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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1990-07-25, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 1990. Opinion Paying the price A recent cartoon in a newspaper pictured students graduating from college and one says to the other: “I’m going to devote myself to the betterment of mankind - if the money’s decent”. It seems to show the situation of our current society: we want it both ways. Nearly every poll on the subject lately shows that environmental issues have moved to the top of the list of concerns for most Canadians. Recycling has become a fad, a good one but a fad. People are pressuring their politicians to do more to clean up the environment. Yet there is the contradiction as well of the fact that the size of cars being bought is increasing and with it the waste of gasoline and the more pollution of the atmosphere. Governments are perhaps aware of this contradiction and it may explain their cynicism when it comes to environmental issues. They talk a good game about environmental issues but they won’t do anything that endangers jobs. Legislation to control acid rain has long delayed in the U.S., for instance, because of concern for midwestern coal-burning plants. Governments can find all kinds of reasons why not to get really serious about environmental issues, most of which involve the dislocations radical changes would bring. Imagine however, if the Canadian government took the same attitude to the environment it does toward things like battling the deficit or battling inflation. Confronted on television recently about the growing bankruptcy rate, Finance Minister Michael Wilson verbally shrugged and said it was a sign of an economy in the transition from inflationary to non-inflationary times. One thing you have to admire about the current federal government is that it has the courage of its convictions, pushing through massive changes it feels necessary. There may be massive dislocations with the implementation of free trade but the government feels the cost is worth it even if people suffer. High interest is hurting ordinary people but the government feels people will be hurt worse if inflation isn’t reduced. The deficit is a problem so people will have to suffer higher taxes and reduced government services. It’s for their own good. Imagine then if the government really believed what it says about the environment. If the government was as committed to environmental cleanup as it is to deficit reduction, the suffering and dislocation caused by closing down environmentally unfriendly industries, by forcing people to use smaller cars and waste less gas, by imposing new taxes to clean up air and water, wouldn’t be too steep a price to pay. It’s for peoples’ own good. What can be more important than the future of the planet? Does inflation matter if we can’t breathe the air? Does free trade matter if the environment changes so much we can’t grow the products we want to trade? What does the deficit matter if we’ve poisoned our surroundings. It’s obvious that despite all the brave talk about environmental issues the government still doesn’t take them seriously to give them the same kind of priority as these other concerns. Losing face Canada compared to South Africa? Unthinkable. Yet with the current standoff at Oka focusing world attention on Canada’s record of dealing with native issues, those comparisons are being made. There’snodoubtCanadadoesn’texactly have a record to be proud of. While we have rather smuggly patted ourselves on the back for not “stealing” land from natives as the Americans did, we haven’t done a lot better. In 1942, for instance, the federal government expropriated 2,555 acres, the land of the Stoney Point Indian Tribe to build Camp Ipperwash military base. The tribe was amalgamated with the Kettle Point reserve. It took until 1972 for the government to open negotiations for some compensation and until 1981 for a settlement to be reached paying the tribe $2.4 million and promising the people they could have their land back when the army was through using it. The Stoney Point people would like the land back now. While not quite in a class with South Africa, Canada as a political body has little to brag about. What is surprising in 1990, however, is the attitude of the majority of Canadians. Canadians are a people notorious for their love of law and order, yet huge numbers of Canadians are supporting the armed standoff by the natives as Oka whowant to prevent land they feel is theirs being developed as a golf course. Hopefully this support will help persuade our federal government the politicial will is there to really deal with the native land claims and other native issues. Canadians don’t want to be mentioned in the same breath as South Africa. Mabel’s Grill There are people who will tell you that the important decisions in town are made down at the town hall. People in the know. however know that the real debates, the real wisdom reside down at Mabel 's Grill where the greatest minds in the town [if not in the country] gather for morning coffee break, otherw ise known as the Round Table Debating and Filibustering So­ ciety. Since not just everyone can partake of these deliberations we will report the activities from time to time. MONDAY: Well, said Tim O’Grady this morning, Canadians who think the world isn’t paying any attention to them should be happy these days. First it was the Meech Lake crisis and now it’s the Oka stand­ off. “We might even be brought up at the United Nations,” he said. Somehow, Julia Flint said, she kind of preferred the old Canada that the British press said was the^ most boring country in the world. 7 Heck, said Hank Stokes, we may soon be as interesting as Cali­ fornia. Take the case on Friday where a Toronto driver who was late for work and caught in a traffic jam tried to drive up the shoulder of the road to get ahead. Somebody pulled out in front of him and he got so mad he attacked the guy with a baseball bat and a steel pipe. “Maybe we’ll really hit the big Continued on page 19 Citizen P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. NOM 1H0 Phone 523-4792I__________!______ P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. NOG 1H0 Phone 887-9114 The Citizen is published weekly in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $19.00/yr. [$40.00 Foreign]. Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, only that portion of the advertisment will be credited. Advertising Deadlines: Monday, 2 p.m. - Brussels; Monday, 4 p.m. - Blyth We are not responsible for unsolicited newscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright. 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