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The Citizen, 1990-04-18, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 1990. Citizenship a prize A few weeks ago, in the midst of a Canadian winter, an astounding story unfolded in Toronto. Two young Caribbean men were found in the Wheel-well of an airliner that had flown in from their home country. People marvelled that they were still alive. The dangers the men faced were incredible. They were dressed in summer clothing yet had withstood temperatures well below freezing in the long, high-altitude flight north. They could easily have been crushed by the landing gear of the aircraft when the wheels came up or could have fallen out of the wheel-well when the landing gear was let down in the approach to Toronto. Somehow they had survived it all. The men were of course, illegal immigrants and their stay in Canada will be only as long as it takes the legal process to deport them. It was the second time the men had sneaked into Canada. There are two ways of looking at the story. The mood Canadians seem to be in these days, a mood of being down on immigrants in general and those who come in illegally in particular, many people probably thought it was just one more elaborate scheme to subvert Canadian law - that it was an insult to Canada. But if you look at the risks these men took to get into Canada you can’t help but be amazed at how much the hope of getting to Canada means to many desperate people around the world. We gripe and complain about so many things in this country but people are still willing to risk their lives in wheel-wells or in the holds of leaky ships for the chance to come to the promised land of Canada. The very fact our immigration courts are tied up these days trying to decide the fates of thousands upon thousands of people claiming refugee status should tell us how envied we are around the world. This is citizenship week in Canada. With the calendar crowded with weeks dedicated to everything from hamburgers to secretaries it may be hard for Canadians to get excited about citizenship week. It’s something most of us were born with and take for granted as much as we take for granted the air we breathe. Talk to people who have come to Canada, however, particularly from places without the riches or freedom we enjoy, and you get a new appreciation of what being a Canadian citizen means. Government by business There once was a saying that what’s good for General Motors is good for the United States. Today perhaps the saying should be updated to say that what’s good for General Motors (and Sony and Coca Cola) is good for the world Globalization is forcing us to change, economists, politicians and businessmen tell us. We have no choice. The world is changing and we can either go along or be left behind. The latest word is that the United States is ready to negotiate a free trade agreement with Mexico. Our government has said it isn’t contemplating our own free trade agreement with Mexico but this is all but a formality because since we’re tied to the U.S. we haven’t got much chance of not getting involved with Mexican free trade. The pace of change is sweeping around the world. Governments are being told they don’t have any option but to go along with the tenor of the times. Ordinary citizens who once felt their national government gave them some protection from the harsh economic winds of the world, are now being told their political boundaries mean nothing, that their government is without power to protect them. But perhaps someone should stop long enough to ask who all this change is benefitting? It certainly doesn’t seem to be the ordinary citizen. Canadians, for instance, were told they had to go along with the free trade agreement with the U.S. or they would see their standard of living drop. They were told they had to give up some of their national autonomy or they’d be worse off. Many will be worse off anyway because their jobs will be lost in the realignment that free trade brings. The hardship threatens to be even tougher if free trade with Mexico develops. Some Huron county autoworkers already lost jobs because of cheap labour in Mexico sent their employer packing his equipment for southern climes. How many more jobs will go to Mexico if companies are able to use $1 an hour labour and still trade freely into Canada and the U.S.? The gainers in all this globalization is obviously the big company that can take advantage of larger trading areas, of cheaper labour. Multi-national companies that have no attachment to their homeland, let alone their home community, can switch production to wherever the profit will be the highest. The barrier has always been national borders and the tariffs that protected local business. But these borders have virtually been swept away in the last couple of years and one has to wonder what brought the sudden changes. Could it be that a few dozen multi-national companies have more influence on governments than millions of voters? Could it be that governments have agreed with Ronald Reagan thatif only you make the rich rich enough, enough crumbs will fall off the table to keep everybody else happy? Mabel’s Grill 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 So­ ciety. Since not just everyone can partake of these deliberations we will report the activities from time to time. MONDAY: Julia Flint said she hates to sound sexist but she will never understand men. She was over to Goderich on the weekend, she said, and there were all these guys standing in the middle of the Maitland River fishing. “It was so cold I hardly liked being outside at all and here they were up to their waists in cold water’’. Tim O’Grady said he never had the patience to be a good fisher­ man. The idea of sitting in the shade on a hot summer day with a line dangling in the stream always sounded nice until he tried it then he always found he got fidgety and wanted to get moving. That’s not the problem for these guys, Hank Stokes said. After they’ve stood in that water for a while they’ll be so cold they’ll be lucky if they can move again. TUESDAY: Ward Black said it was comforting to read in the paper that this year nearly half the tax advisers for Revenue Canada know what they’re doing instead of only about a fifth last year. Seems the taxmen were asked the same question over the telephone and only about half got the answer right. It would be nice, Ward said, if you just knew which half was right and which half was wrong so you know who you could trust. Continued on page 5 The Citizen. P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. NOM 1H0 Phone 523-4792 P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. NOG 1H0 The Citizen is published weekly in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $19.00/yr. [$40.00 Foreign]. Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, only that portion of the advertisment will be credited. Advertising Deadlines: Monday, 2 p.m. - Brussels; Monday, 4 p.m. - Blyth We are not responsible for unsolicited newscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright. Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships. Phone 887-9114 Editor & Publisher, Keith Roulston Advertising Manager, Dave Williams Production Manager, Jill Roulston Second Class Mail Registration No. 6968