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I I PAGE 6 THE CANADIAN STATESMAN. OCTOBER 22,2003 www.durhamrcgion.com Tim Whittaker Publisher Joanne Burghardt Editor-in-Cliief Tony Doyle Managing Editor Fred Eismont Director of Advertising Eddie Kolodziejcak Classified Advertising Manager Kirk Bailey Distribution Manager Lillian Hook Office Manager Janice O'Neil Cheryl Haines Composing Managers Clarington's Award-Winning Newspaper Since 1854 Efjc Canabtan Statesman ■ ■ Rhone 905-579-4406 Classifieds 905-576-9335 Distribution 905-579-440'/ General Fax 905-579-2236 Newsroom Fax 905-579-1806 E-Mail newsroom@durliamregion.com 865 Farewell St.. Oshawa ON L1H7L5 Publications Mail Registration No. 07637 OCTOBER 22,2003 Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd. infodurham .com EDITORIAL u-muil lu It its to iiuN\smoiii("<liii'h;imrugi()ii.cnm Finally: Tories and Alliance may have seen the light Unite-the-right should have been done years ago It's a good six years late in the making, but it seems federal Progressive Progressive Conservatives and Canadian Alliance members may have finally seen tire light. After trying on several different leaders apiece, and even going for a party name change - Reform to Canadian Alliance - what seemed obvious to any man or woman in the street has struck home. Unless they join forces and form a united party the CA and PCs were going to sit in opposition forever as the Liberals ruled Canada. Now, maybe, just maybe, a single united party could actually actually challenge and defeat the Grits. Of course, a tentative deal between Tory leader Peter MacKay and his Canadian Alliance counterpart. Steven Harper, is just that, tentative. It will require a vote by the 130,000 or so grassroots members of both parties, affirming a single parly. Then, of course, there will be a leadership convention, set for March. It's hoped all the necessary manoeuvres arc complete before before Liberal leader Paul Marlin can call a federal election, expected expected sometime next year. The right should have united immediately after the 1997 election, election, when it was clear all the efforts of the then Reform Party and Progressive Conservatives would not be enough to beat the Liberals. Liberals. But both parties clung to non-existent hopes of a huge surge in popularity and wasted the 2000 election as the Liberals increased their majority. The huge egos of people like Preston Manning, Stockwell Day, Jean Charest and Joe Clark got in the way and made a deal impossible impossible - until now. Canadians were left with no real choice in opposition opposition to the Liberals. Finally, Mr. MacKay and Mr. Harper have realized nothing would ever change unless they were prepared to make a change happen. Mr. MacKay, who has been criticized for some of the moves he made on the way to becoming Tory leader, deserves kudos for realizing the only sensible future course is unity. And Mr. Harper, who has received lukewarm,,rpyiews, jçiver the last few years, is at least far-sighted enough to krioyr the yole-spl filing ways of the Tories and Alliance lead only to t^y, opposition benches. It's not yet a done deal and will require a selling job to the rank- and-file in both parties, but at least it's a start. We can only hope the next federal election offers voters across the country a fair and real choice at the ballot box. It's what democracy and freedom sorely need. OPINION e-mail letters to Muwsroom@durliamregion.com How do you (mis)spell election Politics, specifically elections, elections, make for some pretty strange occurrences. Witness the battle for the Ward 1 seat raging in Clarington. right now. Some pretty good candidates candidates have come forward seeking seeking the seat vacated by Jane Rowe and some of them are finding finding politics to be frustrating, even before the voles can be cast. Jim Vinson is campaigning with a high number of his signs planted in Courticc with an unfortunately unfortunately misspelled word, 'counsillor.' A mistake by the sign maker makes his job a little tougher, but lie's handled it well and is going forward with a positive positive attitude. However, lie is not as unfortunate unfortunate as Oudil Rai who, along with a supporter of his campaign and a co-worker, has contacted this paper to relate that over 100 of Mr. Rai's campaign signs have gone missing. Not all candidate election signs, just his. Mr. Rai is understandably upset and feeling sabotaged. He has contacted police, police, but short of setting up video surveillance on