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Saturday, October 17, 1992 @

Returning to thos

“I must go down to the sea
again, to the lonely sea and the

sky...
for the call of the lonely tide
is a wild call and a clear call
that may not be denied.”
— John Masefield
Sea-fever

Polly Corbett suggested
that quotation when I told her
that we had been down to the
Oregon coast and Vancouver
Island, and as usual Polly was
right on target.

I was born within the sight
of the waves and the eternal
cycle of the tides. The salt-sea
smell was always in my nos-
trils and so I firmly believe
that those of us who were born
by the sea must return there
periodically to have our inter-
nal tides readjusted or we
shrivel and die.

We both had an earlier oc-
casions rejoiced in the remote
Vancouver Island’s west coast
and the fjords of B.C.’s north
coast as well as that of Nova
Scotia; as well as the seas
around the Hebrides and
Orkneys of Scotland; the leg-
endary Cornish coast of south-
west England, and the wild
Antarctic driven waters of
Southern Australia but never
had we seen the famed Oregon
coast just to the south of us.

We so often admire the

S

Reflections
and
Recollections

John CHARTER

mountains in the distance but
ignore the jewels at our feet.
This September we did it, vis-
ited the jewels — by eight-day
tour bus.

Purists will at once sniff
loudly at this tour bus heresy
and insist that the only way to
see the Oregon coast is during
a leisurely minimum three
week drive by car, stopping at
will to soak up the scenery, en-
joy the sea breezes and the
myriad sounds of coastal wa-
ters.

But these ideal conditions
rarely present themselves —
and the limitations of health
and weight of years are forever
with us so we booked a Maver-
ick Tour for Sept. 8, went and
enjoyed it immensely, and in
the process got our tides read-
justed once again.

The two golden anniversary
ordination celebrations and

the armed hold-up at the

e familiar salt-sea smells

Abbey which preceded the tip
and the encounters with the
pibroch (classical Highland
bagpipe music) playing, semi-
recluse of Saltspring Island,
the hidden animal sanctuary
in Sydney, the unexpected in-
ternational wedding and the
man who collects organs — all
of which occurred in Vancou-
ver and Victoria following the
trip. These are the stuff of a
later column. So lack to our
tour:

It began in Vancouver when
laden as usual with twice as
much baggage as necessary
we met the Maverick bus, dri-
ver Don, tour guide Pat, and
several of the eventual 45 pas-
sengers, including Joan, the
smart and well-groomed
banker.

The beginning of a tour is
always tinged with a little con-
cern about the mix of one’s fel-
low passengers as well as the
relationship between passen-
gers and crew.

However, when the bus
started from the parking area
in a series of unexpected jolts
and jerks and Joan called out
sweetly, “Don, do you drive of-
ten?”

I knew I was in good compa-
ny. Then when Don looked
back and grinned at her, all
concern fled. By the. time we
had cleared customs our num-

ber had risen to a full load,
mostly locals, though some
came from as far away as Hol-
land and England.

When we had boarded the
bus in Vancouver, Pat had re-
minded me in face and manner
of someone.

By the time we were merg-
ing from 45 strangers into a co-
hesive group and were being
introduced to the Washington
coast, it came to me — Pat was
the pretty genie from the long-
running TV series I Dream of
Jeannie’, and I knew that we
would have major con the tour.
Omens and symbols are im-
portant to the Charters
scheme of things.

After a brief foray through
the duty free shop we boarded
the bus and headed south
while Pat completed our name
tags in a large neat hand.

She outlined the course of
the first day, described the
company seat rotation policy
and order of exiting (front
right had precedence) and
started a clamorous bingo
name game as her initial get-
acquainted ploy.

Under her fine feminine
hand, by the time we had
skirted Bellingham and had
driven through Deception Pass
(which isn’t a pass), crossed to
Whidby Island (which isn’t an
island) and walked aboard the

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big ferry at Keystone, we were
already becoming an identifi-
able unit.

Within half an hour after a
sun and sky filled trip we had
arrived at Port Townsend on
the Olympic Peninsula in
Washington State.

