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The Clarington Independent, Bowmanvillc, Saturday, July 16, 1994 19 PC Leader Urges Hiring by Merit, Not by Quota By Mike Harris, MPP, Leader, Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario In his most famous speech, Reverend Reverend Marlin Luther King Jr. said that he had a dream that one day people would be "judged not by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character." To my mind, that phrase sums up what employment equity should be all about. Any person applying for any job, anywhere, should be judged solely on his or her abilities and experience. experience. Their colour, religion, race, gender, or other such characteristics should not enter into the equation. The sole criteria should be merit. However, that concept is ignored in the NDP government's employment employment equity law, which will take effect effect in the fall. Instead of being required required to end all discrimination and hire people strictly on merit, employers employers will be required to comply with a quota system. While the government may try to pass the system off as "voluntary" and talks about "goals and timetables", timetables", the bottom line is that companies companies will have to hire minimum numbers numbers of visible minorities, Native- Canadians, disabled people and women. women. When you are legally required to hire by race, colour, sex or other physical characteristics, that's a quota. quota. It is also a recipe for discrimination, discrimination, tokenism, resentment, racial division division and fundamental unfairness. Quite simply, it is wrong to discriminate discriminate on racist, sexist or other similar grounds while hiring people. A system which actually- REQUIRES such discrimination will end up fore-. Police Ask for Help to Solve Sexual Assault Crime Stoppers and the Durham Regional Police are asking for the Public's help in solving a Sexual Assault Assault which occurred in Pickering on Wednesday, September 15th of last year. During the evening hours a female was jogging in the park in the vicinity vicinity of Maple Ridge and Liverpool Road. She was grabbed from behind by a male who punched her numerous numerous times and then forced her to the ground. The male then continued assaulting assaulting her and ripped her pants off. He attempted intercourse but was unsuccessful. unsuccessful. At one point, another male voice was heard telling the suspect suspect to hurry up because someone was coming. The female was then punched some more and threatened and then the male left the scene. Over the next couple of months the victim has been accosted twice by the same suspect while in commercial commercial parking lots in the Pickering area. On the second occasion the victim victim was struck several times with a length of pipe. The suspect fled the scene as a passenger in a blue K car. Suspect is described as male, white, 20 - 25 years old, approximately approximately six feet tall, medium build, 160 pounds, medium brown hair, long on top, short on sides. Tanned, good complexion, brown eyes, unshaven unshaven for a couple of days, no moustache or glasses. No accent or speed impediment, deep voice. Suspect Suspect was wearing blue denim jeans, dark coloured pullover sweatshirt, no writings or emblems on shirt, gold chain round his neck with no other jewellery. Crime Stoppers is asking anyone with information on this Sexual Assault Assault or any other serious crime to call. As a caller you will not be asked to identify yourself or have to go to Court. A Cash Reward of up to $1000 is being offered if your information leads to an arrest. The Crime Stoppers phone number number is: 436-8477 that's 436-TIPS. Sergeant Grant Arnold is the coordinator coordinator with the Durham Regional Crime Stoppers and writes this article to help combat crime. ing the hiring of less qualified people in order to meet the quotas. Under the NDP's system, those who may have more merit will suffer, regardless of their background or sex. For example, a better-qualified black women might lose her chance at a job because the company has been ordered ordered to hire more disabled people. In short, revere discrimination is just as unfair as any other kind. So, what is the answer to the prob lems of discrimination and lack of opportunity that members of these identified groups still face in the workforce? Ontario already has laws prohibiting prohibiting discrimination in hiring practices. If these laws arc not working, they should be re-written and toughened. But the toughest anti- discrimination laws and, indeed, the toughest quota systems, will still not produce, for example, more women engineers. This will only happen when more women study engineering. engineering. We must modify and use our education education and training systems to ensure that all Ontarians, especially members members of groups that are underrepresented underrepresented in certain fields, have the opportunity to reach their full potential. potential. Y ou cannot force more women to study engineering, but you can en courage them, ensure that all barriers to that study are removed, and ensure that when they graduate, they will have exactly the same chance at a given job as any other engineering graduate. In other words, allow and require employers to judge each person as a person and to make hiring decisions based on people's merit...on the content content of their character, not the colour of their skin. LUMINA*ASTR0 YOUR BEST CHOICE ONE LOW PRICE STANDARD 4-WHEEL ANTI-LOCK BRAKES - NOT AVAILABLE ON AEROSTAR OR BASE CARAVAN. MODULAR SEATING FOR SEVEN - NOT AVAILABLE ON AEROSTAR OR CARAVAN. 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