THE SALON
Wednesday Night Salon # 953
June 7, 2000
INTRODUCTION
Susan Eyton-Jones on the eve of her departure for Charlottesville Virginia and the Ash Lawn Festival, came to say a quick goodbye and thank you to her many Wednesday Night friends who had encouraged her and written letters of recommendation on her behalf.
A small gathering with a younger-than-usual average age enjoyed a very special evening, pondering Free Trade, globalization and demonstrations, the break up of Microsoft, the latest policy to be handed down by the Québec Minister of Education and, inevitably, the economy.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
David Nicholson led off the evening by reminding all that a special guest next week would be Josh Freed. He then added that Tom Long, candidate for the Alliance Party Leadership might also be with us.
Expanding on this, he pointed out that some 6,000 new Québec members of the Reform/Alliance/Whatever Party might help to elect the next Opposition party and that we owed it to ourselves to become members and take advantage of the direct vote as any democratic system requires a strong opposition to hold the Government to its promises. However, despite assurances to the contrary, it appears that in order to vote one will have to be at the Convention. Anyone with further information is invited to send it along.
DEMONSTRATIONS, PROTESTS AND CONFRONTATION
The Windsor demonstrations against the Free Trade Association of the Americas bring back memories of Seattle and Washington. While some of the demonstrators have a genuine fear of Free Trade, large numbers espouse what one newspaper referred to as "fill in the blank" causes. Globalization is a frightening concept for some, for others it is merely a question of protecting turf. We have to remember that the whole concept of borders - and sovereignty - is a relatively new phenomenon (the Crusaders certainly weren't inhibited by such ideas).
One guest argued eloquently against free trade for Africa, pointing out that if agriculture is liberalized before a country becomes self-sufficient, that country becomes dependent on subsidized, lower cost imports from more mature economies.
LOCAL ISSUES - CONTAMINATED COMMUNITY GARDENS
Taking advantage of the presence of one of our Municipal Councilors, the topic was changed to the recent news item concerning the closing of a community garden because of soil contamination. Westmount conducts regular testing and in the event that such a facility were closed, it should be immediately replaced with an alternate site.
EMPOWERMENT
One guest queried whether the human element is being destroyed in the rush to globalization, asking "do we live in a terminal society" that bears the seeds of our own destruction? He spoke of the need to empower young people who have a different value sphere and cited the enormous influence of the late Arthur Campeau as one individual who understood this need and worked to fill it.
MICROSOFT
Jeremy Jonas |
Is the proposed break-up good for the consumer? We need compatible systems. But, does that mean that we must have a monopoly - cannot government set standards regarding compatibility? Are the competitors behind the opposition to MS? The software is not all that good, but isn't Bill Gates being penalized for his success?
THE NEW QUEBEC EDUCATION POLICY
In an effort to stimulate young students, the Minister and his minions have proclaimed that there will be a new emphasis on learning in Kindergarten to Grade 2. Children will chose the themes of what they want to learn. For instance Billy may want all of his material,- math, social sciences, arts, - taught within a framework of dinosaurs, while Lucy may prefer Space and Tom may like caterpillars.
This will place a huge new burden on teachers to adapt material. Already there is 50% burnout among teachers of these school years. They have to cope with differing abilities, behavioral problems, etc.
The real need is to develop the thought process. Discipline is an element in the thinking process - is this new approach going to help? At least one former teacher and one former School Administrator expressed negative views.
We live in an information age, but we forget that information is not knowledge and knowledge is not wisdom.
THE ECONOMY
Two leading indicators were mentioned as showing signs of slowing - housing starts and Harley Davidson sales.
The manufacturing sector is weakening. Factory sales are down 11%. The CPI is at top 3%.
Excluding two volatile items - food (dependent on weather/environmental factors) and oil prices, the inflation rate is pretty good.
(Editor's note: there we are back again to the debate about what factors are included/excluded from these calculations… food and oil prices are two factors that virtually nobody can avoid either directly or indirectly.)
Canada, with $850B debt if you include provincial debt, still ranks #5 of 45 developed nations in terms of highest Debt/GDP ratio.
The purchasing parity of the Canadian $ is about 80¢, but the C$ is not tracking commodity prices because Canadian investors in reaction to our low interest rate structure (e.g. prime interest rate is 2% below are going abroad for foreign instruments. And there is always the taxation rate with its concurrent lower productivity.
In conclusion, on interest rates, our central bank expert believes that " this is almost the end of Fed tightening".
REX MURPHY: People heaving their guts about their relationships
to the cross dressing yak they had tied up in the basement, or their
sexual cravings for a neighbour's house plant. Pardon me Gerry, you
were a PBS special on renaissance compared with CBS's latest
plunge into idiocy lake. It's called "Survivor". Somewhere off Borneo
a clutch of greedy simpletons are playing a life game. 
Rex Murphy June 2, 2000
