Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 28, 1987, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press june 1987 Page 7 two i billions allocated for weapons should be spent on social Aid by Neil Tudiver special to the free press Canadas image As in International peacemaker and mediator has had a slow death Over recent stories about Canadian support for the United states during the cuban missile crisis and the Vietnam As Well As the Federal governments enthusiasm for cruise missile test ing Over Northern have burst the myths of Canadas opposition to International militarism and nuclear with the department of National defence White paper released june defence minister Perrin Beatty has Man aged to Hammer the final nails into the coffin of the deceased peace maker the White paper proposes major increases for military this is terribly military production consumes vast amounts of nonrenewable Cre ates relatively few jobs and makes items designed to kill and maim the Federal government plans to acquire 10 or 12 nuclear powered six new gun 300 new Battle 30 minesweepers and 10 More cf18 Jet this is in addition to current hardware commitments of More than absurd expense the Absurdity of this military commitment becomes apparent if we suppose that billion was to be spent on housing instead of nuclear in place of a nuclear at least houses could be built in this International year of the instead of buying 10 or 12 nuclear powered the Federal government could sup ply Between and houses to relieve the serious Short age in our the housing construction would provide the equivalent of to full time by beattys Best building the submarines will create Only to 000 person years of housing construction also creates other employment since most of the Materi als and technology Are each new House uses Canadian electrical and plumbing Glass and other in Beatty tells us that Only 65 per cent of the submarine Content will be Canad another Canadian dependence will be tip of the iceberg construction is just the tip of the Cost longer term opera Tion and maintenance of nuclear powered submarines Are terribly the submarines also pose a serious Hazard to the people work ing aboard them and to the in by 141 accidents had been at least 46 of which involved the nuclear Power radiation is known to have been released and Crew members have been the submarines will leave a painful legacy to succeeding generations of the White paper exacerbates a growing Reliance on defence spend ing As a pillar of Canadian economic Canada is following the approach which uses defence spending for economic develop manufacturers Are supported with military research and develop ment major purchases operate on a wasteful cos plus less fortunate regions of the country Are buoyed up by defence this creates a vicious As Job creation gets tied to arms prod there is increased demand to make More weapons for serving regional employment As More Federal dollars Are paid to arms the bidding Between provinces Are bound to heat this will place an extra Burden on since the provinces have traditionally lured corporations with tax incentive Job creation sub loan guarantees and cheap water and inter provincial tensions Are al ready witness the recent conflict Between Quebec and Mani Toba Over the huge Federal contract to repair the each province pleaded with prime minister Brian Mulroney for this we saw the unfortunate spectacle of Manitoba Premier Howard with representatives from the chamber of the Manitoba federa Tion of labor and Bristol Aero lobbying for Aid to a multinational Canadas arms manufacturers stand to profit major purchases by the department of National defence Are from corporations like Pratt and Gen eral Mcdonnell Litton systems and Bristol Aero these giants have run profitable Canadian subsidiaries for their shareholders have benefited Canadas unemployed have Canadas unemployed will reap a bitter weapons production uses advanced technology which offers minimum employ ment for maximum the num Ber of jobs created in the manufacture of arms is far less than in any other form of employ heavy Burden Canadian taxpayers will Bear a heavy the equipment is very the Federal government also provides generous Grants to arms the de Fence Industry productivity pro Gram Dipp paid out billion Between 1969 and administered by the department of Region al Industrial this pro Gram subsidizes corporations which have successfully bid on Mili tary the White paper is getting solid support from Canadas soldiers and arms this is cause for serious such a close relationship be teen an elected civil Ian government and the military in dust rial establishment is far from politicians should be a moderating influence on the armed forces rather than a stimulant to greater Mulroney seems to take the oppo site with ministers like Beatty and his predecessors in the department of we have leaders who seek ways to support the they Are in the front lines fighting for a More prominent military at a time when this is hardly canadians Are desperately in need of More better health More spending on improved welfare and social ser we need More balance on income distribution so that the Bot Tom 20 per cent of the population get More than the two per cent of income they Are now giving More to the military will make these problems should this nation be armed to defend its Borders this is a laugh ing matter since we have no Bor Ders when it comes to military we Are part of a Continental military policy which is dominated by the United whatever we spend on arms will make no differ ence to this does Canada need a military standby in Case of major wars another conflict like that of the second world War is hard to imag yet even in that Canadian Industry was transformed under a regulated and planned Economy the Federal