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Clinton News-Record, 1979-04-26, Page 25• Gordon Bemister from Newfoundland was supposed to be on vacation, but he couldn't resist the warm weather and a chance to muck around outside. Of course he helped out with some coaxing from his father Charles Bemister on Osborne Street in Clinton. "Everytime I visit he has something for me to do," Gordon teased.(News-Record photo) CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 1979—PAGE 3A Hall packed for PC fund raiser BY DEBBIE RANNEY after the nomination across the country - with The evening was one of meeting he had been every constituency that mostly lighthearted fun around to different areas, we have, Ontario can but behind all the humor "and the message I almost do it itself (put the at the Progressive received all over is that conservatives int o Conservative fund- we're here tonight in a power) if they put their raising dinner, Robert common purpose. And minds to it. McKinley M.P. for that's to get new "We've got to hold that Huron -Bruce and Geoff management in Ottawa." momentum and keep it Scott, M.P. for Hamilton- He said that when he up to May 22," McKinley Wentworth, managed to first ran in 1965 it was a said. get across to the people tough election. Then Guest speaker Geoff that they had one main things got a little easier Scott who used to be a objective in mind — to get and a little easier. parliamentary T-0 Clark as Prime "The trend is with us correspondent for CFPL- Minister of Canada. this time. The amount of TV in London said that The dinner was held people here tonight has to right now he was fed up Wednesday night in the tell you something." with metrification. Brussels, Morris and He said that in 1972 at He said that difficulties Grey Community Centre. the fund raising dinner in conversion to metric Also at the meeting there were about 250 are impounded by the were Marg Bennett, people and that in 1974 fact that in the U.S., the president of the Huron- there were about 200 Americans only use Bruce Progressive people but that at Wed- metric on a voluntary C o n s,e r v a t i v e nesday night's dinner basis. Association, first vice- there were 400 or more "I am convinced that pres. Harry Hayter and people. Canadians are being second vice-president "There's a support and unfairly treated con - Murray Cardiff and Dr. desire that's even cerning the scope of Tom Jasper finance spreading throughout metric direction. chairman for the town of Quebec. There's even a "There"has never been Goderich. higher element of voters an accounting to the McKinley said that in Quebec undecided than people of Canada par - ever before. When they ticularly of the see Ontario and the West tremendous cost of trying going to vote Con- to go metric," he said. servative they're going to He also said that our vote some members into metric form, European the House of Commons. metric and U.S. metric "When you take a look were all different. at what's going on in He said he would Ottawa, spending has suggest that his party gone completely out of take the following steps control," he said. — that metric conversion He added that spending should be voluntary and estimates used to be paced to the tempo of the brought before U.S. and that for the parliament and each protection of the con - member had the right to sumer that all packaged question those estimates and canned goods should in the House of Commons. have the size in both Now they are sent to. metric and imperial different committees and units. the estimates had to be "I firmly believe that passed by May 31 of that the consumer is getting year no matter what. ripped off." "All he, (the Minister "I think it's high time of Finance) had to do was as with so many other get to May 31 and it was things that the wishes of passed whether members the majority of the of parliament agreed Canadian people with it or not." prevail," he said. He said that Joe Clark He said that one of the would bring estimates reasons he got out of back into the House of reporting and into Commons and would give parliament was that, Members of Parliament a "when you see the loyalty chance to say what and dedication of a man money would be spent on. like Bob McKinley I feel He said that (taking the that there can be no estimates out of higher calling than doing Parliament) was one of something for people in the reasons why spending Canada. had gone from $12 billion "I became heartsick when Trudeau came into watching what Pierre power to $52 billion now. Elliott Trudeau was "The by-elections last doing to my country and fall showed the way. With what was more painful the help of all Canadians was having to report it," Jack's Jottings from Queen's .Park BY JACK RIDDELL M.P.P. During the Liberal Party's formal response to the new Provincial Budget, our Financial Critic, David Peterson, MPP (London Centre) referred to the govern- ment's latest com- mitment to balancing the budget by 1984 as a "sham". He pointed out that if the government's own projections are correct and if the current rate of decline of the deficit (2.2 percent) continues, it would take some 43 years before revenues matched expenditures. In addition, this year's forecast doesn't even include an estimate of revenue loss from uptake of the proposed Small Business Development Program. In addition, "given our justifiable lack of faith in this government's forecasts, the question now becomes not when will the budget be balanced, but when will the trend to ever -larger deficits be reversed. "Moreover, if we don't soon start creating new wealth in Ontario we shall necessarily be committing ourselves to ever higher levels of taxation in the years ahead. There is no way around that inevitability. "Ontario's deficits have, in some part, in the past been financed by loans taken out in Ger- man Deutschemark. These loans were taken out at a much lower exchange rate