6 — North Shere News — Wednesday, March 22, 2000

VIEW POINT:

Who cares?

EW leader; same old socialist

mob. Last Wednesday's throne

speech should be enough to
erase any misguided beliefs that Ujjal
Dosanjh has made any reai changes in
the NDP government's core modus
opcrandi. A key item in the spcech was
the promise of a publicly funded uni-
vevsal chiid care program.

Of course, no though: has been
given to the cost of or the need for or
the myriad other considerations of
such an ill-advised scheme.

Last year the federal Liberals were
rumoured to be rolling out a universal
day-care program with a price tag in
the $12 billion range.

The same argument applied to the
federal plan applies to any provincial
day care plan: government does not
belong in the babysitting business.

Universal day care is a sop to parents

mranibox

Local animal activists
raise reader concern

Dear Editor:

As an animal lover and a long-time supporter of the
SPCA, I was appalied by the article entitled “Animal
_ activists plan to chase pound contract” which appeared in

the March 5 North Shore News.

I cannot imagine my elected district council handing
our dog pound operation over to a disreputable animal
rights group which, by its own admission, encourages and
even participates in the stealing of people's family pets

_. We have lav's to protect animals from abuse as well as

* theft. = 7°

who would rather leave the grunt work
of child-rearing to the government. It
has nothing to do with helping chil-
drer. and every thing to do with help-
ing secure votes from their parents.

Government already does every-
thing in its power to undermine the
stability and viability of the traditional
nuclear family of one working and one
stay-at-home parent.

Inequitable taxation continues to
allow day-care expenses to be deducted
from income but fails to similarly rec-
ognize the work of stay-at-home par-
ents. If the provincial government real-
ty wants to help this province’s chil-
dren it should stop coming up with idi-
otic and expensive ways to burn up tax-
payers’ moncy and instead find more
ways to help families retain more of
their pay cheques to invest in their
homes and their families.

Must ‘new’ a

IF Saturday finally sees the

party, can Preston
Manning or rival
contender
Stockwell Day lead
it to defeat the
gung-ho Chreticn
Liberals in 2001?

Don't bet next
week's grocecy money
on it.

First, hecause of
timing. The ieader of
the aew right-wing

|

birth of the Canadian Alliance

i

~, We have a reputable and respectable humane society,
rhe SPCA, running our publicly funded pound.
. The SPCA has_a track record spanning over 100 years
_ showing an unwavering commitment to the humane treat-
. ment of animals, the education of animal owners and, if
.. frecessary, the lawful removal of neglected animals.
- + When any persen, or group, places themselves above
the law and acts outside of it, we call them vigilantes.
When elected officials provide them with the tools and
.ability. to increase their unlawful actions, we call that a
“gross derelicticn of duty to the public which elected them.
“| This. article. also contained some unfavourable and
“untrue remarks about the SPCA. . ;
~ In particular, the comment alleging that the SPCA dis-
» poses of “excess dogs for money.” This is completely ludi-
craus, cs . : a
.* The SPCA took in 248 loose dogs during 1999 under
. the pound contract in the district,
os 0OF those,:197- were returned.to their owners, 36 were
pted 12 ‘were transferred to other shelters or to vet-
hospitals: for treatment, and only three were euth-
t seems obvious that we aren’t paying the SPCA to kill
-animnals, but rather, we’re paying them not to kill animals,
and in my books, they’re doing amazingly well!
Le Tilander: Bee

North Shove News, founged in 1969.as an
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Mack Fanches
Creative Servives Director
$8S-2131 {127}
mlancher@nsnews.com

ublished by HCH Publications Compa

party would not be chosen until June,
just before the vacation months. That
brings us to mid-September before he
and his fledgling, party can start to win
scrious brand recognition with the pub-
lic. By then the election could be a scant
seven or cight months away — or even
as little as six or seven weeks.

