St. Lawrence Institute for the Advancement of Learning

Neil Cameron, an old friend whom many of our readers will recognize, has taken the time from his busy schedule as an MNA to provide us with our second article, an examination of the uproar created by the CBC's The Valour and the Horror. Neil, an historian of twentieth -century Britain, is well qualified to comment on this matter, and he provides an insightful perspective on both the historical and political dimensions of this current Canadian controversy.

Our last article reflects a new trend in Discourse which we would like to see more of in future issues. We are pleased to present the first of what we hope will be many articles submitted by you, our readers. When the Institute created Discourse, our main purpose was to provide a more open forum for public debate than that which could be found in the average newspaper or periodical. We realised that, by necessity, the bulk of the contents would have to be written by a core group; however we always hoped that a spontaneous process of article inspiring article would begin, and allow the journal to take off. In this issue, we are pleased to include a brief article from Morley Leonard Evans of Regina, who examines the benefits of adopting an idea advanced a number of years ago by the economist, Frederick Hayek. Readers need not be intimidated by the idea of submitting articles for consideration - they need not be lengthy, just well written and well argued. Should this not interest you, we are also in need of interesting or apt quotes to use as column "filler" - just send us in the quote, author, and source, and we will use it when it suits the surrounding subject matter.

As I finish editing this twelfth issue of Discourse, I look back over the two years since the last with a sense of satisfaction. The Institute has weathered the storm of Canadian political and economic life as well as most. We have taken the opportunity to revamp our administrative and organizational structure the better to respond to the new challenges we face; we have held two symposia in the Montreal area; and we have revitalized our Board of Directors as a body. With firm plans for two issues of Discourse and two symposia for the next year, the only uncertainty we face is that of money.

At this point I would like to extend the Institute's thanks to all those supporters who have responded to our appeals and sent us donations over the years. We hope you feel, from the results that you see herein, that it was money well spent, and we hope to continue receiving your support in the future. As many of you know, the Institute is not an endowed charity, but relies on donations to maintain its operations. At present, this is our sole source of funds. As we do not believe that access to ideas should be a question of personal financial resources, the Institute does not generally charge either admission or subscription fees to any of the work it undertakes - our charitable work, if you will, is the free dissemination of ideas. Impecunious students, pensioners on limited incomes, all form part of our audience, and we hope that the financial support of those who can afford to give will make it possible for all to benefit from what is being offered.

Sid Parkinson, Editor, Discourse