Wednesday, October 26, 1992 - North Shore News - 3

THE CONSTITUTIONAL QUESTION

‘eactions mixed to resounding defeat

| Cook says future with Tory party unclear; ‘100% terrible - Burrard Band chief

INITIAL REACTIONS from North Shore politicians and

native leaders to the decisive
lottetown Accord were mixed.
@ North Vancouver Tory MP
Chuck Cook:

Cook, who broke party ranks
by voting against the proposed
Charlottetown deal, said his
future with the Conservative party
is unclear.

But he said he doesn’t think he
would be disciplined or expelled
froin the party after 55% of Ca-
nadians who voted in Monday’s
constitutional referendum rejected
the deal. a

And Cook said Canada’s
aboriginal people will now have a
better chance at obtaining self-
government status.

“Tm very happy with. the
resulis. There’s no reason that
reasonable proceedings cannot
continue for native self-govern-
ment. You don't need a constitu-
tion for that, all you have to do is
get rid of the Indian Act.

“In fact, they (natives) may
now be higher up on the ladder
than having to wait their turn with
athe Constitution.”’

During the referendum cam-
paign, Cook hinted that he might
be expelied from the Tory party
and then sit as an independent
MP. a,

But on Tuesday, Cook said, “‘f
don’t know what will happen to
me in the pity, But having said
that, since | was right from the
beginning, it’! be pretty hard for
them to criticize me.”’

He added ‘hat the one lesson
the deal’s rejection sends out to
all politicians is: that it is time for
them to examine the process that
allowed then “‘t get so far out of
touch with the peorie.’’

@ Capiiano-Howe Sound Tory
MP Mary Collins:

Collins disagreed with Cook

that natives will be better off now

WV forum discusses youth culture of

BC. increase in
youth violence
105% since ’85
*¥ CARRY

because I am
death.”’

this knife
scared to

By Stephen Wisenthal
Contributing Writer

An 18-year-old North Shore
man created a stir at a forum on
“Youth and the Rising Tide of
Violence’ on Friday, when he
showed the audience the five-inch
knife he carries for protection.

The exhibition dramatized the
message of experts at the forum
who said that our violent society,
which extends from schools to
television to the home, is creating
a scared, troubled and insecure
young generation.

They spoke at a forum and
panel discussion organized by the
West Vancouver Family Court
and Youth Justice Committee,
which hosted the Oct. 23 to 25
provincial conference of similar
committees from around B.C.

The topic was chosen 10 months
ago, but recent incidents of youth
violence on the North Shore and
elsewhere in the Lower Mainland
meant that more than 200 people
— twice as many as were original-
ly expected — turned out for the

defeat Monday of the Char-

By Surj Rattan
and Michaei Becker

that the constitutional accord has
been rejected.

She said she fears people from
different political parties, who
managed to work together during
the referendum campaign, will
now no longer be able to work as
a team,

“I don’t know what can be
done about that (aboriginal self-
government), and I feel realiy bad
about it. We'll have to sit down
and look at that.

“I think the spirit of coopera-
tion that developed will be hard to
recreate.""

Collins would not speculate on
what effect the accord’s rejection
will have on the re-election hopes
of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
and the Conservative party.

“I don't know, that's in the
future. I think there are lessons
that need to be learned from the
referendum vote,”’ said Collins.

She said it is time for the feder-
al and provincial governments to
get on with other issues.
© Burrard Chief Leonard George:

George saw the constitutional
dilemma as a healthy one in that
it engendered real debate among
people.

But said George of the results
of Monday’s vote, ‘It’s absolutely
100% terrible. It’s a huge, massive

* disappointment.

“We have to persist, I guess we
have to carry on. It's like when
you’re put in solitary confine-
ment, you have no alternative but
to work towards getting out --
that’s what we have to do as a na-
tion — as a people. I don’t want

event at West Vancouver second-
ary school.

““OK kids, you’re grounded for
fife’ -— isn't that how you feel
when you hear about that incident
in Surrey last week (in which a
teenager was killed following an
attack by other youths),’’ said
moderator Toby Snelgrove, a
partner in Easton Snelgrove, a
North Vancouver-based counsel-
ling firm.

“Some of us are here because
we’rr scared. We're scared
because we’re seeing problems we
didn’t expect to see in our city.

“This is not a new problem.
Usually we think this stuff hap-
pens in another community. Then
all of a sudden our kid comes
home ...’’ he said.

He said that fights among youth
on the North Shore result from
boredom and a feeling of
helplessness.

“Gang wars go back and forth
partly as an adrenaline fix,’’ said
Snelgrove.

“In West Van there are kids
who roam looking for fights.
These are not poor kids — eco-
nomics doesn’t seem to be the
issue,’’ he said.

Snelgrove pointed to violence in
the home as one likely cause:
“For some of these kids, the only
form of discipline seems to be a
whack on the head.’”’

Pane] member Mobina Jaffer, a
lawyer with the Vancouver firm of
Dohm Jaffer, said: “Young peo-
ple witness the culture of violence,

\

BURRARD BAND Chiet
Leonard George

anybody to be in solitary con-
finement, but I'd at least like to
be in the same environment as
everybody else."’

@ North Vancouver-Lonsdale
NDP MLA David Schreck:

Schreck worked alongside Col-
fins and West Van-
couver-Garibaldi Liberal MLA
David Mitchell on the North
Shore Yes campaign.

