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r ; - t 4 The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, Wednesday, April 27,1994 Section Two by Gord Mills, M.P.P, Durham East Much Ado About Three Issues Letters to the Editor Law Encourages Women to Apply as School Principals Last week, during Question Period Period at the Ontario Legislature, both Liberal Leader Lyn McLeod and Conservative Leader Mike Harris, made much ado on the three fronts: the deficit, jobsOntario and gun control control in Ontario. Ms. McLeod focused on the so- called failure of jobsOntario. The fact is, that last week alone, jobsOntario local brokers created 35,707 jobs, and new jobs created by economic renewal renewal projects (big deals) totalled 7,533. This year's jobsOntario placements placements will save taxpayers $135 million million in welfare costs, due to the fact that 45 per cent of those gaining jobs were former social assistance recipients. recipients. If the creation of over 40,000 new jobs last week was considered to be a failure of the program by Ms. McLeod, I would like to know just Letters to The Editor what she would consider to be a success? success? . Conservative Leader Mike Harris continued to focus on the deficit, and take advantage of the unfortunate murders that occurred in Ottawa and Toronto, by proclaiming that only his party has an answer for the control of guns and ammunition in Ontario. Turning first to the deficit: While in government, the Provincial Conservatives Conservatives had a deficit position for 15 years. Each year of their last five years in government, the Conservatives Conservatives ran up a deficit? They are the liabilities and will jointly decide how to use any gains generated by the plan. OPSEÜ has been seeking joining joining control over their member's pensions pensions for over 20 years. We have caused that to happen now. As a result result of this agreement, the government government will achieve savings of approximately approximately $392 million over 3 years. From this agreement, pensioners will not lose any entitlements. All current pensioners will remain in the non- OPSEU pension plan for which the government has sole responsibility. Current members will NOT experi- last people who should be preaching ence any reduction in their pension Worn on Bikes Dear Sir: A few years ago, I wrot^ a letter to you. I stated that I was a* Professional Professional Clown, and I incorporated Helmet Helmet Safety into my program. At the time I found there was an alarming amount of children without helmets on the average about 2 children children to 8, wore helmets. Today I am so happy more children are wearing them, the number has reversed 8 children children wear them and 2 do not. The children always laugh when I ask how many of them have 2 heads. That is one reason why we need to protect the head we have. I even purchased one for Son- shine The Clown to wear when she rides her bike too. (Nice to See Kids Protected!) Thanks for your Time. Dawn Henderson Sonshine the Clown Gord Mills Says Comments Make (( JJ Water Muddy Dear Rick: Re: R.J.'s Note. This week's new format "Features and Comments" Your scatter-gun type of answers to my rebuttals • of your comments leave me speechless. In regard to your comments that I am trying to repair damage in respect to the elimination of court clerks over 65 et-al, and my reply is three weeks late. Didn't you read my Queen's Park Report week before, last? Weren't Weren't the true facts in the column sufficient sufficient to satisfy you? Why do you continue to write your comments based on Toronto Sun information without first establishing establishing a true basic fact sheet of the item you consider newsworthy? When I write with the true facts, 1 have never even known you to say you were wrong. Rather, you merely add confusion to an issue by changing changing to some other focus, making the water even more muddy, thereby avoiding the need for any kind of apology. Rick, I don't believe you have it in you to say that you were wrong- ever. Gord. deficit control to our government. We have faced the worst recession in the history of Ontario, while in government. government. The Tories governed in good times, and still managed to run up a deficit. Last week, an agreement was reached between all three parties, to bring the issue of gim control, ammunition ammunition and violence in general, before the Standing Committee of Justice, thereby removing any further political political grandstanding on the matter. However, during the debate on Thursday morning on two private members' bills, to control the purchase purchase and sale of ammunition, the Tories broke the agreement, and voted voted to send the private members' bills to the Justice Committee. Their actions actions mean that the committee will only be able to deal with the substance substance of the private member's bills as they relate to the control and purchase purchase of ammunition. This action is j all the more ludicrous when thé, control control of the sal^ of ammunitiori\"wbuld appear to be a matter pertaining to criminal law which falls into the jurisdiction jurisdiction of the Federal Government. It would therefore appear to me that any legislative action to further control control