Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 3, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba 6 Winnipeg free frees wednesday june Freedom of Trade Equality of civil rights Liberty of religion published and cringed six Days a week at 300 Carillon Street. Winnipeg r3c 3c1 by Canadian newspapers company limited Telephone 943-933 second class mail registration number 0286 Donald Nicol publisher John Dafoe editorial Page Edilio Murray bust Marui Guia Chiloi editorials or. Trudeau stops Reform prime minister Trudeau had the right idea when he spoke in Halifax this week about the desirable direction of future constitutional Reform in Canada. The trouble and the irony is that or. Trudeau himself has made it almost certain that those reforms will not be achieved in the foreseeable future. There is As the prime minister says a need for Reform of the Central institutions of government to provide a bet Ter reflection of the interests of All of Canada s regions in Canada s Federal system regional interests Are served both by devolving Power to the provincial governments and by providing a forum for the expression of regional interests in the Central government. The problem in Canada at the moment is that the devolution has gone just about As far As it can go without fatally weakening the Centre and that the expression of regional concerns in Ottawa has be come ineffective. The Senate never did fulfil its role As the voice of the regions and Federal politicians have discovered that they can win Power in Ottawa with no representation at All in Large areas of the country. A great Many suggestions have been made in the past few years to Correct that situation. The Pepin Robarts task Force on Canadian Unity suggested a partial form of proportional representation to make it More Likely that All major parties would have at least some representation in the House of commons from every Region. At the moment the liberals Are unrepresented West of Winnipeg despite having won a substantial minority of votes in the West the conservatives Are unrepresented in Quebec despite the fact that they won a significant number of votes there. Besides being essentially unfair and making government More difficult that situation tends to exaggerate the regional differences in the country. A partial or system would go some Way to correcting that imbalance. There is a need for More thought about the mechanics of the system but the Basic idea deserves serious consideration. So does a fundamental Reform of the Senate. Proposals made during the past few years involve turning the Senate into a House of the provinces with members directly representing provincial governments giving the provincial governments the right to appoint half the senators or turning the Senate into an elected watchdog of regional concerns. The idea of an elected Senate is the least popular with the politicians in Power but it offers the Best Hope for Reform. Those ideas and others ought to be discussed in a new round of Federal provincial conferences once the Issue of palliation an amending formula and a Bill of rights have been settled by the supreme court and the Canadian arid British parliaments. Unhappily or. Trudeau s tactics in the first round of constitutional change have made serious discussion and eventual agreement almost impossible to achieve. After having been abused misrepresented insulted and finally ignored by the prime minister Over the past eight months the provincial premiers Are not Likely to be eager to sit Down for More of the same. If they do sit Down they will bring with them a degree of suspicion of the prime minister s tactics and motives which will frustrate serious negotiation. Even if agreement is achieved on Reform of the Senate the Liberal government will have Given the present senators a veto Over any change in their status. Or. Trudeau no doubt sincerely believes in reforms which will make the Central government More representative and restore it As a unifying Force in the country. He has however rendered himself incapable of bringing those reforms 3 bout. France faces Basic change political changes of an historic nature Are taking place in France at astonishing Speed. They Are happening across the entire spectrum of National politics. Most of the current action however is concentrated on the left. A combination of the sophisticated skill of socialist Leader Francois Mitterrand and a deep yearning in the electorate for fundamental change is moving France towards new political arrangements that could affect French politics and society for the rest of this decade. One reason Why or. Mitterrand won the presidency last month was his Success in convincing French voters that he represents an acceptably stable alternative to Rule by the gaullist that had prevailed since Charles de Gaulle became president in 1958. He was greatly helped by the vilification by the communists of him and his party that preceded the first round of voting. Keeping the communists put of his interim govern ment softened the Impact of the communist voting support that gave him Victory in the second round. His creation of a Cabinet of substantial figures has turned aside sneers that experienced administration could not be expected from a party that had been out of government for a generation. Prime minister Pierre Mauro has been mayor of the Northern Industrial City of Lille and a member of parliament