Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 1, 1997, Winnipeg, Manitoba A 1 Winnipeg free october 1997 Brian Cole 6977044 editorials Freedom of Trade Liberty Ore Lugton of civil ref fits Hilmons Hook t t when the Canadian minus Quebec Lucien Friet in Calgary last month v to consider the question of National they emerged from the meeting with a proposal that they hoped might go some Way to satisfying to satisfied the nine Well enough that they All claimed to agree with Why one do so Many of them particularly the four Western premiers seem so reluctant to stand behind it before any government West of the Ontario Bor Der will act on the Calgary it insists on a huge process of consultation with the people who elected it and finally on a in Alberta and British a referendum is required by Saskatchewan has indicated it will hold one As in Premier Gary Filmon says that his government will also poll the people on Unity before approving any amendment to the consultation Between a government and the peo ple can be a useful referendums Are not always so obviously help if they we would have Many More of them to direct governments on All sorts of Legisla the fact that we do not tells us something about the process that is taking place when we in the Canadian governments generally resist any requirement to hold referendums for the principled and practical reason that they Are elected to legislate according to what principle and practicality As each government sees them they Are generally most useful to governments seeking to avoid that on constitutional on questions of National two Western provinces have bound themselves by Law to referendums and two Are com mitting themselves to if everybody is going to be holding referendums Hilmons suggestion that All four Western provinces put the same question to their voters is a useful it May Only be fair that since Quebe cers have been promised another referendum on National Unity by their gov Western canadians should have but if the nine premiers were As they seemed to that what they accomplished in Cal Gary was that it was something Good for the they should have taken it Home and sold it As hard they in there has been no sales Effort at just an awkward when Quebec question on National Unity is put to the Vot ers in that there will be no doubt where Bouchard he and his government will do everything they can to sell the Filmon should be equally committed to the question he puts to a referendum should not be a tool that lets a government off the Hook it should be the Hook on which the government French connection French foreign policy is famously machiavellian i its methods and byzantine in its complexities but there is usually one thing about it that is Crystal Clear in All its detail it is designed to serve very specific French it is not Clear at exactly what Pur pose is served by Frances frequent flirting with Quebec no one doubts that France would be one of the first to recognize a legally inde pendent but to Succour the Hopes of extremists that Independence can be achieved by any Means does not profit France and hurts even if it is inspired Only by a desire to tweak the nose of what is perceived As an Anglo this week the government of France announced it would not Issue a stamp commemorating the visit to Canada in 1967 of Charles de during which the aging anglophone issued his famous cry of Vive be Quebec and caused a Strain in relations Between the two countries that still has not reports that such a stamp was planned had brought expressions of concern from so the final decision might be regarded As a gesture of Goodwill toward at the same Quebec Premier Lucien Bouchard was being accorded a head of states Welcome when he arrived in France seeking support for Quebec ind Epen he claims to Nave received that support from president Jacques the French presi Dent was not As openly supportive of Quebec separatism this time As he was in 1995 As mayor of he gave heart to Jacques or As Mer prime minister Alain Juppe was on a visit to Quebec in but separatists will still be prime minister Lionel Jospin took care to Tance himself even from Chirac ambiguity hopeful sign the French government is not of one mind in this mischief making but again damage has been done for no apparent Winnipeg free press Winnipeg free est i Winnipeg Tribune 1990 Rudy publisher email rudyr$dekop@fr9epressmb.ca Nicholas editor Brian Cole editorial Page editor directors Harry Brown circulation sales and marketing Laurie advertising Verne human resources Perry Nixdorf technology Glenn Williams finance and administration i Winnipeg free Pirn a Dvis Jen go Jyl saw enter Assn Canada Trousd if not try exotic Ottawa lets face Canada does not have a constitutional its a language and its not the old English French such As English in control towers and French on Cereal weve become so ensured to the term constitutional talks that we cant comprehend of these endless gab fests being any thing in they Are nothing More lofty than language great National Effort to discover the elusive word to bring Comfort to Quebe cers and no discomfort to non think about just a few weeks the political leaders of nine provinces and two Terri after 11 hours with sweaty decided that Quebec had a unique just a year or so after our House of commons passed a Resolution declaring Quebec to be if unique flies that if it appears to Fly in que Bec the commons will be faced with its own or Dis just How does parliament reword a passed Resolution to conform with accepted theres just no Way Stewart Macleod we can have official recognition of both a distinct and unique weve devoted 50 years and Zil Lions of dollars in failed attempts to get just distinct accepted in parts of the we would have even less Success