gor
da

defines

editorial comment

NDP putting its .

best face forward

What have we Canadians done to deserve the

characters who now occupy oar national

stage? I've been home almost a year and I have

yet to see Jacques Parizeau smile! Pauvre
Jacques! He's acting like a child

My Canada includes

reassure him we could still love

him, paranoia and all. But Jet-us

not forget that he and the Parti Quebecois are
wielding the axe over our collective heads, telling
us to step up and place our necks on the chopping
block. Then his threat is that if we do not accede,
the executioners might quit!

I feel I should tell you that a decade or so ago, I
was a fierce advocate of a bilingual Canada. That
just shows you it is never too late to smarten up! I
believed then that we Canadians could only grow
and prosper as a nation, both nationally and inter-
nationally, if we used French and English as offi-
cial languages.

I grew up in a community located close to the
Quebec border, went to school with and had many
friends who spoke English at school and French at
home, and I was envious! It is true that if you
have mastered English and one other romance

The first session of the legisl

4 i, di

Opened yesterd:
and the long anticipated speech by Premier Mike Har-

ly that the NDP

vernment will be “putting people first” on its agen-
for change.

“British Columbians voted for fair, open and bal-

anced government that listens, deals people in and
plays no favourites,” he said.

It's hard not to think of this area's disappointment

over the bridge fiasco when reading these words.

But, like a true politician, Mr. Harcourt leaves him-

self an escape route.

the doors of the world are open to you.
I was not alone in my compassion for our French
speaking Canadian family members. Many of us
believed it was time to right any past wrongs that
the francophones felt that they had suffered. We

thought it was the right thing to do! M:

contemporaries sent their children to French
immersion schools while we adults favoured
Berlitz courses, Bordeaux and nouveau Cuisine,

Seasons

Elma
Maund

part
Of the past decade defending
our French Canadians, When
Australian and other Pacific
friends returned home from
visits to Quebec and expressed
to me their dismay at their ill treatment at the
hands of Quebecers, I made excuses. I attempted
to explain away the rude behaviour, the

Quebec!

Mordecai Richler, himself a Montrealer, eloquent-
ly and humourously describes the French para-
noia, and tells it like it is. To paraphrase Richler,
the French Canadians are making ins out
of molehills.

If there is one thought likely to divide French
and English speaking Canadians, it is the realiza-
tion that the more we pander to the wishes of
Quebec, the more they will demand. The veto
Power they are exercising, in threatening to opt
Out of Canada, is the very velo power so many of
us view with distrust and much suspicion. Is it
deliberate that they are practising this discrimina-
tion against the rest of Canada? Surely they can
See that we are not prepared to be held captive by

the intolerance, and the surly service, The Citizens
of the South Pacific, for their hospitali

such whii tactics, ly if the cost will
be of such magnitude it is difficult for many of us
to

ty, were appalled. They were unable to compre-
hend the French hostility towards them. They
could not know that to the Quebecers, the Aus-
tralians” accents were British! They asked us
“What does Quebec want?” and we had no ready
‘reply. The French Canadians were dismissed with
the statements “Well, they have an attitude Prob-
lem! Other Canadians are not like that!”

I am upset. I feel.betrayed. It is now clear that
some French Canadians in Quebec have a larger
agenda. They are not content with their Progress
and the millions of our tax dollars spent on
accommodating them, their language and their
culture. It is obvious that they will not rest until
we are all speaking French as a first language.
Why should they be surprised now that “The Rest
of Canada” has stood up and declared “Never!”?

We Canadians must realize that we are the
envy of much of the world. Other countries view
us as a civilized people, with democratic tradi-
tions and a conciliatory nature. We enjoy a high
Standard of living, a basic work ethic, an abun-
dance of natural resources, and a plenitude of
Space for a relatively small population. We have
worked hard for an enviable international credit
rating. Our population comprises Canadians of
many colours and tongues who are, on the whole,
Polite, honourable and just. We all have much to
lose.

I still believe that my Canada includes Quebec.
But Jacques, will you please ighten up a little?
The time has come to practice conciliation and
compromise. Can you be a man for all seasons?

U.S. harassm

The Prime Minister of Canada appears to have
got his Irish up, as they say, about the increase in
U.S. harassment in trade issues.

Since the present dispute involves the Canadi-
an softwood lumber industry and branch plant

“We have begun, within the fi

Eloquently put Mr. Harcourt.
And so the game begii i

imposed upon us, to take action on the priorities we
put before British Columbians five months ago.”

