Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1996-05-08, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, May 8, 1996 Publisher & Editor- Jim Beckett Business Manager; Don figli>}h Production Manager: Deb Lord Advertising; Barb Consitt, Chad Eery /Hews; Heather Mir, Chris Skalkos, Ross Haugh, Brenda Burke Production; Alma Ballantyne, Mary McMurray, Barb Robertson Brenda Hem, Joyce Weber, Laurel Miner Transportation: Al Flynn, AI Hodgert Front Office & Accounting; Elaine Pinder, Sue Rollings, Ruthanne Negrijn, Anita McDonald, Cassie Dalrymple The Exeter Times -Advocate Is a member of a family of community newspapers providing news, advertising and information leadershipSUIPMenKRAIEL 410 PutdcMlons Mil INdstrMlon Number 0388 One year rate for Ontario absorbers - $36.00 + OST Two year rate for Ontario subscribers - $83.00 + OST inion One year subscription - *63.00 + OST Two year subscription - 511.9.00 + OST OTHER RATES Outside Canada - 598.00 + OST Published Emil Wadnsed yst 424 Main st., Easter, OaRadsq NOM UM by 1.W Early P.blketkms Ltd. Teigreee 61331 • Fax: 816.2354780 IMIOOM sus A I.I)I'IOIZI 1I.ti Sheila finally resigns fter breaking a verbal contract with the voters of Canada Deputy Prime Minister Sheila Copps has taken the only honorable course available to her. After stalling the decision as much as possible Copps announced Wednesday morning she would resign her seat in the House of Commons and seek to have her integrity reaffirmed by the voters in her riding. Copps, who is perhaps the best known victim of the GST, had repeatedly threatened to resign if the Liberal party did not throw out the most hated tax in Canada shortly after being elected in a huge victory. The Liberals were all rid- ing high on voter disdain for the Brian Mulroney Conservatives who had pre- viously sealed their own fate by bring- ing in the Goods and Services Tax. Copp's rhetoric regarding eliminating the GST possibly played a large part in sweeping Liberals to power across the country. After all, the tax was one more reason to throw out the Conservatives. When Finance Minister Paul Martin admitted the Liberals had made a mis- take and were finding it impossible to eliminate the GST Copps was painted into a corner, a victim of overly enthusiastic campaigning. Unfortunate- ly, for a few days, Copps was clinging to power almost as strongly as Prime Min- ister Chretien and Martin were warming up to finally embracing the dreaded tax. Defending an indefensible position has lee to the downfall of many politicians. Comps has shown she is only human, a quality all politicians suddenly discover when they cross from the opposition side of the House of Commons to be- come part of the government. Shooting from the lip can be an effec- tive way of scoring points. Copps has learned the fallout can also be devastat- ing to one's career, however, with prac- tically no opposition in Canada we pre- dict the strength of the Copps name in the Hamilton area will be enough to re- turn her to Ottawa. Letters to the editor IIi♦ '2Y:)1lf4&.I181:l�:�Ja.1kluu ,r, r, Peaceparty or anie g "So often in the busyness of our lives we take for granted the peace which we enjoy in our country." Dear Editor: On Friday, April 26, two Croatian young adults arrived in Toronto as guests of Light The Way Chil- dren's Fund International to begin their five week speaking tour to youth across Ontario and in Que- bec. Zeljko Zorici and Mirela Cernok have come to share their stories about living in a country with war. Their message speaks about having the cou- rage to believe in your dreams regardless of the challenges facing you in your life. The one com- ment they make to the students over and over again is, "Take care of the peace in your life every day and treasure the freedom which peace allows in your lives." Both Zeljko and Mirela speak about how they never expected war to come to their coun- try, and now that it has they appreciate the peace which they once lived in much more. So often in the busyness of our lives we take for granted the peace which we enjoy in our country. This is something a person who has experienced war would never do. To help celebrate peace in our !.)(it ni! 1 country, I have organized a Peace Party on Satur- day, May 11 from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the Kirkton- Woodham Community Centre. Drop in for an after- noon of peace oriented activities and crafts. We will be creating friendship gifts to be sent to the Children of War in the countries where Light The Way has been actively working. We believe that the young people of Canada have the power and freedom to change the world. These creative contributions to friendship and peace will be delivered back to the hands of children in the lands of war when our two youth leaders return home to their country. The chil- dren will also make many crafts to take home. There will be music and dancing, balloons and streamers in the Celebration Room as Zeljko plays his guitar, and Mirela shares her unique artistry of face pat jti ing. It promises to be lots of fun and a great way to welcome our Croatian guests to our community. Re- freshments will also be available. Admission is $2.00 a person and everyone is welcome. For more information call Leslie Switzer at 229-6344. Let's remember the gift of peace we experience in Canada and as Zeljko says, "Take care of the peace in your life every day." Sincerely, Leslie Switzer Co-founder, Light The Way Children's Fund International A View From Queen's Park By Eric Dowd TORONTO - Ontarians itching to know whether most people support Premier Mike Hams' cuts will be bewildered by the polls un- less they know just where they are coming from. A poll commissioned by the Toronto Star found the Liberals have 42 per cent support compared to only 37 per cent for Hams and his Progressive Conservatives. It was the paper's second poll in a few months that found a resur- gence of Liberals. But a poll at the same time for Southam News concluded that the Tories are far ahead with 51 per cent, higher even than when they won last