@ - Friday, June 4, 1993 - North | Shore News HE UNITED Nations has declared this to be the International Year of the Indigenous People. To celebrate, the Canadian government suggests we share in experiences to get to know one another better. We must under- stand what makes indigenous culture and the culture that has systematically worked to marginalize it different. By doing so we gain insight and the country as-a whole benefits, the reasoning goes. For example, in a’ brocbure published . under the authority of the federal Department of Indian Affairs and North- ern Development, Canadians are urged to exchange foods with indigenous people, twin communities, talk to and listen to aboriginals, exchange skills via a bartering YOU THINK THE NDP WERE SOFT ON THE TEACHERS? ... AR! WERE REALLY PUING A so EWS 7 THEM NOW! —" TD SINOTAS OFFICE THEY'D BE DEUGHTED 10 STORE QUA PICKET SIGNS FOR US, BUT THEY POINT BLANK REFUSE TO WRAP THEM IN SILK. WOULD TISSUE PAPER BE OK... network, aitend powwows, trace the ties to First Nations through the historic names of our communities, celebrate those in- digenous people who have become suc- cessful on our terms. The feel-good agenda, while reworked to tap the fuzzy multicult sentiment infused into the social fabric of contemporary Canada, actually serves to reinforce ‘a longstanding strategy of absorption and assimilation. Lock to: Oka and the heavy-handed response the Canadian government had to a small group of Mohawks standing their ground and remember that we have a long way to come in rectifying the broken promises that litter the country we call Canada. LETTER OF THE DAY ‘Texan Barnes’ enriched community Dear Editor: Brent Mudry’s story on. the destruction: by fire of the Hollyburn Theatre building (May 23) provided an enlightening his- tory of the theatre and Howard should be corrected. The theatre was purchased by two brothers, Peter and John Barnes, Peter, in fact, did con- tinue to reside in Texax, but the theatre was operated by his Air Force Veterans Association. Mrs. Barnes was very active in volunteer work, Subsequent to the theatre’s clos- ing in 1959, Barnes was employed by the West Vancouver School Fletcher —- a man highly respected brother John. in West Vancouver. However, it was most unfair to the Barnes family who operated the theatre from 1947 until its closing in 1959, .Mudry gives the impression that Mr. Barnes was a hotshot cowboy who showed nothing but Hopalong Cassidy horse-operas and then blew out of town! ' This is a misconception that the theatre, home munity. West Commerce, Publisher : Peter Speck Managing Editor . _ Timothy Renshaw Associate Editor .. Noel Wright - Sales & Marketing Director Linda Stewart Comptroller ; . Doug Foot North Shore News, founded in 1969.as an independent suburban newspane! and qualified under Schedule 111, Paragraph It of the Excise Tax Act, is published each Wednusday, Friday and Sunday by North Shure Free ‘Press Ltd. and distnouted to every door on the North Shore. Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Praducl Agreement No. 0087238, Mailing rates available on request. Submissions are welcome cut we cannot accep! responsibility for unsolerted . maternal including tnanuscnpls and pictures which should be accormpatned by a stamped. addressed envelope Newsroom V7M 2H4 John Barnes came with his wife and young son in 1947 to operate A. second born here. The family purchased a in West Vencouver and soon became a part of our com- Barnes was a member of the Vancouver the Merchants Board of Trade and the Army, Navy & Display Advertising Real Estate Advertising 985-6982 Classified Advertising SUNDAY + WEDNESTAY 1139 Lonsdaie Avenue, North Vancouver, Board until his untimely death in 1967. His widow, Alma, still resides in the family home in West Van- couver, Contrary to the image presented by Mudry’s article our community has been enriched thanks to ‘a Texan named Barnes.” Joyce R. Smeal West Vancouver son was Chamber of a us This newspaper contains tecycled fibre 980-0511 Distribution 986-1337 G3 Subscriptions 986-1337 986-6222 “Fax 985-3227 985-2131 Administration 985-2134 MEMBER SDA DIVISION B.C. 61,582 {average circulation, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday) . Entire contents © 1993 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved. Gagging public 10re Important than the debt NERO FIDDLING while Rome burned had nothing on Ottawa's three old-line parties — whose reckless disregard of financial realities has driven Canada to the brink of bankruptcy. With the haernational Monetary fund puisdd id aposs its own harsh solution to our debt crisis, you'd think the parties would be cooperating day and night to deal with the problem BEFORE the IMF moves in to ruthlessly slash the living stand- ards of all Canadians, They’re cooperating all right, but not on debt control, Two months ago — after all ol 15 minutes ‘Commons debate — Tories, Grits and New Democrats combined to quietly pass the new gag law. On pain of up to five years injail it forbids citizens, indi- vidually or collectively, to spend more than $1,000 supporting or opposing political candidates or parties during a federal election. The law is a sanitized version of an earlier, even more infamous measure 10 years ago, which was also sneaked through Parliament with the unanimous support of all three parties. At that time, Bill C-169 sought to ban election campaign spending totally by anyone except the of- ficially recognized political parties themselves. It meant environmentalists, consumers, business spokesper- sons, pro-lifers, pro-choicers and every other kind of advocacy gcoup were forbidden to spend even a single cent, once the elec- tion writ was issued, on saying how they wished to be governed. This arrogant nonsense was stopped in its tracks, however, by the National Citizens Coalition, a Canada-wide organization pro- moting ‘‘more freedom through DAVID SOMERVILLE... challenger. gag MARY COLLINS... flipper. pancake HITHER AND YON less government.” The NCC mounted a successful court challenge that overturned Bill C-169 for violating the freedom of speech guaranteed by the Charter of Rights. So one has to marvel at the sheer gall of the three parties in stealthily resurrecting Bill C-169 a decade later, even though now “sweetened”? with a maximum $1,000 spending concession — enough for approximately a single one-third of a page in the North Shore News. Forget about the debt and the looming shadow of the IMF. The one important issue uniting, Tories, Grits and the NDP is . never again to risk the humiliation inflicted on all three of them by the non-party ‘‘No” campaign in last fall’s Charlottetown Referen- dum. ! In short, put first things first. Nero would have understood. Happily, the NCC is once more challenging this new gag law. The Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench has set aside the first half of June for the hearing, and NCC presi- dent David Somerville is op- timistic about the outcome. Watch for news of it in the days to come. ee TAILPIECES: Kick off West Van Community Day in style from 7 a.m. onward tomorrow, Saturday, June 5, at Hollybura Funeral Home parking lot, 1807 Marine, with a Rotary Ciub pancake . brea“ fast served by Hon. Mary Collins, MP. ... In preparation for its official September opening West Van’s spanking new jibrary is looking for memorabilia — old photos, documents, anecdotes, etc. — from the fibrary’s earliest days back to 1950. If you can help with such material, please‘call 926-3291. ... Help for seniors with health, financial, legal and adult daycare matters, caregivers, meal and social programs is avail- able weekdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. by calling the North Shore Seniors InfoLine, 983-3303. ... And remember ‘‘Captain Canada’’? If so, wish Joe Clark a happy 54th birthday tomorrow, June 5. WRIGHT OR WRONG: To suc- ceed in life, why not start by fol- lowing all the advice you give others? |