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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1991-10-23, Page 4Page 4 Tknes-Advocate, October 23, 1991 Publisher: Jim Beckett News Editor: Adrian Harte Business Manager: Don Smith Composition Manager: Deb Lord Second Class Mall Registration Number 0386 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: CANADA Wtthin 40 mil.. (65 km.) addressed to non letter Gamier addressee $30.00 phis $2.10 G.S.T. Ovtlade 40 miles (65 km.) or any letter canter address $30.00 pica $30.00 postage (total $60.00) piss $4.20 41.3.T. Outside Canada $68.00 I;I)I7'ORI.k1. • • pinion ofr„, Freedom first, food later rime Minister Brian Mulron- ey's statement at the Common- wealth summit last week that Canada would not be providing aid to countries with poor records of human rights was not well received by all at- tending delegates. Yet the policy makes a lot of sense. Countries which have trouble feeding their poor are quite often countries with faulty political systems. They argue that if Canada and other western coun- tries help them feed their masses first, they will sit down and discuss political ideology later. What Mulroney is saying is that polit- ical reform must come first. Military dictatorships and one-party "democra- cies" will not be in line for Canada's $2 billion of foreign aid. Consider that Germany, although crushed by the Second World War, was divided into two halves in 1945. Each shared similar technology and labour "Men are never so likely to settle a question rightly as when they discuss it freely." ... Thomas Macauley PurNsNd Each Wedeeeday at 424 Mab It., Exeter, Ontario, NOM 116 L.W. E Publication Ltd. Telephone 1 a...T. an>.OS210SIS forces before the war, but which politi- cal system fostered a prospering indus- trial giant over the past 45 years? Even the Soviet Union came to realize that political reform was necessary. Even though the nation could plant enough wheat to feed itself, its system of government did not possess the organi- zation or equipment to harvest it before it rotted in the fields. The same applies to desert nations that . might be able to irrigate enough land to grow crops if the people were not so op- pressed to believe their efforts would be wasted, or taken for supplies for an overblown military. Mulroney's statements make sense. Canada should not be subsidizing abu- sive regimes, even if some will argue that only the innocent will go hungry. If only Mulroney could have as clear a grasp of the issues at home as he does in international circles. A.D.H. Dear Editor. I would like to detail a few of my concerns on the present situa- tion affecting our farm economy. Just imagine this scenario: an an- nouncement has been made that General Motors, Ford and Chrysler have decided to close up all their Canadian market from the U.S. Of course, that would be instant howls of protest from Canadians a.4 they quickly realized the drastic impact such a move would have on our county. That's because most of us have a fair idea of what devastation such an announcement would have on this country's economy. There would be massive layoffs in the auto industry and its suppliers, fol- lowed by a bloating of unemploy- ment rolls, and a collapse in consu- mer spending because unemployed workers wouldn't have money to spend. That in turn would lead to an even bigger increase in personal and business bankruptcies. a heavy draw on unemployment in- surance, to be followed later by a huge jump in welfare payouts when the people's UIC cheques run out. Of course, govemments would then have to increase taxes or the deficit to cover the in- creased welfare payments. Canadians would also howl at those large tax increases needed to support health care, education and social services on shrinking reve- nuet. and would demand (and eventually get) tax cuts from em- battled governments. It would cer- tainly mean cuts to some of the public services that we now take for granted. Even those publicly sector professions - which are now insulated from the free market and inflation -- such as government workers, doctors, teachers, and university professors, would even- tually have to take pay cuts, reduc- tions in fringe benefits like pen- sions, etc. and might even face the layoffs. As the effects of such collapses rippled through the Canadian economy, hundreds of other sec- tors would be adversely affected. For instance, real estate values would plummet as unemployed families, unable to keep up their payments, would be forced to dump their homes on the market at fire sale prices. This in turn would Letter to Editor threaten equity values, which in turn would erode potential retire- ment incomes of our senior citizens who rely on selling their homes for substantial part retirement money. It could even affect to viability of some of ow weaker banks and trust companies. Our savings, our invest- ments in Canadian companies, even our pension plans would be in jeop- ardy. Seems kind of far out, doesn't it/ precisely what111 Ridiculous? And yet, that is could happen if Canadians lost all or part of their agricul- tural industry. First there is havoc from the free trade agreement with the United States and now there is a new threat from the Americans at the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) talks. Presently being negotiated among 101 other counties in the world in Brussels, Belgium, a poor deal at GATT would mean the loss of a large part of Canada's agriculture industry which annually puts $5 billion in Ontario farmers' pockets. It stimu- lates the Ontario economy to the tune of 420 billion a year when you count in supplies and equipment purchases, processing, transporta- tion etc. Unfortunately, most peo- ple don't realize that food produc- tion is the second largest industry in the province and that its loss could . cause the devastation out- lined above. A "Deal" is expected to be made this fall at GATT, and one of the items on the table for negotiations is an item called "Article Ii" which is little understood by the general public basically, what it does is give a few countries like Canada the ability to match production of certain farm commodities, such as dairy and poultry products, with the domestic demand. At the same • rime, it sets the price( the farmer 'rill receive for these products. It must be stressed emphatically at this point that farmers have no con- trol of the retail price, which can be considerably higher than the farm gate price. This system, called "supply man- agement" has worked very well in the last 25 years in Canada, both for the farmer and the consumer, and has become the envy of the world as a sane way to market. It has given us a stable, safe, and nu- tritious supply of dairy and poultry producers for consumers at a rea- sonable price, while giving farm families a fair rate of return for their huge investments and labour, based on a "Cost of production for- mual". 