Page 2-The Canadian Jewish News, Thursday, October 14, 1993
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By MYRON LOVE
WINNIPEG — Longtime Liberal member of Parliament Lloyd Axworthy is seeking his fourth term in Ottawa as the representative for Winnipeg South Centre. His riding includes the heavily Jewish River Heights, Osborne Village and Wellington Crescent areas of the city.
During the Trudeau government Axworthy served as minister of employment and immigration and later as minister of transportation. In opposition, he has served as his party's foreign affairs critic.
Axworthy applauds the peace agreement between Israel and the Palestine
Lloyd Axworthy
Liberation Organization. He sees oppor^ tunitiesfor Canada to further the process through providing aid in resettling returning Palestinian refugees and supporting regionaleconomic initiatives.
On the question of arms sales, Axworthy said the Liberal position is to strengthen expoil controls and go through public hearings before making any foreign commitments. "As a member of the parliamentary committee on arms controls, I took, strong exception to a proposed sale of frigates and odier equipment and sales of landed vehicles to Saudi Arabia. That Just adds to the burgeoning arms race in the Middle East."
As to Israel-Palestinian relations, Axworthy believes third countries should support whatever the two sides work out but not intervene.
Axworthy's Conservative challenger is lawyer Michael Radcliffe. Radcliffe is very enthusiastic about the peace agreement between Israel and the PLO. He would have Canada do all it can diplomatically tosuport the peace process and encourages more trade between Israel arid Canada. He is opposed to arms sales.
On the Canadian political scene, Axworthy is concerned about the popularity of the Bloc Quebecois (BQ) and what that might mean in the event of a minbri-; ty government. He doesn't feel a minority government would be good for the country at this time.
"Right now our priority has to be jobs. I suspect that constitutional issues; will be dealt with on an individual basis. We don't need another major constitutional
Michael Radcliffe
round," Ax\yorthy said.
Axworthy believes that multicultural-ism is important but our present policies should be re-assessed in light of increasing racism and ethnic intolerance in the country. He said Canada's laws against promoting racial hatred and violence against minorities are strong enough but the problem is implementation.
"Our economic problems are leading to increasing racial hatred and violence," he said. "There is real economic and social disperity developing here. We need more education and especially jobs for young people. Unemployed youth provide a seed bed for intolerance and extremism."
While he agrees with the present immigration levels, Axworthy doubts the Conservative government's commitment. He advocates encouraging more private sponsorship, noting the work of the Canadian Jewish Congress in helping Ethiopian and Argentinian Jews while he was minister of immigration. He also calls for the refugee determination process to be-opened up with opeii hearings aiid that the composition of the refugee boards should be reviewed.
H6 believes that the government should continue to ferret out and prosecute Nazi war criminals who may be living in Canada. He disagrees with establishing an arbitrary statute of limitations.
Radcliffe favors a similar approach to prosecuting suspected war criminals. He said there should be no time limits, and the suspects either prosecuted within the framework of Canadian law or.be deported to their country of origin if it can be proven they lied on their immigration applications.
Radcliffe favors enhancing minority language rights but, on the question of constitutional debate, concedwl that "we burned our buttons on it. We got the Clear message the country wants to get on with the practical business of government, rather than constitutional navel gazing. We will probably.address issues in future on an ad hoc basis."
[Cont'd, on page 31]
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By MAURICE LUCOW
VICTORIA - The deal between Israel, the Palestinians and the PLO is a "wonderful development" and a hopeful sign of peace for the Middle East and the whole world, said NDP leader Audrey McLaughlin, in an interview here with The CJN.
Some very difficult issuesliad to be resolved but the agreement shows what can be done by people of goodwill, she said. She added that "I, like many people in the world are hope-fill the agreement will be successful. The situation seems to be proceeding well and I hope that willcontinue to be the case." (She was interviewed the day before the signing of the agreement in Washington.)-
Asked if there was a role for Canada in the development of the peace process, McLaughlin said that at the time negotiations were being conducted by Israel, the PLO and the Palestinians, no request for help had been received. "But if we are asked to play a role, we should look at the request very seriously. This is something that is extremely important for.the whole world:"
McLaughlin, who had praise for the part Nonvay played in the negotiations, said that the NDP "has always been clear about Wanting peace in the Middle East."
