. 17 under the hazardous products act be continued. Fighting i Lebanon Beirut fighting Between syrian troops and Christian militiamen tapered to sporadic exchanges of sniper fire in Beirut today but raged without let up in the roman Catholic City of Zahl 50 Kilometres to the East. Meanwhile israeli forces shelled the South lebanese port of Tyre Early today As yet another ceasefire took hold in Beirut after a Day Long artillery Exchange in the capital and Zahl took at least 12 lives. Aid for Pakistan favored Washington the chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee predicted yesterday the . Senate will approve a five year package of economic and military Aid for Paki Stan. Senator John Tower said after a meeting with pakistani foreign minister Aga Shahi that the news Roundup package was heavily weighted in favor of military Aid. Mexico wreck kills 13 Culiacan Mexico at least 13 people were killed and 200 were injured when a passenger express train jumped the tracks yesterday near Culiacan in Northwest Mexico railway officials re ported. The derailment occurred Kilometres Northwest of Mexico City. Shootout wounds 4 . A gun Battle be tween striking miners and Coal truck Drivers that left four men wounded has prompted Eastern Kentucky Coal com Pany operators to Call for police Protection and warn that the area is on the verge of War because of the 26-Day United mine workers walkout. The shootout took place near ., As a id truck Convoy was returning to the non Union Mary Helen Coal co. After making deliveries. The truckers said they were ambushed by pickets but Union miners who had been trying to close the mine said the truckers started the shooting. Sex charges Tampa Fla. The Leader of a grass roots Campaign to have sex Edu cation books removed from the Chil Dren s Section of the Public Library has been charged with sexually molesting two minors authorities say. Jack Gregorio 46, president of tax paying parents against kiddie smut was arrested monday night and charged with sexual Battery against a youth 17, and performing a lewd and lascivious act involving a girl 8, according to a police spokesman. Swiss to buy uranium Bern Swiss officials will go to Australia soon to Seal an agreement for the Purchase of up to 10 per cent of Switzerland s uranium needs official sources said yesterday. Switzerland has relied on the United states South Africa Namibia France and until 1977, Canada for its nuclear Power Plant fuel. Canada ended uranium ship ments after the Swiss sold equipment to Pakistan for construction of a uranium enrichment Plant. Dissident faces trial Vienna Rudolf Batter a leading czechoslovak dissident jailed since june 1980, will be tried by authorities for grave Emigrant sources said Here yesterday. Batter was first arrested for allegedly beating a police officer but the charge was later dropped and a formal indictment with the More serious charge of sub version is imminent the sources said. 13 feared drowned Cairo thirteen people including two american tourists were feared drowned yesterday after a Steamer Sank in the Nile River during violent rain and thunderstorms near the upper egyptian town of Erfu police said. Besides the americans seven egyptians three West germans and one italian woman were missing. Seventy other passengers were rescued by a passing boat the Middle East news Agency reported. Proposal to Siphon Petr Bucks from West to East resurfaces Ottawa up an Ontario propos Al to Siphon billions of Western Canada petrodollars into a new fund to help less fortunate provinces mainly it self has reappeared at the Federal provincial bargaining table. The proposal involving about billion a year is one of several under study As the prelude to the renegotiation of blockbuster Federal provincial agreements that Are the financial underpinning of confederation. The agreements which expire March 31, 1982, cover billion a year in transfers of Cash and tax collection authority from Ottawa to the provinces for everything from medicare and hospitals to universities and roads. In some cases the Federal contributions Are the single largest source of provincial funds. The negotiations won t officially begin until a special parliamentary committee set up to study the situation reports in late june. The group begins Public hearings Here today with Nance minister Allan Maceachen As its first witness and later plans to visit every provincial capital. Meanwhile such proposals Are get Ting an airing by a committee of Federal and provincial civil servants. Alberta treasurer Lou Hyndman said in a Telephone interview it is premature to comment on the two tier equalization proposal because talks Are Only at the very preliminary and purely exploration he said Alberta is still assessing the results of the meetings of officials who have looked at a dozen or More suggestions from various governments. However Hyndman added that he expects the negotiations to be com plex and there Are also other signs of trouble on the horizon. The Federal govern ment playing its cards close to the Vest until the committee reports has nonetheless indicated it wants to make sure Federal Money is being spent on what it was intended for and that National standards Are being maintained. There have also been suggestions from health minister Monique begin that Ottawa May use the talks to put pressure on the provinces to ban extra Billing by doctors. Other troubling omens other portents of trouble came last fall from Maceachen who said in his budget speech that Ottawa is looking for significant officials say Maceachen not Only wants to slow the growth of Federal transfers but to make some actual cuts. But Ottawa is already under fire from Nova Scotia finance minister Joel Matheson who says payments under the existing agreements Haven t kept Pace with inflation so attempts to Cut anything will be strongly opposed. British Columbia has served notice it wants Ottawa to cede More tax room to the provinces so they can finance provincial programs themselves without relying on Federal funds. The Ontario proposal made initially in a 1980 budget paper is the most de tailed made so far. The idea is to add a second tier to the Complex system of equalization payments to so called have not under the first tier or current sys tem the Federal government makes s3.8 billion in direct Cash payments to the provinces. The rest of the package involves Federal contributions to established programs such As medi care and education. The additional Money about billion under the Ontario proposal would come mainly or entirely from the resource Rich provinces most of it from Alberta. Provinces with greater than average per capita Revenue from natural re sources would contribute to the fund and provinces with less than average Revenue would receive. Ontario would be by far the main beneficiary. From a position of not being entitled to any equalization at All it would suddenly be eligible for hundreds of millions of dollars a All from the second tier. An alternative proposal from Ontario would distribute a portion of resource Revenue equally among All provinces. Provinces with greater than average per capita Revenue from that sector would still be the main ones contributing but they would also get some of it Back. Both proposals have obvious advantages for Ottawa struggling this year with a deficit because some of the equalization Burden would be shifted to the provinces ;