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6- The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday December 15, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-3824, ext. 224 Circulation: 845-9742 The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Commentary Guest Columnist NEIL OLIVER Publisher DAVE HARVEY General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager Metroland Media Group Ltd. includes: Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser, Alliston Herald/Courier, Arthur Enterprise News, Barrie Advance, Caledon Enterprise, Brampton Guardian, Burlington Post, Burlington Shopping News, City Parent, Collingwood/Wasaga Connection, East York Mirror, Erin Advocate/Country Routes, Etobicoke Guardian, Flamborough Review, Georgetown Independent/Acton Free Press, Harriston Review, Huronia Business Times, Lindsay This Week, Markham Economist & Sun, Midland/Penetanguishine Mirror, Milton MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ALEXANDRIA ANCHOR Circ. Manager WEBSITE oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver is a division of Stéphane Dion's Vision Bonnie Brown Oakville MP téphane Dion recently celebrated the anniversary of his first year as Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. Over the past year, Dion has laid out a progressive agenda and distinguished himself as a man with a distinctly different vision Bonnie Brown for Canada than the current Prime Minister. Building on our history of sound fiscal policies, the Liberal Opposition under Dion's leadership has led the debate on the economic agenda, ahead of the government. We highlighted the challenges facing our manufacturing sector and were the first to call for a review of the Canada Investment Act to address industry-driven concerns about the potential hollowing-out of the economy. We demanded a revised free trade agreement with South Korea that addresses that country's pervasive non-tariff barriers on Canadian made cars. We called for corporate income tax reductions to give Canada a new tax advantage to replace our lost currency advantage. The Dion Liberal team has a plan to move Canada's economy forward by investing in education and innovation and ensuring competitive taxes to help our exporting sectors succeed in spite of the high Canadian dollar. We would also implement a "polluter pays" carbon emissions budget and dramatically increase government incentives for renewable power production. This would promote a healthier environment while encouraging major investments in green technologies to create a cutting-edge Canadian economy. Canadian municipalities are also part of the mix as they struggle to maintain and build the infrastructure we all rely on daily. Dion has committed to expanding the New Deal for Cities and Communities, launched by the previous Liberal government, but stalled under Harper. This would include making the $2-billion annual gas tax transfer to municipalities permanent and developing a 20-year strategy to address Canada's infrastructure deficit now estimated to be $60 billion. In November, Dion unveiled the Liberal "30-50 Plan" to fight Poverty. It is a five-year blueprint for reducing the number of Canadians living below the poverty line by at least 30 per cent and cutting in half the number of children living in poverty. It includes a Making Work Pay Benefit to encourage and reward work and give Canadians a springboard to dignity and independence. It also supports working families by making the Canada Child Tax Benefit into a refundable tax credit so that people who do not have enough income to pay taxes receive a benefit. It also helps lift vulnerable seniors out of poverty by increasing the Guaranteed Income Supplement. In the important area of foreign policy, Dion's vision for a strong, multilateral approach stands in stark contrast to the simplistic and ideologically driven policies of Harper. The Liberal Party wants to restore Canada's once proud and positive voice in the world as a promoter of world peace through non-violent conflict resolution. Dion would rebuild our department of Foreign Affairs to ensure we have one Canadian foreign policy to be implemented by our diplomats and the related Departments of Trade, Defence, International Development and Heritage. With regard to the current Afghanistan mission, Mr. Dion has clearly outlined the need to see a better balance of our military and aid efforts as well as a firm end date for the combat mission. We must also lead the debate within NATO about the future of the mission. Lasting peace and security cannot be achieved in Afghanistan by military forces alone. The Liberal Party remains opposed to the death penalty at home and abroad. That is why Stéphane Dion has taken a principled stance in condemning the Conservatives' refusal to seek clemency for a Canadian sentenced to death in the United States. These are just a few achievements from a gratifying and productive first year for Stéphane Dion. The team he has built and the policies we have forged in consultation with Canadians, represent a clear alternative to the Harper command and control approach to governance. I believe it's an alternative that Canadians will embrace. IAN OLIVER Group Publisher Media Group Ltd. Canadian Champion, Milton Shopping News, Mississauga Business Times, Mississauga News, Napanee Guide, Newmarket/Aurora EraBanner, Northumberland News, North York Mirror, Oakville Beaver, Oakville Shopping News, Oldtimers Hockey News, Orillia Today, Oshawa/Whitby/Clarington Port Perry This Week, Owen Sound Tribune, Palmerston Observer, Peterborough This Week, Picton County Guide, Richmond Hill/Thornhill/Vaughan Liberal, Scarborough Mirror, Stouffville/Uxbridge Tribune, Forever Young, City of York Guardian S RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: United Way of Oakville TV AUCTION Hordes of cranky consumers with their ire and elbows up F our feisty family members. One proclaimed Family Holiday (kids off for a PA Day and parents playing the national sport of hooky). One mega shopping shrine. One excruciatingly long shopping list -- Priceless. My word, it would have made a great reality survival show. But, alas, this was no television show. No, last Friday, this was my life. My wife and I, you see, had recently discovered to our dismay that December had somehow knocked out November and the celebration called Christmas was lying in wait just around the corner. As you can imagine, this realization caused considerable angst. We were ill-prepared. Panicked. The countdown ­ heck, the crunch ­ was on. So, we decided, against our better judgment, upon a Family Shopping Day wherein we would do in one day what other sane shoppers do leisurely over the course of a few months. That is, get it all done! On the day under scrutiny, we rose early, ate our Wheaties, took dozens of supplements and energy boosters to fortify ourselves against all that awaited us at the mall, and then we headed out. We arrived at the grand shopping shrine at 9:30 a.m. and, to our amazement, we practically had the place to ourselves. For five minutes. Then came the crowds, hordes of cranky con- sumers, ire and elbows up. I lasted about 45 minutes before I needed a break. Luckily I was able to locate a latte. Warm libation in hand, I stood soaking in the sweet sensations of the season: the impatient shoppers, the irritable clerks, the joyous throng of kiddies waiting to climb aboard Santa's knee -- each child scared witless, screaming Andy Juniper his or her little head off, and doubtlessly scarred for life by the whole experience. "I no want to sit on Santa," they wailed when their time came. "I want to go home." Speaking of going home: naturally it was the men on our mission ­ my snivelling son and I ­ who first surrendered, tossed in the towel, admitted defeat and announced that we were heading home. In our defence, shopping is truly not encoded in the male makeup. We're hunters, not gatherers. After three hours both my son and I had had more than enough. So, we abandoned ship, leaving my wife and daughter with a list that was still more than 20 items long. At the five-hour mark, my daughter phoned me, her voice but a faint whisper of what it once was. She said she wanted to come home, that her seemingly inexhaustible mother had shopped her into the ground. When I came to rescue her, I asked her mother about her game plan, to which she replied: get a few more items and ­ famous last words ­ come home soon. We did not see her for five more hours! She shopped until every last item on her list was firmly stroked off, until her dogs were barking and her back was in spasm and her head aching. She shopped even after Visa telephoned to alert me to "suspicious" activity occurring on our account. She shopped until 7:30 that night and then, festooned with parcels, she staggered in the door, crying out for a hot bubble bath and a cold glass of wine. At that point, I thought it prudent to wait a day or two before telling her that in her lengthy absence, I'd had considerable time to ponder who precisely we needed to purchase for, and that in actuality we were still a dozen or so gifts away from being really, truly done. Merry Christmas, hon. Andy Juniper can be visited at his Web site, www.strangledeggs.com, or contacted at ajuniper@strangledeggs.com.