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Political Forum Wednesday September 1991 Ottawa Report Input on saving Canada greatly appreciated First a big thank you to all the people who have written me over the last few weeks about the country itself I asked for more input on how we might keep this country glued together and a great many peo ple responded As you know later this month we should get the governments suggestions on how everybody can be kept together the native peoples the alienated West Quebec and the people here in HaltonPeel who just want a stable economy and a country that works Over the last few months everybodys been in on the act There was the Spicer commis sion a parliamentary commit tee a unity committee of the Cabinet a premiers meeting and still to come another five- monthlong series of hearings Enough already right Right And what a number of people have been saying to me is simple You can put the solution to the problem in one word Patriotism Canadians are not known for having much of this At least we dont come out like the Americans and use it for everything including beer com mercials We are quiet patriots Scratch a Canadian and youll find someone who is fiercely loyal to the concept of Canada but also someone who usually doesnt understand just how people in other regions feel Perhaps that will start to change A lot of my letters say things like this Maybe we should fly the flag more or sing the anthem more Maybe we should have a certificate of Canadian citizen ship given to us all new Cana dians and oldtimers alike Maybe we can smooth down some of the rough patches in society by concentrating on whats right Garth Turner MP HaltonPeel Conservative about Canada instead of what could be better The list of course is endless Being Canadian means enjoying everything from incredible space to the worlds best health care to the Blue Jays when theyre win ning We have a great deal to be proud of and to protect So instead of looking at Canada as a collection of regions and provinces cultural groups and some interesting geography maybe we ought to look at it as a concept or an experiment Thats where the patriotism comes in being proud and pro tective of something you cant really touch or smell Its like be ing proud of your family history home town values Canadas th anniversary year will soon be here This will also be the year when we have a national debate on our future and when we could have a referendum on Quebec separa tion I sure hope that vote never Those of us who remember Centennial year in know of a gentler time days when Mon treal hosted Expo 67 and seemed as Canadian as any other city Now in Quebec there are separatists leaders working daily to convince that we dont want them anymore The separatists have to be stopped The Canada I was born into didnt have a big hole in it between New Brunswick and Ontario What can we all do We can show our support for this thing called Canada Put up a flag Wear a Maple Leaf lapel pin Put a sign in the window of your car Take a stand for the country you live in because that country needs you right now Come by my office for a lapel pin or a flag we have limited supplies for those who will use them Drop me a line suggesting any ways locally that we might help celebrate the 125th anniver sary year for Canada And stay tuned for details of an important project that will touch the lives of millions of Canadians on a single day and which was hatched right here in this riding There are some incredible moments where being an MP makes all the other days bearable Ill share this with you just as soon as I can Queens Park Report Committee participation offering interesting insights My participation on the Stan ding Committee on General Government took me to eastern Ontario last week for more public hearings on the Rent Con trol legislation Most of the legislative committees have finished their travels across On tario and the members have been making arrangements to meet during September for clause by clause consideration of the par ticular bills which fall under their jurisdiction The Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs which had been holding the budget review hearings travell ed to Windsor London and Brant- ford during the week of August 19th and Ive been told that the response to our April budget con tinued to be overwhelmingly positive About 60 groups and in dividuals spoke before the com mittee that week and the vast majority of them were supportive of the governments decision to Tight the recession Id like to share some of their comments with you The presentation to the committee by Canadian Auto Workers President Bob White in Windsor on August raised a number of interesting points that the committee had not heard The problems in our provincial economy were there long before anyone contemplated the would become the government The wellknown weaknesses in our economic structure such as the low levels of research development and training are failures of past policies and past current business practices The issue today is what does business have to offer in the way of ideas to reverse this weakness My Milton office has a copy of his en tire statement if you would like to know more about his presenta tion When a United Church Minister Reverend Susan Eagle was asked in London to comment on the possible effects of choosing to balance the provincial budget she replied People would be dead without the additional sup port youve got people now who cant feed their children at the end of the month Almost everyone of the days witnesses had something positive to say about our budget Some congratulated the NDP for taking a stand against the economic policies of the federal government Dick Barry Presi dent of the United Electrical Radio and Machine Workers of Canada made the following observation No provincial government has the tools to total ly neutralize the impact of disastrous economic policies of the federal Tories on the working people in its jurisdiction However the Ontario govern- has at least taken a step in utilizing the powers it does have to benefit the general popula tion In Brantford the committee toured Harding Carpet a local company the provincial govern ment assisted when it hit hard times late last year The business is now hack on track and in fact has been doing better than ex pected Harding Carpet is a well- known community based com pany and an excellent example of government and business work ing together to preserve jobs During that week of hearings the committee heard from people in many different occupations Paul Born Executive Director Community Opportunities Development Association chose to speak about the budget in terms of the work he does J am not an economist and therefore cannot comment on the issues of Noel Helton North MPP spending cuts transfer payments tax increases and deficits As an individual involv ed in Community Economic Development I can though com ment on the issues of vision and hope and their importance to the health of a community I have already seen how the 1991 Ontario Budget had fostered hope for many of the people we serve Last week the committee travelled to Kingston Cornwall and Ottawa and again en countered widespread support for our governments decision to invest in Ontario and its people During the sixteen days of hear ings in all the committee heard from almost two hundred in dividuals and organizations representing 10 communities Committee member Margaret Ward MPP for Don Mills and Parliamentary Assistant to Government Services Minister Fred Wilson summed up the public sentiment with the com ments she made in Ottawa on the last day of the hearings Those who deliver social and other services told the committee that the recession has really hurt their communities and thanked the Province for not abandoning them in their time of need Educators applauded the Governments investment in the education of young Ontarians And municipal leaders expressed support for the Governments job creating AntiRecession Pro gram The one consistent criticism was that the Province hasnt done enough to assist peo ple during these tough times If you want a copy of the statements by Bob White or Paul Born please call my Milton office Tuesdays through Fridays at 8781729 The committee will sub mit a final report early this fall to Treasurer Floyd Laughren Have you protected the investment you have in your home Make sure your family will have a deed not a debt Protect your familys biggest investment with a mortgage protection plan Its lowcost knowing your home is creditorproof Let me show you how Suit Brampton Ufa The Mutual Group Facing tomorrow together MUFFIN MANIA Reaches Georgetown mister The great fresh taste of Mister muffins has been causing Muffin Mania across the country and It has now reached Georgetown Hurry In for the freshest taste and best variety around CO 306 Guelph Street Georgetown 8731211 COUPON Muffin Mania Savings BUY 2 On All Reg Size FreshBaked Muffins FREE 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