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6- The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday July 14, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-3824, ext. 224 Circulation: 845-9742 The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate.The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Commentary Guest Columnist When strong leaders reverse their position Terence Young Federal Conservative Candidate for Oakville ierre Trudeau won the 1974 election fighting against wage and price controls. I remember this well because I was a candidate in that election -- age 21. He roused the working people and won the election by claiming, "Mr. Stanfield wants to freeze your wages!" The Liberals brought in wage and price controls anyway -- a year later. Brian Mulroney spoke against free trade with the U.S. when he ran for Conservative leader, but years later as Prime Minister, he introduced free trade. Why? Canada faced over 200 bills before the U.S. congress written to keep Canadian goods out of U.S. markets. They could have damaged the Canadian economy irreversibly. The Free Trade Agreement shut them all down. Historic events had made the status quo unsustainable. Jean Chrétien and Bonnie Brown won the 1993 federal election with key promises. They said they would repeal the unpopular GST, transform free trade and introduce a national child care program. None of them were implemented. The question for voters is: did anything change on the national agenda that could justify these huge policy reversals? The simple answer is no. Ironically the Liberals now criticize the Harper government over a tax issue -- the taxing of trusts. Did anything change to justify the policy reversal? Most definitely. Some of Canada's largest corporations planned to change their structures to take advantage of tax policy, rather than growing Canadian industry and creating new jobs. Based on these new conditions, the prime minister's difficult decision was the right one for Canadian industry and working people. Stephen Harper promised to do what is best for all Canadians and has consistently done so. Here are just a few examples: · Safe Streets: Eliminated `house arrest" for violent offenders who might reoffend. Established an Ombudsman for victims of crime. Made street racing a criminal offence. Added 1,000 new RCMP officers. Invested $16 M for youth at risk. Introduced funding for the RCMP to protect children from internet predators. · Lower tax burden: Lowered GST down to six per cent. Provided $100 a month for parents with children under six years old. Lowered parents' taxes by about $350 for every child under 18. Provided Tax credits for commuters using transit. Instituted income splitting for pensioned seniors. These actions are on top of $612 million for the provinces to reduce patient wait times and a massive commitment of $4.5 billion to clean up Canada's air and water, and combat climate change. Prime Minister Harper is a strong defender of human rights who stood up to the President of China on behalf of Huseyin Celil, a Canadian citizen imprisoned there, and recently lectured the President of Russia on human rights. He is a leader Canadians can all be proud of. Terence Young NEIL OLIVER Publisher JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director TERI CASAS Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production Metroland Media Group Ltd. includes: Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser, Alliston Herald/Courier, Arthur Enterprise News, Barrie Advance, Caledon Enterprise, Brampton Guardian, Burlington Post, Burlington Shopping News, City Parent, Collingwood/Wasaga Connection, East York Mirror, Erin Advocate/Country Routes, Etobicoke Guardian, Flamborough Review, Georgetown Independent/Acton Free Press, Harriston Review, Huronia Business Times, Lindsay This Week, Markham Economist & Sun, Midland/Penetanguishine Mirror, Milton Canadian Champion, Milton Shopping News, MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ALEXANDRIA CALHOUN Circ. Manager WEBSITE oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver is a division of IAN OLIVER Group Publisher Media Group Ltd. Mississauga Business Times, Mississauga News, Napanee Guide, Newmarket/Aurora Era-Banner, Northumberland News, North York Mirror, Oakville Beaver, Oakville Shopping News, Oldtimers Hockey News, Orillia Today, Oshawa/Whitby/Clarington Port Perry This Week, Owen Sound Tribune, Palmerston Observer, Peterborough This Week, Picton County Guide, Richmond Hill/Thornhill/Vaughan Liberal, Scarborough Mirror, Stouffville/Uxbridge Tribune, Forever Young, City of York Guardian RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America P THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: United Way of Oakville TV AUCTION Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are... e were on one of those rollercoaster roads up in cottage country, about three-quarters of the way to delivering our 11-year-old daughter and her two cousins to a camp at Bark Lake. An overnight camp ­ our daughter's first such adventurous excursion. From the backseat we heard, over and over like a broken record: "I feel sick (This after a Timbit gorging that reminded me of hungry lions feasting on a helpless hyena in a National Geographic special). My butt's killing me (this from the girl who drew the short straw and got saddled with the middle seat). And, of course, the ubiquitous refrain: Are we there yet? (No, girls, when we're there I will actually stop the Jeep and let you out). It's been said that the most memorable times of summer are the road trips we boldly undertake. Not necessarily the best times, mind you, but the most memorable. They also say that, "Getting there is half the fun." Granted, "they" may well be crazy. Honestly, who doesn't remember being torturously crammed in a car festooned with family, holiday paraphernalia and great expectations en route to a campgrounds or cottage or resort that glossy brochures assured would be nothing less than heaven on earth? Who doesn't have a tale or two about such a road trip: per- W haps a navigational nightmare (in trying to find Montreal -- a pretty big city to misplace -- we once ended up in New York), or an untimely car conk-out? And, who could ever forget being barfed on by the sad-sack sibling -- and doesn't every family have one? --whose sensitive stomach sabotaged every outing? Actually, in our family, that sad-sack wretcher is our eldest dog, but I Andy Juniper digress. Alas, every good road trip needs a good soundtrack, music to make the miles pass without pain. Granted, with two adults and three kids in a car, picking a playlist can be tricky. En route to Bark Lake we gave peace (and the John Lennon tribute album Instant Karma) a chance. The nostalgic CD briefly quieted the girls. But in the end they were too excited to listen. As we closed in on the camp, I thought that it would be fitting for us to be listening to a little vintage Paul Simon: "You know, the nearer your destination the more you're slip, slidin' away..." From the cheap seats in the back of the Jeep we heard: "I'm hungry (Not possible after the Timbit gorging). I have to pee (Not possible: we just stopped 20 minutes ago). My butt is still killing me (Switch seats!) Are we there yet? (Wait a minute, wait, wait ­ yes! This is it! We're here!). And from the back seat, for the 50th time, the girls busted out in song: "Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer..."Arghhh! A camp counsellor walked out to greet us and the three gabby gals became suddenly silent, all boisterousness surrendered to a sea of shyness in which my wife and I luxuriated. After a tour of the grounds it was time for us to bid adieu to our daughter -- a moment we'd been contemplating since registering her. Our daughter, you see, can be anxious in such settings. This camp had the potential to be a positive, pleasurable experience. Or a complete disaster, to the tune of: Come pick me up now, I want to come home! It's the day after the drive that, oddly enough, I'm already remembering with fondness. Our house is too quiet and too empty. I miss my baby girl. I think about her constantly and I hope that she and her cousins are having the time of their lives. My fingers are cramping from keeping them crossed. Andy Juniper can be visited at his Web site, www.strangledeggs.com, or contacted at ajuniper@strangledeggs.com.