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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1990-08-01, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 1990. Opinion ----------■--------------1------------------------------ -—-------------------------------------------"■ Like a leader at last? For the first time last weekend, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney started sounding like a national leader, not a dealmaker. Speaking in his home riding in Quebec, the Prime Minister said “Canada will not be redefined exclusively by the province of Quebec. To the extent our future is redefined and hopefully improved, it will be done by all Canadians.’’ Given the Prime Minister’s love of grand sounding phrases it may be too much to hope that he really has seen the light and wants to be leader of all the people, but the fact Mr. Mulroney talked tough in Quebec where he has often given a different message than in the rest of the country was encouraging. Also encouraging was his criticism of western Premiers who apparently were gathering like vultures to pick over the carcus of Canadian federalism by demanding the right to collect income, tax. Mr. Mulroney has prided himself in his skills as a negotiator. He has talked about building a concensus, setting himself aside from his predecessor Pierre Trudeau who was blamed, often incorrectly, for the acrimony between provinces and between the provinces and the federal government. Perhaps the Prime Minister has now seen that Canadians want a strong central government and that being nice and offering to give away the store as he did in the Meech Lake talks, won’t get you agreement anyway. Perhaps Mr. Mulroney has had a conversion or perhaps the presence of Jean Chretien as Liberal leader has changed the dynamics of politics in Canada. A poll published Monday showed that Canadians, by a two to one margin, felt Mr. Chretien was a better choice to lead the country than Mr. Mulroney. Mr. Mulroney dropped to 14 per cent support, well behind NDP leader Audrey McLaughlin. With Mr. Chretien on board for the Liberals there is, for the first' time in years a strong, popular voice favouring retention of a strong federal government instead of giving more and more power to the provinces. While his stand against the Meech Lake agreement has made him unpopular in Quebec, the only province where Mr. Mulroney leads in the polls, it has given many Canadians a spokesman for their feelings that Canada cannot survive by dissolving into 10 little empires within some mythical national identity. When the Liberals, NDP and Conservatives spoke as one voice on things like Meech Lake, Canadians who were unhappy with the situation had no one to turn to. Now with the change for the Liberal and something of a change for the NDP voters have an alternative and Mr. Mulroney, in looking ahead at the next election, must be well aware of it. It may be too late. The genie of regionalism and of Quebec na tionalism may be out of the bottle, never to be put back in. At least it sounds refreshing to hear people talk about a strong national position not just striking a deal. A senseless waste While the Liberal government of Premier David Peterson must get some credit for balancing the Ontario budget, the Premier surely loses credibility for foisting an expensive election at a time when there’s no possible good reason for it. Monday’s call for a September 6 provincial election is a cynical case of opportunism. While the Liberals talk about needing a mandate, everybody knows there is only one reason for this election: polls showing the Liberals way out in front of the opposition parties. It’s only three years since the last election swept the Liberals into a landslide victory that nearly wiped out the opposition. Liberals can hardly claim, as they did in 1987, of the obstructionism of the other parties in the minority government. Twoyears ago the Premier made a big point about needing a strong mandate to battle federal government plans to bring in a Free Trade Agreement with the United States. He got that mandate, then didn’t really use it as he barely made a whimper when the Free Trade Agreement was brought in. There is no such issue now. The real reason for this election is to get the government another four or five years before storm clouds like the Patti Starr trials or the public anger over the federally-imposed Goods and Services Tax begin to rain on the Liberals parade. The election is estimated to cost $40 million. That works out to about $5 for every woman, man and child in the province. It’s costing us a lot to give the Liberals reassurance. New and old 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, otherwise 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: Billie Bean said he’d like to have been in that big Indy car race in Toronto on the weekend just to see what it’s like to drive at up to 200 miles an hour. Tim O’Grady said he’d be easier to please than that. He’d have enjoyed having Lakeshore Blvd, to himself like the racers did just to know what it feels like to move in Toronto instead of being stuck in traffic jams as he usually is. Ward Black said seeing all the rain the racers were driving through he didn’t want any part of it. It might give Toronto a new project though. Maybe they’ll want to build a retractable roof over the race course for next year. TUESDAY: Julia Flint said she’d like to take a trip to Britain this summer just to see conflict other than our own. Meech Lake and Oka might seem small besides the arguments that must be going on over there with European unity drawing closer and Brits having to give up some of the autonomy they’ve fought so hard for over 1000 years. The British pound, for instance, may be replaced with a European currency and the metric system will come in by the end of the century. But the biggest battle may be over the British “banger’’. Seems the European Community health standards board doesn’t think meat should be hung for a month as the British always have before it’s chopped up for sausage. They want it hung for no more than six days. Baroness Trumpington, the Brit­ ish agriculture minister says Bri­ tain without bangers would be like France without champagne. “And we thought we looked silly”, Julia said. WEDNESDAY: Ward was asking Hank Stokes if he ever finds circles in his grain fields like they keep finding in England. Hank said the only things he ever finds in his fields are beer bottles every Satur­ day and Sunday morning. Bille said we should find some way to make a few of those circles around here. With the publicity they’re getting over there we could create a whole new tourist attrac­ tion. Hank said there was one thing about the whole mystery. “It’s probably the most attention agri­ culture has got in decades.” THURSDAY: Tim said there was one thing refreshing about the seven MPs who are going to sit as the “Bloc Quebecois” and work for Quebec independence within the Canadian parliament. “They must be the only politicians around looking to put themselves out of business. We could use more of that.” The Citizen. P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. N0M 1H0 Phone 523-4792 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. Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships. Editor & Publisher, Keith Roulston Advertising Manager, Dave Williams (jfrQNA Production Manager, Jill Roulston Second Class Mail Registration No. 6968