Paye 4, The Herald, Tuesday, November 20, 1979

TERR ACE/KITIMAT

daily herald

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EOITOR - Greg Middleton

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EDITORIAL

The provincial government is going to

make a cautlous move toward the
development of a resort at the hof-
springs at Lakelse Lake and that is to be
applauded.

While the government's — an-
nouncement that it would spend $50,000
on a study and then on the basis of that
study probably commit $1 million to
build a motel there was not the grand
scheme many had envisaged, it is a
start.

The Social Credit government has
gocd reason to be cautious about this
development. While individual members
of the party may be developers, the
party is not oriented toward the idea of
government taking the: lead in actual
development.

We hope the planning that goes Into
this project looks far enough ahead and
looks at the plan as a potential for
continued and diversified development
of the hotsprings and the nearly square
mile of land, much of it waterfront
properly.

This is a valuable commercial and
recreational potential and should not be
wasted nor exploited for the benefit of
some rather than used for both locals
and tourists.

iw NU ee i tin

‘LETTERS TO
THE EDITOR

and became Prime Minister,
the Bank of Canada rate has

Dear Constituent: .
The continued rise in. in-

By THE CANADIAN PRESS

Thecrack of a policeman’s
34+ an audible punctuation
mark to the narrative of race
relations in Canada — still
reverberates three months
later,

The gun, fired by a white
policeman, killed a black
immigrant in August.

The headlines were
focused on Toronto, where
the shooting occurred, but
the incident has deeper
significance for Canadian

. Society,

Some extremists Inslated
the shooting happened
because the victim was
black and that the
Metrepolitan Toronto police
force is riddied with racists.
Others maintained that
racism was not a factor, that
whether or not the shooting
waa justified, the policeman
thought he had reason to
helleve his life was in
danger.

The affair might appear to
be ‘an isolated one but it is
difficult to separate it from
the broader story of race
relations in the country.

For discrimination does
exist in Canada, And while
few events are as dramatic
as this, the fabric of human

relations is dotted with,

troubling episodes.

An Indian woman tells of
being ignored by a waiter in
a Regina bar, An apartment
in Kenora, Ont,, is rented to
a white after an Indian is
turned away.

Two immigrants from
Bangladesh are abused, then
beaten, by whites aboard a
Vancouver bus, In Montreal,
A leader of Haitian
newcomers apeaks softly of
his people being forced to use
violence in self defence,

Alan Borovoy, head of the

Canadian Civil Liberties .

Association, says racism is
more subtle than ever —
often the person who is
discriminated against
doesn’t even know it,
Naison Mawande, chief of
complaints and
vestigations for the federal
Human Rights Commission,
says = most ordinary
Canadiana are not racist but
he suggests some institutions
practise a kind of dis-
crimination because they be-

lteve that's what the public

wants,

PEOPLE LAGGING

Gordon Fairweather, the
former MP who heads the
federal rights commission,
says the root of the problem
may be that the
liberalization of Canada's

In- -

| INCANADA
A look at racism

First of a series |

the police commission; ~

That the procedure for
handling complaints against
police be improved;

—That strong action be
taken to stop pelice from
verbally abusing citizens;
-—And that = phyaical
restrictions on police
recruits be eased to let more
members of minorities joln
the force.

IGNORE AGITATORS

He algo called on minority
groups to refuse to tolerate
the activities of agitatora
who try to inflame the anger
of those they claim to
represent, ;

While the shooting of an
Albert Johnson is + not
common in Canada, other
events have pricked the
awareness of local and

‘national leaders,

There are ‘occasional
threats of a backlash agalnst
‘the Vietnamese refugee
movement. The government
has admitted there may he

racism among some im-

migration officers at ports of
entry. There are continued
complaints of discrimination
lodged against employera
and other authorities by
members of the visible
minority — people whose
skin color makes them easy
to single out from the white
majority, ae
ae it's ay that all this
happening in 3-country

23 million people who, with
the exception of Indians and
Inuit, are all immigrants or
the descendants of Iim-
Migrants. ~

:Community leaders are
saying that the racial and

- ethnic mix of the country has

changed so rapidly in the last
decade that many in-
stitutions have not adapted.

