Freedom Flyer March 1996 Cover

Freedom Flyer 29

the official newsletter of the
Freedom Party of Ontario

March 1996



Labour protests...

METZ DEBATES HARGROVE, MANNERS

LONDON (September, 1995) - In two separate open-line conversations aired on CKSL AM Radio's Andy Oudman Show, Fp president Robert Metz debated United Auto Workers (UAW) president Buzz Hargrove and Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) president Earl Manners on the ideology fuelling their agendas.

The issue was specifically raised by Manners when he publicly attacked privatization as an "ideological issue, not based on substance," and accused "interest" groups of undermining the education system as we know it. The accusations were made as part of the OSSTF's "campaign to spread some of the good news and the facts about education."

Metz acknowledged that the issue was ideological, but challenged Manners to identify the difference in VALUES reflected by the two ideologies in conflict: the values of those who support a state-enforced and state-paid education versus those who support freedom of choice in education.

CHOICE IN EDUCATION?

"You know," said Manners, "'choice' is an interesting word. But as you know, choice is very much dependent on how wealthy you are and what your income is. We're all free to choose whether we want to buy a limousine or not, when we're buying our next car, but most of us choose to buy what we can afford." He accused private schools of "segregating" people and of leaving "a number of people by the wayside" in terms of educational opportunities restricted by financial costs.

"Precisely what's wrong with our education system is that it teaches what you're preaching right now," responded Metz. "You think that private schools exist to segregate people. Along what lines? Racial lines? Don't private schools teach values? Of course they do!"

At this point, the conversation was quite revealing:

METZ: "That's why parents are taking their children OUT of the public school system, because it teaches NON-values. It teaches that every value and every idea and every culture is equal to the other when that just simply is not the case. That is what creates intolerance, and that is what creates misunderstanding and conflict."

MANNERS: "Well, Bob, you just said that all people aren't equal, and we may have differing abilities, that's true, but I think we all as citizens of this province have an equal right to access to a free and compulsory education system. I think we all have a right to equal opportunities."

METZ:"Did you say a 'free' and 'compulsory' education system?"

MANNERS: "...free in the sense that there aren't any user fees or additional fees on top of what we pay in our taxes which is the price of civilization."

METZ: "Excuse me? Taxes are the 'price of civilization?' My goodness! (This is) a perfect example of the kind of thinking we have to get away from. If taxes are an (indication) of civilization, then obviously a 100% tax rate would make us the most 'civilized' people on the face of the earth! In fact, we know that it would make us a totalitarian country that has no values, no respect, no property rights, none of the things that our schools should be teaching."

The debate wound up with Manners reiterating his support for a "public school system" (his euphemism for a GOVERNMENT-run school system), with parents "getting involved" in issues like "the discipline policy".

Metz concluded by reminding listeners that "Mr. Manners is representing one of the largest unions in the country, (and) has a tremendous vested interest in maintaining a very high rate of pay for his members. If I've heard anything (from Manners) today, it's been a half hour of excellent arguments FOR the privatization of education right across the board."

HARGROVE BUZZES ALONG

The same reminder was reiterated by Metz in his September 26, 1995 open-line conversation with UAW president Buzz Hargrove. Hargrove was forced to defend his mandate by claiming he represented ALL "working people. I represent people who work with their hands for a living..."

"...who only want to work at a certain level of pay or higher," retorted Metz. "You despise workers who are willing to work under that level..."

HARGROVE:"...not true. Not true..."

METZ: "...you call them SCABS. You call them every name in the book!"

HARGROVE: "Not true. Not true. I call a scab a scab, but I have great respect for working people..."

METZ: "...then it IS true!"

(Later in the radio program, when asked what the major agenda item on his itinerary for the day was, Hargrove responded that it was the "scab labour" issue!)

Hargrove blamed the government's debt and deficits on everyone except "the poor or the working poor or the people on welfare." He argued that government cutbacks represented a "transfer in wealth" from the poor to the rich.

"Do you think Frank Stronach should have taken $40 million last year while single mothers on welfare got their benefits cut by 200%?" Hargrove asked Metz.

"Taken from who?" Metz responded.

HARGROVE:"From every person who bought a car or a car part..."

METZ:"Excuse me, those people were not forced to buy those cars. And the fact that you can speak in those terms attests to something quite..."

HARGROVE:"...Well in your simple world it might not make sense, but in mine it makes a lot."

METZ:"You (cannot) transfer wealth from the poor to the rich, since the poor are poor. They have no 'wealth' to transfer..."

HARGROVE:"Paul Martin cut $13 billion out of public programs --- out of unemployment insurance, out of education, out of medicare, out of social assistance, and what happened? (Meanwhile), the rich investors that hold the bonds of the country, (had) their interest payments which were $42 billion last year, increased to $50 billion! $8 billion from the pockets of poor people into the pockets of the wealthiest people in the world! What do you call that, if not a transfer of wealth?"

METZ:"There's no connection. That's not a transfer of wealth. If I do something that happens to make money and I create a product that's cheap for a lot of people and they choose to support me and I get wealthy because of that, I got wealthy because I did them a favour, and I saved them money in the process. I did NOT get wealthy because I 'robbed' them."

UNION?

If nothing else, both conversations with Hargrove and Manners were clear evidence of their mandates which extend well beyond a bargaining table. Clearly, unions must be identified in terms of their actions and ideology. Both are destructive to the labour environment in Ontario today.




Contact FP
Freedom Flyer Newsletter

e-mail

Page last updated on April 28, 2002

FP logo (small)