A s you read on, you won't f i n d much i n p r i n t (here) t h a t applauds t h i s deal . In every province, the premier i s heading a gung-ho "yest1 campaign, using hundreds of thousands of publ ic d o l l a r s . Mulroney and h i s den, while crying ' t h e cupboard i s bare ' when slammed f o r c u t t i n g funding '

f o r women's cen t res ($1.6M a yea r ) , scrap- ping the Charter Challenge program ($2.5M a year) & passing B i l l C-69 t o k i l l sev- e r a l nat ional programs l i k e Medicare. . . the feds scraped over $4M from the bottom o f t h e b a r r e l t o p r i n t & d i s t r i b u t e over 18 mil l ion copies of t h e i r "guide" t o a l l of us. The medium i s n e a r - t o t a l s a t u r a t - ion, t o make t h i s deal seem l i k e the res- u l t of profound soul-searching & s a c r i f - i c e f o r the benef i t of " a l l Canadiansf1!

What we're being asked ( to ld ) t o accept i s t h a t the NDP & Liberal & Conservative agendas have been put a s ide . . a re second- a r y t o t h e f u t u r e of Canada.

Mulroney i s n a t i o n a l l y l a b e l l e d a s the worst min i s t e r in- t h e h i s t o r y of t h i s country. Regardless of t h e w i l l of the major i ty of Canadians, he rammed the "free" t r ade agreement through (57% of vo te r s opposed), i n s t i t u t e d t h e GST (85% o f v o t e r s opposed) & passed b i l l C-69 t o reduce federa l funding of programs l i k e Medicare t o $0 within 15 years (86% of vo te r s opposed).

Because of our parl iamentary system, the Tories have an absolute majori ty i n Ottawa. They can pass anything i n t o law. This i s the r e a l i t y t h a t the Libera ls & t h e NDP faced i n Charlottetown. The F i r s t Minis ters wheeled 6 dealed i n back rooms, each t r y i n g t o keep t h e i r heads above the mud o f t h e Tory/big business agenda.

The most t e l l i n g aspect i s t h e l inkage of t h e "social & economic union clauses". This is d iamet r i ca l ly opposed t o j u s t i c e .

How can t h i s deal promise "universal , ac- cess ib le , por tab le , publically-administ- ered hea l th caref1 when C-69 is a l ready law? How can it promise "adequate soc ia l se rv ices 6 b e n e f i t s u while each province g e t s the r i g h t t o "opt out" of any nation- a l program & t h e f e d e r a l Tor ies have a l - ready begun t o withdraw funds by l imi t ing t r a n s f e r payments?

The message behind t h e glowing propag- anda is t r u s t us.

Mulroney's message, del ivered l e s s than an hour a f t e r t h e accord was reached, was "Anyone opposed i s an enemy of Canada." (Who's Canada?)

Before Meech Lake, suppor ters were pre- d i c t i n g t h e end of Canada i f it d i d n ' t pass, were s a t u r a t i n g t h e media with d i r e warnings, c a l l e d , E l i j a h Harper:!Wraibortf .

The r i g h t s of women were purposely l e f t out of t h e Canada Clause, then na t iona l o f f i c e s of women's r i g h t s groups i n Otta- wa got phonecalls from t h e Minis ter i n Charge of t h e i r funding, t e l l i n g them t o e i t h e r support t h e dea l o r shut up..any opposit ion would g e t t h e i r pub l i c funding cu t o f f . (Reported on CBC.)

Off the record, the rumor's true-on the record, the rumor's fake.

Mulroney, a f t e r people s t a r t e d point ing out se r ious flaws i n t h e deal , s a i d on TV t h a t Y'hey complain but don ' t have any a l t e rna t ive . " This is t h e most ignorant i n s u l t - a l t e r n a t i v e s ( f a i r taxes , f a i r t r ade , s o l i d a l t e r n a t i v e s t o every scummy ploy s ince '84 by t h e Mulroney/corporate agenda) have been sys temat ica l ly ignored.

A 2-minute r e p o r t on t h e morning news a few days ago brought a l o t o f t h i s t o a focus. Judy Rebick, P re s iden t o f t h e Nat- i ona l Action Committee on t h e S t a t u s of Women, confronted John Crosby 6 asked why women's r i g h t s weren ' t at t h e t a b l e i n PEI Crosby s a i d , "If we had t h e women, we'd have t o have t h e c r i p p l e s & t h e coloureds too." Rebick r epor t ed t h i s t o t h e media. Crosby was then shown, not defending o r apologizing, but a t t a c k i n g Rebick f o r hav- ing t h e ga l l / bad t a s t e / ( a s t o n i s h e d honesty t o r e p o r t what had been s a i d by an e l e c t e d o f f i c i a l . He s a i d h e r a c t i o n was "disgust- ing". . "contemptable". . "beyond contempt".

S1mat t e r Crosby - t r u t h h u r t ?

Aside from a l l t h e f lowery phrases and assurances t h a t t h i s dea l is t h e r e s u l t of i n c r e d i b l e work, i t ' s geared t o being a p e r f e c t f i t f o r t h e impending North Ameri- can Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Much of t h e devolu t ion o f powers t o t h e provinces and re-a2rangement o f gov ' t won't mean an) t h i n g i f no gov ' t can e x e r c i s e t h e s e pow- e r s without ending up i n i n t e r n a t i o n a l d i - spu te s with t r a n s n a t i o n a l i n t e r e s t s .

We have t o e s t a b l i s h Canada a s both f a i l and s t r o n g be fo re hidden agendas g e t a chance t o r e a r t h e i r ugly heads.

By PAULR TAYLOR

P.S.: If t h e referendum f a i l s , t h e next s t e p would have t o be a c o n s t i t u e n t

assembly..with people not worried about g e t t i n g r e -e l ec t ed dec id ing what ' s b e s t !

1 BATTERED WOMEN Shelter for you and your children Information about your options

Protection of other women Another woman to talk to

I f you are in need of food, clothing, free medical

care, or help with lawyers, the courtsorwelfare,

call us at Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's

Shelter (872-8212). If we're not able to help

you, we will aid you in finding another group

that may offer assistance.

Most of the services listed here operate with

inadequate funding -you can offer your support

by alerting your government representative to

the fact that more funding must be provided if

these services are to continue.

For further information, contact: Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter

872-8212

Autumn Finding

They happened upon a goshawk, wounded i n t h e road. I t was so bJood4speckled they couldn ' t make out t h e gray tawn li oh i t s b ~ e a s t . She wanted him t o s e t it down i n t h e marshgrass, t o he lp i t d i e it were, 5 be o f f .

Y o u a r e probably r i g h t , " he s a i d . "Th b i r d has no soul o r agony I can s t r e t c h upon a wire - nothing t o hold us t o it. Living o r dead, it c i r c l e s beyond t h e t imber l ine of specu la t ion . . hu r t s f o r t h which we cannot see."

She s a i d nothing. She was su re of him They l i nge red t h e r e unconsciously f o r

some moments, marvelled a t i t s s t r ange cry ings , wondered what t h e y should do.

A t l a s t he sa id , "We can do nothing." Almost dead i n t h e road, it d id not

look a t them. I t asked f o r noth ing . . i t d id not watch them go.

Gram

YOUR RIGHTS ON THE STREET

TIME: Monday, October 20. 10:OO a.m.

1 PLACE: Carnegie Theat re , main f l o o r . \\ I GUEST: JSm Quail , Legal Se rv ices Soc ie ty 1 1

"The cops a r e always s topping me E s e a r - ching my pockets 6 backpack." I I

"They wuldn' t even l e t h e r wai t a t t h e buss top - t hey s a i d gheyld throw he r i n J a i l ! IS THAT LEGAL? !I1

I f you have ques t ions about your r i g h t s on t h e s t r e e t , come t o t h i s event and g e t some answers. J i m Quail knows o u r commun- i t y - a n d he knows your r i g h t s ! J

(Free c o f f e e served. )

THE ARROGANT MOUSE

The a r rogan t g rey mouse sca red me t h e first t ime he bo ld ly ran a c r o s s my f r o n t room. I t upse t me t o s e e him 6 h i s leatr-

IC i n g s i n m y k i tchen .

