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PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, Ottober 31, 1995 -7 Proud to have attended dally To the Editor: I've tried my best to keep Quebec part of Canada. I can say (or write) this hon- estly as I'sit on the bus, journey- ing home from Montreal. I was one of the forty-some students from Cartwright High School who sat on a bus for five hours each way, all so we could be part of the massive NON rally Fri- day. The NON rally that had 150,000 supporters of Canadian Unity from across Canada. I personally saw or met peo- ple from British Columbia, Al- berta, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Manitoba. Sure, that isn't all of Canada, but I saw people from a good chunk of it. The pure emotional energy of the rally was enormous. Every- one was smiling and cheering, waving Canadian and Quebec flags. And then a tentative hush came over the crowd as the speeches started, broken often by screaming, cheering and chanting every time the speak- ers made their point. Since the speakers spoke in French most of the time (it was Montreal after all), Il was glad to have my walkman with me. Tuning into a local radio sta- tion, I listened to a running translation so I knew what the crowd was cheering about, rath- er than cheering along with eve- ryone else. I have to admit that hearing the National anthem sung in two languages was a little con- fusing, especially when you're trying to sing it yourself. But it was heart warming hearing a group of people representing the whole country uniting to- gether under O Canada. In the minds of anyone who saw the rally, there could be no doubt that it was in complete support of a united Canada, one including Quebec. Some 150,000 people in downtown Montreal and only a few of them not carrying flags, NON signs or support signs. Quebecers can't blame their separation on the rest of Canada, since this rally has shown them that Ca- nadians want them in the fu- ture Canada. The purpose of the Montreal rally was to show Canadian uni- ty, and I don't think there could have been a better way to do it than this demonstration. I am proud that I was one of the 150,000 who stood in the Mon- treal streets and sounded the call of unity to Quebec. Roy E. Anger, Blackstock Windreach opponents selfish To the Editor: I am writiag this letter to the neighbors opposing the expan- sion of Windreach Farm. These neighbors are surely thinking of only themselves and as they say, do not want the peace and quiet of the country disturbed. Windreach Farm is a "Dream Farm" for many handicapped people; they find love, peace, friendship and a sense of "worth" in themselves. They work, meet the public, are very tolerant of all the young chil- dren who visit the farm. I've seen many incidents where these young people have stopped when a visiting child has stumbled, put their hand out to help them up on their feet. They are "special" people in many, many ways and could certainly teach all of us a lesson in friendliness. Can they cause the noise which might disturb the neigh- bors peace and quiet? No - They cannot speak at all. The proposed expansion for Windreach Farm is for accom- modations for a small group of people, mostly mothers and fa- thers of the children who could accompany their children on a short holiday. Where can they get accommodations, especially accommodations for = wheel- chairs, etc? Windreach Farm is indeed a Dream World for many and this proposal of Sandy Mitchell's for expansion should not be stopped, but should be given the go ahead with full approval of all. These neighbors need to take a look at themselves; they are a very selfish group to want to stop a project that can only help others and which has been stud- ied and found not to interfere with theenvironment any way. Jean Campbell, Prince Albert Monarchists protest oath To the Editor: As the fall session of the fed- eral parliament resumes, and the Quebec referendum forces all of us to focus on what it means to be a Canadian, a fresh threat to the essential nature of Canadian citizenship looms on the not-too-distant horizon. This is the ill-conceived pro- ject by a few bureaucrats in the Ministry of Citizenship & Immi- gration who are determined to strip the Queen from the oath taken by our new fellow Canadi- ans. They propose to replace it with a "poetic" declaration as- serting some vague loyalty to theland and the constitution. The Monarchist League of Canada believes that the crown Turnto Page 8 Editor's Notepad by Jeff Mitchell CANADA REACHES THE BRINK THE DAY AFTER: Well. Here we are at The Day After, when all the ballots have been counted and we know just how Quebecers decided to go in their latest referendum. The Star was being printed as the results came in, so this piece is being written without benefit of up-to-date reports, and the fate of the country, such as it is, hangs in the balance right now. | have to admit to a mounting sense of frustration and anxiety as the days leading up to the referendum elapse. It troubles me -- as it did many moons ago during the first referendum -- that this exercise is being undertaken at all, and | wonder ceaselessly why a group of people believes so passionately that they should make a break from the finest country -- bar none -- in the world. On this page | have been accused by at least one letter-writer of putting forth anti-Quebec sentiments; | dispute that. Sure, | have called Jacques Parizeau a pompous flaming gasbag, and advocated hanging for Lucien Bouchard, but | believe them to be fair game. They are treacherous punks, hoodwinking a population with false promises and whipping up the Maudits Anglais bugaboo in their egomaniacal pursuit of personal glory. They and their entourages are a monument to all that is ugly about humanity: Greed, power lust, intolerance, infidelity and deception. It's tough to believe that Joe Lunchbucket on the streets of Montreal or Rimouski or Riviere-du-Loupe buys into the bill of goods peddled by the separatists, but each and every day, there are the numbers, glaring on the front pages of the dailies: Neck and neck, or a slight edge for the Oui side. And one realizes, My God. They believe Bouchard. They believe Parizeau. They actually do. At that point it can be difficult not to react in a peevish and off- handed manner. Fine then. Bugger off. We're better off without you, you sanctimonious whiners. And then the reality of what is so distinctly possible comes crashing down, and all you want to do is drive the length of the - 401, stand at the border, and wail across that invisible barrier: Don't Go. Get Real. Let's Make It Work. My Canada, as the bumper stickers used to declare a few years ago, includes Quebec. Or at least it used to. Sitting here now, by a window which opens onto the exhilirating vista of a Canadian autumn, | think ahead to the weekend and the fateful Monday that follows it, and wonder what went wrong. The result of the vote -- Oui or Non -- will reverberate forever. The perilous balancing act-that is Canada, with its Urnpleen societies, will never, ever be the same again. What leads to such discontent? And how do you convince a nation that despite all they see as wrong, they could really want for nothing more than a stronger, more unified version of the country in which they live? That, perhaps, is the job to be. undertaken in the wake of this wretched event. It's a matter of survival for us all. ---------------------------------------------------- Random Jottings by J. Peter Hvidsten CANADIANS HOLD LOVE-IN FOR QUEBEC | was among a number of people from Scugog Township that par- ticipated in a historic eventin Canadian history last Friday. Accepting an invitation to join tens-of-thousands of people from across the country to take partin the Crusade for Canada rally being held in Montreal was one of my most rewarding experiences of all times. Words can not explain the feeling of pride... and pictures fail to convey the raw emotion... which broke out in that park in downtown Montreal last Friday by Canadians from coast to coast. It's impossible for me to explain the sound of 100,000 people chanting CA-NA-DA, CA-NA-DA in unison, or the pride felt when they sang O' Canada atthe top of their lungs, amid cheers and whistles. This unparalleled display of patriotism and emo- tion by fellow Canadians was enough to make the coldest of hearts glow warm with pride. And don't think fora moment that our friends from Quebec didn't appreciate the support. Dozens upon dozens of Quebecers hugged and thanked us for coming to help them in their hour of need. One woman, close to tears said Quebecers were beginning to wonaer if the rest of Canada didn'tcare. Now she knows we do care and it was displayed as ithas never been displayed before. My trip was quite unexpected and came about fol- lowing a late afternoon call from Guy Latreille who said he, along with Earl Cuddie, Mike Fowler and Bob Correll had decided to go to Montreal for the ral- ly and would | like to go? Less than two hours later, with little more than a camera and toothbrush we found ourselves motor- ing east along the 401 to arendezvous with history. Friday morning we watched as the buses, trains and planes arrived and Place du Canada began to fillwith thousands of enthusiastic Canadians. By eleven o'clock the streets adjacent to the park had been closed to traffic and the crowds flowed over the boulevards and into the streets. From my vantage point on a platform, | was wit- ness to a massive sea of happy faces, waving red and blue flags... holding up posters with words like, "we love you Quebec,"... chanting "no, no, we won't letyou go," and spontaneously breaking out into O'Canada. This was a day for grassroot Canadians to speak loudly and they poured out their affection for Quebec in a language that could be understood by all. We can only hope the message they broughtto la Belle Province was heard and it will make a difference. This truly was a spectacular event, and one that all in our group agreed they would never forget. We all feel privileged to have been a part of this historic eventand only hope it made a difference By the time you read this... we will know!