Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 18, 1990, Winnipeg, Manitoba 0 Winnipeg free january Winnipeg free press Freedom of Trade Liberty of religion Equality of civil rights published seven Days a week at 300 Carlton Winnipeg r3c 3c1 by newspapers division of Canadian newspapers company limited Telephone 9439331 a member of the Manitoba press Council Arthur Wood publisher John Dafoe editorial Page editor Murray Burt managing editor Rudy Redekop controller Winnipeg free press est 1872 Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 one Man in one Man out one candidate entered the Liberal leadership race yesterday one dropped the candidate who entered is Paul a 50year old Montreal millionaire businessman with a Campaign War Chest of about the candidate who dropped out is Lloyd a 50yearold former academic from Winnipeg who could not raise a Quarter of what Martin plans to does this Tell us something about Canadian politics and the Liberal party in the 1990s it probably tells us a Little less than it might appear Paul Martins Well padded candidacy certainly Illus trates the value of a personal Well heeled friends and a Central Canadian base to one who aspires to be prime minister of the Gulf Between die resources available to Martin and those which Axworthy could Lay hands on demonstrates the extent to which the Liberal through its indecently Loose controls Over leadership Campaign has Al Lowed Money to be the dominant Factor in the the fact that Eastern candidates can raise the Money they need while the Only Western candidate cannot says something about the Liberal party continued failure to turn itself into the truly National institution it used to Axworthy problems went beyond being a West Erner of modest the fact is in his 10 years in the House of he never did become a spokesman for Western As the sole Westerner in Pierre Trudeau Cabinet for four he had the he developed an intensely Loyal following in Winnipeg but he could never establish himself As a credible spokesman for other one reason for the failure was the fact that he was philosophically at Odds with much Liberal thinking in the another was the perception in Ottawa that he was an Empire builder and the perception outside of Manitoba that too Many of the resources he controlled went to Benefit Winnipeg and not enough went to other equally deserving Western whatever the reasons for Axworthy departure from the he will be missed because he promised to bring a concern for ideas to the Campaign at a time when fresh thinking is scarce on the political even without the Liberal leadership race May Well turn out to be More concerned with policy and More productive of new ideas than has been seen in any party since the Days Wheir the liberals chose Pieffle Trudeau and the new Democrat mainlines fought it out with the Waffle the first two serious declared Martin and Sheila offered some convincing evidence that they recognized the need for canadians to adapt to a rapidly changing world and were ready to bring serious and detailed policy proposals to their Copps promised to put Forward firm proposals on economic on the on Trade and tax when he announced his Candi Dacy promised a new Liberal his first statement to the press touched on All the right though in Broad he promised to put some meat on those Bare Bones in a series of policy pronouncements across the country during the course of the Many canadians have been waiting for Martin to flesh out his social and political policies Ever since it became obvious that he was preparing himself for a run at the what they have mostly got to Date have been trendy during the next six they will learn whether there is substance behind the Martin proclaimed yesterday that liberals must liberate ourselves from the Dogma and cliches of the canadians will watch with interest to see if Martin can liberate himself from the Dogma and cliches of the three views of Meech glossing Over major problems three major candidates for the Liberal leadership have set Forth their ideas on the Meech Lake none of them turned out to be very Sheila the first one into the announced that she was foursquare in favor of the Meech Lake that was interesting but since she could not under any circumstances become Liberal Leader before the accords Fate is settled one Way or Paul the next to announced that he too was for Meech Lake but also was for a parallel Accord which would Correct some of its even if there was no parallel he Meech Lake should be adopted that besides looking a Little like an attempt to get one leg partly Over onto the other Side of the suffers from the same problem As the opinion of the person who will become Leader of the Liberal party on the Day after Meech is either adopted or Dies is not of substantial Jean the next candidate to become wants to go Back to 1987 and Start All Over increasing suspicion that he really is yesterdays Chretien this week read to the faculty of Law of the University of Ottawa a vetted and approved by both Pierre Trudeau and Marc which set out his latest views on the those views Are that Quebec original five principles for constitutional change Are a reasonable basis for discussion that most of the criticisms of the Accord involving the Correct placing of the distinct society the unanimity Rule for Amend the provincial nomination of judges and the right of provinces to opt out of Federal social programs within their jurisdiction Are Correct and that Ottawa and the provinces have All the time in the world to sit Down and negotiate a new agreement that corrects those the problem with All three of those positions is that they look at Meech Lake in the As something that exists outside of Canadas political they regard Meech Lake As a kind of examination the candidate who gets the answer right will be rewarded by being made Liberal Leader and probably prime the reality is quite the Issue today is not Meech Lake in the it is How Canadian politicians Are going to Cope with the reality of a flawed constitutional agreement which will either be adopted More disappear into oblivion in about six months if the agreement is there will be a serious reaction in Quebec How no one at the moment can it is adopted in its present there will be some immediate reaction outside of Quebec and the potential