He made me angry when I caught him e a t 1 1 i n g my 'new8 s u i t , which I ,had been con- I I 1 s i d e r i n g r e t u r n i n g t o t h e shoppe . He d i d p,ot even move when I went n e a r him.

I bashed him wi th a broom as he

I on threads . .6 have been s o r r y eve r s ince . I heard him squeal i n ~ a i n as I k i l l e d .

STREET-WISE AND HOME-HAPPY

Drugs don ' t respect any borders, so why should residents,who a r e plagued by them?

That was t h e idea behind a p r o t e s t marcf l a s t Friday n igh t , October 9, un i t ing two neighbourhoods across t h e Hastings border t h a t d iv ides t h e Downtown Easts ide on the nor th from Strathcona on t h e south.

I t was the f i r s t time r e s i d e n t s of both neighbourhoods had joined fo rces aga ins t the r i s i n g t i d e of s t r e e t drugs f looding t h e area. I t ' s g e t t i n g s o ch i ld ren c a n ' t go t o school without stepping over used needles o r condoms, o r having t o detour around drug dea le r s doing t h e i r th ing. Many sen io r s f e e l trapped i n s i d e t h e i r homes, unable even t o go t o t h e park, be- cause they don' t want t o f a c e t h a t scene.

About 100 r e s i d e n t s marched, many of them paren t s from Pr incess Place a t Prin- cess & Cordova, where more than 120 ch i ld - ren l i v e . The parents t h e r e have had t o organize p a t r o l s i n o r d e r ' t o g e t t h e i r k ids t o school s a f e l y each morning, even though t h e school is only two s h o r t blocks away. Strathcona pa ren t s have been doing t h e same th ing s ince l a s t year. A s t he march proceeded up one s i d e of Hastings & down the other , a number of sen io r s from t h e l icensed premises joined them."manksH s a i d one. "I f e e l s a f e r going home t h i s way.

The marchers made it c l e a r t h a t they a r e not l ay ing a moral t r i p on anyone. In f a c t many people f e e l t h a t most i l l e g a l drugs should be decriminalized. The same goes f o r p r o s t i t u t i o n . The Carnegie Community Centre Associat ion is on record a s favour- ing co-op b ro the l s where working women can earn a l i v i n g i n heal thy & s a f e condit ions & con t ro l t h e i r own business. Strathcona r e s i d e n t s have been meeting f o r t h e pas t two years t o come up with proposals f o r b e t t e r education & s o c i a l programs f o r s t r e e t people. They formed a new S t r a t h - cona Residents Associat ion l a s t week t o f i g h t f o r these programs, among others .

5 . But t h a t doesn ' t mean r e s i d e n t s want - see s t r e e t a c t i v i t i e s near where t h e y l i v e . Like any commercial business, these a c t i v - i t i e s should be zoned i n t o a non-resident- i a l area , where they can be c a r r i e d out without bothering o t h e r people. Most of t h e working women have been very co-opera- t i v e about moving when ta lked t o by r e s i d - en t s ; many a r e pa ren t s themselves & say they wouldn't l i k e t o have t r a f f i c k i n g go- ing on i n f r o n t of t h e i r own ch i ld ren . Ev- en the drug dea le r s seem t o understand the point . A number have t o l d res iden t s & Opp- enheimer Park s t a f f they would be wi l l ing t o move i f they were s u r e t h e i r customers would come, too.

The i n d u s t r i a l a r e a around the docks e a s t of Campbell i s b e t t e r s u i t e d f o r t h i s a c t i v i t y , and a "zone of to lerance" shoulcl develop t h e r e t o al low t h e s t r e e t scene t o continue without hass le . That ' s a l l t h e r e s i d e n t s a r e asking f o r .

Right now, t h e drug scene i s centred at Hastings & Jackson. There a r e drug dea l s going on round-the-clock, noise & garbage, t a x i s hr inging people around & taking them away. Within two hlocks of t h a t corner ar- a t l e a s t seven s o c i a l housing p ro jec t s , with more than 1,000 sen io r s 4 chi ldren. They have a r i g h t t o l i v e i n peace G secu- r i t y . People who have no chi ldren o r who

l i v e i n big bui ld ings with walls around them may not be aware of t h e concerns t h a t o the r s have, who l i v e i n unsafe h o t e l s o r i n smal ler houses & must contend with peo- ' p l e shooting up on t h e i r back porches, washrooms o r s i d e yards.

I

The s i t u a t i o n has been ge t t ing worse f o r , a number of reasons. There a r e more drugs around, e spec ia l ly cocaine. The s t r e e t scenes i n t h e West End 6 Mt.Pleasant were , driven ou t , without a thought where they I might r e - e s t a b l i s h themselves. The same 4 th ing i s happening on Granvil le S t r e e t d

r i g h t now. The drugs have g rav i t a t ed down t o Hastings S t r e e t , bounced around from Main & Hastings, t o Oppenheimer Park, S t r - athcona School, McLean Park, & now Jackson & Hastings.

I t ' s time t o f i n d a home f o r the s t r e e t scene.

By MUGGS SIGURGEIRSON

H A N D S ACROSS

BORDERS

On Sunday, October 18, an i n t e r n a t - i o n a l meeting w i l l happen a t t h e Peace Arch a t t h e Canada-U.S. b o r d e r .

People from Canada, t h e S t a t e s and Mexico w i l l meet t o g i v e t h e i r v o i c e t o opposing t h e proposed North Ameri- can Free Trade Agreement.

T h i s r a l l y is t o make a s t r o n g and u n i t e d s t a t ement f o r t h e media t o b roadcas t i n a l l 3 c o u n t r i e s , t imed t o come b e f o r e t h e e l e c t i o n s i n t h e S t a t e s 6 b e f o r e t h e referendum i n o u r coun t ry .

A bus w i l l b e l e a v i n g from Carnegie a t 10:30 i n t h e morning, r e t u r n i n g by 4:30-5:OO. I f you want t o go, w r i t e your name on a sign-up s h e e t i n Carn- e g i e o r u s e t h e s e d i r e c t i o n s : - Take S k y t r a i n t o S c o t t R d . S t a t i o n ; - Free s h u t t l e b u s from S c o t t Road

s t a t i o n w i l l t a k e you t o Peace Arch Park . The b u s w i l l o p e r a t e from 10:45 t o 4:00 on Sunday.

About the People's Law School

The People's Law School was founded in 1972. We are a non-profit Society providing legal education to British Columbians.

We do this by: Free Law Classes Brochures Radio Spots Videos Justice Theatre Children's Summer Program

We work with seniors' groups, schools, community centres, colleges, immigrant serving organizations, women's groups, and others.

We also offer legal information services in cantones;, Spanish, Punjabi, Polish, Italian, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Man- darin, Japanese and Korean.

For more information call or drop by and see us.

The People's Law School 150 - 900 Howe Street

Vancouver, B.C. V6Z 2M4 Hours: Mon. to Fri. 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Phone: 688-2565 Fax: 6gk-2566

r e j e c t anglo chauvinism & colonia l b ias . C. "But a "NO" vote w i l l des t roy Canada ....................................

( i f not end the world) ...................... This i s the cheapest of a l l t h e t a c t i c s

being used. From &lroney s infamous "en- emies of Canada" remark, through Weiner's brandishing of a passport , t o Valcourt ' s "dark future", t h e backers of t h e Deal p i l e on the hys te r i a . What chance does anyone have t o c a s t an informed vote ( i f t h e lack of the f i n a l t e x t d i d n ' t make t h i s impossible anyway) when the l eve l of debate i s so sad?

This Deal g ives them more ammunition i n t h e War on t h e Poor. OCAP (& ELP) w i l l be working f o r i t s de fea t .

The National Action Committee on the S ta tus of Women says people should vote "not1 t o t h e cons t i tu t ion . Here's why:

Abofiginal_-yomn: There i s no guarantee 6Z equa i i ty f o r women under abor iginal self-government.

Social Programs: Like t h e Meech Lake Ag- ---------- reement, th i s -aea l makes f u t u r e shared cos t programs l i k e a nat ional system o f ch i ld ca re a v i r t u a l imposs ibi l i ty . Prov- inces w i l l be able t o opt out of new shared cos t programs with compensation, r e s u l t i n g in a patchwork of programs ac- ross the country.