. Discussing the issue of racism and hate literature, McLaughlin said the federal governinent "must be very
Audrey McLaughlin
strong" about fighting it because "the government has the responsibility for protecting the future of the country."
In addition to legislation, the government must combat racism through education in the schools and to the population in general. "In my experience," she said, "racism has often been just under the surface and we must be very vigilant about it. We know that things like racism can destroy a whole society. South Africa is an extreme example of this. This can happen in any society if you ignore social justice."
, Asked about her stand on multicul-turalism. McLaughlin said the NDP "feels very su^ongly about the issue." She was critical of cutbacks which have been made in the federal program and said special attention should be given to providing ESL (English as a Second Language) instruction to newcomers to help them get established. She said the department of multiculturalism should be headed by a minister and not be part of a catchall ministry as it is under Kim Campbell.
Earlier in the day, McLaughlin told the media in Nanaimo that the NDP, ifin a balance of power position af-
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WINNIPEG - Dorothy Dobbie. Conservative MP for Winnipeg-South, is in a tough three-way fight for her seal.
Winnipeg South includes Tuxedo, one of the wealthiest areas in the city Bind home to an increasing number of Jewish families, as well as the western portion of the heavily Jewish River Heights.
A former magazine publisher, Dobbie was first elected in 1988. She has been parliamentary secretary to the rriinister of the environment, the minister of Indian affairs and the rninister of consumer and corporate affairs. She co-chaired the ill-fated Dobbie-Beaudoin committee which travelled the country in the suminer of 1992 holding hearings on constitutional change.
Long a staunch supporter of Israel (she visited the country in 1991), Dobbie advocates building stronger trade ties as the best way for Canada to help Israel and the new Palestinian entity. ,
She doesn't think Canada should sell arms in the region.
As to Canada's relations with the Palestinian Liberation Organization or a future Palestinian state, she believes Canada should be supportive of Israel as much as possible but leave Israel and the PLO to work out the details.
Minority government is never a good thing, especially in difficult financial times, she said. "We need strong government that can carefully husband its resources at this tim^"
ter the election, would support the Liberals — but only if the Liberal government kills. the proposed free trade agreement with the United States and Mexico. "This is the bottom line for us," she said, "because NAFTA gives this country away."
Prior to the interview with The CJN, McLaughlin spoke at a meeting for Jdui Brewin, who was MP for Victoria in the last House of Commons and who is running again. She was critical of "no hope" Campbell, who has said that unemployment will continue at least to the end of the century. "She was given the prime ministership by 1,9(X) Tories in Ottawa but she's going to have to give it back. The senators gave them.selves a raise of $6,(X)0, but they had to give it back. And the National Capital Commission bought used furniture for S150,(X)0 from Mulroney but he had to give it back. It's been an interesting summer."
She said in her travels across the country she has found a "tremendous anger" about the Tory and Liberal partieis"who are more interested in power for themselves than concern about the country." The Tories, she said, "have driven a stake through the heart of Canada."
McLaughlin had prai.se for Dave Barrett, the Jewish MP for neighboring Esquimau, who, she said, fought the free trade deals in Pariiamerit and refused to listen to private information from Michael Wilson because . Barrett maintained that "all Canadians have the right to know what's happening to the future or our country."
As a final note, McLaughlin said "Mulroney may be gone but his traumatic. policies are still alive and well." The NDP, she declared, "is going to give Canada back to Canadians."
British Columbia has been a stronghold of the federal NDP, with 19 of the party's 43 seats, six of them on Vancouver Island. All are said to be in jeopardy.
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Dobbie believes language rights should be respected and service should -be available iii both official languages where it is warranted.
On the matter of multicultural policy. Dobbie is currently writing a. report arising from a conference on citizenship and multiculturalism she attended in August. "People are telling me that the basic premise is great but there should be more emphasis on culture and preserving heritage languages and less on divisiveness," she said. "I think the present policy is a litde off track. I am hearing Uiat multicultural groups want respect for iheir heritage but as part of the mainstream of Canadian society." .
Dobbie is confident that Canada's
[Cont'd, on page 20]
RE-ELECT BARBARA GREENE, M.P. DON VALLEY NORTH
•Member of the Parliamentary Committee for Soviet Jewry
»Chair of the Canada-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group
•Chair of the Health and Welfare, Social Affairs, Seniors and the Status of Women Committee
Barbara Greene Delivers ... For You
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