government shifted manufacturing from a civil Ian to a military basis in Short weapons stockpiles Are unnecessary since this economic transformation could be before he left president Dwight Republican and a army Gener warned of the military Industry al he said that a close relationship Between the military Caw heeds you 10 play a m and important role do our arci1c establishment and big business was it would set the United states on an unending militaristic Eisenhower warnings were crucial and his predictions were a other retired military Lead ers have followed in his for the Centre for defence run by for Mer military is opposed to excessive expenditure for weapons and is against spending for nuclear the United states is on the War it is gearing up for a nuclear War As if it thought such a War was it plans to spend billion in 19871988 to prepare for nuclear War with the soviet any such War will Lead to global there will be no win we must Stop Canada from marching behind our neighbor on this dangerous Road to Neil Tudiver is an associate pro Fessor al University of Manito Bas school of social Canada faces decision about new tanks by Fred Cleverley Winnipeg free press West Ger White paper on defence has a single sentence recommending the replacement of the German made Leopard tanks with More modern if the soldiers who have to fight in Canadas tanks get their the Choice will be the new american made Abrams rather than the More modern for the the reason is rather from the unit com Mander Down through his senior noncommissioned Canad an tankers want the Abrams be cause they think it would give them a better Chance to stay alive if they Ever have to do although they Are Only 10 years Canadas tanks cannot face modern soviet the 105 millimetre Shell fired by the Leop Ards main gun will not penetrate soviet not enough Power for that neither will the 105millimetre shells fired by the Early versions of either the Abrams my or Leopard both he Early mls issued to forces in Europe and the first of these Sec on generation leopards Are being replaced at a rapid the troops Are getting which carry 120millimetre As do the newest versions of the the big advantage of the according to Canadian tank is its sophisticated the new leopards still have the More vulnerable no one knows whether a new one carrying the weight of equivalent can be built to match the Speed or the acceleration of the the Abrams is in place and tank soldiers generally agree that the newest of leopards represents the Tail end of a dying diesel the Abrams represents a developing technology built around a Gas Turbine engine that is about 30 per cent More its performance has put to rest most of the Early criticism that Gas Turbine engines could not be used successfully in there Are still problems with the it is a such a big Gas guzzler that the americans have had to develop an armoured fuel truck to extend its Range on the the soldiers inside consider this to be a reasonable Trade off for what is known As or the ability to stay Dave the regimental gun Nery warrant officer with the Royal Canadian had a simple and straightforward answer when asked what new tank Canada should the Abrams he right off the shelf with no Canadian his sentiments were echoed by the unit Robert meat who has worked closely with units using both the Abrams and Leopard Cash needed there appears to be Only one other than the necessary standing in the Way of riving Canadian soldiers the survival Protection they this is a history of bad decisions in Canada about though Canada bought new tanks 10 years it stayed Well behind in these tanks May stand in the Way of making the right decision about new Pur the Dollar Cost of the two possible replacement tanks is roughly these Days tanks come at about million to replace the 128 tanks Canada bought 10 years ago would Cost at least which is equal to one half of a nuclear powered submarine or six new cf18 fighter to train effectively and a computerized simulation system would have be the most Worth at a Cost of million one fighter aircraft plus spares would allow the two Canadian tank regiments to be hooked together by satellite to train against each other and to save a bundle on ammunition and running bad decision what will make it hard for Canada to justify giving the tank soldiers the equipment they want is the decision of 12 years the Cana Dian forces Magazine in that the forces had opted for the Leopard cd rather than wait several More years for the unknown benefits of a totally new and at the time of the decision to Purchase untested the brackets Are an important part of the by the time Canada got the first of its own new tanks the Leopard Mark is had been tested and production was under the most modern tanks in the world were rolling off the Assembly Complete with heat sensing targeting equipment and almost twice the Speed of the tanks Canada in the Canadian forces had been pushed into the decision because they had been trying to squeeze nearly 20 years of life out of the old British Centurion tanks they were being forced now to replace the leopards after Only 10 years is too Short a time for real Canada had picked a tank that was obsolete As it was being what May Force the defence department to buy new if the Money is voted sometime in the will be the reluctance to mix two brands of tanks in the the most Likely course will be that Canada will opt for new Leop if Only to give its second tank stationed in tanks to train on rather than the wheeled vehicles now in the new tanks May go to nato in the old leopards to Cana this if has prob lems of its the Leopard tank Purchase in the late 1970s was one of the few military purchases made by Canada where offset work in Canada ordered by the manufacture Kraus Maffei of was spread Over a 10year Well beyond the delivery of the an order