Behind closed- doors & a t the l a s t minute the F i r s t Ministers introduced an entire11 new l i m i t a t i o n on federa l spending. This th rea tens new & e x i s t i n g s o c i a l programs including medicare & a f u t u r e na t iona l program agains t male violence.

F i r s t Minis ters , not the federa l Pa r l i a - ment, w i l l s e t na t iona l ob jec t ives . These federa l p o l i c i e s w i l l have t o r espec t pro- v i n c i a l p r i o r i t i e s which could include ex- t r a b i l l i n g by doctors & u s e r f e e s .

The Charter o f Rights & Freedoms: The new ~ a n a a a - ~ i a u ~ e - i ~ ; e n i : f i ~ n i - : f i e - r ~ ~ h t ~ of governments a t t h e expense of t h e r i k h t s of ind iv idua l s & disadvantaged groups.

The Canada Clause s e t s out a h ierarchy of r i g h t s . A s it cur ren t ly reads, Canadi- ans & t h e i r governments a r e required t o be committed t o minori ty language r i g h t s . Only Canadians a r e required t o be committ- ed t o t h e r i g h t s of women & r a c i a l minori- t i e s . No one is required t o be committed t o t h e r i g h t s of d isabled people, l e sb ians and gay men.

The Canada Clause amounts t o a cons t i tu - t i o n a l d i r e c t i o n t o t h e cour t s t o i n t e r - p r e t & balance r i g h t s d i f f e r e n t l y than be- f o r e 1982. This weakens t h e r i g h t s of wom- en, minor i t i e s & p a r t i c u l a r l y l e sb ians .G gays 6 people with d i s a b i l i t i e s (Editor I s

note: and poor people too) .

signed t o guarantee gender equa l i ty & min- o r i t y representa t ion.

While some provinces have promised gend- e r equi ty , each g o v 8 t can decide how i t s senators can be e lec ted o r chosen. There a r e no guarantees of r epresen ta t ion f o r women o r minor i t i e s .

These p o i n t s were ra i sed a t t h e NAC mee- t i n g i n Vancouver on Sept . 20th: 1L.Sixty iFema a r e s t i l l t o be negot ia ted . 2. We won't have the complete l e g a l t e x t

before t h e referendum. 3 . Provinces w i l l be ab le t o nego t i a te

separa te d e a l s with t h e feds. This could f u r t h e r erode na t iona l programs and standards. 4. A %oll vo te could help make Mulroney

r e a l l y unelectable .

BIG MERCHANT WISDOM

Big Mouth Asshole favoured t rade , . Never thought how things a r e made

Up and down t h e land he went On maximizing p r o f i t bent.

Back and f o r t h ac ross the seas Seeking cash and making p l e a s Here and t h e r e and everywhere

For inves to r s , loans and wares..

Tom, t h e worker, laboured long Did h i s job, and got h i s pay

Never thought what could belong To himself , o r i n what way.

Side by s ide , these two were seen One f o r p r o f i t , one t o make.

Big Mouth d i d n ' t have t h e bra in To see i n Tom a running mate.

Tom, too slow t o th ink it out F e l t he couldn ' t do without

Big Mouth's endless t r a v e l l i n g So, he f e l l t o grovel l ing:

lfPlease be kind t o me," he sa id , "Let me have a home, a bed,"

Knowing not t h a t what he made Is t h e only source of t r a d e .

What can Big Mouth buy and s e l l

Editor,

This is i n regard t o the David Milgaard s t o r y i n today 's Province.

I have a r e a l problem about h i s mother pleading h i s case about h i s drinking pro- blem. In t h e paper it s ta ted t h a t David was 40 years o ld . He'd been i n j a i l f o r 23 of those 40 years.

Upon r e l e a s e , IF David wanted help from t h e government, about f i t t i n g i n t o t h i s socie ty , I bel ieve t h a t it was up t o him t o have asked f o r help.

There a r e many o u t l e t s here i n Vancouv- e r , and where h i s mother l i v e s . Help i s there ; a l l David needs t o do i s ask, not f o r h i s mother t o plead h i s case. Blaming does not help one 's needs, unless they ' r e going t o accept t h e i r own a c t i 0 n s . A ~ well a s doing something about i t , deal ing with it now can be so he lp fu l t o one 's s e l f .

I An Aquaintance, M. Prevost.

I Changing Times

I Times a r e s o corrupt I f Tom j u s t s tops from wel l? That Beelzebub has sen t envoys

Bea Ferneyhough To l ea rn business management

THEY' RE GETTING BIGGER

I bought my TV i n a second-hand shop Where t h e repairman s a i d

T h e r e ' s a l l new wiring i n the re Because of t h e cockroaches I

Hell is accumulation Now and fo rever Accumulation without end.

We have been pushed t o t h e periphery But t h e periphery i s not the edge Tora has s a i d it The periphery is a t t h e cen t re And t h a t i s where we a re .

I . .

That were l i v i n g on t h e wires*' The s p i r i t u a l i s p o l i t i c a l

The o t h e r day I took t h e TV back Make no mistake He hadn't removed t h e cockroaches Thy Kingdom Come doesn' t mean "They ' r e b ig and f a t from ea t ing When we're f ee l ing b e t t e r The new s tu f f around t h e wiring Or when times a r e more auspicious

And t h i s time I want my m I t means now. sprayedw Sandy Cameron

Dora Sanders m

Don Larson. Most of it was r e p e t i t i o n of t h e contents of h i s l a s t 3 o r 4 l e t t e r s . - alcohol & p r o s t i t u t i o n & pedophiles w i l l accompany a 2nd convention cen t re & c r u i s e ship p i e r s near Crab Park; - warships & personnel with bad.lbehaviour; - put p i e r s on west s i d e of Canada Place; - non-sensi t iv i ty t o l o c a l concerns w i l l destroy loca l use of t h e park; - Port i s n ' t allowing independent ecologi- c a l o r soc ia l impact s tud ies .

New i n t h i s l e t t e r were words of David Suzuki: "Economics & the environment can not be viewed as mutually exclusive o r competing because they a r e in te r l inked and interdependent. I t is absurd t o suggest we can only af ford a clean environment when the economy is strong because the two can not be separated t h i s way."

"The ecosystem approach a l s o d i c t a t e s the waterfront cannot be administered i n b i t s and pieces within d i f f e r e n t p o l i t i c a l ju r - i s d i c t i o n s & bureaucra t ic subdivisions. I t has t o be t r e a t e d as a complete e n t i t y and within a perspect ive of very long time periods . I 1 Larson a t t r i b u t e s t h i s t o Suzuki i n connection t o Toronto's waterfront dev- elopment & concludes t h a t " t h i s ( h o l i s t i c approach)is not happening i n Vancouver. . our park is being sold out.lt

Address t o Council Committee on Planning and the Environment

I w i l l confine my remarks t o those rec- I

ommendations i n the Director o fP lann ing1s repor t pe r t a in ing t o t h e i n i t i a t i o n of a development process f o r t h e c e n t r a l w a t e r - f r o n t . E s s e n t i a l l y I th ink t h e process presented is a workable one sub jec t t o t h e following concerns: 1. t h a t t h e proposed media t ion/arbi t ra t - j.: ipnrlpdnel members be s e n s i t i v e t o t h e needs G expecta t ions of t h e adjacent com- munity, which conta ins a s u b s t a n t i a l r e s - i d e n t i a l community a s well a s commercial i n t e r e s t s ; 2. t h a t the Ci ty undertake a review t h r u

a consu l t a t ion process with t h e adjac- ent community t o a ssess p r i o r i t i e s before enter ing i n t o t h e "cooperative planning processIt with t h e Por t ; 3. t h a t t h e "protection of t h e na t iona l

i n t e r e s t t 1 , i n r e l a t i o n t o t h e use of t h e c e n t r a l waterf ront area , : )be re - evalu- a t ed with t h e inclus ion of i n t e r e s t s , o t h e r than those s p e c i f i c a l l y r e l a t e d t o Port purposes ; 4. t h a t an assessment of requirements f o r

view preservat ion be undertaken i n a

l i g h t of p o s s i b l e e f f e c t s on ad jacen t park & housing; 5. t h a t improvement o f water q u a l i t y and

o t h e r r e s t o r a t i v e environmental impacl be a primary cons ide ra t ion at a l l s t a g e s of process ; 6. t h a t maximum earthquake p r o t e c t i o n

s t anda rds be used.

