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6- The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday March 15, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 905-632-4440 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 NEIL OLIVER Publisher DAVID HARVEY General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager 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 MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ALEXANDRIA ANCHOR Circ. Manager WEBSITE oakvil ebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver is a division of Guest Columnist Demise of dissent Bonnie Brown, Oakville MP Canada's system of government benefits from two important strengths. First, the cabinet is supported in its policy making by a highly educated and professional civil service that provides non-partisan advice irrespective of Bonnie Brown the party in power. Second, the government is held to account by a system of checks and balances that includes independent evaluators such as the Auditor General. It has worked well for generations because great care is taken to choose people for these roles who are at the zenith of their careers and are known for their integrity and independence. Sometimes governments have received advice they don't want to hear from senior civil servants. Sometimes governments have received criticism from independent evaluators which is bruising. A smart government listens carefully to both senior civil servants and independent evaluators and implements their suggestions. Sadly, the Harper government has demonstrated a different reaction to the impartial advice it receives. Here are a few examples: Fired · Linda Keen, President of Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, on the eve of her appearance before the government committee investigating the Chalk River nuclear plant shutdown and this government's handling of the affair. · Adrian Measner, President and CEO of the Canadian Wheat Board, in December 2006 for his decision to follow the direction of the CWB's farmer-elected Board of Directors and not give in to the government's decision to strip the Board of its single-desk selling feature. · Johanne Gélinas, Environment Commissioner, in January 2007 after publicly commenting to the media about her not receiving sufficient information from the government about its "Made in Canada" environmental plan. · Karen Kraft Sloan, Ambassador for the Environment, in September 2006 after her position was eliminated. Although the Conservatives tried to backtrack, claiming they made a mistake when they announced that they cut the position, the position remains unfilled. · Andrew Okulitch, scientist with the Geological Survey of Canada, in September 2006 for objecting to an order to turn federal correspondence into political propaganda by injecting a mandatory reference praising "Canada's new government." After much public outrage, the government was forced to reverse its position and reinstate Okulitch. Driven to "Resign" · John Reid, Information Commissioner, in September 2006 after attacking Prime Minister Harper for doing an about face on his promise to make government more accountable. · Bernard Shapiro, Ethics Commissioner, in March 2007 after several run-ins with Prime Minister Harper over investigations of the appointment of Trade Minister David Emerson and, when the Conservatives were in opposition, an affair involving MP Gurmant Grewal. · Jean-Pierre Kingsley, Chief Electoral Officer, in December 2006 after pointing out to the Conservatives they had violated election financing laws with their "in and out scheme" which is now being investigated by the RCMP. · Jean-Guy Fleury, Chairman of the Immigration and Refugee Board, in IAN OLIVER Group Publisher Media Group Ltd. Canadian Champion, Milton Shopping News, Mississauga Business Times, Mississauga News, Napanee Guide, Newmarket/Aurora EraBanner, 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 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: United Way of Oakville TV AUCTION See Government page 7 Listening to speeches reaffirms that the kids are alright P eople of a certain age and ilk would have you believe that nothing is as good as it once was ­ winters aren't as wintry, star athletes aren't as untouchably iconic or athletic and, in general, today's kids can't hold a candle to the kids who grew up back in the good old days. Yeah, right. I go a little crazy when I hear these people blathering on, particularly when they're talking about kids ­ lumping them all in together, suggesting that this generation is indolent and apathetic and insolent (like there weren't any `bad seeds' back in their day). As a parent of three, I've been watching kids for years and I can tell you that this current crop is bigger, stronger, faster, smarter and more socially conscious than we ever dreamed kids could be. A few years back, I went to watch a basketball game with teams comprised of Grade 8 girls. To take nothing away from the Grade 8 girls of my generation -- at least those I knew -- while they were really great girls, they were really lousy basketball players. Which is why I went to this game with low expectations. Suffice to say, I was blown away by how much the game, and the girls, had progressed in the ensuing years. I mean, both teams were well-schooled in fundamentals and their execution of those fundamentals was swift, crisp and admirable. And when I saw my niece confidently drain three consecutive three-pointers, I had to concede that these Grade 8 girls would have had little trouble whipping my high school junior team. Last week I was again reminded of how the species is continually evolving when I attended the speech competition at our 12-year-old daughter's school. Sitting in Andy Juniper the auditorium, I was taken back to when I was in school and my grade was called upon to do speeches (yes, smart-alecks, they had schools way back in those days and, yes, there were enough words invented for us to do speeches). In particular, I recalled the speech of one of my classmates who spoke passionately about the plight of the bluefish. Wow. Who knew this guy had that sort of eloquence in him? And who knew, other than me and other regular readers of Sports Illustrated, that his speech was a virtual recital of a story freshly published in the esteemed magazine? Who knew? Ah, the teacher, that's who. Okay, I'll grant you that back in my day there were certainly some good speeches to offset the pathetic (and the plagiarized), but overall I don't think our speeches were anywhere as good as those I heard this week. Creative, engaging, and delivered with near Shakespearean gusto. The winning speech was all about money, and cleverly told from the point of view of a $20 bill. And how about the social consciousness of this younger generation? Several speeches were on environmental issues, sounding the warning bell on global warming and offering suggestions regarding how we can personally help quell the crisis. Little things, like thinking before you use a stapler (apparently, if everyone in Britain used one less staple a day, the savings would equal 120 tons of metal each year). Yes, today's kids care about more than just themselves. The other night our middle son came home with a horror story: a friend's father, while traveling through Florida, had been in a horrible accident, was hospitalized in critical condition, and had no traveller's insurance. I was asking my son for more details, but he had no time to talk. He was busy. Helping organize a benefit concert for the family. Today's kids are doing just fine. Andy Juniper can be visited at his Web site, www.strangledeggs.com, or contacted at ajuniper@strangledeggs.com