Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 3, 1997, Winnipeg, Manitoba Brian Cole 6977044 focus Winnipeg free press october Bouchard should have ascertained response first French answers Muddy Waters in Johst Diefenbaker used to it is advisable hot to ask a question unless you already know the that bit of Wisdom might have stood Lucien Bouchard in Good Stead this week in questions were put to the French government As to their willingness to Lead the charge in recognizing a Sovereign Quebec should the separatists win the next the French Jacques Chirac gave the answer Bouchard would have wanted France would accompany Quebec wherever it wished to so willing to say Aye ready was Chirac that one could momentarily wonder which was the Colony and which the Colo Chirac views in any predictable not Only does he Bear the Mantle of president Charles de whose meddling in Canadian affairs achieved a kind of grandiosity 30 years but Chirac had already aligned himself with the quebecois separatists several years ago while he was mayor of what Bouchard could not have was that the French prime Lionel would take a subtler and less helpful while making the obligatory Decla rations of affectionate kinship and lauding the quebecois As a William Neville Jospin displayed a salutary reluctance to be drawn into a Canadian Domestic a French prime quoth has enough problems in France with today ques he Doest have to pose Tomor rows questions he added that to accompany que Bec on the path it will choose does not mean to precede suggesting he does not see France As having some obligation or role to Clear a path for Quebec to All of this he added that any French decision to recognize an Independent Quebec would be affected by whether the democratic process had been respected and by Canadas assessment of the situation at the at the risk of trying to read Tea one could speculate that the first comment might speak to such issues As the clarity of the question posed in a and the size of a majority required to affect fundamental and irreversible constitutional Jos pins last is quite tie acknowledges that Canada has a legitimate role in determining whether any assertion of Quebec sovereignty meets the Nec Essary tests of is an answer that Bouchard absolutely did not wish to and would certainly not wish to see widely disseminated within this answer Speaks directly and centrally to the question the Federal government has referred to the supreme court that whether the letter or conventions of Canadian constitutional Law any automatic or unilateral right of secession on the Quebec of has refused to be a party to the refer its argument has been that the Constitution of Canada does not apply and that an automatic right to Sion is recognized in International for expressing doubts about this is rather like the Pope expressing doubts about the Bead for the prime minister of Quebec would be to acknowledge Canadas rights and interests in the question of recognition is a very serious one can imagine Jospin being quoted in the supreme it has been interest ing to observe the political reaction to these events closer to there was a it will be re Mem when the Reform party decried the pointless Sham Battles and political posturing of the old line parties in Reform committed Kim Campbells immortal words to doing politics like any opposition party at pretty Well any time in our Reform has concluded that the function of an opposition is to it accuses the govern ment of dropping the Ball and urges the government to threaten France with reprisals if it seems to give Aid and Comfort to those who would break up such if they Are Ever to be would probably be Best offered in gunboats Are in Short Supply and Public Sabre at after is just As Likely to strengthen the resolve of those at whom it is in any at the moment Ottawa May not need under the Constitution of the fifth Charles de Gaul Les the presidency is a More potent political office than is the but personal and political circumstances alter constitutional cases the presi Dent is most powerful when he is shrewd and personally and when he has a sympathetic majority and prime minister in the this is not Chirac earlier this year he dissolved the Assembly unnecessarily and prematurely and his Large conservative majority was swept aside by a revived socialist Chirac Gam ble produced an Assembly and prime minister who share neither his views nor his his Power is now tempered and his judgment seriously in it would be charming if Quebec sovereignty was added to the list of things about which Chirac and Jospin can the personal and political divisions in French to say nothing of other cleavages that exist in French Are quite compliments of Jeanmarie be pen and the National France is hav ing its own experience with a viru Lent ethnic nationalism on the such circumstances could provide ample opportunities for mischief making by foreigners had they any reason to meddle in internal French that is not in the Canadian but perhaps Canadian politicians should be taking As much inter est in their affairs As their politicians Are in the French ambassador to Canada might take William Neville is a Winnipeg his column appears every other letters to the editor playing with lives for Price of pop i just wanted to ask is one life Worth less than four i was recently in the bar with two we had decided that i would be the designated Driver so i went to the bar and asked for the stickers and pop the bartender asked me How Many people were in my i told him three and he told me we had have to have a group of four or i argued with but he keep telling me that How the program works and he cannot change i was forced to by soda at the bars inflated i discussed this with friends of mine and Learned that this is the same All Over i thought that we wanted to Stop drunk period i did not realize that the province and the bars have decided that a group of less than four can be or drive drunk and kill whats wrong with this picture Doug Johnson Winnipeg keep House cats in the House i would like to respond to careless owners 1 by Brigitte you claim that you need someone to understand your i am hav ing a Little bit of while the cat bylaw May be a Good idea if its my problem lies you say that due to other Peoples carelessness and irresponsibility you have had to pay various vet Bills for wounds inflicted on your i have three cats of my own and they Are All makes them House you Are placing these defenceless cats on a with no you also went on to say that they Are always within hearing i ask is this so that you can hear the exact moment when they get attacked keep the poor cats inside that is the responsible answer to your Keith