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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1991-10-09, Page 5THE CITIZEN. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1991. PAGE 5. O Arthur Black ‘Anne’ big attraction for Japanese The development of any new product, the old joke goes, is a four-step process. First, a Canadian invents it; second, the Americans buy it because Canadian -investors are too timid; third, the Russians announce they invented it 20 years ago ... And fourth, the Japanese start exporting it. Ah, yes ... the Japanese. Didn't they lose a war somewhere back there? You'd never know it today. Japan is an international powerhouse — some would say the strongest player at the global economic poker table. The country is relatively tiny, decidedly overpopulated and virtually stripped of its own timber and minerals. But lack of in­ house natural resources hasn't hampered the Japanese — they've just gone out in the world and bought everybody elses. Including Canada's. Japan buys just about everything Canada can put on the table — timber, coal, wheat, Ookpik dolls... Just about everything. But there is one Is the right to strike abused? BY RAYMOND CANON I can't say that I have been overly impressed with the labour scene in Canada during the last little while. This is not to be construed with any inherent dislike of labour unions or their right to strike; it is simply that I wonder, as I am sure that many Canadians also question whether our unions, not to mention management, have allowed strikes to play too large a role in attempts to solve disputes. We have even managed twice during the last decades of leading the industrialized world in the number of days lost to strikes. While we will not likely achieve that goal again in 1991, the labour scene in Canada is not one of which we can be proud. We can thank the Industrial Revolution for an upsurge in strikes. Those who can recall some of their history in school may remember that this revolution, which saw the introduction of mass production for the first time, came into being during the last half of the 18th century and on into the next one. To say that labour conditions in the new industrial cities were horrible would be the understatement of the year. Added to that was the reprehensible exploitation of children and you have a situation ripe for revolt. It is, therefore, not surprising that workers started to organize and management retaliated. The formation of labour unions followed a rocky road and it was not until 1830 that the first legislation in Great Britain gave them any legal rights. Unions tended to set themselves up either as craft unions, in which case they represented a single profession or else one union represented an entire industry regardless of profession. Strikes were the chief weapon, not surprising given that the unions were fighting not only for their members but for their very right to exist. The union movement emigrated from commodity that Japan sends our way. Tourists. Japanese travel agents have discovered Canada in a major way. They flock by the thousands to our premier West Coast ski spas like Whistler and BlackComb. They mass by the tour bus loads around rubberneck meccas like Niagara Falls. They literally own most of the hotels and trinket shops of Banff and Jasper. But to really see the Japanese invasion you have to visit Prince Edward Island. There are certain days each summer when the leafy, charming streets of Charlottetown might be mistaken for downtown Tokyo or suburban Osaka. The signs in shop windows are in Japanese. The tour guides are chattering away in scattergun Japanese. And the streets are thronged with gaggle upon gaggle of earnest, Nikon-toting Japanese tourists. They are not in Charlottetown to visit the ancestral home of Mike Duffy or to photograph the spot where Sir John A. and the boys divvied up British North America over a few bottles of scotch. The Japanese are in Charlottetown to pay homage to the girl they call Akage no An. We call her Anne of Green Gables. For a Japanese "Anne" afficionada there is only one cure for the addiction: a trip half By Raymond Canon Britain to the United States and reached Canada more or less by way of the latter country. Thus our unions today tend to pattern themselves after or have close connections with American unions rather than British ones. There is, nevertheless, one notable development. While the first unions were organized in the private sector, of late this has gone into decline while public service unions, which came late into the field, have shown the most growth. This is true elsewhere and it is no surprise that the major strikes this fall have all been in the public service sector. While it is undoubtedly true that some countries in Europe can be plagued with strikes, the record there in general is belter than it is here. There are a number of reasons for this, one of which is that many negotiations are held on a national rather than a sectoral level. This means that the parties involved must take a more careful look at the effects of any decisions on the country's economy. It also requires a higher degree of professionalism than is frequently Letters to the Editor Safety first please THE EDITOR, We as a collective group of parents, citizens and taxpayers are writing in desperation regarding the safety of all Brussels Public School children. Our community's main road has become a timebomb. Il is heavily travelled and speed limits on many occasions are not respected. Children crossing Church Street and Mill Street arc at particularly high risk. Do we need to have a fatal occurrence before action is taken? way around the world to Canada's tiniest province culminating with a walk through the sacred shrine: Green Gables itself. Anne may be a fanciful legend to the rest of the world, but to Japanese devotees she is somewhere between a movie star and an angel. "It's not unusual for a Japanese woman to suddenly burst into