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Home My WebLink AboutLakeshore Advance, 2012-02-08, Page 294 Lakeshore Advance • Wednesda Februa 16, 2011 opinion www.lakeshoreadvanc,e.c:oin tl(osl,oro AMOCO PUBLISHED WEEKLY RO.BOX 1195 58 Ontario St., North Grand Bend ON NOM 1TO phone: 519-238-5383 fax: 519-238-5131 email: (advance@bowesnet.com SUN MEDiA A Quebecor Media Company NEIL CLIFFORD Publisher/ Advertising Manager ndtffordObowesnet.com LYNDA HILLMAN-RAPLEY Editor Iadvanceebowesnet.com STEVE NORTHEY Advertising Sales JULIE HARRISON Typesetting/Classifieds KATHY YOUNG Accounts Receivable SUBSCRIPTION RATES ADVANCE: Regular 539.95 (38.05+1.90 GST) Online subscriptions available—same rates PuDNcatlons Mail Agreement No.40084883 PAP REGISTRATiON NO. 7594 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADU►N ADDRESSES TO LAKESi ORE ADVANCE CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT P.O.Box 1195 58 Ontario St. North Grand Bend ON NOM 1 TO For any non -deliveries or delivery concerns: phone: 519-238-5383 e -mai: tadvanceObowesnet.com Changes of address, orders for subscription, and undeliverable copies (return postage guaranteed) are to be sent to Lakeshore Ad►rtrace at the address indicated here. Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of *typographical error, the portion of the advertising space occupied by the erroneous nem together with a reasonable allowance tor signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertise- ment will be paid at the applicable rates. 'lNi Woo** tie finsmAris ppatof11. Ohre mento/Caned"UvoughUA.Rebra.dasAadiYno.Aogrrn (Nip) board oarmedic coals" Canada" A«na eill, opc editorial Want a sure vote -winner? Back values ��Michael �yDerrtartid Contrary to popular opinion, most politi- cians are not inntx'ciles. Many are clever and a few are brilliant. So low -hanging fruit in politics is hard to come by. lilt's a vote -winner and doable and good for the country, chances are sotfleone has already done it or is planning to. So why, we have to ask, have neither the lib- erals nor Conservatives yet seized the banner of Canadian "values -based" it atriotism and made it their own? It's waiting to he done. It should be done. Whoever does it will reap a powerful electoral benefit, maybe even a majority -building wave. 'they'll tap into sentiment that bubbles just beneath surface everywhere across Canada, especially in Quebec. So why haven't they done it? Last week in Munich, British Prime Minister David (:atneron made an extraordinary speech. Some young British Muslims, he said, find it hard to identify with Britain beeause "we've allowed the weakening of our collective identity. Under the doctrine of state multicul- turalism we've encouraged different cultures to live separate lives apart from each other and apart from the mainstream." Cameron We've failed to provide a vision of society to which they feel they want to belong. We've even tolerated these segregated e otmmt- nities behaving in ways that run completely counter to our vats:. So when a white person holds objeetion€able views, racist views for instance, we rightiy condemn thein. But %viten Nuttily unacceptable views or practices roust' from someone who isn't ‘vhite, we've been too cautious frankly -- frankly even fearful -- to stand up to theta:' Cameron was condemned by opposition politicians, who said he was playing to Britain's far night. 'the Muslim Council of Btitaln called the speech "disappointing." !len' in Canada, then' wasn't i11uch response at all. It was as though the British PM hadn't opened his untruth. Or as though everything he said didn't apply equally here. When of course, it does. 'the recent sprat over kirparts in Quebec's leg- islative assembly is a case in point. 'Ihire weeks ago a group of observant Sikhs were turned away from the aasstie'nibty building after tln'y refused to leave their kirpans, small ceremonial daggers, with security, 'this week, Quebec MIAs voted unanimously to support the has. In Ottawa this issue has h.een handled with great delicacy -- as though it were the unfortu- nate act of a misguided cousin. Neither (tithe major parties quite knows what to do when one "oppressed" minority flexes its cultured muscles In a clash with another "oppressed" tninority.'lhe political reflexes cancel each other out. Canadians have grown accustomed over the past 41) years to thinking it's rude to assert shared values -- secularism, fret` siwech, gen- der equality, religious pluralism, racial equality, the right to laugh at anything -- when they con • t11rt with the religious observances of a minority. Cameron's point is that Britons can no longer safely allow this to continue.'Ihe dem- onstrated murderous capacity of British home- grown militant Islam, in particular, tuts junvt'it this. 