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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 1992-02-26, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26,1992. Reader says public missed great theatre The Other Side By Keith Roulston Ottawa rally moving experience Journalists are not supposed to get involved emotionally in the sto ries they cover but I must confess to having a lump in my throat sev eral times while covering the mas sive rally of farmers on Parliament Hill. I'd ridden all night in a bus load ed with farmers from Huron with a driver who never stopped talking and who must have been a grand prix driver in a former life. He had to pass everything in sight, includ ing trucks and felt downright put- upon when snowplow drivers wouldn't pull over to let him pass (after finally getting past he would then complain because nobody had plowed the road). We arrived at the outskirts of Ottawa about 7:30 a.m., several hours after many of these farmers would normally have been in the barn milking their cows. We stopped at a downtown hotel for breakfast and in the dining room were farm families from British Columbia who had flown in to take part in the demonstration. So I knew something of the sacri fices these people had made to get here. As the crowd swelled and swelled, you couldn't help but be impressed. At one point after too much coffee, I had to visit a wash room way out on the street. I made my way through the huge crowd and looked down the street and there, marching up from the lot where the buses were parked, came thousands more farmers, marching six and eight abreast, the line stretching out for blocks. More than 20,000 people had been expected. Early estimates had the crowd at 30,000 and later in the afternoon the RCMP estimated the crowd at 40,000. You could feel a sense of pride in the people that they had taken part in what was being called the largest demonstra tion ever on Parliament Hill. It must have been one of the best behaved demonstrations as well. The riot police were in the back ground but it might as well have been a day off for them. The rowdi est the crowd got was some booing when it became obvious that Prime Minister Brian Mulroney had sent his deputy, Don Mazankowski, to speak in his stead. For non-farmers it must seem like one more demand for a hand out from government, but this time farmers were really just asking to be allowed to mind their own busi ness. The whole GATT issue is pretty murky, even to those who are following it closely, but basical ly for dairy and poultry farmers it means that the rules that now allow them to control the amount of prod uct for sale in Canada and match it to the market's demand, would be replaced. The import controls they need to make the system work would be removed, replaced by a system of tariffs that would start high but be reduced over the years. Many feel that the supply manage ment system will be destroyed as soon as the import controls are relaxed because there will be no way of matching supply and demand. It's a pretty lonely battle for the farmers. Many big industries see the farmers' position on supply management standing in the way of a wider trade agreement. Even many fellow farmers in the grain growing sector, worry that if the government fights too hard for sup ply management, a deal to reduce export subsidies that have been driving down grain prices might be lost. Against these odds, you couldn't help feel the pride of these people who were fighting for a way of life. Not just marketing boards but the entire rural community seemed in danger to them. Many others in their communities felt the same way. In some cases, businesses had made donations to help pay the costs of transportation. Back home signs were going up in store win dows, green ribbons were being tied to clothing or car aerials and businesses were closing for an hour to show their support for the farm ers' fight. Inside the press enclosure, rub bing shoulders with the bigwigs from CBC and CTV and the big dailies, were many reporters from small-town newspapers including five from this immediate area. For the media heavyweights, this was just one more event to cover, maybe not as important at the Lib eral party convention across the river in Hull. For the small-town reporters there was the knowledge that the shape of their part of Cana da could be changed by what hap pens in the negotiations. The jaded big-time reporters were probably unimpressed despite the size of the protest but they did n't know the people on the other side of the fence around the media enclosure. For those of us who knew our neighbours were out there among the thousands, the feelings went much deeper. It was hard for us to remain cool and objective when we saw how hard these people were fighting for a way of life. THE EDITOR, Many theatre lovers missed a golden opportunity to see ‘Class A’ drama and comedy at Bly th last week. For the seventh year, the Blyth Festival sponsored a drama festival which drew 200 students from 10 high schools to perform one-act plays and attend workshops conducted by professionals. The results were three evenings of highly entertaining theatre and talented acting - all for only $8.00. You could have heard a pin drop during each drama presentation. But the F. E. Madill (Wingham) production of “Johnny Canuck” had us rolling in the aisles with laughter. For me it was an oasis of warm enjoyment in the midst of a long winter of snow and ice. My sincere congratulations and thanks to the drama clubs, students and parents al: - South Huron S.S. (Exeter), - Central Huron S.S. (Clinton), - Listowcl District S.S. and - F. E. Madill S.S. (Wingham). Beverley Brown Brussels. . 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