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‘Page 6, March 1 1979 - North Shore News

Mr. Bennett's storet ront election rid

Premier Bill: Bennett

they don’

forthcoming provincial

Vancouver-Capilano and North Vancuver-
Seymur may wind up as an empty farce for
everybody except Social Credit.

This, presumably, is just.
what Mr. Bennett would like
to see happen. After all, isn’t

leader entitled to
do eve in his power to
get his own people elected?

Ina democracy the an-'

_ everything --- maybe. But not
everything., Because
“everything” (as. Khomeini is
weminding us again in Iran)
cah, of "course, _ include
executing your political
opponents at dawn. And
“power” was once described
by Mao Tse-Tung as.
. something that comes out of
the barrel of a gun.

I'm not suggesting for a
moment that the Con-

servative, Liberal and NDP
candidates in North Van’s
two vacant ridings are in the
slightest danger of facing a
firing squad in the cold, grey
light -— let alone looking
down. the. business end of a
rival's revolver. But they are,
nevertheless, in danger of
being neutralized and
rendered politically harm-
less by less painful meass
long before North Van
voters mark their ballot
papers on May 31..

{

“PROXY MLA”

The danger - arises. from
Premier Bennett's extra-
ordinary action, carly last
month, in appointing himself
“proxy MLA” for the two
North Van ridings until the
byelections take place ~ still
almost three months from
now.

At the time it may have
appeared a generous and
imaginative gesture, and the
Premier has certainly shown
that he takes his self-
imposed responsibilities to
North Vancouver seriously.

He has already appeared.

Winn wen

A DIVISION OF FW WIKM WORTH COLI?

1,44 Day Ad
Hostess Potato chips should
have read 2 for $1.44. Sorry
for any inconvenience this
may have caused our
customers.

GETTING
‘BOMBED’
IS DYNAMITE!

DRINK
AND DRIVE.

ey

is presently ‘playing a.
highly questionable game with the voters of North |
Vancouver and it’s to be hoped that they un-
derstand the rules as clearly ; as the Premier does --
he having made up the rules in the. first place. If. :
there’s a very real threat that the

byelections in North

here. three times in person -—
including a sessior listening
sympathetically to the
problems of no less than 43
groups and individuals (a
pretty good Friday morning's
work for any MLA).

has promised his North Van
“constituents” the same red
carpet treatment every week.
until the byelections. When.
he can’t come’ himself to
hear North Van’s. woes at
first hand, he'll send cabinet
ministers, no less, as stand-
ins ~ the first two on the
roster being his glamorous.
human resources minister,
Grace McCarthy, and his
businesslike (though slightly

\

| Noel Wright

ministration, punctuated
with periodic return visits by
Mr. Bennett himself. Short
of having a separate Queen
of our own, it ranks as royal
treatment. And quite a lot of
practical -help with focal
problems may doubtless be
forthcoming as a_ result.

PREMIER INTERVIEWS North Van “constituents.”

|

less glamorous) health
minister, Bob McClelland.

ROYAL TREATMENT

By the end of May North
Vancouver will presumably
have been exposed week by
week on an intimate
“MLA—constituent” basis ~
to the entire talent of the

present Social Credit ad-

After all, if the Premier and
his ministers can’t fix things,
who can?

Certainly not the Con-
servative, Liberal. and NDP
candidates now being
chosen to run in Capilano
and Seymour against the
nominees of Mr. Bennett’s

party. Far from being

Canada’s original & B.C.’s only

FULL LINE

fF] [A/T Mena

2422 Burrard at Broadway 736-3771.

preniiers ; or_—eabinet

ministers, those opposition

candidates are not yet even

‘members of the Legislature.

They have no ) power ‘to

‘solve _problems or right
. wrongs. Promises of |. what’.

they will doif elected are the
best they can offer for the
next 12° weeks —- during
which the Premier and his
colleagues will be. dutifully :
ministering to “the bread-_
and-butter needs ot North
“Vancouverites “their

Friday audiences ‘tor. the.

public in North ‘Van's
‘municipal halls.

.- In'short, the Conservative,
Liberal and NDP candidates |

will be fighting a decidedly '

unequal battle against Social
Credit. They won't only be
fighting the Social - Credit
candidates in the ‘two
ridings. They will be fighting
the full weight of the
Premier in person and his
cabinet,
on their

Mr. Bennet delayed
calling a byelection in North
_Van-Seymour for well over
four months, during which
time he ignored the riding.
When North Van-Capilano
riding also became vacant in
early February, his hand was

: . finally forced. So he then

called both byelections — but
for a date (May 31) that was

-14 weeks ahead, when the
poll could easily have been
held within cight weeks.
Maybe he felt he needed the
extra time. :

Meanwhile, there’s no
evidence that anyone (apart
from the local Socred office)
ever actually invited the
Premier to become tem-
porary MLA for the two
ridings. The idea was
presumably his own or that
of his Victoria advisers. .

Equally obvious is the fact
that North Vancouver voters
have had no opportunity of
saying whether or not they
approve of Mr. Bennett even
as an interim representative.

“MAIL ORDER” OFFER

Mr. Bennett's hope, of
course,.. is. that North

Vahcouverites will have

“-become so used to him and

CROSS OVER TO SAVINGS

to be arriving unsolicited

ontinuous |

every week for, the next
‘three months ‘shouldn't stop
North Van. voters from,
taking an equally careful
look at the other political

merchandise. available.

” his colleagues by “May. 31
that they'll vote Socred by
‘reflex action. ve, .

His ‘technique ‘is rather.
' like that of the mail order
_ firms which invite you to try
out the goods in your own.
home with the promise of
your money back if you're
not -satisfied. The main.
difference is that the North
Vancouver electorate never
sent -for the Premier's
“goods” in the first place,
‘not even on a trial basis.

The Conservative, Liberal
and NDP candidates will
lack the glossy packaging of
Mr. Bennett's weekly

_ Storefront display at city
hall, but the product inside .
may be as good or better. It's

. worth taking advantage of
the Premier’s lengthy 12-
week get-acquainted period
,to get equally well
acquainted with everything
the competition has to offer.

The fact that they're going

Hudsons Bay Company