Miller’s Musings (February 17, 1992)

Times are tough in Canada. Not only is the economy stalled in a recession, but even when the recovery comes, we will have to find our way in a global village where the street signs keep changing. To cap it all, although business people haven’t had much time to look, the very existence of our country is threatened. The promise that the 20th century would belong to Canada has a hollow ring just now.

Yet a unified Canada is worth fighting for. This country has many strengths and great potential. Our economic problems, difficult as they are, will be harder to solve if we cannot quickly put the constitutional debate behind us. Business people, with their skills and objectivity, have a special opportunity to help other Canadians find the strength and wisdom to surmount the obstacles that confront us all. Discipline, co-operation and shared purpose make corporations successful. We must find a way for these qualities to replace the shrill and narrow bickering that characterize our regional and political rivalries.

Different groups have many divergent but strongly held views of the future. For this reason, generosity, respect and maturity will be the hallmark of those who undertake the task of building a new and better country. For Canada will be fundamentally changed, for better or for worse. The status quo is not an option. We have much to gain if we succeed in building a nation in which all are willing partners, and much to lose if we fail. By successfully grasping this opportunity to renovate our political structure for the future, we can gain momentum to deal with other vital priorities.

But failure will produce at least a decade of nastiness. Events in the former Soviet Union hint at the complications that would attend the negotiation of a separation with Quebec, not to mention the violence that could accompany a lengthy, countrywide, Oka-type standoff. An extended preoccupation with negotiated breakup or civil disruption will sap our economic strength and sour our minds.

Can the mining industry play a useful role? We must not be deaf to the message delivered by Walter Curlook at the recent Canadian Mining Hall of Fame dinner. Let us build on the achievements of those who created a great industry within a fine country. The mining industry shows the results that can be obtained by resolution, flexibility, diversity of approach, and exercise of knowledge and skill. Today’s mining people can take the lead in applying these same qualities to the task of building a country in which all its people find pride and satisfaction.

Companies can encourage their employees at every level to learn about the issues. Noranda Inc. has done precisely this in Panorama, its employee newsletter. It is well worth getting and reading. Better knowledge will help us all to develop an open and inquiring attitude about the grievances and aspirations of Quebec, of the West and of aboriginal peoples. Having aired my feelings about Canada’s future, I intend to use my next few columns to reflect on our industry’s future and how it might be affected by several specific constitutional issues.