4 - Weekly Record, August 9, 1988 OPINION Scene from the Ridge by Christian Perkins On July 19 Liberal leader John Turner—in a deci- sion that could make or break his political career—an- nounced that he would ask the Liberal-dominated Senate to stall passage of the Canada-USA Free Trade Agree- ment past the December 31 deadline for ratification, thus forcing Prime Minister Brian Mulroney to call an election. The announcement put Turner in the midst of a great political controversy. Murmuring sprang up across the nation as politicians and constitutional experts questioned the constitutionality and precedent for such an action. Some heralded the move as undemocratic, asking an appointed body to stop the actions of the elected government. But are these actions really undemocratic? Or are they instead forcing a majority government to pay homage to the democratic process? The center of the issue lies in the fact that Brian Mulroney campaigned for leadership of the Conser- vative Party in 1983 opposing free trade. In the 1984 federal election, he avoided the issue entirely. Once in office, Mulroney did a rapid about-face and actively pursued a Canada-US free trade deal. Now he has a Free Trade deal that he intends to force on Canadians. He is allowing almost no debate in the House, planning to pass the bill as is, without any revision. One MP interviewed by CBC radio said, “We de- bated longer on legislation to raise the tax on dog food.” With a majority in the House, Mulroney's Conser- vatives are unstoppable. Turner is being very courage- ous, using the Senate as the only option to force the government to be accountable to the Canadian people. For this he should be commended. Mulroney received no mandate to pursue such an agreement and refuses to return to the polls to get one. Granted, we can't expect an election to be called every time a politician fails to follow campaign promises, but surely an issue as large as the Free Trade agree- ment, which could quite possibly change the face of our nation, requires consent of the people. At least we should see free and open debate in the House. The fact that Mulroney is exploiting his majority and using closure to stop debate on the issue is _parti- cularly frightening. But, of course, Mulroney must force the deal through before December 31, when U.S. president Reagan leaves office. One of the biggest problems with the entire issue is the general lack of understanding most people have of the bill. A federal election would further serve to bring details of the agreement into the open, allowing people to make a more educated decision. If the Prime Minister is so sure that the majority of Canadians are in favor of his Free Trade deal, then why does he fear a return to the polls? Turner is not asking the Senate to stop the free trade legislation, he is simply requesting that it be delayed so the people of Canada are allowed to decide for themselves—democratically. The validity of a non-elected Senate and its use has been questioned almost since its conception in 1867, how- ever, people seem to forget the reasoning behind its existence. The problem with politicians, it is argued, is politics. All politicians must win elections. : This basic fact underlies their very action, thus they are often forced to compromise what they feel is right for the sale of public opinion and a few extra election votes. It is quite possible that politicians following public opinion may not always act in the nation’s best interests. For this reason, the Senate exists as a house of “Sober second thought.” Free from politics, this group of appointed represent- atives is able to review legislation, looking closely at the right or wrong of the issue, without the onus of winning elections hanging over them. Because of the controversy underlying the Canadian Senate, the body has used great economy in its action and has not defeated a piece of legislation since 1939. By asking the Senate to delay legislation, Turner risks making the Senate an issue—something that Mulroney is working hard to promote. Turner, however, is very aware of the risk he is taking. “Look, | wrote a book on the Senate,” says Turner. “In it, | recommend that the Senate be abolished...1 am saying that the trade issue outranks the senate issue. Besides, all the Senate is doing is giving the people an opportunity to decide. If that is anti-democratic, | do not understand why.” Perhaps Mulroney should brush up on his history a bit and recall the fate of Sir Wilfred Laurier. Through- out his entire career, Sir Wilfred had opposed reci- procity with the United States. in 1910 he, like Mulroney, had a startling change of heart and negotiated