Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 21, 1997, Winnipeg, Manitoba A14 Winnipeg free May 1997 Brian Cole 6977044 editorials Freedom of Trade Liberty of religion Equality of civil rights nato expansion a Small gathering in Winnipeg last weekend helped to underline the significance of a major International the gathering of polish veterans of the second world who fought with the allies through the conflict offered a useful reminder that Poland has been an integral part of Europe for the last it has that except for the almost 50 years it spent under the Shadow of the soviet the recent agreement reached Between the North Atlantic treaty organization and Russia goes a Long Way to restoring the natural order of it offers As Well some Hope that always torn Between its european and asian might come finally to accept that natural order and become part of there can be Little doubt now that in july nato will invite Hungary and the czech Republic to join the Western defence critics argue that this unnecessarily antagonizes that it will be hugely expensive and that nato is in any Case obsolete with the end of the cold but the reintegration of the nations of the former soviet bloc into Europe is hugely expensive any Way and the Balkan wars proved that nato has a new and valuable function to perform in Moscow does oppose the expansion and some rus sians View it As a hostile but russian president Boris Yeltsin signature on the agreement shows How far Russia has moved from aggressive opposition to reluctant acceptance in confronting the new and inescapable reality of Central and Eastern Europe cannot in any Case be left slave to Moscow interests and an arrangement that left it so would be far More there Are benefits to too the rights to consultation with nato and a stronger voice in Western and Alliance continued assurances and efforts to bring Russia closer to Europe Are the Best Hope of eventually calming its Europe was a continent unnaturally divided by the cold it May draw Russia the Best Hope for Lon term the question of whether Russia wants to be closer to there can be no such doubt about Poland or the other Central and Eastern european nations artificially lived off the continent by the Yalta agree ment at the end of the second world they View membership in nato As ref urging the link that was broken it will be not Only insurance against any future russian but a particularly in of their by expanding East nato does not threaten it restores a goal that is not Only Worth pursuing but which is now As inevitable As the in exile or under the soviet always believed it to democratic Congo there is no exact Way of determining How Long is too Long for free elections to be delayed after a revolution a spokesman for Laurent whose rebel army finally this week overthrew zairian dictator Mobutu sese has suggested that four years might be a reasonable lapse of time Between Victory and certainly conditions Are chaotic in the democratic Republic of As Kabilka has renamed and certainly the new government needs time to establish itself and restore order to the Mobutu left behind a country in which government had been almost completely usurped by corruption and in which democracy had never been allowed to take the violent Transfer of Power creates com plications of its own that must be worked out before the country can be prepared for an there is no Good that an election could not be held fairly there is no Short age of International Goodwill for Kabilka to draw on in organizing a timely his failure to do so can Only reinforce the fears that were frequently expressed As his army moved towards Kinshasa that the Congo might be no better off under Tabilas Rule than it was under if the new Leader has credentials As a no one is aware of he has been for More than 30 years unbending in his opposition to the Mobutu but Little More than that is known about him except that his army and his support came originally from the congos Kabilka can dispel these fears within the Congo and beyond its Borders by moving quickly to establish order in the by ensuring that a relatively bloodless War does not turn into a Slaughter in and by scheduling an Early four years in the Congo is too Long by any Standard that has a democracy As its final Winnipeg free press Winnipeg free press esl 1871 Winnipeg Tribune eat 1890 Rudy publisher email Nicholas Hirst editor Brian Cole editorial Page editor directors Harry Brown circulation sales and marketing Ian Cummins technology Laurie Verne Kalichuk human resources Glenn Williams finance and administration 1997 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 125 he w 1 i Felt it it ism Sims ut0iinc the end of sovereignty t t Thile canadians Are being lured into casting their ballots on the basis of the Best 30second clip from the televised leaders the proposed multilateral agree ment on investment Mai is poised to turn democratic elections into even More of a Cha under the All real Politi Cal Power will be exercised by transnational unleashed by the total Freedom to they will impose limits on the ability of governments to decide environmental and human rights pol an analysis of the Mai by Bhagirath Lai the former director of the United nations committee on Trade and developments Trade says it Aims at eliminating All flexibility which a country May have to control foreign investment to Benefit its investors will thus have Freedom without any except in respect of their own the Mai was the brainchild of european and american Busi Ness executives at the transatlantic business dialogue conference in in convened by former Secretary of Commerce Ronald european commission vice president sir Leon Brittan Frances Russell and european commissioner Martin the Confer ence featured a who who of the transnational corporate the conference co chairs were Paul chairman and ceo of the Xerox corporation Alex chairman and ceo of the Ford motor company Juergen ceo of base and Peter chairman of Goldman inter nation action is needed to liberalize Trade and to remove Public policy impediments to the operation of the Market and to encourage cooperation on wider International the Seville report the and the eur