Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 10, 1995, Winnipeg, Manitoba As Winnipeg free press october 1995 editorials Brian Cole 6977044 fudging the Issue Jacques Quebec separatist has succeeded in confusing the Issue of the october 30 the confusion is so great that the referendum result will offer no help to Quebec and Canadian political leaders who have to figure out what to do next a situation unlikely to change with the weekend appoint ment of Lucien Bouchard As chief negotiator for a Leger and Leger poll of Quebe cers published last week showed the federalists were slightly ahead of the with per cent of the people in the Sample saying they would vote no to sovereignty and per cent supporting the rest were undecided or refused to further questioning by the interviewers showed that 30 per cent of those who supported Quebec sovereignty believed that a Sovereign Quebec would continue to elect members to the parliament of Cana a further 20 per cent were not sure on that thus about half the yes voters support Quebec sovereignty and also want or might want to continue electing Federal this seems insane on its but it is perfectly consistent with the double track argument Parizeau has been his referendum question says Quebec is to be Sovereign but it does not say Quebec is to Cut itself off from Cana his question says Quebec is to offer Canada a new economic and political individual voters Are free to form their own opinions about what that new partnership might look some of them want it to include a Federal parliament with members from the first result of this confusion is that Parizeau can scoop into the yes net a great Many Quebe cers who dont wish to pull out of which improves his chances of getting a majority for but the second result is that such a majority is no basis for any thing in it is certainly not a basis for taking Quebec out of Canada because the question does not say Quebec will pull out of As the poll result it is widely understood to mean Quebec will still be part of it is not a basis for reforming the Canadian Constitution because it does not propose any such it cannot be a basis for abandoning Quebec traditional ambitions for special status and special Powers within Canada because those traditional ambitions Are not on the the succession of Survey results showing the no Side ahead May help growing numbers of Quebe cers to vote an emotional yes in the belief that the cautious no will if Parizeau finds a Way before october 30 to Tell his supporters that they Are voting on quitting the result might Tell us the result he is inviting now will Tell nothing Worth Agenda for the Core after years of negotiation and the Winnipeg development agreement Ida is starting to breathe some life into the inner the five year agreement is the successor to the Core area initiative that pumped nearly million into downtown Winnipeg in the the was first major project is making a lot of people the aboriginal Centre of Winnipeg is million Rich or because of development funding made available through the that Money Wilt help fund the comple Tion of a major renovation project in the cites Core the rehabilitation of the old up station at the Corner of Hig gins Avenue and main More than buying bricks and the Ida Money will be used to develop pro Grams to encourage native Enterprise and to deliver a variety of social and health services to residents of the inner City native and training and employ ment possibilities will be in this funding will not solve chronic problems on main but it will provide the foundation upon which much can be once the aging Structure Satis fies the building potential tenants can be approached to sign Lon term once the renova tion1 Are services to native people can be consolidated at one once the historic Rotunda is spruced the surrounding for years so run Down and will be less what the aboriginal Centre does not do is provide recreational opportunities for intercity the Ida is an appropriate vehicle politicians should be using to help build or upgrade baseball soccer skating rinks and swimming youth violence is a growing problem in coaches and recreation directors make a Point of telling anyone who will listen that when these kids Are exercising their bodies on the athletic their minds have no time to wander into places that Lead to trouble and then to helping native people establish a Centre for its Community service programs is a Wise it is now up to the aboriginal Centre to make the most of the next project should be an fallout Effort to combat deadly Idle Ness with recreational and athletic Winnipeg free press Winnipeg free press est 1872 Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 Rudy Redekop publisher Duncan Mcmonagle executive editor Brian Cole editorial Page editor directors Calvin James Verne Kalichuk human resources Stephain Majorki operations Perry Nixdorf adv i using Gleixn Williams 1995 Winnipeg free a division of newspapers division of Thomson Canada limited published seven Days a week at 1355 Mountain Manitoba r2x pm 6977000 a member of the Manitoba press Council vol 123 no 306 Canada pus eats agreement no 563395 i Mcberty q Beti Aion Equality of civil rights i need you to show a More look if you want to convince me and the buying Public that those Beans taste really u Bouchard mirrors Quebec a none who needs to be con Vinced that Canada is made up at least two distinct societies need Only compare the Way that Lucien Bouchard is regarded in que Bec with the Way he is viewed in the rest of the difference is dramatic and it does not reflect Only the views of diehards on either Side the devoted Sovereign lists in Quebec or the patriots in the rest of Canada who regard every separatist As a the difference is every bit As dra Matic among those in the Middle of the Road majority who might differ about Quebec future within or out of Canada but who Are prepared to debate the Issue with a degree of Cool within most Sov Erie Antist or appear to regard Bouchard with profound outside of most people regard him with profound most Quebe cers see Bouchard As a Man of deep most peo ple outside of Quebec see him As a most Quebe cers see him As a Man devoted to the inter ests of his most people out John Dafoe Side of Quebec see him As a Man who has spent his career pursuing Pri vate most Quebe cers see him As most people outside of Quebec see him As Devi Ous and most Quebe cers see him As most other canadians see him As dour and Many federalists or clearly see Lucien Bouchard As the epitome of their Best to Many people outside of he represents their worst this is not just because he is Lead ing the separatist