'the sane applies here. We rmist become more intolerant of intolerance. We must insist 00 live -and -let -live, rather than sinnpiy advo- cate for it and hope for the hest. A simple way to make this point in Canada would ix' to amend the Oath of Citizenship, to include a vow to uphold values of tolenture, liberty and gender equality. Yet none orate parties it Ottawa want to go there. Why not? Conservatives are afraid it would backfire, alienating communities they're work- ing hard to woo. And Liberals art' stuck in their belief that state-sponsored multiculturalism is a sacred cow. nap'iuu'l.den ta►ul@sunnu'rlui.rya letters to the editor Writer would like real answers 7b the Editor: If you are a supporter of the CBC, you may have recently signed a petition or two pro- testing the musings of our I leritage Minister, Dean Del Maestro, wondering if it was not time to get out of public broadcasting. 'Then, you probably received a letter, ostensibly from your Member of Parliament assuring you that the Federal Government has no intention of cutting the CBC loose. I luh? 1 saw the video; l heard his com- ments. The thousands of us who have signed the petitions can't all be deaf and blind, As I read the letter, supposedly from my MP, Hen Lobb, I began to suspect that it did not emanate from his office nor was the con- tent his work. Apparently we all got the same 1.'tter and it actually came from the Prime Minister's office. So, 1 spoke to friends, political people in the know, well informed acquaintances and this is what I found out. Mr. Lobb, a.k.a, the PMO tells us: "In the last election we made specific promises to either maintain or increase fund - ing to the CBC and we have delivered. Inflict our Conservative Government has increased support to CBC in every one of our budgets, " What actually happened was that during the recession, according to the Federal gov- ernment's own estimates, total spending on the CBC was reduced by about 63 million in the 2009-10 fiscal year. Lobb's (sic) letter read: "By comparison the last l.iberrtl Gove'rn- me'nt delivered $414 million in budget nets to the CB(;, amounting to 4,000 jobs lost." That much is true. If you go to www. friends.ca/fact-sheet/252, you will see a chart that clearly outlines the drop in fund- ing during the years that Jean Chretien was Prune Minister. 'ihen the letter continues with: "1 would also point out that the N1)1' has voted against funding for the (.BC every year we have been in office." Me Friends of the (:HC refute that claim and point out that is: "'lie comment about the NOP is mis- leading because what the NOP did was vote against they budget. They were no mon' voting against "funding for the CRC" than they were against old age pensions or the Governor Ge'neral's salary." 1 am disgusted. 1 not disgusted by the spins on the truth that are in this letter. I ant disgusted by the fact that every time 1 write to my Member of Parliament i receive a form letter in return. i have requested sev- eral times that Mr. iobb answer the issues i address but all I get is the same carefully for- mulated release from the PMO. Whether or not 1 helped elect Mr. Lobb, he is meant to represent me as one of his constituents, the final paragraph of the letter is insult- ing in its insincerity: "'hank you again for taking the time to write." Well,1 will probably write again, knowing full well that i will once again be answered by a generic response. Hut, the most mean- ingful letter! will write will he the letter "X" on the election ballot beside the non -Con- servative candidate of my choice, Yours sincerely, Annette Lindsay Zurich Thunder moving on to OMHA semi finals lb the Editor: 'the Zurich Midget 'thunder finished tht' last playdown series vs,Hotinweli in 4 ( dunes. Winning Game 1 on Feb.3rd in Rothwell 4-3, losing Game 2 on !tome Ice 6-4, '(hey then finished the series off with two straight wit is last Wed. and Thurs. night 7-3 anti 5 to time then into the WOAA Finals/OMI IA Semi Finals in the E division vs (Norntanby) from Ayton, Ont. They travel North to Ayton on Monday night (Feb 1 4th) and then host Gana' 2 at the Hluewater (;enter in %urirh tonight (Feb.16th) fin) B:30pm. Coaches, Play ers and Families would like to invite every- one out to help cheer on the defending WOAA /OMI IA Champions to another suc- cessful season. Come out and enjoy some great local hockey! Donna Cooper