OE GE: os WSK EL WPOINT Stop whining T A relatively spry 127, Canada has ‘become a leaden land of whiners and graspers, There are.more self-concerned factions, special-interest groups and me-firsters jock- eying for position at the national trough than ever before. There are enough moaners, bleak thinkers and feeble-brained negativity navel-gazers to populate a host of less blessed countries. ‘In Quebec, for example, the promoters of separation have turned up the volume on their country-destroying dirge, even though the consequences of separating from Canada for Quebec’s h.an on the street are ill under- stood by most Quebecers and most other Canadians. More effective for Jacques Parizeau’s political aspirations te lameat tie compara- tively minor discomforts of being part of this great country than to dwell on the countless benefits his province takes from it in equal- ization payments, regional development grants, federal government contracts and on “and on. Elsewhere across Canada whining and head-shaking over everything from the defin- ition of the nuclear family to the changing weather patterns has become the country's new national sport. The clouds of negativism cast a pall over the good fortune we all enjoy by living in what is considered by a recent United ‘Nations study to be this planet’s best country. So make a concerted effort this July 1 to ‘help disperse that ignorant pall and reflect on the countless positives of being a Canadian. It could do you and the country some last- ing good. Natives did not choose reservations care and education. Dear Editor: I was really disappointed in what Doug Collins had to say in the Sunday, June 19, issue of the North Shore News. I had assumed that in 1994, news columnists would know bet- ter than to stereotype a certain group of people. For your information Mr. Collins, my father, a pure-blooded Indian, as you would call him, is a commercial fisherman. He owns. a gillnetter which he paid for, taxes and all, by mortgag- Publisher........... Managing Edito Associate Editor... ing his home which he also paid in full, taxes included, off reserve. . He now Sives on reserve land. My father, along with the majority of his small community, pays taxes on all his income. The native fishermen from my communily pay anywhere from $600 to $1,000 for a commercial fishing licence, depending on the year and the size of their fishing boat. I have heard people say Native people should be treated equally, in regards to taxes, medical, der-:al Display Advertising Classified Advertising 986-6222 Fax Newsroom 980-0511 Distribution Real Estate Advertising 985-6982 Subscriptions 985-2131 Administration How convenieat. Maybe this attitude should have been taken right from the start. We as Native people did not choose to be placed on reserva- tions, nor did we choose to be deprived of our language and our culture, I think the next time Mr. Collins decides to write on the perks for Status Indians, he should take all of this into consideration. Rachel Schooner North Vancouver 986-1337 986-1337 985-3227 985-2131 North Shore News, founded in 1969 as an independent suburban newspaper and qualified under Schadule 111, Paragraph 117 of the Excise Tax Act, is published each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday oy North Shore Free Press Ltd. and distributed te every door on the North Shore. Canada Post Canadian Publications Mal Sates Product Agreement No. 0087238. Mailing rates available on request. Submissions are welcome but we cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited material including manuscripts and pictures which should be accompanied by a stamped, addressed envelope. V7M 2H4 1139 Lonsda!s Avarie North Vancouver B.C. North Shore Managed MEMBER CNA SIN4 SDA DIVISION 61,582 (average circulation, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday) Entire contents © 1994 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved. r. Lautens’ tale of our two Canadas LLIVE in two Canadas. It is a mysterious thing. It isa troubling thing. Let us, for convenience, cull them Canada A and Canada X. The “A™ universally connotes first class ~- top marks. in contrast think of the “X" as in “Brand X." You get the idea. Canada A does indeed get top marks. A recent United Nations study putt Canada at the very top of the world's [80-odd countries —~ the best nation in the world to Jive in, by a variety of measures, including ceonomic. educational, social. This is a fantastic achievement. There are much more populous nations. More powerful. Culturally richer. More efficient in industry. And so forth. But. overall, Canada — this middle-sized, middle-aged, middle- power, middle-class country — was Judged the most fivable of all coun- tries, Like so many people whose eyes are skating over this stick of type. E live in this Canada — Canada A, In the best part of the 66 Canada X threatens to destroy the livability of Canada A at every turn, 99 best part of Canada A. And iet us not he coy. [tis just terrific, thank you. Yet, never far from my mind or indeed my turf, the spectre of Canada X is always present. Canada X is a country with a huge debt: more than $7735 billion, including $551 billion in federal debt and around $225 billion in total provincial debt. And, in recent weeks, foreigners have become increasingly reluctant to buy Canada’s debr in the form of bonds — even though yields have risen sharply. Since confidence is everything in these matters, the alarm bells seem to be carefully muffled. Panic is the most self-fulfilling of all prophecies. The fact remains that Canada is in big, big debt. Canada A — a prosperous, socially compassionate country — is being subsidized by Canada X — a profligate country that lives outra- geously beyond its means and airily leaves its unpaid bills to be picked up by foreigners whose own coun- tries are by definition not as livable as Canada. But there is worse. Canada X threatens to destroy the livability of Canada A at every turn. Unemployment. Inflation. Uncompetitiveness. Environmental - degradation, Crime, including violent crime Trevor Lautens GARDEN OF BIASES and sexual assaults. A kind of structural crime, cynical, castad, bred not only by dectining ethical standards and the cult af violence but, perhaps worse, by Soredom. Drugs. Drunkenness. Divorce. . Megitimacy. The hangover from the if-it-feels-pood-do-it era; the. dregs of the so-called sexual revo- lution, which f firmly believe has mightily debased a country of nat- ural conservatism and, yes, prudery — 1 wish to God we could get some of that back. Finally, fear. In the midst of its saunted standard of living, Canada A is more fearful than in times of deep depression and war. Canadians increasingly fear that the police can’t protect 1s, that the government can't fix anything — and that we aren't made of the right stuff to pull up our collective socks. Notice { haven't even mentioned Quebec. On a beautiful day in the most blessed part of the best nation in the world, surrounded by all the com- forting symbols — the dog slum- bering at my feet, the piay-sounds of my well-fed children drifting upwards, the paid-for cars in the driveway, the reliable clectricity and telephone (not to b2 sneered at) ~~~ my Canada Day thought is: What will be the inheritance of our children? Canada A... or Canada x? e¢e Turning to more parochial mat- ters: The deal for BC Rail's ® property looks great on the surfuce, to me and oth- ers. But the Cavtcild and Gleneagles ratepayers’ associations ~ aren't buying — yet. They’re suspicious of West Vancouver council's perceived haste in scheduling the public meet- ing on the agreement, set for July It. Ata joint meeting this week they decided to ask for a postpone- ment until September — council shuts down entirely for August. ees After much time and much expense. the museum in the Gertrude Lawson house will be officially opened today at 1:30. Let's see if we got our money’s worth. eee ; Now here's a happy note to end on: Bird and butterfly enthusiast Dr. Richard Beard says that for the first time in 22 years, a pair of pur- ple martins — only 40 pairs live in British Columbia — have takén up residence on the North Shore, in North Vancouver’s Maplewood Flats area.