Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 3, 1987, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press january Page 7 the stomp a letters from writers must give their name and the authors name will be used and tetters Are subject to readers forum editorial on farm Aid called inaccurate the factual inaccuracies in the editorial fiddling with farm Aid free press december 11 Are a disservice to your particularly those in the farm the prime minister committed billion in support to All Canadian Grain and oilseed producers on octo ber two months he an noned the details of the program after full consultation with farm leaders from across the the special Canadian grains pro Gram is the largest farm assistance package country finding a fair Way to distribute billion to As Many As Farmers was not an easy we needed to take into account the Many different crops that have been affected by the Price War Between the european economic Community and the United we wanted to distribute the Money quickly in a Way that was fair to producers and that minimized administrative if All producers had to apply for the no Money would be available for at least three because the Federal government recognizes the urgency of the we Are sending out an interim pay ment of million As soon As the remaining million will be disbursed during Spring seeding time when Farmers need Money both payments Wil be made during the current crop Western Farmers will get their first payment Early in the new year because information needed for the calculations is contained in Canad an wheat Board permit East Ern producers will have to wait longer because the information on their crops is not available in a Central the free press seems unaware that farm leaders from across the including five from Manito sat Down with the Federal govern ment to work out a payment forum much of the credit goes to the Industry because it was Farmers themselves who arrived at the fairest payout formula if the formula had been developed totally by bureaucrats in the free press no doubt would have suggested that Ottawa was again dictating to the the editorial suggests 100 per cent of the assistance should go to West Ern while the West does produce the vast majority of Grain in this the suggestion reveals a Basic misunderstanding of Canad an the West is responsible for about 79 per cent of All Grain production in the Western Farmers will receive 84 per cent of the Bene fits under the special Canadian grains Over the last five Manitoba produced about 15 per cent of All Grain grown in Manitoba Farmers will receive or 15 per under this during the same Ontario produced 16 per cent of All Grain and will receive per cent of the the free press Only refers to part of farm income it is True that total farm Cash receipts from grains and oilseed Are projected to drop All Canadian Farmers who produce Grain and oilseed Are affected by the subsidy War Between the dec and the United states and so All Farmers Are eligible for Assis the special Canadian grains pro Gram is necessary because Canad an Grain producers Are hurting from the effects of the International sub Sidy but this is not All the Federal government has done on be half of Canadian since sep this government has increased agricultural spending by 62 pel1 cent from the last two years of the previous Federal contributions to Western agriculture in 1987 Wil further increase by 57 per we have also taken our concerns to the International where a lasting solution must be prime minister Brian Mulroney raised the Issue of agricultural subsidies in May at the economic sum Mit in the first time this had Ever been raised in this external affairs minister Joe Clark led discussions at the Agenda setting session for the current round of discussions under the general agreement on tariffs and As a agricultural subsidies Are an Agenda item for the very first the above should give you some idea of this governments commit ment to Canadian we realize More needs to be done and that is Why we will be meeting with farm leaders in february to seek Lon term solutions to this serious the free press could not be More accurate when it says that Western Canadas efficient Farmers have made a major contribution to the National the Federal government also recognizes the special Canadian grains pro Gram is an important and helpful Federal what a pity the free press was not Able to recognize this and produce More gracious Charles Mayer minister of state Canadian wheat Board Ottawa Churchill Grain shipments Are a foolish use of Money a recent edition of the free press had two items which should be drawn the article taxes to increase to raise Pawley says free december 19 described the Manitoba problem of a Large deficit and the Challenge to the govern the second article minister Al Leges quiet plot to kill port free december 19 was a com ment by Man Tobas minister of John repeating the popular political claims for mov ing Grain to in our current financial we should not waste Money we should spend Money the Grain movement to Churchil is not and the millions being spent on it is a the Grain could be moved other ways More economically and the dollars could be spent in other ways to help the town the senior Grain transportation committee has completed studies which show that the real Cost of moving Grain to Churchill is significantly More than the apparent even the apparent which uses the Low statutory freight is of Little Benefit to Farmers because the Canadian wheat Board has to give most of the Benefit away to entice the High real Cost is part of the railways Overall Cost and is paid by every Prairie Farmer who ships wherever his Grain hence the committee asked govern if they continue to insist on Grain moving to to pay the extra Large costs