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Page 4, The Herald, Friday, Oclober 27, 1978 TERRACE/KITIMAT

daily herald

General Office - 635-6357 Published by Circulation - 635-6357 Sterling Publishers PUBLISHER - Laurie Mallett GEN. MANAGER - Knox Coupland EDITOR - Greg Middletan CIRCULATION - TERRACE - Andy Wightman 635-6357 KITIMAT - Pat Zelinski 632-2747 KITIMAT OFFICE - 632-2747 Published every weekday at 3212 Kalum Street, Terrace, B.C. A member of Varified Circutation. Authorized as second class mail. Registration number 7201. Postage paid in cash, return postage guaranteed.

NOTE OF COPYRIGHT

The Herald retains full, complete and sole copyright in any advertisement produced and-or any editorial or photographic content published in the Herald. Reproduction Is not permitted without the written permission of the Publisher.

You deserve what you get

Perhaps it is because Kitimat is such a well run little town, all neatly laid out in u-shaped boulevards, that there is no opposition to the current council.

it is possible that those individuals who are up for re-election ar~ quite competent and that no oné feels he or she could do a beter job.

: There is always the chance that there are no issues there. 7

: All of these things are within'the realm of the probable. We ask you fo sit back and think about them, however. If you are completely satisfied with your civic government and with the running of your schools, then perchance election by acclamation is warranted.

| Aqgood case can be made for saving the cost of running a campaign and even an election if you are absolutely sure these are the people you want back in power.

- An argument could be made in favor of going through the exercise just to affirm that we continue to have the right to hold elections, but it isn’t too likely that acclamations in Kitimat matter that much to the system of government as a whole.

The question is simply, and itis a question you.

have to answer, are these the people you want in a position to make decisions for you?

If they are, then fine, by not coming forward to run against them you have voted far them. If you have any opposition, if you dispute their actions, philosophy or direction, then you have a responsibility to run.

The same situation‘exists with the: schoal boards in both Kitimatand. Terrace. Theke,is do declared opposition to the incumbents.

We must then assume that every parent in both school districts is happy with the education the chlidren are getting.

Those candidates who have declared in the clvic election in Terrace are to be commended. Win or lose they deserve our respect for standing up to say their piece.

HERMAN

©1978 Universo! Press Symdicets

“Yoy asked us to build a computer which could replace the government.”

IN AMERICAN MINDS

Quebec problem uppermost

NEW YORK (CP) — In

most of the visits to the .

United States of Canadian leaders, including Prime Minister Trudeau and Quebec Premier Rene Le- vesque, the most perplexing task is trying to explain to Americans what the Canadian unity troubles are all about,

In the same véin, the first question a Canadian usually is asked when he arrives in New York is: haw do you like the Big Apple?

The second invariably is: what's going on in Quebec?

Scores of prominent Cana- dians have tried to explain the situation te Americans in

‘the last 18 months following

the election of Levesque’s Parti Quebecois government nearly two years ago.

But the same puzzling questions about Quebec seem to pop up from American audiences. Donald Maedonaid, who is bilingual, was the latest Canadian big gun ta come to New York to address and answer questions. at a bar association meeting this week.

Macdonald, now a cor- porate lawyer, formerly held the defence, energy and finance portfolios in the Trudeau cabinet until he quit as finance minister 13

dians cannot yield to the views of the extremists on either side—"'to the English- speaking extremists who would say, ‘Let them learn English, we don’t recognize the French fact in Canada,”

-. “T don't yield as well to the

Parti becois argument that the: munitues are to be broken up, with the

Anglophones by a process of altrition being driven out of Quebec, and it is to become a tolally unilingual French- speaking province,”

hough he doesn’t prefénd that he hasn’t his own bias on the matter, Macdonald feels that Trudeau's position of trying to achieve linguistic rights at both the federal and provin- cial level is the only solution that can bring harmony be- tween the lwo communities.

The question is often talked about, Macdonald says, ‘‘as though there was going tobe a moment in time at which the two graups would come apart and:some way the problem would be

resolved. -¢ 2 4

“But the morning after, we're still going to be on either side of the Ottawa River. We're still poing to havetolive together. And I'd say that the Parti Quebecois in particular may believe it.

Americans aren’t planning on fading away.

