Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 30, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba 6 Winnipeg free press thursday april 30, 1981 Winnipeg free press Donald Nicol published and printed six Days a week at 300 Carton Street. Winnipeg r3c 3c1 c r by Canadian newspapers company limited d foe Page Telephone 943-9331 Murray Bur managing Edili Freedom of Trade Equality of civil rights Liberty of religion second class mail registration number 0286 a trap for the premiers editorials the possibility raised at the annual Western premiers conference in Thompson that the eight dissident provinces May carry their fight against the Federal government s constitutional proposals to the parliament at Westminster underlines the provincial position that the supreme court will decide Only the legality not the propriety of the Federal package. Left unsettled in the premiers minds will be the morality of having another country impose Laws that cannot be agreed upon in Canada and of departing from the tradition of settling differences by negotiation rather than by parliamentary majority. The premiers problem is that while they have fought the Legal Battle with vigor and tenacity they have waged the political struggle with much less skill and imagination. They waited until the last minute to present their proposed amending formula to the Federal government and the Canadian people. Even then they offered nothing which could have been expected to persuade the government to abandon a position however mistaken which it had just finished winning in parliament. Even now the Only new provincial action has been to instruct a task Force set up in 1976, to continue its monitoring of what the premiers Call Federal intrusions into areas of provincial jurisdiction. This will do nothing to solve the problem that will arise if the supreme court decision goes against the provinces. Then the premiers will have to begin once More o communicate their unchanged concerns to canadians. By then Many canadians May not be very inclined to share the premiers concerns. They May Well be disposed to conclude that if the supreme court decides the Federal government has the Power to do what it proposes than All objection should disappear. J the premiers have been so closely involved the problem for so Long that they Are acting As if sees it through their eyes. It is one thing to order a task Force to continue its work. It is something entirely different to communicate concerns in language that can be understood by those who Are Likely to be most affected. The premiers maintain that the Legal Challenge was Only one Way of deciding the Issue. They say that they have never wavered in their conviction that the Federal proposal was wrong and unjust As Well As possibly illegal. But they have been manoeuvred into a position where Many Ordinary canadians now think thai if the proposal is Legal it is also right. Because they failed to move Early enough and forcefully enough with a political alternative which might have seized the imagination of canadians and stalled the Federal steamroller they May find themselves in a Corner with no Way out. When foreign Aid can help there appears to be a widespread belief in Canada and the United states that foreign Aid is largely wasted that it does not accomplish its objectives or that it is largely squandered by its recipients through corruption and inefficiency. The Canadian government has for years pledged to significantly increase its foreign Aid when it is speaking in International forums but when As it has almost always done recently it has failed to meet those objectives it encounters Little protest at Home. In the United states the Reagan administration proposed a Cut in the foreign Aid budget without raising any great Public outcry. That Cut was averted not through any Public indignation about the humanitarian consequences of it but because Secretary of state Alexander Haig was opposed to it for political reasons it gave him one less lever to use on foreign governments. There have been enough foreign Aid to justify Public scepticism but there Are situations in which Aid cannot morally be refused. Canada for example recently pledged million for Relief Aid to refugees in Africa and million to Aid in the economic reconstruction of Zimbabwe. One could quarrel perhaps with the amounts but the correctness of the decisions to give the Aid in in argue Able. There Are also Success stories that buttress the Case for foreign Aid against the arguments of those who cite the too frequent disasters in defence of an uncaring policy. One such Case surprisingly in View of the circumstances now comes from Cambodia. Few nations since the second world War have had to endure As much agony As Cambodia has experienced in the last decade the massive american bombing the invasion by South vietnamese and american troops the Triumph of the communist Khmer Rouge and the genocide that government inflicted on its own people the invasion by the vietnamese and the War sparked by that invasion that still continues. Since 1979, emergency International Aid including Aid from Canada has poured into Cambodia. There is Little doubt that some it is impossible to know How much has been diverted and misused by both the vietnamese puppet government and Khmer Rouge government in exile. But what has gone through to its. Intended recipients the cambodian people has had some effect. In those areas of Cambodia where the War is not still raging society is gradually