The Citizen, 1986-09-24, Page 4'2PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1986.
Americans
don't help Brian
There must be times when Brian Mulroney wishes he had
neveropenedthe Pandora’s box of free trade negotiations with
the United States.
Support for the negotiations at home has been dropped ever
since negotiations began. People who were willing to give it a
shot, convinced by Royal Commissions and economists and
business leaders thatfree trade was the way of the future, have
been shocked by the way the trade negotiations have been used
by American lobbyists and politicians seeking re-election to
complain thatjust about everything we in Canada take for
granted is an unfair subsidy. So far, the fears of the people who
were against free trade negotiations have been coming true,
almost one by one, and even Mr. Mulroney has admitted the
talks may be in trouble.
And now comes word out of Washington, if you can believe
the Toronto Star’s Bureau Chief Bob Hepburn, that the U.S.
administration is worried about Mr. Mulroney’s commitment
tofree trade. According to Hepburn: “The U.S. administration
fears relations may sour quickly if the Prime Minister
overreacts to U.S. protectionist moves or starts to use the free
trade talks as pawn in his bid to regain voter support for his
government.”
The U.S. administration is going to be watching, for
instance, to see if Mr. Mulroney shows the same kind of fury
over an American decision expected soon to put tarriffs on
Canadian softwood exports to the U.S., as he did when the U.S.
put heavy tarriffs on shakes and Shingles.
Apparently, if he wants to keep the Americans happy, Mr.
Mulroney is supposed to stay calm at the prospect of65,000 jobs
in the Canadian forestry industry being wiped out by the stroke
of a pen by a Washington tribunal. Canadians are supposed to
turn the other cheek and pretend all these protectionist actions
and statements in the U.S. don’t hurt.
It is easy for cynics to say Mr. Mulroney should have known
better. He was warned that when it came to so many areas of
trade with the U.S., there would be only one right way for things
to be done: “the American Way”. If the U.S. subsidizes its
farmers or industry one way and we do it another, the
Americans see their way as all right our way as an unfair
subsidy. Reason doesn’t really matter in all this. The U.S. is the
dominant partner and its version of any dispute is the one that is
likely to reign supreme. The votes of constituents in American
states are a lot more important than the “fairness” in dealing
with Canada.
Mr. Mulroney and free trade supporters too should only have
looked at the figures to see there wasn’t much percentage for
gain for Canada. The U.S. has a balance of payments deficit of
$200 billion. U.S. politicians look at Canada and see they have
an $18 billion trade deficit (they don’t see their own larger
surplus in services like tourism and dividends from
American-owned companies of course). They are unlikely to
want to give Canada any trade concession that would make our
surplus even bigger.
Mr. MuIroneyisinthemiddJeofa mess. There seems noway
Canada can gain from free trade talks and by opening them up
he has only attracted attention to our current trade surplus and
brought the heavy guns of U.S. politicians to bear on Canada.
We could all be big losers in this one.
Brussels community
should appreciate
Fall Fair
With decent weather for a change despite the generally
crummy September so far. the 125th edition of the Brussels Fall
Fair can only be termed a success.
At 125 years of age, the Fall Fair is one of the most venerable
institutions in the Brussels area. And probably few people in
the area ever stop to think how privileged they are to even have a
fair at all.
A century ago, every town, village and hamlet had its own
fair. The fairs were places for people to get together and take a
break from the hard work of pioneer life to visit. They were
something to spur people on to improve their farm stock and
crops.
But one by one the fall fairs died off. Wingham and Goderich
long ago lost their fairs. Blyth’s fair bit the dust nearly 15 years
ago. Today Brussels is the largest community in Huron County
north of Highway 8 (generally considered the dividing point of
north to south Huron) that still has a fair. Communities like
Dungannon and Howick have fought hard and kept their fairs
alive but few' of the larger centres have managed.
It would seem to provide an opportunity for the folks at the
Brussels fair to become the major fair in North Huron. Here’s
hoping they might get the support of the community to take the
challenge and make a good fair even better.
Wheeee!
f i
GffO he world view
from Mabel’s GrillX——______ __
There are people who will tell
you that the important decisions in
town are made down at the town
hall. People in the know, however
know that the real debates, the real
wisdom reside down at Mabel’s
Grill where the greatest minds in
the town (if not in the country)
gather for morning coffee break,
otherwise known as the Round
Table Debating and Filibustering
Society. Since notjusteveryone
can partake of these deliberations
we will report the activities from
time to time.
Letter
to the editor
THE EDJTOR:
If any of the taxpayers of Grey
Township are having trouble gett
ing tile drain outlets low enough
and close enough, I would suggest
they empty them on the side of the
road. It must be acceptable
practice: the township does it and
allows it to be done in parts of the
township I could show you.
For years we had been told, and
it makes sense, that only the
township road superintendent can
dig on township property. Well
don’t be ridiculous: apparently
anyone can dig anywhere. Grasson
the roadside in one area of the
township was cut weekly with a
mower but now you can’t drive a
tractor down the roadside because
of the digging up that has been
done.
Everyone, apparently hasthe
right to get rid of water even if they
dump it in a private drain and
change the water course to do it.
Jim Gamiss,
Brussels.
P.S. An engineer once told me that
either you are part of the problem
or part of the solution. What is the
problem here?
MONDAY: Ward Black was on the
hot seat this morning with some of
the members asking him what he
was going to do about a petition
brought to council the other night
by some people who are bent on
saving us all from the dangers of
used smoke from cigarette smok
ers .Fora while there, it threatened
to be the most divisive debate in the
history of the Round Table Debat
ing and Filibustering .Society.
Seems the anti-smokers want to
have all public places set aside
separate smoker and non-smoker
sections. Here at Mabel’s, for
instance, there would be tables at
one side of the room set aside for
the puffers and tables at the other
side for the anti-puffers. Spokes
man for the anti-smoking petition
ers said that if it worked in Toronto
it would work here. (Ward sarcas
tically said he hadn’t seen anything
work in Toronto for years.)
Billie Bean wanted to know from
Ward who the crazy lady bringing
in the petition was. Julia Flint
quickly said she didn’t think Ward
would know because the smoke in
thecouncil chambers is so thick
they often coul dn ’ t even tell if there
was any of the public present at all.
Billie said if the anti-smokers
were going to organize, maybe
he’d get up a petition too. The
tobacco companies were helping
smokers’ rights organizations get
goinghesaid, and he just might
call them up for some money. Julia
figured that was a good investment
on the part of the tobacco
companies because the more
people they could get in their
smokers rights groups, the more of
their money they could be sure to
get back.
Tim O’Grady said he’d like to get
in on the legal team if this case goes
all the way to the supreme court.
With all the time spent arguing the
Continued on page 14
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