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Editorial | Comments The Same Old Guy It has been almost three years since Pierre Trudeau stepped out of public office and retreated behind the thick corporate walls of a law firm in Montreal. For three years, Canada heard not a word in public from the man who governed this country through a lot of ups and downs for almost 16 years. : Suddenly last week, he "surfaced" with a vengeance from his self imposed silence by publishing a lengthy treatise in two of Canada's leading daily papers. The subject of his wrath was the April 30 agreement between the federal government aild the ten provinces, the so-called Meech Lake Accord, which among other things recogniz- ed Quebec as a "distinct society," and gave the province the right to help in the selection, of senators and Supreme Court Judges. Trudeau's commeritary immediately touched off a furious debate in this country, one that will continue throughout the long hot sum- mer of 1987. BY O.K., so Mr. Trudeau doesn't like the Meech Lake agreement. A lot of other people in the country didn't like it very much, either. He says the recognition of Quebec as & "distinct society" puts this "country on the fast track to sovereignty association. Where's his proof of this? There is a giant gap between "distinct society' and 'sovereignty association.' ' And he doesn't much like the fact the provinces will now have a say in the appointment of Senators: and Supreme Court Judges. Will this rip apart the very fabric of Canadian society as-he seems ta suggest? Mr. Trudeau seems to think the provinces have no more 'competence on this matter than a group'%t grade six civic students. As might be expected from a man of considerable intellect, Mr. Trudeau's arguments against the Accord are sharp. But are they valid in the Canada of 19877 Are they valid in a country which for so many years has been crying out for conciliation, negotiation and a dose of "give and take" in the relations between the federal government and the provinces? us Reading through the lengthy text, one feels a sad sense of deja vu. For he liberally sprinkles his writing with words and phrases that were the hall-mark of his confrontational style of governing this coun- - try. He doesn't say "fuddle-duddie." nor is there an index finger clear- ly in view But he calls Brian Mulroney 'this clever negotiator' and . the context is not one of flattery. . 5 He refers to "'provincialist politicians" as "perpetual losers (who) don't have the stature or the vision to dominate the Canadian stage." He refers to them also as "that bunch of snivellers (who) should have been sent packing and been told to stop having tantrums like spoiled adolescents." - He calls Mr. Mulroney 'a weakling,' the author of a document "which will render the Canadian state totally impotent." Talk about tantrums and adolescent behaviour. The language is vintage Trudeau, a clear throw-back to the days when it was 'my way or thé doorway." , In all his years in power, Mr. Trudeau never seemed to com- prehend why Canadians didn't warm to him or his politics. He most- ly likely didn't care, either. The simple fact of the matter is that most of what he did as a politician grated on people because of his con- frontational style, his holier-than-thow attitude, his arrogance in the supreme. The Trudeau dream went sour in a big hurry because peo- (Turn to page 12) E] I Port Perry (Qa STAR ¢ 235 QUEEN STREET . PORT PERRY ONTARIO Phone 985-7383 PO Box 90 LOB INO J PETER HVIDSTEN Menper of the Publisher nada Community Newspaper Associatior Advertising Manager ty Newspaper Association ~~ - - b i shed every uesday by the Perry Star C0 LIC Port Perey Ontaro J B. MCCLELLAND Editor CATHY OLLIFFE News & Features «Ma Registration Number 0265 / Subscrpbion Rate In Canada $20 00 per year £ lsewhere $60 00 per year Single Copy 50 ~ "~ ting department of the Port Perry Star Company soc are tr COP , EN and May not be reproduced w . ning the Partici : ~ When the final results were tallied up Wednes- day night, Scugog came up with 44.2 per cent par- Chatterbox | ' | | by Cathy Olliffe SOB, WE LOST °° Another six hundred people. and we would have won. : That's how close Scugog Township was to win- cipaction Challenge last Wednesday. ticipation. That means 44 2 per cent of the popula- tion (14,808) did 15 minutés of exercise on May 27. In other words. 6.5% people took part. Forty-four per cent participation was pretty darn good for Scugog's first time in the Par- ticipaction Challenge Some sceptics around town figured we'd only get half that. And considering our challengers, Ajax and Newcastle, counted their percentage in the 20 per cent range last year, heck, we didn't do too bad at all. In fact, we have a lot to be proud of: Unfortunately. 