one or more of his signs, it will be difficult to find the culprit. Another candidate, Suzanne Elston, called to say she was contacted by a politician and asked to run in a different ward so another candidate would have a better chance of being elected. She couldn't believe the request and is still bothered by the experience experience as she mounts her campaign campaign for the council seal. Then there's the battle Ibr the mayor's seat in Claringinn. There will lie no mayoral debates debates for voters to hear the candidates' candidates' stands on issues. Mayor John Mutton has decided he will not he subjected to personal attacks attacks from his challenger. Richard Ward. •'"if, David Stall News lllllll Wednesday. In Oshawa, lake your pick of the crazy election turns so far. The race for the mayor's chain of office has dominated interest interest for most people and specifically specifically where a new arena will be built, if at all, has risen to the top of voters' agendas. The 'Save the Generals' campaign campaign team has been working hard to ensure the issue stays at the top of the agenda and even hosted a mayoral debate focused solely on that issue. Most wards also have multiple multiple candidates for the regional and local seats, so choosing their representatives is going to take some work. Check out this paper or our Web site, durhamregion.com, for the candidates' candidates' positions on issues in your area. It's important to vote and important to make an informed informed decision. In contrast, Whitby may have the honour of being the quietest and most amicable of local municipalities municipalities in regards to its election election races. That opinion is based solely on the lack of photic calls from candidates there with stories stories about election unfairness. There are strong candidates running for all of the local and regional council positions, but not so many that voters can complain complain they can't find out who they are and what their candidates candidates stand for. .ve-ew . R, doTighan.com LETTER TO THE EDITOR e-mail letters to nuwsrooni@<t urhamrugion.com Increase age of sexual consent To the editor: This week marks White Ribbon Ribbon Against Pornography, a national national annual awareness campaign campaign against pornography in Canada. This year's focus, and unfortunately, unfortunately, the last few years have been aimed at child pornography, pornography, a booming international market and a horrific tragedy in our midst. The trafficking and sexual exploitation exploitation of children is a growing growing horror. This had been considered a Third-World problem, but we know it is a problem in every city and town in Canada. At the Second Second World Congress on the Sexual Sexual Exploitation of Children held in 2001, we learned that 100 new child pornography Web sites open each day. It is incomprehensible incomprehensible to imagine the number of sexually exploited children involved. involved. Did you know the age of consent consent for sexual activity in Canada is 14? This law gives legal permission permission for adults to éxploit and abuse children as young as 14 if they claim that the child said 'yes.' The pimps, johns, pornog- raphers and those who lure children children over the Internet use the age of consent law to justify their actions, actions, using legal protection to exploit the child. This year, we are lobbying the government to increase that age to 18. Sexual exploitation of children children causes extreme lifelong emotional, mental, physical and sexual harm. These children have been subjected to a cruel, humiliating and painful form of abuse that very often terminates their childhood, damages their bodies and can destroy lives. We are talking about children as young as two weeks old. And yes, it is in our back yard. Child pornography kills the hearts, souls, minds and bodies of our children. Write to your TRUE GRIT local MP to lobby for a stricter age of consent and maximum penalties for child pornogra- phers. Barbara Laing, Durham Chapter Canadians Against Sexual Exploitation United right a positive move To the editor: However overdue, for those of us in Durham whose beliefs lie to the political right of the pojjcies offered by the long- reigning Liberals, the news out of Ottawa last week that the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Progressive Conservative Patty have found enough common ground to forge a merger was worth waiting for and definitely worth backing. Too long has our nation been without a truly