Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - November 3, 1987, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press november 1987 Page 7 militia Well funded by Fred Cleverley Manitoba has about 700 reservists part time sailors and this is less than one tenth of one per cent of the Provin Cial population and just slightly under the National the state of North Dakota has More than members of the army and air National a re serve to population ratio almost ten times that of Manitoba air Reserve Squadron consists of about 100 who Fly the last six Dakota aircraft to be found anywhere in North Dakotas air National guard has flies f4 fighters and is on the conversion list for a state theart Manitoba reservists Are split into units which Are called Battal ions but which have fewer than 130 people North Dakotas three Engineer battalions each has More than 800 larger than Cana Das regular Force peacetime Bat which about 650 the North Dakota National guard is a Forward air defence unit that will round out the regular Force sixth Light infantry division in Alaska is being formed at grand this unit will fill a role for which there Are no regular Force soldiers in in an emergency the division will rely on the North Dakota Par time soldiers for its Forward air the unit will be equipped with Modem Vulcan guns and stinger North Dakotas National guard Engineer battalions Are equipped to the same standards As regular Force Engineer the equipment is not handle Downs regular Force the air guard unit has the same number of fighters 24 As a regular Force the air guard is responsible on a five minute Alert around the combat ready interceptors that Are part and parcel of North Dakotas National guard units have an annual budget of about the total militia budget for Manitoba is meshed in the total department of National defence but the Bill is million for wages the main difference Between re serve forces in North Dakota and As As is is Money spent on these forces is regarded As Federal a the Man in charge of the North Dakota National major general Alexander Macdonald put it this Way dont Call them Dol Lars spent on the air National guard defence they Are Federal dollars for Good old North it is a strange arrangement by Canadian the North Dakota National guard is owned and controlled by the but whatever part of it is recognized by Washington is paid for in Federal North in pro Vides a workable part of the Overall defence and in re turn gets about full time Par time jobs and All that goes with the there is no love lost Between the National guard and the regu Macdonald admits that the regular forces would like to get their hands on the guards in the the National guard gets first class equipment and and might even provide More fed eral reserves if they did in Macdonald it would be a bad bargain for Wash he claims that the National guard can save Money because it does not employ As Many people full in every he the guard is we can provide More defence for the same or same defence for the Only saving is in Mcdonald the equipment is by regular or guard Mem Bers of the National guard shy away from the use of the word to them it Means fed eral there is no shortage of the air National guard unit in Fargo has about 500 people on its waiting this is not Par time air guard members get the Chance to work on modern Jet equipment and the More promising Are sent to the same training schools used by the regular Force to be trained As air All National guard members get exactly the same pay for time served As members of the regular they earn pension six years of one weekend a month plus two weeks a year produce the equiv Alent of one regular Force year of pension National guard members get a Cess to most regular Force they Are fully covered for disability from the time they leave Home on their Way to if they Are their beneficiaries receive the same compensation As is paid to regular Force guardsmen can visit regular Force commissaries and Post exchanges one Day for each Day of recruits Are paid an enlistment Bonus of and can earn the same amount again if they Reen list after six the educational benefits that Are available would make Canadian re servists1 Green besides guard members who Are in University receive supplementary allowances of a nine months a year for four year while at those who qualify for University can borrow up to a year for four years towards the Cost of their education As Long As they re main in the National the loan will be repaid by the guard in addition to their regular upon graduation guard members can borrow More Money for graduate which will also be repaid by the general Mac Donald said that currently the Only limit on borrowing is a top individual limit of it is not with this number of dollars that the Federal government de mands performance from its National guard nation guard units contain More than 50 per cent Fovall combat ready because they they have a priority Call on equipment that is equal to Many regular Force the Rule is that the first units liable to be involved in combat get first Call on the Rule is applied equally to regular Force and National guard in North Dakota the National guard operates an effective pm Ployer support a state committee touches every chamber of employers Are in through award to support their employees who wish to join the National approximately 120 employers a year Are taken on trips to see their employees at training or in roles where they form part of the National defence employers Are visited by representatives of the National guard who Point out that the guard offers training that could be valuable to employer As Well As to the most nato who main Tain Reserve forces larger than their regular do so because it is a cheaper Way of getting the most out of their defence in its National the does exactly the same in North a Federal government would Cut reserves ahead of regu Lar forces at its political when the grand Forks air Force base was being it was suggested that the air National guard interceptor Squadron be moved there from every politician in the state that unit meant about million a year for the Fargo the interceptor group remains at the original regular Force interceptor Squadron that was based at grand Forks has been the air National guard has taken Over its focus Getty play to the gallery Edmonton the very conservatives who preached regional har Mony Only two years ago Are now fomenting regional recently weve seen cheap examples from two people who should know better prime minister Brian Mulroney and Alberta Premier Don Edmonton ans were flabbergasted when Mulroney defended a Mil lion Grant to West Edmonton mall As vital to the he look sillier if he gave Money to Conrad then claimed it was vital to Ontario after opposition members at tacked the dubious which had been revealed by auditor general Kenneth Mulroney told the commons i know that my honorable friends in the Liberal and new democratic parties Are opposed to the interests of Western that becomes clearer every nobody in Edmonton or Alberta is Likely to link the super Rich Gherme Zian whose company Deve loped the with Western devel the provincial in have refused several times make a similar