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WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2,1987, PAGE 5 Three figures,, their faces shrouded in the shadows, meet in the deserted supermarket parking lot. Fog billows about them, refiecting back the undimmed ligbts from car headlights. In the centre of a triangle fôr- med by the parked cars, the three touch upraised palms in greeting. "Bufflegab, " they say, in unison, their voices one. "Bufflegab, " repeat other voices in the shadows behind the headlights. The greetings over, ail three toss back the hoods which cover their heads; now their faces gleam in the giare of high beams. 1"So, " says one, poking another on the shoulder, macho- like. "Howsitgoin, eh, Bob? " Bob doesn't biink or acknowledge the fake punch. "Good, Dave, good. So far they're eating up that insuran- ce stuff ." "That's quite true," says Larry. "lIt makes as good a non-issue as one can have. My people can stand firm without wiggling. " Says Dave: "We pulied it off weii. Ail we had to do is pretend to do something, and the whoie thing biew over. " Larry shifts into a boxer's stance, jab, jab, jab, darting at Dave's chin. "Hey, cut it out, willya!1" Dave says. "Naw, wouldn't hurt ya," Larry replies. "'The more I think about this trade thing, the more I laugh. And then I read the poils, and damn it! It works! " 1"Com'on now, " Bob says, «"we have to give credit where credit is due. " 1"Wrestling promoters, " says Larry. "lWeil, they sure know how to put on a show. Imagine, putting on a debate on live television before one point two million viewers and..." "Look," Larry interjects. "A show like that in the mid- dle of a provincial election, and what is the main event? Free trade. As if any of us could do anything about free WITH OUR FEET UP Swan Eating it up trade." "Yeah, sure guys," mumbles Dave. "I mean," says Bob, "everybody knows it is a federai matter. But here we debate it and everybody takes us seriously. Something, eh?" "A federal matter, eh? " says Dave, bis voice puzzled. "The part I like," says Bob, "is how the media picked up tbe metaphor of a prize fight. " Dave turns to the shadows, whispers behind bis hand. "Wbat's a metaphor?" Larry grins. "If they'd described it as a wrestiing mat- ch people'd 've iaughed us out of town." "Like midget wrestiers? " says Larry. "Do they stili have those? " "I'm not supposed to make comments about minorities and other pressure groups, " Dave says. " It's your funeral, " says Bob. "Free trade, bilingualism, The Accord, education." It's Dave, counting bis fingers. "I think we did pretty good on non-issues. Larry laughs aloud. "I though that part about back-to- basics education was a master stroke. What genius thought up that line?" "But hey! hey! Let's flot get off topic, here. We did have an agenda for this meeting. Right here, it says, 'What if ?" "As in, 'What If There Is a Minority Government Sept. 10?'"p "Shhh!" Bob pushes bis chin forward. "Last time we had An Ac- cord, and that worked well. But this time I want a Prelude. It's time this party started to move up in the worid. " "'A Prelude? I thought maybe a Civic, at best..." A spotiight sweeps"across the parking lot, pausing for a moment at the huddle. "Cheese it! " someone says. Al three figures dart for their waiting cars and are gone in a squeai of tires. Another car limps across the parking lot, shudders to a hait. Several figures shuffle through the remnants of the fog. The driver calis out the names: "Abortion. Day Care. Market Value Assessment. Education Funding. I thiïik we've lost a few straggiers. Okay, everybody, back in the car. We missed 'em again. It's the samne every election,. you know. They just keep shifting around, dodging The Issues." They ail pile back in the car and ease back into the darkness. "Someday," one of them says, "one day we're gonna nail those guys down tight. " "Yeah, someday," says the driver. But hie knows he's up against the best wrestiing promoters in the country. ELECTION 19871 . Grossman issues free trade challenge to Peterson IlvurnnesonihliioVorornExeifor ths lotion s arkcd a (ertiicaie Io Voie, but youu cpec Iow he asvor unahie Io soie onElieciion I)ay, sou "cai îake adsantagc of'aiîî, Adsance Poll in yvuor Flecioral I)isirici. BUT YOU MUST VOTE IN Y(>tR ELEICTORAI. lDISTRICT. oeground level locations hase heen chosen for easy access h) the eIderlN tor disabled in whecichairs. CONSERVATIVE LEADER Larry Grossman and his wife Carol listen on as Stephanie Bail addresses local sup- porters last week. Free Press photo Conservative leader Larry Grossman used a stopover at the Oshawa office of Durham Centre candidate Stephanie Bail to challenge Premier David Peterson to corne cean on the issue of free tradè. "I challenge you bere and now to put forward your plan for dealing with U.S. protectionism before the people of Ontario," Grossman said last week, a challenge he has made previously in his campaign. "e difference between Liberais and Conservatives is that Our position in favor of freer trade, our position in support of the need to negotiaté a comprehensive trading agreement with the Americans, wiil determine our ap- proach to negotiations with Ottawa and with the Americans in defence of Ontario's interests." Grossmafl claixned Peterson is "dithering" as Americans work to exclude Ontario products from their market. He pointed to products such as steel, beef, pork, electronics and uranium as prime exampies of U.S. protectionism. "The oniy way to fight protec- tionism is with a comprehensive trade agreement," said Grossman, adding that a trade agreement wouid also boister the strength of the Auto Pact. Grossman aiso sent the 150 party faithful into a frenzy when he said Bail would make a "7first-ciass MPP. Stephanie is also Cabinet material and might be in tbe run- ning to be tbe first woman to iead a politicai party and a government. SEEPAGE8 SuAsS E" Z B AHRY FREEZEAD SUN DAY OLYYW4t Special, Apple Pie$19 THIS WEEK'S SPECIAL Hamburger Buns EXPIRES SEPT. 6, 1987 - Closed Labour Day Mon. Sept. 7, 1987 OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK .85e4ioz WHITBY 1380 HOPKINS 666-1177 In the Electoral District or DURHIAM CENTRE e WHITBY MUNICIPAL BUILDING 575 ROSSLAND RD. E. WHITBY *NORTHVIEW LIBRARY 250 BEATRICE ST. E. OSHAWA *100 BLAIR STREET, WHITBY Ballots casi al the Advance fflIs will he counied ai the close ut the regular Poils on Election Day. PIIBIISHI--) ON BEHALF OFI-THE RRH LJRNINC >FIi SFOR THE' ABOVE E.C(RI DISTRICTS BY Warren R. Bailie. CHIEF FIEI&TI(>N OFFICER K E E P1 N G -YOU, INFORMED