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The Brussels Post, 1980-06-11, Page 3MADE IT WITHOUT FALLING That's what Kim Harris might have been thinking as she took part in the Junior Girls Standing Broad Jump at the Brussels Public School Track and Field Meet on Thursday. (Photo by JUNIOR AND MIDGET WINNERS—Dawn Maxwell (Junior), Judy Ten Pas (Midget), Seff Heibein (Midget) and Mark Lichty (Junior) scored the most overall points in their respective classes at a.Track and Field Day held at the Brussels Public School on Thursday. (Photo by Lang lois) SENIORS AND INTERMEDIATE WINNERS—In the front row from left, Darlene FreeMan, Robbie Cardiff and June Adamt captured the overall points in the Intermediate class while Darren Watts and Brenda Richmond did the same in the Senior class when a Track and Field Day -was held at the Brussels Public School on Thursday. (Photo by ,Langlois) THE BRUSSELS POST, I . 11, 1980 — 3 I DID IT—Karla King managed to clear this height in the Junior Girls High Jump at the Brussels Public School Track and . Field meet on Thursday. (Photo by Ranney) HEAVE HO--Darryl Hastings gave a rnightly " throw when he participated in the Intermediate Boys Shot Putt at the Brussels Public School's Track and Field meet on Thursday. (Photo by Ranney) Behind the scenes by Keith Roulston Keeping Canada otk It's fairly safe to say that by the, time this column appears in print Rehe. Levesque will once again be rubbing his hands• in glee and commentators will be speculating on the future of the country. The reason will be another failure to make much progress towards constitutional re- form. The first ministers were to meet this week to try to start making changes in the constitution, changes everyone agrees are necessary if the country is to remain intact. The defeat of Levesque and his separatist -supporters in the Quebec referendum gave new urgency to the job of reform and everybody who is at the table, with the exception of Levesque, gives reform a high priority. The problem is that is all people can agree on. Constitutional reform meals 11 different things to the 11 leaders who sit at the conferences. The phrase has become a , magic potion to cure all that is wrong with the country. As deadlocks arise in the process of negotiations once again Joe Clark and many political commentators will lay the blame at the feet of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau for being too insensitive to the needs of the province. He has already been blamed by some for the fact that Parti Quebecois got to power in the first place. Look at the facts dosely, however, and it seems to be a case that if you tell a lie long enough and often enough,, people will eventually think it's the - truth. The fact is the federal government is the convenient enemy provincial politicians can use to win support of their electorate. Both John Robarts and Bill Davis have used it in Ontario. People ,complaining about ' the economy, about unemployment? Blame it on the feds. -People want something you don't want to give? Say it's a federal responsibi- lity? People complain about taxes? Tell them that if the greedy feds would stop taking all of "our" money out of the province we could have all the great things we want and still have low taxes. EVERY LEADER Every provincial leader of every political stripe has played this handy game in times of trouble. Liberal leaders in Quebec have 'been as bad as Conservatives in Alberta, the N.D.P. in Saskatchewan or Social Crediters in British Columbia. The federal government is a convenient strawman that politicians can knock the stuffings out of come election time without Worrying about getting any blows back. Why knock your provincial opponents and take the chance of getting knocked back when you can appear to be above all that by blaming the feds for everything and not having to worry that the federal government will fight back? And so it is taken for granted by just about every Canadian that constitutional refordi is the answer to all that ails the country. But a t • good portion of the people of Canada can't even tell you what areas of government are federal and what provincial in responsibility. ',I've heard radio talk shows where people • have called in blasting some-politician over something only to be told that he's complaining 'about the wrong government. The area he's concerned with wasn't within the jurisdiction of the federal politicians (or provincial in some cases) at all. Constitutional reform for most provincial politicians means a redistribution of powers of government. Yet take the question to ordinary. Canadians and' ask them what they 'want redistributed and the answer might be surprising. We talk' ,a good deal about decentralization but just 'what do we want decentralized. COMMMUNICATIONS Well, one of the areas the federal government has been giving way to the provinces is in communications. Presently the federal government controls radio and television and cable systems but under pressure. the feds have, been preparing to transfer some of this power. I, for one, get nervous about that. If there is a problem in the country today it is that we don't know enough about people in other parts of the country. There are many problems with the current communications system such as the fact it is heavily dominated by Toronto and Montreal, but the dangers of the provinces governing communications are as bad. Suddenly we have 10 little islands isolated from each other by the instruments of knowledge that should join us together. In fact; ask the average Canadian about education and you might find out that he'd like to redistribute that power from the provincial to the federal "side of the ledger. Decentralization has had its way in education for the Whole history of the country. What do we have? Education programs that tend to increase the differ- ences between regions, not increase under- standing. Why not instead a national I curriculum with open spaces in it for the , study of provincial and community con- cerns? MORE POWER The fact is that simplygiving more power th provincial leaders wit) not solve the problems of the country. It may indeed increase regional difference and grumbling. We need most better understanding of each other through better communications and education, by reforming our attitudes, by decentralizing economic power, clecentraliz- ing that will come naturally with the movement of power to the west, Yes, we can use reform of a cenatitution that is 113 years old but we need notjust any reform. We need reform that will really solve problems. I hope that the first ministers will have the wisdom to change what needs, to be changed and not mess with the rest.