the sale of ammunition may have to be taken at the federal level. Grandstanding on this issue by Mike Harris and his group is not the solution to this problem. We take the perception people have regarding the level of crime as a real problem. It is one that our government takes very seriously. All of us, as I said during the debate on Thursday morning, want to make our communities as safe as possible, focussing on concrete concrete changes that will have a real effect. effect. There needs to be a comprehensive, comprehensive, coordinated response to the issue of crime. Measures to combat crime require sufficient thought to ensure they are effective, rather than hastily enacted measures that do not have any real effect. The ranting and raving including attacks on Metro Police Police Chair Susan Eng, by Conservative Conservative MPP Bob Runciman in the Legislature Legislature last Thursday morning, added nothing to the effective solution the government is seeking to bring forward, forward, with the cooperation of all members of the Ontario legislature. The Minister of Finance has announced announced the budget will be read on May 5th. I'm sure the good news will be made into bad news by the opposition opposition parties. There are no cuts for schools, hospitals or municipalities. No cuts to people on social assistance. assistance. No down loading problems like Ottawa Liberals. The deficit is down by 20 per cent and on track to go lower. No new taxes in 1994, and we have cut government spending by almost $4-billion. We have a plan. It's working. And we arc getting the job done. Our goals remain the same: Job creation, Maintaining services and controlling the deficit. On the job creation front our government is investing investing $3-billion in new roads, water water systems, subways and schools. This amount is TEN TIMES more than the Ottawa Liberal infrastructure plan. We have reached an agreement with OPSEU to create a new jointly- managed pension plan for OPSEU members. As equal partners in the new plan, the government and union entitlements. Recently, I asked in my Queen's Park Report, for you to let me know how you feel about the same sex issue. issue. You have done that, and I appre- Dear Editor: With all the chest-beating that's going on over Employment Equity, I doubt that anything I can contribute will change anyone's firmly-held convictions, but Gord has enough problems without thinking he's the only person around here who has a grasp on why Employment Equity programmes are needed. Preferential treatment has been given for centuries centuries to white males and this practice is so ingrained it actually requires legislation to get employers to hire qualified women and minorities. Much has been made about underqualified underqualified people being hired over white males to the extent that one wonders whether being a white male automatically makes someone better qualified! The wording in job ads encourages encourages women and minorities to apply because, as Gord pointed out, they've been discriminated against so crease in the number of women becoming becoming vice-principals and principals. principals. When I heard a male vice- principal suggest that the Board of Education was only promoting women women to principal positions lately, I asked a Board interviewer if women were being promoted over better qualified men and he said no, explaining explaining that the women were well- prepared for their, interviews, whereas whereas some men took their promotion for granted and did not impress them as much. One female vice principal told me she only believed she could become a V.P. after seeing another woman V.P. who, like her, had a quiet non- aggressive approach. Until women have more role models we need other ways of encouraging them to believe they can pursue their goals. Sure, some will do it without legislation, but others will encounter discrimina- dated hearing[ from you. I have only „^nty of positions of power. An/» IaIIat tnl linrr tma 1a cnn_ . * * often they often think it's not worth applying. White men still hold the received one letter telling me to support support the same sex legislation should it come forward. I still believe the issue is one of Human Rights, and should be treated as such. Looking back at the recent by-election in Victoria- Haliburton and the tactics employed by the Conservative Party there, it is obvious they intend to use the introduction introduction of same-sex legislation as a political tool to gain some advantage. Their slogan and theme in Victoria- Haliburton was, "We see jobs as the most important issue, not same-sex legislation." Of bourse, our main focus focus as the government has been jobs, and I think our record shows just that. Same-sex legislation has never been our government's main focus, it certainly hasn't ever been mine. If it had been qur main fpeus, it begs the question, why,, wasn't it dealt with upon our election in 1990? " Closing on a personal note. I have taken quite a bit on the chin, from various directions, the media, unkind Teaching is a good example of this issue. Three quarters of elementary elementary teachers are female but three quarters of elementary principals are men. Once our Board and teacher's Federation started encouraging more women to apply, we had a marked in- es people into changing their old hab- its. On a lighter note...if Gord had spent much time in England lately he would have discovered that the adjective adjective "super" has been replaced by the umbiquitous use of "brilliant"! Yours sincerely, Linda Taberner National Volunteer Week Observed from April 17-23 Dear Editor: with 4,300 volunteers who give ap- April 17-23 was designated as Na- proximately 216,800 hours of their tional Volunteer Week in Canada. Communities across Canada will honour volunteers and recognize their vital contribution to Canadian (Society. 