competitive, truly viable alternative to Jean Chretien. Chretien. Winning three straight majorities majorities without healthy competition competition has given this government free reign - where political ethics, integrity and real democracy democracy went out the window. Although Canada is still an excellent place to live, work and play, no one can deny a decade of unchallenged Liberal rule has deteriorated health care, devastated devastated our military and lias seen billions upon billions of our hard-earned dollars wasted on pet projects, boondoggles and a useless gun registry. To coin a phrase used in the recent provincial provincial election, it's time to 'choose change.' Unlike the creation of the Canadian Alliance from the ashes of the Reform Party four years ago, the well-written and thoughtful agreement that party leaders Stephen Harper and Peter MacKay released last week is truly a light at the end of the tunnel for conservatives, as well as for those undecided voters voters who have not known where CLICK AND SA^ Today's question: Will the recent deal between the federal Conservative and Alliance parties be enough to offer voters a true alternative to the governing Liberals? □ Yes □ No Cast your vole online at infodurham egio^.com Last week's question: Do police need to focus more of their efforts on fighting . violent crimes? □ Yes 70.7 per cent □ Excellent job now ; 24.7 per cent □ No 4.6 per cent Votes cast: 198 HAVE YOUR SAY Question What are your thoughts on Clarington using mail-in volinu? r to mark their 'X' for several years. As a past federal candidate and as president of the Canadian Alliance Riding of Whitby/Ajax, I have never been more ready to do my part to ensure that locally, here in Durham, the new Conservative Conservative Party of Canada gels it's chance to be a truly viable alternate alternate to the Liberals in the next federal election. Shaun Gillespie, Whitby Mutton deserves another chance To the editor: Re: 'Mayor declines to appear publicly with challenger,' Canadian Canadian Statesman, Oct. 15. I was disappointed to read there will be no debate between the two mayoralty candidates in Clarington. The race for the coveted mayor's chair is always the highlight highlight and headliner in any municipal municipal election. Aside from all the campaign signs and literature we have been inundated with, a public public debate is a lively forum for the candidates to present themselves themselves and their platform. A debate debate should be about issues, and should ' not degenerate into name-calling or verbal abuse. 1 am usually an informed voter and I have yet to hear or read about Richard Ward's agenda. Mayor John Mutton has shown leadership at council and has been a great promoter of Clarington not only locally but also on a global scale. 1 understand understand and support Mayor Mutton's Mutton's decision not to debate Mr. Ward but to stay focused on what the people of Clarington have to say to him during the campaign. Mayor Mutton is no evil, reptilian reptilian kitten-eater from another planet. He is from Clarington and deserves another chance at staying the course lie has already set. Willie Woo, Clarington 7-T, v :- ; 4 • i i ' .-.•riov. 7âÔl ■ : j A Jl Judith Miklos "1 think it's marvelous. It . would be so easy and more people would vote 1 ." Doreen Creeh "I don't min'd it. I don.'t think it would lead to corrup- lion, or anything anything like that," David Pratt "Why not? Proxy voting is done in the military. I'm surprised we're not doing it more now." Ronald MacDonald "It's a good idea, especially especially for people who have trouble getting By Tim Dolighan n.MEAMWE BAtkATE vrnwk "WW... WWTCEA WD WTO wmumisi .-3L- We're not W NET, VIE . NEED A „ S imk ( SOMEONE TO cmmwuiw ON M WLS tWBSimE UPAL WWW „WE NEED the m- mw AND MAT W GWMEAR, AT mWN MERE mi,.. to * SL- »: www.dolighan.com A»" 00OH, M \$ SCA iwtrn mm>- ■•■SM IT AWi- .1 V (c) Copyright 2003 MW editor David Stall's eat- appears every second Cite Caimbiiin S>tntrfimmt is one of the Metroland Printing, Publishing and Distributing group of newspapers. The Statesman is a member member of the Bowmanvillo Clarington Board of Trade, the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce, Commerce, Ontario Community Newspaper Assoc,, Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc., Canadian Circulations Audit Board and the Ontario Ontario Press Council. The publisher reserves the right to classify or refuse any advertisement. 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