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A6 - The Canadian Champion, Friday, December 5, 2008 OPINION We Canadians deserve beter In the midst of an ecoîsomie crisîs, such as the one we cur- rently face, Canadians sbould be able to look to its electeri officiais in Ottawa for leadership, ideas aud action. Sadly, the current soap opera uuderway bas revealecl politiciaus - from botb sides of the House of Commons' aisie - more intent on playnng petty polîtics thaîs lookiug out for the welfare of the constituents who clectcd îhcm. Even wcrse, rire actions of unr federal officiais ru their bat- île for poîwer w-iI orly deepen the currerît ecoîsoissie erîxs for Canadians as any sense of goxernîsseus stahîlits bas ail but vanisbed. Fînger poînîîîng, a national sport ii Ottawva, lis reachcd an ahl-susse Iow bcstsiciclar tsucix jîleuts cf hianse be go ascscnd. Primse Minsiter xieiîlscisliai lier, fi cissiif n cts i ec i i wliielsi lie gairîcc ca treiigthie(lcci nsriix grises rush (iii xo(wed Ici xiiik issire cioxs wîiti îllîîxî iti pariesfoiirsic hCtecnîersîofcaiiil 1 ciiî le lied. In ilis iii .taie onii cilic (cc cciiiiiii IlleiC(,(leionci cutlis li i cic à lil 5 i cW o li \".l' .ilixiciic ceo luclstîili-i lîîriit.u- -- C cia cciiis . occgui l ilic c i i l-. O [i x i-, tutu c c-sl\ai îcl cri tsiiilss - iu r i s-ic )1 curgenît cisiscr oadrusiiQsais I bat isosrerîictîx lucliicai mus,îic ilasîin ri cîs cirilil, înîctîx Icor tise i eriaiscndN hF iii cissxtic r loiii îssîîîg caitinitncer tbe preseir tiflisasig nît c cîicieiic e i(it Tories ansd tisir plans foir tisee c r11insxW Canadians, chouglis.dîclîs svot fit'a cocaltionî ii t Otc is Voters scundrdîe]eeci( Lîherai fLeadier De1h ionlîsansd bhis owns paris was ii the îîrccexx of cbisixsg flis sîsccxxcîr -acornpetsou alreadv lratsgbt thiria,x ixghsrsg.lis NDP drexv less tisais aif tise pîspular \vOie' 0l the orex aiacd swon 106 cxx ,er scats. Tii top it off, isx cm ix'tis tise suipports osf a pans sunteut on dcssrosisg tise Cosifedciairs ci lCanadla tbat the Lîberaix ansd NDt' catisreiPosser frusîi tise ines Canadians shouldiîtsuspposrt thîx îhrce-e-baced rirnster. Ail MPs sbonld wcrk îîsward bringsnig forth a xotiud ifra- structure-ciriven econisisin stîricls plais that, su co-ope-a- tion witb tbe provinces, gets people w-ti kuîg, lircîecîxscen sors, aids the manufacîcsriug secelsr and boossîs coniscie confidence. if thai requirex scînsiîolitseaiss losiîsg face ansd tise fonmautincof an al parts ecouocunssitrasegv consissittece so bc 5. Caradans desers e nncb better gcsxerineiis ibaîs tbey bave been getinsg. Readersv-ï~ Councillors' pay raise outrageous DEAR EDITOR i anidtsi kiisoýgsgC ici sus iboutix iclui,55 os gi otsp >P i n hx Ilaiton iregionu.îl c rcil lors amd tise hoifor Regiocial i. liaiiiGa(.cr (a0 lInssexs of tlise fac rthat the fedex ai and pruovsncial governineiiix hase sho- .,ilnsot tb iluci teisxlxex s %vtl wsage hikex, lion dos the regiorsail ouis ciiors and ( arr istifsthe lir dec iion to gixe tiemiv\es raiscx1 iFlic rexr of thse xworld i.,,iving 5 c i haek, and lactorisxarc su tacs cloiuig ili xoini industries. Soisse c oispaniL7x arc c ail m idc tdua g os uus suds 10 gis c i aie sial exi as ue 5 oura- lis haici ici licviexc' tisa ltic coun cil ix liil sg is the snse c osiisstsiiitx asx Arc souin a ieof tlise currens eco- isoissc c rii-. I ltonseocsiscilorx? AGOSTINO GALIOTO MILTON ForanAffairs Is it a case ofrpolitical disease or display? W/ho's to say? She cougbed. And then bticfly lost her voice. She apoiogized. "I ns sorry Ive grît the Commons eold." Actuaily, what Haltors MP Lisa Raitt has caught rs a virus. Some xouid say its nothing more than a bit of political lever. Others wouid say i(s something far more insidious, wormîng its way into the previously sharp mind of the successixil mother of two, caus- ing strange symptoms: a tendency to, yeil out "Shame' when another humans beîng is speaking or often launching mbt standing ovations for no apparent reason - embar- rassinsg tics one would usualiy struggle 10 conceai duning normal conversation. But what ails thse young entrant into Canadian politics is nothing new For gener- ations, men and women across this great land have been exposed to tise disease upon entering tise Huse of Commons. And the contagion knows no bounds: biue, red. orange, or non-aiigned eslour everyone pieks it up. Lt starts slowly, as the rookies wîsnder xvhat strange phencîminois bas taken possession of tbeir c.ol- >4_ leagues during that odd trie ealled takestronot, and.the oic e mrst QukestiontPend. thoc tieroi dispiay the eariy signis of a boorish pack nsentality, crying at the eîsemy and crynng out for their leader Politicians cati it party disci- pline, or more nefariously, pansia- mentary custom. Civiiians wonder why their leaders can't act civiiiy And journalists despair, knowinsg as they do that previousiy independent-minded peo- pie like Raitt, a Conservative from Cape Breton coming from a union-leader father, I b M xviii in future be regurgitatîng talking points' in place of plain speech. Wbenee conses ibis tragie plague? Wby t[roms those self- saine journalists, for whorn the politiciaus seeri 10 believe tbey serve, accordiug to Jeffrcv Archer. As the Briton wnites, that asture lrish-Ersgiish Whsig, Edmuîsd Burke, -looking up at the Press Gallery of the House of Commons, said, 'Yonder sits the Fourtis Estate, and they are more important thans them ail."' But nay if iss fot a disease then that trou- bles our local Tony, it is not this irik stained wretch. it is but the microphones and cam- eras that can command the calis of our howi- ing mad elected men and women. Tinse then to turn off the lights and let civility retun. M ILON SANTA PARADE UNITED WAY OF MILTON ey YYMCA Showcase Mlton O qrbr canablan QEampion Milo' Co f ryNewpap Sr«,1860 555 Industnial Dr. Milton, Ont. L9T 5E1 905-878-2341 Editorial Fax: 905-878-4943 Advertising Fax: 905-876-2364 Classified:905-B75-3300 Circulation: 905-878-5947 wjww.mniltoncanadianchampion.com V.P. - Group Publisher Neil Oliver General Manager F)aii iFlrvey Editor in Chief Managing Editor Advertising Director Production Manager Circulation Manager Office Manager The Canadian Champion, published every Wednesday and Friday, i a division of Metroland Media Group Ltd. President Ian Oliver. J .a10f'Ip CCAB Audited Suub n N ccpapPs SK% of Ame ,cô