This is a real heritage town
very old by west coast stan-
dards, and we were able to
have an excellent lunch on the
sundeck of a 100-year-old ho-
tel.

When our bus caught up
with us at 3 p.m., we had a
chance to view some of the well
preserved baroque architec-
ture of the mid 19th century,
drove past the naval reserve
and eventually to our first
night stop at Poulsbo, a town
which is attempting to capture
its Norwegian roots.

After an impromptu dance
performance by four costumed
Norwegian children, a good
supper, the nightly crib game,
(which I lost), I crawled ex-
hausted into the excellent bed,
mentally questioning by sani-
ty for embarking on this trip.
And the morning and the
evening was the first day.

My only regret was that we
had no maps to start with and
that I, who needs a chart to get
across a large living room, had
no idea of where I was.

— To be continued.

@ Saturday, October 17, 1992

THE NEW CONSTITUTIONAL AGREEMENT

THE
HIGHLIGHTS

Over the past two years, federal, provincial, territorial and Aboriginal
leaders have consulted with thousands of Canadians and concerned groups from
coast to coast. These consultations included Royal Commissions, participatory
conferences, parliamentary hearings, and hearings in the provinces and territo-
ries held by provincial and territorial legislatures.
: Federal, provincial, territorial and Aboriginal
A Social leaders have agreed unanimously on August 28,

an d 1992 in Charlottetown on a package of constitu-
L . tional proposals that recognizes the equality of
Zi MeitttliM al! Canadians and represents all of our interests.
The agreement is now before Canadians.
The agreement proposes that the new
Constitution would contain a statement of key economic and social objectives
shared by all of the governments in the federation. The objectives include
comprehensive, universal, portable, accessible and publicly administered health
care, adequate social services and benefits, high quality primary and secondary
education and reasonable access to post-secondary education, collective bar-
gaining rights and a commitment to protecting
the environment. The economic policy objec-
tives to be entrenched would be aimed at
strengthening the Canadian economic union;
the free movement of persons, goods, services,
and capital; ensuring full employment and a
reasonable standard of living for all Canadians;
ensuring sustainable and equitable development.

Exclusive provincial jurisdiction would be recognized in the areas of
forestry, mining, tourism, housing, recreation, municipal affairs, cultural matters
within the province, and labour market development and training. In addition,
to ensure the two levels of government work in
harmony, the government of Canada commits to
negotiating agreements with the provinces in areas
such as immigration, regional development and
telecommunications. Federal-provincial agree-
ments on any subject could be protected by the
Constitution from unilateral change.

The new Canadian Constitution would
recognize the distinct nature of Quebec, based on its French language, unique
culture and civil law tradition.

Avoiding
Overlap and
Duplication

Distinct
Society

In the reformed Parliament, the Senate would reflect the equality of the
provinces while the House of Commons would be based more on the principle of
representation by population. As well, various
provinces would be assured a minimum amount
of seats in the House of Commons.

The proposed Senate would be made
up of six elected senators from each province
and one from each territory. Additional seats
would provide representation for Aboriginal
peoples. The reformed Senate’s powers should
significantly increase the role of the elected Senators in the policy process.

The proposals recognize that Aboriginal peoples have an inherent
right to self-government and that the Constitution should enable them to
develop self-government arrangements and to take their place in the Canadian
federation. The proposals recognize Aboriginal governments as one of the
three constitutionally recognized orders of government in Canada. In addition,
the proposals provide for a negotiation process between Aboriginal leaders and
provincial and federal governments to put this right into effect. The recognition
of the inherent right would not create any new
rights to land, nor dilute existing treaty rights.

Now that Canada’s federal, provincial, Aboriginal
territorial and Aboriginal leaders have reached
a consensus, it is the right of all Canadians to Self-
understand the new proposals. Call the toll-free Government
number below to receive an easy-to-read
booklet on the new constitutional agreement
or a complete text.

It’s your right to know what the constitutional proposals say, before
voting on October 26.

FOR INFORMATION CALL:
1-800-561-1188

Deaf or hearing impaired:

1-800-465-7735 (ivi)

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