o. EWARE READERS: the provincial D government ‘wants to take care of you. That translates into more government. ‘cost and more government intrusion into the lives of private citizens. The focus’ ‘today ‘is: the provincial human ‘rights ‘system, which has already been har- -Onessed to throttle’ freedom of speech via the NDP? government’s dangerously vague and “Murky Bill 33. According - to recent stories in the press, Moe. Sihota, the ‘minister responsible for - human rights, is looking to expand the human Tights mandate to ferret out inequality wher- “ever it may be hiding. The immediate impact of this. unnecessary snooping into the com- plaints of the allegedly: ‘downtrodden will be | — ‘surprise. — an-increase in the cost of administering the human rights machinery. ols: budget wil almost double from $3.5 Peter Spock Publisher 985-2131 {104} Doug Foot Comptroller 985-2134 (133) _ ‘ . Chris Johnson’ -. Operations Manager 985-2131 (141) \ i pase LOD ceona nm ean Aca ad LAPD AL ASS VRS aLERCY ATEN RIE ATRN Le ad CRN AISNE NAEP Yaad te! ibd DAP NOES EL million to $7 million, and that’s just the initial ; estimation. Look to doubling the latter figure as the government’s red tape and bureaucra- cy machinery shifts into high gear. But back to the job at hand: monitoring human rights i in B.C., land of oppression and rampant racism. On the top of the B.C. Council of Human Rights’ books right now is a.complaint against the North Shore News based on a group’s disagreement over the opinions of one of the newspaper’s columnists. The object of: the exercise is to chill free expression and to. ‘ entrench the state as the censor of acceptable ‘opinion -—- no matter that it infringes upon -one of the most important Charter of ‘Freedoms rights. Unpleasantness must be leg- islated out of existence. The government wants to take care of you, whether you like it or not. Timothy Renshaw Managing Editor 985-21 34 (116) Linda Stewart ae Sales & Marketing Director 980-0514 .(319) FINANCE MINISTIER Paul Martin may not know how to balance the budget with- out hitting us with extre taxes. But the citizens of Capilano-Howe Sound DO know, and they’ve told him in precise detail. Their message is contmed in a recent constituency survey by MP Herb Grubel, Reform Party finance - critic in the Commons. He quizzed almost 1,000 of his constituents on where — und how much — they would cut in the’ 1993-94 federal operating budget of $103.9 billion. His questionnaire broke down that total into detailed expenditure categories under transfers to per- sons, transfers to provinces, major subsidies, subsidies to Crown Corporations, defence and govern- ment operations. Under each heading the AVER- : AGE of the various percentage cuts recommended by respondents was worked out. : Getting off the lightest were 1993-94 expenditures on Old Age Security and veterans’ pensions ($21.8 billion cut by 11.9% to $19.2 billion), transfers to provinces for health ($5.1 billion cut by 17% to $4.3 billion) and funding for post-secondary educa- tion ($6.2 billion cut by 18% to $5.1 billion). g Capilano- -Howe Sound voters wielded the knife much more heav- ily on unemployment insurance benefits and welfare contributions (a total of $9.1 billion cut by —. 30.7% to $6.3 billion). They also pared $8 billion in transfers to ~ = “have-not” provinces by 37% to $5 billion. 2 Defence was chopped by 29% ; from $11.3 billion to $8. | billion. “Government operations” (Parliament, the civil service and all government infrastructure) cost- ing $21.5 billion was slashed by 33% to $14.3 billion. , But the real blood-letting came. with Ottawa's long list of subsidies (o special interests, in numerous cases primarily for vote- -catching purposes. i They include, among others, handouts to business, Indians and Inuits, foreign aid, agriculture, Canada Mortgage & Housing, the CBC and VIA Rail for a 1993-94 total of $20.9 billion. Pater Kvamstrom Display Manager: 980-0511 (4 03) Valerie Stephenson Classified Manager 986-6222 (202) ALE LE ALAEIOR LATA RUS ATES WER HITHER AND YON Overall, Capilano-Howe Sound’ voters axed these by more than 57% (business by a whopping 66%) down to $8.9 billion. ; In two subsidiary questions, ©; 80% said able-bodied persons between 15 and 45 should not be. « cligible for welfare; while 66% of a. ~ smaller sample of 285 respondents: said families with more than the - _average family income should not be eligible for OAS or uIC bene- ° fits. The grand total ‘saved: $32 7 b lion. In a growing economy this would easily eliminate the defic’ ‘by 1996-97, and Grubei will make, sure Paul Martin gets to study the proposals well before budget day, But a word of waming. Even i -you agree with the cuts made by” _, hearly 1.000 of your neighbors, * don’t put away your scalpel just “yet. Last week’s huge interest rate. hike ‘and likely. more to come - could push the deficit stiii higher, --as well as slowing the economy. We may have to:shed yet more: blood on the floor ourselves to stop the International Monetary Fund °". * from fi finally going for our jugular! WRAP-UP: Many happy returns of the day to four notable West. Van ” birthday boys, starting today, Dec. 18, with Mayor Mark Sager. and Kiwanian Brian Hanna... And; : more of the same tomorrow, Dec. 19, to the Brian’s two clubmates,- _ Reg Meek and John Millard. WRIGHT OR WRONG: Better lose the anchor than the whole’. © ship. . Trix Agrios . ". Promotions Manager 985-2131 (137) MEMBER 985-2131 980-0511 985-6982 986-6222 985-2131 980-1970 986-1337 . 985-1435 AERC ” 985-2104 “Administration Display Advertising | Rea! Estate Advertising Classified Advertizing Newsroom — Newsroom Voice Mall Distribution Olsplay & Rea? Estate Fax Newsroom Fax : . Classified, Accounting & Main Office Fax ‘ North Shore News, founded in 1969 as an independent suburban newspaper and qualified under Schedule 111, Paragraph %71 of the © Excise Tax Act, is published each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday by North Shore Free Press Lid. and distributed to every door on tha North . Shore, Ganada Post Canadian Publications Mail ‘ Sales Product Agreement No. 0087238. Mailing rates available on request. Submissions are welcome but we cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited material including manuscripts and pictures, which should be accompanied by a! .. .Slamped, so't-addressed envelope. ‘ b 4 6 9 THE VOICE Of NORTH AND WEST VANCOUVER ‘ . waa SUNDAY WEDNESDAY ~ FRIDAY: 1139 Lonsdale Avenue North Vancouver B.C. : V7M 2H4 “, ‘North Shore Managed SDA DIVISION |. . 61,582 (average circulation, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday) -°. ! 985-3227 Entire contents © 1994 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved.