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A6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday September!5, 1999 T he Oakville Beaver OPINION Ian O liver Publisher Neil O liver .Associate Publisher Norman Alexander E dito r Kelly Montague, Advertising D irector M artin Doherty C irculation D irector Teri Casas Office M anager Mark D ills Production M anager Riziero Vertolli D irector o f Photography MetroianO Printing. Publishing & D istributing L id ., includes: Ajax/Pickem g News Advertiser. A iston HerakVCouner. Barrie Advance. Barry's Bay This Week. Bolton Enterprise. Brampton Guardian, Burlington Post. B ufngton Shopping News. City Parent. CoingwoodAVasaga Connection. East York M rror. Erin Advocata'Country Routes. Etobicoke Guardan, Flamborough Post. Georgetown Independent/Acton Free Press. H ircna Business Times. K ingston This W eek. Lindsay This W eek. M arkham Ecnom ist & Sun. M idland/P enetanguishine M irror. M ilton C anadian C ham pion. M ilton Shopping News. Mississauga Business Times. Mbcecauga News. Napanee G lide. Newmarket/Aurora Era-Barrier. Northumberland News. North York M rror. Qakvifle Beaver. O akvie Shoppng News. O ldtimers Hockey News. Onto Today. OshawaW hrttty/Qanngton Port Perry The Week, Owen SouxJ Tribune. P eterborough This W eek. P icton C ounty G uide. R ichm ond H ill/Thornhill/Vaughan Liberal. Scarborough M irror. S touffville/U xbridge Tribune. Forever Young, City o f Mark Guardian 467 Speers Rd., Oakville O nt L6K3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-2809 Circulation: 845-9742 RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: O n ta rio C om m unity N e w sp a p e rs A sso c ia tio n / I J X T . Canadian C om m unity I ^ C N A N o w sp a p o rs _ j A sso c ia tio n SKs THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: ° T ^ M H (> K V U £ C e n t f e TV AUCTION , i, . United Way JiNqle BeII Funo 0f Oakville Editorials Profile raised If there is one thing to be said of the appointment of Adrienne Clarkson to the position of Governor General, it's that no one feels luke warm about the decision. As soon as Clarkson's name was bandied about as a successor to Romeo LeBlanc, the GG's job was in the bag. That's the way Clarkson works, she gets her name in the press and then presto! she takes on another taxpayer-fundeid position. Remember how her career moved seamlessly from CBC icon to our ambas­ sador to France? Timing is everything in the government patronage game and Clarkson has it in spades. As Ontario Lieutenant Governor Hillary Weston can attest, rubbing shoul­ ders with the hoi polloi can be tedious and tiring, yet Weston has embraced her role. But how Clarkson will relate to her ceremonial posting remains to be seen. She has been totally estranged from her two daughters since they were teens and even preferred to live with their father. That speaks volumes about Clarkson. Then there was that messy business with her Toronto neighbour, an old woman who sought to put an addition on her home, similar to the one Clarkson had completed. Clarkson fought the woman through the courts for years and conveniently only settled the claim hours before her appointment was made. The woman had died by this point. But like everything Prime Minister Jean Chretien does, Clarkson's appoint­ ment was very well researched. After all, who better to be our GG than a bilih- gual woman from a visible minority, whose face is well known in Canada? r The left-leaning Clarkson and her similarly bent author-husband, John Ralston Saul, both say they won't change their views and won't be silent on issues even though they'll live in Rideau Hall. One thing is certain, Clarkson's term is likely to be anything but dull. Remember how her career moved seamlessly from CBC icon to our ambassador to France? Timing is everything in the government patronage game and Clarkson has it in spades. Letters to the Editor The Oakville Beaver welcomes your comments. All letters must be typed, signed and include the writer's address and phone number. Send to: Letters to the Editor, The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, Ont. L6K 3S4 F e d s 'r e c o r d o n t a x a t io n la u d a b le -M P The following letter was sent to Ontario Premier Mike Harris-a copy was also f i le d with the Oakville Beaver. I refer to your Sept. 1, 1999 letter, which was addressed to all Ontario Liberal federal Members of Parliament. In your letter you urge our federal government to lower federal income taxes. Our government has already begun to provide tax relief to Canadians. In our last two bud­ gets, we have delivered $16.5 bil­ lion in tax relief over the "next three years. Relief that will bene­ fit every