The elected government rules, makes decisions,

policy and collects taxes—while at the same

time reports to us the good, the bad, and the impossible.

“The people delivered a mandate for change, and
today we've set out an agenda to manage better, spend
smarter and build on our strengths as a province,”
Harcourt said.

Have we ever seen a

wisely?

government
Is the term “responsible government” an oxy-

moron?

The speech contains key words and phrases such as
“sound economy, social equity,” and “fairness and bal-

Mr. Harcourt states a human face will be placed on

this

that will

baad tnd

people on income assistance to enter the workforce:
provide financial support for victims of abuse; provide
i and id i

funding for women’s «

C. that put peo-

ple first and sets high standards of integrity and
ity for elected officials.”

By Don Addis

“

[_woRet WEA OF WESTERN MAN |

on
485 Columbia Ave., Cestiegar, B.C. ViN 1G8

Brian Muli y is right to raise his
voice against the harassers, even if only against
what he describes as “low-level functionaries.”
But these verbal rockets aimed at ings in

ent raises Mulroney’s ‘Irish’

end, a deal was cut and the shakes and shingles
war was history.

This brief trip down memory lane has been
sponsored in the interest of reminding ourselves
Canada had trade disputes with the great neigh-
bor before there was a free trade agreement,
indeed, had one in the midst of the trade delibera-
tions, and - it follows - it will be ever thus. The
only diffe now that there is an FTA, deci-

the U.S. dep are, it is
something like a shot across the bow.

God only knows what Canada, the government
in particular, will do if the great neighbor still
won't listen, but we'll think of something: retali-
ation if ry, but not ily liati

Students of Canada-U.S. relations, and other
admirers of the world’s longest undefended border,
may recall the last time the great neighbot pushed
too hard, on the issue of shakes and shing!

sions on issues relating to trade can no longer be
made by American fiat but must be submitted to
an agreed-upon process.

And while Canada is likely to lose some, in the
Process of arbitration, it is also likely to win
some. A further reminder is a similarly obvious
one: getting even with the great neighbor, in a
trade dispute, is a mug’s game.

Of course, C: has protested, by letter, to the

of the Prime Minister, they are more urgent.

The Prime Minister has communicated to the
Presi: his over being h: d by
low-level minions in trade; does anyone believe
this was news to Bush? Of course, the President
is a friend, and will look into it. But have we ever
wondered to ourselves what the President of the
United States and the Prime Minister of Canada
really talk about, as friends?

I have, myself, thought deeply on that and
must confess to having no idea. But I doubt
friends, at that level, talk about troublesome
underlings, and were the subject of the Honda
Civic engine to come up, it would seem to me the
President would keep the conversation at a more
Personal, friendly level.

Indeed, my bottom line in this conjecture is
that Bush is really not much of a talker - an

My memory is that this dispute transpired in
the midst of negotiations over the free trade
and the di ion on shin-
gles required the best efforts of Pat Carey, Cana-
da’s minister for trade, Michael Wilson, who
knew his way around James Baker, and Derek
Burney, now Canada’s man in Washington, and,
of course, the Prime Minister who, it was widely
held, knew his way around Ronald Reagan.

But to this formidable weight of advocacy was
added - some will remember - a further Canadian
thrust: we put a tax on American books, a stroke
that left book sellers and their legions of intellec-
tual free traders on this side of the border reeling
from shock but left the president of the United
States, among others, unmoved. Reagan, after all,
did not read books but saw all the movies. In the

gs in Wi It is our p
trade disputes mechanism is being overused by our
trading partners, at our expense and inconvenience,

Being also polite, no one has said that Canadians
are aware of the fact the exploitative overuse is the
result of Ameri ck ic politics, the di
cy thereof, which is a poor way to treat friend.

But another reason, apart from good Canadian
manners, for not bringing that up is it won’t matter
~ Our awareness, that is - to Carla Hills, the ranking
underling at Commerce, or to Jules Katz, a lesser
one, nor will it matter at all to President George
Bush.

Bush would know, as we all do, the Honda dis-
pute - as well as lumber - is political. This is
Party time in America when the President is cam-
Paigning for a second term. And while his politi-
cal problems are not nearly as profound as those

iP confirmed by trying to understand
anything he says - but he makes up for this by not
being much of a listener either.