in the longer term of paralysis in some important areas of our National life Senate the evolution of the Northern territories into the recognition of aboriginal rights among the Challenge facing Canadian politicians is to find a Way of avoiding either of those results and to Cope with the problems which will face Canada if either of them comes the question of whether Quebec status As a distinct society is recognized in the preamble to the Constitution or in an interpretive clause is not Worth the attention which is being lavished on neither is most of the language which attempts to define the nature of the country and the role of canadians will define the country in their own Way whatever the politicians put into the what canadians should be looking for now is a Way of preserving the constitutional Reform process and correcting the most serious substantive flaws of Meech Liberal leadership candidates should be Contri buting to that they should also be considering what a Liberal government which took Power two years after Meech Lake was either adopted or would do to hold the country Chretien philosophical musing and Bland indifference to potential dangers will not be by Leonard Shifrin special to the free press Ottawa Perrin Beatty nuclear submarine in his High pro file defence ministry Days has had a much Lowe key first year in the health and welfare tory times Are hard times for health and welfare and beattys chief Triumph has been keeping out of the line of fire Over the Clayback of family allowances and old age looks to future a politician in such a predicament looks for something positive to identify himself and Beatty seems to have found his he has decided to be the minister for the among the departmental Initia Tives he inherited was a three year project called the review of demography and its implications for economic and social having commissioned 167 studies by academics across the review was expected to produce a landmark what it brought Forth last month after Beatty decided the report should adopt the format of a slide presentation was a skimpy collection of multicoloured charts accompanied by a minimum of unveiling it at a special meeting of the commons health and welfare Beatty pronounced that its findings were All highly Canadas population will not de Cline to the Point of he our aging population will not become unsupportable the baby Boomers didst cause the aging and Large scale he change the As for the increasing number of two earner families and single Par ent Beatty told the maps that these Are irreversible developments rooted in changes which started with the Industrial he then announced that the demo graphic review would be publishing a series of followup going into greater detail on these mat an Optimist can Hope the serious examination has simply been de and is now to be published a chapter at a a Pessimist can fear that beattys desire to be the Oracle of a goodnews View of the future will result in a whole series of upbeat and superficial disappointment the Canadian Ethan cultural an umbrella organization encompassing the National organizations of 38 ethnic was Quick to describe the report As a disappointment and a missed opportune lamenting that it glosses Over major in the Council was in Censed at the statement that Large scale immigration significantly affect Canadas inevitable population decline a conclusion at Odds with the reports own num the projections in the based on annual immigration of foresee Canadas population peaking at 31 then declining to 18 million and staying at that but it acknowledges that with annual immigration of the population would Peak at 35 million and decline Only to 33 million before levelling pretty significant the difference Between settling at 18 million or 33 million certainly seems pretty significant to the demographic reviews de tailed immigration info run wont appear until next before there will be reports on family on population and the and on options for dealing with an aging society All of which Are to include examinations of the experience of other coun because the one country that is already coping successfully with the age distribution Canada will have 40 years from now is with its highly developed welfare that experience is Likely to Point in some very unto like Beatty May find that being minister for the future has lots of awkward Large farms with reference to Farmers Ajr for future in the 3 Issue of the free i help but react to Pyziak comments from Fisher Branch Ive got now just consider How Many Guys Ive put he claims 20 families would have resided on a farm that size at one he and other members Are complaining that there is nobody left in the Community to support the Curling or skating i wonder How much Pyziak and other Large Farmers Contri buted to their own demise by buying up All the farms around by outbid Ding sons of Small who afford to match the Large Farmers weve seen the greed of Large Farmers All Over the they drove up the Price of squeezed out Little collected the largest subsidies when they were handed out because the pro Grams were inequitable handled by die government which paid a per acre allowance As opposed to helping the Small machines replace these Farmers have contributed Little to employment As they used Large machines rather than Man Power to do their they Man aged to pay Little income obtained rebates on applied for every subsidy and Bonus no wonder theres nobody left on the farms and Small towns Ralph Parton flin Small business on March 6 the Manitoba court of Appeal will sit for a special ses Sion called to Deal with business registration for nearly two years an Alberta furniture firm has operated in Manitoba in Defiance of provincial throughout this time a 20yearold Manitoba family bricks Fine has been forced to spend a Small Fortune merely to defend the right to continue using its own the Alberta firm by not registering under the business names registration act has put into question other Laws respecting the operation of firms in this despite repeated both at the legislature and from other Busin esses and even the Winnipeg Cham Ber of the attorney Gen eral has refused to uphold the Law and Lay by allowing one firm to break the Law has jeopardized dozens of other Small local firms who can be subject