since 1973. Foreign minister Claude Chesson has spent eight years As one of France s two members of the european commission that administers the common Market. He is internationally recognized As a powerful advocate of closer links Between the developed and developing countries. Gaston deferred minister of the Interior and of the new department that seeks to decentralize governing Power was a Cabinet minister in five governments Between 1946 and 1957. He is a legendary figure in the rum ustious port City of Marseilles of which he has been mayor since 1953. Foreign Trade minister Michel Jobert a prickly gaullist who was foreign minister in 1973 and 1974 was a key figure for ten years in the political machine of prime minister then president Georges Pompidou. Nicole Questiaux minister of National Solidarity played a major part in building the socialist party to its new Eminence. Economics and finance minister Jacques Delors comes out of the Christian Trade Union movement worked in the Bank of France and is liked by the business Community because he favors gradual economic change. Michel Ricard at 50 a Likely successor to or. Mitterrand As party Leader was a senior civil servant in the finance department and is minister of state for the National plan and for regional development. Of this group mrs. Questiaux or. Chesson or. Jobert and or. Ricard Are graduates of the highly competitive and influential Ecol nationals d administration or National school of administration. It produces political and administrative High flyers. This formidable line up May partly explain Why a National opinion poll published this week suggests that the socialists will get 36 per cent of the vote in the june 14 first round of the parliamentary elections. Or. Mitterrand got 26 per cent in the presidential election first round. Adding in the expected communist vote of 14 per cent gives the Broad left a parliamentary majority but with the politically crucial probability that the communist number of seats will shrink by one third or one half. This bodes Well for increased leverage by or. Mitterrand in his Post election dealings with the communist demand for Cabinet posts. More potential strength for or. Mitterrand comes from the intriguing finding that the environmentalists will take seven per cent of the first round parliamentary votes. They got three per cent of the first round presidential votes. Most of these Are thought to have gone to or. Mitterrand in the second round because of his Strong doubts about France s nuclear Energy development program. Last week or. Mitterrand announced an indefinite postponement of atmospheric nuclear weapons tests in the South Pacific a move that should Gladden the hearts of French environmentalists. This week prime minister Mauro has announced creation of a committee to assess which tactical or strategic nuclear weapons should be developed by France which should mollify conservatives who May fear a move to unilateral nuclear disarmament. All told or. Mitterrand s political instincts since his election have been flawless. If he continues As he has begun he May soon achieve the realignment of French politics that is so obviously his goal. 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. Position enhanced your editorial natives and Petro in free press May 16 suggested that the government s proposed new Canada Oil and Gas Bill will favor Oil and Gas operators to the detriment of Northern and native canadians. Actually without this new Legisla Tion we cannot fully protect the fragile Northern environment nor can we Sanction the environmental studies de sired nor ensure that canadians especially Northern canadians Benefit from the creation of jobs and the demand for goods and services created by Oil and Gas exploration and development. Northern and native canadians Are involved in the ecological and social assessment of Oil and Gas activities through participation in studies under the million environmental studies revolving fund environmental Impact assessment hearings and nation Al Energy Board hearings. In addition we propose to Amend the Bill to permit the minister to create special advisory bodies to provide ongoing consultation with natives and northerners. Further Many native groups now negotiate directly with Petro Canada to obtain both economic benefits and environmental assurances. The position of native Peoples and Northern governments is enhanced not eroded by this Bill. As negotiations to Settle native land claims proceed the Bill expressly provides the government with the authority to withdraw lands for land claim settlements. We also propose to Amend the Bill to ensure that nothing in this act abrogates or Dero Gates from any aboriginal title right or claim that the aboriginal people of Canada May have had prior to the coming into Force of this similarly nothing in the Bill limits the future devolution of Powers to the territorial governments. It is not in the interests of Northern canadians to delay a Bill which serves to return control of Canada s resources from the Petroleum companies to the people of Canada. Etobicoke North Ottawa birthdays Oil Rig Arctic mrs. Irene Delisle Nee Winnipeg born Winnipeg june Steve Slyzuk Winnipeg born Ukraine june John Cowan Winnipeg born ram say Isle of Manitoba june 3, 1885. I inflationary Law the free press on May 23, carried a report entitled retailers hot Over new flame retardant