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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1995-02-22, Page 4Frozen in place Photo by Janice Becker • Amen eNA P.O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152, Publisher, Keith Roulston BLYTH, Ont. BRUSSELS, Ont. Editor, Bonnie Gropp NOM 1H0 NOG 1H0 Phone 523.4792 Phone 887-9114 Sales Representatives, FAX 523.9140 FAX 887-9021 Jeannette McNeil and Julie Mitchell The Citizen Is published weekly in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable In advance at a rate of $23.00/year ($21.50 plus $1.50 G.S.T.) for local; $33.00/year ($30.85 plus $2.15 G.S.T.) for local letter carrier in Goderich, Hanover, Listowel, etc. and out-of-area (40 miles from Brussels); $62.00/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. 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. Publications Mail Registration No. 6968 The North Huron Looking Back Through the Years From the files of The Blyth Stan- dard, The Brussels Post and The North Huron Citizen 55 YEARS AGO FEB. 21, 1940 Blyth Reeve George McNall travelled to Toronto for the Good Roads Convention. Mr. George Watt received quite a shock while taking his dog for a walk. When the pair stopped at the CPR tracks to allow the train to pass the frightened dog fell to the ground dead. Tragedy struck the home of Dun- gannon resident Otto Popp. Mr. Popp was coming to the aid of a friend who had been in an automo- bile accident in Auburn, when his own home caught fire and burned to the ground. Warden George Feagan attended the Ontario Plowmen's Association meeting in Toronto. He made a bid for the 1942 International Plowing match to be held in Huron County. 26 YEARS AGO FEB. 19, 1969 R.N. Alexander of Londesboro was presented with the outstanding service award for his work with the Canadian Seed Growers' Associa- tion. Joan Black won the annual public speaking contest at East Wawanosh School, while Mary Garniss took second place. Hullett council appointed Harry Tebbutt as their representative to the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority. Sheron Collins was named the new president of the Auburn 4-H Club. Gail Seers was elected as THE EDITOR, SWAN (Stop Woman Abuse Now), the Co-ordinating Committee Against Woman Abuse in Huron County, is organizing a demonstration to take place on Saturday, Feb. 25. This is part of a national campaign to call attention to the Supreme Court of Canada's decision regarding: - the defence of intoxication in a vice-president, and Doreen McClinchey took the job as secre- tary. The Knox Presbyterian Church held it's 108th annual meeting at the home of Mr. Donald Haines. Rev. R.U. McLean conducted the service. Mr. and Mrs. Neil McGavin of Walton returned home after spend- ing nearly two weeks on a skiing holiday in Vermont . Chicken legs cost 49 cents a pound, while fresh celery stalks were sold at 29 cents. case of sexual assault, and - the creation of a new offence - 'criminal intoxication This National Day of Action is for both women and men to express their opinions and anger and to raise public awareness about this injustice in our legal system. We will be calling upon the federal government to pass a law Continued on page 6 Letter to the editor PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1995. Government mustn't back down The government of Jean Chretien does not have an admirable record when it comes to trade matters. It wanted renegotiations on NAFTA, then settled for little. It said it would protect farmers under supply management in the GATT negotiations, then said there was little it could do except bring in high tariffs. It's little wonder then that farmers are nervous as Mr. Chretien prepares to meet with U.S. President Bill Clinton this week. The U.S. has been pushing Canada to open access to our markets for milk and dairy products at a faster rate than the GATT agreement called for. The Americans claim that NAFTA said there could be no new tariffs and the GATT replacement tariffs shouldn't apply. It's called having your cake and eating it too: it sounds ridiculous, but the U.S. trade negotiators don't mind how silly they sound, they only want to win, and if they throw their weight around enough, they usually do. So it's not much wonder that farmers under supply management are nervous. While he has talked a good game of standing up to the U.S., Mr. Chretien has yet to prove it. The GATT tariffs were set to help farmers adapt to the changing international rules. Canadian farmers didn't want the change. They were quite satisfied with a unique Canadian system which provided reliable supplies of products at prices that kept the family farm strong. Communities, too, benefited. By keeping more farmers at work, it meant rural communities had more people to shop in stores, more people to pay for roads, more people to pay for schools. Farmers must have the protection of the GATT tariffs while they last. Reluctantly, farmers have accepted the changes and begun to adapt to the new world. If the government sells farmers out now to U.S. pressures, it will lose all credibility and rural communities will lose a chance to have an orderly change to the new world that's coming. — KR Trust the people It was revealing, and a relief, for those Canadians outside Quebec, to hear the results of a CBC poll last week that showed just how similar views of Quebecers were to the rest of Canada when it comes to Quebec independence. It's a reminder that we should trust the wisdom of the people, and not listen to the silliness of the politicians. Too often what we hear from Quebec is only the dreamland speeches of the nationalists, Premier Jacques Parizeau and Bloc Quebecois leader Lucien Bouchard and all their supporters. Too often we're apt to think that this is the true feeling of the Quebec people and either get depressed, or get angry. But the survey showed that the Quebec people come closer to reflecting over-all Canadian attitudes than those of their nationalist leaders. There was, of course, the fact that if a referendum was held today based on the question proposed ("Do you support the bill passed by the Quebec legislature?"), it would be defeated 60 per cent to 40 per cent, the exact same count as the 1980 referendum. But just as important were other opinions picked up in the poll. A large majority of Quebecers don't feel that a 50 per cent, plus one, vote shouldn't be enough for the province to declare independence: most felt the tally needed to be at least 60 per cent. A majority of Quebecers felt that the question should be a simple one, not one that would fudge the question and look like a "yes" for separation when it wasn't anything of the kind. Most recognized that the Quebec government's rosy promises that they would have all the benefits of Canadian citizenship while having independence were unrealistic. Most even felt that if Quebec had the right to separate from Canada, then regions of the province had the right to separate from Quebec and remain with Canada. The poll's results have the separatists scrambling, with Mr. Bouchard suggesting the vote should be delayed until the separatists can be sure they will win, and that the question should be changed to try to trick more people into supporting it. What the polls shows, however, is that delays and trickery aren't likely to help the separatists. The people of the province are wiser than we have often given them credit for. The one thing that Mr. Bouchard and Mr. Parizeau can hope for is some kind of stupid anti-Quebec incident elsewhere in Canada that, like that Brockville Quebec flag stomping, would enrage Quebecers and make them think we are as unreasonable as we have often thought they were. Canadians outside Quebec must continue to keep their cool and trust Quebecers to make the right decision. It seems they will. — KR E ditorial