New, untried parties need a lor
longer than that to establish serious elec-
toral credentials. Especiaily when,
despite Human Resources Minister Jane
Stewart's billion-dollar scandal, recent
polls show the Grits still leading every-
where except the Prairies and Quebec by
a nationwide 45% to just 15% each for
Reform and Conservatives — with
Chretien personally scoring un to 60%.

in fact, with these figures, why
should the leader of the Natural
Governing Party, waich has run the
country for 80 of its 133 years, even
wait for spring?. If I were Chretien, I'd
drog the election writ for October 2000
in the hope of throttling the infant
Alliance in ‘its crib.

A second reason to hold on to your

PETER SPECK
Publisher
935-2131 (101)
SSpecke@nsnews.comn

Goug Fao?
General Mapager
988-2131 (133)
ddhaliwal@esnews.com ——_ dfoot@nsnews.com

Classified Manager
988-6222
vstegiensongns’ews.com
Entire contents © 1999 HCN Publications Company Ail rig'.ts reserved. :
y, Publisher Pater Spack, from 1139 Lenedale Avenue North Vancouver, 8.0... 47m 204

ig ANCTORATANES COLONIET HTB. 4d FESS int. nt. PAtielecartoon cam
¥

gambling money is poor bumbling Joe
Clark. He still rejects any cooperation
with a united Alliance and promises to
run Tory candidates in
all 301 ridings in the
next election.

So unless foe's censain-
ing party members
desert him en bloc,
right-wing vote-split-
ung — the very evil
Manning's “urited
alternative” concept set
out to eliminate — will
continue to flourish,
particularly in Ontario
where ir clearly cost
Reform a sizable number of seats in
1993 and 1997.

Bur back to our opening question.
Assume the Canadian Alliance is success-
fully bora on Saturday; that Joe Clark
finally faces the truth and soon comes
on-side; that scandal woes for the
Liberals continue to mount; and that the
election will coine, at earliest, next
spring. ; .
Which of the Alliance’s two front-
running leadership contenders —
Preston Manning or Stockwell Day —
has the better chance of defeating the
Liberals or at least reducing them to a
minority government in May 2001?

In many ways Day seems to have it
afl. Still relatively young at 49. Born in
Barrie, Ont. (though he didn’t linger
there very long). Telegenic and charis-
ma-laden, with a sense of humour, pass-
ably good French and an ability to con-
nect with crowds. Add co all that his
record, as Aiberta Treasurer, in slashing
both taxes and the provincial debt. :

Under most of the above headings _
Manning clearly lags somewhat bebind.

hither
and yon -

LOOK GEORGE.
ASEAR! ISNT

LOOK GEORGE,
I CALL A

BEAR!
ILOLIFE OFFI
HAVE Hitt Shot?

iways be best bet? .

But despite scattered dissidents he still

commands strong Reform party loyalty °
for his unique achievement in bringing a
bunch of kitchen-table discussion groups
to national party status as Her Majesty’s
Loyal Opposition in the incredibly short
period of 10 years. :

Now an experienced and skilled
national parliamentarian, he has already:
mustered much that Day has yet to
learn. :
Policy-wise there’s virtually nothing .
to distinguish the two men, both dedi-
cated to lower taxes and government
downsizing. Both being Albertans, they
share a common black mark among |
those still numerous Ontarians who. ©.
think Canada ends at the Manitoba bor-
der. ah See

Both are also evangelical Chiistians,’ : ~~
though Manning (like his famous father |
Ernest) takes care to separate his person-"”
al befiefS from his political life. Not so: “
Day, whose outspoken opposition to :
gays and abortion could yet damage him
in the key territory for the Abiance = 2.
super-tolerant Ontario, 087 8

The biggest — in fact, only +-* alta- =
tross around Manning’s neck is that,-as _
leader of the new Canadian Alliance; he
would represent “the same old.” -/°"

But could it be true that our eternal”, |
quest for. the new and untried purely for ’
its own sake (think Trudeau, for exam-- ~
ple!) may often fand us in one hell of a
mess down the road? weet :

WRIGHT OR WRONG: In politics -
stupidity is not a handicap (right on, |
Napoleon Bonaparte!) --° Ur 70-27!

roe i, ae
—awright@uniserve.com

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