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WT TI er a - 8 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, April 7, 1987 Close encounters of the all- Canadian kind Pat Elson and Bob Skelton were the two lucky students who saw parts of Canada in a whole new way thanks to a special pro- gram inspired by the late Terry Fox. See story for details. by Margaret Rowland You can learn more about your country by talking to people from all over, than by reading about eultural differences in a textbook. Bob Skelton and Pat Elson realized this when they took part in the En- counters with Canada program that helps bring Canadian youth together. The two Port Perry High School students recently returned from a week in Ottawa, learning more about Canada, through communica- tion. Students from across the coun- try spent most of their time talking about their differences, economical- ly, politically and culturally. Bob, upon arriving, knew that the week would be special. "It was a real high, it was exciting."" He and the large group of students got to know each other through introduc- tion games and sitting around in the lobby of the Terry Fox Canadian Youth Centre, just talking. Bob and Pat learned more about their government when they went up to the Parliament Buildings and attended question period in the House of Commons. They also learn- ed about the Senate and spoke with Senator Muir and sonte pages. The group saw Brian Mulroney who stopped briefly to say hello. Bob spent half an hour talking with MP. Alan Lawrence who Bob' found to be a very interesting per- son. Bob was impressed with his honesty in answering questions on the closing of rural post offices and the effects it would have on people and questions on the death penalty. Some students spent their spare tune shopping or swimming and WE'VE CHANGED OUR TUNE! REACHES LISTENERS! po Central Ontario Radio PLUS: All Request Saturday Night and Big Band Sunday Night Each and Every Week! taking trips to the theatre at the Na- tional Arts Centre, the Ice Capades, the Art Gallery which Pat says was cool," and the Art Bank where 'starving artists can rent their work out Apart from the students, there were teachers on loan from their respective schools who acted as 'monitors. They were used mainly as guides to get the students to the right places at the right times. "If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have been able to do what we did," Bob remarks. One problem Bob found with the program was the fact that it was badly. prejudiced in favour of the English speaking students. "It bothered us," Bob says, 'because the French were not getting enough from the English speaking politicians." Getting to know fellow students from all over the country was not a big problem. "You were lonely the first day, but by the end of the week, you were sad to see them go," Pat explains. "You had to make friends fast and vou became so close by the end." Bob then decides to do some name- dropping. 'My closest friends were Steven Netser from the North West Territories, Lisa Mahar from Nova Scotia, Linda Munroe fromi Nova Scotia, Tammie Brown from British Columbia, Janice Wigmore from Quebec, Frank Martin from Quebec and James M¢Kenna from Prince Edward Island." There. were many memorable . moments for Pat and Bob. Bob tells the story of Erick Raffai from * Accounting Quebec who donned dark glasses at the kce Capades and convinced the. people around him that he was blind. This act gave him the chance to meet some of the top skaters who performed there. Bob also fondly remembers the three guys who convinced a securi- ty guard at the Supreme Court that they were members of the RCMP by flipping out their driver's licences. Pat participated in the Dating Game and had a lot of fun, though she didn't get picked. Pat was not amused, however, when she was ac- cused of pulling apart a crusty bun and putting the crumbs between the sheets of a student's bed in the boys' dorm. "My room-mate did it and took my name from my bunk and put it in the guy's room, so I would get blamed." The worst part of the experience was the day when the students left their new friends to return to their home provinces. "It was really depressing because we'd all become close and we were forced to let them go," Bob says. "It was an important ex- perience," Pat comments. , Bob and Pat would like to thank . Mr. Talbot, Mr. Morrison and their teachers for letting them go, the Students' Council for covering the cost of the trip, the Chamber of Commerce for books, postcards and other items from trading, and the ~ Council for Canadian Unity and En- counters with Canada. 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