returning to Normal in a nation that was almost annihilated. Cambodians Are planting crops and beginning to revive their traditional festivals. Stores and shops Are reopening Farmers have produce to sell and Irr what May be an expression of Confidence by the people in better times to come the birth rate is climbing. It is unlikely that any of this could have come about without the International program that was undertaken to Avert the mass starvation that was facing the cambo Dian people. There is no question that the nation s agony is not yet Over. The vietnamese and the Khmer Rouge continue to Battle for control of the country and the civilian population continues to main victim of that struggle. The United nations food and agriculture organization estimates that there will still be a shortage of food tons this year which will have to be met by outside Aid but it is hoped that by 1982 the country will be Able to feed itself. Foreign Aid often goes wrong in the cambodian Relief Effort it has often gone wrong. There Are Many cambodians however who because of that help Are alive today with Hope for the future that they did not dream of having Only three years ago. There can be no better argument for the value and the of foreign Aid than that. Or. Reagan s contradictions or. Blakeney Speaks out Saskatchewan Premier Allan Blakeney s strongly worded condemnation of Ottawa s National Energy policy is significant because it was issued at the annual Western premiers conference where individual statements Are the exception rather than the Rule. While there is Little doubt that or. Blakeney would have had no difficulty in gaining the support of the other three premiers for his comments on Energy his. Words should cause some concern in Ottawa. There Federal officials have made no secret of their Hopes to bring or. Blakeney on Side in Energy matters. These Hopes will have to he revised in the Light of his latest statement. Or. Blakeney said the Adverse effect of major parts of the National Energy program has created the main economic problem facing Canada. He predicted that in three years the program will reduce Saskatchewan Oil production by 40 million barrels and will result in a decline of 60 per cent in the number of Wells drilled. He said the program will Cost his province Man years of employment. Or. Blakeney said that the West s Best Hope of economic growth its resource Industry is threatened by the policy. He said that any program that squanders Canada s Opportunity to achieve Energy self sufficiency is not in the interest of any Canadian. Ottawa will find it More difficult to Brush aside Western objections to its National Energy policy now that or. Blakeney has said clearly what Premier Peter Lougheed of Alberta has been saying All along. No one would accuse or. Blakeney of speaking for corporate interests and few would accuse him of being interested Only in the size of his heritage fund As respectable As that fund is. Consider this statement conflict Over Energy policy stands in the Way of constructive co operation Between the Federal and provincial government on the pressing issues. Resolving the conflict Over Oil and Gas pricing is the most urgent task we now the Man who said that cannot be dismissed As one fat cat attempting to protect others. By Joseph Kraft special to the free press Washington in the first 100 Days Ronald Reagan built a glow of Good feeling. He identified himself with the morale of the majority. He showed appreciation for the great moments of the american past. He evinced gallantry in distress. So much More than mawkish sentimentality Over the assassination attempt underlies the soaring of his popularity and the truly touching reception he received in the Congress tuesday night. Conflicts still connected with his popularity is a program Woven from the unresolved conflicts of Public opinion. The Public hates inflation and blames it on govern ment spending. So the president has called for truly draconian cuts per cent below present Levels by 1984 in Federal spending for assistance to education food housing health and transportation. The Public wants lower taxes and faster economic growth and More jobs. In response the president has backed As an economic stimulus a massive three year Transfer of resources from the Public to the private sector known As the Kemp Roth tax Cut. The Public also favors a firm stance against the soviet Union. So the presi Dent has endorsed a huge and rapid hike in defence spending from billion now to billion in the next three years. Add bigger defence spending to a major tax Cut and there emerges a largish budget deficit about billion. But deficits Are the living sym Bol of inflation so there Are implicit in the Central themes of the administration. During the latter part of the first 100 Days these contradictions have been made explicit on both the Domestic and the foreign sides. On the Domestic Side chairman James Jones of the House budget com Mittee put together a program that combined a Rise in social spending with a Cut in defence spending to end up with a smaller total outlay and a lower deficit. To fight the Jones package in the House the administration has embraced a Compromise known after its proponents As the Gramm Latta amendment. Gramm Latta reduces the administration deficit by driving social cuts even deeper. The president has gone All out for the Compromise first Uttel phoning the congressmen while convalescing then on tuesday night in his speech to the Congress. The