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But maybe it was that we took the rallying cry of the Great One colâ€" lectively, pulling together as a counâ€" try as we‘d never done since ‘72, willing our boys to win, speeding their shots and fueling their neverâ€" sayâ€"die spirit. It wasn‘t just their win, it was ours; every redâ€"blooded Canuck could sip from the cup, every one of the 8.7 million. If Wayne was willing to be Wayne as we‘d never seen him before, actuâ€" The standard response is that it had been half a century since we‘d struck a vein on ice, since a bunch of rank amateurs playing only for game and country made us proud. Some say we finally got the Rusâ€" sians off our back, not to mention the Finns and Swedes. Others reach and say it‘s like the raising of Lazarus â€" we thought in our heart of hearts that our first love had flown the coop, heading south to more lucrative climes with Stanley‘s cup, while we struggled with increasing imports given the lame loonie. Why then does an Olympic gold in men‘s hockey â€" the gal‘s gold was great, but let‘s face it â€" grab our imagination and make us do silly things like lose sleep, scream till we‘re hoarse and wear a bigger hat size? Even our new role as the budâ€" ding Hollywood North, what with marvelous Mel‘s vow to build a sound stage rivalling Burbank, promises longâ€"term prosperity and notoriety worldâ€"wide, certainly a pin in our lapel. Surely we might rather point to our involvement in the war in Afghanistan or our peacekeeping efforts in Bosnia and beyond as more important contributions to the global good. The rush really only lasts from the ice to the dressing room ome would say something‘s Swrong with a country that depends for its jollies on the rich and famous winning a game. You said it QUESTION HOW DO YOU CELEBRATE EASTER? LETTER 7O Canada" represents Canadiâ€" ans as a people. It deserves respect, just as Canadians deserve respect. It represents the belief in Canadian ideals, and an appreciation of Canaâ€" dian values. Our anthem represents today‘s Canadians, the contributions of past generations, and makes us mindful of the generations of Canaâ€" dians who will continue this wonâ€" derful experiment in nationhood long into the future. A song of celebration recognizâ€" ing Canadian achievement, it also represents Canadian loss and sacriâ€" The show is fiction, and the American president didn‘t actually take part in any such actions, but the lack of respect shown for a song of such importance is, however, very disheartening. "O Canada®" is neither a top 40 hit nor a song to play in the middle of a party with drinking and carrying on. enjoy watching the program I"The West Wing". That‘s why 1 was very upset at a scene in the March 6 episode. Late into a party at the White House the Canadian National Anthem was played due to confusion over a member of the staff‘s nationality. "O Canada" was played, and Canadian flags were waved in a mocking fashion. No one, including the American presiâ€" dent, showed any respect. ally angry, offended and seemingly willing to take the issue to the back alley, the least we could do was become indignant and stand as one against the forces of evil as they tried to bring us down, those who would play gangâ€"up and steal the gold. We‘re proud, yes, but the rush really only lasts from the ice to the dressing room; what‘s to tide us Don‘t disrespect our flag "I go to church, and then spend the rest of the time with family. I guess it‘s mainly about religion and family." "It‘s a good time to get together with family." Kyle Guemble COMMENT Sonja Hunt ONICL] Some may view this commenâ€" tary as an uncalledâ€"for overreaction. Failing to speak out though may be taken as tacit approval of something Americans would not tolerate being done with the "The Stars and Stripes" and something they will agree was wrong to do to people when and if they come to think about it in these terms. As Canadians we would do well to consider this. Allowing others to disrespect our flag and our national anthem is a collective avowal of failâ€" ure on our part. It mocks the memory of past generations, makes fools of the livâ€" ing, and threatens the prospects of future generations of Canadians in the eyes of Americans. Right now, there are thousands of Canadian men and women servâ€" ing abroad in Canada‘s Armed Forces, and they deserve better than to have the flag and anthem of the nation they bravely represent disreâ€" spected in such a manner. fice. Many of the fictional foreign dignitaries portrayed in the episode had they been real would have appreciated this, because they were at the White House representing nations that have benefited from Canada‘s contributions abroad in war and in peace. over to the next Olympics, with the Raptors on a slippery slope, with the Jays yet to take flight and the Buds without their stopper? Perhaps it‘ll be enough to relish the delightful thought of the iceâ€" maker who put a twoonie under the ice and did his part in leading "us" to victory. "It‘s the most comâ€" mercialized holiday, full of propaganda. To me, it means chocoâ€" late and