Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - December 15, 2000, Winnipeg, Manitoba A14 Winnie pc Iris 2000 editorials Freedom of Trade Liberty of religion Equality of civil rights Putin pays a Call russian president Vladimir Putin is visiting Cuba this week in an apparent attempt to breathe new life into the relationship that once flourished Between Fidel castros communist Caribbean Island and the former soviet on Putin travels from Cuba to Canada for talks with prime minister Jean the relationship Between Canada and Russia is much different from and less controversial than the Bonds that existed Between Moscow and Havana Between 1959 and the collapse of communism everywhere in the soviet Empire except from the time Cas Tro emerged As a communist the soviet Union propped up his supplying As much As 20 per cent of its Revenue in today Russia is no longer communist although Putin is sometimes suspected of feeling a certain nostalgia for the old his close to bankruptcy is no longer in a position to offer much in the Way of Aid to but Circum stances have changed enough that legitimate Trade with castros regime can now be a subject of interest and the visit serves As a reminder to the americans that Russia still plans to play a role As a global different As it May have Canada has had a Long relationship with Russia and its former communist this has largely been based on Trade that is Likely to remain the basis of the association in the future and to be the main subject of Dis Cussion Between Putin and although Putin May also use the occasion to try to lever a Little More assistance out of Canada and Russia share More than just an inter est in both Are Northern their characters shaped at least in part by the harshness of their climates and the circumstances of their they have common common concerns the two for exam control almost All of the worlds Arctic As natural an area for scientific cooperation As space has become for russians and Putin comes to Canada at a time when at least a slight optimism has returned to russian since he was elected president there has been noticeable Progress in economic in the War against corruption and in government if he has shown Confidence in these he remains insecure and doubtful in the realm of Polit ical he has reinvigorated the russian Security services he is a himself a former secret police officer and he has dealt harshly with the in an interview with the Globe and mail he referred to opposition Media As few politicians know better than prime minister Chretien that you can be boiled and broiled in the press and still win he would perform a service if he would impress this truth upon Putin perhaps by showing him his own Russia has no tradition of a free press in the Way that Canada As a it is still struggling to grasp the concept of that fundamental but if it is to make the full transition to democracy it must free the Putin today enjoys wide spread popularity in he is in a position Strong enough that he could face a free Chretien should try to persuade him to do inflation Alert consumer Price inflation has crept Back into the Canadian Economy despite the constant efforts of the Bank of Canada to maintain stable finance minister Paul Martin should reinforce the Banks efforts to keep prices on an even keel and not wait until inflation gets out of consumer prices in november were per cent above the level of a year statistics Canada reported putting the inflation rate above the Banks target Range of one to three per the Bank keeps its Eye on inflation apart from Energy and food whose great volatility can produce false inflation since higher gasoline and natural Gas prices accounted for about half of the 12month increase in the Bank is unlikely to be worried about the latest inflation but it is far from certain that Energy prices will drop Back to their Levels of a year past experience suggests that Energy prices Are subject to ups and like other but the Central Bank and the government should not close their minds to the possibility that Oil and Gas prices will stay High for a Long time Long enough that canadians will have to keep paying these prices and will try to boost their incomes contributing to an inflationary higher mortgage interest costs and increased restaurant food prices and Telephone service costs added to the 12month higher prices for new cars and trucks helped raise prices from octo Ber to these prices Are unlikely to fall in these either a rapid tax Cut or ambitious new spending May put More Money in con Sumers this could ease their resistance to new Price increases and encourage the surest Way for Martin and the government to support the Pursuit of Price stability is to use sur plus government funds to reduce the governments i we internet Manitu it of ethicist on a Short Leash Ottaw when the new parliament the prime minister should lose no time in announcing that he intends to appoint a new ethics commissioner who will report directly to the either that or scrap the Post what we dont need is the existing farce whereby the prime minister draws up his own set of ethical then appoints an ethics coun without any for Mal who reports Back to the person who hired can fire of is the prime it need go no although opposition parties have Long railed against the Absurdity of the it Only flashed into the Public consciousness a few weeks ago when the prime minister announced or bragged that ethics counsellor Howard Wilson had unequivocally cleared him of any conflict or at Issue was the prime ministers action in calling on a Crow owned Bank to reconsider its earlier decision not to provide Chretien constituent and former business a the Bank did what the prime minister suggested and Shawinigan Hotelier Yvon Duhaime got the the prime minister still has an interest in a Golf course next to the and what was so astonishing in this Case was the Speed of the it came Only four Days after the Issue was raised by both Cana Dian Alliance Leader Stockwell Day and tory Leader Joe but it turns out that Wilson didst waste time interviewing anyone in including the beneficiary of the his Only official