Are the rail line would require major expenditures new Type Hopper cars would Cost Many millions and then would not fit efficiently into other Grain movements in the Many months Churchill is closed the Box car rehabilitation program is costly per car with Short life and limited the port is said to have made Money a very Small amount but this is True Only if All costs of investment made for facilities Are even the operations Cost Farmers Money because the Chur chill terminal charged More for cleaning Grain than a com parable charge at Thunder Bay or this exceeds the so called profit and comes directly from elevator companies but in directly from the Farmers lost Over million this year because Thunder Bay terminals would have had improved Bottom lines by that amount if they had handled the Churchill and they normally Are Slack in the months when Churchil is open the Cost of these terminals is reflected Back to Farmers in i sympathize with Lohman in his political problem of facing these truths when so Many have lobbied for a fictitious it is to grasp these costly political problems when so Many dollars can be saved in a province whose debt and tax Load does not permit unwise because the Federal government has similar financial i believe the Federal minister of trans John would have the courage to join Lohman in a review of the spending proposed by the two applying appropriate amounts for Churchill and Northern but stopping the millions of dollars of investment to move Grain at a negative Otto Lang executive Pioneer Grain Winnipeg Sterling Lyons appointment to court of Appeal has been on Justice Lyon your editorial where the new Justice stands free de Cember 23 to say the misleading to say the to indicate that Sterling Lyon is opposed to the Protection of rights by Means of an entrenched charter is absolutely but then so was Alan Roy Joe Clark and Many others in both the provincial and Federal spheres of Canadian poli does one suggest that All these gentlemen Are unfit to hold Judi Cial or other office where fundamental rights Are affected How patently unfair and is there a suggestion in your editorial that Lyon does not believe in upholding the Law since the purpose of the editorial was to recite Lyons could the free press not have found it in its heart to mention that As created one of the first Law Reform com missions in the country that in 1960 he was chairman of the com Mittee of the Manitoba legislature that reviewed and corrected All Manitoba statutes having the re verse onus provision that he created the legislative com Mittee to review delegated legis lation this was copied years later by the Federal government and that he was even silly enough to introduce the first fair accommodation practices no one who has served in elec Tive office is beyond criticism or fair to impugn the ability of a judge to Deal competently and objectively with any and All minority matters that could come before him is a serious not Only on the integrity of the judiciary but also on the reputation of a distinguished former attorney general and pre your editorial writer has reached a new and almost seditious betraying a Lack of judg ment and balance that is Well beneath free press not even the nip with its Blu baiting attorney Gen eral who decries All attacks on previously held political views can take any Comfort from this scurrilous Nathan Nur Gitz Winnipeg Well done though prime minister Brian Mulroney has done very Little right in regards to he is to be congratulated on the appointment of Sterling a Man of Princi to the Manitoba court of a pooles Winnipeg carping the provincial governments complaint was quite justified be cause it want consulted in the appointment of Sterling Lyon to the Manitoba court of the carping by special interest groups was to be Al though it was but Frances russells com ments in her column of december 27 Are Plain Bush she As Sumes that Lyon was appointed solely for patronage reasons and that prime minister Brian having run out of Politi Cal made the appointment although i am on the opposite end of the political spectrum from Lyon and opposed his policies while he was i believe that he has qualities along with his conscientious approach to whatever Job he is will make him a Good member of the during the debate on the Bill of he rightfully expressed the concern of Many Manitoban that the Powers of the legislature to set policy could be i pre sume he will continue to respect the role of the provincial leg isl during the language Lyon demonstrated his respect and Confidence the supreme court of Canada by urging that the Bilodeau Case should be heard by the court and that an arrangement to circumvent the courts be he questioned the right of the federally funded society Franco Manito Baine to represent itself As a quasi political body with Power to negotiate on behalf of Franco whether the latter wanted it to or he stated that elected officials represent All regardless of ethnic or linguistic in the Lyon has demonstrated a deep under standing of constitutional Law and the relationship Between the legis lature and the since Lyon is now a he cannot reply to the barbs and banter of those who were once his political he is no longer working in the realm of partisan his former political opponents should set the past aside and anticipate the Best from the newest member of the court of William Button Winnipeg unfortunate the editorial where the new Justice stands articulates one of the reasons the appointment of Sterling Lyon to the court of Appeal is an unfortunate the women who fought for Equi table family Laws in Manitoba could list several chief among these is Lyons con tempt for Best illustrated by his remark that the proof of conservatives support of women Lay in their ability to impregnate