They say that institutions
such as police forces,

schools, industry, the courts,
government and the media
do not reflect — and
sometimes plainly reject —
Canada's non-white
population, both - recent
immigrants and" long-
Standing minorities, °

REMOVED BARRIERS —

The beginning of -the
current era In race relations
is generally agreed to have
been 1967 when Parliament
passed whalsome politicians
call a colorblind: im-
migration law. Racial
barriers, which had af-
ficlally been used in the past
to keep out Chinese and
blacks, were removed from
‘the legislation, ©. °

Since then the number of
immigrants has dropped
almost every year. But the

non-white, non-Europeane
among them have dteadlly
increased, And, ~ says

Fairweather, netitutions
weren't properly. prepared,

“It’s one thing to celebrate
an immigration policy that
knows no barriers of nation
but you have to put the
receiving mechanism : in

‘place for this,” he avid ihan

interview. .

“Ita more than just en-
joying the cultural variety
and the fact that there: are
more ethnic restaurants. It’s
bigger. The commitment isa
fundamental one, ‘not a
peripheral cae.”

Alan Borovoy says the
subtleties of modern racism
make the problem difficult to
deal with. _

‘’ He doesn't believe in

preaching brotherhood. He
edvocates effective en-
forcement of —_—_anti-
discrimination laws -and
special programs to give
minorities a break in such
fields as employment. This,
he says, would help create a

HERMAN

SRD oe ier ola oa oni, or 6 > aT

a

social climate in which
street raciem is rejected,

Borovoy says’ studies by
the civil liberties association
haveturned up evidence that
some real] estate agents and
employment agencies are
Ww to cooperate with
clients who say they don’t
want blacks,

INTERPET FEELINGS

Mawande says some other
organizations practise dls-
crimination, not because of
someone's expressed wish,

but because of the-way they .

interpret the feelings of the
‘white community. Examples
he citea:

Several blacks have
complained that airlines
refuse to hire them as flight
attendants. One test case
failed because the com:
ponent was not bilingual, a
ob requirement. But. Ma-
wande says he is convinced
industry leaders believe the
travelling public do not want
stewards or stewardesses
who are ugly, fat, old or not
white, ‘‘They have an image
problem.”

—The television industry
seems to have a similar
image hangup for influential
positions such as news an-
chormen, "The TV industry
can’t come to terms with a
black face on the screen,
They feel it would upset the

tray w

po .

—An Ontario judge, in
deciding a case in which an
East Indian was assaulted,
said he would not consider
the racial aspects of the
crime. Mawande says
possible racist motivation
for crime should be
examined by the courts and
“T think the judicial system
is only beginning to grapple
with the problem now.”

Federal and provincial
human rights commiasions
deal with raciam on a case-
by-case basis, watching for
patterns to develop.
Meanwhile, they advocate
public education to teach
people about different
minorities, especially in the
major cities where many are
concentrated — Toronto,
Vancouver, Montreal and
Halifax.

"Fear and ignorance,’’
Says Fairweather in ex-

Plaining why some people

are racist,

“They're afraid of being’

overwhelmed by people they
don't understand, with
customs and ethics that are a
lot different from what they
think is the norm."

CHANGE ATTITUDES

terest rates is now the
central issue in the Canadian

€conomic situation, As ‘your -

Member of Parliament, 1
share the concerns of small
businessmen, — consumers,
and farmers. The present
interest rates would have
been considered “usury” a
few short months ago,

The following statistics
show where we have gone in
interest rates:

January 1, 1978 75
July 26, 1979 9.0
October 16, 1978 10.25
January 4, 1979 11.25
July 23, 1979 11.75
September 7, 1979 12.35
October 9, 1979 13.0
October 25, 1979 14.0

These changes have been
pushed through by the
Trudeay and Clark ad-
ministratious, Our attempts
to match the U.S. rate in
order to attract more foreign
capital deepens = our
problem as -our “ in-

dependence of action is.

lessened and more money
flows out te pay debts and
dividends in the United
States.