“So why not have a little rationality in dealing with the language argument and I think the approach that the prime minister has taken is the rationality.”

Macdonald calls Quebec's French language charter— Bill 10i—a step backward but in a narrow legal sense the province has the right to limit language use.

“Indeed, thal can hardly help be the case because in eight other provinces there is no right to use the French language. In other words, the Parti Quebecois can say with some justice that they are now putting into effect the kind of regime with Tegard to English-speaking Quebecers that French- speaking Ontarians and French-speaking Manitobans have had to endure for many years."

Macdonald was par- ticularly critical of Ontario government policy past and present regarding French-

« Janguage rights: -*

One repeated American question is whether Quebec has the legal right to secede.

The British North America Act, the basic constitutional document, is silent on the question, Macdonald ex-

swered from a legal stand- point.

“But one can say in purely legal terms there is no right to take apart that which was created in 1867 and by sub- sequent acts, ;

“Butitis not a purely legal question, it is apolitical question, I think it’s ac- cepted by many people thal if, indeed, there is a sub- stantial opinion in the province of Quebec that they no longer want to be part of the Canadian federation, then neither the law courts or force are going to make any difference regard, oe ae as

"In that sense, its a political battle to be won, it’s not a legal one and certainly it’s nat a battle of force."

Macdonald says one has to be very sympathetic with the viewpoint of the Quebecer, even the most trenchant member of the Parti Quebecois, over the survival of the French language and culture in Quebec.

“The motivation at the’

base of the separatist Policies is not benevolence. I think basically it’s a question of the survival of the language and culture.

“ET don't disagree with the objective. 1 don't think that community is going to be better off in the long run by walling itself into a linguistic

in that -

months ago. A federalist, he says Cana-

But the rest of us 240 million -English-speaking North

plained, and _ therefore secession cannot be an-

North America.

separation from the rest of

The we

st is

disgruntled | :

OTTAWA (CP) - Disgruntled western premiers want to show Prime Minister Trudeau on Monday that Quebec is not the only province which must be placated if the: ° nation is to survive.

Trudeau, eager to im-- plement constitutional relorms aimed at diminishing Quebec separatism, has invited the 10 premiers to a three-day meetirig beginning Monday to chart a course for rewriting the British North America Act of 1867. -

The premiers of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan say they are willing to help modify the constitution, providing it gives the West greater powers over mineral resources and a more dominant role in national decision-making at large.

The three premiers have already warned Trudeau that western alienation, aggravated by what they consider federal intrusion into the mineral resources industry, poses just aa large , a threat to national unity as” does Quebec’s’ linguistic problems. , Bem

The loudest rumblings of discontent have come from Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed, who has indicated he may take his Progressive Conservatives into a provincial election next spring on the thorny issue of federal-provincial relations.

The province is smarting from the federal govern- ment's broken promise to permit an oil price increase Jan. 1, 1979. .

“Frankly, 1 don't think that’s the way to hold the country together,” Lougheed

says of the oil price debacle.

The premier says it’s important to recognize the aspirations of Quebec, but adds: “Canadians in Ottawa and to some extent Central Canada had better become aware that that's not where the whole issue lies."

Those are fighting words echoed by Saskatchewan Premier Allan Blakeney, who has just successfully led chis New Democrats through a provincial:.electlon, with federdl-provincial an: tagonisms a major issue.

The province has suffered embarrassing defeats at the Supreme Court of Canada over pricing policies for potash and taxation of oil royalties.

Blakeney, like Quebec's Premier Rene Levesque,

blames the federal govern- ment. for Supreme Court, decisions 'nfavorable to provinces,

In a letter to Trudeau earlier this month con- cerning the couct cases, Blakeney accused the federal government of betraying Saskatehewan and warned the prime minister it is time to respond to Western Canadian demands.

“Te you continue to ignore :

the West, you will imperil the very fabric of our nation,? Blakeney wrote. lt

Bill Bennett, the Social Credit premier of British Columbia, does not usually ‘agree with New Democrats, but is wiiling to parrot Blakeney’s eriticisms.

