The Windsor Star du lieu suivant : Windsor, Ontario, Canada • 6

A6 Wednesday, May 9, 2001 TheWindsorStar EDITORIAL only way in which a human being ran make some approach to knowing the whole of a sullied is by hearing what can he said about it bv persons of every variety of ipinion. and studying all modes in which it can be looked at by every character of John Stuart Mill, 1S59 WE'VE BEEN A LITTLE TOO HARP ON YOU HE, HAVE. SOME CANAPIAN The Windsor Star The Windsor Star Group Inc. A division of Snuthani Publications A CanWost Company 167 Ferry St. Windsor N9A 4M5 Second Class Mail Registration Number 0078 Jim McCormack, President and Publisher Wayne Moriarty, Editor John Coleman, Editorial Editor A member of: Audit Bureau of Circulation, Canadian Newspaper Association, NADbank Ontario Press Council City taxpayers Caught in the middle It is the job of city councillors to represent the best interests of taxpayers.

Period. That didn't happen this week. Taxpayers already on the hook for tax increases to erase a projected $6.5 million municipal deficit were also placed squarely in the middle of a dispute between council and area school boards. A dispute that will certainly cost them money Essentially, council has decided to use the leverage of a zoning bylaw to prevent school boards from selling vacant school property at its highest value. Obviously a property that can only be used for single-family development will not reap the same financial benefits as one sold for high-density housing such as apartments and condos.

The fuel for the motion put forward by councillor Brian Masse and supported unanimously Monday is the Catholic board's recent decision to close seven underused schools. It remains to be seen whether limiting development will actually have any influence on a board's decision to close schools in the future. But the decision has the appearance of being vindictive, and is a clear attempt to interfere with the mandate of another elected body In a perfect world, there would be a school to serve every neighbourhood. But that isn't the case. School board trustees who must watch the money they spend more carefully because they can no longer directly levy taxes must respond to population shifts and the demands of growing communities.

It is the responsibility of school board trustees to build schools Mike Graston: Star cartoonist Burying the bodies where they are needed, and to return as much money as they can to taxpayers when they sell property City council's zoning restrictions will punish those same taxpayers. The public, Catholic and French-language school boards have all protested the motion. Public board director Mary Jean Gallagher also made it clear that the boards will appeal the zoning motion to the Ontario Municipal Board. It's imperative the boards launch an appeal not to do so would be an abrogation of their duty to taxpayers. Opening the books rn he federal government pumps about $4.6 billion a year into i funding and services for Canada's 1.4 million native people.

But unlike other organizations that receive taxpayers' money, there is no obligation to disclose how that huge sum of money is spent. cussing the amazing career longevity of Jean Chretien. You could almost hear teeth grinding and a switchblade being stropped over the phone. Maybe there is hope for the official opposition after all. The problem with the Alliance under Day has been the party's failure to match the cold-blooded ruthlessness of the Liberals.

But it appears they are currently trying to learn in full view of the public how to dispose of a failed leader and hide the body Their problem is going to be Joe Clark. The Liberal media treat Clark as the de facto leader of the right. But since his Red Tory ideals are further left than those of some Liberals, Clark was the reason many Windsor-area Alliance members quit the Tories in the first place. Hold a grudge And they still hold a grudge if he's part of any move to unite the parties. "I don't know if I would have the stomach for that, if Joe is involved," grumbled Alliance One.

"It's given Joe Clark all kinds of traction," Three fumed. The Alliance had the PC party almost smothered, he said. "This gives him oxygen." "I'm pleased at what Joe Clark is saying," Alliance Two said calmly. This, from a former Tory who used to spit nails when Clark's name was mentioned? "At least it's a start, compared to where he was two years ago." The relaxed Voter guy might be right, after all. The Alliance might get themselves sorted out in time for the next election.

But if they merge with the Tories, it sounds like they're going to have to figure out where to hide the bodies of two political failures. Chris Vander Doelen's column appears Wednesdays. He can be reached at cvanderdoelen win. southam. ca A guy who says he voted for the Alliance Party last fall was on the line recently, so the obvious question had to be asked: What do you think about the Stock-well Day circus? The party defections, the suspensions, the resurrection of Joe Clark the Undead, and the baying of the Ottawa media pack? The Voter cut me off before I could finish.

"I don't read that stuff. I get the general idea, so I just turn the page." Really? How come? "I don't care who the leader is. What am I gonna do? Vote Liberal again?" He snorted derisively. "They'll work it out before the next election." The Voter's relaxed confidence seemed a little far-fetched. So I called a few members of the Alliance in the Windsor region to check on their health and well-being.

"Needless to say, I'm disappointed," said the first one to pick up the phone. "Mr. Day won the leadership with 65 per cent support. Now it's a media frenzy. I guess you guys have to sell papers.

"I don't know what the MPs know," said Alliance One, "but the people I look up to in the party Deborah Grey, Chuck Strahl seem to be the most displeased with Mr. He sounded deeply wounded by his party's current misfortunes. "I don't think Preston Manning's supporters are behind this," said Alliance One himself a Manning supporter who obeyed the wishes of the majority and pulled behind the new leader. "I think it's across the board." Further calls seemed to prove him right. "I have mixed emotions," said Alliance Two.

"Obviously there are some problems, and as a new party we don't have a lot of time to make mistakes. "I am concerned about some of the mistakes Stock has made mistakes someone more seasoned would not have made." This lack of public accountability can be traced to a 1988 Federal Court ruling that found that while First Nations were essentially publicly funded, they were really private economic entities. Meanwhile the stories of mismanagement on reserves are legion. CHRIS VANDER DOELEN The nightly Keystone cops routine on the evening news, said Two, was not only hurting the party, it was diminishing the effectiveness of the Opposition and therefore the quality of democracy in Canada. The Alliance constitution calls for an automatic leadership review to take place during the party's next convention, in April, 2002.