In communities of the
Northwest, these increases
may well mean less capital
expenditures for projects
that should be going ahead.
And it has been demon-
strated thal small business
people are the first in -the

business community to feel.

the pressures of higher In-
terest rates. Clearly, our
economic progress will be
affected in a negative
manner that may soon result
In greater unemployment,
higher prices, leas business
expansion, and an overall
drop in consumer spending.

Our caucus is strong)
opposed to this policy and,
like the Conservatives, we
opposed it when the Liberals
were in power. The Clark
government's reversal on
this critical question is not
very heartening. In
February of 1979, Mr. Clark
said of Liberal interest rate
increases: “There is nolhing
less sensible than their (the
Liberals’) determination to
increase Interest rates to
record levels," Since Mr.
Clark made that statement

risen from 11.25 per cent to
the ‘present rate of 14 per

cent. | ;
We intend to’keep fighting

this policy, We've seen the
record Increases in bank
profits and their continual
accumulation of assets; the
banks don't need higher
rates, We know the impact
upon small businessmen,
employees, home-buyers,
farmers, and pensioners. We
believe a fundamental
change in this policy is
required now. I would ap-
preciate hearing from you on
this matter.

Sincerely
Jim Fulton, M.P.
Skeena

Dear Sir:

Perhaps it is because so
few people, myself included,
contribute to our paper, that
letters like the one that

appeared in the newspaper -

by Bil Homburg come to
print. 1t is not the first of his

lengthy letters that you have -

published, nor will it be his
lagl, Jam sure! That is good,
as I am a firm believer in
freedom of the press,
freedom of speech and
freedom of choice,

What E failto understand is
how you justify printing his
personal vindictiveness
against a local businessman,

Bill Young contributes
much to this community.
The Tillicum Theatre is often
donated for public use, such
as the Remembrurice Day
Service on Noy. 11,

Young does his utmost to
bring us current films,
children and. adult. The
‘content of these films is what
-we have to decide on. We
make the cheice, It is up to
us. If we pay our admission
and walk through the dours!
It is up do us as parents, to be
aware of what our chiildren
are viewing,

Certainly it is easy ta place
the brunt of the blame on
someone else. We, the
people, must decide what we
want to hear, see or read,
It’s one of those things we
have fo do for ourselves! |

Sincerely
Mrs, MarilynSoules

immigration policy has out-
distanced the capacity of
people and institutions to
deal with it. .
, What complicates the.
whole problem is the dif- -
fleulty of determining
whether a specific incident
wan racially motivated.

The police shooting of
Albert Johnson, a black
Jamaican, at his Toronto
home may have had nothing
to do with the color of the
skin when it happened, But it
has everything to do with
racism now,

It polarized Metropolitan
Toronto politicians, brought
the police commission under
attack from some
spokesmen for the black
community, led to an On-

"You must have got it wetl”

As for Institutioas, Fair-
weather says the individuals
funning them must become
aware of growing minarities,
Taust be: sensitive’ to: them
and must be flexible enough
to change rules for them —

more blacks for staff or
changing a. school
curriculum.

No government or other
central organization knows
exactly how much the vielble
minorities have growth since
1947, That year, the
government stopped
recording ethnic origins of
immigrants because such
recording could in itself be
discriminatory. -

So details on ethnic
changes won't be known

tario Provincial Police in-
yestigation that resulted in

until the results of the 1081
census, but government

manslaughter charges
against the policemen in-
volved.

The police commission
cailed on Emmett Cardinal
Carter of Toronto to in-
vestigate race relations, Ina
widely praised report the
Roman Catholic archbishop
suggested:

—That a committee be set
up to maintain lipison bet-
ween minority groups and

Letters welcome

The Herald weleames its readers comments.
All letters to the editor of genétal public interest
will be printed. We do, howevér, regain the right
to refuse to print letters on ible
libel or bad taste. We may alo edit letters for
syle and length. Ali letters tobe considered for
Publication must be signed, ¢ Lo

statistics on countries from
which immigranta come
indicate the trends.