Grant for construction of a huge indoor playground called this Doest make them Only local politicians steer Clear of the Ghermezian because the voters consider them fat cats who Are Al ways on the Lookout for Public their vast Empire on Edmonton Western reaches rouses deep even among those who patronize the prime minister plays Slippery politics by branding As ant Western those who oppose this wasteful he certainly Doest fool any body in having been caught making an unwarranted handout for a project that was already he and his government lashed out in the most destructive Way Mulroney found an ally in idiocy in Premier who chose the same week to make some truly inane statements about free Between the Golf the race track and the our sporty Premier found time to be upset about growing opposition to the free Trade Don braid in Alberta he was especially incensed with Liberal and nip promises to junk the pact if the Liberal and nip who seem to be dominated out of in catering to votes in on now Are jeopardizing some thing that is so incredibly important to he this stretched the belief even of those albertan who tend to see an Ontario plot under every it for that Liberal Joe takes his orders from David Peterson in Toron to and dutifully launches an assault on the ramparts of it implies also that Manitoba Howard a new works in the inter ests of Ontario it does Noth ing to explain Why Quebec Robert another is mysteriously immune to the worked into the sort of rage he usually reserves Only for truly important such As missing a Short Getty trumpeted i am warning those who would damage Albertas future by taking positions against free that we Cwill never forget he to mean that if anyone even argues against the Alberta the elephant will someday he Doest say what he has in and his government has done no its hard to know what could be since Alberta no longer has the leverage to threaten anyone with Boycotts or cutbacks in Oil the Best bet is that Getty might actually go to Ontario to make one of his stumbling no Small come to think of both Getty and Mulroney Are exploiting regional tension in the Cru dest Way weak leaders often stoop to and canadians Are quite capable of seeing through the workout tactic would be laughable if it didst destroy their credibility in de Bates that involve real regional Don braid is the Edmonton Jour nals legislature Bureau Mulroney tried to score cheap Points on mall tory right Wing still rumbles with discontent a blueprint for change that was tory Gary Hilmons message As he out lined Long Range plans to bring his party to to achieve that a political party cannot just be against he it must have solutions and be confident in the principles it stands it also should be United behind the but Filmon knows that has not been the As a among the Many Mea sures he was the replacement of Deputy Leader Don Orchard with the More amenable Jim the Leader was attempting to protect at least one but past experience indicates such action May merely accelerate the leadership problems Are Normal for tories who tend to be an individualistic ranging from the socially conscious red tories to the ultraconservative considering that the contradictory terms in the official party name Progress Ive conservative make through the the various elements have battled with each trying to ensure the Leader reflects their Point of occasionally the Choice is determined by what happens to be in in the Early for a More progressive Leader seemed to be the appropriate Way to fight de schreyers new after a fairly close Sidney Spivak became Leader in an attempt to appease the More conservative appointed his More righting Harry Enns As it was the progressive following the 1973 election loss and grow ing Public displeasure with the nip a the tories turned More to the right and one of the first Las to desert Spivak was his Enns was quickly replaced by de who seemed to be a under the dome Arlene Billinkoff but eventually joined the majority who wanted Sterling Lyon As after a bitter Lyon gained control and led the tories to Victory in for four those who May have disagreed with his approach remained but after the 1981 the knives aware of what would Lyon announced his intention to leaving the Field the candidates were rights Centre Brian who was supported by the majority of former Cabinet ministers moderate Gary who was backed mainly by the lesser lights of the tory administration and Clayton eventually a slim majority 54 per cent elected believing his approach would attract the Urban votes necessary to a Filmon knew it was essential to form a cohesive unit to fight the therefore he allotted responsibilities to All caucus with prominent positions for his his Deputy was Bud Sher who had remained relatively Neutral during the leadership despite those the rift remained and the tory performance was erratic and Lack the Leader was not backed up by the stronger members in when Sherman Filmon hoped to improve the Situa Tion by appointing Ransom As his Deputy and promoting Orchard to a More prominent position As health on other party organization was improving As it prepared for the that involved nomination of and Filmon did not allow challenges to sitting i have to be seen As Loyal to just As i expect their loyalty to he in that was probably the wrong but at the time it seemed approx if the tories had there would have been Little overt opposition for four despite increased repro they did not win and the right Wing was convinced it was time to change direct in an attempt to forestall such Hilmons new Shadow Cabinet included or of his principle critics Deputy we Are a United he a group of people who want to work very diligently to make sure that this govern ment Doest last for four or five the did not really exist and during the next critics such As Orchard stole the spotlight from their the discontent became More Public during the annual tory meeting last with a Call for a vote on a leadership of the 305 207 68 per cent rejected the need for a our caucus will take this message that we can work together and those who dissent must decide whether they want to be part of a very positive Filmon in his the Issue had been he was the right Wing was still unhappy and while few would publicly de Clare that the feelings were a they did not believe the Leader was expressing the appropriate tory Given that Filmon had to make a Choice maintain the current situation with the undercurrent of discontent or bring it out into the he has opted for the latter by replacing a virtually declared opponent with a More congenial Deputy while the was it has created consid Erable it is charged oppo who hinted there May be yet another Challenge to his leadership at the next annual time will a disappointed Orchard Filmon is aware of that but Hopes a common desire to win the election will keep the party together and ensure they follow his blueprint for others main Tain it is a blueprint for potential disaster for him or the party As a who knows the Leader made a courageous Deci Only time will Tell whether it will work for doonesbury by Garry Trudeau theyva 0arri status pr0tgstihgpri the room monitors 00arp was 50 coup m net Worth about at pay Topf Ponth Tbopp i i ;