\ By KEN LYOTIER

I a wind ,was gr inding t h e v i l l a g e s i n t o dus d a i l y , news a r r i v e d of t h e l o s t co lon ie s of ou r se lves

I beyond t h e horizon, l i g h t n i n g cracked i t s white s h e e t s t h e migraine of p o t e n t i a l wrong stormed toward u s l i k e a f r enzy of s t a r s

I branches waved f e v e r i s h l y on t h e shore shaken wi th t h e thunder o f o l d a r r i v a l s h a l f of them vanished i n t o t h e sun while we watched from t h e beach th ink ing armadas

t h e r e is a b lack work a t t h e bottom of n i g h t , a name f o r i t s dead no one knows h i s t o r y a s l e e p i n s i ckness & t h e sweat

, of madness, t h e simply t e r r i f i e d who remember running from flames only t o -be n e a r l y drowned

a r e a l i t y l i k e t h a t s i l e n c e s . I was scared t o dea th j u s t t o t a l k t o h e r I kept t h ink ing t h e war would break o u t o f h e r graphic , unbalanced gargantuan s c a l e of t h i n g s something l i k e a camp s q u a t t i n g i n t h e g r o u ~ d l i k e h i s t o r y

I am haunted by t h e vacancies h e r eyes made t h e s i l e n t 0 i n hung mouth r ing ing unspeakable ges tu re s .

D a n Feeney

P o l i t i c s Not Dead Yet

I have no qua r re l with Tora ' s a n a l y s i s o f t h e dec l ine of North American s o c i e t y . We l i v e not only wi th a market economy but i n a market soc i e ty . Rela t ionships a r e de- f i ned i n market terms. Money markets a r e rep lac ing what North Americans c a l l demoa- racy, a s Tora says. The growth o f t ransna- t i o n a l co rpora t ions i s r ep lac ing l o c a l c u l t u r e s & l o c a l p o l i t i c s with economic p o l i c i e s t h a t support "the corpora te agen- da" & i t s dynamic of accumulation. Democ- racy i s dead & p o l i t i c s i s a dead horse , Tora concludes.

I d i sag ree with Tora1s conclusion t h a t p o l i t i c s i s a dead horse. F i r s t of a l l po- l i t i c s is about how we manage our r e l a t i o n - s h i p s i n community & i n t he world. I t i s an express ion of who we a r e , and j u s t be- cause t r a n s n a t i o n a l p o l i t i c s i s dominated by huge corpora t ions , i t does not mean t h a t we have t o abandon hope.

Tora i s one of t h e most p o l i t i c a l (and s p i r i t u a l ) persons I know. Every l i n e he w r i t e s i s p o l i t i c a l i n t h e sense t h a t i t comes from h i s profound concern about what it means t o be a human being & what a hum- an being i s up a g a i n s t . H i s wr i t i ng b r ings hope because it sugges ts t h a t t h e r e is a v i s i o n o f t h e world t r u e r t o our n a t u r e than t h e nightmare v i s i o n o f corpora te cap i t a l i sm.

P o l i t i c s is f a r more than p o l i t i c a l par - t i e s , e l e c t i o n s , o r referendums. The peace movement, environmental movement, & femin- ist movement ( t h a t has done much t o show I c

men t h a t t hey don;t have t o be s tuck with d e b i l i t a t i n g d e f i n i t i o n s e i t h e r ) a r e imp- o r t a n t p o l i t i c a l express ions f o r our time.

And t h e t imes a r e changing. Maybe t h e corpora te cap i t a l i sm of t h e west i s about t o co l l apse a s t h e S t a l i n i s t communism o f t h e e a s t co l lapsed . Mi l l ions of people a r - ound t h e world a r e searching f o r something b e t t e r than a s o c i e t y def ined by r i g h peo- p l e who would never f i t through t h e eye o f a needle. Most o f t h e "advocates" t h a t Tora r e f e r s t o i n one o f h i s a r t i d l e s a r e among those ca r ing people. They, l i k e Tora h imsel f , have found t h e courage t o f i g h t back, no ma t t e r how i n s i g n i f i c a n t o r abs- urd t h e i r endeavours seem t o be. I f t hey d i d n ' t r e s i s t , b ravely t r y i n g t o keep t h e idea of j u s t i c e a l i v e i n s p i t e of every- t h ing , t h e co r ros ive powers of p r o f i t and accumulation would des t royhope~comple t e ly .

So p o l i t i c s is not dead because ca r ing human be inas a r e not dead. There i s a s t i r

BCCPD says %otl t o Charlottetown dea l - The Board o f t h e BC Coa l i t i on of People

wi th D i s a b i l i t i e s i s urging people with d i s a b i l i t i e s t o vo te aga ins t t h e accord.

" I t was Dith shee r d i s b e l i e f t h a t I heard t h a t people with d i s a b i l i t i e s had been dropped from t h e Canada Clause," s a i d Mary Williams, Vice-president of t h e Coa l i t i on & c h i e f spokesperson on t h e c o n s t i t u t i o n . "The i n i t i a l shock was f u r t h e r compounded when I read t h e r e s t of t h e proposa ls . I t i s no b e t t e r than t h e Meech Lake Accord - t h e t h r e a t s t o new G e x i s t i n g s o c i a l prog- rams a r e v i r t u a l l y t h e same & women with d i s a b i l i t i e s s e e e ros ion o f t h e i r r i g h t s . "

The Coa l i t i on in t ends t o launch an i n t - ens ive campaign t o educate i t s members on why t h e p re sen t dea l c m l t be supported.

"We won't be in t imidated i n t o s i l ence , " s a i d Williams. Itwe a r e assuming we s t i l l

-

r i n g i n t h e n i g h t a s people prepare t o em- bark on a dark sea. Underneath t h e ravings of our p o l i t i c a l G economic masters , a t e r r i b l e s i l e n c e i s growing.. .an expecta- t i o n , P o l i t i c s i s no t dead. I t is chang- ing i t s sk in .

By SANDY CAMERON

Chi ld o f t h e s t r e e t e x c i t e d by t h e l i g h t s T u n e d on by t h e freedom from d o ' s and d o n ' t s

Free at last To s l e e p i n t h e cold To be has s l ed by c reeps To come o u t o f a s t o n e To f e e l hunger and p a i n When t h e l i g h t s go o u t and t h e people - a l l gone Waiting the dawn on a bug- infes ted bed Sleeping i n doorways No change o f c l o t h e s One second a tough guy The next minute a c h i l d Can you r e a l l y blame me f o r wanting you s a f e from t h e cold , t h e c reeps and t h e dangers you f a c e HOW can I n o t c a r e what you do Child of t h e s t r e e t ) I c a r e I do.

-- -- -

l i v e i n a democracy & t h a t we can c r e a t e some open, r e s p e c t f u l debate on t h i s dea l . The gov ' t has even refused t o r e l e a s e t h e (complete) l e g a l t e x t of t h e agreements be fo re t h e referendum. I t s absurd. "

Williams a l s o s t a t e d t h a t t h e Coa l i t i on would no t be l a b e l l e d "anti-French" o r "un-Canadiantf.'lThe Coa l i t i on i s on record suppor t ing Quebec's d i s t i n c t s o c i e t y a s well a s a b o r i g i n a l s e l f -government. "

1

I

answer any ques t i on . "I '11 s e e about t h a t " s a i d a s e c r e t a r y b i r d , & h e c a l l e d on t h e

THE OWL WHO WAS GOD

Once upon a starless midnight t h e r e w a s an owl who s a t on t h e branch of an oak t r e e . Two ground moles t r i e d t o s l i p qui- e t l y by , unnot iced .