tears" says one Islander. Which is typical of the intensity the Japanese bring to most endeavours, from karate to Donkey Kong. "Anne of the Red Hair" isn't the only targeted literary icon. The Japanese are also in the midst of a major love affair with William Shakespeare. Recently, Tokyo hosted the World Shakespeare Congress. At the Panasonic Globe Theatre they watched a rousing production of that old Shakespeare classic The Bloody Samurai. Which is what the Japanese call The Merry Wives of Windsor. What’s the attraction? One British Shakespearean theorizes that the Japanese "love the blood-and-guts side of Shakespeare." Blood and guts, eh? Sounds to me like the Japanese are ripe for a major NHL hockey marketing initiative. shown here. Labour unions in Europe also tend to be more integrated into society than here. They show more respect for the public interest. Given that most countries have a higher number of political parties than is the case in Canada, it is customary to find union representation on many of them and not centered on one party as is the case in Canada. In Germany you will find union representatives at the decision-making level of companies, which makes them much more aware of what is frequently known as "the bottom line." Certainly there is not the high level of adversarial relationships that one finds in Canada. Far too often this confrontational approach blurs the overall picture to the extent that both sides lose track of it, which is what has happened recently in Canada in the public sector strikes. Certainly Europe does have bad strikes, with Italy being one country that comes to mind but, all things being considered, there is a more objective altitude there than here, which means that we still have some growing up to do. We as a concerned community, as like other surrounding communities, should be implementing a crossing guard programme to ensure our children's safe arrival. If you are a concerned citizen we would appreciate your support in form signatures, canvassing, and your presence at the next town council meeting on November 1991. Let's pull together as a community because we love our children. Parents with Purpose. P.S. Anyone interested in helping with canvassing please give us a call. Jamie Thomas, 887-6449; Barb McLellen, 887- 6957; or Claudia Spink, 887-6957. Letter from the Editor By Keith Roulston We forgive you Bob Bob Rae is having trouble within his own party, rumours say. Insiders report that many party supporters are disenchanted with the number of programs the government has back­ tracked on since it was elected 13 months ago: things like public auto insurance. Party members feel the credibility of their party is in question. Maybe it is, but I've got the feeling that a lot of people in the province will forgive Mr. Rae and would rather he back down from unrealistic policies than insist on thrusting ahead to the detriment of the province. Mr. Rae was caught in the embarrassing situation of winning an election he didn't expect to win. The NDP had gone into the election promoting long- held party beliefs about an improved social agenda. Many opposition parties find the realities of live in government get in the way of their dreams but Mr. Rae got an even nastier surprise, taking over just as the devastation of a recession became really evident, and at a time when the federal government is trying to cut its own costs by unloading expensive programs on the provinces. Even without balancing a budget, Mr. Rae finds it hard to continue what services we already had, let alone delivering the dreams of the party faithful. Last week government cuts in some programs were announced: not enough for those who see a balanced budget as the holy grail of the free enterprise system, but enough to earn the enmity of students and education officials and others who thought the world would be different if only they could get a caring government like the NDP elected. The party came to power too, at a time when the free trade agenda of the federal government was taking hold. It wants to increase the minimum wage (it already has taken one jump) and give new rights to unions but these fly in the face of the hard realities of this new economic world. We're already seeing hundreds of thousands of jobs move south because of free trade readjustments. Free trade with Mexico will make even cheaper labour available to factory owners who don't need highly- skilled workers. The higher wage costs and the more power given to unions (Canada already has one of the world's worst labour dispute records) will only encourage more big business to head out. The problem for Premier Bob is that after 60 years of wandering in the wilderness, the NDP has finally found the promised land. Long lime supporters see now as the opportunity to make the world a better place at last. The poor will be taken dare of. The schools will have the funding they need to change the lives of their students and make the country a world leader, the justice system will be more just, the health care system will work better, the country will finally get as close to heaven on earth as possible. Party supporters don't want to hear about economic realities. They want what they have fought for, been defeated for, for 60 years. In the long run, we should be grateful that party members aren't ready to compromise their principles too easily. On the other hand, the government wasn't elected because people had finally been converted to the NDP philosophy. For one thing, under 40 per cent of the electorate voted for the party in last year's election. Many of those who did support the party did so as a protest vote. Those people don't want the same things the NDP die-hards want. Bob Rae is the premier now. His constituency is not just the NDP parly faithful but the whole province. He has to listen to everybody. He has to do the best for everyone. Politics, they say, is the art of the possible. Premier Bob has to do what is possible.