4 briduay. fouls ba 987 Sorth strane News i530 ob Hunter @ strictly personal @ THE FREE trade talks between Canada and the United States have to be placed squarely in the context of the fact that no other developed country allows so much of the control of its own economy to rest in foreign, ie. American hands. That's the undisputable truth which nationalists are fond of whimpering about. Something like 90 per cent of our rubber in- dustry, $6 per cent of the chemi- cal industry, 68 per cent of the transport equipment industry, etc. on a seale that takes the breath away. My experience of the Linited States ts that it is a place where the averave Canadian has several advantages, not the least being that he is the “‘invisible foreigner’. In movies and media we pass “Watching the number of American movies being shot around Vancouver, all of them pretending that this is the good old U.S. of A. in the background, I have to laugh at the idea that free trade could somehow further Americanize us.”’ Politically , we are variously described as a client state, a satel- lite, a sub-colony. These are overblown phrases — since our sovereignty isn’t in doubt, our national identity is already jelled, and we do have a unique cultural framework, Canadians are thriftier people than even the fegendary Swiss. We are also thoroughly Scan- dinavianized. Probably much too cautious, in other words, to give up the perks of the welfare system, even if we sce something awfuily good in its place. What I see in free trade is pure and simple: greater access to the awesome American marketplace, corroded somewhat by deficit and the self-imposed burden of goTganiuan defence budgets, but still the greatest single engine of the world's economy. It is a modern variation of the oil-for-the-lamps-of-China theme. He who breaks into that market becomes a giant himself. He who steps into that market on any semblance of an equal footing lias a chance of winning Bench warrants issued THREE BENCH warrants were issued Wednesday for three North Vancouver men after they failed to appear in court to answer to charges on separate offences. Warrants were issued for Craig Voisin, 24; Ricky Freijo Sorensen, 27; and Edward Norman Beutler, 18. Voisin was to answer to a charge of failing to comply with an Oct. 14 probation order requiring him to do 100 hours of community work. Sorensen was charged with one count of break and enter and one count of possession of stolen property following a June 22 inci- dent at 151) Frederick Rd. in the District of North Vancouver. Beutler, jointly charged with North Vancouver man David Ar- nold Wallach, 20, is accused of one count of assault causing bodily harm and one count of assault in connection with a Jan. 3 incident in the District of North Van- couver. All three were to appear before Judge J.B. Paradis in North Van- couver provincial court. Classifieds Sell 986-6222 ourselves off effortlessly as Yanks. Canadians don't think about it too much, but a substan- tial chunk of the rest of the world's population would give its right arm to thus be able to penctrate Fortress America, Watching the number of American movies being shot around Vancouver, alf of them pretending that this is th: good old U.S. of A. in the background, | have to laugh at the idea that free trade could somehow further Americanize us. We are so far Americanized that sometimes even Americans can’t tell the difference. | don't think the process can go much further, to tell the truth. To me, it is a matter of what is there to lose compared to what there is to gain. And what there is to gain is an inside-the-gate shot at the voracious American consumer — before the drawbridge of protectionism comes down. I did a bit of door-to-door sell- ing in my youth. I know the im- portance of getting that foot in the door and keeping it there. Because thats the central cconomic fachaot lite tor Canada asa trading nation. Eaghty: per cent of our experts vo to the Yanks, bless Cem. As founders tand it, what Trade Minister Pat Carnes is trying to do is get a lock on that. [othink there is a very real danger thar Cunadis’s econoniic future is otherwise going to be one of stagnation behind tariff wally that are going to crumble sooner or dater anyway. Phere is such a build-up of pressure out there in the monetary system that some kind of an earthquake is bound to happen. When the dust settles, we might find Japan and Europe joining forces to create a new, bigger-than-America trade blac. When the trade wars really get going, Canada, on its own, would be between a rock and a hard place. One of our aces-in-the-hole is that very fact of life that makes the nationalists so unhappy: the swnership of so many major Ca- nadian industries by American invesiors. Any serious — losses caused by a trade deal would hurt fellow Americans as much, if not more, than it would hurt Cana- dians themsvlves. If it had been done as a strate- gy, | would have been almost in- clined to pat Canada on the head and remark on what a bright idea that was to co-opt the Americans by luring them deep into your economy, so deep they can’t pull out. Now, it only makes sense to finish the job and penetrate theirs. Who is to say for sure that someday 70 per cent of the American economy might not be Canadian-owned? That's the chance we night be able to give ourselves if we don’t chicken out. On balance, risks aside, | say go for it! "SPALDING TENNIS BALLS ¢ APPROVED BY U.S. TENNIS ASSOCIATION e SERIES 90 & 110 | TENNIS RACQUET REG. DISC. $134.99 " CONFIDENCE 2 ASST COLORS 7 VISA - LADIES @ 1-3-5 LAMINATED WOS CLOTHING e MHA ONLY > eASST CLOTHING PING @ P.G.A. Ni HOGAN © SLAZENGER Ye @ MENS GOLF SHIRTS } @ ASST. SIZES @ ASST. COLORS e MENS GOLF SHOES o WHITE & TAN REG. DISC. $64 99 CHRIS EVERT e GRAPHITE MIDSIZE TENNIS RACQUET RES. DISC. $99.99 CONFIDENCE CC 6 GRAPHITE @ 1-3-5 WOODS @MRH ONLY 01 YR WARRANTY WEDGES # ASST, MODELS @ REG. 10 $46.99 eMRH MLH,LAH A TATLOW REG DISC $22999 g ecg tts DAD) ane ean NO “ADD-ONS” NO FINE PRINT NO GIMMICKS NO SURPRISES JUST TAT-LOW PRICES! 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