Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1995-12-06, Page 4Glazed fruit Letters I'HE EDITOR, On Dec. 6, Huron women elementary teachers will be w'taring rose button pins on their lapels to commemorate Canada's National Day of Remembrance and Action to End Violence Against Women. This marks the sixth anniversary of the Montreal Massacre of 14 young female engineering students, who were gunned down by a jealous, misguided young man. Student organizations in several local high schools have also been active in promoting awareness of this tragic anniversary. Seaforth and Exeter high school students are selling rose button lapel pins, while Central Huron students are wearing white ribbons to protest violence against women. At South Huron in Exeter a special assembly program will be held with the same theme. Violence is a global issue. Women and girls around the world face emotional and physical abuse, rape, sexual assault, genital mutilation, dowry deaths, sexual slavery, and female infanticide. But violence is a local issue as well. Even in a supposedly ,"civilized" country like Canada, our young female university and college students drive to and from school on well lit highways with their hair tucked into ball caps. And university escort services have had to be made available so that female students can get safely hack across campus to their dorm rooms after late night classes. Even in our rural community young high-school-aged girls silently suffer the degradation of "shushed-up" date rapes while their uncaring molesters go free to victimize once again. And the rooms at Friendship House, our county women's shelter, are more often than not filled to capacity. Violence is a chosen response. Those who perpetrate violence against others must take responsibility for their actions. And violence in the home and society begets more violence in future generations. Every community and every institution must work to build a culture of safety, equality and justice for women and children. The Federation of Women Teachers' Associations of Ontario (FWTAO) has been actively involved in anti-violence work on behalf of women and children for many years and has lobbied the Photo by Janice Becker government repeatedly over related issues. In the recent debate over gun-control legislation the Federation presented a brief to the government which said that teachers see "younger and younger children behaving more aggressively. We see more severe forms of violent behaviour among children: Most devastating and most relevant to our concern for serious gun control measures, we see more incidents involving weapons, even among elementary school children. There is debate about the causes of increased violence among the young, but whatever the degree of culpability of television or rock videos, one thing we know: a society which tolerates and even glorifies the unrestricted ownership and use of weapons does not need to look further for the causes of violence." Another point made in the submission was that women face more risks in relationships if guns are easily available. And the tragic statistics of youth suicide become even more terrible when guns are present "as it is then all too easy for momentary despair to lead, not just to melancholy but to death." Other action specifically directed towards violence has been FWTAO's active campaign against Continued on page 7 PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1995. C 1 hell The North Huron BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1995 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 Advertising Manager, FAX 523.9140 FAX 887-9021 Jeannette McNeil The Citizen is published weekly In Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $25.00/year ($21.37, $2.00 oostage, $1.63 G.S.T.) for local; $33.30/year ($21.50, 9.35 postage, $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 Welcome emperor Harris While people were busy mulling over the cuts in the provincial government's economic statement last week, another bill that could have a much wider impact on the daily lives of citizens was quietly introduced in the legislature. The "Savings and Restructuring Bill" gives huge new powers to the provincial government. For instance, the act gives Minister of Municipal Affairs Al Leach the power to unilaterally merge municipalities, whether the locally elected councils agree or not. Does anybody smell regional government? Minister of Health Jim Wilson will have the power to close hospitals, cut or increase medical fees paid to doctors and limit the number of doctors practising in any area of the province. It means that with no local recourse, the government could close some of the hospitals in Huron County. The act also makes it harder to find out what the government is doing. Not only can the provincial or municipal governments charge more for people requesting information under the Freedom of Information Act, but it gives more reasons the governments can refuse to give out information. The best form of government is always a dictatorship you agree with. It gets things done quickly without the mess of democratic discussion and compromise getting in the way. It seems Premier Harris feels the need to take the power to make thinks happen the way he wants them too. He's sure he has the correct vision for the province. No doubt we'll agree with him sometimes: Monday's announcement of special funding for physicians to work in rural hospitals' emergency departments is welcome in rural areas. In the long run, however, we didn't elect an emperor, we elected a democratic government — or so we thought. The government's determination to ram through this huge omnibus bill without proper debate before the Christmas recess shows it feels it is too correct to chance living with democracy. Ontario residents should turn their attention away from the effects of the government cuts and focus for a while on the implications of this bill. Their lives could change in ways beyond their control if the government is allowed to get away with this power grab. — KR Reform grinch ignores world need If Preston Manning and the Reform Party had their way, it's uncertain if Canada would be a leaner place, but it certainly would be a meaner place. Whenever a subject like Canada's responsibilities in peacekeeping comes up, the Reform Party puts forward a policy that says one Canadian life shouldn't be risked in order to save the lives of thousands elsewhere. Typical is the Reform opposition to Canada taking part in the peace force in the former Yugoslavia. Ten Canadians have died trying to help the people who have been victims of one of the most brutal ethnic wars. Dozens more have been wounded. We have payed a heavy price for our involvement. But how many lives have been saved by our involvement? That is much harder to measure. Only the soldiers themselves know how much they have helped people. Nearly all who have served in Bosnia and Croatia feel the situation would have been worse if they hadn't been there. If you extend Reform thinking, we should pull the police off the streets because in doing their jobs, they are putting their lives at risk. Reformers wouldn't accept this, of course, because the lawbreakers might hurt them right in their own homes. Their kind of self-centred world means nothing matters except what puts them at risk. Canada has been a world leader in extending the idea that there should be police, not just on our own streets, but in the international arena. Canadians have felt that just because some powerful bullies want to kill each other doesn't mean innocent people should be left to suffer. We haven't always been successful. We have been embarrassed by the behaviour of a few troops in Somalia. We haven't been able to bring lasting peace to Bosnia. We have tried, however, and we must go on trying as long as people need help. 11 Someday we might want others to care about us the way we have cared about others. — KR E ditorial