44 per cent wasn't enough to beat Ajax and Newcastle this year. Newcastle was the big winner with £8 5 per cent. Ajax was just a titch behind with 47 per cent. : We did, however, whomp Uxbridge. O neighbour to the west came up with a measley 36.9 per cent. : And although Challenge Day organizers (namely, a small group from Community Memorial Hospital' say thev're content with the results, I can't say the same. Frankly. I'm disappointed in Scugog Township. : I was absolutely positive Stugog would win the challenge agamnst Ajax and Newcastle, and if I was a betting person. I might have laid down a week's pay cheque. saying Scugog would win. I know, winning isn't everything, and it's not. It's just that. well. I had so much faith in the peo- ple of our commumty People here have always struck me as real go-getters, willing to get involv- ed with anything at the drop of a hat. I mean, we've got more clubs and organiza- tions than you shake a stick at, and I'm busier than a two-headed owl running from pillar to post staking pictures of these groups. : So I figured. with this kind of enthusiasm, Scugog would have no problems coming up with 80 per cent participation on Challenge Day. Guess | figured wrong. Sure, 6.546 people took part, but what happened to the other 7,262 people in this community ® Why couldn't they donate 15 minutes of their ime. 15 lousy minutes of their day, dping some kind of exercise" Were they too busy" Pshaw, I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off on Challenge Day and I still found time to do 15 minutes of exercise : Were they too out of shape. too old. or in a wheelchair" No excuse You didn't have to do 15 minutes of aerobics or push-ups ---- a simple walk around the block would suffice. And if vou can't walk, you can always do arm exercises, or face stretches or something The thing is. everyone is capable of some kind of exercise. No matter what physical condition | they're in. So why didn't the other 7,262 people in Scugog participat¢? | Part ofthe reason, I think, I hope, is that they didn't know about Challenge Day. Although the Port Perry Star has been filled with information about Challenge Day for some time, and posters have been pasted all over the township, some peo- ple may have missed hearing about it -- or understanding what it was all about. I'd like to think that's the only reason people didn't participate, but I don't think it's true. Basically, and I hate to admit this, but I believe some people just don't want to get involv- ed. With anything. Period. Maybe they think they're too good to do something as *'silly' as 15 minutes of exercise. Maybe they think others are "'stupid"' for doing so. Or maybe they're simply too darn lazy. Whatever the reason, there are those in our midst who can't be bothered. And that's really too bad, especially in a situation such as Challenge Day where the whole idea is to get absolutely everyone in a community involved. And while that sounds like an impossible dream, it's really not. . : This year, the winner of Challenge Day was - Berwick, Nova Scotia, a small community that somehow managed to come up with an astounding 95.97 per cent! - Ce ' That's the highest percentage every record- ed in the short history of Challenge Day, and bigawd, the people of Berwick must be proud of themselves. Next year, just maybe, with any bit of luck, Scugog should be able to match that amazing percentage. Or even top it. If those who didn't participate on Wednesday get off their derrierres, we have an excellent - chance of winning the Challenge in 1988. All it takes is commitment. As I said last week, Together We Stand -- Divided We Fall. Unfortunately, we fell. A WONDERFUL GUY ~ Ican't let this space go by without mention- ing the man who has touched all of our lives this past week, and over the last two years. "Without a doubt, Rick Hansen is the most beloved human being in Canada at this moment. _ Atruly great hero, this confident, endearing, spirited man with a boyish smile and a caring soul, has stolen our hearts. Not just because he endured more than two years of grueling physical effort; not only because he raised more than $10 million for spinal cord research; but because he is who he is. Rick Hansen is a rare individual, a special person who radiates courage, love and hope. There have been others before him -- Ghans di, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King. Terry Fox (Turn to page 8)