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No, Trudeau is not a great leader any more. But he is by far the best alternative available to Canadians. He didn‘t. He challenged parliament to deâ€" feat his government in a display of arrogance that would have done Trudeau proud. In fact, the PC‘s probably have a better goâ€" verning "team‘"‘ than the Liberals can muster right now. Conservatives would be wise to seek a new leader from their ranks betore donning armor to do battle with the Liberals and Trudeau again. For that alone, he should not lead this country. That isn‘t to say that the PC‘s shouldn‘t govern Canada sometime soon. Various caâ€" binet ministers in that party have proven their strength while in power, while their leader has proven his weakness. . Joe Clark‘s worst mistake, we feel, was this election. He could have retained power by communicating more with opposition parties, and by accepting his minority government role rather than ruling as if a majority existed. The major slogan used by the Progressive Conservative party in this election campaign has been ‘real change deserves a fair chance‘. If Clark and his government had shown even a hint of bringing about progressive change â€" real change as it were â€" we would recommend he retain his job. No such hint has been eviâ€" The simple fact is that Joe Clark is not a strong leader. And in these times, we cannot afford anything less. For all Trudeau‘s faults, he has proven his leadership strength in the past. He is respectâ€" ed by most world leaders, even if he does apâ€" pear arrogant to many voters. He is a strong Be that as it may, Needham is an NDP canâ€" didate, and not about to be elected in this ridâ€" ing in this election. That leaves incumbent Walter McLean or Liberal hopeful Frank Epp. And of those two candidates, the truth is that neither one has shown any great deterâ€" mination or insight in this campaign. Both are competent, as their past records would inâ€" dicate, but neither Epp nor McLean shows signs of becoming a dynamic politician. Witness the excessive gasoline tax. The budget, of course, is only one reason why Clark should not be prime minister. His fumâ€" blings regarding the invisible embassy move were embarassing. His dealings with the head of the Alberta government and the Ontario government were awkward at best and at The issue therefore should be one of naâ€" tional leadership and party policy. And in that case, the Liberal party should form our goâ€" vernment, and Pierre Trudeau should again be our prime minister. s Trudeau also has shown no great insight, no strong wish to direct our government and country and not even his historic charisma. But for all that and worse, he‘s a stronger, more capable, more intelligent and exâ€" perienced leader than Joe Clark. . Who do you choose? Of the three fringe candidates and three major party candidates in Waterlioo Riding, who would you send to Ottawa as our MP? Realistically, there are but two candidates in this riding who stand a chance ef being elected. And that‘s unfortunate, as Bob Needâ€" ham has shown himselif to"be a wellâ€"spoken critic of the major parties, with a public speakâ€" ing ability akin to Max Saitsman. «Waterioo Chronicle, Wednesday, February 13, 1980 The choice is clear subscriptions: $14 a year in Canada. $16 a year in United States and Foreign Countries established 1854 To the Editor: > } Within the last two weeks, several letters to the editor have appeared in local newspapers claiming that Frank Epp, the Liberal Candidate in Waterloo Riding, is not deâ€" serving of support at the polis. These letters allege that Mr. Epp is sympathetic to the Palestine Liberation Organizaâ€" tion, that he favors friendly relations with the OPEC counâ€" tries, and as a result, it is alleged he is not a suitable person to hold public office. Regardless of one‘s political affiliations, it is offensive to one‘s sense of justice and fair play when a public spirited ciâ€" tizen of Canada, who favors peaceful coâ€"operation with other countries and who advocates not only redress of Paâ€" lestinian grievances, but as well, security for Israel, can be attacked and possibly harmed when such views are conâ€" strued by some as being in support of PLO terrorist tactics. For those who know Frank Epp and are familiar with his work in search of peace in both Israel and the Arab counâ€" tries, these unsupported charges against Mr. Epp, coming as they do during an election campaign, are to say the least, patently unfair. What Dr. Epp has done is to listen to the cries of the sufâ€" fering. He went to the Palestinian Arabs, believing that inâ€" justice had been done to them and that giving them a hearâ€" ing would reduce the terrorism of the extremists among them. 1 have known Dr. Frank Epp for years and from my knowâ€" ledge of his life and work I can state categorically that at no time, in any of his speeches and writing, has he supported the Palestine Liberation Organization or terrorism. Waterloo lawyer calls attacks ‘untfair Dear Sir: f I am disturbed by the inaccuracies in the letter, ‘"Where Dg _Epp's_. Sympathies Lie?" of January 3, 1980. f Rabbi throws support behind Epp‘s thinking Letters to the editor He went to the Israeli Jews to hear their present anxiety ~~Comment Reginald A. Haney, Q.C. Waterloo * Kitchener voter speaks out Readers can verify the above by reading Dr. Epp‘s two books on the Middle East: The Palestinians, Portrait of a People in Conflict and The Israelis: Portrait of a People in Conflict, both published by McLelland and Stewart. The seâ€" cond book will be available in bookstores after March 15. Dr. Epp represents the best spirit of Canada, showing what can be done in mediating roles. He would make a creaâ€" tive as well as a constructive contribution in Parliament. I recommend him to the people of Waterloo Riding, whatever their origin. Faithfully yours, Reuben Slonim, Rabbi And this is his conclusion: ‘Peace lies in the direction of déep, sensitive and prolonged listening to the peoples on both sides, from both sides and by both sides. Such listening will reveal that justice for the Palestinian, security for the Israeli and peace and fulfillment for both are all a part of each other. Neither side can pursue and achieve only one goal without the other." â€" Although I live in the Kitchener riding, 1 am writing to express my concern about the Liberal candidate, Mr. Frank Epp, running in the Waterloo riding. I am displeased and disturbed by the fact that he was a previous member of the N.D.P. and then shifted to the Liberals. Why didn‘t he stay with the N.D.P.? To me it seems like a very opportunistic move to make that kind of shift. The ulterior political moâ€" tives look quite transparent and do not serve the Liberals concerning their security and the cries of persecuted Jewish men and women throughout history. ° To the Editor: Mrs. Sue Flood, R.N., Kitchener, Ontario 743â€"7519 (call after 5:30 p.m.)