How about moving up the leadership review, as has been suggested? "I think one is happening right now," laughed Two. "There appears to be a mutiny on the Bounty." Even clearer The desires of the next party member were even clearer. "I'm strongly opposed to running a leadership campaign in the media," intoned Alliance Three before launching into a litany of reasons why the party needs a new leader, pronto. Three ranted about how a small group of Alliance MPs appeared to be "usurping the grassroots. I don't see any grdundswell" to get rid of Day, he insisted.

"It's just the media. "The most important issue is loyalty," said Three. "To cut the knees out from under the leader is suicide. I'm still in Stock's camp and I'm sticking with him. For the time being." Unasked, Three then enthusiastically cited the call for an early leadership review.

"That's a great idea." Hardly a loyal endorsement. He could have been Paul Martin dis Just over a year ago, Denis Desautels, the federal auditor-general, told Canadians that about one-third of the country's 912 Indian bands and tribal councils were in financial difficulty. Last year, about one-third of those 912 refused to submit audited financial statements to the federal government as required. Until Ottawa opens up the books not just to federal taxpayers, but even band members Joseph Bernard a spokesman for the Mi'kmaq Grand Council, says First Nations will remain vulnerable to corruption and fraud. At least Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault has recognized the problems and promised to make all monies transferred to First Na tions a matter of public record.

Nault believes he can get around the court ruling by "decoupling" any private, third-party aspect of a band's finances from federally transferred funds. Nault says the books will open during the 2002-2003 fiscal year. But given the concerns of native leaders like Bernard, First Nations should be subject to the same level of scrutiny as municipal govern ments right away or they shouldn't get taxpayers' money at all. 0 Martin's priority is democracy in government Finance Minister Paul Martin's plan for governance, should he ever get there, is a delicate subject around Ottawa, one the Martin team must, approach gingerly for obvious reasons. Too much deviation from the party line risks censure from the Prime Minister's Office.

In fact it's that very area, the much talked-about lack of democratization in Ottawa and the of power in the PMO that would be the ear licly on his having to reverse himself on the issue of the independent ethics counsellor. But it is clear from their reactions that, if and when he accedes to power, he will move on his original promise or something close to it. He has already said publicly, though not providing details, that he is a strong proponent of parliamentary reform. Parliamentary scrutiny On reforming patronage, Reid said his interest is "pronounced." A senior adviser added that "I would be surprised if we wouldn't go forward with a package that would, for example, put a lot of senior appointments up for parliamentary scrutiny." One area of big concern is the strong-arm tactics of the PMO in trying to ward off any criticism. Martin and his close supporters have felt the sting on many occasions though they could hardly be surprised at the reaction last spring when it was discovered that members of his team met secretly in a Toronto hotel before the Liberal convention to discuss the lead ership issue.

This aside, they feel that there was a significant change in the functioning of the PMO with the departure of press secretary Peter Donolo almost two years ago. They felt Donolo built bridges between the Martin and Chretien camp whereas the new group drives a wedge. "Even if Donolo was angry at us, he would never demean his office by bad-mouthing the prime minister's finance minister," the Martin adviser said. "Donolo would never have done that. I'm not saying it's all the fault of Fran-cie Ducros (the PM's current communications director).

There's other people too." Under Martin, Reid indicated, the bunker mentality would be changed. "I'm not saying he would populate a PMO with all bureaucrats. My point is that some people might say that senior personnel in that office have to be seen as advocates for the government writ large, not simply for the person in the office itself." Lawrence Martin 's column appears Wednesdays and Saturdays. having recently undergone the humiliation of having to vote against his red book recommendation to create an independent ethics counsellor from the stench of the government's money mismanagement and alleged conflict-of-interest controversies. One senior adviser went so far as to say that Martin "believes the system is dysfunctional." This in the sense analysed in Donald Savoie's book, Governing from the Centre, which Martin has read closely.

Most everything is top-down, the adviser said. "There's only one or two ministers who actually matter in this government," he said, Martin being one of them. He added there is not enough room for democratic dissent, members of Parliament don't play the role they should, some cabinet ministers don't even get to hire their own staff without some PMO vetting. The adviser said one of the reasons Martin is so popular with MPs is that he involves them widely in the preparation of budgets, which used to be a secretive process. Martin's team won't comment pub an independent ethics counsellor, a likely reform of the patronage system and reforms to the PMO communications branch which, they believe, has become far too politicized.

Martin spokesman Scott Reid said many of Martin's ideas in these areas are in the exploratory stage. The finance minister will not elaborate on them for this reason, Reid said, and for the reason that he did not want to stir up trouble with Chretien. Reform popular At the same time, certain things are clear to Martin supporters. They feel every new Liberal leader represents change from the previous one and that no one should be criticized for holding different ideas. Secondly, the Martin team realizes that the issue of democratic reform, a sanitization of the system, is popular in the party, in the press, in academic circles and in the public at large.

It will likely be a main issue in any leadership campaign. Martin wants to be out front as a reformer in these areas. As well, he wants to distance himself LAWRENCE MARTIN ly focus should Martin succeed Jean Chretien in the top job. Over lunch, a senior Martin adviser said the first priority would be to clean up government. Some of the areas the finance minister is planning to move on, his strategists have revealed, ate parliamentary reform, party reform, the creation of.