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If Lougheed decided to carry out that particular threat, what would the federal government do? Joe Clark would â€" and did in fact â€" back down from Alâ€" berta rather than face a possible constitutional conâ€" Lflict. j Under proportional government, which is in force in various forms in Europe, political parties get seats based in proportion to their share of the popular vote. rather than on our winnerâ€"takeâ€"all system in inâ€" dividual ridings. He said he got a sympathetic response from Truâ€" deau and an outright no from Joe Clark. f Ed Broadbent, leader of the New Democratic Party, has been trying to sell a similar plan to both the Conservatives and Liberals, but he must feel like he‘s beating his head against the wa{:not a pleasant experience to say the heast and I find that it sure clears out the cobwebs). Once again Trudeau faces the dilemma of forming a government which will be making crucial decisions concerning western Canada without representation from that/area, and the two opposition parties will face othev/‘problems minus representation from vast areas of Canada. At that time, he suggested electing our federal parâ€" liamentarians by proportional representation rather than what he called our present "firstâ€"pastâ€"theâ€"post" system. But remember, he was sitting on the other side of the House at that time. Have his ideas changed any since his political victory last week? You bet! Comes a time in life of every couple when they start thinking, and then talking, about selling the house. After all, they solemnly nod in agreement, it‘s a bloody white elephant. Who needs four bedrooms for two people? Who needs a tax bill that goes up every year? Who needs to heat a white elephant, or any other color, at today‘s oil prices? : When I decided to write my column this week about But Pierre Trudeau won‘t back down. the Ontarioâ€"Alberta conflict, I also had to decide I think Trudeau will reach a point where be‘ll stop whether to be nasty or nice. I must admit, I harbor debating and take action to continue development of considerable hostility towards many Albertans, due to â€" Alberta‘s oil resources. And won‘t the poop hit the their continuous slander directed at Ontario, its goâ€" propellier then. ¢ * : vernment and residents. + & We could face a conflict over federalâ€"provincial On the other hand, I‘m beginning to feel there is a jurisdiction ‘the likes of which has never been seen. growing threat of. serious conflict (nonâ€"violent, of: ~;..â€" _ The British North America Act lays out the areas of course) between our province and the one next to Sasâ€" responsibility covered by the provincial and federal katchewan. And in view of that threat, the time for â€" government, but there‘s no provision for a conflict of nameâ€"calling and accusations is past. * Te that scale that I know of. I Each of the aging pair thinks his/her own selfish thoughts. And don‘t tell me otherwise. Ti ge The Old Man says to himself: No more beefing about the lawn being shaggy, the walk not shovelled, the basement not swept, the garage falling down, ice on the roof, my utter incompetence when it comes to repairing anything." The people of Alberta are without representation in our federal government. That‘s a serious situation at any time. Add to that the fact that Peter Lougheed is adamant about the price of Alberta oil, and has the means to carry out at least some of the threats he‘s made, and you‘ve got a potential time bomb. Way back in NovembBer, Pierre Trudeau suggested a major revamping of the electoral system in an effort to provide better representation in Parliament. And the Old Lady thinks: "Why should 1 run up and down stairs, ordinary, cellar, and attic, eight times a day? Why should I have to call and fight with the plumbers, the electricians, the TV repair man, beâ€" cause He‘s never here when something breaks down? Why should I scrub hardwood floors that are imâ€" mediately scratched, and clean rugs that are imâ€" mediately soiled by Him and his two dam‘ grandâ€" my’?" For example, the stubborn premiere says unless his government gets the oil price increase guaranteed by the defunct Clark government, he‘ll put a stop to further development, and research taking place on the tar sands. > . i At about this point they get together and agree that they should sell the beast and move into an apartâ€" â€"Howard Elliott Bill Smiley The husband thinks, "Jeez, she drives me nuts in a big house where I can go to the bathroom when she starts playing the vacuum. In an apartment she‘d At this point they‘re almost euphoric. Wow! No more problems. A nice little twoâ€"bedroom apartment on the tenth floor, overlooking the lake. And so cheap. They bought the old house for a song, spent only about fifty thousand dolilars on it, and could probably get sixty for it. That would leave them a handsome profit of about $422.79, which they could invest, and drag in all that extra income. People approach them with a gleam in their eye. "If you‘re gunna sell, I want first chance."