June's election, and the Liberals are at only 34 per cent and, as its own earlier poll found, there was still no trace of a Liberal revi- val. Many normally might wish a plague on both organizations' houses on the ground there is too much emphasis on polling, but there is special interest in how the public feels because Harris is pushing through the most radical package of reforms touching people's lives in Ontario's history. The discrepancy is much larger than normal between polls, which are never an exact sci- ence, and some of it may be explained by the fact the Star traditionally supports the Liberals. In the 1995 election, for example, Star edito- rials pictured Harris as "attacking some of our most fundamental and cherished values" and "oblivious to the pain and human suffering his plan will unleash" and guilty of "Republican - style welfare bashing" and being a "champion of the prejudiced." The paper told readers, "if Harris wins, Met- ropolitan Toronto loses. We prefer the Liber- als." Many of its columnists shared its views and warned that Harris was a "downright mean" leader who was sending "a shiver through the province." Said another: "With Harris as pre- mier, the future will look like Newark," the epitome of depressed U.S. cities. Since the election, the Star has done its best to block Harris's cuts and its latest poll so thor- oughly suited its campaign that it ran a main What's news Brenda 13 Author should be allowed to lie A recent article in Saturday Night magazine claims Canadian author Farley Mowat isa liar. Not only did he supposedly not conduct the Arctic research he described in his books Never Cry Wolf People of the Deer ,and The Desperate People, he _apparently never set foot in an ;;Inuit camp and observed wolves for less than four weeks. The magazine goes 'so far as to depict Mowat on its front cover with his nose toward the end of the page as if he's Pinocchio. "This guy's got as many facts wrong as there are flies on a ,toad that's road kill," replied Mowat in response to the accusations. And as for his nose, he congratulates the magazine for making it appear longer, admitting it always has been "kind of pushed in." The journalist who questions Mowat, John Goddard, refers to the author's journals as well as documents recently made public at the National Archives of Canada. Mowat's books sell millions, make a living writing these days gathering him awards and .:::%ckt alone having people Stirring national interest i }c i culing you, making you feel 1 wildlife and northern people he its if everything you tried to do writes about. doesn't matter. Even if the man Mowat dkd admit Goddard is dishonest, effort must count was right when he said only 90 for something. (And the same hours were spent observing goes for Sheila Copps.) Since I'm not the type for heavy flash and trash sensationalism (one reason for choosing a print career over a television reporter lifestyle), and since I tend to root for the underdog, I feel this magazine has published in poor taste. I'm not even a Farley Mowat fan but that doesn't really matter, not when I'm sticking up for a fellow writer, even if he writes about wolves and I write about council decisions and graduates' careers. If decades of creative writing classes have taught me anything at all, it's to let go, to write what feels best. Perhaps in the world of journalism there are more rules to abide by but in Mowat's case, he deserves all the literary freedom he can dig up. wolves but so what if the guy lied? If he were a journalist, I'd criticize heavily but since he's an author is he not entitled to poetic licence? This brings us back to that old non -issue I've heard battled between university walls time and again. Should someone who hasn't really experienced a situation be allowed to write about it? That was the question. Should white people write from a black person's point of view? Should a woman write from a man's point of view? Who knows. The point is, his books sell like crazy and the man is admired. So, there has to be some magic in his words somewhere. And isn't that what writing is all about? It's hard enough trying to Popularity polls page one headline stating, 'Voters concerned about Tory cuts, poll finds.' But one reason the Star's poll was able to find so many against Harris was that it Asked respondents which par- ty they would vote for only after putting them through a whole series of questions on whether education, health-care and municipal services are deteriorating, which may have reminded some they should feel aggrieved about Harris, without asking a more balancing question, such as whether they prefer saving money. Southam more fairly asked respondents who they would vote for the moment they picked up the phone. This kindness to the Liberals may have been mere accident, but the Star has a history of helping Liberals and sometimes portraying them in polls as more popular than they turned out. It has supported the Liberals in elections with few exceptions. One was in 1977, when the party was led by Stuart Smith and the paper said he was too inexperienced to deal with the unity crisis and the province should stick with reliable Tory premier William Davis. The Star refused to support the Liberals in 1963 more, it was said often, for personal rea- sons -- leader John Wintermeyer was from a wealthy family in Kitchener and the man who ran the Star's editorial policy came from the wrong side of the tracks in that city and couldn't stand him. The Star had a habit in the 1960s and '70s of publishing polls showing.the Liberals were poised to turf out the Tories on the day big Lib- eral conventions started, so everyone talked about them and optimism was raised, but none of it came true. Even as recently as the last election,.the Star took so long to publish a poll conceding the To- ries had jumped in front that a TV station ac- cused it of delaying to help the Liberals and the sensitive Star is suing. Those wondering how the public sees the Tory cuts are probably safer with the rival ver- sion -- that the Hams honeymoon is still on.