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PAGE 4,WEDNESDAY, MAY 2(). l')85,WIIITBY FREE? PRESS whitby Voice of the County Town Publishied every Wedn1esdaý by M.lB..M. llub)lishling aindPhotographyvInc. The Free Press liuildin S:I il Irock Street North.i Michael lan Burgess, Publisher - Managing Editor P.1. (on 2JS, whitb, Io MICHAEL KNELL Community Editor VALERIE COWEN Advertising Manager g, Int. Secondclass Mail Registration No 5351 The only Whitby newspaper indepeindently owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents. Was budget fair? It's too early to tell Canadians got their first true insight into the policies of the nine-month old government of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney when Finance Minister Michael Wilson introduced his first budget last Thursday. Since that time, we have ail been subjected to much meaningless rhetoric from almost everybody who has used the occasion to either A we.lkly news commêntary from one of Caada's outstandlng news personalities BEST OF ANCOMAI FOR GLOBAL NEW The Spirit of Canada is flowing again after the ow ebb of the early eighties, and looking for con- firmation. What better way to preserve it than by building a towering three-masted barque, putting huge red maple leaves on her snowy square sails, and calling her "The Spirit of Canada". Until this week, "The Spirit of Canada" has only been a design by Michael Willoughby, and a dream. A dream shared by Stanley Burke, his wife Daphne, and a number of prominent Canadians who have been caught up in the Burke's deter- mination. Now it appears that "The Spirit of Canada" may soon become a reality. Enough money has been raised to make it likely that her keel will soon be laid, and although funds are still needed, there is now a reasonable chance that she will be ready for a debut at EXPO '86 in Van- couver. She is going to be a wonderful ship, one hun- dred and forty feet from stem to gudgeon, and a 175 feet overall. She will cost in the vicinity of six million dollars and she will be worth every nickel that goes into her. She will be owned and operated by a registered, non-profit organization, the Pacific Tall Ship Association, and will carry forty- eight trainees and a total ship's company of sixty- four. Her designer, Michael Willoughby, says there is nothing like sail-training in a square-rigger to develop character and teamwork. "I have seen them sail away as children," he says, "and return as young men and women." But "The Spirit of Canada" will not simply be used to make adults out of a fortunate handful of the nation's young people. Her presence in foreign ports will be used to stir interest in Canada, and Canadian trade. She will give us a maritime focal point that will long outlast America's Cup challengers. She will be a fitting symbol for the country which has the world's longest ocean coastline and most of the world's fresh water. We are a maritime nation, despite the death of our deep sea fleet. Half the Canadian population takes to the water each year in 2.6 million small craft, and a case can be made that a Canadian square-rigger is long overdue. There were only twenty tall ships in the world being used for sail- training in 1956, but there are 246 of them in use today by 32 nations, and we saw some of them here in Quebec City last summer. "The Spirit of Canada" will not have to take second palce to any of them. praise or denounce the government. Finance Minister Wilson promised us a budget that was "tough but fair". According to Liberal Leader John Turner and N.D.P. chief Ed Broad- bent, the Tories only kept half the promise - the "tough" part. Small business lobby groups are, of course, delighted. They believe that a wholehearted effort to reduce the federal deficit will create jobs. A reduced deficit, they claim, will bring down in- terest rates and increase the money supply. Critics of the budget say that the increased tax load on low and middle income Canadians is regressive and will reduce consumer spending and confidence in the economy. This will result in a net loss of jobs and a shakier economy. Whitby residents are already feeling the crunch of the budget. Those who smoke are already paying 25 cents more for a large package of cigarettes. Those who earn less than $30,000 a yearwill soon start to pay increased federal taxes. We will all pay increased federal sales tax im- mediately on almost everything we buy. Quite frankly, we don't know at this stage which side of the budget arguement is right. For ail we know, both sides may be speaking out of their hats. One thing, however, is clear. The Mulroney government did spread the load on everyone. Un- fortunately, lower and middle income Canadians cannot afford to pay the additional $500 or so a year in additional taxes. These Canadians will also lose their R.H.O.S.P. benefits making it more dif- ficult for them to buy their own home, which will have a detrimental impact on the construction in- dustry. Mulroney also promised Canadians during the last election compaign that he would bring In a minimum tax on the rich. Ali we got in the budget was a vague promise that this will probably hap- pen tax year. To this newspaper it seems ludicrous that the lower and middle income Canadian will have to pay more federal taxes this year while the gover- nment postpones tax measures on the rich until next year. The government has also introduced a wide range of spending cuts in some vital areas in- cluding job creation programs. Raising children could aiso become a more expensive proposition thanks to the reduction of the child tax credit ceiling. However, the government didn't touch family allowance, old age security and other direct benefits. In this newspaper's opinion, it is too early to pass final judgement on the budget. If Wilson is correct and it creates 200,000 new jobs by Sep- tember while reducing the deficit without having an adverse effect on needed universal social programs, then it will have been successful. On the other hand, if it follows the course its critics say it will, then Canada and Carladians are in a lot of trouble. It should also be noted that the tough, right wing budget policies of the gover- nments of U.S. President Ronald Reagan and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher have not created new jobs. In both countries, the unem- ployment picture is getting worse. All we can do is hope that the Mulroney gover- nment has taken note of its troubles and brought in a budget that will avoid the pitfalls it has fallen into. But we will not know what impact the budget will have until this time next year. Let's keep our fingers crossed. 1 yV