and when one of the loans became due and payable in 1975, it produced an actual loss for the province of $9.55 million. The province still, has outstanding two loans in DM and we face even more severe losses due to the continuing rise in the value of the DM. For4' instance, this year a portion of one of the loans became due on February 1. This was equat to $4 million Canadian when we took out the loan and it required over $9 million Canadian to make that payment this year, showing an exchange loss of about $5 million with 'more losses to come in the future. "The fastest growing budgetary item is the interest on the provincial debt: the Davis years have added $11.1 billion to this debt, which is now costing us $3.8 million a day in interest - and 'this is probably a low estimate. This amounts to $1.388 billion a year, 9.? percent of the current budget and an increase of 12.6 percent over last year. A decade ago, the funded debt stood at $4.2 billion. It is now projected to be $15.3 billion by the end of the fiscal year, an increase of 263 percent. This represents an increase from $551 per capita in 1970-71 to a projection of $1,791 per capita for this fiscal year." Mr. Peterson criticized the proposed Employment Develop- ment Fund, describing it as!"little more than a $200 million slush fund, with no provision for legislative scrutiny or accountability. If the Treasurer considered it anything other than a political pork -barrel, he would be willing to in- troduce legislation set- ting out the criteria by which loans and grants will be considered. The fact that he is unwilling to do so speaks for itself." He challenged the Treasurer's comment that taxpayers' money would not be directed to the Fund and away from the normal programs of government, "because the money will come in part from proceeds of the sale of our Syncrude shares and Ontario Mortgage Corporation mortgages. These in- vestments were originally made' out of general revenues, money from taxpayers who are now expected to help bribe large corporations to remain in or come to Ontario". The Liberal Financial Critic condemned the Small Business Development program as "at best a tax dodge for the rich. Money will not go where it is needed - to assist new Canadian ventures. Like the Employment Develop- ment Fund, it is a misdirected subsidy scheme. The Government Best In'terest 10/0 SEMI-ANNUAL OR QUARTERLY We represent many Trust Companies. We are often able to arrange for the highest interest being offered on Guaranteed Investment Certificates. *Subject to change EXETER 235-2420 Ga iser-Kneale Insurance Agency Inc. GRAND BEND CLINTON 35-8484 482-9747 has missed the mark on both counts. We fear that the Government's proposal is too restrictive and • will result in a complicated, bureaucratic n;gntmare, with no more chance of success than its previous attempt two years ago (the ill-fated Venture Investment Corporations program) which at- tracted not a single registrant. "Overall this Budget can only be described as a boring, muddled, piecemeal attempt to get through another year. The total lack of priority and clarity are frighteningly obvious. Within the context of „a $15.5 billion budget, we see only tinkering. The ohly consistent element of this budget is the fact that overtvhelmingly the, tax increases are levied against the little guy. They are consumer taxes which are regressive, hitting low and middle income taxpayers the hardest, and they are uniformly inflationary. Gasoline will cost more, so will cigarettes, alcohol, cable TV, any number of fees and licences and, of course, most importantly, health care. "Of the $269 million being raised in tax in- creases, almost 70 per- cent (or $184 billion) are taxes on the individual consumer. Contrast that with the $5 million in- crease" in the capital tax rate on banks. It's clear whtg this Government is ca Bring to, and it's not • the average taxpayer in Ontario." FOREIGN OWNERSHIP • OF LAND The Liberal Party has called for a provincial foreign investment review agency, after I revealed that a West German family had enough money deposited in Huron County banks to buy the equivalent of 40,000 acres of farmland. The Minister of Agriculture said he would need facts and figures before anything could be done, and that a study of land ownership in Huron County was in progress. Having made a study of foreign ownership on a Canada -wide basis, I know that four other provinces have laws restricting foreign ownership of land and I an't understand the lack of interest on the part of the Ontario Government to at least conduct a survey on the amount of land that has been sold to foreign investors. Remo Mancine, Liberal MPP (Essex South), asked the Minister if he had a plan of action if the study showed there was more foreign ownership than expected. The Minister reminded Members of the 20 per- cent land transfer tax on the sale of land to foreigners. However, in a debate.on this subject last December 5, I indicated that some foreign in- terests were avoiding the land transfer tax by forming an Ontario corporation. "Assembles easily in a few hours" That's what they told us, anyways. he said. "My views about the Liberal government in Ottawa have hardened. I was convinced that if the law hadn't required Trudeau to call an election, Mr. Trudeau would cling to power with or without parliamentary traditions. "His excuse is he doesn't think anyone else can save Canada. The irony is that's what people elected him to do back in 1968. He turned east against west, French against English... just as he's determined to get his hands on the constitution clinging to such in- credible power which could give him the tightest control of anv prime minister in our country," he said. Mr. Scott said that one thing to do was to make sure that every one of the conservative candidates got in, riding by riding. 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