"You!" s a i d t h e owl. "Who?" t hey quavered i n f e a r & as ton i sh -

ment, f o r t hey could n o t b e l i e v e t h a t i t was p o s s i b l e f o r anyone t o s e e them i n t h a t t h i c k darkness .

"You two!" s a i d t h e owl. The moles h u r r i e d away & t o l d t h e o t h e r

c r e a t u r e s of t h e f i e l d & f o r e s t t h a t t h e owl was t h e g r e a t e s t & w i s e s t of a l l an i - mals , because h e could s e e i n t h e dark &

owl one n i g h t when i t was aga in very da rk . "How many claws am I ho ld ing up?" "Two," s a i d t h e owl, & t h a t was r i g h t . "Why does a l o v e r c a l l on h i s love?" "To woo," s a i d t h e owl. The s e c r e t a r y b i r d has tened back t o t h e

o t h e r c r e a t u r e s & r epo r t ed t h a t t h e owl was indeed t h e g r e a t e s t & w i s e s t animal i n t h e wor ld , because h e could s e e i n t h e da rk & answer any q u e s t i o n .

"Can he s e e i n t h e dayt ime, too?" asked a r ed fox. "Yes," echoed a dormouse & a French poodle , "Can he s e e i n t h e daytime too?" A l l t h e o t h e r c r e a t u r e s laughed a t t h i s ' s i l l y q u e s t i o n , and they s e t upon t h e f o x & h i s f r i e n d s & drove them out of t h e r eg ion . Then they s e n t a messenger t o t h e owl & asked him t o b e t h e i r l e a d e r .

When t h e owl appeared among t h e an imals i t was h igh noon & t h e sun was s h i n i n g b r i g h t l y . He walked ve ry s l owly , which gave him an appearance of g r e a t d i g n i t y & h e peered about him w i t h l a r g e s t a r i n g eyes which gave him an a i r of tremendous importance.

"He's God!" screamed a Plymouth Rock hen & t h e o t h e r s took up t h e c r y "He's God!"

So t h e y fol lowed him wherever h e went & when he began t o bump i n t o t h i n g s they began t o bump i n t o t h i n g s too . F i n a l l y h e came t o a c o n c r e t e highway & h e s t a r t e d up t h e middle of it & a l l t h e o t h e r c rea- t u r e s fol lowed him.

P r e s e n t l y a hawk, who was a c t i n g a s out- r i d e r , observed a t r u c k coming a t them a t 50 mi l e s an hou r . He r epo r t ed t o t h e sec- r e t a r y b i r d & t h e b i r d r e p o r t e d t o t h e owl.

"There ' s danger ahead , I 1 s a i d t h e b i r d . "To woo?" s a i d t h e owl. "Aren' t you a f r a i d ? " asked t h e b i r d . "Who?" s a i d t h e owl calmly, f o r h e could

n o t s e e t h e t r u c k . "He's God!" c r i e d a l l t h e c r e a t u r e s aga in

& they were s t i l l c ry ing "He's God!" when t h e t r u c k h i t them & r a n them down. Some of t h e an imals were merely i n j u r e d , b u t most of them, i nc lud ing t h e owl, were k i l l e d .

Moral: You can f o o l t oo many of t h e people too much of t h e t ime.

" - - " - - - For Liz a t Riverview

Those adventures now a r e words i n someone e l s e v s mouth, d i s t a n t temples b leeding t h r u t h e blonde d i s t r a c t i o n . Fo rge t fu lnes s i s a s e r i e s o f shocks, of n i g h t s , each t h i n n e r t han t h e l a s t ; f i n a l l y i n v i s i b l e , W'E ~fdl&hErlLak: oE space t h e s i z e of a f i s t , r a i s e d 20 yea r s aga ins t t h e indesc r ibab le f r aud o f i d e n t i t y . You a r e a sound bea ten from t h e f l e s h , an ache, a b a r of s i l e n c e where t h e l i g h t fa l ls l i k e s t a t i c . A broken s y l l a b l e .

The i n s t i t u t i o n s h r i n k s from t h e road. Black-limbed, g n a r l e f t r e e s embrace absence crookedly, a kind of dark imper ishable l i g h t n i n g . The h i l l s seem t o breed weather, despe ra t e t o vanish , an invo lun ta ry p r o l i f e r a t i o n o f a lgeb ras f o r t h e inpene t r ab le r e l i e f . A s i f an equat ion could leadlyou l i k e a t h read t h r u t h e t ragedy o f your swollen thunder.

We s h a l l f i n d t h e unpleasant now a t every corner , i n every s t a t i o n dr inking t h e i r sugary i n d i s p o s i t i o n s l i k e medicat ion, . r e e l i n g o f f t h e i r imported p l a n s f o r love , f o r community, f o r t h e hidden wave t h a t does not brush them nameless t o t h e i r drowning. And when t h e echo of t h e h a l l s has d i ed , t h e wards c losed , autumn done, may we hear your song again though win te r and war come.

Dan Feeney

Well, I'm almost f i n i s h e d a new book. I t ' l l b e out i n t h e spr ing . I t ' s c a l l e d ' 'A Child I s Not A Toy". In i t , c h i l d r e n themselves speak ou t a g a i n s t pover ty 6 say i n t h e i r own words how being poor a f - f e c t s t h e i r l i v e s .

I d i d n ' t apply f o r any g r a n t s t o fund r e sea rch , but worked with t h e people who speak ou t i n t h e booktts pages. Expenses have t o be kept t o t h e abso lu t e minimum when I have t o cover mine out of my wel- f a r e cheque. . and t h i s way people d o n t t

mistake me f o r some ' p ro fe s s iona l ' who i s playing a r o l e t o g e t a s t o r y .

New S t a r Books pays me $100 a month i n r o y a l t i e s f o r No Way To Live andunder The Viaduct I g e t 10% o f t h e money books a r e sold-for - then t h e $100 a month i s pa id u n t i l t h e t o t a l i s pa id . You d o n ' t g e t r i c h wr i t i ng books about s o c i a l condi- t i o n s but I'm no t looking t o g e t r i c h . Having a l i t t l e e x t r a i s ' f un ' ! Thanks t o a l l my wonderful buddies a t Carnegie.

S h e i l a Baxter

TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED

We, the undersigned citizens of Canada, draw the attention of the House to the following:

THAT recent measures adopted by Parliament to limit fransfer payments to the Provinces for social programs are resulting in reductions in individual entitlements under these programs;

THAT these measures are slowly destroying the social fabric that holds us together and makes us proud to be Canadians;

THAT there is NO need for these measures since the cost of social programs can be borne by our economy if Parliament chooses to give the highest priority to the maintenance and improvement of Canada's social programs;

THEREFORE, your petitioners call upon Parliament to make a clear and tangible commitment to safeguard Canada's social programs, (i.e., health care, educational support, social assistance, Family Allowance, Cld Age Security Pension and Unemployment Insurance), by enshrining the basic principles and values of these programs in the fundamental laws of Canada, namely the Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

[NOTE: All signers must be of voting age. Your signature must be legible to be counted. For additional copies, please photocopy petition onto paper 8 112 x 1 1 inches or 8 112 x 14 inches, or write to One Voice.]

Signature Address (Sign your own name. Do not print.) (Give your full home address, or simply your

city and province.)

RETURN TO: One Voice, Canadian Seniors Network, 1005 - 350 Sparks Street, Ottawa, ON. K1R 7S8

'1'11 kj WALL Srl'lllCliiT .lili.,r. ,w..,., .*,.. JOURNAL ,. , U l i . ~ A r . , ~ .... -.., 11E1'O11'l'S.

