Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 12, 2004, Winnipeg, Manitoba A11 Winnipeg free press focus monday july 12, 2004 British names fill Ontario Stop Post by Eric Dowd t Oronto ? is Ontario ready for a Premier of italian origin ? or for that matter any Premier who does not have Britain somewhere in his background Liberal finance minister Greg Sor Bara has revealed he thought of run Ning for party Leader when Dalton Mcguinty now Premier won in 1996, but friends and advisers warned him the province was not ready to accept an italian Canadian Premier. Sorbara is Mcguinty a undisputed no. 2, so influential opposition parties constantly Call him the real Premier hoping to make other top liberals Jeal Ous but still not Premier. Sorbara had run for Leader in 1992 and finished third to Lyn Mcleod who had one of those solid Scot surnames almost part of the equipment of Ontario party leaders and was the Choice of the Liberal Hierarchy for Rea sons including being a woman. Sorbara says some liberals warned then they could not risk choosing a Leader of italian origin whose family was in the property development Busi Ness like Sorbara a particularly at a time when there was distrust of another Developer of italian heritage. Politically Active another italian ontarian Joe Cor Diano ran against Mcguinty and came third. Italians Are the fourth biggest ethnic group in the province after the British French and germans and More politically Active than most and have protested before they do not get the Public posts their numbers War rant. Sorbara himself complained a year ago progressive conservative Premier Ernie Eves whom Mcguinty later Defeated was not appointing enough italian ontarian to his Cabinet because he had Only one Tina Moli Nari in a Junior Post. Eves Story predecessor Mike har Ris had the better known former car dealer Al your pal Palladini who had More Colour than a 1950s Gas guzzler in a senior Cabinet role and he reminded italians mattered. Harris a predecessor new Democrat Premier Bob Rae stormed out of an italian Canadian business associations dinner after listening to it complain he was not appointing enough italian ontarian to Public posts muttering he would not take any More of this satisfied Mcguinty has satisfied the italian constituency More by having four ministers of italian ancestry ? Sorbara Cordiano in economic development and Trade Sandra Pupatelli in Community and social services and Rick Bartolucci in Northern development and mines. But no italian ontarian has been pre Mier or even led an opposition party. The list of premiers since confederation is a Long recital of names As British As sausage and Mash starting with John s. Macdonald and including Blake Hardy Ross Drew Frost Davis Miller Peterson Rae Harris and now Mcguinty. Eves smother a parents however were hard working ukrainian Immi Grants and he liked to mention it because it helped soften his image As a Slickly dressed lawyer and financial manager and Rae had a jewish grand father who immigrated from Eastern Europe. The vast majority of opposition party leaders also have been of British ancestry including Bob Nixon and Andrew Thompson of the liberals although their party was led by John Wintermeyer in an election in 1963. Nip leaders also have been overwhelmingly of British origin including the current Leader Howard Hampton Michael Cassidy and Donald c. Mac Donald. Barrier parties once were reluctant to choose jews As leaders because they feared some might be less inclined to vote for them but this Barrier was Bro Ken in 1970, when the new democrats picked Stephen Lewis whose jewish father emigrated from Eastern Europe. The liberals in opposition chose Stu Art Smith also descended from Immi Grant jews from that area in 1976, and the tories followed with Larry Gross Man in 1985. All three were above the average of party leaders in sheer intellect and none became Premier but this was due More to the fact they led in Tough times for their parties than antipathy toward jews. Other provinces also have elected premiers with names like Romanow Klein Schreyer and Ghiz. Ontario May be missing something when it gives its top Post Only to those with names that sound like they came out of Coronation Street. Fundraising rules need fixing donors Are finding ways to get around Bill c-24 by Aaron Freeman t he recent Federal election was the first Road test for Canadas new political fundraising rules. Unfortunately the drive was not kind to the elections act demonstrating that serious loopholes in the Law must be closed. Last year Bill c-24 placed new spend ing limits on nomination races report ing requirements on donations and limits on donations ? a ban on corporate donations to parties a $1,000 limit on corporate donations to candidates and a $5,000 limit on individuals Donat ing to parties or