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PAGE 6 â€" This bustle of activity, whether in the form of new structures, additions, renovations or repairs, spells growth and opportunity, because it means a spinâ€"off into all facets of our community. New jobs are created, support services are required. This activity means a healthy economic climate for those of us in Waterloo. How fortunate we in Waterloo are! _ We live in a city which visibly exudes pride â€" a pride apparent in all community sectors â€" government, business, industry, university, residences. With the holiday symbolizing merriment and peace only days away, perhaps Waterloo residents should reflect upon a few of the many reasons we have to be both merry and peaceful. _ . First and foremost, we are Canadians, who unlike our brothers in Communist countries, enjoy basic human rights and political liberties which spell freedom â€" the freedom to dissent, to read, to speak, to dare to be different, to be other than a pawn of the state. Second, we live in a city which is experiencing regular growth; a city which, despite an overallp(;loomy economic picture in the country, is completing what could be a record year in new building activity values. _ _ *"*...The hopes and fears of all the years, are met in thee tonight." _ > As we sing the Christmas carols, we remember that Christ was born into a world governed by military dictatorships. It was a brutal day, marked by torture and the absence of any simple dignity for those living under the rule of force. Christmas 1981 is here, and the words of this carol are made more poignant by the uncertainties in "the little town of Bethleâ€" hem,"‘ the current reign of fear in Ireland, Poland and Latin America. Somehow it was fitting that last week saw the tabling in the House of Commons of the Interim Parliamentary Report on Canada‘s Relaâ€" tions with Latin America and the Caribbeâ€" an. Despite the fact that four months‘ more work is required, we joined in a unanimous committee request that the Canadian government take a more active role as a peace maker in the ongoing tragedies in El Salvador, Nicaragua and area. mi’ferhébs this pri'dé, which is apparent when one travels« around the city, is even more pointedly exemplified in the ‘v’vvaut/ p;eople from all walks of life say the words, "I live in aterloo." This sentence, along with the words, "I am Canadian," rings with pride. â€" â€" o I have worked on this subâ€"committee of the Standing Committee on External Affairs, with 14 colleagues from all parties, since Mar. 15. Salvador, Nicaragua and area. I was particularly pleased that our foreign minister set up this study of the longâ€"standing and growing ;ehtionshi: our churches and businesses have wi Latin America. Earlier, in his Mar. 9 response to my request that Canada involve itself in the As Christmas approaches, Canadians certainly have reason for merriment and peace of mind. But for those of us living in Waterloo, perhaps there are even more blessings to be counted during this blessed season. MacGuigan told the House that "...Canada Count blessings WALTER McLEAN WATERLOO CHRONICLE published every Wednesday by Fairway Press, a division of Kitchenerâ€"Waterioo Record Ltd., owner 225 Fairway Rd.S., Kitchener, Ont. mmm-mummduo.w Sports building ww_s?i..}m?:{m‘suwuhmmo Open Monday to Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m address correspondence to Waterioo office: 92 King St.South, Waterioo, Ont., telephone 886â€"2830 TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22 subscriptions: *16 a year in Canada *18 a year in United States and Foreign Countries has no special interest in the area." Testimony before the committee has shown how wideâ€"ranging Canadian interâ€" ests are. In the last ten years, Canada‘s trade has doubled that of the previous 100 years. The last two years have doubled the last ten! In 1980, Canadian exports to the area amounted to $3.7 billion. About 75 per cent of Canadian direct investment in developâ€" ing countries is in this region. 3 The subâ€"committee was immediately struck by the area‘s internal disparities. Like Canada, there are vast differences culturally and economically. In many countries there are gross violations of human rights. The best known, but unforâ€" tunately not unique example is El Salâ€" vador. To date, in that barbaric civil war there are 26,000 dead from a population of 4.8 million. (That would be the equivalent of 125,000 deaths of a per capita basis in Canada). The work of the subâ€"committee repreâ€" sents one _step towards a review of Canadian foreign policy for which my colleagues and I in the official opposition have been cnmpa‘:{ning. My own questionâ€" ing in the House of Commons has stressed that Canadian interests in these regions have not been and should not be solely It is evidence, indeed, of a sound political process, when a subâ€"committee (dominated â€" by a majority of Liberal supporters) is persguaded by the weight of testimony to issue recommendations Publisher: Paul Winkler Manager: Bill Karges established 1854 1981 A Christmas message which question the direction of the governâ€" ment. * On the matter of our government‘s support for March 1982 elections in El Salvador, the sub:committee concluded: ‘"This situation demands a preâ€"electoral period of negotiation and stability. While the subâ€"committee has no illusions about the ease of achieving these conditions, we think the Canadian government should support efforts to promote peace in El Salvador based on three essential eleâ€" ments: first, serious negotiations between all parties to the conflict; second, an internationally supervised ceaseâ€"fire; third, and only after the achievement of those conditions, an internationally superâ€" vised electoral process in El Salvador. In this way, elections may contribute to peace and not to a deepening and intensifiâ€" cation of conflict." This finding calls into question our government‘s support for the :mnilitary solution of the Duarte Junta which is endorsed by the U.S. administration. I have received a lot of mail from concerned groups and individuals in our Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo area. The long list includes: Our Lady of Lourdes Christian Life Community, Ten Days for World Development Committee, Resurrection College, the Religious Society of Friends in Kitchener, Floradale Mennonite Church, the Global Community Centre and the Waterloo ‘Public Interest Research ‘These submissions were corfsidered / WiATDYAMEAN _\ THE REep ARmyS$® _ support of testimony from such groups as Amnesty International and the Interâ€" Church Committee on Human Rights in Latin America, while this report was being drafted. The subâ€"committee‘s mandate has been extended until the end of April, 1982. A number of subjects remain to be studied in depth. For example, we will question the following: My wife Barbara and I, and our four boys, join with concerned Canadians in our Christmas prayers for those of our human family facing each grim day with only the hope and faith that the morrow will bring a new day of justice and freedom. We sing, ‘"Love came down at Christmas Our world needs the Christmas spirit more than ever. Let us pray for God‘s Christmas gift of "peace‘"‘ for all humanâ€" kind â€" Merry Christmas. * â€" the adequacy of the present definition of refugees as political fugitives; â€" the role of Cuba in the region; and â€" whether Canada should finally join the Organization of American States. â€" the relationship between human rights and Canadian trade; Anyone wishing to submit comments and recommendations can do so by communicating with me through either my House of Commons office, or in the lower level of Waterloo Square (885â€"4900). _ I want to take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas.