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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1994-03-02, Page 5! Arthur Black Newfoundlanders have what we’ve lost Canada's 13th Prime Minister John George Diefenbaker, probably had the healthiest attitude towards public opinion polls. Back in the early 60s a reporter asked the Chief what he thought of a newspaper poll that showed his popularity was on the wane. Diefenbaker, eyes blazing, looked down at the reporter and thundered "Poles? Poles? You know what dogs do to poles!" And fair comment too. The trouble with polls is that they are mostly wrong, irrelevant - or they tell you things that anyone with the IQ of a cauliflower already knows. Take this recent Maclean's magazine poll. "Newfoundlanders are Canada's busiest lovers," it shrieks. Yeah...so? Is this supposed to be a surprise? The pollsters thought perhaps that retirees in Victoria or brokers on Bay Street could seriously challenge residents of the Rock when it comes to amour? But I thought everybody knew that Newfoundland was the Love Nest of the Canadian psyche. I mean look at the place names! International Scene A reason to be optimistic It goes without saying that I get letters critical of my point of view; any columnist gets them. I once got one from the Nigerian High Commissioner's office in Ottawa complaining that my rather negative report on the country was, among other things, detrimental to Nigeria's tourist industry. I was surprised to hear that there was such a thing, let alone that I was hurting it. Another letter was from a reader about my own age who, if I took the tone of the letter properly, had reduced me to the level of drug pushers who were corrupting a whole generation of readers. There have been, of course, other writers less critical but I have always taken solace in a famous statement by U.S. President Harry Truman that, if you cannot stand the heat, you should get out of the kitchen. At any rate, one of my readers in Kincardine, a Mr. B. E. Tanner, has written to The Independent stating that he does not share my optimistic view of Canada's future. I have never met Mr. Tanner and I can accept the fact that there are probably quite a few people all over Canada who are prepared to tar and feather me for my stand on such things as our future, as well as the country's venture into the realm of trade liberalization with both the U.S. and Mexico. I do, however, think that Mr. Tanner deserves an answer and, while I cannot hope to bring him around to my point of view, perhaps I can soften his a bit. In the article which I wrote, he pointed out that I "conveniently left out 150 years of exploitation and labour turmoil" in the wake of the first Industrial Revolution and the second one in which we fmd ourselves. He goes on to insist that ordinary workers didn't Take a sTiort drive up the east coast oi Trinity Bay and before you can say I'se the Bye you'll find yourself passing through a trio of hamlets called Heart's Delight, Heart's Desire and Heart's Content. Toronto has the Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway. Newfoundland has Tickle Cove. British Columbia has Richmond and Comox and Surrey. Newfoundland has Bareneed and Ha Ha Bay and Nancy Oh. And that's without even getting into the lascivious Newfoundland place names - names like Cupids and Spoon Cove. Leading Tickles and Conception Bay. Comfort Cove. Breakheart Point. Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Not to mention Dildo, Dildo Arm, Dildo Cove, Dildo Islands, Dildo Pond, Dildo Run and South Dildo. Pretty hard to be a puritan when you're living in a suggestible landscape like that. Some Newfoundlanders claim it's the seafood diet that give them their sexual stamina. Others say its the combination of isolation and even tougher than usual economic times that account for the popularity of mankind's oldest indoor sport. I think it might be something else. Anyone who's ever visited Newfoundland cannot fail to notice that the residents there still cling to something that the rest of us seem to have misplaced. I don't know what to call it. It seems to be made up of generous dollops of innocence, genuine friendliness, innate kindness and an By Raymond Canon benefit greatly from the first one until well into the 20th Century. I suppose our interpretation of events may revolve around the word "greatly", but it is my contention that the birth of the labour unions during the first Industrial Revolution resulted in a dramatic improvement for the workers in the period of 1830-1880. All he has to do is compare what they were like before the British Parliament recognized the legality of such unions with what they were like at the formation of the Labour Party in Great Britain about 50 years later. In a recent edition of Time magazine the editors emphasize that high levels of unemployment are endemic all over the industrialized world and not only in Canada. One of the main reasons for this is the changing nature of our jobs, so rapid, in fact, that it is hard to keep up. Thus, whether Mr. Tanner or anybody else likes it or not, retraining is going to become a characteristic of our life. How long is it going to take? Good question! Probably during a person's entire working life. How are we going to pay for it? One way would be to make unemployment insurance benefits be contingent on a recipient being retrained. Given the complaint about abuses of the system, that would not be a bad thing. Frankly I get a bit weary of hearing about jobs that have "left" Canada. Many of them left long before the FT A or NAFTA ever came in view. Has it not occurred to people that jobs can leave Canada for a number of reasons, many of which have nothing to do with free trade? We may, for example, have priced ourselves out of world markets; all countries do that in some industries. Putting up realistic barriers may be another. Either we leam to compete with the world or we start learning what it's like to be a banana republic. In backing up his statements, Mr. Tanner makes the statement that 70 per cent of the unsinkable urge to enjoy life. Which they do, in spite of a grim climate, an unforgiving ocean, a moribund economy - and the stupid Newfie Jokes the (secretly envious) rest of Canada tells about them. You want a Newfie Joke? I'll tell you one. I heard it in a bar on Duckworth Street one night when a raucous table of "Come From Aways" was filling the smoky air with Newfie jokes. It went on for a while until finally the waiter, a brawny Bayman, came over to the table, put down his tray and leaned on our table on his two hairy fists. It looked like trouble. Until he opened his mouth. "There was a Toronto feller came here to live in St. Jahn's t'ree years ago" he told us. "After a couple of months he noticed a strange t'ing while he was shavin’ one morning. He had this brown ring runnin' right across his forehead. Wellsir, he rushed right down to the Emergency Ward of the hospital. The doctor examined the ring on his forehead. Didn't say a word. The feller wit' the ring said "What is it doctor? Is it serious?" The doctor looked at him and said 'You're from Toronto are ye?' 