vote in the House promises to be the first major test of Reagan popularity As applied to programs. Square one even if or. Reagan wins however he is Only Back to Square one. He has yet to drive the budget through the major congressional committees and both houses of Congress. He has also to maintain Kemp Roth with its three year tax Cut against a one year Cut put Forward by chairman Dan Rosten Kowski of the House ways and Means committee with impressive bipartisan support. So there is no Chance the administration will get the Quick clean program it sought by july 1. Popularity or not in other words the president is still deep in the congressional Woods. Nor has popularity saved the presi Dent from being caught in the conflict Between foreign policy and Domestic politics. Secretary of state Alexander Haig in the interests of a coherent policy sought Primacy of place for the state department particularly in the matter of crisis management. He tried to postpone any action in the Middle East at least until after the israeli elections on june 30. To keep the allies on Board and Russia under pressure he wanted to maintain the Grain embargo applied to the soviet Union by Jimmy Carter after Afghanistan and maintained by or. Reagan initially because of soviet menaces to Poland. Farmers opposed but Domestic farm interests opposed state on the Grain embargo. The Penta gon and Energy interests wanted to sweeten saudi Arabia by Promise of a major new weapons system Azacs surveillance planes. The White House staff led by Edwin Meese and James Baker opposed general Haig on crisis management. In each Case the president let the conflict surge and then suddenly made a decision on behalf of his Domestic constituency. To keep his farm inter ests Happy he lifted the embargo. To appease the Energy interests and the military he decided to sell the Azacs to the saudis. To keep the Domestic interest Foremost he gave crisis Man. Gement to vice president George Bush. By themselves these decisions Are not All that important. But the pattern suggests a White House unsure of itself on substance and politics. The impress Ion is that the administration lacks a strategy for translating the president s popularity into support for his pro Grams. It is unable to fend off conflicts or devise ingenious solutions. As a result the pressures mount and the president lunges for a decision. That is not a recipe for solving prob lems at Home or abroad. So after 100 Days and despite the enormous person Al Success of the president the Progno Sis is for More of what there has been in the past slow growth and High inflation in the u.s., and in the world turmoil. Assaulted several weeks ago immediately after attending a performance at the Manitoba theatre Centre i was assaulted and robbed. I was alone and the incident occurred in the parking lot right next to the theatre Centre. 1 am grateful that i was not Hurt any More seriously than i was and i have nothing other than words of Praise for the police and their response once they were summoned. However i feel compelled to write this letter so that other people especially women out alone do no face he kind of trauma that 1 experienced. The Council decided that the cultural Centra of our City would be located in the area that can be considered the inner City. Surely it is incumbent upon the City to ensure that this area is Well lit that parking lots have attendants on duty that the police patrol this area for at least one half hour before and after a cultural event. Our symphony Ballet and theatre depend upon the patronage of the Public but will not receive maximum support if people Are terrorized. M. Maltz Winnipeg no to a Power in his letter april 16 Jim Mosher makes several comments about nuclear Energy. Contrary to his claims nuclear Energy is not a Cost effective Energy option. The nuclear Industry is heavily underwritten by the govern ment the taxpayers in reactor construction and through Low interest Loans. As Well insurance against Acci dents is largely borne by the govern ment for the nuclear Industry could never afford the costs which would follow after an Accident like three mile Island two years ago. The costs of waste disposal and reactor decommissioning Are not reflected in the prices we pay for our Energy. A better alternative would be soft Energy options such As scar wind biomass Etc which Are adaptable to various needs Are More attractive economically and Are available now. These alternate energies would also allow us to use our technological skills in life giving ways to refuse to use nuclear Energy does not mean that we Are turning our backs upon science. We must use science but we must not let scientists and specialists do our thinking for us As Mosher most research is done for military contracts or big business Good intentions often become subverted by profit and Power. The nuclear Issue is too heavy an Issue for us to put our lives in the hands of a few experts pro nuclear or anti nuclear who have All the answers to society s destiny. We must All decide upon the important questions affecting us every Day and into the future. It is important for us to understand that this nation s Energy problems Are Only symptoms of a larger problem that Springs from a mentality of domination and exploitation. It is up to us to reverse this direction. V Dennis Boese Winnipeg letters the Winnipeg free press welcomes letters from readers. Writers must give their name and address. The author s name will be used and letters Are