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Peoples Forum- THE WEEKEND OUTLOOK Friday February im Page 11 Canada needs reformed federalism Dear Sir Brian Mulroney has poor Judgement in dragging Canada into the war In the Per sian Gulf to please his friend President George Bush of the USA This has been to his short- term advantage as it has diverted attention from problems facing our country due to his dic tatorial tendencies Some time ago he made this ar rogant statement quote The prune minister states the policy of the government of Canada There can be no contradiction whatsoever Since the election when he again became prime minister with of the popular vote due to our imperfect electoral system now his popularity might rate this policy has been to close the House of Commons whenever possible to stifle the opposition parties and avoid criticism He has directed the affairs of our country from his chosen head quarters at Meech Lake with Tory Cabinet decisions and Tory Orders in Council claims he has a new vision of Canada so has em barked on a massive study led by Paul Tellier and 10 teams of Con servative deputy ministers that could lead to an overhaul of this countrys government and bureaucracy It would be in teresting to know who these depu ty ministers are and what pro vince they represent In the Com mons Canadians must ask themselves Can we trust this prime minister and his Tory deputies to decide what the future of our country is to be Canada needs to nave reformed federalism but this must be reviewed by intelligent and honest people with the interest of our country at heart represen tatives of each political party and from each provincial govern ment not Tories only Yours truly Carl and Anne Ott Ariss Ontario Cloud nine planners love spending Dear Editor Here we go again now the brains in Ottawa are spending million on a cultural research in stitute This comes on top of million for an archives building Dear reader have a guess where the money will go On tario Newfoundland or Quebec Also ask yourself if we really need this money spent or do you think that at this time this money should not be spent Of course to our politicians this is only a pittance What is a million Raise tax to pay for it Easy come easy go The cloud nine planners love spending It makes them so im portant Sincerely Libertarian Acton Anxious parent being naive Dear Editor We have just finished reading the letter from an Anxious parent of two teenagers Feb While we understand a parents natural concern for the welfare of teens especially in these troubl ed times we believethat condom machines should indeed be in stalled at GDHS We all remember how impor tant it was as a teen to fit In Kids all know the dangers of smoking but still some smoke know the evils of drugs and alcihol but still some use their Certainly most teens understand what happens when sperm meets egg and they have learned bow to help cut the risk of STDb and yes AIDS through the use of a con dom Make no mistake parents Some of these educated teens are going to have sex anyway regardless of whether or not they have access to condoms They all feel protected by the syndrome This anxious parent should remember that if a kid la to em barrassed to ask the school nurse for a condom it only makes safe sex LESS likely Think of the em barrassment of a pregnant teenage daughter or having to tell friends and relatives that a son hasAIDS My wife and I believe the anx ious parent is being One cant bury ones head until the danger is gone It will never be gone Only through education dialogue and can we expect our kids to act respon sibly Isnt that what we want If a condom dispenser in high school washrooms prevents one teenage pregnancy just one un necessary abortion or saves the hopes and dreams of just one freshfaced young couple then were certainly in favor of it Mr and Mrs Georgetown Prime Ministers speeches stated the obvious OTTAWA If anyone still har bors the faintest doubt that things are out of whack in this country just take a look at the excitement generated by Prime Minister Brian two national unity speeches He spoke in Toronto and Quebec City and judging by the media coverage you would think he was declaring war on the United States or at the very least renouncing the monarchy Speeches by prime ministers havent attracted that kind of at tention since the Second World War And what was all the excite ment about The prime minister of Canada was making two speeches defending the country he has led for the past six years If it wasnt so sad it would be hilarious Imagine the whole nation going into a tizzy because the prime minister says we live In a fine country hat its worth saving that he will do all he can to keep it together that those who propose a breakup are dream mer chants It should be everyday stuff for a Canadian prime minister And it frequently was for Pierre Trudeau and before him Lester Pearson Yet when Brian Mulroney comes forward and delivers an impassioned defence of the country he was twice elected to lead it becomes an event of astonishing proportions We were even told how many days he worked on the speech TEXT UNNECESSARY All things being equal the prime minister shouldnt even need a text to go before Toronto and Quebec City audiences to talk about the virtures of Canadian unity After six years all the pro per words should spew out automatically And its mindboggling to think that after those six years a prime minister would command headlines for rising to the defence of his country It would be readily understandable if he said Canada wasnt worth saving but to Ottawa Bureau by Stewart MacLeod Thomson News Service become a celebrity for praising the place is something else Canada not up for grabs says one screaming headline Muted Mulroney reworks old ideas says another Face facts PM tells Quebec Cool reception forPMs pitch Not only that virtually every newpaper wrote lead editorials on the nice things Mr said about Canada And The Canadian Press went so far as to distribute