'That's right!' said the feller wit' the ring. 'But how could you know that? And what is this brown ring anyway?' 'Tis nothing to worry about' said the Doctor. 'You're merely full of shit and down a quart.' " And then the waiter bought us a round of beer. TV sets sold in the U.S. are made in Mexico. I disagree; I think he has used the wrong verb. They are assembled there but the component parts are certainly not made there; the Mexicans can put together but they do not have the ability yet to make all the parts. This is the sort of blanket statement that I have to contend with on a weekly basis but, if we are going to quote "facts", let's get them straight. Mr. Tanner does not have to share my optimism: I plead guilty to being an optimist which is hard to be in a country that seems to have a colossal inferiority complex, something that I suspect results in part from living next to "the greatest nation in the world." Given that we have two strikes against us because of our geography and our weather can frequently be the pits, but have you ever stopped to think what we have accomplished in competing with the rest of the world? Our workers, in spite of industrial revolutions, enjoy one of the highest standards of living anywhere. Don't believe all you read about other nations; they all have problems. In the 11 countries I worked or lived in, there is none that I would trade for Canada. We have all kinds of assets in this country and, if the deficit is forcing us to do more things on our own, so much the better. If there is any country that can come close to creating a Garden of Eden, it is Canada. We have untold mineral wealth, space, a varied and well educated work force and unsurpassed political freedom. What more does a country need to become great? In my teaching career I have taught well over 10,000 students, probably closer to 20,000. I have tried to instill my optimism in them although I leave them under no illusion about the adjustments and hard work that has to be carried out to achieve our goals. Mr. Tanner, when was life ever any different? THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2,1994. PAGE 5. The Short of it By Bonnie Gropp Whose life is it? Last week a memorial service was held to honour Sue Rodriguez, the Victoria woman who was a victim of Amyotrophic Laterial Sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Ms Rodriguez earned national attention over the past year with her struggle to legalize doctor assisted suicide. Rather than wait out the ravages of ALS and succumb to inevitable death, Ms Rodriguez fought for the right to die with dignity. Early last week CBC showed a documentary chronicling the last 18 months of her life and her battles with this demoralizing, painful disease and with a system panicked by this moral decision. Ms Rodriguez, who believed that control over her life was her own, admitted to being surprised by the opposition. Life is a valuable gift, but isn't it rather sanctimonious of us to presume to tell someone else how to live, or as the case this time, when to end it? While I revel in my existence and fmd it difficult to imagine at this point that I could ever choose to end it, my sympathies are with Ms Rodriguez. As a very young girl, I watched someone die of ALS and the impact it left me with has not diminshed. Like Sue Rodriguez, Uncle George was also someone who enjoyed life. He had his business, a family and friends. When he was stricken with ALS he fought for that life with courage and determination, though he was told time and again he would inevitably die. Yet, even with that will to live, there were times when ALS controlled. His ever sharp mind continued to watch the slow, but steady disintegration of his body, until he could no longer do even the simplest tasks for himself. His wife fed him, helped him with personal hygiene and even woke at intervals throughout the long nights to help him roll over. But, it wasn't just the indignities of the disease, it was the unrelenting pain that chipped away at his early determination. One bad day, as it became clear that the death sentence would not be repealed, he sat, beaten and said,"We are more kind to horses." When I asked him what he meant he explained that when the quality of life for an animal is reduced to such a level they are put out of their misery. People on the other hand, are to respect the gift and regardless of how bad it is live with it. I was young, barely 10, but I recall how strange that seemed to me then; if he wanted to die, he should be able to. As I grew older, however, I did come to understand better the complexities that cloud the issue. But I have never forgotten the look on his face and the misery he endured. Complexities have not changed the fact that for several years this brave man battled the inevitable until, like most ALS victims he choked to death. This was not an issue of unclear thought. There are less mysteries surrounding ALS than in 1968 when Uncle George died; Sue Rodriguez knew most ALS victims die in two years, and with a calm and rational mind she asked to painlessly and legally end it a little earlier then scheduled. As she wept, Sue Rodriguez said she hoped her son would remember her for doing something important and be proud of her. If the Supreme Court vote of 5-4 against her request is an indication, it would seem that the tide may be changing and her fight will have meant a good deal to others looking for a merciful way out of a living hell.