Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 18, 2001, Winnipeg, Manitoba As i fru f Jim comment editor Terence Moore 6977044 editorials Freedom of Trade Liberty of religion Equality of civil rights Bush pet project president George Bush softened one obstacle to his National missile defence scheme on saturday when he persuaded russian president Vladimir Putin to discuss the Canada should discuss the because this country is even More directly affected than Russia and the Prospect that the system will be perfected and built just grew a Shade president Bush intends to develop observation machinery and rockets that could detect the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile aimed at the United states and shoot it out of the tests of a prototype last year but Bush intends to keep the and the old soviet Union promised each in the 1972 anti ballistic missile that they would not shield themselves from missile France and Britain believe the 1972 framework has pre served peace among the nuclear Powers and should be Bush proposes a new framework that he has not yet As Junior partner to the in North american air Canada would be directly affected by the adoption of a new system of Continental after meeting Bush on saturday at president Putin restated at a joint press conference with Bush the russian View that the abm treaty should be he Howe that based upon today Ive come to the conclusion and the that we might have a very constructive development Here in this and he continued this is a problem were going to have to really think very hard he said and russian Cabinet officers would meet to discuss very specific questions about missile this was a Long Way Short of agreeing to scrap the anti ballistic missile but the russian presi Dent had not previously said Bush idea might Lead to a very constructive development nor had he agreed to Cabinet level talks to explore if Cabinet secretaries can make As Good a Case in later meetings As Bush apparently did on russian loyalty to the logic of Mutual deterrence through fear of massive retaliation May be eroded and National missile defence May become politically at the same meeting in Bush undertook to encourage investment in Russia and to support russian membership in the world Trade the two presidents seemed to enjoy each others company and exchanged person Al invitations for further at a time when China is suffering from sour political relations with the Bush the Ljubljana meeting allowed Putin to form a close political link with Bush despite a Long list of disagreements Between the two while chinese presi Dent Jiang Zemin rails at the United states from a great Putin Hobnob with Bush and agrees to sit Down with him and discuss his pet those discussions May prove inconclusive but already Putin and Bush have raised russian standing in the Russia is no longer just the hollowed out Shell of a collapsed superpower it is a partner of the United states in planning and regu lating the next generation of superpower Canada should try to win a place in those discus because this country Security depends on the to the barricades swedish police were poorly prepared for the riots that were held in the streets of Goteborg during last weeks meeting of Heads of government of the euro Pean the riots were reasonably foreseeable a riot is a routine feature of International meetings since the november 1999 world Trade organization meeting in at the european Union the rioters smashed shop damaged police vehicles and ripped up the cobblestones from Goteborg ancient streets to hurl them at the outnumbered police fired on protesters to help save an injured wounding two protesters and critically injuring the liver and kidneys of a in addition to the others protesters representing animal rights communists and others marched through the shouting no to the eur and voicing opposition the common the Quebec provincial police had More Success con trolling the Street riots during the Summit of the americas at Quebec City april 20 to they erected a temporary Hainlink Fence around the Confer ence site and kept demonstrators outside the the Fence was a blot on the Urban landscape of a Beautiful City and it prevented peaceful protest in the Public streets adjacent to the Summit it allow the meeting to proceed and it allowed the police to keep order without the use of the Quebec City Fence was not pretty at the but it looks better today in Light of Goteborg exp in an age of highly organized Street barricaded streets May have become a necessary i died smoking Light cigarettes smoking regular can you spot the difference nip finds the Bare minimum these Are just a few words to describe the doer governments Bill to recognize Gay and lesbian common Law cowardly is before the Manitoba legislature is Bill whisked through second Reading last the Bill has been rushed surreptitiously to which begin this and is expected to be quickly passed in the Rushing a Bill is regarded As a Safe bet to avoid from the conservative right or from the progressive attorney Gener Al Gord macintosh had the Choice of including some 60odd Manitoba statutes that refer to rights and obligations of common Law couples in his omnibus Bill to comply with the supreme court m h two years the supreme court of Canada ruled that financial obligations outlined under Ontario family Law must include same sex All provinces were strongly encouraged to follow macintosh believes that 10 is the Bare mini mum of statutes Manitoba needs to Amend to comply with the the nip caucus members who stood on the Steps of the legislature at the Gay Pride March to say that Gay and lesbian couples deserve More than Bill 41 should take their message to macintosh and Premier Gary they should Tell them that Bill 41 puts political expediency ahead of the party principles of fair Ness and they should Tell them that even conserva Tive Leader Joe Clark is looking More Gay Friendly than the new dems on and that the conservative government of Mike Harris in Ontario is ahead of Manitoba on Gay Ontario went 500 per cent further than Bill 41 and amended 60 so did que Bec and they should shame doer and macintosh by reminding them that the vast majority of Canadian same sex couples have More common Law rights and obligations than Bill 41 they should stand up and say that Bill 41 is a cop Bill 41 is an