It is hard to get the President's ear, harder still
when he’s falling in the polls and fighting to
shore up the support of his true friends, those
with votes. But I hope we don’t escalate this
trade thing - talking Bushspeak - and anyway
we've already done books.

But maybe the government could ease back
from its ongoing exertions in the cause of conti-
nental trilateral trade: we could at least instruct
the Mexicans about some of the certain perils.
Otherwise, we can simply live with it, keep the
Phone bill down, and see what happens down the
road. In Washington, it’s called the vision thing.

Dalton Camp is a political columnist and com-
mentator.

Politicians need
to listen to
women’s rights
before deciding
about Quebec’s

Ve i Miyy*~
‘ ty, Ny

Wednesday, March 18, 1992

The Castlegar Sun

Letters to the Editor

Sir Galahad behind the

Dear Editor:

The following is a shortened
version of my “bouquet of thanks”
to former Soviet President Gor-
bachev for his exceptional contri-
bution to the ending of East-West
tension. A Russian translation (By
Mr. Karilic Alimkulov, PhD, of
Castlegar) was sent to Mr. Gor-
bachev. Copies (in English) were
sent — along with notes of appre-
ciation for their contributions to
the process — to various world
leaders, namely Messrs. Mul-
roney, Bush, Major and Ghali (UN
Secretary General).

Though only a child at the time
I clearly remember when Sir Win-
ston Churchill - in his usual deep,
ponderous voice - praised the
young airmen of the Royal Air
Force for their remarkable victory
in the Battle of Britain - that his-
toric showdown in the skies
which turned the tide against
Hitler's drive to rule the world. In
the unbelievably calm, deliberate,

unhurried voice - highly symbolic
Of the stubborn British Resistance
~ he said: “Never before in history
was 80 much owed by so many to
80 few",

Fifty years have now passes
and we have just witnessed the
rise (and decline) of another hero
of enormous significance to the
world - a man named Mikhail
Gorbachev. Although his star -
truly a “supernova” - is now on
the wane I believe it is appropriate
to say: “Never before in history
was so much owed by so many to
one many”.

How quickly we forget those
spine-chilling terms that struck
cold terror into our hearts for
more than forty years - frightful
words like “hydrogen bomb”,
“nuclear winter” and “mutually
assured destruction”. Almost
Overnight these nightmarish terms
began to disappear from our lives,
largely through the efforts of one
dedicated man.

With exceptional clairvoyance
and courage Mr. Gorbachev saw
that the Soviet Union (as well as
the West) had had enough of the
global duel of “Russian Roulette”
and called upon world leaders to
join him in his monumental tasks:

An end to the Berlin Wall

A major reduction of missiles
in Europe

A nuclear weapons free Arctic

A nuclear weapons free world
by the year 2000

Any one of these would hither-
to have been impossible. At first
the world almost laughed at him -
then suddenly the laughing
stopped as the first two of these
Herculean feats became “faits
accomplis” and the others appear
to be well under way.

Not that we aren’t grateful for
the wisdom of our westem lead-
ers who met the Gorbachev chal-
lenge half way and together broke
the stranglehold of nuclear terror
that had gripped us for so long.

yet what a paradox that virtually
all the initiative, determination
and drive towards this end came
from this gallant “Sir Galahad
from behind the “iron Curtain”
who came to slay the multiheaded
dragon of nuclear escalation.

Tt was he who threw the wrench
into the gears of the satanic engine
and slowed its fateful pace.
Almost single-handedly he wres-
ed with the doomsday clock and
cheated it out of its appointed
hour. What a knight in shining
armour! Achilles himself could
not have done better. But what an
irony that while the world
breathed a welcome sigh of relief
the stoic Soviet people - who
know so much about suffering -
still saw empty shelves and chose
another leader. And what an irony
that Mr. Gorbachev's commend-
able gestures of philanthropy
towards the whole world at the
same time allowed the dismantling
of his beloved Soviet Union. His

Castlegar speaks loud and clear

Dear Editor:

I want to acknowledge,
through your paper, the letters
and petitions I’ve received from
hundreds of residents of Castlegar
in the past four weeks. The panel
which I chaired asked for your
reaction to the proposed transfer
of Tree Farm Licence #23 from
Westar to Pope and Talbot. Your

iP has been overwhelming.
The community of Castlegar
has spoken loudly and clearly

about its desire to have Pope and
Talbot's proposal approved, and
to get the Castlegar mill up and
running. I want to assure you that
I, your member of the Legisla-
ture, Ed Conroy, and all the mem-
bers of the panel share your
desire that the Castl mill

ar to Pope and Talbot are now in
the hands of the Minister of
Forests. As we promised when
we visited Castlegar, we have
conveyed to the Minister your
desire for prompt action.