Tlze North Ante~icnn free-lradc pact itlay be just the firs1 slcp toward a I~enzisphc~k bloc

The supe r - r i ch e l i t e , t h e owners/share- ho lde r s / execu t i v e s of t r a n s n a t i o n a l i n t e r - e s t s , have an agenda. The Wall S t r e e t Jour - n a l d e p i c t i o n i s a sample of t h e c o r p o r a t e agenda. Nothing is s a i d of t h e 60 m i l l i o n people i n Mexico who l i v e i n opp re s s ive pover ty . .o f t h e same huge gul f between t h e weal thy e l i t e s throughout C e n t r a l America and South America..of t h e " f r ee" t r a d e as- - p i r a t i o n s of t h e r i c h e l i t e s i n a l l count- ''

r i e s of t h e hemisphere. The p re sen t condi- , t i o n s of want a r e t h e d i r e c t r e s u l t of t h e World Bank & I n t e r n a t i o n a l Monetary Fund loan ing money t o pay i n t e r e s t on huge debt on ly i f S t r u c t u r a l Adjustment Programs a r e fol lowed. A SAP makes people produce cash c rops & goods f o r e x p o r t , r a t h e r than grow food f o r t h e m s e l v e s . . . l i k e r a i n f o r e s t s be- ing des t royed s o Burger King & ~ c ~ o n a l d ' s can have t h e l and t o r a i s e beef cheaply.

Compare t h e W.S.Journa1 p i c t u r e t o t h a t of t h o s e s e e i n g " f ree" t r a d e f o r what i t i s .

We bel ieve t h a t s o long a s market econ- omy a s p rac t i sed today p r e v a i l s a s the dominant t h e s i s governing human s o c i a l production, universa l genocide is inesca- pable - is inev i t ab le ; and t h a t it is ap- proaching i t s c ~ n c l u s i o n f a s t e r with ev- ery passing year.

We consequently be l i eve t h a t t h i s c i r c - umstance c a l l s f o r ac t ion now f o r fundam- enta l change t o br ing about an lend t o the f a c t s of l i f e t h a t a r e leading us t o our des t ruc t ion , namely: - an end t o l e g i s l a t e d poverty through

cons t i tu ted r i g h t of access by a l l t o t h e means E instruments e s s e n t i a l f o r making a l i v i n g ; - an end t o t h e arms race and war; - an end t o t h e circumscribing E reduct- ion of democratic p r a c t i c e .

Our c a l l i s f o r fundamental change: t o enlarge & expand democratic r i g h t E oppor. t u n i t y i n a l l spheres & a t a l l l e v e l s ; t o recognise t h e r i g h t o f one 4 a l l t o access t o t h e means & instruments of mak- ing a l i v i n g ; t o br ing about r e j e c t i o n of the "market economyf1 which p i t s every person 's hand G b r a i n aga ins t every o t h e r person 's hand G bra in i n a manner t h a t condemns a l l t o perpetual i n s e c u r i t y and warring - i n t e l l e c t u a l , manual, economic 6 m i l i t a r y . I n shor t , an end t o p r i v a t e monopoly.

Co-operative, not competi t ive a c t i v i t y , we f e e l , is c a l l e d f o r ; not r u t h l e s s com- p e t i t i o n "out there" but "out there" a broadening, l e v e l playing f i e l d of oppor-

I t u n i t y f o r a l l t o win, one E a l l , i n a win-win way, a s they say - an expanding E secure & happy l i f e .

"Life, l i b e r t y & t h e p u r s u i t of happin- j e s s should be our goal . ] The f i r s t 6 fundamental necess i ty f o r

s u r i i v a l is obviously good h e a l t h , E one cannot guarantee good h e a l t h without a t t h e same time guaranteeing access t o t h e means & instruments of production, i . e . t h e wherewithal f o r procuring f o r one 's own personal use, food, c lo th ing , housing & access t o oppor tuni ty f o r self-develop- ment through s tudy & education. Health r e s t s on t h e presence of a l l of these . They must be ava i l ab le t o a l l .

For success, the re fo re , i n achieving a v iab le c o n s t i t u t i o n , we must r e l e g a t e merchandising a c t i v i t y t o i t s r i g h t f u l r o l e a s a f a c i l i t a t o r , a subordinate & accessory i n t h e se rv ice of production f o r individual & s o c i a l consumption.

Merchandising i s by na tu re & h i s t o r i c a l - l y secondary t o 6 a t t r i b u t i v e t o product- ion, not dominant. For heal thy s o c i a l development it serves f i r s t 6 foremost p roduc t iv i ty & a balanced standard of l i v i n g a t the point of o r ig in of product- ion, providing a sus ta ined & balanced i m - proving s tandard of l i v i n g f o r a l l accor- ding t o t h e r e a l value of each 6 every- body's r e s p o n s i b i l i t y E good w i l l toward a l l - l o c a l l y , n a t i o n a l l y E in te rna t ion- a l l y . Only so can merchandising cease t o be a t h r e a t t o human surv iva l . 1

Recognition of t h e necess i ty f o r such guarantees of access t o t h e means E i n s t - ruments e s s e n t i a l f o r making a l i v i n g and of t h e s o c i a l l y responsible r o l e of mer- chandising p r a c t i c e a r e indispensable, we bel ieve , i n a meaningful, democratic cons t i tu t ion .

We Canadians a r e the i n h e r i t o r s of t h e enriching influence of Magna Carta & the l i b e r a t i n g impact of t h e Declaration of Independence 6 , i f we have the willpower, & t h e good w i l l , can be the saviours of t h e world from the degenerating se l f -seek- ing of p r i v a t e monopoly & mult inat ional corporate domination which i s leading t h e p lanet t o se l f -des t ruc t ion .

People 's democracy can triumph & can lead us away from se l f -des t ruc t ive compet- i t i v e n e s s E i n t o a world of co-operation & good w i l l toward a l l people. We, Canad- i ans , can - i f we w i l l - lead t h e world out of t h e mi l l en ia of barbarism E i n t o t h e 21st millenium of people ' s democracy and peaceful co-existence f o r a l l .

* For All-Canada Unity i n prepara t ion f o r the c a l l i n g of a people ' s cons t i tuen t as- sembl y.

By BEA FERNEYHOUGH

DOWUTOWN EASTSIDE

YOUTH ACTIVITY SERVICES

ST9 C l i n i c - P.londay through F r i d a y , 9am - 5pm. FREE bKDICAL C L I N I C - Mon, Wed, F r iday : 5:30-7:30pm NEEDLE EXCHANGE - 221 Main; eve ry day 9am-5pm. Needle Exchange van - on t h e s t r e e t Mon-Sat evenings . N . A . meets every Monday n i g h t a t 223 Main.

Out-to-Lunch Bunch meets d a i l y a t 101 W . Cordova, 10-2:20.

1992 -- I)ONA'I'IONS: Cement blasons-$100 K c i t h C.-$20 Paula H.-$20 Nancy W . -$I 00 Colleen E.-$25 l.r~ba P.-$10 S t u a r t M.-$10 NI:XT I!;SW I<oI)ert -$lo cmns - $50 I<oLary C l u b of Chinatown -$767.15 l,our S i s t e r s Co-op -$500 Joyce M. -$lo 'Tom S.-$5 DERA -$500 llazel M.-$25 Legal Se rv i ce s -$ZOO 'l'l~e old S a i l o r -$40 Etienne S.-$50 PLURA -$800 Ceci le C . -$20 ores st Lawn -$25 B i l l T.-$20 Jean F.-$15 Yvonne ,C. -$ lo E r i c E.-$10 Anonymous -$18 Ken -$5 Wm.B .-$20

Smithers S . S . - $ 4 5 Roberts A . L . C . - $ 3 0

A,4 1rI,-* ,~l.,~!l.,,t 11,. "I*"" 01 l,.d!"l.l".l r w n l r l h w l o r ~ mad not n l lhr A..orl.t Inn.

Tl r rnks r v c r y o n e l

The Downtown E a s t s i d e R e s i d e n t s 1 A s s o c i a t i o n can h e l p you wi th :

any w e l f a r e problem in fo rma t ion on l e g a l r i g h t s d i s p u t e s w i t h l a n d l o r d s u n s a f e l i v i n g c o n d i t i o n s income t a x U I C problems f i n d i n g hous ing opening a bank account

Come i n t o t h e DERA o f f i c e a t 9 Eas t H a s t i n g s S t o r phone u s a t 682-0931.

DERA HAS BEEN SERVING THE DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE FOR 19 YEARS

. . happiness Now they have t o buy the whole pack- I met my f r i e n d Hector i n a bank l i n e u ~

the o t h e r day. Hector i s b ig on the deci - sion-making l e v e l s of the NDP.