excerpts of some of these editorials from coast to coast just as is done when theres say an outbreak of war Colmnists had a field day stands up for Canada declared one of this peculiar breed One cant help wondering what a foreigner visiting Canada must have thought Even a touring American one relatively familiar with our constitutional shenanigans would surely be baffled President George Bush doesnt freak out his nation by standing up for it SAYS MUCH The fact that Mr Mulroney was able to push the Gulf War off the front pages by merely defending tne country probably tells us a lot more than we want to hear At the very least it tells us the prime minister hasnt been telling us what he should have been over the last six years It should be noted that Mr Mulroney managed to create this press pandemonium without one specific announcement He talk ed as he has many times before about a renewed confederation about involving people in the decisionmaking process about the need to maintain national standards Naturally he would fight for a united Canada as long as I have strength as long as I have life He felt it necessary to remind his audience that regardless of where a prime minister comes from in this country he or she speaks on behalf of all Cana dians whether their language is English or French And oh yes he said he had ab solutely no intention of dismantling Canada The Mon treal Gazette acknowledging there were precious few specifics in Mr Mulroneys speeches said however it was good to hear him say we must safeguard the rights of all Cana dians We all know Mr Mulroney en joys getting favorable press coverage But even he must be overwhelmed if not a tad embar rassed over the suffocating coverage he created by simply stating the obvious Might even tempt him into specifics Separation talk also surfaces in United States WASHINGTON Some Americans likely would sym pathize with the demands by Quebec Liberals for more powers from Ottawa if only because they want their own federal govern ment to do less At a time of national preoc cupation with the war in the Per sian Gulf few Americans are aware of a Canadian controversy over demands by Quebec Liberals for many of Ottawas powers The New York Times may have noticed that the Globe and Mails Jeffrey Simpson has said the separation of Quebec from Canada is just a matter of time but most Americans do not have Canada on their minds However if they do find out about Quebec Liberals proposals that could sap the strength of the federal government in Ottawa its a sure bet that many Americans would think its an idea worth importing Americans deep dissatisfac tion with Congress is well known and has been documented in scores of opinion polls Americans have even toyed with the idea of separating from the federal government from time to time Rumblings about separation pop up occasionally when independentminded Texans get particularly upset with Washington The state which ex isted for nine years as the In dependent Republic of Texas after it gained freedom from Mexico in 1836 even retained the right to secede when it became the 28th state in 1845 WHIMSICAL Considering that Texas has produced two of the last six presidents such talk is usually more whimsical than serious Vermont has also toyed with the idea of bidding adieu to the central government It existed as an independent republic from to 1791 and once even con sidered reuniting with Britain This year Vermont celebrates its anniversary as the unions 14th state but it prceded the gala with a series of half- serious debates around the state on renewing independence In one of the debates Frank Bryan a professor at the Univer sity of Vermont said the talk of leaving the union would give Washington the shock it needs The American Congress is braindead he said The presidency is so hamstrung domestically that its frustrated occupants dabble in nasty little foreign interventions because thats the one place they can give orders and someone will listen The argument was persuasive More than 1500 Vermonters who Washington Bureau by Kevin Bell Thornton News Service were asked for their opinion after the debates voted for seces sion The states bicentenary commission celebrated by selling Vermont is Out Tshirts Talk about separation seems extreme in a country that has such a strong sense of nationhood and patriotism Most critics pro bably would settle- on having some of Washingtons respon sibilities transferred along with an appropriate amount of cash to the individual states At least that was the general mood at the National Governors Association meeting here earlier this month The governors were clearly upset that Washington has cut grants to states over the last years and has passed more laws on what states should do in areas such as Medicaid the health pro gram for the poor without pro viding any extra money RESPONSIBILITY Washington Is also skilled at formulating national strategies in areas such as education but the responsibility for raising the money falls largely upon the states and local governments The federal governments com mandments to spend more money has left some states in dire straits In New Jersey huge tax hikes to meet the states responsibilities touched off a tax payers revolt New York has shifted much of the tax burden to municipal authorities who are now complaining loudly To ease the strain President George Bush has pledged billion for the states with no str ings attached as part of a new push to allow states to make more decisions This American proposal for limited decentralization is a far cry from Quebec Liberals demands for sweeping power But like many provinces states want the federal government to give them more power to do as they wish Write us a letter The Herald wants to hear from you If you have an opinion you want to express or a com ment to make send us a letter or drop by the office Our address is Gueiph Street Georgetown Ontario All letters must be signed Please include your address 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