Our panel wanted to provide
i of the West Koote-

become and remain a stable
employer and an efficient proces-
sor of wood from TFL 323.

Our recommendations for
transfer of this tenure from West-

nay with a chance to say what
they thought of the companies’
Proposal for the use of our public
forests before the government
approved or rejected it. We

Bring foreign monopoly to economic reality

Dear Premier Harcourt:

I have just paid my monthly.
electricity bill from West Koote-
nay Power. By being on their
budget payment play I was thor-
oughly astonished, that in this
day and age of cutbacks and very
limited wage increases, my bill
increases from $50 to %60. This
sir, wanslates into a $20 per cent
increase that I have to pay. Equal-
ly astonishing is the fact that this
monopoly can charge whatever
they please, before it is approved
by the BC Utilities Commission.
If all of us could do this, how

long would anything last? This is
done by a company that enjoys a
substantial profit every year.

This letter, Premier Harcourt,
is a direct challenge to you. Your
party has always professed to
stand for the ordinary working
people. Therefore, on this issue
you should not sit on the fence
but you should intervene in the
BC Utilities Commission hear-
ings directly, and bring this for-
eign owned monopoly to
economic reality. It is time to
Prove to the people of this
Province that the NDP govern-

Castlegar branch supports
Lower Arrow Ecological Study

Dear Editor:

The February meeting of WC2
centered around a ‘midnight-
hour’ definition of the Lower
Arrow Ecological Study Propos-
al. This is a seven-creek section
of the south-facing slope of the
Valhalla Range from the height
of land to the shoreline lying
north of Deer Park including the
Van Houten watershed. For tim-
ber extraction,most of this pro-
posed area is inoperable.

In contrast to Nelson’s West
Arm proposal, this Lower ‘Arrow
Ecological Study Proposal is a
sunny, pine-grassland, open bit of

dren will wish to have a sample
of original and untouched forest
to explore and appreciate.

As the TFL 23 changes hands,
now is the most convenient and
least costly time to consider sav-
ing a small portion for study. The
whole land area of TFL 23 is
huge; half the size of Vancouver
Island! The time will come when
a few of these creeks, Gladstone
and Sunshine, in particular, will
be precious enough to keep intact.

The next meeting of WC23 is
scheduled in the library on
March 19 at 6 p.m.

Barbara Murdoch

ment that we elected is not just
another puppet regime of foreign
owned corporations.

Before making your final deci-
sion on this challenge Premier
Harcourt, please take notice that
voters’ memories are constantly
getting longer and better.

, Yours truly,
Bill Strilaeff
Castlegar

believe that public participation
in decision making about our
forests should be encouraged and
enhanced. Thank you for your
participation.
Paul Ramsey, MLA
Parliamentary Secretary
to the Minister of Forests

Letters Policy

Letters to the Editor are wel-
come on any topic of local or
general interest. Letters should
be double-spaced, typewritten, or
legibly handwritten, and no more
than two pages if possible. Let-
ters will be edited in the interests
of brevity or taste if necessary.
All letters must be signed, with
address and telephone number,
although names may be witheld
from publication for valid reason
by the approval of the editor.
Send letters to: The Castlegar
Syn, 465 Columbia Ave.,
Castlegar, B.C., VIN 1G8, or

Iron Curtain

“glasmost’ and “perestroika” have
not yet been the answer at home.

Sadly now the plight of Mr.
Gorbachev is not unlike that of
Moses who after leading his wan-
dering tribes of Israel to the very
brink of the “promised land’ -
having then fulfilled his appointed
task - never himself got to cross
the River Jordan to set foot on the
other side,

Yet because of Mikhail Gor-
bachev - and other western
“knights of the round table” who
joined him in his noble crusade -
our planet Earth now seems to
have a second chance. And so I
believe I express the feelings of
many people throughout the

world in saying: “Mr. Gorbachev,

we owe you a tremendous vote of
thanks!”

HLF. Killough

Castlegar

Minority Language Education
Report Released For Public Input
The B.C. Minority Language Education Task Force report
has been released for public input.

The task force, established in May of 1990 was struck to
Propose methods of providing French education principles
Consistent with section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights
and Freedoms.

The deadline for responses to the report is June 30, 1992.

