The Times Advocate, 2005-05-25, Page 44
Exeter Times—Advocate
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
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Editorial Opinion
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EDITORIAL
Liberals
holding on
Things in Ottawa grow increasingly bizarre.
With the defection (some say betrayal) of
Belinda Stronach from the Conservatives to
the Liberals and the support of British Columbia
Independent MP Chuck Cadman, Paul Martin and
his minority government lived to see another day.
Instead of happening in the immediate future, it's
looking more and more likely that Martin will get his
wish of delaying a federal election until the Gomery
report is released — probably sometime in
December.
This, of course, could either work in Martin's favour
or make life even tougher for him The anger many
Canadians feel over Adscam may fade just enough by
the winter to sweep the Liberals back into power.
Conversely, the Gomery report could be so damning
that Stephen Harper and his Conservatives will finally
see their dreams of power come to fruition.
Meanwhile, the nation seems almost as divided as
Parliament, although the Liberals have a slight edge
in popularity over the Conservatives, something for
which Harper has to take a big chunk of the blame —
many people simply don't like him. And if one can
believe Stronach, one of the reasons she left the
Conservatives is because of her lack of confidence in
Harper's leadership.
For siding with the Liberals last week, Cadman has
been labelled a hero by some and a fool by others. In
fact, a CBC viewer called Cadman's decision "a dis-
service to democracy," a misnomer if there ever was
one. Indeed, right or wrong, Cadman's decision last
week was what democracy was all about — an elect-
ed official making a decision in the best interests of
his constituents. What could be more democratic
than that?
Stronach's decision to cross the floor seemed only to
increase voter cynicism in this country. Did anybody
actually believe Martin when he announced
Stronach's desertion had nothing to do with last
week's confidence votes? No, the wooing of Stronach
was simply the latest in the Liberals' desperate
attempt to hold onto power.
And, as usual, the Conservatives came up lame.
The motives of both sides are questionable, but they
make for great TV. Our Parliament has lately more
closely resembled an afternoon soap opera than a
place where important government decisions are
made.
The Liberals managed to dodge a couple of bullets
last week. We'll now just have to wait a bit longer to
see if voters ever hold them accountable for Adscam.
- So that's one "Hold the election
BEFORE Gomery", one "Hold the
election AFTER Gomery", and
two "WHAT's Gomery?"...
Is your child safe?
In 1981 a six-year-old boy named Adam was
abducted from a south Florida shopping mall. He was
the son of John Walsh, host of "America's Most
Wanted." Adam was murdered, his killer never
caught. Since then, Walsh and his wife Reve
have devoted their lives to protecting the rights
of victims and preventing the exploitation of
children.
Today is National Missing Children's Day in
the U.S., bringing to the forefront safety, advo-
cacy and protection of our youngest citizens.
In this month's issue of Guideposts magazine
Walsh offers tips on how to protect your chil-
dren.
• Never leave your child alone in a public
place. It's too easy for kids to be distracted or wander
off.
• Teach your children to protect themselves. Your
child should always check with you before going any-
where, even teenagers. Your child should take along a
friend or sibling and not go out alone. There's safety in
numbers. It's ok to say no even if it's loud and forceful,
especially when someone is treating your child in an
unfamiliar, uncomfortable or scary way. Teach your
child it's more important to be safe than nice.
• Know where your kids are at all times and who
they are with. Get to know your children's friends and
their parents. Kids should leave you a contact
name, phone number and address of where
they will be and you, in turn, should return
the favour. Have them check in with you at
designated times.
• Keep an eye online. Monitor computer
use. Kids must never give out personal infor-
mation online without your permission. You
STEPHANIE
MANDZIUK
CONSIDER
THIS!
should also go over their favourite websites,
chat rooms, instant -messaging and buddy
lists.
• Values protect. As your kids gets older,
give them freedom to make their own deci-
sions. Make sure you have instilled strong moral val-
ues with a clear sense of right and wrong.
Above all, be open and honest with communication
at home. If kids are afraid to talk to you about any-
thing, then they won't open up. They need to know
they can count on your help without being judged or
criticized. Walsh says, "Kids who know they're valued
and listened to may be the best protected children of
all."
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