for new leopards could make offset work equally at the same Canadian firms already Supply 90 different sys mostly electronics and com that go into every Abrams m1a1 tank delivered to the Canadas present tanks in Europe Are not considered suitable to put against soviet As Meating the unit was really in place to defend Bridges in France against infantry if they get that very vulnerable the leopards used by canadians Are extremely vulnerable to anti tank weapons produced in the past 10 they have neither the Armor nor the Speed to do the Job required of tanks in More Imas death they Are near the top of the the newer leopards offer a bet Ter Chance of survival but still have the Square Turret sides vulnerable to armo piercing shells that Bounce off the sharply sloped sides of the there factors other than survivability in any Purchase of of new one is living with past mediator would help make a postal Compromise possible by Bernie Bellari special to the free press the current dispute Between the letter carriers Union of Canada and Canada Post is not just a disagree ment Over specific Points in a collective As other commentators have pointed this strike is More a symbolic clash Between a govern ment determined to show who Boss and an organized labor movement that has been determined to avoid making concessions to be they in he Public or private the essential issues involved in the negotiations Between the letter carriers and management of the Post office relate to Job Security and the amount of work that each Carrier will be expected to although most of the lesser Points of disagree ment seem to have been both parties appear to have dug in on these major by Yia King this Dis Pute take on the symbolic significance that it both sides have made it that much More difficult to reach a there is always room for no matter How intractable the Issue May the Way in which these negotiations have developed has meant that one Side will inevitably be declared the Victor and the other the it is precisely because the negotiators for both sides know that a settlement is ultimately but not without a great loss of face for one Side or the that they have both called for the appointment of a a mediator would be Able to put Forward the Type of Compromise agreement that both sides know they could live yet neither Side could actually put Forward on its own without being accused of having Given the carriers Are Adamant in their refusal to make any concessions on benefits that have been negotiated in previous while Canada Post is persisting in the notion that workers will have to agree to an increased workload and a reduction in total number of letter Carrier As far As the letter carriers Are the current method for determining the amount of mail that each Carrier is expected to known As the route measurement system is yet it is Well known among carriers that this sys tem is seriously flawed and leads to situations where one Carrier can be finished his or her duties Well ahead of another Carrier and still be paid the the management of Canada Post claims that it needs to obtain in creased productivity from the letter carriers in order to meet its Man Date of breaking even in the coming fiscal even if his were the fact that Canada Post has been willing to pay replacement workers salaries comparable to that of regu Lar carriers to deliver Token amounts of mail ii an indication that Budge tary restraints Are not All that important to As with Many another Dis Pute Between two warring a Compromise can be achieved that will give both sides the Opportunity to declare Victory and withdraw honorable from the in this Case the key is to obtain greater productivity from letter carriers certainly a valid objective on managements without eliminating any existing letter Carrier Posi How can this be done one Possi ble solution would be to expand Doort door letter Carrier service to those new housing subdivisions that Are presently forced to rely upon super Mailbox in return for the letter carriers carrying in creased by gradually bringing in Doort door delivery to these Canada Post could not Only avoid having to Lay off letter it could greatly improve its Standard of service to its custom v concomitantly the letter carriers would have to be prepared to accept some increase in their rather than maintaining the exist ing system for determining length of letter Carrier which is in serious need of revision both the Union and management should cooperate in designing a new system that would bring about both heightened productivity and in creased fairness in terms of distribution of on further Point needs to be addressed the right to it is a common fallacy to believe that pub Lic servants have won concessions from their employers Only by being Able to resort to the strike As a in any study of collective bargaining in the Public sector will indicate that the results of agreements reached through arbitration Are consistently similar to those reached without strikes serve other How one of which is the letting off of in current it is no Accident that the letter carriers Union does not have a strike Robert president of the and a Well known is anxious to keep a lid on his potentially explosive membership witness the repeated outbursts of violence along picket if Canada Post cannot Cut a Deal with someone As moderate As then what can we expect when Jeanclaude parrots turn comes up later this summer of if it is truly the conservative governments master plan to bring the postal unions to their then no amount of reasoned moderation on the unions part can change the scenario that the government has let us Hope that Modera Tion on both sides will win out in the Crnic is a Winnipeg letter Currier who has a de give in political studies and u masters degree in Public affairs from the uni Claity of ;