For more information or for a copy of the report please
contact:

The Ministry.of Education and

Ministry Responsible for Multiculturalism

and Human Rights

Harley Trudeau

Assistant Director

Languages and Multicultural Programs Branch

356-2527

Province of British Columbia

Ministry of Education and
Ministry Responsible for

Multiculuralism and Human Rights

drop them off at the office.

WANTED

New Members
for: Ladies Auxilliary

to
Robson Volunteer Fire Dept.

<

Info: 365-6937 (pres.) 365-6798 (vice-pres.)

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In this era of political correctness,
there are some things politicians
simply cannot do.

Mike
Duffy

Syndicated
Columnist

Brian Mulroney can’t vent his
anger at the slime who produce
Ottawa's Frank magazine, without
being branded “politically incorrect”

by the National Action C
on the Status of Women. (Where's
NAC’s release condemning Frank
for advocating the “deflowering” of
Caroline Mulroney?)

Rights, will be the crunch issue for

Sure Newfoundland and the West
want a “Triple E” Senate, and natu-
rally natives want to mun their own
show, but Quebec is the only

ince to set a deadline for blow-

sion of native self-government. (Fin-
ger pointing by “white men” is not
the “PC.”)

Joe Clark and the others should
have put limits on participation by
the territories and native groups,
even if t0 do so is not “PC.”

This is because, in the end, the
Current law will determine the shape
of our next constitution.

That law, with its Charter of

ing this beautiful nation apart, if its
demands aren't met.

If im their rush to be “PC” Ouawa
and the provinces don’t respect the
constitution today, they'll be hard
Pressed to invoke it tomorrow.

Quebec wants the ability to “dis-
criminate” within its own borders in
the mame of preserving and promot-
ing its “distinct society.”

But scratch the surface of some
Quebec feminists and what do you
find?

Concem, serious concer, that the
power to “preserve and protect”
Quebec society could lead to a
Province in which a whole range of
rights—especially women's rights—
might be ied.

Currently, Quebec's power for
what some call “positive discrimina-
tion” is circumscribed by the Chanter
of Rights.

But who knows where a transfer
of additional powers to Quebec

cess from 11 to 17 participants. _The
federal government and the 10
Provinces; plus the two territories
and four native groups.) ;
In the end, it is the 11 who will

Cast the final votes, but right up until
that final moment, in public and in
Private, the territories and natives
will be there, arguing for their point
of view as if they were already
sovereign.

If Quebec gets more power to dis-
criminate against its own citizens to
Preserve and protect its French lan-
guage and culture, what's to prevent
Canada’s aboriginal peoples from

ing the same?

Like their sisters in Quebec,
which has the power to separate if it
doesn’t get what it wants, Canada's
Natives are still not legally sovereign.

Before they are given that power
our “PC™ leaders like Joe Clark, Bob
Rae and Joe Ghiz, should spend
some time listening to the women.

Southern Columbian forest easily
accessible to the growing popula-
tion of Castlegar.

To date there has been no real
planning for Arrow Lakes. It is
just for resource extraction. Of
the 90-some creeks that feed the
lakes system, none have been
saved. To WC2 members, it may
be foreseeable that our grandchil-

Castlegar.

letters
continued
on page 8A

LABELS FOR EDUCATION

LABEL-GRAM

PLEASE DON'T THROW THAT LABEL AWAY!

Dear Parents:
Now that we're participating in ‘campbell's Labels for Education Program,
labels and other purchase proofs from the products represent a valuable
resource for our Shrine Hopital School. SO please don't throw them away!
When you tum these labels in to us, you'll be helping to improve the quality
of education at our school, by making it possible to obtain FREE educational
equipment we migh not otherwise have.
To pedi For Pick Up Phone Your Hospital
- presentatives
Keith Johnson 365-3493
Andy Andrew 365-5992
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Your Local Shrine Clubs _| /
Thank You For Your
Support |

BCys
Environment
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BC Environment's Pesticide Management
Program invites the public to attend a
discussion on proposed new pesticide
management policies in British Columbia.

The meeting features presentations by Dan
Cronin, Permits and Special Projects Coor-
dinator for the Ministry in Victoria, and Bob
Hlatky, Pesticide Manager for Kootenay
Region.

A discussion on current pesticide regula-
tions and proposed new directions follows.

Wednesday, March 25, 1992
7:30 to 10 pm

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Creston and District
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312 North 19th Avenue
Creston, B.C.

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