"Hi., Hector," I sa id . "I guess you & the r e s t of t h e top NDP brass have been busy f o r the l a s t year." 'lWe've been very busy," Hector r ep l i ed .

"We took o f f i c e bel ieving t h a t every id- e n t i f i a b l e group should have i t s chance t o be happy about us. We've worked hard a t t h a t end & we look back with p r ide on what we've done. J u s t l a t e l y we gave a l l t h e women i n t h e province about 48 hours o f happiness when they believed t h a t they a s women stood an equal chance of becom- ing members of t h e Senate. ' '

"That's c e r t a i n l y commendable," I sa id . "The women of BC s u r e l y deserved 48 hour: of happiness. But what about the people on welfare?"

"We gave t h e people on welfare not j u s t 48 hours but 2 weeks of happiness when wc announced welfare r a t e increases . For 2 whole weeks, everyone on welfare was hap- py because they thought they were g e t t i n ~ an increase. And t h e rednecks i n BC were happy too because t h e r e i s nothing t h a t makes a redneck a s happy as when he can phone i n t o an open l i n e rad io show & foar a t t h e mouth about how welfare bums a r e being c ~ d d l e d . ~ '

"So you gave t h e people on welfare an increase , d id you?" I asked.

Hector looked a t me a s i f I ' d gone out of my mind.

"Are you kidding? We know which s i d e ouj b u t t e r is breaded on. The welfare bums had t h e i r two weeks of happiness while they thought they were g e t t i n g an increa . se. We gave t h e increase t o t h e landlord: ins tead. That way we ' l l s tand a good chance of g e t t i n g it back i n t a x money & t h e landlords have t h e i r turn1 t o be~liappy

"I 've got t o say you're being very even handed when it comes t o spreading around per iods of happiness," I remarked.

Hector looked phi losophical . "Yes. Tha is t h e NDP way. To give everyone a burs t of happiness now & then. ~ v e n t h e shop- keepers have come i n t o it. We found t h a t a bunch of bums were j u s t buying 2 o r 3 c i g a r e t t e s a t a time. We made t h a t i l l e g

age o r everyone concerned i s going t o go t o j a i l . Sales of packages of c i g a r e t t e s a r e up & t h e shopkeepers a r e having t h e i r time of happiness. To say nothing of i m - proved t a x revenues.

Z thought about it f o r a minute & then I sa id , "But what about yourselves? Don't the e lec ted members of t h e NDP deserve t h e i r chance t o be happy?"

Hector looked grave. "Yes ," he sa id . "Everyone knows how s t rong the NDP con- cern is about Forestry. We're concerned as we watch o u t f i t s l i k e MacMillan Bloed- e l c lose i n on t h e l a s t few patches of prime f o r e s t i n t h e province & so we've decided t o t ake s t rong action."

Joy f i l l e d me. "You mean you're going t o pass l e g i s l a t i o n t h a t w i l l curb compa- n i e s l f k e MacBlo?" I asked.

llWell, no ,'I Hector sa id . "Your quest ion about t h e happiness of e l ec ted NDP memb- ers . . . t hey ' r e happy because they ' r e g e t - t i n g bigger pay cheques than they ever r got i n t h e i r l i v e s before. Now we're a l l able t o have handsome investment por t fo l - ios . The s t rong ac t ion we're going t o t ake about MacBlo i s t h a t each & every one of u s i s going t o buy MacMillan Bloedel p re f - er red stock. A s t h e l a s t of B C ' s f o r e s t s is cleaned up, t h a t stock is l i k e l y t o r i s e out of s i g h t . We'll be r i c h E very, very happy!"

Here Hector l a i d h i s hand on my shoulder 6 gazed s ince re ly i n t o my eyes. "Happiness can only be enduring,Vrhe intoned, "if you a r e t h e one who is c a l l i n g the tune."

By ERIC ERICKSON

(Edi to r ' s note: The f i r s t increase i n t h e welfare r a t e s s p l i t t h e new money - $25 on s h e l t e r E $20-$50 on support - f o r peo- ple who have fami l i e s and/or a r e disabled. Increases f o r s i n g l e people was so le ly on s h e l t e r . The annual t a g i s $60 mill ion. A s ing le "redneck" i s p r e t t y low-key when the NDP-got storms of f l ack f r o m a l l of the socred i l k , j u s t a s Rae's NDP gov' t i n On- t a r i o g e t s roasted i n the press f o r chang- ing t h e labour laws. S ince Eric seems t o expect miracles, t h i s piece should maybe be e n t i t l e d "Another dream I had". . .) I

THE RABBITS WHO CAUSED ALL T H E TROUBLE

With in the memory of the youngest child there was a family of rabbits who lived near a pack of wolves. T h e wolves announced that they did not like the way the rabbits were living. (The wolves were crazy about the way they themselves were living, because it was the only way to live.) O n e night several wolves were killed in. a n earthquake and this was blamed on the rabbits, for it is well known that rabbits pound on the ground with their hind legs and cause earthquakes. O n another night one of the wolves was killed by a bolt of lightning and this was also blamed on the rabbits, for it is well known that lettuce-eaters cause lightning. T h e wolves threatened to civilize the rabbits if they didn't behave, and the rabbits decided to run away to a desert island. But the other animals, who lived at a great distance, shamed them, saying, "You must stay where you are and b e brave. Th i s is no world for escapists. If the wolves attack you, we will come to your aid, in all probability." So the rabbits continued to live near the wolves and one day there was a terrible flood which drowned a great many wolves. This was blamed on the rabbits, for i t is well known that carrot-nibblers with long ears cause floods. T h e wolves descended on the rabbits, for their own good, and imprisoned them in a dark cave, for their own prolection.

W h e n nothing was heard about the rabbits for some weeks, the other animals demanded to know what had happened to them. T h e wolves replied that the rabbits had been eaten and since they had been eaten the affair was a purely internal rnatler. But the other animals warned that they might possibly unite against the wolves unless some reason was given for the destruction of the rabbits. So the wolves gave them one. 4 1 T h e y were trying to escape," said the wolves, "and, as you know, this is no world for escapists."

Moral: Run, don't walk, to t h e nearest desert island.

Yes o r no t o the Const i tu t ional deal?

HOW should I vote on t h e Const i tu t ion? That 's a question t h a t l o t s of people a r e asking. This a r t i c l e won't t e l l you how t o vote, but here a r e some p o i n t s about t h e deal a s i t r e l a t e s t o poverty i s s u e s and i s sues ELP has taken a s tand on.

E C O ~ O ~ ~ C union: This is t h e sec t ion i n the o r i g i n a l Tory proposal t h a t we ca l l ed a char te r of r i g h t s f o r b ig business. ELP voted t o oppose t h i s sec t ion . I t would've prohibi ted laws, programs o r p r a c t i c e s of the federa l o r provincia l gov ' t t h a t would be b a r r i e r s t o t h e mobi l i ty of persons, c a p i t a l , s e rv ices & goods.

The Charlottetown proposal t h a t we w i l l be vot ing on on Oct.26 t ang les t h i s busin- e s s r i g h t s p a r t of t h e c o n s t i t u t i o n up with s o c i a l r i g h t s i n a "socia l & economic ~n ion"c1ause '~ . Bruce Por ter , a lawyer who has been working with s o c i a l j u s t i c e groups bn t h i s i s sue , says t h a t t h i s p a r t is j u s t i c i a b l e . This means t h a t it can be taken t o cour t .

"A t r i b u n a l of neo-class ica l economists i n t e r p r e t i n g t h e meaning of "unduly imped- e s t h e e f f i c i e n t funct ioning of the Canad- ian Economic Union" could do a l o t of dam- age," says Por ter .

In any event t h e r e were no economic uni- on r i g h t s f o r business i n the c o n s t i t u t i o n ~f 1982. The Charlottetown deal seems t o give these r i g h t s t o business, although vith l o t s of exceptions.

Property r i g h t s : The o r i g i n a l Tory propos- a l wanted t o include proper ty r i g h t s i n the c o n s t i t u t i o n . ELP voted t o oppose t h i s par t . I t 's been l e f t out of t h i s one.

