4 - Friday, November Ll, 1988 — North Shore. News AN OPEN LETTER TO VOTERS ON THE NORTH SHORE The November election will be one of the most important elections in this nation’s history. The Free Trade Agreement, the imposed Official Languages policy (Bill C- 72), immigration and tax reform are all issues of vital significance to Canada’s future. Many traditional supporters of major political parties strongly disagree with their party’s position on many of these issues. There is a growing awareness among these voters that their vision of the country’s future transcends party loyalties. In ever increasing numbers, Reform Party supporters have found that it’s policies meet their aspirations, and are counting on this party to take their voice to Ottawa. For the first time, they have a strong a!temative. Where the Reform Party Stands FREE TRADE WITH THE UNITED STATES We believe that Canadians should seek to maximize the benefits of our unique geographic and economic relationship with the United States. The Reform Party, therefore, generally supports free trade. However, the Canadian people are ex- tremely suspicious of hidden agendas on the part of the Mulroney government. Furthermore, Western Tories, under the “heel of party discipline”, will continue to follow party lines and will not truly represent Western Canadian interests. Because of the staggering U.S. trade deficit, protectionist tides are running strong- ly in the United States. Therefore, the alternative to free trade with the U.S. is not a continuation of the status quo. The alternative is most likely to be an open season on Canadian imports by a protectionist Congress - in other words, a trade war with the United States. OFFICIAL LANGUAGES POLICY Pierre Elliot Trudeau, addressing the American Society of Newspaper Editors ... "There is no way two ethnic groups in one county can be made equal before the law ... and to say ‘It is possible’ is to sow the seeds of destruction”. A senior official of Via Rail, with respect to the labour force in Vancouver, stated that; “Our policy is to ensure that from now on we hire only bilingual people ... and we are going to enforce it even if we have to go elsewhere to get them". Marcel Masse ordered that 26% of his department’s management jobs and 25% of its scientific posts are to be filled by “francophones”. And by francophones, he doesn’t mean bilingual, he means French. To Masse "francophone" means a per- son raised in a home where French was the first language and for whom it remains the first language. No matter how well an English speaking person learned French, he or she would not qualify as a francophone. Bill C-72 is the worst iegislatio:. ever inflicted on English speaking Canadians. This bill virtually guarantees the domination of English Canada by the French. What this bill does is enforce - yes, enforce - the use of the French language in the nation’s civil service, our judiciary, the RCMP, the military and all crown cor- porations. Therefore all supervisors, managers and administrators must be fluently bilingual. Never in this nation’s history has there been a bill more discriminatory than this one. English speaking Canadians who join any government service will start at the bottom and stay at the bottom. The Reform Party is the only party demanding repeal! of Bill C-72. IMMIGRATION The Immigration Department under the Conservatives, as it was under the Liberals, must surely be the most impotent department in this governinent in stemming the tide of illegal immigrants flooding into Canada. As a result, Canadians are paying over $100 million per year to support up to 60,000 illegal immigrants. In addition, Canada is becoming a haven for terrorists and accused U.S. murderers through this government’s reluctance to deport criminals who may face capital punishment in the U.S. or other countries from which they have fled. The Reform Party demands an immediate end to immigration abuse. Government priority must be given to the establishment of a responsible immigration plan that is SENSITIVE TO CANADIAN PUBLIC OPINION. General amnesty must rot be granted, thereby allowing illegal immigrants to bring their families and relatives to Canada under the “family reunification" provisions of the Immigration Act. TAX REFORM Canadians now know -- A VOTE FOR THE CONSERVATIVES IS A VOTE FOR HIGHER TAXES. Despite the higher taxes already implemented, annual deficits in the $30 billion range and an accumulated debt in excess of $300 billion, Mul- roney has made election promises "conservatively" estimated at $14 to $16 bil- lion. Current interest on the accumulated national debt is costing approximately $80 million dollars each and every day. Someone has_to pay for it, and the tax- payer knows who. The Reform Party does not support the theory of higher taxes to defuse this hor- rendous time bomb. But deficits must be brought down. In order to encourage fis- cal responsibility and the sane management of public funds, WE WILL OPPOSE FURTHER EXPANSION OF THE PUBLIC DEBT. Government waste, mis- management and patronage must end! MP’S ACCOUNTABILITY TO CONSTITUENTS Most MP’s from Western Canada have an abysmal record in representing the wishes of their constituents. The CF-18 contract, immigration, the Official Lan- guages Act, and the vote on capital punishment all were significant issues in which every Western Canadian had strong feeling "for" or "against". Yet the majority of Western MP's ignored public opinion and voted along party lines or voted “according to their conscience”. In our democratic society an MP must be a representative of the people. Because PARLIAMENT IS DOMINATED BY CENTRAL CANADA (Quebec and Ontario), We in the West must have confidence that our MP’s will diligently represent our interests and aspirations.For them to do otherwise is hypocrisy; in other words, to profess belief in democratic principles yet to ignore the wishes of the people they represent and who pay their salaries. : . The Reform Party of Canada stands for: Free Votes in the House of Commons that will ensure MP’s the opportunity to faithfully and accurately represent their constituents’ views, even if the vote may be contrary to the political party line. Implementation of a recall procedure that will ensure greater accountability of MP’s to the voters who elected them. Allowing Canadians to voice their own opinions on major issues like free trade and extension of official languages, as well as on moral and ethical issues like abortion and capital punishment, through the use of national referenda. THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE On November 21 Elect RON GAMBLE iN NORTH VANCOUVER NEIL THOMPSON iN CAPILANO-HOWE SOUND Authorized by V. Bennington Official Agent