it was was with his the prime Howard a career Public ser vant with an impressive personal achievement May be performing with the utmost integrity and under the current far Cical who to say so far in his six year Wilson has not made a known decision against a Cabinet Given Wilsons background and its hard to figure Why he would have taken on this with a set of guidelines that seem to offer More elasticity than a balloon and with his decisions going Back to the perhaps never to be revealed outside the its a far cry from being a commissioner such As we have for Access to information or Priva these parliamentary appointees report directly to parliament and can be grilled and nausea by Al party committees in the full Glare of the and anyone who has Fol Lowed these hearings knows How freely these commissioners can Hammer the government for its sins and what adds to the farcical aspect of the coun Sellors role is the Way the prime minister has held it up As one of the promises he kept from his famous red his Promise was to appoint an ethics commissioner who would report to and while his political opponents have never ceased to criticize the prime minister for breaking election such As his fail ure to renegotiate the North american free Trade agreement and abolish the goods and services there has not until now much fur flying Over his so called fulfil ment of the ethics and in Many this is More offensive than a clean break with a when a prime minister simply backs away or a Promise its there for everyone to see and but this which some opposition have described As substituting a Lap dog for a Borders on the if anyone outside our Borders really we would be a laughingstock around the unless the prime minister is prepared to appoint a truly Independent ethics commis it would be far better to let our politicians police themselves and each at least we be laughed tactics Blacken Bush Victory the supreme court gave the presidency to Texas George Bush tuesday evening by ruling the Florida recounts sought by vice president Al Gore violated the constitutions guarantees of due process and equal the split and highly political decision was heavy with unconscious irony because the entire american electoral sys tem is a denial of due process and equal treat nowhere was this More obvious than in the High courts momentous judgment deprived tens of thou Sands of floridians of due process and equal treatment because their votes will now never be counted at the five week stalemate arising from a presidential race where the loser got the most votes nationally and Likely also in highlights an electoral system shamefully outdated and politicized at Best and at still open to flagrant civil rights abuse and racial inti Mida the new York times and the los Angeles times carried extensive reports about election Day irregularities in Florida affecting Black american incensed at Florida Jeb Bush recent one Florida initiative eliminating affirmative action for the National association for the advancement of coloured people a act and Jesse Jack sons Rainbow coalition launched a voter registration drive among Florida who comprise 14 per cent of the states is million it was highly More than Black floridians signed up to vote Between february and swelling the ranks of Black voters by nearly seven per while White registration increased by Only per Black americans Are overwhelmingly Democrat and exit polls in Florida showed that about 90 per cent of those who were Able to vote voted for the vice after the polls closed november the a act and Jacksons coalition said Black americans had been intimidate cd by police sweeps and roadblocks and victimized by wide spread an abundance of old voting machines in Black unhelpful poll confusing ballot sudden precinct changes and flawed registration lists missing Many voters Frederica Wilson of who Heads the Florida conference of Black state told the los Angeles times we believe there Are three sides to this Issue a democratic a Republican Side and a people Colour she called the concentration of decrepit Vot ing machines in Black areas Jim Crow Era advanced equipment such As Laptop computers directly linked to the official registry of voters to enable Quick voter verification went largely to White and hispanic according to an analysis done by the new York miamis population of cuban Ameri cans is overwhelmingly instances of apparent outright intimidation on election As sewer and the dog Pound there was a sudden influx of police into a Black neighbourhood outside police said it was part of a robbery investigation but a local radio station portrayed it As something much More also on election the Florida Highway patrol set up a Roadblock near a predominantly Black precinct just outside Tal the state troopers said it was a ran Dom checkpoint to do routine inspections of but Black americans believed it had a More sinister French speaking Hait Ian voters were denied Black col lege students in Daytona Beach didst get their voter cards until late in the said Jackson what is Clear is that this is a systematic plan to disenfranchise Black african americans were substantially speaking on can tuesday Virginia Republican John Warner acknowledged the practice of concentrating old Vot ing machines in minority neighbourhoods and indicated it int restricted to unlike where elections Are run by an Independent non partisan Federal presidential and congressional elections Are left in partisan hands in All 50 the states generally turn the Job Over to the where election budgets must compete with such necessities and Ever lower Florida 67 counties reflect a Patchwork of ballot systems 41 have optical scan ners 24 employ an assortment of punch card ballots one uses mechanical voting machines and paper due process and equal treatment hard Winnipeg free press Winnipeg free press est 1872 Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 s vol129n013 2000 Winnipeg free a division of newspapers division of Thomson Canada limited published seven Days a week at 1355 Mountain Manitoba r2x pm 6977000 a the Manitoba press Council Rudy email Nicholas Patrick editor ;