1t has meant that there has been no excess production for Can- adain taxpayers to buy up and un- load on the world market at fire sale prices, as is the case now with American and European fanners. It also allows a certain amount of those products to be imported ,in the event there is a shortage here, but keeps Canada from being a dumping ground for all other counties who can't get their act to- gether. And yet, supply management farmers are fearful that Prime Min- ister Brian Mulroney, through his Canadian trade negotiators, will buckle under to American de- mands to end protection of our Ca- nadian farmers under Article 11. It would allow Americans to use Canada as a dumping ground for their dairy and chicken products, and would, in effect, transfer bil- lions of dollars out of the Canadian economy and into the U.S. econo- my, killing thousands of Canadian farms, closing hundreds of process- ing plants, and giving us the sce- nario described at the beginning of this letter. Already we are_letting some of that devastation caused to our economy and rural communities by the collapse of grain and oil seed prices, the result of an unfair grain trading ware in which Canadian farmers are caught in the crossfire of subsidies between U.S. and Eu- ropean farmers. We cannot allow such a scenario to happen to our dairy and poultry industries as well. If you've never had a strong reason in the past to speak to your Member of Parlia- ment about the future of this coun- try, surely now is the time. All this talk about a new constitution will be meaningless if we don't have a strong economy on which to Mae it. We must stop the sellout of Ca- nadian agriculture now! Yours sincerely, Jim Fizgerald, Editor The Rural Voice magazine Blyth, Ontario Alma Mater I hadn't heard from Mark in months so I dialed his number. ;Yes, he agreed:jwe should get together soon. In fact, what about Saturday's Homecoming football game? Considering that the Univetsi ty is only a few miles away in London and I travel near or through the campus every now and again, I didn't really think twice about what it would mean to go back for Homecoming. But as I walked through the doors of the University Commu- nity Centre, the UCC, I sudden- ly realized it had been longer than I thought since I was last in there. I was a little early to meet Mark, so I headed downstairs to the book store to see if I could buy a scarf for the football game. The weather in Exeter was much warmer than the cold winds that were whipping about my neck on campus. Neverthe- less, despite selling t -shirts, sweatshirts, and jackets of every shape and size with UWO or Westem logos on them, I could not find one scarf in the build- ing. No, I He. It was possible to buy a tiny teddy bear wearing a purple and white scarf and hat, but the full-size item was no- where to be seen. I was, however, welcome. By signing in as an alumni, I was presented with a crested mug as a moaf my pilgrimage. Heading back upstairs I began to notice some of the changes to the building. A new coffee shop had appcare,d in one of the walls, no doubt offering a better class alter rp,to the. blown sludge we -used to drink while studying or reading in the UCC. A medium coffee and a muffin cost me $2.09, so I assume to - Hold that thought... By Adrian Harte day's students are a lot richer than we were only a few years ago. There was also a huge area of the cafeteria set aside as a "one stop recycling centre". Bins la- belled for all kinds of recycla- bies stood proudly in rows. Banners proclaiming some kind of "green" plan hung overhead. Marie eventually arrived, com- menting on the irony that the one pair of doors we agreed to meet near were now replaced by a continuous brick wall. After buying more coffee and debating Canada's political chaos from our former thrones in the reading lounge, we toured the building once more and headed for the football game. My concern for a lack of a scarf was largely unwarranted. Alternating with hail, rain, and sun every few minutes, the weather was virtually balmy compared to other football games I had been to. Mark agreed, saying university foot- ball without rain was not a spec- tator sport. Letter to Editor Any fears I may have had about Western losing its "coun- try` club of universities" reputa- tion were dispelled with the opening ceremonies. After a thousand or so purple and white balloons w ere re- leased into the atmosphere (where are the recycling bins now?) the UWO team were led onto the field by a woman gal- loping a white horse up and down the field. As if that spectacle wasn't enough, I spotted the pep squad getting ready for the national an- them by unfurling a purple and white Canadian flag. Even though the word "sacrilege" crossed my mind, I couldn't help but think it might be more at- tractive than what currently flies on Parliament Hill. With the pep squad, the marching band, the cheerlead- ers, half the spectators, and yes, the team, decked out in purple and white, there was no doubt that this game was going to be a complete rout of the visiting Waterloo contingent. The rules for the Homecoming game have never changed: Western has to win. And with a score of 48-18, it became appar- ent that Waterloo were having as much trouble with the divots left by the horse as with the Western offense. By the time the final hom sounded, Mark andl agreed we shb"uld-ave called a few other former classmates before head- ing for Homecoming. In the crowds of thousands, I never saw one person I recognized. Get out and vote Dear Editor: It seems Exeter is to have a mu- nicipal election in 1991. This is a sign that democracy is alive and well in our lovely town. It would be a healthy sign if all offices were to be contended, even granting that many of the present office holders are well suited for their jobs and reasonably popular with die town's folk. it seems we arc to choose six councillors out of a larger field, so we have a choice. Once the eke- , tion is over, only those who took the time and trouble to vote have tamed the right to be criti- `ea cal of the results. If you don't vote, shut up. All of which brings to mind the polidcal truism of how you pick the six. Most polit- ical pundits contend we are basical- ly lazy, and pick the first six names on the list. So if your name is "Wy- sink$" and so are located at the end of the list, you will likely lose. One way around the , and to be fair to "Mr. W nski", is to pick one or two people you re- spect and vote for them alone, two manes instead of six. This strength- ens your vote and is fair to Wysin- ski who may be the best of the lot. Everybody eligible should voter Young . (J.M. Gibson)