6- The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday April 19, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 905-632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Commentary NEIL OLIVER Publisher DAVID HARVEY General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager Metroland Media Group Ltd. includes: Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser, Alliston Herald/Courier, Arthur Enterprise News, Barrie Advance, Caledon Enterprise, Brampton Guardian, Burlington Post, Burlington Shopping News, City Parent, Collingwood/Wasaga Connection, East York Mirror, Erin Advocate/Country Routes, Etobicoke Guardian, Flamborough Review, Georgetown Independent/Acton Free Press, Harriston Review, Huronia Business Times, Lindsay This Week, Markham Economist & Sun, Midland/Penetanguishine Mirror, Milton MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ALEXANDRIA ANCHOR Circ. Manager WEBSITE oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver is a division of Guest Columnist Great reasons to be optimistic in 2008 Terence Young, Oakville Federal Conservative Candidate s we celebrated International Women's Day last week I thought about the women of Afghanistan. Terence Young Before the Taliban were routed from Kabul, women in Afghanistan were not allowed to work, or go to school. They could not vote, get medical care from a male doctor, or even speak to a male other than relatives. Showing an ankle in public could precipitate a public flogging. A woman caught with nail polish on might have her fingers cut off. About 700,000 children -- only boys -- attended school. The world has never seen such a major transformation in women's rights over such short period of time. Now, more than five million children in Afghanistan boys and girls - attend schools built in part by Canadians. Women have returned to work, opened businesses, gained access to healthcare and are even elected members of parliament. This freedom and opportunity for women would not have been possible without the brave Canadian soldiers who laid down their lives for their freedom -- including the first female combat soldier Canada has lost in battle -- Captain Nichola Goddard. The Conservative government stood fast for the women and children of Afghanistan, and Liberal leader Stephane Dion has now reversed his much repeated demand that Canadian forces must withdraw from Afghanistan by February 2009. France and the U.S. have announced they will step up with 1000 troops to support our own until they are replaced in 2011. Stephen Harper has been Prime Minister for over two years now. How are Canadians doing at home? Taxes are the lowest in almost 50 years, and our unemployment rate is at a 33-year low. We have ongoing budget surpluses and a falling debt burden. The new federal budget introduced the most important personal savings vehicle since RRSPs -- Tax-Free Savings Accounts. This may sound dull, but it is dynamic. Canadians over 18 years old will be able to save up to $5,000 a year in tax-free accounts, with unused contributions being carried over for use in future years, and use these savings at any point in their lives for any priority they choose. Unlike RRSPs, interest and investment growth inside these accounts will not be taxable, and will not affect federal income tested benefits like the GIS. You will even be able to take money out of your TFSA and put it back in later without reducing your annual contribution room. This is fantastic, particularly for seniors, who see inflation and taxes eat away their life's savings. The budget also introduced pilot programs will help those who are mentally ill and homeless, a better student loan program, and a new crown corporation to set fairer employment insurance rates. Ford of Canada in Oakville will benefit from a new $250 million Innovation Fund. There is also $66 million to set up a greenhouse gas cap and trade system and $250 million to develop carbon capture and storage initiatives. How did our Oakville MP vote on this budget? The Liberals say they opposed it, but made sure it passed by going AWOL during the vote -- including Oakville MP Bonnie Brown and Halton MP Garth Turner. The Liberals are divided on many issues, partially because they effectively have three leaders. Bob Rae has apparently convinced Stephane Dion not to force an unwanted election now, while Michael Ignatieff tells him how to handle Afghanistan. In the meanwhile Prime Minister Harper -- a strong leader -- has successfully piloted major bills through parliament that will make our streets safer, our air and water cleaner, and our economy stronger. IAN OLIVER Group Publisher Media Group Ltd. Canadian Champion, Milton Shopping News, Mississauga Business Times, Mississauga News, Napanee Guide, Newmarket/Aurora EraBanner, Northumberland News, North York Mirror, Oakville Beaver, Oakville Shopping News, Oldtimers Hockey News, Orillia Today, Oshawa/Whitby/Clarington Port Perry This Week, Owen Sound Tribune, Palmerston Observer, Peterborough This Week, Picton County Guide, Richmond Hill/Thornhill/Vaughan Liberal, Scarborough Mirror, Stouffville/Uxbridge Tribune, Forever Young, City of York Guardian RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America A THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: United Way of Oakville TV AUCTION A reality show for Ruby in Red Deer and Wanda in Windsor Recently the CBC aired The Week The Women Went, a reality TV show documenting the shenanigans that occurred when all the women (wives and girlfriends) in the tiny town of Hardisty, Alberta, were shipped out to a resort, and all the hopeless menfolk were left at home to fend for themselves, and their hapless offspring. Well, The Week the Women Went was such a raging success -- ratings for the eight-episode series were through the roof with shows drawing up to a million riveted viewers that the network decided to flip the proverbial coin and air The Two Months The Men Went, a reality TV show documenting the shenanigans that occur when all the men across Canada seemingly disappear for a couple months, and all the womenfolk are left to fend for their families. At press time, the CBC was undecided whether to officially call the show The Two Months The Men Went, or, simply, the 2008 National Hockey League playoffs. Whoa! Holy Bobby Orr, I just reread that previous paragraph and noticed how sexist it sounds. Honestly, it's not just men who disappear during the NHL playoffs. Women also like sitting around on the couch in their underwear, drinking beer, eating nachos, scratching their bellies, belching the national anthem, and watching a good old hockey game as much as the next guy. Right? Actually, of all the women I have ever known -- casually, intimately or otherwise -- I've only known one who watched any playoff hockey, and then only if you bribed her with unlimited Andy Juniper wine coolers and the promise that she could control the remote and flick over to Seinfeld reruns, Dancing With The Stars, or The Bachelor whenever the urge arose (or, in the case of The Bachelor, whenever the urge a-rose!). Still, whenever I write about hockey viewing as being a predominantly male pastime, I invariably receive a nasty letter or two (thanks, Ruby in Red Deer and Wanda in Windsor) from indignant and outraged women calling me a sexist swine. I've talked to gads of women over the years about why they can't seem to connect with hockey. They don't seem to like the fighting, the spitting, the swearing, the gratuitous bloodshed, the moronic roughhousing after every whistle, the spitting, oh and the spitting. They also say that hockey lingo tends to baffle them. Seriously, they turn on the tube and some announcer's bellowing, for no apparent reason: "That Tucker's a real mucker, but not a butt-ender or one of those cherry-picking puck-hogs always out to bury the biscuit with his laser-lumber, and he'd have a hat trick tonight in the old barn if sneaky Snipes between the pipes hadn't been standing on his head for the whole contest, thwarting Tuck's one-timers by stacking the pads with zeal. "Holy Saginaw! Ginger snap the neutral zone trap, Tucker's back airborne on the wing and he caught the defense changing on the fly, stormed down the boards and let howl a Howitzer that nearly knocked the Chicklets clear out of Snipes' maw. It was like seeing a sniper from the Original Six. Turn out the lights and Zamboni my old heart, but that's some kind of action." Hey hockey widows, and hockey widowers (Ronnie in Red Deer and Waldo in Windsor), there's only seven or eight or nine weeks left in The Two Months The Men Went. Andy Juniper can be visited at his Web site, www.strangledeggs.com, or contacted at ajuniper@strangledeggs.com.