‘ A colleague of mine, with six kids to sleep, and us with four beâ€" drooms and an attic that could be made into two more, lights up like a green light every time she sees me, and urges the sale. . And this is about the point where the couple comâ€" mences to shoot sidelong looks at each other, have second thoughts, and begin to query the wisdom of the whole deal. ment. No snow shovelling. No grass cutting. Laundry room in the basement. Wallâ€"toâ€"wall rugs. No decoratâ€" ing. No tax bill. No fuel bill. No bill for cleaning the driveway. * Under Broadbent‘s scheme, the governing Liberals would gain an additional 20 seats â€" five from British Columbia and the Prairies. The Conservatives would pick up an extra 17 â€" two from Quebec. The NDP would gain 11 new seats â€" one from Quebec and two from the Maritimes. The Social Credit, which struck out last time around, would pick up one seat â€" probaâ€" bly from Quebec. ~ Broadbent said his talk with Trudeau "was fruitful"‘ and the Liberal leader was "‘quite sympathetic‘‘ to the proposal. He said Clark ‘"after some period of conâ€" sideration, and, I have no doubt, consultation, rejectâ€" ed the proposals at this point." B Broadbent wants to add 50 seats to the present 282 in the House of Commons on an experimental basis in the upcoming 32nd Parliament.. lssn 42 t It doesn‘t add up to the proposed 50 seats. but Broadbent attributes that to it being in the developâ€" mental stage at the présent time. I $0 °un Under the present system, we are in for at least four years‘of east fighting west, French against Engâ€" lish and a government that lacks strength in these vital areas of the country. . In any event, each pérty is going to put thumbs down to Broadbent‘s proposition because it came from a socialist party and we just can‘t have that, can we? â€" For years Albertans found it cheaper to buy goods in the United States than to pay inflated tariffs imposed on goods from Ontario. As well, goods shipped from Alberta to Ontario â€" usually by rail â€" were sold for a Bheaper price than goods from Ontario. Now, Albertans claim, all they want is for their oil to be soid at "fair‘‘ prices. Ontario had the benefit of cheap goods for years, while Albertans had to pay high freight and tariff rates. We could face a conflict over federalâ€"provincial jurisdiction ‘the likes of which has never been seen. The British North America Act lays/out the areas of responsibility covered by the provincial and federal government, but there‘s no provision for a conflict of that scale that I know of. f While I strongly resent the arrogant attitude of Alâ€" bertans and their government, I suppose their hostiâ€" lity is justified to some extent. For many Albertans, Ontario and central Canada generally are seen as the source of western suffering. To Yuote an old Rolling Stones song, ‘‘The tables are turnin‘ and now it‘s your turn to cry‘‘. When looked at I think Broadbent is going to find that pounding the Stewart Sutherland Waterloo Chronicle, W This country is too big to be run in tough autocratic fashion. Strongly centralized government is not a good idea if we want Canada intact. On the other hand, one province should not be at the mercy of the whims of another, and Qttawa should not be intimidatâ€" ed by one powerful provincial government. The solution lies somewhere in between. Is that an idealistic viewpoint? Probably yes. Unâ€" fortunately none of the three leaders (Trudeau, Lougheed, Davis) are prone to compromise. Loughâ€" eed especially has made it abundantly clear that he‘s not prepared to accept a price any lower than the one previously arranged through the Conservative budget. And in the mean time, relations between common folk in Alberta and Ontario are not improving. What concerns me is that the growing animosity radiating from Ontario, Alberta and Ottawa may be selfâ€"perpetuating. In other words, we may end up fighting because of our mutual dislike rather than the distribution of natural resources.® % I think government â€" provincial and federal â€" should make an effort to keep the oil dispute on a low key. No grandstanding, yelling and namecaliling, but rather a concerted effort to strike a mutually accepâ€" table compromise. * in that light, one can hardly blame westerners for their attitude. He made the changes and took the proposal to Counâ€" cil 1% years ago where it was approved. He perâ€" formed admirably at public meetings. He then faced the OMB and after heading off opposition by local inâ€" tferest groups and residents saw his plan get the final green light. P _ After six years of struggle, the City can now go ahead with development programs while at the same time protecting the residential character of the core area. Dietrich wasn‘t the only one who worked on the proâ€" ject, but he was the one who faced down the opposition when it came to the crunch. it *x He admitted that he was hired by the City after the project was launched and said he had several reservations about making changes at that time beâ€" cause he was a newcomer, but he couldn‘t accept the scheme as proposed at a later time without a few minor variations. And they both think of the kids, and the grandkids. Sure, we have to live our own lives, but what about Christmas? They can‘t afford a motel, and that‘s silly, anyway. *‘ <. €# And the husband thinks, "How can I teach them not to climb a woodpile in an apartment? How can I teach them not to squirt me with the hose in an apartment? How can I teach them how to fish in a rotten apartâ€" ment? How can I teach them how to stickhandle a puck in an apartment?‘" _ And the wife thinks, ‘"We‘d never get the grand piano into an apartment. And the Indian rug. It‘s old, (Continued on page 22) campaign trail is a lot easier on the human body than pounding your head against the wall! The City of Waterloo is lucky to have Paul Dietrich as its planning director. «heC 3 have it going all day, and I‘d wind up like one of those old guys, squatted over the daily paper in the public library."‘ & And the wife thinks, ‘"Wouldn‘t he like to stick me in an apartment where he‘d be underfoot every hour of the twentyâ€"four? I can scarcely stand it now when he‘s on a weekend or holidays. I like to get him OUT of the house, so I can get something done." And the wife thinks, ‘"The little devils can do eno-gn damage to the house to keep us happily miserable for three weeks after they leave. What would they do to an apartment? We‘d be kicked out." He presented the City‘s case at Monday‘s Ontario Municipal Board hearing for the central residential district plan and the corresponding bylaws which imâ€" plement the plan. 27, 1980 â€" Page 7