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Home My WebLink AboutThe Times Advocate, 2006-01-25, Page 24 Exeter Times—Advocate Wednesday, January 25, 2006 zkxna =CNA Editorial Opinion n = *OLP<O MIEM TIMES ADVOCATE PUBLICATIONS MAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER 07511 We acknowledge the Financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP), toward our mailing costs. Jim Beckett — Publisher Deb Lord — Production Manager Scott Nixon — Editor tirt Published by roland Printing, Publishing Distributing& Ltd. 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850 Metroland Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6 • (519) 235-1331 EDITORIAL Choosing a change Canadians finally took the plunge and voted for change on the federal scene Monday, choosing a minority Conservative government. That didn't stop Liberal Paul Steckle of Huron - Bruce, of course, who bucked the trend of Tory blue in the region and defeated Conservative Ben Lobb by the narrowest of margins. In other area ridings, Conservatives Bev Shipley of Lambton-Kent- Middlesex and incumbent Gary Schellenberger of Perth -Wellington had little difficulty burying their competition. While the Conservative victory Monday night was smaller than many had predicted and nowhere near the majority some wished for, it sent a message to the Liberal party — Canadians don't forgive the Grits for Adscam and the party needs to be rebuilt from the top down. Paul Martin didn't waste any time Monday night announcing he will step down as party leader. The old arrogant guard of the Liberal party needs to be cleaned out and the party's belief that it is "Canada's party" needs to be re -thought. Expect a leadership race soon as the Liberals try to re -invent themselves. Impressive Monday night was the strong showing by the New Democratic Party and the strong inroads the Conservatives made in Quebec, largely at the expense of the Liberals, but partly at the expense of the Bloc, who saw their seat numbers and popular vote drop from the 2004 election. This is good news for Canadian federalism — giving Quebecers a third choice beyond the Bloc and the Liberals will hopefully help quell the separatist threat. Lobb's showing in Huron -Bruce is admirable, given the fact he pushed the popular Steckle to the brink and nearly defeated him. For a young first time can- didate, that's no small feat, especially since Steckle's conservative position on several social issues and his willingness to go against the Liberal party line makes him attractive to Conservative as well as Liberal vot- ers. What will be interesting to see is how Canada's new minority Parliament will work with the Conservatives in power. What deals will the Conservatives have to make with the NDP and the Bloc? Will this Conservative minority last longer than the Liberal minority? Surely Canadians don't have the appetite for another election in eight or nine months. There will be a lot of pressure on the parties to co-operate and get some work done. Stephen Harper, the Conservatives and their sup- porters finally got what they wanted — now let's see what they can do with it. Harry believes one has to earn the right to blame the government for everything... 2006 Distributed by Canadian Artists Syndicate Inc. I've had enough It's been a fun ride, but after 39 years I've finally decided to take the plunge. I don't mean the little cere- mony coming up this spring that shouldn't impact my life that much. The annual motorcycle trip to Daytona Beach is still on, as are poker night, hockey night and rib night, right honey? What I mean is that it is time to admit reality. The Toronto Maple Leafs, the blue and white, the team of heart and grit will never again win a Stanley Cup in my lifetime, or anyone else's lifetime. And they are pretty much ok with that. Because game in and game out, season after season and decade after decade fans have said "this is the year," and plunked down their money and more painfully, their loyalty. My first TV memory was standing at the bar(s) of my crib April 6, 1967, watching George 'The Chief' Armstrong drive a spear into the heart of the Montreal Canadiens with an empty net goal that sealed a 3-1 win and clinched the Stanley Cup. But it's been downhill ever since, what with the ascent to the throne of Pierre Elliott Trudeau and the decline and fall of the once proud and mighty Maple Leafs. The '70's weren't a good time in Leaf land or for that matter anywhere in the country, living under the reign of Pierre. The Broadstreet Bullies tap danced all over Borje Salming and company under the calm and steady hand of Harold, while the Flying Frenchmen cruised to four straight cups, although the last one did- n't count, (the goal was offside and Gilbert should have stopped it). Politics took a turn for the better in the '80's when Pierre ascended (or descended) back to where he came from, while Ronnie Raygun with his junior part- ner Brian arrived to set things right. But for Leaf fans, it was just getting started as the team strung together stellar seasons of 28 wins in 1980/81, followed by 20, 28, 26 and 20. Through it all the faithful (and the stupid) hung in, waiting patiently for the fat hand at the helm to fall off. The '80's were a series of highlights from captain Darryl Sittler cutting the 'C' from his sweater before the Leafs were ground under in the playoffs by the coming dynasty team, the New York Islanders in three straight games by a com- bined score of 20-4. The bad trades and worse coaches (John Brophy anybody?) continued through the decade while dynasties came and went. But one thing remained the same as the suckers lined up on Carlton Street and timed in every Saturday night to watch another beating. Hope flickered briefly in the early '90's under the hand of Cliff Fletcher only to be snatched away in the 1993 playoffs as a Kerry Fraser non -call handed yet another ill gotten cup to the Canadiens. And it has been a steady diet of defeats and disap- pointments in the seasons since, as the Leafs found new and creative ways to rip off their fans, from ticket price increases after dismal seasons, non -signings and bad signings all the while knowing the sheep would continue to show up for shearing. But no more. After 39 years of bleeding blue and white, the real- ization has dawned life is too short to be a Leafs fan so I declare my allegiance dead. And in the brave new world of the new born hockey fan, be they first place or last place teams the possibilities are endless, from Ottawa to Carolina, Calgary to New York and even off in the distance, Mont...some things are just too much to say. PAT B BACK 4 VIEW About the Times -Advocate Address & Office Hours Times -Advocate, 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850, Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6. Our office is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Closed on Holidays. Contact Us By Phone or Fax Classified ad & subscription sales ....(519) 235-1331 24-hour automated attendant (519) 235-1336 Fax number for all departments (519) 235-0766 Subscription Rates One year rate for addresses in Canada: $40+GST Two year rate for addresses in Canada: $72+GST One year rate for addresses outside Canada: $140 Call (519) 235-1331 to order a subscription. OLEN 0 Classified Rates Word ads: $11 for 20 words, 20(t for each additional word+ GST. 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The Times -Advocate Team Publisher Jim Beckett ext. 109 ADVERTISING Deborah Schillemore ext. 112 EDITOR Scott Nixon ext. 105 REPORTERS Pat Bolen ext. 113 Nina Van Lieshout ext. 107 CUSTOMER SERVICE Sue Rollings ext. 101 Kim Hern ext. 102 COMPOSITION DEPARTMENT Manager Deb Lord ext. 103/114 Heather Bilcke ext. 103 Kelly Gackstetter ext. 103 ACCOUNTING STAFF Anita McDonald ext. 104 Ruth Slaght ext. 106 Christina Scott ext. 108 MargPertschy ext. 111 Heather Clarke