He said Yes supporters have to
“‘respect the wisdom of the
voters."”

“The deal is dead and a new
style of politics is necessary. We
had David Mitchell, Mary Collins
and myself working together, and
we have never seen that before.

“I think it is now incumbent on
everyone not to engage in radical
statements.”*

He added that politicians need
to listen more carefully to the
voting public.

“Having parties behave like
gladiators is not always in the
public's interest.’’

@ West Vancouver-Garibaldi
Liberal MLA David Mitchell:
Mitchell, who campaigned in

and they tell me it is our respon-
sibility as a community to deal
with the culture of violence.
“There is a war on women and
children in our country. We have
to become soldiers in our own
province, our own cities, our own

communities, to stop this culture

of violence,’ said Jaffer.

Wendy Harvey, provincial
special prosecutor for cases in-
volving child abuse, said that
whereas in the 1940s and 1950s,
school children were disciplined
for chewing gum and speaking out
vf turn, now they are arrested for
raping their teachers or carrying
knives.

‘*The statistics in B.C. are that
since 1985, there has been a 105%
increase in yiolent crimes commit-
ted by youths,’’ she said.

“Some of the indications are
that violence is learned,’’ said
Harvey, citing figures including an
eight to 10 times higher probabili-
ty of behavior problems by
children who have witnessed bat-
tering in the home.

She said that since 1985,
reported violence against children
has gone up 350%.

“The kids are getting younger
and more iittle boys are coming
in,”’ she said.

Retired Vancouver police chief
Bob Stewart said: ‘‘I still believe
that 95% or more of our young
people are good citizens. We
spend a long time dealing with a
small portion of our community.’’

He said that the Young Offend-

: mA . rhs ef
NORTH VAN District Coun. Er-
nie Crist

support of the Charlottetown Ac-
cord despite a decision by Liberal
leader Gordon Wilson and the
Liberal caucus to oppose the deal,
said he is glad the issue is over.

“British Columbians have said
they are not prepared to deal with
this package on this issue at this
lime, especially on the North
Shore, and ! think it has to now
be put on the back 5urner.

“Governments have put their
hands on the hot stove of public
opinion and have been burned
badly,’’ said Mitchell.

While Mitchell resigned his post
as Liberal house leader over his
decision to support the Charfotte-
town Accord, he said he hopes the
Libera) caucus can now be united
and focus on debating the provin-
cial government’s proposed labor
bill.

@ North Vancouver District
Coun. Ernie Crist:

Crist supported the No side of
the issue during the campaign
leading up to the referendum.

Said Crist Tuesday, ‘*The whale
constitutional issue was fabricated
by the Mulroney government. It’s

ers Act created problems not fac-

ed under the old Juveniie Delin-~

quents Act.

‘In those days it was easier to
raise a juvenile offender to the
adult court when the conditions
warranted,’”’ Stewart said.

This would be useful today,
said Stewart, because ‘‘children

CAPILANO-HOWE Sound MP
Mary Collins .
what | call Canada’s sell-out by
the elite, meaning that section of
the Canadian establishment which
is determined to put Canada at
the disposal of the big interna-
tional corporations.

“You have to see the whole
thrust of the Mulroney govern-
ment since they got into office
and that is that free trade and the
Constitution were two issues in-
volved and were linked — do
away with the federal power and
turn that over to the provinces,
which could then be picked off
with the main thrust being to get
rid of the social benefits.

“But it’s a funny thing. The
people do not often express
themselves in a sophisticated way,
but they saw through the whole
thing. lt was something phoney.
Canada is unique in North
America. It has achieved high
social benefit standards. The peo-
ple felt instinctively that is threat-
ened.”

Crist also said that any constit-
ution must enshrine municipal
powers and recognize Canada as a
**bi-national state.”

violence

take on adult behavior sooner.”

“(The Young Offenders Act)
has compounded the problems
and offered protection to young
offenders that is far more than is
needed,’’ he addéd.

Stewart also said he opposed
the ban on publishing young of-
fenders’ names.

Trio charged in murder

make court

THREE MEN charged in con-
nection with the 1991 robbery
and murder cf a Filipino sailor
in North Vancouver were
scheduled to appear in North
Vancouver provincial court on
Tuesday to set a date for a pre-
liminary hearing into the
charges against them.

Charged with second-degree
murder and robbery in connec-
tion with the sailor’s death are
Ryan Allan Jacob, 25, of 215
Rivers Dr., North Vancouver,
and George Stephen Jacobs,
25, of 128-200 Westhill Pl.,
Port Moody.

Todd Christopher Moody,
21, of 185 Jacobs Cres., North
Vancouver, has been charged
with robbery in connection
with the incident.

Crown counsel! Mike
Luchenko said that Jacobs was
scheduled to appear in B.C.

appearance

Supreme Court in Vancouver
today for a bail hearing.

The three suspects were ar-
rested earlier this month by the
North Vancouver RCMP.

Jacob and Jacobs
remanded in custody.

Moody was released on
$10,000 bail. The conditions
for his release prohibit him
from visiting the Coach House
Inn and from having any con-
tact with any of the witnesses
in the case.

To press time Tuesday, no
trial date had been set for any
of the accused.

The charges against the three
stem from an Oct. 24, 1991 in-
cident in which a Filipino saitor
was beaten to death with a
hockey stick.

His body was found in the
1100-block of West 26th
Street.

were