Editorial
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Opinions
      expressed
      in
      this
      column
      do
      not
      necessarily
     
     
      reflect
      those
      of
      the
      staff
      of
      this
      production,
      or
      of
      the
     
     
      Student
      Union.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      If
      you’
      ve
      been
      conscious
      of
      the
      world
      around
      you
      for
      the
      past
     
     
      few
      months
      you
      know
      that
      Canada
      is
      once
      again
      preoccupied
     
     
      with
      its
      constitution.
      A
      while
      back
      the
      Prime
      Minister,
      his
     
     
      sidekick
      Joe
      Clark,
      and
      a
      plethora
      of
      provincial
      politicians
     
     
      finally
      came
      to
      some
      kind
      of
      agreement
      on
      the
      fabled
     
     
      document.
      With
      much
      fanfare
      the
      deal
      was
      trumpeted
      as
      a
     
     
      breakthrough
      and
      the
      ‘‘New
      Fathers
      of
      Confederation’’
     
     
      dropped
      by
      our
      fair
      province
      to
      dot
      the
      ‘‘i’’’s
      and
      cross
      the
     
     
      “*t???s
      on
      the
      paper,
      christening
      the
      agreement
      “*‘The
     
     
      Charlottetown
      Accord’’
      inreverent
      memory
      of
      the
      founding
     
     
      of
      Canada.
      The
      whole
      spectacle
      may
      be
      either
      inspiring
      or
     
     
      nauseating
      to
      you
      depending
      on
      your
      point
      of
      view,
      but
      the
     
     
      deal
      itself
      is
      not
      what
      I
      had
      in
      mind
      for
      dissecting
      this
      week
     
     
      (there’s
      still
      weeks
      before
      we
      vote
      on
      it);
      what
      interests
      me
     
     
      at
      this
      exact
      moment
      is
      the
      new
      Senate
      proposed
      in
      the
     
     
      ‘Charlottetown
      Accord,’’
      and
      more
      specifically
      how
      P.E.I.
     
     
      and
      other
      provinces
      are
      considering
      the
      selection
      of
      their
     
     
      senators.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      new
      Senate
      has
      been
      heralded
      as
      a
      victory
      for
      the
     
     
      western
      provinces
      and
      the
      other
      have-nots
      of
      the
      provincial
     
     
      power
      sharing
      structure,
      since
      in
      the
      Senate
      each
      province
     
     
      will
      be
      given
      six
      senators,
      but
      it’s
      not
      quite
      the
      ““Triple-E”’
     
     
      (equal,
      elected
      and
      effective)
      senate
      dreamt
      of
      by
      the
     
     
      departing
      Don
      Getty
      and
      his
      cohorts.
      It
      is
      equal
      in
      numbers
     
     
      among
      the
      provinces,
      but
      it’s
      effectiveness
      is
      debatable
      (it'd
     
     
      need
      a
      joint
      majority
      with
      the
      House
      of
      Commons
      to
      ulti-
     
     
      mately
      defeat
      a
      bill)
      and
      the
      elected
      aspect
      of
      the
      deal
     
     
      didn’t
      quite
      happen.
      Largely
      as
      yet
      another
      concession
      to
     
     
      Quebec
      the
      deal
      allows
      provinces
      to
      appoint
      their
      own
     
     
      senators
      if
      they
      wish,
      and
      therein
      lies
      the
      rub
      of
      recent
     
     
      discussions
      on
      P.E.I.:
      whether
      or
      not
      we
      should
      guarantee
     
     
      half
      our
      senate
      seats
      for
      women.
      Some
      provinces
      have
     
     
      already
      resolved
      to
      set
      aside
      half
      the
      new
      positions
      for
     
     
      women,
      and
      other
      provinces,
      including
      P.E.I.,
      are
      debating
     
     
      whether
      or
      not
      to
      follow
      suit.
      Premier
      Joe
      Ghiz,
      the
      Artful
     
