CANADIAN LESSONS FOR AUSTRALIANS

Mr. Eric Butler reports from Canada
Canada has been presented in Australia as a country where Prime Minister Fraser's "New Federalism" is a great success, and where Mr. Al Grassby's type of "pluralistic society" is resulting in sweet harmony. The reality is rather different.

There is growing friction between the 'Federal and Provincial Governments, with the Marxists so successfully exploiting the anti-Ottawa feeling in Quebec that they hold the key positions in a Provincial Government working to take Quebec out of the Canadian Confederation. If the Marxists do not make the same mistake they did in Chile, where they pushed too hard too fast, it is possible that a Marxist base will be successfully built right at the strategic heart of the North American continent.

When Mr. Pat Walsh, a Quebecer himself, warned years ago of the possibility of an eventual Marxist takeover in Quebec, there was the usual reaction of "But that couldn't happen here." It was Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau who fostered the policies, which have produced the present Canadian crisis. His attempts to impose bilingualism across the country did not produce a harmonious "pluralistic society", but has resulted in mounting friction. Ironically, having fostered the policies, which produced the Quebec explosion, Mr. Trudeau now presents himself, being a French-Canadian, as the only man who can hold the Confederation together. In spite of record unemployment and a high inflation rate, Trudeau's electoral stocks have clearly recovered. Not that the Progressive Conservatives offer any real alternatives.

As Mr. Trudeau's "experts" are the same type who are advising the Fraser Government, it is not surprising that the Trudeau Government, in spite of rigid controls, has not been successful in reversing inflation. There are approximately one million unemployed, while Canadian agriculture, like Australian agriculture, is being destroyed.

The Liberal immigration policy of the Trudeau Government has produced the same inevitable results, which are so evident in Britain and other countries. One cannot help but notice the impact in Toronto, where the fundamental Anglo-Canadian fabric of society is being rapidly shattered. Although written in the most cautious language, a Toronto board of education report has stated, "The spectre of racism is approaching" as a result of an influx of non-Europeans. Racial tensions are mounting rapidly. In 1971 there were only 616 West Indian students in Toronto. Now one school alone has a West Indian attendance of over 25 percent. In Vancouver it is the influx of Indians and Pakistanis, which is producing race friction in perhaps the most British type city in Canada.

If the Australian Government will not learn from the British experiences, perhaps it might heed the Canadian experience. Admittedly this means practicing a policy of discrimination. But it is high time that more people frankly and openly stated that they support what in fact they instinctively practise. There was a time when a person who discriminated was admired. But the semantic saboteurs have taken fine, wholesome meaning words and perverted their meaning.

In Canada and elsewhere, I see advertisements everywhere by the "gay" societies. Throughout the history of the growth of the English language; the term "gay" has meant the very opposite of the fostering of sexual perversion. Regrettably Canadian society manifests all the sicknesses infecting other Western societies today. There has been no more graphic example of this than the Prime Minister's young wife, Margaret, the mother of three small sons, going off to "do her own thing", and refusing to accept her responsibilities both as a mother and the Prime Minister's wife. She wants to be "liberated" so that, as she said in one statement, she can show the nipples of her bosoms at public functions!

There is one other lesson, which Canada has for Australians; the political party game offers no hope of any salvation from growing disasters. Meeting with politicians at Ottawa left me with no doubt whatever that the only remaining hope for Western nations is that grassroots movements, directed by men and women motivated to serve, not to gain power for themselves, will grow to the point where politicians, irrespective of their labels, will either genuinely serve their electors, and uphold fundamental principles and values, or be swept from office by outraged electors.

It is as certain as the sunrise that the election of a Conservative Government at Ottawa will no more stem the tide of disintegration than the election of the Fraser Government stemmed it in Australia. In the meantime one notes with hope and thankfulness the rapid upsurge of the Canadian League of Rights, increasingly attracting the best Canadians to its ranks.

MR. JEREMY LEE
REPORTS FROM NEW ZEALAND

First impressions on arriving in New Zealand are how similar the situation is to Australia. The first paper I bought - the New Zealand Herald, April 2nd - had a front page entirely devoted to growing economic problems and rising costs. The main article dealt with a major crisis developing in the building industry as a financial squeeze takes effect.

Chairman of the Auckland Master Builders' Association, Mr. K. Williams stated: "Second mortgage money has dried up completely, building prices are skyrocketing, and the home building industry is close to collapse." He described the situation as extremely serious. Other builders throughout New Zealand confirmed Mr. William's views, due entirely to shortage of money and ruinously high interest rates.

The Sunday Times, April 3rd is a major feature article, pointed out that the historical right of New Zealanders to own a quarter acre block and their own home was passing. The article pointed out that in the sixteen months since the National Government under Mr. Muldoon had taken over, lending had been severely curtailed, interest rates were the highest ever, the loan gap had widened, and saving for home ownership was virtually impossible.

The National Government boasted it would tackle the country's housing needs with a range of policies which would show imagination, determination, and "an insistence on the practical" - instead of which the country was being plunged into a savage squeeze producing widespread stagnation.

In another front page article, the New Zealand Herald pointed out that the increase in the price of petrol to $1.35 a gallon would immediately lift the costs of public transport - one of a series of price increases which have New Zealanders reeling. In the last year they have seen the price of milk double, and within the last month butter has increased 100% in price since the price discount was removed. Although I have seen no published figures yet, housewives at meetings I have addressed so far say that many have had to cut back on the amount of milk for the family. But the New Zealand price is still only 9 cents a pint!
It is hardly surprising that Australians are amongst the western world's lowest consumers of Dairy products, with milk as high as 20 cents a pint.

A recent by election in Mangere showed a swing back to Labour. But the Muldoon Government, strikingly similar to the Fraser Government, is plodding down an economic road, which has been mapped out by the International Monetary Fund, which probably coined the famous Fraser phrase, that "Life Wasn't Meant to be Easy!"

GUNN 'IN THE GUN'

In a recent interview on television, Sir William Gunn, member of the Board of the Reserve Bank, and main instigator of the Australian Wool Corporation, was asked why he thought that his own considerable land empire had crashed; to which, among other things, Sir William Gunn said that he had over borrowed. The growth rate had been insufficient to meet loan interest and redemption, and nemesis had arrived.

Australian woolgrowers might well ponder on this fact as the Australian Wool Corporation struggles with its huge debt burden. This year it has already repaid to the Commonwealth $85 million, and has to find a further $160 million before the year is out. With a current stockpile of 1.2 million bales, where will it get the money to repay the Treasury? according to the Financial Review (March 16th, 1977) 'from the private Trading Banks.' The old story of trying to borrow themselves out of debt.

The Reserve Bank, if it was directed, could finance the Wool Reserve Price Scheme at 1% interest. But if woolgrowers are meek enough, the Bank will continue to bleed them white. Those who have held the New Zealand wool-marketing scheme up as an example to emulate might be interested to learn that New Zealanders now have part of their wool cheques compulsorily withheld under a new income retention scheme. No interest is paid on the money withheld, and it is not available to producers until five years after its original acquisition, unless they die first! It's an example of bureaucracy gone mad!