13 million Canadian are involved in volunteer work, either on their own as "good neighbours" or through an organization; 5.3 million volunteer letters, and personal slight, since my their time and skills to voluntary or election in 1990. Most of it I considered considered unwarranted, and perhaps sour grapes from folks who couldn't handle handle the fact the member was from the NDP. So, the Editorial that appeared in the Oshawa Times last Wednesday, Wednesday, made up for everything. Until next week - Candour is the brightest gem of criticism. ganizations and community groups. Canadians contribute over one billion hours in time - the equivalent of 617,000 full time positions. Durham Region is one of the Canadian Canadian communities which benefits from volunteers. The Durham Region Association for Volunteer Administration Administration has 30 member organizations time and skills to their community. There are many other non-member organizations which have valued volunteers. volunteers. Numerous services in Durham Durham Region are available because of these dedicated volunteers. On behalf of the Durham Region Association for Volunteer Administration, Administration, I wish to publicly thank the 4,300 individuals who give their time to our member organizations. . Thanks to all volunteers in Durham Durham Region. The entire community benefits from your concern. Nancy Scott Chairperson, Publicity Committee Durham Region Association for Volunteer Administration GST Faces Problems of Diversity The difficulty with developing a common strategy for a new GST is overcoming the great diversity of Canada. Traveling to the four Atlantic Provinces, as part of the Standing Committee on Finance, confirmed this for me. But I've always had an idea the country's diversity would be a stumbling block to changing the despised despised tax. First, let me say that I believe Canada needs a single tax. We don't need the federal government picking our pockets. Then the province, comes along and digs even deeper. If we are really , going to establish "Canadian unity" we'll need a common common tad from the east coast to the west by one level of government only. In Newfoundland, retailers explained explained they paid a 12 per cent provincial provincial tax. Yet in Ontario the PST is 8 per cent. One of the problems this created for Newfoundlanders is they have to compete with Ontario, at a 4 disparity between richer and poorer I prefer a tax that is invisible, provinces is obvious when you talk Why? Because a visible tax creates to provincial officials about creating an impediment for consumers, a single national tax. They've been very clear. They don't If provinces, like Newfoundland, want to see a tax and they don't want are going to give up any of their tax- to do the government's accounting, ing power they still need assurances Secondly, if the tax is invisible they won't lose revenues needed to maintain services. And, because Newfoundland is so desperate for revenue - (Remember the cod fishery is shut down, a huge tax revenue loss for the province) - any tax breaks the federal government government can give the people, through changes to the GST, Newfoundland officials say they will move in and tax back. Newfoundland doesn't mean to give the federal government a hard time, they just have no money. They ted to this country's historic principle told me they have simply mn out of of federalism. In other words helping areas to tax and they still don't have poorer regions out. people can't escape paying it. In other other words, asking retailers to drop the tax if cash is paid. You don't see any haggling at gas pumps do you? While on the east coast I told the people I met Ontario pays millions of dollars to the federal government to help poorer provinces maintain standards standards equivalent to the richer ones. And, although Ontario itself is going going through a very rough time economically, economically, I said Ontario is commit- the money to run the province. , Consumer groups in Atlantic Canada, Canada, for the most part want an invisible invisible tax. A few argued in favour of We still need to all pull together to create a prosperous Canada. I don't mean to preach, and as I said, Ontario is in rough economic shape but I've seen economic devas- per cent disadvantage, selling goods having it visible. To do otherwise right in their own province. would allow governments to increase tation in Atlantic Canada. Things are As most of you know, as you trav- taxes without public scrutiny they worse in other parts of the country will share responsibility for any new d east the provinces get poorer, This argue, than they are in Durham,