omnibus Bill that would permit financially dependent Gay or lesbian spouses to qualify for support under the family maintenance it also amends the definition of com Mon Law partner in nine other including the civil service superannuation the fatal accidents the pension benefits act and the workers compensation under the proposed common Law spouse is defined As a person not being married to another cohabited with him or her in a conjugal it Means that Manitoban who Are killed on the Job or who Are deceased civil servants or teachers can rest assured that their loved ones will qualify for survivor pension How because of the limited scope of Bill most Gay or lesbian Manitoban would have to die or be dumped in order to have their common Law relationship acknowledged human decency demands so much More the recognition that you Are a couple while you Are a Bill 41 does not include the right to adopt the child you might be paying child support for later under Bill Gay and Les Bian couples will not automatically have the authority to make emergency medical Deci Sions if their spouse is or have the Auto Matic right to inherit As common Law Gay Las will not be subject to the same con Alicto interest guidelines As heterosexual and Gay spouses will not be protected from having to testify in court against a Gay or lesbian couples who adopt in Quebec or May run the risk of not having their family status recognized in because the income tax act is not included in Bill Many Gay and lesbian common Law Cou Ples will continue to pay less tax than their heterosexual other omitted statutes include the Powers of attorney the department of health the health services insurance the child and family services the tortfeasor and contributory negligence the corporation capital tax the elderly and infirm per sons housing the mental health the human tissue the intestate succession the farm lands ownership the Law of property the Public schools the legislative Assembly and executive Council conflict of interest the medical the securities the cooperatives the retail sales the consumer Protection the builders Lien to name but a although time constraints appear to make extensive amendments it is not too late to Amend Bill 41 to include the adoption a symbolic gesture that would add a Mea sure of decency to the 3 Joe Clark still As dumb As Ever for the Benefit of those who find homophobes whatever that word Means lurking this column is not about Gay Gay Pride or anything else connected with what is charitably called today alternate it is about Polit ical and Joe Clarks lamentable Lack of Conrad with considerable insight concerning the current Leader of the progressive conservative party of has said that Joe Clark has never made an important decision in his political life that was Correct that he goes beyond a Politi Cal death wish and keeps inflicting mortal wounds on himself without Ever coming Back to life it is feline to have More than one Black but unique to Clark to have Only recurrent some of his bad Calls Are Only Joe would have pressed ahead with plans for an unpopular 18cent increase in the Price of Gaso something he firmly believed was in the Best interest of the without first count ing the visible votes that were about to throw him out of his successor immediately increased Gaso line prices by 26 cents without asking Parlia proving that he agreed with Joes assessment of the country he also proved that once had made a dumb political one of his More significant goofs took place right Here in Winnipeg when he asked his party for a vote of and got the support of two thirds of the it want enough for who didst seem to realize that he had he called for an official leadership review and lost his Job As a conservatives wanted someone with better political there have been indications that at Long might have acquired some of those smarts that eluded him most of his Polit ical at even though he is the Leader of the smallest party in he has appeared almost he has certainly been statesmanlike enough to be the main beneficiary of Stockwell Days for we appear to have a conservative Leader in Day who has fewer political smarts than who looks Good by compari then Joe Clark did something that put the spotlight on the inevitability Given a he will make the wrong political Deci Sion every he agreed to become the mar Shal of Calgary Gay Pride that decision May have been based on Clarks own careful analysis of his election Vic tory in he won his Calgary seat not because the majority of conservatives there voted for but because a coalition of non conservatives ganged up on his Canadian Alliance Clark was elected by the votes of new democrats most Calgary Gay perhaps his decision to Lead the Gay Pride Parade reflected his gratitude for their Clark will probably argue that it was the right thing to to show tolerance and acceptance for a group of canadians with some consider themselves to be Clark remembered to be tolerant and what he apparently forgot is that he at the Leader of Canadas oldest Politi Cally conservative it is no secret that some May say Core conservative voters cannot be counted As among support ers of the Gay canadians Are some who do not embrace the Gay lifestyle choose to show their tolerance and concern by marching in Gay the will differentiate Between tolerance for such a Parade and leadership of not his participation in the Parade followed hard on the heels of his Call for the decriminalization of this is a move it should be is opposed by prime minister Jean someone whose Polit ical smarts have never been in Liberal philosophy May lean toward the decriminalization of but practical politics dictate that this is not the except in the mind of Joe not too Long ago Clark fantasized about again becoming prime this from someone whose party has Only 12 seats and is nearly Mil lion in placed beside Stockwell Joe Clarks pub Lic polish and style had begun to look attract but when he climbed into that convertible to Lead that Calgary Parade he might As Well have shouted from the rooftops in Joe in a Good in caring and and in just As dumb about politics As i Ever 0 Winnipeg free press Winnipeg free press esl 1872 Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 vol 129 now 2001 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 Rudy email Nicholas Patrick Flynn Deputy editor t ;