Repetty Winnipeg review Conaw Apa plans now this is in response to Donald Camp Bells 24 Hydro Hopes washing the series of news reports on the revival of Conaw Apa stirs up my own thinking of the Churchil Lnelson diversion As a participating member in a Small group known As the inter Church task Force on Northern i need to indicate that this was the Only Public inquiry conducted around plus Mega what the inquiry of 1975 brought to Light was the virtual eclipsing of the five Cree communities whose Liveli Hood and environment were severely affected by the diversion the concluding report of the inquiry Drew attention to the exclusion of the native people from the decision making process even though their communities and their econ fling environments were the most severely meat has res pads Only to part to the decimation of an earlier the report furthermore called for How to reach us the free press welcomes letters from letters must be signed and should include a clearly printed address and Telephone names will be published but not All letters May be edited for style and Short letters Are less Likely to be please address letters to letters to the Winnipeg free 1355 Mountain Winnipeg r2x letters can be sent to our fax number letters maybe submitted through the internet at letters sent via the internet obviously cannot be but must include Home address and Telephone serious engagement of relevant native communities should any Extension of the diversion project be Conaw Apa is such a since the diversion project precipitated the earlier flood of the cent and since extensive environmental and social damages have been the con it seems Only right to draw to the attention of Manitoban that their Manitoba should regard the affected Cree communities As the starting Point for any consideration of further Hydro development and not leave that matter to the end when engineering and eco nomic considerations have proceeded to the Point of no although Campbell predicts that Ontario demands for electricity will regard natural Gas As the Energy thus building in a bit of an Alberta it is at these Early stages of decision making that owners of Manitoba need maximum information about the manner in which Conaw Apa will be if it Winnipeg French policy hypocritical your editorial of 1 seems to hit the Nail on the head when you men French policy is machiavellian in its methods and byzantine in its complexities and is designed to serve the French As a burmese who cherishes democracy and human i fully endorse this everybody knows that the French Oil company total is partly owned by the French government and yet is embarking on a business with the burmese military Junta known As so arc and giving Mil lion knowing full Well that this Money is used to buy arms for the burmese army to crush the pro democracy movement and continue its Gross human rights violations1 think it is High time to teach French politicians the value of a Liberty equal Ity and fraternity and that m world in the Canada Sitf the world Section of your newspaper a Story teus of the French Catholic Church apologizing for its silence during the systematic persecuticoeft1 a1989 photo shows the site of the proposed Conaw Apa hydroelectric Vichy what Why didst the French Church take a stand in the French governments indirect participation in the extermination of the pro democracy movement Kanba Zawin Winnipeg substances banned for safety Penni Mitchell begins her article in the 16 fre Pressby stating its harder and harder to Tell the Good Guys from the bad it is not becoming harder to Tell the uneducated and naive from the knowledgeable and is Mitchell expands in her article upon the wondrous benefits of deny drop Androsterone Why does she think that the people in the Federal health Protection Branch Hub want to restrict the use of such wonderful products Are they just cussed Killjoy have nothing else to do the things that set aside the people at Hub and their medical consultants is knowledge carefully evaluated a prudent person con fronted with these marvellous claims would surely what the Evi Dence for these claims it is on this question that the ban while dhea May have no acute what is known about the Long term effects of taking dhea while the body closely monitors the amount of chemicals it produces ingesting quantities not naturally deed does not necessarily act in the same for cholesterol in fact dhea is formed from cholesterol is produced naturally like is essential for Normal extra amounts of cholesterol Are dhea is a naturally occurring substance but in is not Evi Dence of there is a naive Assumption circulating that if a substance is it is is cholesterol harmless Many natural substances Are acutely Plant products like Strych or addictive substances like mor people seem prepared to put into their bodies substances that Are recommended by unqualified people oddly stand to gain financially against the advice of More cautious knowledgeable the Hub is merely trying to protect people from unjustifiable claims made on hearsay would a prudent person not want to know what the basis of these claims Are would they not wish to know if the safety of these sub stances has been established is there a hint at the end of the article that herbal products Are not chemicals Many drugs Are purified chemicals substance by the i would suggest that is Mitchell either study this subject More thoroughly or desist from propagating in digested information which May prove harmful to Peoples health As Well As their pocket talk to some University scientists there is sufficient expertise available in dont limit your information to that of people uneducated in the area and who have a vested interest in the Sale of these Winnipeg downtown unsafe night and Day the recent article in the free muggings disturb is Carl Shier feels that its very unusual to see the recent explosion of muggings perhaps Shier has stumbled upon one of the main reasons As to Why our downtown business Region is with no Laws Banning loitering or panhandling in Public the proliferation of muggings and crimes against property has grown Exten it used to be that such crimes would Only occur but today those working or shopping in the Down town business area can expect to be beaten or robbed anywhere or any time of the chances of apprehending such felons Are the individual that savagely attacked a number of seniors last year in their own apartment blocks has never been when i am forced to go downtown for business it is without exception that i observe people being harassed or intimidated and some times if the perception is that Winnipeg downtown area is it is certainly a Yakimchuk Winnipeg doonesbury by Garry Trudeau ;