other Sovereign list leaders have provoked opposition in the rest of Canada but not the degree of resentment and suspicion that Bouchard Rene Levesque was regarded As a menace to Canada but few could fail to be seduced by his Jacques Parizeau is regarded As slightly comic with his British mannerisms but no one denies that there is a brain and a consistent sense of purpose behind it the thing that provokes suspicion of Bouchard in the rest of Canada is the same thing that inspires respect in Quebec his profound Bouchard political career has spanned four parties the the the parti Quebe Cois and the bloc he has been a a a federalist again and once More a Sepa his spell As a federalist with the Mulroney government brought him great personal and political his response has been to turn on the party and the country that gave him those to Many in that sort of behaviour is to Many in it probably seems Only Given the social and economic pressures that people in the province Bouchard has achieved the Best of both worlds the psycho logical satisfaction of separatism along with the material benefits of a lot of Quebe cers Are looking for pretty much the same As the old joke put it an Independent que Bec within a United a recent Csc poll indicated that 55 per cent of Quebe cers would vote for sovereignty if they were fairly certain that the rest of Canada would maintain an economic association with an Independent Quebec and that residents of an Independent Quebec would retain Canadian citizenship and the federalists forces Are Busy trying to convince Quebe cers that the Best of both worlds is not Avail and canadians outside of que Bec Are lending their voices to that that argument will probably pre Vail on referendum Day but a lot of Quebe cers will be left wishing that the options had not been quite so Many it yearn to be just like Lucien John Dafoe is a former editorial Page editor of the free his column appears let Rich patients pay for care t t thy is the Federal govern ment so determined to pre w vent canadians who want to spend some of their own Money directly to get better or faster health care from doing so Federal health minister Diane Marleau talks about the dangers of a two tier health and the Bla Tant unfairness of she ignores the fact that both already exist and that both ease the pressure on the Public stripped of its the Feder Al policy is based on nothing More than an attempt to make political Hay on the naked envy toward those mostly because of their own Are in a position to get More than the governments own overburdened health care system the irony of what the feds Are doing is that the people making the decisions Are themselves insulated from the shortcomings and Long Waits in the Public health the irony is to be found in Canadas most blatant example of two tier health the armed forces clinic in Ottawa that makes available to politicians and senior bureaucrats instant health care that provides everything from an aspirin for a headache to extensive open heart we All pay for this but it is open to Only a select its Only parallel in recent history can be found in the elite health services which were once available to the politically powerful under communist Rule in the former soviet while special service is readily available to the powerful among Ottawa is determined that no one will get any sort of equivalent special health care just because he happens to have unless Ottawa changes its mind in the next few canadians who have been Able to shoulder some of the costs of prompt treatment for such ailments As Eye cataracts and have been Able to get this treatment faster As a result will no longer be Able to do Ottawa will Cut its assistance to any Manitoba which has allowed private clinics to charge their patients administration fees in addition to the regular fees payable under the Public health in other canadians will be denied the right to spend their own Fred Cleverley Money on extra health care for them selves or their loved if they choose to do they lose the Benefit of All the Money they have paid in taxes toward the Public health care in practical the change will shut Down the existing private Why is the government so deter mined to do this denying those who want to pay for extra service will not help out those who do or cannot it will Only make the position of the latter group More they will still have to stand in line for ser but the line will be a lot longer because the Rich will be in it As Well As everyone there will be exceptions to the while canadians who want to obtain Cataract surgery will find no Way of avoiding the line those seeking abortions will Cataract patients will spend up to a year in darkness because the government will not allow them to spend their own Money on something they May want to spend it canadians who want an abortion will be allowed to pay the hundreds of dollars in service fees imposed by freestanding clinics while All tax payers contribute to the fees charged by the doctors doing the actual for reasons Only under stood in service fees charged by free standing abortion clinics Are somehow some How More acceptable than those charged by free standing Cataract clinics and because of the difference pose no threat of contributing to a two tier health to be our Federal gov made up of born again lib is having a Tough time these Days because there is no Money with which they can pursue their True lib eral ambitions to redistribute they have to take their opportunities to do so where they find in the process they Are painting a really ludicrous prime min ister Jean Chretien talks fondly of getting health costs under control by changing to what he Calls Cata strophic health where people will have to pay More direct costs but where no one will Ever lose his House because of health his minister effectively squashes any attempt to achieve the same goals by prohibiting willing patients who want to pay part of the Cost of their care it is not much wonder that British columbian nip government has already jumped on the Federal band this particular Federal policy will sit Well with the since it is designed to make sure that hav ing Money gives an individual no advantage whatsoever Over not hav ing it As Karen Selick has written in the Magazine Canadian egalitarianism through the Back what makes it really silly is that it cannot be applied to the very Rich Canadian will still get the Best and fastest medical care Avail Able anywhere in the he will get it in the Fred Cleverley is a former free press editorial his column ordinarily appears on Ottawa plans to crack Down on provinces that allow clinics to charge administration ;