single taxpayer, and will see some 600,000 lower-income Canadians removed from the tax rolls altogether. Tax relief and improved tax fairness are essential to improv­ ing Canadians' standard of living and quality of life. Tax relief has been, and is, very much a part of our agenda. Our government, however, wants tax relief to be permanent, fair and affordable. We have provided, and we will continue to provide, Canadians with targeted tax relief, in each of our budgets, we have introduced targeted tax relief where the pay­ off was substantial and the need greatest: for students, charities, persons with disabilities and low- income families with children. Unlike your government, our government refuses to borrow money to reduce taxes. That is why balancing the budget in 1997-98 allowed us to begin the process of broad-based tax relief. Thanks to the last two budgets, a family with two working parents, two kids, and an income of $60,000 will pay $620 less in fed­ eral taxes per year--a reduction of nearly 10%. And on top of these tax cuts, we have reduced Employment Insurance premiums every year since we took office in 1993-sav­ ing Canadians some $3.7 billion in lower premiums over that time. In addition, in our 1999 bud­ get, we undertook the largest sin­ gle investment we have made since taking office in 1993-in health care-in part to 'top-up' the cuts made by provincial govern­ ments. This mix of substantial funding increases and strategic investments that will strengthen and modernize our health care system. Over the next five years, the provinces and territories will receive an additional $ 11.5 billion from the Canada Health and Social Transfer (CHST) with $6.5 We are looking for any student or former teacher from Port Stanley Ontario Public School. On. Sept. 25th, we are having a reunion for everyone. It will take place at the Arena, next door to the current public school. The hours are 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Our committee has sent out sev­ eral hundred invitations to those people we can trace. We didn't want to miss anyone intentionally. If you have not heard from us, please come to see your old friends, if you can make it. In any event, drop a line to say hello. We will display these items, as well as any photos, at the reunion. Perhaps if your address is posted, (with your permission), you might re-connect with lost billion of the total coming over the next three years. Ontario alone will receive an additional $3.5 billion of the $11.5 billion plus a further $950 million per year because our government in the last budget removed the cap on the CHST for 'have' provinces like Ontario. It is my view that this signifi­ cant increase in funding from our government to the government of Ontario should provide you with the means to address many of the healthcare issues of concern to Ontarians-like surgery waiting lists, emergency room crowding and mental health issues associat- friends. We have had over 150 replies. Notes about your memories of your school days and your school mates, or anything else you can share can form some valuable material for local history. The 'school girls' have had several excellent gatherings in recent years. Several of 'the boys' though it was only right to have a gathering for everyone. We hope to make this not only the first PSPS Reunion, but the best, with your help. Please contact Frank Deeley, Box 429 Rodney, Ont. N0L 2C0. Phone or fax: 1-519-785-2465 or e-mail: fdeelev@mnsl.net John Scidm ore Reunion Chair ed with homelessness. In the 1997 federal election campaign, we laid out a compre­ hensive long-term plan building on our first mandate's achieve- ments-to build the foundation for a productive and prosperous soci­ ety in a new economy and a new millennium. A foundation of peo­ ple: a healthy, well-educated, innovative and prosperous peo­ ple. In keeping with Canadian values, we offered a balanced approach. We pledged to invest our budgetary surpluses 50-50 with 50% allocated for tax relief and debt red u c tio n s nd 50% applied to investments to address the key social and economic pri­ orities that will make Canada a more prosperous and productive society in the 21st century. Our plan is clear: -A strong economy, with more jobs, lower taxes and debt-with low inflation and low interest rates; -A healthy population-where Canadians can count on having access to high=-quality health care; -A culture of innovation-with all Canadians having access to the education and skills they need for the knowledge economy-where our best and brightest can do the work here at home; and -A nation where every child has a chance at getting the good start they need in life. It was reassuring to note