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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1992-03-18, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18,1992. Dangerous blind-man's buff In a country that has often done things in weird ways, nothing could probably have been more weird than the game of constitutional blind­ man's bluff that is being played out with Quebec's refuse to take part in constitutional talks: nothing more weird, or more frightening. The federal government and premiers of some of the province sat down in Ottawa last week to try to come up with a compromise position to try to keep Quebec in Canada but Quebec's Premier Robert Bourassa wasn't there. Premier Bourassa has refused to take part in any constitutional talks since the failure of the Meech Lake reforms several years ago. Pressured by nationalists in Quebec, Mr. Bourassa took the view that his province was double-crossed when some of the provinces refused to ratify the deal (conveniently forgetting that in 1971 it was Quebec, and Mr. Bourassa, that backtracked after originally agreeing to a reform proposal). Mr. Bourassa now says that he will negotiate only with the federal government and then only if all the other provinces are committed to the deal. All of which leaves the federal government and the province fumbling in the dark trying to find a solution to the crisis of whether or not Canada can be kept together. They find themselves in the position of having to formulate a proposal to make to the Quebec government without knowing if Quebec will accept what they propose. What's more, they must agree to something that's binding on the provinces but Quebec will only agree to negotiate with the federal government. And to make the situation even more dangerous, they have basically one shot at finding the winning combination. With a referendum on independence scheduled for this fall, there won't be a chance to make a second proposal if the first one fails. It seems to be a recipe for failure and one really has to wonder if Premier Bourassa wants success. He, of course, finds himself in a difficult position in his own province. His party's popularity trails that of the opposition Parti Quebecois and, having sounded tough after Meech Lake in refusing to meet again, he now must protect himself from charges by nationalists that he is backing down, giving in to the bullying English. It's not a hopeful situation. The odds seem to be stacked against success. One can only we succeed in this despite ourselves. Sending wrong signals For a government headed by a crack labour negotiator, peopled by veterans of the business wars, Canada's federal government seems to have an appalling lack of negotiating skills. On the weekend, for instance, as talks on a North American free trade pact between Canada, the United States and Mexico near the crunch period, External Affairs Minister Barbara McDougall told a group in London that Canada has "no choice" but to be part of the agreement. She may be right that we will be in worse position if the U.S. and Mexico go ahead without us but surely it's downright stupid for a major government official to say such a thing. In negotiations you want to negotiate from a position of strength. You want it to appear that the other guy needs you more than you need him. You don't go into a deal saying you don't have a choice but to go along or you're likely to end up with a very short straw. Yet over and over again this government has given away all its bargaining tools before the bargaining gets tough. In the original Free Trade Agreement Canada gave the U.S. nearly everything it wanted before the talks started. We ended up giving only what the Americans wanted to give us in return: a few face-saving measures to make our government appear it won some issues. In the current GATT talks, Trade Minister Michael Wilson gave up one of the complaints against Canada, reduced patent protection for international drug manufacturers, before the talks got to the crunch. He agreed to lengthen the protection for manufacturers with very little urging, leaving himself without what might have been a major bargaining chip in trying to keep Canadian agriculture's supply management system. Prime Minister Mulroney talked tough about U.S. trade harassment last week but the time to talk tough is not after you've let somebody steel your furniture, it's before the guy gets in the door. So far the Free Trade Agreement looks pretty useless for Canada. Maybe we'd be better to be ready to walk away from the North American deal rather than sign an agreement that isn't good for Canada. We might get a better deal. The worst thing that could happen is that the U.S. and Mexico take us at our word and go ahead without us. If the deal isn't any better than the Free Trade Agreement could that be worse? Last coat? - — ------------------- -----------------------------------------——;------------------— Looking Back Through the Years ONE YEAR AGO March 20,1991 Brussels Hotel was the scene of a "Night of Murder", with twenty people participating in the murder­ mystery dinner. The Blyth Branch of the Huron County Library officially changed residence from the old library to the expanded branch at Memorial Hall. Blyth Pee Wees claimed the Guy Emerson Memorial Trophy as "D" Consolation Wirmers at the 1991 Goderich Lions Young Canada Week Pee Wee Tournament. The senior Brussels Sprouts team took home the championship tro­ phy at a Tyke tournament in Luc­ know. Blyth 8th Liners broomball team won the Regional championship at a tournament in Palmerston. THREE YEARS AGO March 15,1989 The Blyth Industrial Hockey Team won the 'B' Championship in the Ayton Hockey Tournament. Blyth Novices came home from the Novice Hockey Tournament in Teeswater with the 'B' trophy. West Wawanosh Township Council approved the purchase of a new tanker for the Lucknow and district Fire Department. Grey Township Council began distribution of the blue boxes for the recycling program. FIVE YEARS AGO March 18, 1987 Blyth village council sold a par­ cel of land just west of the Queen's Village senior citizens apartments to Robbie Lawrie, a Blyth busi­ nessman and developer, for the construction of a new eight-unit apartment building. Blyth council happily agreed to the use of municipal facilities for the shooting of the feature film "Blue City Slammers" scheduled for May and June. Hullet township council sought assistance in erecting signs along both Highway 4 and Highway 8 to indicate the location of the Hullet Wildlife Area. CitizenTheNorthHuron P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. N0M1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. NOG 1 HO Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 The Citizen is published weekly in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $20.50/year ($19.16 plus $1.34 G.S.T.) for local; $41.73/year ($39.00 plus $2.73 G.S.T.) for local letter carrier in Goderich, Hanover, Listowel, etc. and out-of-area (40 miles from Brussels); $60.00/year for U.S.A, and Foreign. Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, only that portion of the advertisement will be credited. 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