ON Monday morning a
17-year-old boy was
stabbed several times in
the neck while on his
way into his high
school in Calgary.

His offence? It seems he
owed the grand sum of $30
to another youth.

Unable to pay the debt
with cash, he paid with his
life, wo:

The Canadian Alliance has
tried to make justice issues a
primary focus in this cam:
paign. The Chretien-led
Liberals are quick to down-
play any attempt to do this by
saying, “What's the problem?
The crime rates are drop-
ping.” The Liberal’s own
Web site even trumpets a
lower national homicide rate
as evidence they are providing
good government.

Although, what this or any
government can do to affect
the homicide rate is torally
beyond any logical thought
process. Yet, if'it’s positive,
they did it. Just ask them.

For seven years, we have
been waiting for a new Young
_ Offenders Act. For seven
years the Liberals have been
promising to bring in new
legislation to address youthful
crime. They are still promis-
ing. And promising. And
promising.

One of the planks of the
Alliance platform is the man-
dated provision of DNA sam-
ples for people charged with a
serious criminal offence. On

maibox

beral ju

crime and
punishment

the same day as the boy was
killed in Calgary, [listened to
Liberal MP Raymond Chan
on the Bill Good Show talk-
ing about this specific issue.

Chan actually said that he
disagreed with this proposal
because it took away the pre-
sumption of innucence. Hub?
Now I realize Chan is a polit-
ical lightweight, but to say
something hike that means he
is vither incredibly stupid or
incredibly ill-informed.

We have, in this country, a
piece of federal legislation
called the Identification of
Criminals Act.

For almost a century,
police have been finger-print-
ing criminals at the time of
arrest in what is called the
“booking” process. Is Chan
saying the taking of a DNA
sample is somehow depriving
an accused criminal of the

resumption of i innocence,
bat the taking of fingerprints
and photographs is not?

While Pa on this tapic, a
Toronto newspaper inter-
viewed another particularly
forgettable Liberal MP on the
same question. That bright
light said he was against it
because taking a forced blood

sample would violate the per-
son’s right to privacy.

Now pay attention closely.
A DNA sample is obtained by
taking a swab of the inside of
a person's cheek. ‘That's it. It
is no more intrusive than
sticking your tongue out for
the doctor. Ta fact, it’s proba-
bly a hell of a vot less intru-
sive than fingerprinting a par-
ticulacly uncoopecative sub-
ject.

Fingerprinting tends to
involve of lot of screaming,
usually in pain, on the part of
the person being printed.

But why try and argue
thets with the Liberals? IF
facts were an issue, they
wouldi’t even be in the race,
let alone leading in the
national polls,

Even the prime minister
just can’t help himself. He
gets caught with his hand in
the cookie jar, lobbying a
man he appointed and could
dismiss, to obtain a loan from
the government-awned
development bank, for a
buddy of his and a former
business associate.

The fact his pal is 2 con-
vieted criminal with a dubi-
ous financial track history
that the bank didn’t want to
touch with a 10-foot pole
seems not to have bothered
the ethically challenged prime
minister. :

Chrétien says the ethics
commissioner has already
cleared him of any wrongdo-
ing. He shrugs and says any-
way it’s “norma! vperations”
for him.

~ Schecter’ s tax reduction plan

help small businesses enormously as they

Dear Editor:

_ - When I opened up the North Shore News
on Sunday morning, I found, much to my dis-
uoted.

election profiles, the
- Fesponse listed when asked about tax reduction
“is not my.answer. Morcover, what is written
there doesn’t even make sense.

. My original answer noted that I felt strong-
ly about the need to encourage small business-
es, citing that small businesses drive the econo-,
my. I believe no person making less than’
"$15,000 per annum should be obliged to pay
* federal income tax. Not only would this help

may, that I had been mi:
“Under the list of ¢

watched the number of people with some dis-
posable income in this country balloon.
Indeed, I noted a need to increase the Child
Benefit Credit and GST credits; a tax I fear to
be genuinely unfair, and detrimental to small
businesses and the poor. Ultimately, I feel that

the GST must be eliminated completely.

I feel rhat thisis a progressive and econom-
ically sound tax reduction plan that will heip all
Canadians, rather than just CEOs and large
corporate empires.

Sam Schechter
NDP candidate .

