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, Tw, i BD . Smt Re in RNS Ed itorial "Youre sure, MR. Morris, THIS 16 GONNA WORK P* by Dean J. Kelly This corumn is not intended to political, but as so many judgements and laws are made by politicians at all levels affecting our lives it is virtually impossible to separate the tow. It has been said there are over 1,000,000 laws in Canada. The 'fourth estate' is the often the only access the average Canadian has to government and what is going on. Pierre Berton and Charles Templeton have said ment in the free world. Million and Millions are spent on reports that are kept classified and informa- tion that should be made public kept secret. Vital consumer information we are paying for and not getting. Reports by the FDA on food that are contaminated, drugs that cause illness, products that are far in excess of accepted levels of bacteria or are safety hazards etc. A long time member of Parliament, Jedd Baldwin, (20 years an M.P.) documented some 26 cases he was denied information by the Liberal government. Now former Minister of Finance, John Turner, who left the party after a altercation with Trudeau, has demanded that his former colleagues in the Cabinet reveal some of the classified information non- military). Turner who ran against Trudeau for Prime Minister's job has recruited no other that U.S. Consumer Advocate Ralph Nader to his defence. He spoke to 1000 lawyers at a Canadian Bar Assoc. meeting in Winnipeg recently and called for a Freedom of Information Act as the U.S. has had since the mid-sixties. As a former high-ranking Minister in the Trudeau government, has John Turner suddenly realized the disenchantment with Trudeau and the falling popularity of the Liberals, is his opportunity to come back as the 'white knight" and fight for the civil liberties and freedoms of Canadians with an eye on the P.M.'s job? Where was his voice on the matter when he was Minister of Justice? I am suspect of John Turner and his motives. The huge General Foods company was ordered by the Anti-inflation Board to roll back prices as they ; had éxceeded profits allowable under the guidelines. RE SB recently that Ottawa has the most secretive govern-: The president of GF replied in full page ads in the papers stating their position -- but missing were the names of their multitude of products that would be reduced. Monarch Foods (margarine etc) were also told to roll back profits, Companies can usually find ways of lessening profits by means other than reducing their product prices to the consumer, defeating the intent of the AIB. The $40 million "Keep America Clean" campaign is a front for the bottle and can industry. They have been charged with using the environmentalists to stop legislation prohibiting throw-away cans and bottles. (CBC-Focus) In his first public speech since relinquishing his party leadership, Robert Stanfield said in Toronto recently that he would not turn his back on bilingual- ism and Quebec to become Prime Minister, although a number of advisors had recommended (including his own M.P.'s) that he concentrate on Ontario and the West. Stanfield said he always rejected this advice. He lost three elections in a row and barely got 3 seats out of Quebec with a total of about 86 seats. Now Joe Clark is taking French lessons. Recent polls have indicated that the Liberals are at an all-time low in the Gallup Poll mainly because of bilingualism. Capital punishment and economics issues rated secondary. The Canadian Press says that Ottawa has been making extra payments to bilingual civil servants for several years and the Public Service Alliance has sought an across-the-board extra pay of $2,000 for bilingual workers. Ottawa has designated about 55,000 federal jobs as bilingual. A recent inquiry however proved these figures to be false. Ottawa's civil servants are the highest paid in the world -..some 40 to 50 percent more than similar jobs in Washington. Now they want another $2,000. for bilingual workers over and above the regular pay. English-speaking employees under this plan would be "second class'. Any wonder most Canadians are fed up with Ottawa and its pro-Frerch policies? We might remind Joe Clark that it is not his popularity but that of a declining one of the Prime Minister that has given the P.C.'s a lead in the polls. Many P.C.'s including his own M.P.'s are not happy with his abolishment of capital punishment position (same as Trudeau), while polls showed 80 percent were in favor of retention including every police department in Canada. Politicians are reminded they are in Ottawa to carry out the will of the majority...not to please themselves. Unless Joe Clark listens to the people he could be a three-time loser like Stanfield. Is it any wonder many people say there is little difference "between the "old" parties. (Only the N.D.P. support remains constant, at about 17 percent of the popular vote.) Take Project Lightly Since a delapitated old town hall building was handed over to a group of ambitious, enthusiastic people a couple of years ago, thousands of dollars have been spent to restore the building to an attractive and functional part of the community again. : here is little doubt today that the effort to save th structure from the wrecking crews was worth it, yet for some reason, Scugog Township Council seem still to take the project lightly. Unlike the new arena, the Town Hall project earned little more than moral support from Scugog Council, despite the fact that the new facility would provide a totally new and unique addition to the local commun- ity, not to mention the chance for the community's cultural growth. . When Scugog Council decided to pave the landscap- ing beside the building along Lilla Street, there was more than a little annoyance among some of those 'who had spent their own money and had struggled to raise funds to develop the building into what it is today. . Despite the fact that the Old Town Hall is still the property of the township (it was leased to the committee for 99 years), those responsible for its restoration feel they should have been consulted before a decision was reached on a matter that so obviously effected them. Breakthrough One of the most frustrating yet important issues facing this tiny globe in modern times is the question' of checking--then reducing the nuclear arsenals and therefore reducing the chances of armed confronta- tion leading to a war no one wants. The short history of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks has had its share of snags, stalemates and frustrations, yet we're led to believe that the United States contribution to the talks has put humanity first, politics second. There's been reports now, that President Ford, with an eye on front runner Jimmy Carter, may be ready to pull off a 'grand coup", by announcing a breakthrough in the SALT talks. Our question is this: Could there have been a break-through a year ago if there had been an American election in 1975? or What is it about U.S. elections that makes the Soviets suddenly: reasonable? rr oe . Bilingualism Not long ago, Prime Minister Trudeau said that Canadians still have a deep and underlying mistrust of bilingualism. He was speaking during the recent air controllers and pilots illegal strike over the use of French in Quebec air space. ; The Prime Minister, we suggest, should be commended for the moderation of his language. That issue--bilingualism--has brought to the surface more open ignorance and bigotry than anything in recent memory. English-speaking Canadians at best seem neutral to a policy--in fact a law under the Official Languages Act--that may very well be the cement that can keep this nation unified. Bilingualism in Canada does not mean that the residents of Come By Chance or Burnaby will have to speak French. Some will and do and their children are thankfully getting a chance to learn French at school so that some day, hopefully, most Canadians will be able to speak the two official languages of Canada. But bilingualism is not being forced down anyone's throat. All that is happening is that both English and French-speaking Canadians are being put in the position of being able to deal with the federal government-..and some provinc- ial governments -- in the official language of their choice. This means that a considerable number of civil servants must learn a second language. Even that modest aim will take a number of years to achieve but it is a small price to pay for Canadian unity. : It is time for the many English-speaking Canadians who support unity to speak out on the issue of bilingualism and not allow the bigots to monoplize air time and letters-to-the-editor. Unchurched Editoral :