subject to editing no Bull in reference to an article in the april 18 edition of the free press entitled Urban cowboys Are dealt a blow that s no it is a Fine Day when forethought is incorporated in a Deci Sion which safeguards the health and welfare of Manitoban. I am referring to the very recent decision made by the Manitoba liquor commission to disallow the introduction of the american mechanical bucking Bull in Manitoba drinking establishments. It is a known fact that the track record for this mechanical Bull is a sorry one leaving people crippled injured and even dead. It is also known that after a few Short ones people lose their fear and Are willing to try anything. I truly think that stopping the Bull in its tracks before some Manitoban is injured is an excellent management Deci Sion. It can be likened to erecting traffic lights at a dangerous intersection before someone gets killed it can be likened to the erection of a guard rail on a dangerous curve to keep motorists on the Road and so on. In this Day of High costs decision to abandon the Bull is a cheap one indeed. R. Moskal Winnipeg misleading with reference to the article by Val Werier april would like to Point out several errors. Or. Werier states that the two smelters in operation at. Thompson and at flin flon can spew up to tons of Sulphur dioxide Gas he then states that currently the plants Are each emitting about 700 tons but then he goes on to state that tons of Sulphur dioxide per year come from the two Manitoba this is obviously in error. It would appear that or. Werier has multiplied by 364 Days in a year to obtain tons per year rounded off to now since it is stated that the tons is Only the allowable amount and the emissions Are actually about tons the year totals Are using a 350 Day year to allow for three week Plant shutdown each sum this Type of journalism is not to be expected from a newspaper of the standing of the free press. Neither should it be accepted my other objection to the article is the caption under the picture of hams at flin flon. Since the title to the article is Manitoba mines spew out tons of the caption flin flon 885 tons of pollutants daily is obviously a deliberate plan to make the Reader think that there Are 885 tons of pollutants emitted daily from flin flon whereas or. Werier states that Only 700 tons Are emitted. This is very misleading. If your paper is going to write on scientific sublets using scientific data please use it correctly. The Public has a Tough enough time comprehending such issues without there being errors included to add to the confusion. Adrian Jackson Winnipeg birthday mrs. Emma Thorarinson Selkirk Manitoba born Plum Coulee Manitoba april discrimination this is a comment on the article by Dave Barber in the april 18, free press entitled hostilities against Fili Pino students not serious schools this was a follow up to a presentation by a group of filipino parents earlier during the week to the Winnipeg school Board regarding racial discrimination faced by filipino students in the Core area High schools. Free press april which the article is trying to establish is not Only biased and inaccurate but misleading. Firstly his Survey is one sided involving Only school officials in this Case principals who in Contact with students. Secondly the Survey is too narrow to draw a valid conclusion. Only four individuals were interviewed. To treat such a Broad and delicate subject it is necessary to involve the student populace who Are the ones affected and who comprise the school and the teach ers and parents who Are constantly in Contact with them and to Survey a larger number and wider area in order to derive fairly accurate reliable and valid information. The findings of a filipino teacher s aide acting As counsellor to Over 800 filipino students in five High schools Tell a different Story. Evidently the of problems Are linked to racial discrimination and alienation. For example increased Lack of interest in school absenteeism cutting classes and dropping out Are results of being made fun feeling outcast or treated unfairly. Others turn to drinking and drugs because they Don t get under standing of their problems by their parents at Home. They Are expected to make Good grades at school where the environment is More like hell than a place of learning. The More aggressive types resort to fighting vandalism or similar forms of violence. If these problems do not reach the school authorities it is because the filipino kids Don t Trust their mentors according to the filipino Counselor. Worth noting is the increasing de Mand for the counselling services of the above mentioned filipino teacher s aide by various schools in the City. He was initially hired not too Long ago on a temporary basis for Gordon Bell High school. Finding his functions effective tech voc requested his services Fol Lowed by Daniel Macintire Aberdeen and general Wolfe High schools. These Are three of the four schools surveyed by or. Barber. Other schools where a number of filipinos Are enrolled Are also clamouring for his services. This evidence strongly indicates that there is indeed racial hostility in some of our schools. Racial discrimination is a so Cial disease which is extremely Damag ing. Even the slightest symptom should therefore be viewed with vigilance. Certainly prevention treatment and Healing Are at their Best when the disease has not taken Root. John b. Gang Winnipeg i know said the Dollar was shrinking but making them bigger does t i ;