__ The Other Piess November 22, 1985 page 7 Tories don’t know nuthin’ Hull, Que. [CUP] - Finance Minister Michael Wilson ap- parently did not consult Sec- retary of State Benoit Bouchard before telling: pro- vincial finance ministers that transfer payments for health care, colleges and universities would be cut by $6 billion. Wilson announced the cuts, which will be spread over five years between 1986 and 1991, at a private finance ministers meeting int Halifax Sept. 26- ar. ‘| just saw Mr. Wilson. the day before this meeting but | don’t remember (if he told me about the -cuts),’’ Bouchard said. ‘‘If | remember | didn’t discuss this question, but I’m not sure...’ A pamphlet provided by Bouchard’s office lists at the top of his department’s re- sponsibilities ‘‘helping Can- adians continue thier educat- ion beyond the secondary, or high school level through fi- nancial assistance to provinc- ial and territorial govern- ments.”’ Wilson’s press secretary, Richard Remillard, said whe- ther the finance minister met Bouchard is not relevant. “If | remember | didn't discuss this question, but I’m not sure...” “Don’t get hung up on whether the minister met with the secretary of state,’’ Remillard said. “This is a decision of cabinet.’’ Bouchard also confirmed: the $6 billion total of the cuts, during an interview with Can- adian University Press at his Hull office on Nov. 7. He is the first federal cabinet minis- ter to acknowledge the figure, which opposition MPs have been using in questions to the Conservative government in recent weeks. Using a 1977 formula, the federal government will trans- fer $12 billion to the provinces this year for health care and post-secondary education. This is about 12 per cent of the federal budget. The fed- eral government says about $4.5 billion of this should be spent on colleges and univers- _ities, Currently, transfers in- crease 7.5 per cent a year, based on inflation and gross national product. “Mr. Wilson is going to negotiate with the provinces right now to decrease the level of transfer from seven to five for the next ‘five years. It’s not easy to have good figures but | believe it’s about $6. billion less,’’ Bouchard said. In the interview, Bouchard I'm so sorry parasites, | mean, students. The government simply has no money. said the federal government must take some responsibility for what happens to univers- ities, even though education is constitutionally a provincial matter. ‘ “The. federal government has to recognize that it has a responsibility for all the stu- dents of Canada. They have the same right - to reach university studies,’’ Bouchard said. ring more of the federal money to education, his min- istry will get tough. ‘‘As long as it’s possible to have a good understanding with the provinces | do so, | because it’s perhaps the best answer,’’ Bouchard said. ‘“But at the same time if we realize that the provinces do not want to take their respon- sibilities, we have to raise the ‘firstly we have to see with the provinces what is possible to do” Bouchard called the strug- gle to respect provincial juris- diction while ensuring col- leges and universities get the money that is transfered for them his dilemma.’’ “You were perhaps young- er, but ten years ago it was a war between the provinces and the federal government,’’ Bouchard said. ‘‘And one of the big problems that they had was that lots and lots of money did not reach. the provinces “because this—fight blocked the process. Do we have to cause the same pro- blems in the future? This is the first part of the dilem- ma.’’ But he said the second part of the dilemma is that ‘we can’t say (underfunding) is not our problem. It’s the problem of every person who is involved in this thing.’’ Bouchard said that if the provinces don’t start transfer- question just for the federal level. : ‘‘What are we going to do? It’s the prime minister’s af- fair, it’s all the ministers affair, it’s especially import- ant to me. And | can tell you that we will raise the quest- ion. But firstly we have to see with the provinces what is possible to do.’’ The secretary of state ex- plained the deficit using a student example. ‘‘It’s the same thing as if you have $4000 a year - it’s enough for a student of course - and you have to pay $1000 just to cover the interest on your debt. It’s not possible,’’” he said. Bouchard said transfer pay- ments would be a topic at the Nov. 28 first ministers confer- ence in Halifax and that he (Bouchard) was planning to attend. HARRY-StOP THAT SLY EVOLVING AND Come’ Hame! ff MARMHA...IM Done THs Soa OVvR KIDS CAN GO JO UNIVERSITY / ae Yy Ottawa [CUP] - Journalism students at Carleton Univers- ity say they have succeeded in broadcasting the world’s first computerized newscast. Using a synthesizer capable of producing seven human- like voices, the students pre- pared a regular broadcast for the Nov. 14 morning newscast on CKCU-FM, Carleton’s stu- dent radio station. Although the programme was like any other in content, the use of the voice synthesizer made it unlike any other in history, said participant James Hrynyshyn, a third year jour- nalism student. “We're claiming that it’s Droids on the first. We’re pretty confi- dent that we were the first,’’ he said. The students have filed with the Guiness Book of World Records, and expect notification in a few weeks. ‘\Ne're pretty confidant we were the first” The voice synthesizer, known as Joe Schlunk to the students and their professor George Frajkor, is able to read stories programmed through word processors and kept on computerized disks. With several alterations, the a synthesizer can adjust voice tones, pitch and characterist- ics, and according to Hrynyshyn, the results are good enough to pass by most students’ ears. “The voices are relatively close to humans, as far as voice synthesizers go,’’ he said. Hrynyshyn said the system “‘wouldn’t replace the human element. Basically it stream- lines a news office.”’ The students say other ap- plications include talking books for the blind, and simultaneous translation de- vices.