To give the West what Bennett considers its propes place, the premier has prepared his own con- stitutional proposals, which would divide the country Into five equally ¢:werful re- gions—Atlantic, Quevec, On- lario, Prairies ud British Columbia, 2° © ‘ “1 think if 0 want to have ‘sonié’say ‘in ational policy,

-we'can't' just sit and criticize

because Oltawa doesn't listen, because the rest of Canada doesz’t understand us,” the premier’ said in a recent intervielw: ‘We've got to say, ‘here’s how to change the country to allow us to

have asay.’" (.

Bennett also wants the West, particularly his own province, to have greater representation In the Senate, Supreme Court and cther national decisionmaking bodies such as the Canadian transport commission and Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

Trudeau's constitutional proposals, introduced last June, tried to respond to western disgruntiement by increasing representation in the Supreme Court and a radically-changed Senate renamed the House of the Federation.

The proposals raised the. ire of the 10 premiers not 60

much for’ what ‘they con-,<.:.

ral

tained but-for:the‘absence of.1i cid) any abtandments! to:the «i: at

distribution of powers be- tween Ottawa and the prov- inces.

Along with greater control over resources, the provinces want to end federal interference in the communications and cul- tural fields.

THE LEAF

Once upon a time there was a leaf who felt happy on his tree because he was never alone. One fall he was the last leaf off his tree. Tom was cold and afraid, He fell in hard grass and the snow came. It was warm in ihe grass, and when the snow went he had roots. He stretched his roots down down till they came to food and water. Tom grew into a big tree and had his own leaves. Then when children went back to school again they all said, “A new tree. It was not here

before.”” — Donald Mitchell

THE ONLY LEAF

One day in fall there was a lot of leaves on the tree, In five weeks there were a few leaves on the tree, In a little while there was only one more leaf and that was me. And then I saw a fairy and the fairy turned me into a boy and gave me a name. Then J was adopted by some people close to a school. I went to that school and I played. Spring came. I walked toward that tree and | turned into a leaf again. And I didn’t see those people again till fail. — Satnam Manhas

MEMORY

Fam an old leaf. [can remember when I was young, I just started to sprout and I was a cule little bud, and there were lots of other buds sprouting. I remember a coat of silvery-gray, 1 wore to keep me warm while I was still young. And, also, when the little breezes started to tickle us we would rustle together.

Now a wicked spell came upon us. And my friends got cold and fell to the ground. I am on the ground, too. There is only one more leaf left on the tree.

— Eroca Gainer

THE LAST LEAF

Tt's rotten being the last leaf on the tree. For in my «ree if you are the last leaf on the tree all the others down there would be having fun and everything. But with you way up there you would be the dum-dum of the buneh. So thal'’s why I

don't want to be the last leaf on the tree, — Kevin Dyck

iew of autumn le

THE SMART LEAF

Once upon a time there was a leaf. It was a beautiful red and yellow leaf. It lived ona maple tree and it was the last leaf on the tree.

“Tam not going to fall and hurt myself. I am going to climb down there, and find a house and live there,"’ said the leaf,

And so the leaf climbed down the tree and at the bottom was an enormous rock that was hollow. And the leaf said, ‘a house!” and he moved in and lived there till summer.

— Yvonne McColman

oS

THE STORY OF ME AND MY FRIENDS

Hi. My name is Leafy the Leaf, I live in a tree with my friends. It's cold up here in the tree, very cold.

Soon I and my friends shall fall out of the tree and onto the ground. Then that’s the end of us leaves.

One day when my friends and I were talking the wind started to blow very hard. I was scared. My friends were scared. It started torain. There was lightning and thunder. I was knocked out cold. When I woke up, I noticed that 1 was the only one that was on the tree. My friends must have been blown off the tree in the storm, I cried.

Then, all ofa sudden, [ heard someone coming. It was a little girl, She picked up my friends on the ground and picked me off the tree, And now, I’m with my friends again.

— Wendi Mohn

THE LAST LEAF ON THE TREE

1 was 2 little leaf on the tree all unhappy and lonely as can be. I wished that | was with my friends in the wind - dancing with my friend. Porky the Pine Necdle.

Oh! the frost was on the ground. Then one day I felt the wind. I woke up and [ was on lhe ground and {hen the wind was pushing me along the ground.

Oh! it was fun. When I was finished I heard someone calling me, I looked and it was Porky the Pine Needle. Porky and 1 went rolling in the grass.

~ Louise Robinson

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aves

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