Before 1967, no countries
with mainly colored
populations were among the
10 leading sources of
Canada's immigration,

Since then, five such coun-
tries — India, Hong Kong,
the Philippines, Jamaica
and Guyana — have been in
the top 10 almost every year,

‘ounds of poss

.

ATRIEL THINKS

Why not abolish the Canadian Broadcasting Cor-
poration?

Does the idea shock you? Do you believe that some
Crown Corporations are sacred; the C.B.C.,PetroCan,
Canadian Wheat Board, to mame a few?

The pros and cons of public versus private owner-
ship can wait for a future column. [am going to limit
this to comments about the C.B.C.

Back in the Depression days, there were vast areas
of Canada which did not receive any radio coverage.
Only the best radio sets could bring in distant stations
and there was a real need for a radio system that
would serve all Canada, especially the remote area,
Thus the C.B.C. came into being. It was patterned
after the British Broadcasting Corporation complete
with flawless diction and balanced reporting. High
standards of merality and taste were maintained, as
well ag programming that appealed to all ages and
nationalities. For these reasons, the publicly owned
corportation enjoyed nationwide popularity.

I am not sure when the decay began to creep In;

probably in the late forties. A definite leftist slant
began to appear, to be continued and accelerated to

ow ae,

wr

Abolish the CBC!

the present day. “True to life” reporting became an
excuse to broadcast amut, swearing and the general
permissiveness that Infests the world today. With the
advent of television, it seems, they pulled out all the
stops and it would.seém to be only a matter of time
until we will be treated to all the sex and gore that is
paraded as - entertainment in — movies,
It is easy to say“Don’t watch it, and turn off your
radio.” I do just that. But it is my money they are
spending; over four hundred eighty millions in 1973.
For what, I ask? Agitation and propaganda of the Left.
News broadcasts that are so biased that they make me
ill. Negativism. Close-ups of the seamy side of life.
Unlimited time for the architects of “social changer.”
To my mind, the €.B.C. is a Trojan Horse in our
society. Almost a half a billion dollars worth of un-
desirable braodcasting per year, pounded into the
heads of millions of eredulous Canadians day after
day, discrediting free enterprise, promoting
socialism, drugs, social protest and providing
precious little that would ercourage the greatness that
is latent in Canada and Canadians.
I don’t like the deai, and Idon’t wish tobuy it.

whether it means recruiting:

PERSKY'S
PERSPECTIVE

By STAN PERSKY

wee

I bought my General Douglas MacArthur plaster
bust for $1.59 from Waigreen’s Drugstore when I was
12, ; ;
The hawk-nosed hero of World War II had just been
called back-from the Orient by President Harry
Truman. MacArthur, commanding U.S, troops in, the
Korean Conflict (as with Vietnam, the Americans
‘Hever got around to officially proclaiming it a war),
wanted to cross the Yalu River into China and homb
Mao's. recentiy-established People's Republic to
smithereens. Harry didn’t think it was such a good
idea, and given that he was the Supreme Commander,
he had the final word. Well, almost the final word.-.

Doug returned to America, turned in his stars, and
with his usual flair for a great exit line, said, “‘Old
soldiers never die, they just fade away.” We rushed
out to buy plaster busts. 7

Eventually, childish things must be put away (in
any case, the famous nose soon chipped). Vielnam
came along. Doug faded, even in memory.

But he was back for Remembrance Day this year.
CTV remembered to bring us the U.S. television
premiere of MacArthur, starring Gregory Peck.
(Closer to home, the Canadian-content Broadcasting
Corporation gave us the disaster of Dieppe 1942 to
remember). Of course, with a quarter-century’s
hindsight, it was now reasonably clear that, far fram
being an unblemished hero, Doug was a more-than-
slightly bizarre, undoubtedly megalomaniacal, ob-
sessive personality —at least as loony as the madmen
who commanded the Axis forces.

However, it’s not the remembrance of wars and
other things past that worries me. Rather, it's what
the powers-that-be want us to look forward to that’s of
concern. Staring outirom the cover of Time magazine
this Remembrance Day (actually it was the issue of
Oct. 29) is General David C. Jones, current chairman
of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. :

General Jones is living proof that when the old
soldiers who never die fade away, it’s usually to the
inner sanctum of the Pentagon where they can work
without disturbance on increasing the niilitary
budget.