_ Students, and those living in poverty, it would North Vanccuver

Bell s bosses waste our money

; “Dear Editor:
“ [was interested to read the
comment of Bill Bell che lat-
Liberal . candidate. to
attempt to represent us in
Ortawa:
He attacked Ted White by
complaining © that White
,turned.down money that the
federal government was ready
to shovel ‘off the back of the
“truck. This in itself seemed to
‘shake poor Bell right down to
: his NDP roots.”

‘Hej just does not get it.
We elected White because
we were tired of seeing our

/ money wasted with so called

“job creation” projects. Hana
Mercer in her column Fair
Comment .taiked about the
HRDCs “patronage’ play-
ground” and the millions (bil-
lions) of dollars wasted by
Bell’s bosses in Ottawa. She
also said, “Unsustainable gov-
ernment ‘make work’ schemes

~ merely usurp the wishes .and

needs of consumers, and sub-
stitute them with the wishes
of, bureaucrats who are
beholden to their political
masters.”

Ted White has done more
to stem the tide of misman-
agement of our tax dollars
than any Liberal MP. .

I will concede to Mr. Bell
on one point: “We must send
a clear message to Ottawa.”
Brian Brown
North Vancouver

Go lana, to the land of opportunity

~ Dear Editor: .
~/Ret-Those with. ability are
enslaved, Nov. 10.

.. Go. then. Ilana! Go to’ the
U.S.! Go to the land of oppor-
tunity where medical expenses
swallow 13.7 per cent of the

«GDP as compared to 9.2 per
~ cent of the GDP in Canada. Go

to the country where the life

expectancy is two years, shorter

than it is in Canada and which
on a list of countries ranked by
life expectancy is 25th, after

-. such countries as Cyprus and

Singapore. (Canada is second.)

Go south where the murder
rate is nearly four times greater
than it is here. Go to the place
where the rate of childhood
homicide; suicide and death
related to the use of firearms is

teport,

the highest out of the world’s
26 richest countries. Go, Hana,
Go! (Sources for statistics: U.S.
State Dept.’ Web site, FBI
Centre for Justice
Statistics, Centre for Disease
Control in Atlanta, U.S.
Commerce Dept. Bureau of
Economic Analysis.)

Claudia Cornwall

North Vancouver

Wednesday, November 22, 2600 —- Nerth Shore News - 7

ises not met

eltective character assassina- care of with a knife or gun.
inn since day one in the Chretien keeps promising to
campaign on Stockwell Day, do something about it. But,
the only serious challenger what he has actually done is
tor his job. use the power of his office to
Another teenager died help his friends.
violently this week. What Are Canadians so foolish
used to be settled with fists into give him another term?
the schoolyard now is taken — lknight@dircet.ca

In the first place, the
ethics commissioner never
looked into anything done by
the PM in this case, That
inquiry was aimed at a con-
stituency aide for Chrétien.
At the ume that was done,
PMO spokesman, Peter
Donolo, stated the PM had
not taken an active hand in
the loan process. Another lie.

Both Stockwell Day and
Joe Clark have called tor an S
independent investigation f :
into the mess, Chrétien, for
his part, describes the calls
from both leaders as “desper-
ate™ and “hitting below ti.
belt.”

This, from a man who has
conducted an incredibly

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204 Donaghy Ave., North Yon
RESELLER & OKIDATA HE

Bill Beli
Liberal Candidate —

_ The Liberal Plan: Better health care for ait Canadians.
The liberal plan is for accessible care for all, regardless of personal. f
wealth. The Liberals have infused $23.4 billion for more doctors, nurses’
and to buy leading edge technology. This cash infusion will help tc
shorten waiting lists.
The Reform Allianca Scheme: a privatized, American-style system for.
the rich. “
The Reform Alliance wants to ‘open health care to a for profit private. :
system. This means wealthy citizens can buy their way past waiting lists. .
They aiso want to transfer control of the system to the provinces,. this * .
means the federal government can no longer enforce, equal access for. 3
ali. -
Bill Bell’s Campaign Headquarters
In the historic Paine Hardware building
78 Lonsdale Ave. <)>
How can you help Biff?
Take'a sign or volunteer call 984-4377
or email Bill at electbell@home.com
- Auihorized by Gorton Harris, Official Agant for Sil Gall