with a double barrelled look at the Quick suicidal run of special what makes this whole process difficult is the Chal Lenge of apportioning acceptable status on Quebec without reducing the status of any other you the Provin Cial and territorial while deciding Quebec should be unique also swore allegiance to the Equality of All to the Surprise of no que Bec Premier Lucien Bouchard lost no time in rejecting unique As an he Are a this people expression would obviously Cre ate enormous difficulties for our political since there Are other people in Canada who have no hankering to be Dise fran in the the provincial and territorial leaders Are going to let unique perk from the grassroots As opposed to the Meech Lake and Charlottetown accords which drained Down from the politicians to the just we can have Csc Tele vision bring us All those Peppy town Hall meetings on the accept ability of wonder what the peo ple of Burma think of our Canadian on matters of this All right thinking canadians will want to make their contribution up with the one elusive word that will unify the instead of watching night in we might wit Ness the historic moment when someone suggests that since distinct is discredited and unique Hast brought on Street parades in Why not declare Quebec to be novel trouble at the same a thinker in Lethbridge might be telling us that the Constitution should declare Quebec to be or How about dissimilar someone might that wont Fly in might be the i think we should try the chair person would Likely be Quick to Point out that this would make nine other provinces its not easy coming up with something that establishes differences among Peculiar is a so is for a variety of we can forget Irreg we must honour without even Dif Ferent presents for dont want to be declared in the spirit of facing might it not be time for Ottawa to establish a task or Royal commission on marketable definitions of identifiable segments within a democratic and equal society that we can get Back to constitutional they should be a Stewart Macleod is an editor with the issues tories to blame for fish woes 4 number Ai tin us Leto 9nu Council vojh25m0263 senator Pat Carney should be As angry at her self As she is at the Federal last the who held the International Trade port Folio at the time the former Brian Mulroney government negotiated free Trade with the suggested separation might be an option for because of its ill treatment at the hands of senator Carney is incensed at Ottawa failure to stand up for interests in the Salmon Dis Pute with the the liberals Are going the quiet diplomacy they have publicly chastised pre Mier Glen Clark for irritating the with his lawsuit and plans to close a torpedo test Range at Tanoose the Pacific Salmon treaty was negotiated during senator carneys watch in the opinion of Many in the Indus sacrificed Canadas interests to sweeten the pot for the icons in the Lead up to the free Trade the treaty was signed in 1985 at the Shamrock Summit in Quebec City Between prime Mill ister Mulroney and Dent Ronald depending on ones the Summit achieved a new High or Low in relations when the prime minister and the president and their wives took to the stage to sing when Irish eyes Are at the the United Fisher men and Allied workers Union accused Canada of not being nearly Tough Ufa Secretary treasurer Bill Proco pation said the treaty was a serious erosion of Canadas sovereignty because ceded the americans an effective veto on Canadian fisheries the treaty is a grave betrayal of Canadas National interest for three Proe option said in a letter to the Globe my Matt Mareb in to gives the a seat at the Tawe when we make Owr Frances Russell it sacrifices three million to five million Salmon Worth up to million a year to the and it forces destructive and drastic changes in Canadas commercial and sport fishing industries with no compensating Benefit to economics and nature do not dictate the the treaty is a result of the economic and political policy of the gov a policy we believe is contrary to the National proc options assessment was backhand edly confirmed by the Alaska governor Bill this is a far better treaty than those negotiations two years ago that Alaska declined to Sheffield Early last Robert the treaty Veteran Canadian resigned abruptly with harsh words for All the players and the treaty he called it deeply its a terrible Deal for Wright i dont think Well Ever get an agreement on fish quotas the Way its written the treaty effectively gives the americans four seats at the table while Canada Only has although it was supposed to be a treaty Between two Canada is in fact forced to satisfy the demands of four different Wright the government lates its fishery policy in Consul tation with Oregon and aboriginal groups and any one party can exercise a in an Ufa president John Radosevic con firmed that proc options worst fears have come True and then the principle of the treaty was that both countries would reduce their interceptions of the others it bumped along for a while with the slightly increasing their take of our fish and Canada slightly decreasing its take of their he Contin but four years the americans became the american take has increased he estimates that american interceptions of Canadian Salmon Are costing fishermen Mil lion a his harshest words Are reserved for the Federal Liber no did nothing when a gunboat came into Canadian Waters at a Speed of 40 made doughnuts around Canadian fishing boats they Are afraid of washing they Are All their attacks for their own its just Radosevic As senator carneys treaty Canada has a habit of humiliating itself in its Deal Ings with the Loose talk of separation will Only enfeebled it offs Bess Kussku go subsets or potties of the fees press Fop ;