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Whitby Free Press, 3 Apr 1991, p. 9

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WE!TY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL: 3, 1991, PAGE 9 appointeci fo DuhmRgon, MY VSO F A NEW CNADA ABrief to the SicCo'mi sion On. tbing that seems eminently ý clear fre , lthe posturing that is g63=g onin -Quebec. Cit and Ottawa is that politians can neyer save Canadia n Cenfederation. Every time they open their mouths, we drift furtiier apart. Non. of them bhas the credibility or tii. M'andate todo anytbing with1 our constitution,, yet they.,keep insistingý that they'Pegoingtosavthe country. We n eed new ideas andnew structures. We need-an open. forum, approach to constituticonal reform. People have to assert their democratie rights and. insist' that the politicians stop screwing things Up. ..That's where the. Citizens'. Forum -on Canada's Future cornes in, and when the bond roils into town .n.xt Thursday (the,.1llth),WMhywill have its chance to speak. I amn convinced that mncividual Canadians have a lot Of good ideas on how to make this country wok.Unountl Our poltical ýstructures ensure that only pablum reaches te top.- I have a few idegs which I put together as a brief te the Spicer- Commission- back minbuay For what. they're worth, here is a brief summary of the main themes. Canada is at a crossroads -: it can chaos. the path te oblivion or it can choose the excitýng road te building tIi. first constitution for the. 2lst- Centuiy - a constitution which would recognize and utiliz. the power of the. electronic age, and one which would build unity out of diversity. The firet themne of my brief is DEMOCRAOY. I believe that w. got te ourcurn impasse because politicians have forgotten what democracy is ail about. Democracy is not about governiing (dictators do that tee) - democracy is about leading and folowing and repres.nting. W. need te define at tii. v.ry leâst that an M.P.'s first. responsibility is te represent his constituents even if that means breaking witii bis party. As part of the. general theme of democracy is the. fundamnental. principle, of seif-deterinination. W. cannet hoe te hold'this country together by threats or bombast; Only by recognizing tii. rights. of each section of tii. country te, deternilrîe.its future, subject only te a fair distribution of assets and debts, can we *aéhieve the ind of aduit negotiations that can save thé. country. Only if we openly and cahly discuss what migiit b. involved in separation.can we d$eçove tii. iiets ýthat-might prevent-It. Tài second general tIrust of my brief is an attempt te reconcile the. need for ' strong cenitral government with demnanda foiý' greater autonomy- from Quebec, other parts of thé countiy andnatives; Quebec ' rincipal- concerns are, cultural. Although most Frenchanians ,liv. in Quebe, sizeable French minorities occur in;every other region. Territorial solutions for Quebec's résidentsi'ey are net appropriate. Tii. solution is wiiat I would oeil cultural sovereignty. Why not cèhange the. structure of Canada te include a stronger federal government on economnic issues and a cultu- ral level of government - three elected assemblies:, French, English and naiv -wbich Would exercise sovereignty on al cultural issues such as éducation and broadcasting from, coast te coast? It would, work in much the same manner as, the. separate. school sysWmr works in. Ontario'- citizens would. chaos., which syste. they wisiied their taxes te su pport. Althoughi sucii a.,s1stem.- would net satisfy all that Quebec says it wantts," it wou d.achieve most of it. Most importantly, perhaps, iî lnnt esal rblns of -minority *righi (Englisii-in Quebec, and FLen >lsewiisere). The. jurisdictions of each cultural governrnent 'would extend from coast te coast and -wherever numbers. warranted, services would b. provided eut of tax revenues raised 'frorniits own linguistic gronp. For native Canadians, it would * ve 1them the ind of recognition that they desire as we as ý.tii. powers, and resources te serve their people wherever they w.ere. S For botii French* and native Canadians, ýthe. kind of territorial 'sovereignty that tiiey are seeking Would net b. achieved, but is territory tii. issue? Our new constitution maigiit aise recognize Canada's fourth cultural group - New Canadians - through a parailel multicultural governinent wiiich would help preserve *their cultural diversity while easing théir assimilation into Canadian society. Constitutional recognition, of their vital roi. ttei development of our nation would b. quit. unique. The. last theme of my brief - that oiur new constitution should b. drafted by a dir.ctly electd non-partisan broadly- based constitutional congress goes back te my initial qit K4)ffl b¶2tio-fthfl e .« Two more .Iawyers, will 1be added te the ,crown, attérneylis office'in Durba in Region. -- The appoinitments of ILisa Grant and Lori. Turner* .were. anneunceed by Ontario, Attorney General Howard Hampton lest week. T'M. appointments'wer. part of- an overal package- of,'measurbi; aimed.iat, reducing iiack0ogof cases now befr Otari6uts Iu addition te tii. tw or- neys ew aminitrative -staff wnid>e added te court offices in the region. As weIl, a tiered syte' will b., inroucd te family' courts in Osiiawa to make better use of courtroms, and judges..* Instead of one judge sitting from 10 a.m., te 4 p.m. m. a smgle courtroom, ,tvo judgeswill aplit, tiie day. On.' judge will hear cases bnin at 8 a.m. until ear1 aienon and another judge wir1 take. over and sit until evening. Last.. October, the, Supremne Court 'of, Canada ruled that delays in the. Ontario court sys- tenu were unreasonable and jeo- pardizing an accused. person's right to a speedy, trial.. Since the, ruhing, known as; the Askov case, the government has apoted more judges, with- drawn Iess senious cases and double-booked courts in an effort te bring some semblance of ordgr tte isysteu., At Nutri/System, yu'll find supportive coouling, satisfyigrdalfoods, light atv»and new ways to bet lold habits. !'3 WEEKS" FOR' FOR NUTRI/SYSTEM®I" SERVICES ' j Ooes flot incude the cost P' toods, maintenance or activity plan. Cannot be combined with other okfrs. Valid onty for new programs at .,aficipating centers. One offer per.person. Join .....Èor AFRIL et 7/M9 As of last week, 32,254 charges' dismissed 'or withdrawn-becaus3eý acrôss Ontario iiad been stayed, of the Askovruling.-,. 4 SFAFOOD and. STEAKHOUSL <1180 Simcoe St. N. 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