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4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Wednesday, Jan. 11, 1978 Rie Wn, COREL, BIE VEL S SLICERS RF BEANS RAFF 2 Editorial Comment SS WHERE ARE YOO000 ?" Everybody loses The battle for Canadian unity took a decided turn for the worse last week with the announcement by the Sun Life Assurance Company that it was pulling up stakes and leaving Montreal, the city where it had its head office for more than-100 years. , Citing the recently passed Quebec language law as the prime factor, the company, which has assets of more than $5 billion, said it could no longer continue to function if the working language of business is to be French. Whatever the reasons, the timing could not have come at a worse time for the federalist supporters in Quebec and elsewhere, for the ink was hardly dry on the press release before members of the Parti Quebecois government were making it a political issue. In fact, the thoroughly ill-conceived decision by Sun Life could very well become the 'cause celebre' around which the PQ will marshall its campaign for the referendum intended to take Quebec out of Confederation. PERL ORR] this time on the part of Sun Life because both the federalist and the independence causes in Quebec are going to be the ultimate losers. The PQ will no doubt make some political mileage out of the issue, arguing as Finance Minister Jacques Parizeau already has, that this is one more indication of the exploitation of Quebec by outsiders, and that this is all the more reason why Quebeckers must assume total control over their political and economic destinies. . Any victory for the PQ over this issue, however, , will be a shallow one. First of all the move in itself will - hurt the already troubled economic situation in 'Montreal with the loss of jobs and a substantial payroll. But more important the decision by Canada's largest insurance company will serve notice on the RED Avar! the world, that the climate in Quebec is simply ing in the province. This situation will be further exacerbated if the PQ government follows through on its threats to force "by John B. McClelland ~Perspective DULLSVILLE As an interested observer of Canada's national pass-time (obsession?), I have come to the sad conclusion that I've just about had my fill of hockey this year, and here it is not yet the middle of January. Now, don't take this the wrong way. I like hockey, played the game as a kid, and still enjoy watching a good match, whether it is a couple of novice teams or the Leafs and Canadiens. ) Do you want to know what killed it for me? The overwhelming barrage of hockey on the tube during the Christmas and New Year period. And especially those international games with touring Czech and Soviet teams which to me, anyway, are now about as interesting as getting a couple of teeth pulled. Let's face it; a game in the first week in January between Spartak and the St. Louis Blues, for example, is dull. It means nothing to the professionals (this line about pride is nothing but a crock) the calibre of the players is mediocre at the best of times, and as far as I'm concerned the European style of play with all the silly little passes and the total lack of bodychecking is guaranteed to put me to sleep. Not only have we had four teams from Czecho- slavakia and the Soviet Union playing a series of games against the NHL clubs, we had an international junior competition during the Christmas break which featured seven teams from overseas. The junior series got a lot of TV coverage as did the so-called 'Super Series '78". After watching my fair share of these games I think it is just about time we put the brakes on this kind of overkill before hockey fans get so sick of it all, they decide to take up cross-country skiing. Somehow, somewhere, a good thing has gone rotten. Think back to that first series in the fall of 1972 between Team Canada and the Russians, and all the interest, excitement and superb hockey that was generated. And now think about the dull waltzes that were on the tube in the past couple of weeks. Why, even old Howie Meeker looked about as excited as a guy who'd just finished dancing with his sister. At the Junior Tournament held in Quebec a couple of weeks ago, the fans stayed away in droves. One game in Hull, P.Q., between Switzerland and Germany drew less than 300 fans. Some people were saying that the fans stayed away because the team representing Canada didn't have enough French Canadians on it. Balderdash. The truth of the matter is that the fan in French Canada knows his hockey, and he is smart enough to -.money up front for the winners. Money motivates most Sun Life to re-invest in Quebec some $400 million which the government claims the company will take from the nearly $1 billion in premiums earned within the province. The PQ government has already labelled Sun Life one of the worst corporate citizens in the province and is threatening to cancel some 20,000 policies held by employees of Hydro Quebec. The emotional name-calling..and threats are scarcely to develop the quaint little notion that international conducive to creating confidence in the Quebec hockey is the great wave of the future. In the last five economy or business climate. years, we've had it shoved down our throats, and while * © The PQ government may gain a lot of ground in there have been notable exceptions the quality and the political battle over this issue, but it may also excitement of the games has deteriorated. Despite warn the people of Quebec that while they may indeed what should be obvious to any reasonably observant win their independence because of issues like this, hockey fan, the promoters and hype-men for these three-ring farces called hockey games continue to try hey Gould end up sings il for an improved fits to hood-wink the Canadian public into shelli t good acian public into shelling out g As for Sun Life? The company will no doubt get a dollars for these matches. lot of cancelled policies, especially from the province I think the whole sad shambles became very clear A to me the night the Czechs played the Maple Leafs, and of Quebec. But with assets of $5 Billion, the corporate officers obviously feel they can absorb any losses, and Toronto sat out five first-stringers including the goalie. that in the long run, it will be advantageous to the Harold Ballard got a lot of criticism for that move, but whatever else you may say about him, Harold Ballard - "company to carry on its business in Toronto. Which is probably true. - is nobody's fool. He has seen through the sham. He knows that the game meant nothing to the team or the What is also trie is Parizeau's condemnation of the company as a rotten corporate citizen, not only to players. If he can fill the Gardens and keep the best of his first-stri ! it. ES mngaxs oi 8 DENCH, 161 do." Con you the province of Quebec but to the future of Canada as a unified country. Because both Canada and Quebec are blame him? Not very likely. . As mentioned earlier, the brakes must be put on the losers in this issue. Sun Life is to be congratulated for its wisdom of forethought. know that he is going to get far better value for his hockey dollar by watching a good match in the Quebec Junior League. The fans in Quebec stayed away because the quality of the product being offered in this junior tournament was dull, dull, dull. Because of the overwhelming success of that first Team Canada series, somebody, somewhere has tried this nonsense before the whole concept of international competition (which in theory is a good one) is killed forever. Let us play the Russians and the Czechs and the Swedes. But let's play them once a year, after the Stanley Cup Finals for example, and let's put our very best team against their very best in a simple round- robin, knock-out event. And at the same time the NHL season should be shortened so, that if such an event were ever to take place, it wouldn't be held in the . middle of June or later, when nobody is interested in hockey, anyway. And one final thing: let's put some PORT PERRY STAR Company Limited @n Phone 985 7333 im): "Pog Od Serving Port Perry, Reach, Scugog and Cartwright Townships J. PETER HVIDSTEN,-- Publisher ' people in our society; it most surely motivates our professional hockey players, and it even motivates those teams from the so-called Socialist states, despite all that nonsense about equality, needs and abilities. You want to see good international hockey? Put the Stanley Cup champs against the best teams from Russia, Sweden and Czechoslovakia with 25 grand per man for the winners and zip for the losers over a seven-day event, Brother, you'd see hockey. You'd see hockey like you never saw if before, and worth every _ Advertising Manager JOHN B. McCLELLAND EDITOR Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc: ti. and Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association Published every Wednesday by the Port Perry Star Co. L¥., Port Perry, Ontario Authorized as second class mail by Ihe Post Office Department, Ottawa, and for payment of postage in cash Second Class Mail Registration Number 0248 Subtcription Rate: In Canada $0.00 por MY Elawhere $10.00 por yoor. Slate copy M06 It is a great pity that the decision had to come at - business community in Canada and indeed the rest of unsuitable for expansion, investment, or even remain- | |