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PAGE 6, WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2,1987 •F. VOUCE 0F THE COUNTY TOWN1 Il eosiN n jAsapr. o% ..en(ie d iaii I <)înr~t .lt- ( l ilb 41 ii . fog M Ios iii 1» resuideni- Published every Wednesday By 677209 Ontarlo nc. Phone: 668-6111 LA> DOUG ANDERSON Publisher MAURICE PlFHER Editor *e For what has been described as a "confusion" over figures of population servied by Whitby General Hospital, the Ministry of health simply omitted the hospital when it allocated short term care beds to Durham Region. Instead, two other hospitals, that sandwich Whitby General in close proximity got the beds, prompting quick, angry words from shaken Whit- by General board members, the same who not long ago changed the name from J.O. Ruddy to better alert the community, the surrounding area, and perhaps the Province that Whitby indeed had a "general" hospital. The latest allocation did give Whitby more chronic care beds which will help reduce the waiting list that administrator Jim Miller says now exists. However, board members worry that more chronic beds and no more acute care beds may Ignored! eventually convert the facility to one for chronic care patients only. It is difficult to define hospital territory in the Oshawa-Whitby municipalities. Many new residents, for example those in east Whitby, may go to Oshawa General when the choice presents itself while others who know about the Whitby facility or who have adopted community loyalty remain faithful to the hometown facility. And despite any inclination, it is often the cure which determines in which facility a patient may end up. The board is undertaking efforts to better publicize the facility, an effort in which this newspaper has agreed to take part. However, more can be done. Board members, now under the chairmanship of Bill .Wallace, must be more willing to discuss problems and plans of the hospital in future so that the community which uses the facility can better identify with the hardships it must over- come, the most recent being last week's announ- cement. Board members can't expect overwhelming community support for a hospital the community may not know enough about. To begin with, let's find out exactly what happened to the acute care bed allocation that was expected, an explanation for the move, and a more certain evaluation of the role of Whitby "General" Hospital in the future. LETTERS FROM OUR READERS Letter lumped immigrants and refugees together To the editor: In the Aug. 5 issue you printed a letter signed by Barbara Black. By printing Black's letter you perfor- med two very important services to your readers. One, you demon- strated your belief in free ex- pression. Two, you gave a good example of the intolerance and lack of knowledge some Canadians have of people's cultures, religions and the persecutions that exist in some countries because of race, -culture and religion. In her letter Barbara Black lum- ps illegal immigrants and refugees together. She is not alone in this presumption. The new immigration Bill-C84 is an attempt to stop the flow of illegal immigrants to Canada. Under this bil, those seeking refugee status will be given consideration when it can be determined that they are genuine refugees. This process has been compounded by the destruction of identification documents by people prior to landing in Canada. If would-be refugees refuse to say who they are, or where they came from, how can it be possible to determine if they are true refugees seeking a safe haven from per- secution? Canada should not allow the en- try of illegal immigrants or those seeking refuge simply because they are seeking a better way of life in Canada. In many thousands of per- sonal cases Canada and the provin- ces cannot provide the bare essen- tials for Canadian citizens and lan- ded immigrants in Canada. The true refugees should be welcome and assisted if they have not claimed, nor been granted, refugee status in another country. Canada has always had laws to stop illegal immigration into our country. Past governments have failed to enforce this law. Instead they have chosen to grant am- nesties to the law breakers. The same law has been used to prevent bona-fide refugees from entering Canada. On many occasions the same law has been waived in favor of the refugee. Without a firm policy imbedded in the law we have the possibility of choices being made by the government of the day to suit its own set of prejudices, whether those prejudices are based or not on race, color, national origin, religion and political per- suasion. We see this today in the Meech Lake accord. Quebec wants to have the privilege of having 25 per cent of all approved immigrants who en- ter Canada. This 25 per cent must be from countries where the language spoken is French. Onc.e an immigrant has been permitted to live in Canada there are no laws to force him, or her to remain in the province where they were granted entry. This loophole will make it possdible for Quebec to further the use of French by eventually having the French-speaking immigrants forced to seek employment in the other provinces. At the same time it will continue taking 25 per cent of the immigrants if they are French- speaking peoples. In her letter Black singles out Sikhs for her venomous attack. Here again she shows lack of knowledge of the people of India and Canadian law. Of India's 700 million people, 15 million are Sikhs who live mostly in the Punjab. The Sikh will eat meat. The majority Hindu will not. So why mention sacred cows when referring to Sikhs? Black states they came here to eat our roast beef while our own Canadians are living on Toronto streets. Yes, we have healthy, physically fit Canadians bumming on the streets of Toronto While em- ployers need workers and can't find them unless they find them among the newcomers. Black states 'They should not be allowed to wear their turbans.' During World War II, Canadian soldiers were glad to have Sikhs serving with us in the 8th. British Army in North Africa, and Italy. We never questioned their right to wear turbans. We knew we had some of the bravest soldiers by us when we saw Ghurkas and Sikhs in their turbans. Black further states 'They should not be allowed to carry their ceremonial daggers.' The proper name is 'Kirpan'. Any Canadian can carry a knife without breaking a law of this country. The only requirements are that the blade must not be over a certain length and it must not be of a style which is commonly known as a 'Flip-knife.' The kirpans carried by Sikhs in Canada are within the limits set by law. I personally carry a knife at all times, sometimes I carry two. For Black's information; landed immigrant status does not take three years to be granted, and Canadian citizenship can be gran- ted after one year of legal residence in Canada. Black expresses the opinion East Indians should not have the right to march in protest against something they feel deeply about. When all peoples are granted permission to reside in Canada they are automatically granted the same rights as those already residing here. These right are not denied to Anglo and Franco-born Canadians. Black's letter emphasizes her rights. She, and all of us, should remember that without a clear and continuous acceptance of our responsibilities to country, our community, our fellow creatures and ourselves, the rights we all should enjoy will fade into oblivion if we follow an extreme right, or an extreme left political philosophy. The extreme left will insist on our borders thrown open to all, in- cluding terrorists, murderers, and all types of people who are misfits in the societies of their own lands. The extreme left will use the SEE PAGE 8 rhe Free Press Building 131 Brock Street North P.O. Box 206, Whitby, Ont. PETER IRVINE Advertising Manager LETTERS The Whitby Free Press welcomes letters to the Editor on any subject of concern to our readers., Letters should be brief and to the point - rarely more than 300 words. Al letters must be accompanied by the name, address and phone number of the writer; however, on request, your name may be withheld from publication if we agree that there is a valid reason. The paper reserves the right to reject or edit all letters. Send to: The Editor, Whitby Free Press, Box 206, Whitby, Ontario LiN 5S1 or drop through our mailslot at 131 Brock St. N.