From: coxm@Software.Mitel.COM (Michael Cox)
Newsgroups: can.general,can.politics,ott.general
Subject: Re:  October 26th Referendum
Date: 5 Oct 92 12:46:11 GMT
Organization: Mitel. Kanata (Ontario). Canada.

In article <walt.03uc@orbit.ocunix.on.ca> walt@orbit.ocunix.on.ca (Walt Sullivan) writes:

>1. Voting "yes" will not "get the damn thing over with". Bourassa has already
>   told people in Quebec that, once they vote "yes", there will be further
>   negotiations, and further gains for Quebec.
I would however expect the constitution to take a back seat to, say the
economy though.  Remember there is a two year ratification window anyway, so
they can ratify it within two years.  But the main thing here is that it will
die down and there is an election within a year to which other issues are
expected to be far more important.  I might point out that many items which
Quebec "won" every province "won" (at least they have the option of winning).
>
>2. Do you really want the same white guys in suits that brought us the
>   Free Trade Agreement and are bringing us the North American Free Trade
>   Agreement to "pay attention" to the economy?
I used to be against the FTA.  I now support it.  There are problems, especially
once every two years when the U.S. goes into election mode.  We're going through
teething pains as the trade borders diminish.  As with any trade agreement with
the U.S. you have to watch out.  Look at the auto-pact signed in the
mid-sixties.  The U.S. loved it until the early eighties when Canada started to
benefit more than the U.S.  Then of course the U.S. wanted to re-open it.
>
>3. If the referendum is defeated, and if Quebec leaves Canada, what will
>   happen to the Members of Parliment who used to represent Canadians in 
>   Quebec? I'm thinking of an MP from Baie Como, in particular.
See 1 above for an election within a year.
>
>4. Do you think that the constitution, as amended "based on" the Charlottetown
>   agreement will leave Canada a governable country? I don't.
I think it makes Canada more governable.  Why?  Because it explicitly indicates
areas where i) the Federal Government must either get out or maintain funding
so as not to interfere with provincial jurisdiction, or ii) work closely with
the Provincial Governments on how to handle certain areas (for example
telecommunoications).  Right now it is a real plate of noodles with so much
overlapping of services, information, attempted control that I think our
current system is quite unmanageable.  How would you feel if you were a manager
in a large corporation and someone from "head office" was changing funding for
your department at a whim, changing policies, or even dropping your department
altogether?
>   
>I beleive that the constitution of a country should set forth the general
>principles under which the country will operate. The 160+ clauses of the
>amended Canadian constitution contain too many picky details and not enough
>general principles. The US Constitution (including the Bill of Rights) is,
>in my mind, a model of brevity. Note that I'm not saying that our constitution
>should be just like the US constitution, just that the US constitution is
>brief, and sets forth general principles.
I don't know about you but I think the ammendments made to the U.S. constitution
since the turn of the century are very wordy, not as vague as the original
document.  I think the consensus report is detailed enough to avoid legal
problems in the future and vague enough to not have use re-doing this document
every few years.  There are many things yet to be "firmed" up.  But in many
cases there are time frames which require actions within that time.
>
>Have you phoned 1-800-561-1188 and requested your copy of the "Consensus
>Report on the Constitution" yet?
Yes and I'm very pleased with it.  I has more things in there than what I had
expected (from reading the Ottawa Citizen).
-- 
Michael H. Cox      | Referendum vote:
                    | Remember:  Preston Manning would not have a job if he
Mitel Corporation   | went to the YES side.
                    | 
Newsgroups: can.general