mattress Rule. This Law is unfair and inflationary. Such a regulation benefits no one except the handful of simpletons whose brains Are too be fogged with their own smoke to allow them to assess the danger of smoking. If the regulation mongers Only knew that the product is entirely Safe for those who do not smoke or who at least have the sense not to smoke in bed they would inspect the consumer who smokes instead of the product. But this would be infringing on the rights of a minority far better to penalize the majority. Such a regulation is also inflationary. Earl Adelman vice president of pent House interiors claims that the Public will Benefit. Ask How can a 15-to-20 per cent increase in prices Benefit anyone except the retailers the Paradox is that this regulation is being encouraged by a department of the government which we hoped could help Consumers. God Speed the Day when we May enjoy less legislative presence in the bedrooms of the nation. Kurt Weaver Steinbach Man. Lotteries i have trouble understanding Why As an elected member of the Legisla Tive Assembly for the Riding of la Verendrye an area that i believe has Many god fearing people Robert ban Man minister of recreation fitness and sport defends government lotteries. On May 27 the front Page Story of the free press read Manitoba to test Dollar a shot Sid Green Leader of the progressive party says lotteries Are a taxation of the the Issue of lotteries should not be lightly. There Are Many far reaching implications of these get Rich ii lick games which should be seriously considered. Henry Armstrong Winnipeg a tribute to bleeding hearts a Canadian organization of Young people dedicated to helping the poor of the world is celebrating its 20th anniversary this month. It is the Canadian University service overseas similar to the american peace corps regarded by cynics As do goobers and bleeding hearts and criticized with some justification As being ineffective and inept in some of its ventures. I am All for bleeding hearts if they raise the conscience of people about the Downtrodden of this world and in this 1 believe Cuso has registered its Grea test achievement. Cuso originated in University circles in 1961 to recruit Volun Teers for overseas work in developing countries in the Fields of education Agri culture health and technical services. Outside University volunteers Are now emerging outside University circles says Ken Shipley Cuso manager of Field operations a trend welcomed by the organization. The image in the past was that of an elite organization however meagre the stipends and the emphasis was on recruiting school teachers. Now this has shifted to volunteers with More practical trades. Cuso Wel comes welders carpenters plumbers electricians and mechanics and the tradesmen now constitute about 80 of the 600 volunteers in Asia Africa latin America the Caribbean and the South Pacific. They go overseas for adventure to travel for a change of venue. There s also a sense of making a contribution in the minds of Many who says or. Shipley. That is a reasonable Assumption for annual pay plus accommodation is perhaps a fifth or less what tradesmen can earn in Canada. The pay for Volun Teers is a year maybe less. I have come across Cuso and american peace corps volunteers in Caribbean countries and have been impressed with their idealism concern and identification with the needs of the people. They Are not tourists. They live close to the natives and get to know their everyday existence their prob lems and triumphs. Their contributions May not amount to much for after All what can 600-Odd people do for millions in the poor countries it is also difficult to help people in an alien land and in the past Well meaning projects have dissipated in failure. It is futile to try to impose Western ideas and programs on Rural non competitive societies. Some Caribbean islands have been so overrun with agencies that i detected in interviews with officials that they resented their benefactors. Some of their monuments Are machines that Are rusted and in disuse. In my View Cuso s finest accomplishment is that it has created among its alumni a band of internationalists. They do see the world As a global Village. They have witnessed the harsh life of people poorly fed lacking even the Basic commodity of clean water a deficiency that has led to widespread disease and debilitation. They have been part of the culture and aspirations of other people. They no longer see people by the color of their skins. They Are no longer mean ingless statistics in the news of famine and deprivation and of faceless Refu gees now in the millions in Africa. Cida contributes the Canadian International develop ment Agency a Federal group provides most of Cuso s budget with the rest being raised from the Public. About 80 per cent of the third world lives in Rural areas arid As or. Shipley says the mistake was made that Many of the poor countries looked to the industrialized Western nations As models when they gained their Independence. They neglected their Agri culture production and looked to the establishment of industries. In a Small Way Cuso has tried to help Rural areas become self sufficient. Or. Shipley himself was a Cuso worker in Botswana an impoverished country of in Southern Africa. Be cites the example of a Horticulturist recruited to encourage local villagers to grow their own vegetables. In a Small sub tropical