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THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, February 19, 1993 â€"6 ~â€"OPINION 467 Speers Road, Oakville, Ont. L6K 384 3824 Fax: 845â€"3085 Classified Advertising: 845â€"2809 Circulation: 845â€"9742 or 845â€"9743 Ian Oliver Publisher _ $ BmE NE on C ts Meward Fublgang Robert Glasbey Advertising Director ds ie is n . Publ Adrance, Goardian.. Post Etobicoke Guardian l Norman Alexander Editor mss pore comale Geoff Hill Circulation Director Hewer % ?lm*"“""m"""'g: Te week: ts Woue Teri Casas Office Manager 3 mm Wmoswnaeuvuuwmy%w Tim Coles Production Manager t o No s t P $° NAFTA war rages No one told Federal Trade Minister Michael Wilson, it would be easy trying to sell the value of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to Canadians. But not even Wilson could have imagined how hard a task it would be. And that opposition was out in full force for Wilson Thursday morning when he headed a panel discussion on NAFTA. The biggest thing in Wilson‘s favor these days is the newlyâ€"elected President of the United States, Bill Clinton. Under former Republican President George Bush, the signing of the deal was a virtual certainty. But Clinton wants some serious points discussed before he inks a deal with Mexico and Canada. Specifically, Clinton is on record as saying he won‘t ask Congress to approve NAFTA unless there are clear statements regarding the environment and labor. Both are sore points with Canadian and American workers. Under the Bush administration, the three NAFTA countries had agreed on a kind of agency to monitor crossâ€"border pollution issues. The North America Environmental Comumission was to look after that issue. But that was a Republican concession and its record on the environment in the U.S., let alone Canada or Mexico, was a source of concern for many environmenâ€" tal groups. This is the administration, you might remember, that was all for clearâ€"cut logging in some ‘old‘ forests on the west coast. When furniture manufacturers in California were told to clean up their act, they cleaned out their plants instead and headed to Mexico. And it wasn‘t the cheap labor that drew them there since their business relied on skilled craftsâ€" men. It was the absence of any pollution regulations. They were welcomed with open arms by the Mexican government which is only too glad to allow plants to pollute the air, water and the land in return for some jobs...any jobs at any labor rate. That‘s hardly progressive for either country. So much for the oftâ€"quoted level playing field of international trade and commerce. Mexico‘s secretary of foreign affairs, Fernando Solana Morales, said he‘s content to sign a NAFTA deal without any conditions. The Mexican people don‘t have a friend in this man. The difficulty with NAFTA is that it‘s seen in very different ways by difâ€" ferent groups, even people within these groups. Businesses seeking to export goods to the large Mexican market see NAFTA as a golden opportunity because trade barriers would be brought down, making their goods more competitive. They view Mexico as a market and have no stake in the people there and that‘s fair enough. Then there are those businesses who seek to locate or relocate their operaâ€" tions in Mexico because of the cheaper labor and other associated social costs that they have to pay here and that includes environmental control. So for massâ€"production businesses, Mexico is just too good to be trueâ€"NAFTA supporters? You bet. Wilson hopes to bring forth NAFTA legislation in the coming weeks and discussion should be interesting indeed. The Commons debate should be worth watching if only to see Liberal leader Jean Chretien try to explain his position on the deal. His latest revelaâ€" tion on his party‘s views of the pact? "Youâ€"come to see me when I‘m the government, okay?" No Jean, not okay. WEEKLY POLL Who would you like to win the Oakvilleâ€" Milton Federal Liberal Riding Association â€" Mohan Anand, David Bazar, Bonnie Brown or Bruce Hood? z* i _ Int Braver _ a $ t Cast your ballot by calling 845â€"5585, box 5186. Callers have until 12 noon Thursday to regâ€" ister their vote. Results of the poll will be published in the next Friday edition of the Oakville Beaver. CAlL845â€"5585 RESULTS OF LAST WEEK‘S POLL What is your favorite Valentine gift to a loved oneâ€"chocolates, flowers, a greeting card or jewelry? Jewelry: 21 Greeting cards: 10 Chocolates: 9 Flowers: 3 HARRY CANT TALK RIGHT NOW... HES BUSY PUSTING OFF HIS "BRING BACK lt The Oakville Beaver welcomes your comments. Alrletters must be signed and include the writer‘s address and phone The Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., number. Letters should be typed, doubleâ€"spa. d and addressed to: Letters to the Editor, Oakville, Ont. L6K 354 Stop oneâ€"eyed drivers and boost the economy too Dear Sir: I think I have found the answer to the economic problem in Oakville and area. The Police Department must issue traffic tickets to every one headlight driver on the local roads, and the resulting fines are bound to balance the police budget. The resulting rush to replace sealbeam headlights will force G.E. to build the new plant or lay on another shift. Now, all I have to do is make sure that both of my headlights are burning. Ken Ridley Paper holds a bias against Halton Board Dear Sir: Although I have cancelled my subscription to the Beaver, a friend brought your editorial and the related story in the Feb. 10th issue to my attention as another unfortunate example of your antiâ€"Board of Education bias. It seems to me that the "Right to Know" must cut both ways. Taxpayers should have the "right to know" if a very small group of disgruntled people have diverted over $100,000 in public funds from worthwhile educational programs through their extensive use of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Individual Privacy Act. Your paper seems to have become the media vehicle for one trustee and a small group of negaâ€" tive people. Newspapers have an obligation to remain objective and balanced in their coverage. Peter Hadley Time to speak up for paediatric service here Dear Sir: You published recently, an article, plus letters to the editor, regarding Halton District Health Council considâ€" ering the removal of Paediatric health services from our community Oakvilleâ€"Trafalgar Memorial Hospital. I have been very grateful for the Paediatric facilities here in Oakville, as well as, many of our friends and neighbors, who rely heavily on this facility for their chilâ€" dren. With regards to Dr. G. Egger‘s letter to the Beaver recently, I would like to say that I stand wholeheartedly behind him and sincerely hope that we will have Paediatric hospital service continued here in Oakville. Those individuals and groups in our community who care about maintaining health services for children should make their wishes known to our District Health Council at 700 Dorval Drive, Suite 503, Oakville, Ontario L6K 3V3 â€" 842â€"2120. Fran Crowley Open government would stop FOI requests Dear Sir: If we had open governments as we should have, with open information to the taxpayer, we would have no need for FOI. If the Halton Board of Education administration gave the taxpayers access to all the information requested, in one fell swoop, then all the FOI requests, now totalling $107,000, wouldâ€"not have been necessary. Board of Education officials, in their fury, are tryâ€" ing to pit groups of taxpayers against each other. If there were nothing to hide, they wouldn‘t make such a fuss and would provide the information, conâ€" fidently, clearly, and professionally. What are they trying to hide? Are they trying to hide information or their own incompetence? J.E.M. Knight