The six-page Time lead story — “What Price
Power? Expanding America’s Arsenal" — prepares
us for another round of “defense” spending. —

‘Time reports that.“a consensus has been emerging
that favors a stronger U.S. military establishment,
something that would have seemed impossible only a
few years ago. Badly — and unfairly —~ scarred by the
Vietnam War, the armed services was forced into a
period of retrenchment, receiving little popular
backing for their expensive needs. But the national
mood and the international realities are both
changing.” (Actually, Time, the mainstream voice of”
the American right-of-centre, is doing something
more than mere “‘reporting” here, since a good bit of
editorializing approval goes along with the news.)

The bottom-line cost for this allegedly more-milltant ;-
“national mgod’” in the States will come, to $140 billion.“
That's a five per cent boost (plus allowance for in-
flation) over the $122 billion being shelled out this year
on preparations for Armageddon. Just to get these
astronomical] figures in proportion: one item on the
Shopping list — 1,500 kilometres of underground
railway track to cart around MX missiles in a way
that will keep the Soviets guessing — will cost $4.3
billion, the equivalent of the entire budget of British
Columbia for a year. '
- Jimmy Carter, who of course promised te reduce:
U.S. arms spending when he got elected in 1976; is,

“expected to go along with this! latest fréposal to arm’

America to the teeth, He has to, or else the hawks in:
the U.S. Senate will refuse to ratify the Strategic Arma’
Limitations Treaty (SALT II) he negotiated with the:
Russians earlier in the year (and such a rejection.
would be embarrassing to candidate Carter). It's thé
ultimate paradox, isn’t it? The price of limiting arms’
turns out to be a gigantic $18 billion budgetary boost to-
buy more arms. (The Russians, of course, are doing
the same.) I guess Somebody Down There wants to be
sure that future Remembrance Days contain up-to-
date memories.

Naturally, given our sovereignty -association
relationship with our Southern Neighbour, there's a
Canadian version of all this. We're going to invest a
few billion in six-shooters with wings. Perhaps you
saw the full-page newspaper ads published the week.
before Remembrance Day in which General’
Dynamics assures us that “the purchase of 130 F-16
fighter aircraft will save Canadian taxpayers more
than one-half billion dollars in initial acquisiton costs
-— and another one-half billion dollars in uninflated,
operating costs over a 25-year life span." ae

Gee, I guess I'm as much in favour of saving tax-
payers a billion smackeroos as the next guy. 1 suppose
I shouldn't ask just exactly who we bloodthirsty
Canadians are planning to blow to Kingdom Come

with our 130 General Dynamics F-16 fighters. At least
not until Joe Clark gets around to changing the Official
Secrets Act.

With Remembrance Day safely forgotten, perhaps

it's permissable to paraphrase the late-a
MacArthur: Parap ndgreat

‘Old soldier heroes never dia
but their feet of clay

and pilaster noses
eventually chip away.
Meanwhile, the rest of us
continue to pay.

TODAY IN HISTORY.

Nov. 20,- 107

English poet Thomas
Chatterton was born 297
years ago today — in 1752 —
in Bristol. An orphan, the
boy spent his time reading
ol manuscripts and, at the
age of 12, composing poems
which he claimed ere the
work of @ 15th-century monk
named Rowley. The poems
Were accepted by Horace
Walpole, among others, as
genuine. In 1770 Chatterton
went to London, where he
found literary success and
financial disaster. He died a
suicide by arsenic poisoning

three manths before his 19
birthday. *

1841 — Sir Wilfrid Laurie¢
was born,

1903 — The city of Moose
Jaw, Sask, was in.
corporated,

1947 — Queen Elizabeth,
then a princess, married
Prince Philip.

1959 — Solomon Hochoy
Was appointed governor of
Trinidad and Tobago, the
first non-white governor of a
British territory, :

1977 — Egyptian president
Anwar Salt first visited
Srael, |