should agree to make worldwide mar Ket Access for All for eign and a priority it it warns governments that their discussions must proceed Only in Consulta Tion with the and the eur should promote the effective Protection worldwide of intellectual prop erty should reject pres sure from National Legislatures to pursue discriminatory tax legislation policies and practices which discriminate against for eign companies and should Pur sue a rigorous policy of monetary monetary Best exemplified by former Bank of Canada governor John crows relentless fight for Zero has crippled Canadas ability to create and sustain particularly for Young the Mai was supposed to become part of the world Trade organization but the developing countries it is now before the organization for economic cooperation and development representing the industrialized the Mai is the most extreme global corporate governance charter proposed to but who can Trace endemic High unemployment Back to the recession following the mul Roney governments 1989 free Trade pact with the have reason also to fear the proposed new free Trade agreement of the last Canadian labour Congress Secretary treasurer Dick Martin led a delegation of Canadian humanitarian and environmental groups to a hemispheric conference on human the newly elected president of the 42millionmem Ber inter american regional organization of called on Taa negotiators to listen to not just to the declaration of the work ers of the americas issued by the conference said economic Inte Gration must take into account social imbalances Between and within countries and respect Basic human free Market forces Are under not economic employment and human it United nations data show that in 1960 the wealthiest 20 per cent of countries owned the equivalent of 30 times what the poorest 20 per cent of countries the difference has today it is 61 we live in a world in which 15 per cent of the worlds population owns 80 per cent of the worlds Gross domes tic globalization is causing the loss of reduction of wages and social services and the Ero Sion of the fundamental Princi Ples of Canadas Federal election is being dominated by image Over Reali by impression Over Frances Russell comments on politics for the free her column appears wednesdays and splits cripple Canadas right the Canadian political already Rife with seems to be manufacturing new ones by the this is the main reason Why conservative government in this country remains Light years take the latest division opened up in Reform party Leader Preston Manning was in Toronto last week musing about his party proposal to Reform Federal equalization payments to the As any provincial politician this kind of talk tends to get recipients if Reform is prepared to look at weaning have not provinces from Federal they would Start with the three most prosperous Middle provinces of Saskatchewan and the maritime would be allowed to remain on the at least for the time this didst go Over Well in Manitoba where tories Rule and Are already ticked at Reform for recently renewing its threat to enter provincial Dauphin mayor inky who is also the Reform candidate in Dauphin Swan warned local tories to stay out of the fed eral contest Between Reform and the Federal if they Mark wrote the Reform would at next years convention reconsider provincial opportunities in Marks reminder Only made it easier for Deputy pre Mier Jim Downey to whip up fears that Reform would Cost this province the billion it gets in equalization assistance from Downey became quite upset and claimed the equal to 15 per cent of the Fajmon governments would kill 25 provincial departments or the education budget John Collison the Deputy premiers pronouncements make provincial tory support for conservative Leader Jean Charest Down the stretch a if if Reform experiences a setback in Manitoba attributable to and any degree of slippage across the National its provincial participation will become As much a matter of vengeance As survival Between Federal but what has been lost in the confusion Are key principles All conservative minded people ought pretty much to agree the first is that death spirals of the sort Reform and the pcs Are engaged particularly in West Ern Are a disservice to conservative the second is that ideological if not of the Type expressed by both parties Over equalization is embarrassingly leaving partisan politics Downey might have objected to the Reform proposal by say ing it is a departure from that party policy pillar to treat All provinces but he knows too Well that taxes collected by Ottawa in the have provinces of British Alberta and Ontario prop up inefficient spending monoliths in equalization payment Reform would mean uncomfortable restructuring of costly Preston mannings equalization policy is a education and welfare better to Burn Down Reform for dangerous ideas than to get a grip on ones own Public service delivery and reforms idea would be dangerous if it want it is known that Federal Dole to the provinces is As destructive As Lon term state assistance is for families and research by the Atlantic Institute for Market studies last year found Federal transfers to the provinces Are inflationary and that every Dollar so derived Dis places a Dollar in indigenous wealth creation and Aims report concluded that equalization payments Are largely responsible for Atlantic Cana Das and urged that the Region wean itself from it is not to expect that a province mildly dependent on Federal such As would make mod est economic gains by quitting no no but reforms suggestion to leave maritime payments unscathed while Tam Pering with Manitoba smacks of its like cutting one addicts cocaine consumption to better afford another in an Effort to make National electoral Reform is failing the West and conservative eco if equalization payments need to be razed to Reform con federation and they it will not be done by kid Loving it in Atlantic just As there really is Only one there is Only one conservative idiotic Squab bling and ideological inconsistency among conserva Tive parties is mindless and proof that an unthinking right is an unelected John Collison is a correspondent for Western report Maga ;