to similar out province competitors coming in and skimming off much of their business by using a similar this important session will not in itself compensate bricks Fine furniture for their costs in protecting their it an Opportunity for All Small businesses and concerned citizens to speak out on the principles it is Clear that the provincial conservative government will not protect Small businesses unless they Are pressured to do to have a differ ent set of rules for firms based on their size is hopeful the Public on March 6 will make that message loud and Jim Maloway la for Elmwood letters the Winnipeg free press welcomes letters from writers must live their name and names will be used and letters Are subject to Rural support the purpose of this letter to draw attention to a serious omission in statements made in a free press article 18 entitled generous Winni Eggers make Christmas Bright for the in this article Byrdye director of the Christmas cheer and major Robert director of Public relations for the salvation army both extremely Loyal and very hard workers for the poor and needy in the City of Winni Peg were full of appreciation for the generosity of Winni Eggers Dur ing the festive we All know that these state ments Are completely True Winni Eggers have Given most generously of both their time and their financial resources and they Are to be com mended to the but what about Rural residents of Manitoba we although most often Are not Able to assist in the packing and distributing of Christmas have also delved deeply into their pockets and provided an appreciable share of financial support there was not one single mention made in the article of contributions from any one other than Winni Eggers the take great exception to this we have faithfully supported both organizations each and every year from our financial resources and we know of countless other Rural residents who have done likewise probably to an even greater extent than each one of us does support local cheer boards because of the size of the City of Winnipeg under has a higher number of we have All Felt the need to make contributions to Winnipeg we do not require special App re but we do feel that the omission of Rural residents from the statements of both these worthy peo ple is unfair and Borders upon a slight be it Ever so unintentional in drawing attention to we feel sure we Are speaking on behalf of Many generous supporters of both the Christmas cheer Board and the salvation army from Rural Manitoba Doris Myrtle Alma Beryl Long the real Glasgow regarding City of culture in the free press travel Section by Doug i wish to put the record on the whole this was a Good but the last sue paragraphs left a lot to be As a glaswegian i take offence to the Points made that most poor people have to Deal with loan Sharks and single mothers have to shoplift in order that their children May i have never heard of the housing projects As the reporter Calls referred to As do your readers think that is where Glasgow District Council put people they wish to for get just like the South african government the real Glasgow is not that like this As i have told Ham if you were to visit Glasgow you would find the people warm and the City is with Many gardens and shopping and entertainment facile the Sun May not always Shine in Glasgow but the City and people make up for the if your readers do not believe me then go for yourselves and May i also say that if someone from another country was to come and criticize would you like six paragraphs on the demerits of main Street Jean Lyon Winnipeg shameful bunk i read Frances russells Decem Ber 23 article powerful corporations calling the tune in Ottawa with a mixture of disbelief with no Small amount of with no apparent concern for accuracy and with objectivity thrown to the she endeavours to convince readers that the Mulroney government is Little More than a proxy for the business Council on National issues what shameful bunk let me Deal with her main d she suggests that since 1984 the Beni and the Mulroney government have never been at Odds with the exception of the Bucnis support for seniors in the pensions de indexing wrong the Beni has parted ways with the progressive conservative government on key elements of fiscal tax social and foreign and defence Russell ignores the Cornerstone of Beni policy strict d Russell suggests that Beni support for a lower improved Access to our most important foreign the replacement of an out dated and a badly flawed National and greater competitiveness is somehow suspect and the Council supports these policies because we believe they will Lead to More lower expanded lower interest and a More equitable tax i shudder to think of what Russell offers As alternative policies o she claims that within a Day of the tories 1988 election the Beni called for big cuts in government spending to fight the suddenly alarming wrong if Russell had taken the time to examine the Public record she would acknowledge that fighting the deficit has been a Beni priority since d Russell suggests that the Canadian Alliance for Trade and Job opportunities which the Beni and Many others supported under the leadership of Donald Macdonald and Peter Lougheed was a proxy organization of the try Selling that idea to Macdonald or Russell and Russell suggests that the Alliance spent far in excess of what it claimed in support of the Canada free Trade wrong the audited financial statements of the Alliance Are part of the Public i urge Russell to read d Russell suggests that business support for the Meech Lake Accord Springs from a desire to see the Powers of the Central government diminished and its pub Lic sector Poppycock first of a majority of constitutional experts do not agree with russells interpretation of the Meech Lake and to impute such motives to business is not Only unjustified but downright the Beni always has supported National leadership in what a pity that in a badly researched and lamentably biased has sought out demons where there Are none that in her quest she has donned a coat of Armor full of and in her attack on the Council has chosen to brandish a Witch Wand rather than a mighty sword Thomas Daquino Ottawa i dont care How you got it through the first Check youre not bringing it through i i ;