candidates. However donors Are still finding ways to get around the rules. Re elected Liberal my Carolyn Parrish for example was offered a Cheque for $5,000 from a company in her rid ing. Knowing this was above the $1,000 limit for businesses she politely returned the Cheque. Championed the hardest thing for a politician to do in an election is to Send Money Back says Parrish. But she never gave returning the Money a second thought. Parrish sat on the parliamentary committee reviewing Bill c-24 last year and was among those who championed several amendments that strengthened the Bill. But almost immediately after she returned the Cheque five new $1,000 cheques came in one from a company run by the owner of the first company a Cheque the second from a company run by his brother two cheques from companies owned by the two Brothers and another from the brother himself. Parrish went Back to elections Canada where officials said three out of five cheques were acceptable but the two cheques from the companies jointly owned by the Brothers were off limits As they were considered indirect donations from the Brothers. After returning those two donations a Cheque for $2,000 showed up from the second brother. At the time Bill c-24 was being reviewed another Liberal on the com Mittee Joe Jordan wisely questioned Why corporate donations were not eliminated altogether. Given that the corporate limit was so Low Jordan wondered whether elections Canada would be using dollars to Chase Nick Els in trying to enforce it. A More sen sible Rule would have done away with corporate donations altogether. This also would have made the Dis closure regime More transparent. When corporations donate it is almost never Clear who the person is behind the donation. Moreover in Many cases company executives who make the decision to donate Are spending other Peoples Money. It is for this reason that in the great Britain before Public companies can make a political donation they must pass a shareholder Resolution authorizing the expenditure. Parrish is one of the few maps will ing to discuss what most insiders know about political fundraising the Law has been made needlessly complicated and too Many loopholes have been left in place. Its a trap for the honest and a guideline for the corrupt she says. People who want to cheat will have a Way to do so and people who Are honest will have a hard there Are other games played by donors and those running for office. During fierce nomination races such As the one Between Sheila Copps and Tony Valeri in Hamilton East Stoney Creek there were widespread allegations that each Side ignored their spend ing limits. In the Ottawa Centre race Between nip de Broadbent and lib eral Richard Mahoney Mahoney a Campaign called Homes in the Riding on election Day ? when campaigning is illegal ? leaving an automated message propagating a false Rumour that Broad Bent would be willing to give up his seat if nip Leader Jack Layton lost his own election and needed somewhere to run. Message the people of Ottawa Centre can elect someone who a committed for the Long term Richard Mahoney and pre vent Stephen Harper from becoming prime minister the message urged. Mahoney lost by a wide margin but the incident illustrates that election Laws Are failing to Deal with desperate candidates who pull out the dirty tricks in the dying Days of a Campaign confident in the knowledge that an elections Canada investigation will not be Able to Stop them until after the election when the damage is done. Those found to be breaking the rules can be fined or jailed but fines Are rarely levied and no one has Ever been jailed for an offence. While part of the solution lies in More rigorous enforcement the holes in the Law must also be plugged. Allowing corporate donations is a recipe for corruption and makes the Law impossible to enforce. The Federal Law should do away with them As que Bec and Manitoba have done. While the Law limits donations to candidates for party leadership races it should also limit the expenses of these campaigns. And parliament must close the Trust fund loophole which allows maps to receive unlimited secret funds so Long As these funds Are not used for narrowly defined Campaign purposes. Nobody knows when the next elec Tion will be but hopefully maps will close these loopholes before another writ is dropped. Aaron Freeman is an Independent Public policy consultant. Letters to the editor the free press welcomes letters from readers. They must include the authors name address and Telephone number. Letters May be edited. Letters to the editor 1355 Mountain Avenue Winnipeg r2x 3b6. Fax 697-7412. Email remember living veterans in a year when our country has spent huge amounts of Money commemorating and honouring the veterans of the second world War at the National and International a Day services it is