bunnies." "It‘s a little religious; more so for others, I guess. | see it as a time to see family." Matthew Nichols Stefanie Phelan Chris Blackman London, ON. RONICH Jim Newton, New Dundee The Ontario government is offering just $2,000 per unit, while the federal government would be putting in an average of $25,000 per unit. If these negotiations lead to the kind of program that Ontario is advocating, no real affordable housing will be created. Moreover, Eves will have wasted both public funds and a real opportunity to address the housing crisis that he helped create. Private developers tend not to maintain affordability beyond the first few years and would also take part of the scarce public funds in the program as profit. Another concern is the Ontario government‘s stubborn refusal to match federal dollars. Eves has already promised more cordial relations with Ottawa. He could make good on that promise by changing the province‘s negotiating position in the current negotiations between the federal and Ontario governments aimed at creatâ€" ing a new affordable housing program. Reports indicate that the Ontario government wants to exclude coâ€"ops and other nonâ€"profit housing providers from the program, both by requiring developers to put forward equity and through the erection of other barriers to their participation. Coâ€"ops and nonâ€"profit providers deliver good quality, affordable commuâ€" nities over the long term. Eves could also do what more than 30 jurisdictions in the United States have done: delay the deregulation of the electricâ€" ity market. For reasons too numerous to mention here (I‘ll be devoting a full column to the subject in April), utility deregulaâ€" tion is a minefield that is best avoided by prudent politicians. Combined with the illâ€"considered privatization of Ontario Hydro (now called Hydro One), this move is a ticking time bomb that would go off at approximately the time when Eves says that he‘ll call an election. Eves‘ first challenge will be finding IIMRARNOpNESIYYY | a way of coping with the $5 billion in | J h h M red ink run up by the Tories since they ‘ VIEW | finally balanced the budget (although _ | C Eves calls those estimates "as worst ‘ ? io. Nh. case scenario"). He could start by canâ€" ‘ | M celling two expensive and illâ€"conâ€" | [RA m d ceived policies promoted by Jim Flaâ€" |@ ‘i y K g * herty, the current Finance Minister 1 ;ahi '*'I',, and the second place finisher in the | %fl wees Fe leadership race: the $2 billion corpoâ€" | Ex rate tax cut and the private school tax | * credit. Unfortunately, it doesn‘t ‘ appear that Eves wants to make the | SCUOTT party‘s right wing angry with him. He‘s | PIATKOWSKI more likely t0 g0o after SDPENGINZ in Th@ = Kwâ€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"J same ruthless manner that he did in 1995. "I prepared a financial statement that cut $2 billion in spending in three and a half weeks when we first became the government," he bragged on Monday, probably foreshadowing another round of cuts. There are other things that Eves could do to prove himself to be something other than Mike Harris with hair gel. He could finally implement the muchâ€"needed Ontarians with Disabiliâ€" ties Act, something that was promised in the Common Sense Revolution and in every Throne Speech since 1995. I‘m not talking about the "pale pink imitation" of the ODA that died on the order paper when Harris ended the last legislative session, but a real act with real enforcement mechanisms. If Eves wants to show that he‘s a different guy than the one who took food out of the mouths of welfare recipients with his 22 per cent cut in benefits, he‘ll need a lot more time than just a year. He‘ll also have to work a lot harder than he did in the year before he left Queen‘s Park. His Question Period attenâ€" dance record in the 1999â€"2000 legislative session was just 39.7 per cent. There is only one cabinet minister who had a worse attendance record during that time period. His name is Mike Harris. [ Globe and Mail columnist John Ibbitson once described Ernie Eves and Mike Harris as "joined at the hip. Separated at birth. The Bobsey Twins." WLU professor Barry Kay calls the new Premierâ€"designate "Harris‘ alterâ€"ego". The idea that Eves is really a closet Red Tory with a "large social conscience" â€" put forward by the man himself, his campaign operatives, and even his opponents in the leadership race â€" is designed to creâ€" ate a false perception that Ontario does not need a change of government in order to effect the change in policy that voters want. Let‘s see him prove it. Despite calls from both opposition parties to call a general election now, Eves would be wise to stand by his stated intenâ€" tion to wait "at least a year" before doing so. Frank Miller, Kim Campbell and John Turner are just three of the more recent victims of the urge to call a snap election after replacing an incumbent first minister. In Eves‘ case, he‘s not even ahead in the polls, so he would have to really like his job on Bay Street to want to go back to it so quickly. Eves of destruction ’ 7ANOTHER Loo o