4 ~ Sunday, October 25, 1992 - North Shore News: Yes: to give JUST A couple of summers ago, I was down in Seattle covering a story with a young cameraman from Ontario, driving in a van with a group of Americans, when the radio reported the news that the Meech Lake Accord had collapsed. One of :ue Yanks asked: *‘Does this mean the end of your coun- try?*? We two Canucks nodded glumly. Then, as though on cue, the kid from Ontario and I both said: “Oh weil,” It was totally unrehearsed, and utterly funny. We all ended up doubled over, laughing. The Americans were still shak- ing their heads and chuckling hours later, their ancestors having of course fought one of the bloodiest civil wars in history to maintain their union. And all we Canadians could do, faced with the breakup of our country, was say: “Oh well.”” This was, like, beyond the Mackenzie Brothers, beyond Wayne’s World. It was the most Canadian thing they’d ever seen. And for just a moment or two, I think a couple of those Americans caught on that there was a different cultural dy- namic at work here in their presence. We all seemed to speak the same language, we dressed more or fess the same, ard had seen the same movies, but the Canadians were definitely a different breed of cat from the Americans. A subspecies of North Ameri- can, call it what you will, When I'm out of the country, I have no - trouble with my basic identity. It is, as my passport says, Canadian. + It’s not a hyphenated Canadian. It’s just a Canadian. And you know, the truth is, people generally admire and respect me just for being a Cana- dian, before they have had a chance to find out about ali my personal shortcomings. Adinire and respect, hell! Truth is, we actually are — with ex- cellent reason — envied by most the world. As a young man, I hitchhiked through Europe. Once pzopte found out | was a Canadian, they often treated me almost like a member of the farni- ly, something to do, I gathered, with the war my father and Referendum results to be blacked out BETWEEN 3:30 p.m. and & p.m. on Monday, television and FM services that may air results on the North Shore of the national refer- endum on the Charlotte- town Accord will be black- ed out. Terry Medd, Shaw Cable systems manager, said new federal Referendum Act regulations pro- hibit the premature distribution of results from any district where polls have closed to any other district where the polls are still open, The prohibition applies to ref- erendum teports carried on the Signals of conventional broad- casters and satellite-to-cable ser- vices. The TV stations to be blacked out by Shaw Cable on the North Shore will be the Home Shopping Network, KCTS, KVOS, CNN, WTVS, Headline News, Much Music, the Weather Network, YTV, Newsworld, KOMO, KING, KIRO, KSTW, KCPQ, Vision, TBS, WGN and TV 5. In addition, local broadcasters such as BCTV, CBC and U.TV are prohibited from broadcasting any referendum results prior to 8 p.m. local time. Bob Hunter grandfather and their generations fought to free places like Italy, France and Holland, and to shield Great Britain. Historical stuff. I’ve been to nearly 40 different couniries in ny travels. I tried set- tling in a couple of them, but always ended up heading home to Canada. {a the beginning, | told myself that I had to get out of Canada. It was the most boring country in the world. I needed something exotic, dan- gerous, artistically stimulating: New York or Loudon or Paris or L.A. Some place where I could find some worthy material to write about. This is going to sound really corny, but, over the vears, I have come to find ull the worthy mate- ria] a writer could ever ask for, right here at home. An immensely rich, dramatic picture is what emerges from a study of Canadian history, even if the intention, as in my case, was to debunk some of the myths. In tearing down myths I un- covered even better material: the real story. If the referendum somehow mi- raculously scores a nationwide Yes, it could only be, I suspect, because of the autumn leaves — something no pundit has factored in. I went for a walk in them over the weekend, and kicked them around, and sniffed the autumn air, and listened to the autumn leaves swishing under my feet and in the wind. And I found myself fecling Ca- nadian. | had a moment there when my eyes got wet, and I sud- denly felt a terrific pain at the thought of losing my Cana- dianness. : This, 1 realized, is how | would feel if Canada vanished into the history books. I would cry. God, it’s easy to mock Canada. That’s another part of Cana- dianness, a sure sign. . Canadians don’t like heroes. We’re an incredibly egalitarian people. We drag-down any who rise too high among us. But there's a kind of amazing fairness — and wisdom — to it. After all, aren't heroes generally faked? I have spent all my adult life arguing and fighting with the fed- eral government of Canada about everything from censorship to uranium mining. The feds have a file on me that they won’t release on grounds of so-called national security. | guess I’m considered a threat to my na- tion-state. This might be because, as an in- tellectual achievement, ] equate patriotism with Athlete’s Foot. Yet i have to confess, however, despite the years of feeling like an opponent of Ottawa, I have just realized, under the pressure of this referendum, that Canada itself is something that transcends the po- litical elite of the day, oligarchical federal-provincial cabal that they might amount to. Despite Mulroney, despite everything that outrages me about The Fu Destever Home Event is On How Save on everything you need to make your home beautiful. Coordinated bedding, bathroom accessories and housewares, all at terrific savings. Hurry, sale ends November 8th, 1992. the Charlottetown Accord, from its casting aside of environmenial concerns to the lousy deal it leaves my British Columbian children, I am going to vote Yes. Why? It’s not just that ’'ma chicken when it comes to interest rates, or that I am scared numb by the way the world economy is looking so stormy (therefore who needs to rock any reasonably workable life boat right now of al] times?), it is also possibly because, manipulative and cynical as it un- doubtably is, the appeal to raw patriotism may have worked its twisted magic one last time. I didn’t think i, for one, could Canada one more chance be swayed by feelings of patriot - ism— to the point where I would vote for something being sold by every snake-oil salesperson hustler/pol in the land. Yet, I am going to vote Yes. It’s a gut thing, way past reason. J want to give Canada, ridiculous as it may be, one last chance to hang together. Never mind strategic voting. Never mind protest voting. Never mind throwing a monkey wrench into the works. We'll get all those bastards later. I say give it one more bloody chance, eh? “Has your | child come| home with a poor interim?” 3 With Sylvan's positive, caring, individualized instruction, students # find their grades soaring - along with their self-confidence, Instead of dreading school, students actually look forward to it. Weve Mi already helped more than a million children tum their grades around. Let's talk about how we can help your child. ‘Sylvan Learning “py Centre® Helping kids be their best.™ NORTH SHORE 985-6811 OCTOBER 26, 1992 Do you pian to vote YES because: ® You are tired of the whole issue? © Quehes and the Aboriginat People will finally be satisfied? ® It is the only way to “save” Canada? DO YOU KNOW: @ You will 2 voting for: QUEBES 6,912,300 People 93 Seats 3,290,500 People 36 Seats 80. = 74,326 People/Seat 91,403 People/Seat A 23% MINIMUM House of Commons advantage to Quebec FOREVER! @ The “Separatists” in Quebec will never be satisfied, no matter what you vote. @ The Aboriginal People’s ultimate goal (presently before the couris), is to hold title to most of the land in B.C. and to rule it according to their “Inherent Rights" ® Quebec, Ontario, and the Prime Minister obviously do not care if B.C. votes to give away its land and voting equality. (Why??) PLEASE ASK YOURSELF: How will you explain to your children in the year 2002 ‘only 10 years away) that you voted to irrevocably give away THEIR Pr ce of B.C., atong with the right to rule it, to the Aboriginal People, anu at the same time you gave away, in perpetuity, THEIR right to voting equality in Ottawa. Wilt you be proud io tell them you voted away their inheritance because you were “tired of the issue” or you just “didn’t understand the consequences”? PLEASE, DO NOT RUSH INTO A DECISION YOU WILL REGRET FOREVER. (Paid for by a private, concerned citizen)