Changes t o t h e Bank of Canada Act: The or- ig ina l Tory plan was t o l i m i t t h e r o l e of the Bank of Canada to. f i g h t i n g i n f l a t i o n . b i s would'have been a d i s a s t e r f o r poor beople s ince t h e Bank's r o l e now includes Fighting unemployment. The Bank usua l ly Fights i n f l a t i o n by increas ing i n t e r e s t a t e s which inc reases unemployment & pov- r t y . This sec t ion was a l s o l e f t out of h i s round of d iscuss ions . -------__

Federal p rov inc ia l powers: The National Action Committee on t h e s t a t u s of Women says t h i s sec t ion i s now a d i s a s t e r f o r s o c i a l programs. There i s a new sec t ion t h a t allows provincia l Premiers t o r e s t r - i c t f ede ra l spending powers i n e x i s t i n g s o c i a l programs, such a s medicare and edu- c a t ion.

One sec t ion al lows provinces t o opt out of na t iona l s o c i a l programs & s t i l l g e t paid by the f e d s i f they ca r ry on a prog- ram t h a t i s "compatible with the na t iona l ob jec t ives ." This program could be p r i v a t - ized & probably wouldn't have t o meet high q u a l i t y s tandards .

Housing, labour market t r a i n i n g : The deal a l s o gives provinces power, but not neces- s a r i l y f e d e r a l money t o control housing, labour market development & t r a i n i n g , cul - t u r e , f o r e s t r y , mining, tourism, r e c r e a t - ion. This w i l l r e s u l t i n uneven programs between r i c h 6 poor provinces. W i l l BC a l - one have enough money t o r e s t o r e t h e co-op housing program chopped by the feds?

D i s a b i l i t y r i g h t s : People with d i s a b i l i t - i e s a r e outraged t h a t d i s a b i l i t y r i g h t s have been dropped from the Canada c iause , weakening t h e i r r i g h t s .

Aboriginal r i g h t s : ELP voted t o support t h e p r i n c i p l e of Aboriginal s e l f determin- a t ion . The dea l seems t o be acceptable t o t h e Aboriginal organisa t ions t h a t a r e led by mostly men. But the Native Women's ASS- oc ia t ion bel ieve they have l o s t Char ter r i g h t s t h a t they used t o have.

The r i g h t of Quebec t o s e l f determination: ELP voted t o support t h i s . We'll have t o wait u n t i l a f t e r t h e referendum t o see i f t h e people of Quebec a r e happy with t h e package. NAC says t h a t "the r i g h t t o s e l f determination f o r Quebec & abor iginal peo- p l e must mean t h e r i g h t t o democratically d e c i d e ' t h e i r f u t u r e without being over- whelmed by a massive campaign o rches t ra ted

by t h e major i ty p o l i t i c a l e l i t e s . " I I How t o sum up? Some of t h e worst p a r t s

of t h e Tory plan seem t o be weakened o r gone. These include t h e economic union, proper ty r i g h t s , Bank of Canada c lauses . Maybe we should take some c r e d i t f o r t h i s . But t h e l o s s of d i s a b i l i t y r i g h t s , eros- ion of e q u a l i t y r i g h t s , r e s t r u c t u r i n g of power towards t h e provinces 6 changes that make it harder t o have na t iona l s o c i a l programs w i l l make poor people even worse o f f than before.

By JEAN SWRNSON

I was q u i t e surpr ised t o read t h e f i r s t major advertisement of the BC Canada YES Committee l a s t week. Their ad urged us t o vote ftyes" t o the Mulroney cons t i tu t iona l deal f o r 3 reasons - - it w i l l decrease the s i z e E cos t t o the

taxpayers of government, with t h e t ran- s f e r of 6 a reas of f edera l j u r i s d i c t i o n t o the provinces;

- it w i l l reduce in te rp rov inc ia l t r ade b a r r i e r s ;

- it w i l l enshrine soc ia l pol icy object - ives i n t o the Consti tut ion. Those 3 reasons a r e reason enough t o

vote %on on October 26th. The Mulroney deal does anything but de-

crease t h e cost of gov' t . *Forty-two more MPs, a t a cos t of $770,000 each, i s the l a s t th ing Canadians can afford . *Forestry is being t r ans fe r red t o t h e provinoes bu4 the federa l department w i l l remain s ince most of i t s budget a t present goes t o in- t e rna t iona l f o r e s t r y products E se rv ices . "Housing i s being t r ans fe r red but the federa l dept . w i l l remain beca;& 90% of i t s budget a t present goes t o t h e maint- enance of f edera l housing p r o j e c t s . *Ama- t e u r spor t s i s being t r a n s f e r r e d but most of t h e federa l d e p t ' s money w i l l s t i l l go t o preparing a t h e l e t e s f o r t h e Olympics, Commonwealth Games E o t h e r in te rna t iona l events.

There w i l l be absolute ly no reduction i n t h e s i z e of the federa l gov ' t ; it w i l l i n f a c t grow la rge r .

-- -

The Mulroney deal w i l l do anything but reduce in te rp rov inc ia l t r ade b a r r i e r s . Section 1.6 of t h e summary agreement (not t h e l e g a l t e x t ) s t a t e s t h a t in terprovinc- i a l t r a d e b a r r i e r s w i l l be discussed a t a fu tu re f i r s t min i s t e r s1 meeting. F i r s t min i s t e r s have beendiscuss ing ending them f o r years. They a l ready have no commitment t o ending them. They've refused tod+scuss the d e t a i l e d framework f o r e l iminat ion of t h e more than 500 b a r r i e r s i n exis tence . I expect it w i l l be severa l more years o f t a l k , along with t h e over 50 o t h e r p a r t s of t h e Mulroney deal w h i c h a r e being tab- led f o r f u t u r e d iscuss ion, before any de- c i s ion i s made.

Last ly , enshrining s o c i a l pol icy object - ives i n t o t h e Const i tu t ion i s the l a s t th ing we should do. We a l l ca re very deep- l y about our heal th ca re 6 s o c i a l se rv ice r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s . To enshrine them i n t h e Const i tu t ion w i l l mean t h a t t h e 9 judges of the Supreme Court of Canada w i l l s t a r t def in ing what types of programs the gov ' t must o f f e r . I ' d r a t h e r leave it t o e lec ted p o l i t i c i a n s than t o 9 appointed judges. A t l e a s t we have t h e chance t o throw the pol- i t i c i a n s out a t e l e c t i o n time i f we don ' t l i k e what they a r e doing.

Cariboo-Chilcotin MP Dave worthy summed up t h e "yesu s i d e well when he s a i d l a s t month t h a t "Westerners must be ~ e r s u a d e d t o vote f o r t h e October 26 cons t i tu t iona l ; referendum, even i f they have t o hold t h e i r noses while doing it."

Darren Lowe

HAVE THE LAST WORD

Do you agree that the

Constitution of Canada

should be renewed on the

basis of the agreement reached on August 28, 19923

Canada's 600 Indian Bands are the only acceptable "distinct society" in a con- federation of EQUAL Provinces. An expanded senate and parliament means more politicians feeding at the public trough.

A NO vote is an invitation to the people of ten provinces and two territories to demand that no special status be given to any other part of Canada, with the exception of those peoples who First possessed the Land.

Say NO to an ill-conceived constitutional package, arrived at by an incompetent, factional group of special interest politicians.

Garry Gust DEside ViiLage Voters Collective .

." "OK, fellas, here's the scene. . . Bruce, you're upset. . . Mario there has eaten one ofyour eggs . . . you know you're almost extinct and your

anger has been building for eons. . . suddenly, you lash out!"

;bddess Remembered :

A poetic dowmcntary of <he pre- Christian, M a t r i a r c h y ~ fcaturrng d i s ~ u s s r e n by Mer l in Stone, Cam/ C h ~ i s t , Luisah Teish,Starhawk, Charlene Sprathak, P Jean BoJen.

7he Burning - Times :

PRODUCE8 BY MARV A U M S T R O h 1 6

try Chr;.stianity g. i t s r e la t ionsh ip to vrolence

-4

Ah in - depth /oak at t h e Wifch- h u n t wnducted

aclainrt wdm e n a f i e e n l r r ~ o n m e n t today,

A s r v ~ t o D Puooucrrom

7

Adam's WOPU : _