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PAiGE 4, WEDNES YEIE I 1R 98 L, WIITI FRLL PJýESS w h itb y Published every Wednesday MICHAEL J. KNELL by M.«.M. Publishing Community Editor Phon gf rh-6 y i MARJORIE A. BURGESS Advertising Manager The Free Press Building,.aln emtN 8 Volce of the County Town Michael Ian Burgess, Publisher - Managing Editor L1:11 BFroc k Stret, Itdig.Mlngermit No46 1:11 Brock Stre.et North, Member of the The only Whitby newspaper independently owned and operated by whith residents for Whitby residents. P.O. Box 2.06, Whitby, Ont. Whitby Chamber of Commerce Convoy of A nger spoke for us all It's about time Canadia1 it has taken a considerable amount of time to do it, but it appears as though middle class Canada is starting to stand up for its rights. , Last week, "The Convoy of Anger" stormed Parliament Hill and demanded that the Govern- ment of Canada do something to resolve this nation's pressing economic problems. Those people were not political radicals or members of a fringe group attempting to promote a specialized cause. They were ordinary people who are fed up with the economic policies of the current Liberal administration. These people are in danger of losing their homes because they cannot afford to pay the out- rageous interest rates currently being demanded by the banks and other financial institutions. Most of them have everything they own in- vested in their home - a small piece of property that represents their littie piece of the worid. They belleve, and rightly so, that they are going to lose that which they have worked so hard for because of factors that are beyond their control. These people represent the vast majority of Canadians. Their major interest in life is to bring up their familles and live in a peaceful and viable way In their community. Uiweekiy news aoe aonontaty fr01om 0one of Canada'a outsttanding ndws personalities ZEiST OP ANOKORMAN F!OR GLOBAL JNN!WS There's an interesting debate developing at Carleton University in Ottawa, where about one third of the grad- uating class in architecture has failed. A mass appeal bas been made, and a special comnmittee is conducting a review of the situation. The university's ombudsman, Jim Kennelly, says its the first time in the university's history that such an appeal has been made. I might have passed the story by if one of the aggrieved would-be architects hadn't summarized his feelings this way: "When one-third of the class fails in their final year", he said, "it's not the fault of the students." I wouldn't want him to design a house for me if he constructs his load-bearing walls the same way he con- structs his arguments. What does he mean, it isn't the fault of the students? Does he mean that the high failure rate is somehow the fault of the administration and the people who laid down the curriculum? Does he mean that the failure rate should somehow be determined on a percentage basis, in advance, and that only the bottom ten per cent of the class should be failed? Doe he mean that a university, having accepted tuition fees, is under some sort of obligation to grant degrees, without reference to student performance? He probably means all of those things, to some extent. And if he believes them, after five years in an institution of higher learning, there isn't much hope for him or the rest of us. That sort of thinking, if common, explains the erosion of leadership in Ottawa, which appears in Ottawa, which appears to be on holiday while a country with enormous potential slips down the drain. It explains the mounting frustration of the Canadian people, who like our failed architect, seem to believe that everything could be righted by the stroke of some Ottawa mandarin's pen. But what we are reaping now is a direct result of our own greed and mounting government intervention for the past couple of decades. It's pointless now to stand on the sidelines and at the moment of failure scream "it's nlot fair." That won't earn our architectural friend a degree and it won't earn the rest of us a country either. That's not news, but that too is reality. They are not radicals, but they are preaching what has become an almost radical notion that hard working, honest people have the right to keep their own home. For many years this "silent majority" of Canadians have quietly put up with the follies of government and the inequities in our economic lifestyle. And now, at long last, they are angry and they are demanding that government in Canada represent their interests and protect their rights. In a nation known for the complacency of its people, it is a refreshing change. These people, however unorganized and dif- fering in viewpoint, represent the greatest power block in this country. They form the vast majority of voters in Canada and even here in our own community. They are not demanding political reform or preaching revolution - they are simply demanding that the Government of Canada address the problems of the day. It is interesting to note that neither Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau or Finance Minister Allan McEachan would meet with them and instead sent a junior member of the cabinet to face their fury - Housing Minister Paul Cosgrove. Both Trudeau and McEachan are urging these people, and in fact the entire Canadian nation, to be patient and wait until the government brings down its budget next month. What these two gentlemen do not seem to realize is that these people simply can't afford to wait. They need and demand that government act now to solve the problems that they, in large part, created. - "The Convoy of Anger" represented practically every Canadian homeowner and every Canadian small businessman. It is these people who are suffering because of the government's high in- terest rate policy. It is these people who will suf- fer the greatest detrimental effects of the Ottawa- is got angry Alberta Energy Agreement. It Is these people who will lose their homes and maybe even their jobs if the government fails to act. They are not asking for hand-outs or new pro- grams or financial assistance. Ail they are asking for is an even break, for an opportunity to work for what is theirs and to have some control over their lives. This is probably a strange idea to the Liberal government because it seems to have chartered a course that would give it more control over the lives of Canadians. The problems that these people are attempting to have recognized are found ail over this country. In our own community there have been cases of people losing their homes and businesses because they could not afford to pay the current interest rates. Not only are they being hit hard by interest rates, but by high taxes, a 13 percent inflation rate and other factors overwhich they have no control. Perhaps this represents one of the major problems facing the ordinary person in this coun- try, the fact that he has so little contral of what is going on around him. Both the prime minister and the minister of finance have stated that they are only prepared to give assistance to those people who absolutely need it. Weil, middle class Canada is in absolute need of assistance. While many Canadians were not physically present on Parliament Hill during the protest of "The Convoy of Anger" it is our belief and hope that we were there in spirit. It is also fervently hoped that the Government of Canada will not turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to "The Convoy of Anger." These people spoke for ail of us. It is about time that Canadians got angry and demanded that something be done. Let's hope that anger doesn't die until our government has heeded our demands and does something to resolve our problems. coo. eoo /lý00 /100