Village three women volunteered for the program. A tractor was borrowed from a Public Agency and a hectare of the stubborn hard land was broken. Cabbage onions carrots and turnips were planted. These proved irresistible to goats and cattle so a Fence was built out of local thorns. Eventually there were 20 people growing vegetables in the Small Vil says or. Shipley. Sorghum has been a traditional part of the Botswana diet and the native s prepared it by soaking and pounding it. When South Africa introduced the More expensive Corn meal natives neglected the sorghum which has a much higher protein Content. New business one of Cuso s ventures was to encourage the consumption of sorghum and this was done with the assistance of the International development re search corporation. A prototype of a Mill was developed at Thunder Bay to suit a Botswana Village Economy. The Mill was adapted to the milling of sorghum providing a new business in the Village and a Supply of the Staple diet. Once the average age of Cuso Volun Teers was in the today it is just Over 30. Retired people with skills Are welcomed. One Volunteer of 79, an Engi went to Uganda. About half a dozen doctors have gone overseas for two year stints. They helped the people who otherwise would not have received treatment. But their greatest contribution is to Canada itself. Says or. Shipley it is a profound experience for Many. They become less parochial and have the interests of the third world at when they return to Canada it is my opinion from talking to them that they Are not As concerned How much they the Gamble Over housing by . Wilson special to the free press Ottawa housing Market in Canada is developing symptoms of the classic economic Bubble turning what has traditionally been sound invest ment into a form of gambling. In this situation the expectation of inflationary gains is becoming a substitute for adequate equity at the time of Purchase. People push their use of credit to the utmost in extreme cases borrowing even the Down payment hoping that within a year or two inflation of the value of the Home will produce the missing equity necessary for sound investment. Fear of missing out is becoming a Factor pushing people along. Sales con tracts Are being signed and deposits paid on the basis of plans alone before construction has even started with the rate of interest to be paid on the mortgage unknown. People do it sometimes just from greed but often because of simple fear that if they wait prices will go so High that they will never be Able to buy a Home. This phenomenon is the most dramatic example of the depth to which the inflation psychology has taken hold in the Canadian mentality today. It has been working so far. There Are Many who have gambled on Home purchases and who now possess a healthy equity in their House and who will be Safe As Long As the Market does not level off. That is one of the Basic characteristics of the classic Bubble it works for a time and people who Gamble on it do gain. Bubbles also burst. Governor Gerald Bouey of the Bank of Canada insists that at some Point very High interest rates will penetrate the inflation psychology and create the missing element of doubt that prices next year will be much higher than this. The Canada is not governing in this critical area but is gambling that or. Bouey is right. The polls show that the popularity of the government remains High despite its program of inaction on the country s most serious economic problem which is another measure of the growth of the inflation psychology. There Are signs however that High interest rates May be starting to prod uce a different Public response to the government s attitude. Quite sensible Ordinary people who have no particular knowledge of economics Are beginning to ask the sound question How can very High interest rates be anti inflationary when they Are visibly being built into the Economy As a Factor in higher costs to be passed on to purchasers they Are of course anti inflationary Only if they curb excessive demands for credit if they fail to do that their effect is to push costs and prices higher still. At almost any time up until four or five years ago a Federal finance minis Ter watching the developments of the Day would have Felt compelled to introduce an interim budget rather than wait for his next scheduled one to introduce supplementary measures. Today s finance minister Allan Mac Eachen like so Many individuals in the country is gambling. His Gamble is that it will be Safe to wait until october that further inaction will not turn Public opinion strongly against the government. He is a very skilled politician but the prime minister would be Wise to think carefully about the exact nature of his finance minister s skills. He has been an excellent manager of the House of commons. He is a very shrewd manipulator As he proved in his role As principal architect of the Clark govern ment s parliamentary defeat and the liberals recapture of Power. It is not proven not disprove that he is equally shrewd in his assess ment of developing Public opinion. He May win his Gamble that it is politically Safe to wait until october to take action but at risk Are the standing of the government and his own credibility As a finance minister. It is Odd that he chooses to Gamble because the imperatives Are Clear the Bank s policies desperately need supporting action from the finance ministry. I ;