6 - Wednesday, February 6, 1985 - North Shore News

BES editorial

Get going faster

T he Canadian Union of Postal Workers’
planned strike vote next week spotlights
the need to speed up public sector
- bargaining. =:

-CUPW’s previous contract. with Canada
“Post ‘expired last September. ‘Negotiations
threatened with breakdown) © have
for. over. seven months.

33 this sadly! “typical °

lye

John’s,» Nfld.,

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“North Shore News, founded in 1969 as an independent sul.Lan
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7 Member of the B.C. Press Council

55,770 taverag . Wednesday
an Friday & Sunday,

: = oe

a a RECYCLABLE

> mons.

has ©

: ‘So Jim and his committee, |

“which includes. Surrey MP .
“Benno Friesen, propose to
allow MPs free. votes. by’.
“curbing, the. power: of. party
whips, which: they: say has »
“ become “extremes.”

The’ McGrath reformers °

- obviously have history on
* their. side. The original con-/
. cept of Parliament, you may

recall, was that the Com-
mons . were. -elected by the
people to make the king and
his advisers (i.e.

in Canada. .
Firstly, the’ cabinet- today

jority party in. the Com-
In ‘military
therefore, its relationship to

LETTER OF THE DAY | nr
Spirituality always surfaces

“the dust; that’ sit “folks! -

Dear Editor:

Your commenis re “Little
Johnny and religion’’ in
Wed's. ‘*Focus’’ made sense
to me. This may sound funny
coming from soncone with

. no specific religious affilia-

tions, but consider:

Back in. England in my
father’s day religious instruc-
tion’ was part of the daily
public school curriculum and
even though (once settled in
Canada) my father did not
become a church goer, he
possessed an inner strength

the cabinet)
‘toe the line, In'practice, alas,
_it no longer works that way. -

' consists (in theory of the .
brightest and best of the ma-

‘terms, *

” which has served him well for:

” times.

F YOU WORRY sometimes: abont: the future
of parliamentary democracy. in Canada,. wish ~
Jim McGrath’ lots of luck—-but. don't hold” ;
your “breath.” .

Be Mr. “McGiath, Tory. “MP ¥
” for. St.”
: been> asked.by:- Prime.
Minister Mulroney to find =:
-ways..to make... ‘Parliament
work better. Not’ surprising:
ly; he believes’ the key to this.’
-| lies in restoring real power to

-individual MPs. ;

the part ty’s ordinary MPs is
that. of the general ‘staff to .
the foot. soldiers,-and.it..de-' -.

mands the: same?type of
discipline: *That’s. illustrated
by the greatly increased clout

wielded: by the | Prime -
Minister’s Office in irecerit:
The commanding”

general commands, It’s: as
simple-as that..

Secondly;-MPs themselves -

have come «to have- ‘eve
reason for" knuckling: tinder
to cabinet discipline, ‘despite

the fact that doing so is the .
very opposite of what their.

job is supposed to be.:

Most MPs excluded from
the cabinet ‘continue’ to
nourish the hope that one
day, if they’re good boys or
girls, their turn. will: come.
Even more to the point, their
personal survival as ordinary
backbenchers---with enviable
salaries, tax-free allowances
and the lure of indexed pen-
sions---may well depend on
keeping their party in office.

That’s why. so many of
today’s MPs are content to
he fittle more than slorified

over 90 years.

However, rarely did
because here in ‘Canada the
story differed. Where the
ESSENCE of religion was
concerned, we children’ were
left pretty much to our own
devices. | might -zave, albeit
with some pity, to a few city
cousins on their way to
church on a sunny Sunday as
we passed through town on
our way to the lake for a
day’s swimming. Yet [ seeret-

he.
speak of such matters’
marraige

Noel Wright

ombudsmen,
themselves . to

dividual ‘constituents ‘which
involve no major policy con-
frontation with , ministers,
mandarins _ or’ the party
leadership.

If you want ‘security, let’

alone ‘advancement; in. your

political. career, don't foul

ly envied their knowledge and
participation in a universal

subject about which | knew-

absolutely nothing. Nor did
improve such
education.

But human spirituality is
difficult to suppress in-
definitely. Given sufficient
desire on the part of an in-
dividual to become ‘‘whole’’
— it will surface. When this

happens, it can be a bit dis--
_ concerting to an adult person

who has been led by his peers
to believe that when we bite

‘confining -
the minor. .
day-to-day problems of in-°

years much: of the kindling
has become a little acnp.

And this is where! take my,
hat off to'the’ North Shore:
News and. former’ columnist
Hayden Stewart. His writings: -
constituted: a much. needed’
service to the citizens ‘of the,

North Shore for many years: :

and his retirement leaves’a .
noticeabie gap. He laid much
essential groundwork, then.
encouraged people to think
for themselves. :

Mrs. Gordon
North Vancouver