WEST Vancouver ¢ Memorial Library is hoping to seach its 1996
fundraising goal of $25,000.
: Peopic interested in ‘making donations are invited to send a
; cheque t made payable to the Memorial Library Foundation of
” West Vancouver (1950 Marine Dr., W.V., V7V 18).
Another way to aid the library is to purchase its Rainy Day
umbrellas, which library officials say make wonderful Christmas
For. more information call 925-7410.

Canada needs to start over

By Eckehart J. Priebe

Contributing Writer

THERE is unrest in our
country, an uneasiness
about its very existence
as never before.

The UN-awarded predicate
“The best country in the
world to live in” has lost its
meaning for Canadians.

In spite of the vast natural
wealth there are difficulties in
feeding the needy, treating the
sick, safeguarding the seniors
and maintaining the standard
of living Canada is so widely
praised for.

Decades of political and
economic mismanagement
have made us dependents of
internal and international
money lenders.

National unity is suffering
from ethnic strife and is jeop-
ardized by separatism.

Politigans hav have done littic
to foster a sense of national
unity and pride of a nation
composed of so many different
peoples, brought together by
the country’s open-door poli-

“In in just 100 years Canada’s
rion tion has grown from 4

jon aborigines and

uropean immigrants to 30
ml people from all over
the world, resulting in a fun-
damental transformation of
the sociological structure of its
society.
ke They made their influence
felt on our lifestyle, our Cts
of human relations, the con
cepts of family life, the rela-
tionship of genders.

Multiculturalism became
the nor plus ultra under which
the politicians tried to adjust
to the vastly different require-
ments of our times. But multi-
culturalism has shown more
separating than unifying symp-
toms — sort of a boomerang
effect.

Gur daily lite is still gov-
erned by a constitution

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imported by the first pioncers
from Great Britain along with
the British Law for the North
American Colonies.

Tt ignores the fact that,
today, 11 million Canadians
are of neither British nor
French origin.

The Americans fought a a
war to end British tutelage!
The Canadians are still gov-
emed by antiquated Britsh
formulas of government.

Our present and future live
in unity, and harmony calls for
a constitutional basis that all
Canadians can accept with
respect and national pride.

Ie should be worked out by

a national assembly of the best
minds of the country from all
walks of life, chosen ‘by’ the cit-
izens of the various regions,
with the mandate to produce
the draft of a brand-new con-
stitution within 18 months for

- presentation to and approval

by all Canadians in a national
referendum.

A constitution for the
Canada of the 21st century.

Fundamental changes:

These changes seem to be
mandatory to adjust the con-
cepts of the Fathers of the
Constitution to the require-
ments of our modern society:

i. Electoral System:

We need a truly democrat-
ic, proportional electoral sys-

SINCE

tem. It is no longer justified
thar, under our inherited
“winner-takes-all” system, all
votes not cast for the success-
ful local candidate should be
lost with the result of one-
party dictatorships with a
majority of parliamentary seats
elected by a minority of the
popular vote, i.e. the Liberal
government in Ottawa or the
NDP-government in Victoria.

We need a proportionate
electoral system, awarding the
voter two votes: one for his
local favorite regardless of
party affiliation and another
for the party of his choice, a
system successfully introduced
by other modern democracies.

Furthermore we need a
provision to have the ridings
adjusted at five-year intervals
to provide for the changes in

population by internal migra-
tion or immigration.

2. The Senate:

Senators should be true
representatives of their region
rather than recipients of politi-
cal favors or awards.
Therefore, the members of the
Upper House should be elect-
ed by the people of their
respective provinces, rather
than nominated by the gov-
emment of the day.

3. Head of State:

Equally, Canada needs a
Head of State elected by the

people for the people zather
than a severeign residing in
an, albeit friendly, foreign
country with an appointed
caretaker in Ortawa.

Such wadition has no sig-
nificance to the vast majority
of Canadians who have come
from so many different
republics, monarchies or dicta-
torships.

4, Distribution of
Powers:

Under the Colonial
Constitution all powers not
express! ted the provinces
ware invested in the central

- government, a principle

reversed i ny the U.S.A. after -
gaining independence by war.

The provinces need more
authority in recognition of
their regional diversities, their
territory and resources, and
the ethnic background of their
inhabitants.

They must have more con-
trol of unemployment, educa-
don, immigration and some
social services, while the feder-.
al government looks after for-
cign affairs, national defence,
trade relations, monetary poli- -
cies, environment protection.”
and basic standards of medical .
and social services.”

That also requires a new. -:
formula for the transfer of pay-

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