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The Brussels Post, 1979-02-28, Page 2OiFfA14.1104110 11171 Brussels Post WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1979 Serving Brussels and the surrounding community. Published each Wednesday afternoon at Brussels, Ontario By McLean Bros. Publishers Limited Evelyn Kennedy - Editor Pat Langlois - Advertising Member Canadian Community Newspaper Association and Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association Subscriptions (in advance) Canada $9.00 a Year., Others $17.00 a Year. Single Copies 20 cents each. Lost diplomacy SITTIN' PRETTY — These three youngsters found time to pose for a picture when they attended the Walton Snowmobile Poker Rally. From ' left are Dean Glanville of Winthrop, Tim Nolan, and Steven Taylor of Walton. (Photo by Langlois) MIME LS ONTARIO GNA Among world leaders diplomacy is a rule of thumb but for Rene Levesque diplomacy is a lost cause. When Raymond Barre, prime minister of France visited in Canada recently there was a lot of speculation as to how things would go. On previous occasions the relationship of France with Canada, particularly with respect to its concern with Quebec, has been the cause of irritation. The French prime minister conducted himself with care and never indicated outright or subtly, support of Quebec separatism. His diplomacy shone brighter when compared to the conduct of the Quebec premier. Giggly midnight banquet speeches in which he attacked Canada, public pressure on Barre to repeat de Gaulle's "Quebec Libre" cry from a shopping concourse balcony in Montreal and a petulant arm crossing and cigaret smoking performance during the playing of the Canadian and French national anthems at Barre's departure presented Levesque as unworthy of the responsibility of leadership. The federal government saw the trip as a Canadian concern and thankfully Barre attended Ottawa functions first thus hearing the unified Canada arguments first. While Levesque is free to carry his case any where he wants the federal government has the responsibility to advance the course of Canadian unity and to maintain confidence in Canada abroad. But there may come a time in the not too distant future if Quebec persists in waging the battle before honored guests to our country Canada will be regarded not as a country with troubles but a nation of graceless quarrelers. In this instance the impeccable behaviour of the French prime minister may have saved us from a ridiculous and embarrassing situation. But for how long ? Behind the scenes Outside the gate OUTSIDE THE GATE A family f irsome was invited To their f lends' home across the way. The childre,i were so happy, With old playmates they could play. The two foursomes joined together Beneath azure skies so blue. Over winding trails and hillock, They sped on their ski door. Then around Dorothy's bountiful table Their spirit was sublime, Not knowing this was the last supper The two family foursomes would dine. Murray and Mac met each morning At a certain time and place. With a smile and wave to each other Memory an not erase. Tuesday morning, place of meeting, Mac weo never late. Murray's heart was over burdened, As he stood at McGavin's gate. Then he heard the siren blowing, Red light flashing, ambulance speeding fast. Mac at the breakfast table. Entered into eternal rest. Mac's friends all stood together, As they viewed flowers, and the gate a jar, Realizing as they stood there, They all had wandered far. They returned: and met the Saviour, They beheld him at the gate. Made a vow and self confession As they stood out side the gate. (Murray Smith, Seaforth - Mac Sholdice, Walton) By Mary Dennis Atwood, Ont. NOG 1B0 by Keith Roulston Canadians lying on a southern beach soaking up the sunshine in their two-week break from winter have done so with the odd twinge of guilt this year. With every cent they spend they know they are adding to the precarious position octhe Canadian dollar. They're constantly reminded of this every time they have to trade a Canadian dollar for 80 cents in American money. We've heard plenty about this aspect of the sad state of the economy in recent months. By comparison there is little publicity given to another cause for the depressed state of the Canadian dollar: the amount of money that goes out of the country to pay the shareholders of foreign- based companies. We hear about this part of the problem only briefly when the balance of payments deficit is mentioned. We are told that our balance of payments for goods is in good shape since we sell more products than we buy. The area of trouble is with the huge deficit in the services sector which includes the amount of money Canadians spend outside the country on vacations and the interest payments and dividends to foreign stock- holders. But that's about all we ever hear about those dividends. Yet millions of dollars go out of the country yearly to stockholders in foreign countries. The problem ties in directly with what people have known for more than a decade: that Canada is controlling less and less of its own , economy. There was a time when this was of great concern to governments and individual services but in recent years, like the great pollution debate, what is right and wrong seems to have been lost in a concern about jobs. Just as people worry about the effects cleanup orders to major industries might have on workers jobs, we now worry more about what effect a crackdown on the foreign ownership problem might have on the unemployment rate tomorrow than what not cracking down will have a decade from now. We're so worried about right now that we're willing to forget about the future. Yet we had a graphic illustration recently about just what being dominated by a multi-national company can mean to Canada. The troubles in Iran and the cutback in oil supplies from that country shouldn't really have had any effect on Canada. We get our oil either from our own oil fields or from Venezuella. But in the U.S. the oil shortage was a problem. Exxon, the parent company of Canada's Imperial Oil, was short oil for its plants and customers. So, Canada's oil was shipped to the U.S. instead and Canada instead of having enough oil had a shortage. Multi-national companies, and sup- porters of the free movement of foreign companies in Canada claim it doesn't , matter where the company has its head office, as long as it provides jobs. These companies are faceless multi-nationals Without a real homeland, they argue. The falacy of this arguement becomes readily apparent when something like this oil shortage occur Companies from the U.S. (or Germany or England or wherever) owe their first allegience to the stockholders but their second allegiance • is to their own country. In both cases, it means that first thought will go to the U.S. (or other home country). First of all, the home country is the most important market so the dollars are there. Secondly, the American govern- ment, when times are tough, expects the American companies to come to the aid of their country, just as the government has often come to the aid of American companies abroad, even to the point of Military intervention. Business and patriotism have always been close partners in the U.S. In Canada, the two have been just the opposite. The government has no room in the boardrooms of the nation, business- men seem to feel. Only when forced to comply with national interests by govern- ment legislation are they apt to co-operate with the national good. If it comes to a choice between dollars and Canada, dollars will win every time. So how can Canada help but be in financial trouble when we're dominated by foreign big business taking out Canadian dollars and in some cases Canadian jobs back to the homeland on one hand and Canadian companies whose only flag is the dollar sign on the other? Attempts to lessen foreign domination of Canadian big business is meeting more opposition today than ever. Even when the federal government was trying to limit foreign control a few years back, premiers of the province were courting big business from abroad. Financial experts quake every time the government brings out a new budget or new legislation is an- nounced, fearing its effect on foreign investment. Not being a financial genious one fears to ask the question but just why do we so badly need foreign investment? Here we sit in a country with more natural resources than most in the world. Here we sit with a higher disposable income than nearly anyone else in the world. We have immense wealth right in our own country. We're not some struggling African or Asian country. Why then is foreign investment so important? Surely here in one of the richest countries on earth we should have enough money to finance our own business and industry without going on bended knee to foreign investers. If we don't have enough money, then where do the Americans or Germans get so much money that they can not only finance their own economy but ours as well? If We can't control Our own economy, rich as we are, how can poor third world countries ever hope to control their own economy? I don't know about you, but I'd like to hear some real answers to those questions, not some gobblety-good from economic "experts". Ackiettiaing Is 'ateetited Oh the tOnditieti that In the event Of a act for error the eitOetiiiing space occupied by the erroneous tOgethet With reasonable allowance tot atoriatutei will not be charged for but the balance Of the' idveethieeeteit *Ill be paid tOe- at the applicable rate. While tweet effort Will be rtiade 10 !Mike they ate handled with ea* the publiehert responsible for the' MUM of UO1611611611 enuacripts or photos.