for free trade. That fatal pact with Washington proved to be the end of the Laurier years as the Tories beat the Grits 134 seats to 87. Let us hope the Senate passes the same short message it did in 1912: “This House is not justified in giving its assent to the bill until it is submitted to the judgement of the country.” Let the people decide. for the record iis Gu. SIL ACROSS THE COUNTRY, CANSDIONS Re TUNING INTOTHE Ih HOTTEST NEW COMEDY TO HiT THE TUBE... jovine Recomm = From the legislature by Bill Vander Zalm I’ve talked a lot and written several times in the past about the new kinds of industries and new kinds of products we have to develop if we’re to be a com- petitive province. That’s starting to happen and we can already see the changes, but new products bring with them new equipment and new manufacturing techniques. As the pace accelerates and new technology is adapted and applied, we have to step up our efforts to make sure we’re able to meet the demand for skilled and well-trained employees’in these new manu- facturing and secondary industries. To help us meet this goal, we’ve made a number of major changes involving educational facilities like the B.C. Institute of Technology and our com- munity colleges. One of the main changes will see the re- direction of BCIT as a centre of excellence for advanced technology. . As our flagship training centre, the institute will become focused directly on technological training so B.C. industry and business can apply new tech- niques in their day-to-day operations and, at the same time, take the lead role in providing a_highly- trained work force. Other facilities, like Capilano College, Douglas College, the Vancouver Vocational Institute and training centres elsewhere, will also play a vital role in » Weekl y Record Publisher Randy Hill Managing editor Nancy Perkins Editor Ruth Torgerson ; Paste up artist Holly Vecqueray Composition Lexcee Sims Address: The Weekly Record Box 1508 Tumbler Ridge, B.C. VOC 2W0 Telephone: [604]242-4789 Advertising should be brought to the Week! Suite 207, upstairs in the Rescan Building, 235 Front Street, Tumbler Ridge, B.C. The deadline for ads is 5:00 p.m. Thursday for the foilowing Wednesday edition. Record office Second Class Mail Registration Number 7334 The Weekly Record is published weekly at Suite 215, Chetwynd Centre, 5021-49th Avenue, Chetwynd, B.C. and is printed in Quesnel, B.C. Subscription rates are $15 per year for Tumbler Ridge area residents. Subscription rates for those residing in Canada outside the local area are $21 per year. U.S. subscriptions are $30 per year. : Se esi as Sok Sosa ee 4 eee ce eedecwwew the upgrading of our work force. And to make sure that we have the right focus, we’ve reviewed all the programs that are offered and begun a transfer process so each facility can con- centrate on specific areas of training. BCIT, for example, will keep its business school and add computer systems, security alarm installation, power engineering and electricity and industrial electronics. In turn, BCIT’s courses in areas like health records, horticulture, hospitality and upholstery and appliance repair will be moved to the other colleges. Construction trades training will be moved to a new Construction Training centre at a location still to be finalized and a number of apprenticeship programs will be looked after by industry. The end result is that our post-secondary insti- tutions will be well-placed to provide the kind of hands-on training our young people need to take their - place in the new kind of economy that’s developing in British Columbia. Rodeo sponsorship by Nancy Perkins When people see rodeo posters and other forms of advertising, they see the events listed and the amount of prize money and the entry fee. After the initial planning for the big rodeo week- end, the most important part of a rodeo is the local sponsors who each take an event and put up the prize money. The entry fees are added to this, and the two amounts provide the purse to be won by the top contenders for each event. In rodeo terms, this is called to make a pay day for the cowboys and cowgirls. It cannot be stressed enough that, without the local business support in sponsorship money, there would be no rodeo for the local residents and visitors to Fetters We ask that letters be free of libel, personal abuse or other impropriety. All letters may be edited for space or other reasons. Written copy should be legible and under 200 words. Your letters and opinions are a very welcome part of this newspaper. We are glad to offer this opportunity to our readers. Mail to the Weekly Record, Box 1508, Tumbler Ridge, B.C. VOC 2W0, or bring them in.