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He said he believes in Can- ada and in a federal struc- ture that allows room for., wide cultural and language “It might be more help- ful if Mr. Trydeau would be less pptocfupied about when the Quebec referen- dum will come, and a little more firm about what changes his own government intends to make - if any." Mr. Rhodes said. He also said that in order to make Confederation work the federal government would have to become much more flexible and allow the provinces more freedom to carry out their own policy priorities in key areas, such as taxation. "But that does not nec- essarily mean that the ma- jority of the people of Que- bec would not accept a fed- eral structure that would guarantee all the provinces a better opportunity to fully meet the really enormous responsibilities of provin- cial government," he added. Since Confederation, many provinces have complained about financial arrange- ments laid down by the fed- eral government. Mr. Rhodes said. Mr. Rhodes said that he was aware that the PQ's demands went far beyond the restructuring of Con- federation. "We went to sleep only to be awakened on Nov., 15 by an affable, informal politi- cian, but also a very clever propagandist, Rene Leves- que," Mr. Rhodes informed the group. I) King St.N.Waterloo He accused the federal government- of not being aware of change and of not understanding that ec0n0- mic events greatly influence political developments. Mr. Rhodes spoke to the Confederation Club at the Valhalla Inn, Thursday, Feb. M. His speech dealt mainly with the future of Confederation and the much- debated issue of Quebec separatism. By Monica Frim John Rhodes, minister of housing said Canadians should put aside their per- sonal prejudices and biases and telF the people of Que- bec that the rest of Canada wants Quebec to remain within the Confederation. Rhodes argues for autonomy of provinces Selection of New and Used Books Good 885-04” "French Canada is one of the really good reasons why this nation deserves to survive. The bilingual and cultural nature of our country gives us an identity of our own, and the confi- dence that we here on the northern half of this con- tinent have something real- ly special that can be found nowhere else on this earth," he said. Showman Open Daily - 9 am. to 4:30 pm. Saturdays from 9 am. to 12 Noon Or Call Fol An Appointment crlvro" Gingerich 8843909 Call after 6 p.m d Kitchen Cabinets 0 Bathroom Vanities ‘o Hutches 0 Wall Units . Breakfast Hooks . Bars FREE ESTIMATES Mr. Rhodes also empha- sized the importance of respecting and appreciat- ing Quebec's need to pro- tect its historic language and cultural rights. "Generally, Quebec has traditionally been a very conservative society, even more so than Ontario." Mr. Rhodes said. "The people of Quebec have, almost with- out exception, been reluc- tant to accept major upheav- al and instead prefer con- tinuity and stability in their affairs. A break with Confed- eration could not be looked upon as continuity, but rath- er as discontinuity." ' he said. On the positive side, he said that neither Mr. Le- vesque nor his party speak for the majority. Mr. Rhodes stressed the importance of decentraliza- tion, especially in the areas of French culture and lan- guage. At the same time he maintained that it was im- portant not to weaken fed- eral authority to the point where it had no power over matters such as national de- fence, external affairs, mon- etary and fiscal policies, foreign exchange, intema- tional tariffs. communica- tions and immigration. diversity, and a constitu- .tional flexibility which can be adjusted to meet the as- pirations of the various re- gions and people of Canada. 267 Victoria St., New Hambutg, 662-276] Victoria Custom Cabinets Inc. We Devgn and Burld To Salt Your Taste Dr. Michael Bird of Reni- son College will lead the discussion to be held in room 373 of Hagey hall, begin- ning at 3:30 pm. All in- terested persons are cordi- ally invited to attend. Art is talk subject David Taylor (middle) of the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Canada recei, day from Waterloo fire fighters Ed Nowak (left) and Terry Rohr (right). The last year by Waterloo's fire fighters. _ "Ontario Fraktur Art: A Religious Art Form with- in the Germanic-Anabap- tist Tradition," will be the topic of a religious studies discussion March 7 at the University of Waterloo, Watotloo cum, WM, Mad! t anada refreived a $6.000 cheque Thurs- money was raised for MD '. um I. 1