eens melaniedesy new : future: take ont extra News North Vancouver, B.C. saver thy where er V7M 2H4 . . (604) 985-2131 NEWS 980-0511 CLASSIFIED 066-2131 CIRCULATION: 086-6222 080-1337 1139 Lonsdale Ave. mo) Vd og in the | ) ‘tra medical coverage — and never trust your hostages not to play Publisher Peter Speck Associate Publisher Editor-in-Chief Advertising Director Robert Graham Cardwell Noel Wright Eric { Managing Editor News Editor ~~ Sports Editor ' Andy Fraser Chris Lloyd Patrick Rich General Manager Creative Adminiatration Director Bern! Hillard Tim Francis Production Director Photography Ur) Ellaworth Dickson Accounting Supervisor Circulation Director Purchaser Barbera Brian North Shore News, founded In 1969 as an and under All righte reserved. A. Elils Faye McCrae independent community epeper Schedute Ili. Part iil, Paragraph fil of the Excise. Tax Act, is published each Wednesday and Shore Free Prese Lid. and distributed to Shore, Second Clase Mall Registration Number $20 Sunday by North head Praia aeons 685. Subscriptions year. Entire contents ©1981 North Bhore Free Proes Lid. No responstbility accepted for unsolicited material addreased envelope. ‘ including . menuecripts and pictures which should be accompanied by a stamped. VERIFIED CIRCULATION: 63,470 Wednesday; 52,780 Sunday ey SN THIS PAP on ER IS RECYCLABLE ao 4 EP Remember the constitution? . For the past month it has been relegated to the calm obscurity of the Supreme Court of Canada. leaving -the parliamentary opposition to con- | centrate for .the moment on bashing Finance . Minister Allan MacEachen and Bank of Canada mittee, however, are amateurs when it comes to setting priorities from 3 ao governor Gerald Bouey for skyrocketing inflation and interest rates. But vital as these economic issues are, the consfitutional battle isn’t yet over. Any week now the nine learned (and virtually unknown) judges of the Supreme Court will issue _ their verdict on whether or not Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's constitutional ~ package is legal. Once enacted, that package, with its built-in Trudeau Charter of Rights, will determine How Canadians tive for generations to come, because it will be virtually unamendable. So the Court's decision on whether the prime minister is legally entitled to charge ahead and have the package formally approved by the British parliament is more important than even current concerns about the bleak state of the economy. RUBBER-STAMPED? In Central Canada’s corridors. of power (read Ottawa and Ontario) there is a general assumption that | the Court will rule, at least-. - by a majority judgement, in Mr, Trudeau's favor. - In which case the package will promptly be sent to West- obediently rubber-stamped and returned all ready for use. And that will be the end of the matter. ‘It’s’ an extraordinary assumption when you consider: 1. That the Supreme Court decision will be merely an opinion based on legal technicalities — and not binding on anyone; 2. That Mr. Trudeau's railroading methods, along with numerous details of the Charter itself, are opposed by cight of the 10 provinces, including Quebec, and (according to Gallup) by more than 60 percent of all. Canadians; 3. That the prime minister has forced the matter through, Parliament with a majority based almost solely on Ontario and Quebec — and without a single Liberal MP west of Winnipeg. If Central Canada’s assumption is wrong and the Supreme Court rejects the Trudeau approach, there will have to be yet another effort to gain a nationwide consensus that includes the Dehetsten,\ weltercs itil \ bo. sweater »« provinces, .:Bven Politicians on the com- — _- power, or the energy Fundy Tides. Electrol the cabinet table will” “the. non-partisan importance. “to _ Canada’s or two years, ever a ‘very good friend in world con- Ur - . ‘of the PM's approach andi threat to Canadian unity If the Court su passage of rr package, thereby forcing prime~minister to return the negotiating table : resign. In a current article . Financial Post Mr. Gi "calls on. all four westert provinces io Prepare en Ni, W * speed a’ joint’ refe _ ‘gpeking the views of theif oel right provincial electorate ‘ Ottawa's unilateral . _ 4 and “the second-class sta Mr.Trudeau could hardly to which it would reduce ti ‘West. They should have. referendum ready t continue on his present path in face of a court ruling that it was constitutionally — immediately: if the illegal. But what if Central gives Trudeau the nod. Canada is right and the “Ottawa,” says - Court upholds him? Gibson, “is running < avs NEW SEPARATISM ’ with our national future An increasing number of sober and informed ob- servers believe this scenario it will only be stopped the legendary mule, - | two-by-four right bet could bring about a ‘theeyes." 9°... resurgence of western 9. «| separatism far more firmly Fighting v rooted ‘-—— and led — than not the first anything Elmer Knutson and that people have had to the lunatic fringe of West- Fed have so far been able to whip up. To say nothing of the reaction of Rene Levesque and Quebec. ’ head-on in order to pre their nationhood — wh precisely what could bé stake this summer.