them we Are among the Best breeders in the during the constitutional de Lyon argued that it was legitimate for subsequent govern ments to take away rights deter mined by their these coupled with the remark he made during the family Law hearings you want go to Russia will do Little to persuade women that they can anticipate Equality and Justice from this Lyons Lack of previous experience on any court the fact that he has not Practised Law in Over two decades the Lack of consultation with the attorney Gen eral and the bar association of Manitoba the reneging of the Mulroney government on their stated commitment to place women in key Public serice posts and redress the current Iqbal Point to political patronage of the most blatant Vari it is a sad Day not Only for the women of Manitoba for All Canadian citizens who expect appointments to the judiciary to be made on the basis of demonstrated competence and fairness and not on partisan political per Berenice Sisler Winnipeg two faced tories take contradictory positions the two headed roman god who gave his name to is a Kindred spirit to Many modern Day opposition his ability to face both ways bears a Strong resemblance to those out Power politicians who think it is their constitutional duty to attack the government when it spends too much and attack it when it spends too Little reproach it for its deficits and reproach it for its such Doublespeak voids the primary responsibility of a parliamentary opposition to be a credible alternative to the party in with Manitoba governmental prospects for 1987 As Bleak As spiralling deficits can make the province is in particular need of an articulate and thoughtful oppose but 1986 was the Pinnacle of the tory caucus particular Brand of political Schizo it began with their platform for the March provincial election million in additional spending and million in tax tacking million onto an already swollen deficit which they had regarded with mounting consternation and alarm throughout the Dps previous fou year the tories insisted their deficit would be stimuli the tories didst win on March and by april their other head the restraint minded one was when then nip finance minister Vic Schroeder let it be known the provinces deficit would Rise by million Over previous the oppositions reaction was tory House Leader Gerry Mercier Norbert said it had been particularly irresponsible for the government to have made daily promises on the hustings for More spending when it knew it was in such serious financial Frances Russell about a month the stimulative face conservative Leader Gary Filmon attacked the government for not spending enough to combat Spring we need investment to upgrade drainage so our Rural communities and agriculture can Filmon told the when the budget came Filmon criticized the government for increasing corporation he applauded the Multi Mil lion Dollar farm assistance packages provided by Alberta and these two provinces have taken the responsibility to offer significant initiatives on their own to their on the other was giving Only More Loans to banners who Are beleaguered and already drowning in a sea of in Early Rural tories blasted High ways minister John Lohman for allowing his colleagues to pare million from his fumed tory highways critic Dave Blake the minister has stood by and allowed the department to be comple Tely the Road network in our province is going to hell in a How does the government think Small Busi Ness and Farmers operate in the Rural areas but in Manitoba was put on a credit watch by a new York Bon rating once the tories turned their restraint face to the they demanded finance minister Eugene Kostyra introduce a new budget or economic statement with plans to Deal with the Filmon warned the provinces position in financial markets was in the noose is tightening around the governments the tory Leader an Independent Agency has judged that our government is doing a poor Job of managing Manitoba financial As the session wound its Way through the the tories Janus like visage continued to talk both when pressed to explain where they would find the millions required to spend reduce taxes and Cut the they pointed to extra communications staff and a few High profile patronage they transformed the governments Deci Sion to reassign its four Rural Home economists into a minor this they helped the southwestern Manitoba communities of Deloraine and Reston organize a rally to pro test cutbacks in ramp they railed against the planned closure of the psychiatric nurses training Centre in Portage la Prairie against service reductions at the Portage Home against inadequate funding for the new child and family service agencies against cutbacks at the Brandon Hospital against meagre support for and they constantly criticized the governments disregard for the pro Vinces Road but whenever the Opportunity presented they railed just As loudly against the spiralling deficit and higher the government frequently the wheel came full Circle when the government projected a million Rise in its said Filmon its because Treyve chosen to throw Money at every squeaky wheel that put a demand on them in the last five just before Kostyra the tories had held a news conference urging More Money for the release of the auditors report prompted another the provinces i the opposition Leader Are like a runaway locomotive engine out of control and headed for More dangerous Circum two headed Janus was the god of door ways and archways and january is the month for beginning the Manitoba conservatives should begin they wont be a credible alternative so Long As they Swallow doonesbury by Garry Trudeau youre i Dott fac just that what ape you been cast talking about a5a is a apologist in scan going wait a a compari n i m Bottom of ;