ironic that my father a second world War Veteran sits in pain waiting for perhaps another year for an opera Tion he is in need of a hip replacement operation but the waiting period for him is a year at his regional health Centre Boundary trails in the win Kler Morden area. The lengthy waiting period for him and All other unfortunate persons be they elderly or injured is a year due to Lack of adequate funding by our various Levels of government. My father is 86 years old and until recently was very Active. Now he sits crippled by a degenerated hip joint hoping that he will once again have the Opportunity to enjoy life in this country of Canada which he in the past so faithfully served vast sums of Money were available to honour the veterans who died for her Why cannot Canada extend this Courtesy to her living veterans As Well Merelyn Hunkin Oakville abolish Buffer zone i just received a reply from Winnipeg insect control services stating that my Home and those of my neigh Bours will not be protected from mos Quito nuisance and threat of West Nile virus. We Are the victims of someone within 100 metres of our Homes who has requested a Buffer zone we do not live in Wolseley. Quick conversion 100 metres = 320 feet = 8 Homes with 40-foot-wide lots. Our Little Street has approximately 20 Homes 11 on the North Side and nine on the South Side. This Means that virtually the entire Street is eliminated from the fogging program ? because of one person. I would be interested to see what the Cut off Point would be on this Street and i doubt that there is one meaning that the entire Street is affected. I have not counted the other Homes behind the buffered House that would be affected. This is not Only unfair but Haz ardous to Many children and adults for the Sake of Only one or two people. On a Side note what does it Cost per capita for the fogging portion of mos Quito control How do my Neighbours and i get a rebate on taxes for this portion of services that we Are denied and i do mean or. Katz and or. Doer i respectfully suggest that you abolish the Buffer zone not just for the Comfort of the taxpayer not just for West Nile Protection but also for our dollars Worth of taxes paid Dale Hickey Winnipeg take another look at false alarm policy i read with interest the article violent crime falling in City. But Home inva Sions vehicle thefts on Rise which out lines 2003 crime statistics and police chief Jack Swatski a comments on possible deterrents such As anti theft doonesbury devices for vehicles and the use of Home alarms. He states when we look at Statis tics relative to the use of Home alarms last year less that two per cent of Homes broken into were ones that had alarms. That in itself Speaks volumes of the deterrent effect of the use of residential burglar with the effectiveness of monitored alarms comes problems of false alarms that can be triggered by human error or mechanical sensitivity. Motion detectors Are also sensitive to the heat produced from hot air registers so alarms May be triggered by hot air registers movement from curtains As Well As pets. Fine tuning an alarm system May take time several visits from the installer and result in the occasional false alarm. The City of Winnipeg has taken to issuing tickets for false alarms. Earlier this year i was issued a ticket for $127 for a false alarm triggered by my motion Detector. For someone with a limited income this is a significant amount of Money. It also seems a very punitive action toward a citizen who is being proactive in an Effort to deter potential crime. In Many parts of our City where crime rates have been High having a monitored alarm is essential to obtain House insurance. Given these Circum stances i feel the City should revisit its policy on ticketing for false alarms. In 2003 there were More than 7,600 break and enters in Winnipeg. False alarms May seem like a nuisance and poor use of police time. However what is the real Cost in police time Home owner anguish and Overall increased crime activity As a result of the alternative Lindsay Nawosad Winnipeg apathetic citizens failed obligation it is with great disgust disdain Dis honour disbelieve disappointment and disgrace that i see that 40 per cent of canadians failed in their obligation right Here in Canada unlike some countries in the world to vote in the Federal election. To you apathetic citizens you have forfeited the privilege of expressing your concerns Over any Issue relative to your indifferent lives whether it be taxes health care the environment Etc. You should be held in contempt of societal duty and be incarcerated. No wait then you could vote i am in Shock that there Are so Many aim less citizens who will follow any and All direction with total quiescence. Democracy is not free Cost is Only your vote. J. B. Robert Mclellan Winnipeg by Garry Trudeau ;