     
      Dodger
      himself,
      has
      yet
      again
      avoided
      taking
      a
      stand
      in
     
     
      public
      and
      has
      left
      the
      decision
      to
      be
      debated
      by
      our
     
     
      M.L.A.’s
      (let
      them
      suffer
      the
      slings
      and
      arrows
      of
      outraged
     
     
      voters).
      That
      lets
      Golly-Gee-Ghiz
      off
      the
      hook,
      but
      the
     
     
      question
      remains:
      should
      we
      set
      aside
      half
      the
      senate
      seats
     
     
      for
      women?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Heck,
      no!
      No
      one
      can
      deny
      that
      there’s
      a
      staggering
      gap
     
     
      between
      male
      and
      female
      representation
      in
      Parliament,
      a
     
     
      tiny
      female
      membership
      in
      marked
      contrast
      to
      the
      fact
      that
     
     
      women
      make
      up
      the
      majority
      of
      our
      population,
      but
      qouta
     
     
      systems
      aren’t
      the
      way
      to
      make
      up
      for
      that.
      However
      well-
     
     
      intentioned
      they
      may
      be,
      ‘‘equal
      opportunity’’
      moves
      such
      as
     
     
      this
      only
      limit
      the
      opportunities
      of
      qualified
      candidates
      by
     
     
      reserving
      positions
      for
      certain
      types
      of
      individuals
      regard-
     
     
      less
      of
      their
      qualifications.
      It’s
      actually
      condescending
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      women
      and
      to
      politicians
      of
      all
      gender
      making
      the
      assump-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tion
      that
      one
      only
      has
      the
      knowledge
      to
      speak
      for
      constitu-
     
     
      ents
      of
      his
      or
      her
      own
      gender,
      presuming
      a
      gender
      bias
      in
      all
     
     
      men
      and
      women.
      It
      risks
      the
      view.
      of
      women’s
      role
      in
      parlia-
     
     
      ment
      being
      restricted
      to
      ‘‘women’s
      issues,’’
      like
      childcare
     
     
      and
      abortion,
      and
      to
      remember
      the
      people
      for
      a
      moment
      it
     
     
      decrees
      that
      some
      constituents
      are
      only
      allowed
      to
      choose
     
     
      their
      representatives
      from
      a
      select
      group.
      Quota
      systems
     
     
      limit
      everyone’s
      opportunities
      by
      setting
      limits,
      and
      only
      a
     
     
      limited
      thinker
      would
      suppose
      otherwise.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Even
      female
      senator
      Pat
      Carney
      herself
      recently
      denounced
     
     
      the
      ‘‘gender
      parity’’
      idea
      as
      impractical,
      saying
      that
      she
     
     
      would
      want
      herself
      and
      other
      elected
      officials
      to
      be
      elected
     
     
      on
      their
      own
      merits;
      if
      not,
      how
      could
      such
      officials
      be
      taken
     
     
      seriously
      even
      if
      they
      are
      deserving
      of
      their
      positions?
      A
     
     
      wiser
      strategy
      would
      be
      to
      work
      to
      include
      women
      in
      the
     
     
      recruitment
      and
      sponsorship
      of
      candidates,
      so
      as
      to
      allow
      a
     
     
      greater
      number
      of
      women
      entry
      into
      politics
      rather
      than
     
     
      forcing
      the
      existing
      female
      politicians
      into
      positions
      of
     
     
      authority
      that
      they
      may
      or
      may
      not
      deserve.
      Our
      new
      sena-
     
     
      tors
      have
      the
      potential
      to
      be
      a
      voice
      in
      Ottawa,
      however
     
     
      small,
      but
      if
      we
      send
      a
      handful
      of
      tokens
      we
      won’t
      get
     
     
      anywhere
      but
      the
      subway.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sean
      McQuaid
     
     
      Editor
      for
      all
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Pasnivn
      Ozvicz
      Pravzc7s
     
    
   
   
    
     
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      UPEI
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      September
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      1992
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Page
      3