that you, and all of Canada's premiers, endorsed our balanced approach at y our recent conference in Quebec City. Although the strong performance of the economy in Ontario is very good news-the result of low interest rates and strong exports-we know that we can all do better. The challenge lies before us. Roy C u llen , M.P. Chair, Ontario Federal Liberal Caucus Sum m er sizzled for young campers On behalf of the families of campers involved in the 'Summer Sizzlers' program of the Town of Oakville Parks and Recreation Department, I would like to say thank you. To see the smiling faces and the sparkling eyes of the campers at the end of the day, you must realize that your time, energy, work and enthu­ siasm paid off. Thank you once again, to all who were involved to make this a won­ derful summer for so many young people. What a great job. Jean M urray Port Stanley School seeking alumni Letter of the Week Capital punishment must be eradicated Vengeance is to justice as oil is to water. Like night and day, they are mutually exclusive-one a remnant belonging to a bygone era, the other a direct consequence of the civi­ lizing process. Capital punishment is pure vengeance, and as such, has no place in modem criminal justice systems. It must be eradicated from the face of the earth sooner than later. Until such time, the labels civilized and progressive ring hollow. On Thurs. June 17th, Joseph Stanley Faulder, Canadian citizen, was executed by the State of Texas for the 1975 murder of Inez Phillips. For the past eight years, his lawyer, the indefatigable Sandra Babcock, had kept him a live, par- laying extensive legal skills with fierce determination. She secured nine stays of execution. In the end, a justice system rooted in cold-bloodedness overtook Mr. Faulder and ruth­ lessly exacted its precious pound of flesh. That the second most populous state in the U.S. sanc­ tions such barbarism is highly disturbing to say the least, particularly since the U.S. is our closest ally and largest trading partner. Surely, respect for human rights must be a prerequisite for trade, as well as an essential ingredient in setting foreign policy. That a Canadian fell victim to such an overwhelming assault on justice transforms deep concern into outrage. In an exhaustive effort to save the life of her client and acknowledged friend, Ms. Babcock encountered a veritable steel curtain of judicial and political intractability. Of the 18 members currently comprising the Texas Board of Paroles and Pardons, who themselves have not granted a single pardon since being appointed, only two had personal contact with Mr. Faulder. Compounding this assault on the right to a fair hearing, they neither consulted with each other nor gave reasons for their fateful decision. Ms. Babcock then pleaded before the U.S. District Court Judge Vanessa Gilmore that Texas had violated the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations by not notifying Canadian officials of Mr. Faulder's 1977 arrest, and also that her client had been subjected to years of cruel and inhuman treatment. Judge Gilmore flatly rejected both arguments. Given the stakes, such overwhelming insensitivity and convoluted logic is chilling. In openly mocking the princi­ ple that justice must be tempered with mercy, Judge Gilmore starkly revealed her own shortcomings as a mem­ ber of the U.S. judiciary. Next in line was the U.S. Supreme Court. Likewise, it rejected all arguments. In effect, the high court ruled that in the absence of new evidence proclaiming Mr. Faulder's innocence, he must die. Inexplicably, the learned justices chose to ignore the fact that Mr. Faulder's initial conviction was overturned because his confession had been obtained illegally through the use of physical force. Secondly, he was incarcerated while awaiting a second trial, although no evidence existed suggesting a history of violence. Thirdly, there was no physical evidence linking him to the murder. Fourthly, the State's principal witnesses included Lynda McCann, Mr. Faulder's accomplice, who was paid $17,000 to testify that she saw the accused commit the murder. Her involvement in the robbery/murder was deliberately with­ held from the defence in direct contravention to rules of evidence. Until capital punishment is relegated to the annals of history, until justice is rendered free from vengeance, we remain impoverished beyond description both individually and as a people. P eter P e llie r I mailto:fdeelev@mnsl.net 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont L6K3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-2809 Circulation: 845-9742 SKs TV AUCTION Editorials Letters to the Editor John Scidmore Roy Cullen, M.P.