6 - North Shore News - Sunday, November 5, 2000

ATEVER happened to

those good old fashioned

town hall meetings to elect a

new sheriff? Or, in this instance, to
elect a new Member of Parliament.

Are there no longer enough interest-

ed voters clamouring to ask the hope-

fuls some really tough questions in

order to decide who gets their vote?

Have we become so disenchanted with

politics that the up close and personal

experience with a political hopeful is no

longer marketable?
Consider the actions of our local
chambers of commerce.
North Vancouver's all-candidate
. meeting will take place over a $15- to
$20-a-plate breakfast in an attempt to
make the event more attractive and
“fun” for local businesses.
» And while Squamish-area voters

—VIEW POINT—

Vancouver-Sunshine Coast candidates,
the Squamish Chamber of Commerce
will be invoicing cach of the candidates
who attend their share of renting
Totem Hall on Nov, 22.

West Vancouver Chamber of
Commerce is charging neither public
nor candidates for attending its public
meeting at West Van secondary school.
One snag: while the Friday Nov. 24
date makes the event as timely as possi-
ble for the Monday Nov. 27 election,
there will be no possibility for us to
report the event to a wider audience.

Congrats to the chambers for doing
their best but are the options good
enough, voters? The North Shore
News wants to hear from you if you
would like an additional opportunity
to meet the candidates. We will orga-
nize such a meeting if we believe the
interest is out there. Let us know.

~ won't have to pay to meet their West

» “Taxes are like paying rent to live in Canada.”
| -\Nerth Vancouver resident Irene Johnson on taxation as a
“sy: federal election issue. (From a Nor. 1 News story.)

. OQ9

“On the way back all you could sce was a cone stick-

ing above the water, like a witch’s hat. That was all you
‘could sce ‘of the plane.” ‘

Burrard: Otter marine attendant Mike Andrews, on the
West. Coast: Air ‘float plane that crashed into the water
Wednesday. Passengers ' were rescued by SeaBus crew. (From,
a Nov. 3 News ary. de

ca Ereater chance of. winning the lot-

ery than of winning ia the election. + and I don’t even

buy a lottery ticket.” :

Keith: Lynn Atvernate condary’ teacher Rusty Corben,

o’s running as ‘an independent candidate in the federal

election to help his s udents learn about government,’ (From
Nov, 3 News

: os OOO
“Tell them they need 1 psychiatric help.” :
Potter author: J.K. Rowling on those wko think .
inspire: tanisin. ‘(From a Nov. 3 This Week - :

g after: is better ‘chal the three month
the five month after.” -
adette: Mitchell supports the’ over-the- “counter sale.

g-after pt. without prescription on the basis.
lot of unwanted Pregnancies. (From a

that it will liminate a

ublications - Mail ‘Sates Product Agreement fla
7238. ‘Mailing fates avaiabie on request. Entit

»" campai;
"upon

Libera

FOR whom does this Beli toll?

Whether it be for thee in the federal
riding of North
Vancouver only time
will cell.

Ex-provincial NDP
operative Bill Bell was
acclaimed as your
Libera! candidate on
Oct. 24.

The 46-year-old
business consultant and
North Vancouver City

- councillor has since

.. roared out of the gate /
. dressed for tear with ;
‘incumbeat Alliance MP Ted White i in

his crass-hairs. ©.

Opening ‘shot: White” 5 record ‘of:

‘declining to endorse student summer

job grant applications and otherwise
turning down Human Resources
Development Canada grants destined |

_for North Shore infrastructure pro-

grams. :
White’s response: just doing his con-

‘ ’_stituency’ 's bidding by making prudent ~

use of taxpayer dollars through selective

grant approval as originally directed by a
committee of North Vancouver con:

stituents. ——-
“Since then a larger delivery of Liberal |
ordnance has been untoaded
he Alliance MP.
Bell has deftly taid into White’s

attendance record in Parliament.

According to an Oct. 27 News story

: chronicling his unchallenged nomina

_ tion, Bell told his supporters that, over .
“ the past six months, White had been i in”
«the House of Commons for votes only’

5 per cent of the time.
_ Nice hot.

Gat

RUN AGAIN?
NAH, | NEED
ALL MY ENERGY
FOR SWIMMING

Burt White counters that he has an

impeccable attendance record in the

_ House. With his party-assigned House
duty day currently
being Friday, White
says he misses many of
the vores in the House,
which are traditionally
taken on Tuesdays, a
day he usually works in
his North Vancouver
constituency.
He also points out that
he was out of the coun-
try during the close to
2,000 votes on the
Nisya’ ‘a treaty thac took -

place in the House earlier this year.

White's accompanying comment that

the House of Commons is “a dysfiunc- .

tional, dictatcrial, disgusting place” -

badly in need of democratic reform was

-long on candour from the direct democ-

racy advocate; but short on the tradi-
tional campaign wisdom of candidates
saying pa ts that will offend anyone.
~ Prime ammunition for Bell, a canny ~
backroom political strategist whose pre--

_ vious work in that area has carned him

such nicknames as‘Dr. Dirt.
Pd wager, as the old BTO classic
* promises: “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
This Bell is.just: beginning to toll.’ ;

Politically active since high school, he ;

joined thé socialist hordes back in the. .
early 1980s, first as‘a campaign manager °

for David Schreck, later as media liaison ;

for Bob Skelly, | later still as same for :

-: Mike Harcourt. He currently makes: his”

living advising businesses how best to"

‘catch government’s ear. 9 < :
So how'd he end up with the 200

‘Liberals. — the provincial’ ‘NDP's public

Be y No« 1 for

. LETTERS TO 0 THE EDITOR mast include your
<< name, full address and telephone. number. -
i Submit via e-mail to: mbecker@nsnews.co

After Houis News Tips: 985-21 3t (press 3)

“Timothy Ren saw
Executive :.uiGt .
985-2131 (756)
drenshar: gnsneds.com

ho Stephenson
Classified Manager
985-6222 (202)

Harcourt regime.

noises from ND

Cynics will tell vou that, with the
federal socialist ship heading for the’
rocks, it’s a strategic Liberal move to
catch’all those NDP vores abandoning
ship. ;

‘But what's Bell's explanation?

it’s the Glen Clark factor...

The reign of the disgraced } NDP pr
mier, Bell says, soured him: on the par

Sounds reasonable. Any halfivay
astute politico would long ago hav
scrambled to cut ali ties with the pari
that has inflicted such’ serious damag;
on B.C. and the NDP.

But Bell’s ties with previous NDP.

‘administrations are not so easily sever

For he concedes that he didn have
similar discomfort with the

. But. did -not Premier Mike

o ovtics under dark clouds?::

Was it not-Harcourt’s reign th
broaght us the Bingogate fiasc
event; that increased. the prot
by: close t0'$12 billion; tha
anti-business Labour Relations Cod

’ changes on the province; that

us the misnamed Fair: Wage policy; that
retooled the province’s Human: Ri

». Code to squelch free’ speech? 3

ell and I-go back'a fon
“He’s a fellow North‘ V:

“ scheol class-of-'72, grad:

. Our paths run paraliel :
during boyhood adventures

‘local ‘waterfront during th

excitement of the-1960s
He’s long beaten thé drum 6
improving the lot of society

“snate. [admire his’ political energi

his involvement i in the p iti
Bur this long-

” Liberal tone sti