a second opinion NORTH Vancouver is a fascinating political battleground in this federal election, with strong candidates, even stronger partisanship and a surprising twist on the age-old theme of insiders versus out- siders. In the last federal election in 1993 there were a record 10 candidates vying for the attention of North Vancouver voters. This time, the field is likely to be small- er, but we won’t know for certain until nominations close on Monday. However, the candidates nominated to date present an interesting study in con- trasts and deserve careful consideration. Ted White is the incum bent MP and is secking re- election as the Reform party candidate. The feisty, diminutive politician has earned the grudging respect of even his political oppo- nents. He’s independent, outspoken and has even voted against 3 own party on the Liberal government's gun control legislation. The Reform party was opposed to the law, but North Vancouverites told their MP thev supported the legislation, prompting him to break ranks with his cau- cus in favor of his con- stituents. It’s the kind of maverick stance that has often won the favor of North Vancouver voters in the past. And White showed his chutzpa once again last week when Jean Chretien cam- paigned in North Vancouver. There he was, standing toc- to-toe with the prime minis- ter, haranguing him about local issues, making a bad start for the Liberal cam- paign even worse. Many feel that the Reform party will lose sup- port overail in this election, and in British Columbia it’s difficult to imagine the party holding onto the nwo dozen seats it won in 1993. But if Ted White is in trouble, then the Reform party is facing a huge melt- down. Who could chatlenge him? Well, when public opin- ion polls say that the Liberal party is consistently register- ing 40% support in the Lower Mainland, it’s logical to expect that this should spill over onto the North Shore. And Liberal candidate Warren Kinsella is obviously "BANK PREFERRED SHARES © Quarter income © Preferred Tax Treatment Minimoss investment of $25,000. ® Safety of Capital © Liquid Laurentian Bank Class A Preferred Shares as of April 28/1997. hoping for a surge of party support. Kinsella is an accomplished author, teacher and political operator, having worked in the prime minis- ter's office in Ottawa and for one of the most ferociously partisan Liberal MPs, David Dingwall. Kinsella is running an energetic campaign, although he gor off ro a bad start with the fiasco at C College where high school students were bused in and used as props Ina close race, where organization counts, Kinseila’s team has the abili- to make a difference. But it’s important to recognize thar this campaign has a side as well. nsella and White seem to genuinely dislike each other, with White even refus- ing to shake his Liberal opponene’s hand. This lack of respect and absence of civility could yet become a significant election issue. Of course. much will depend on how the vote is divided among the major parties. The Liberals are hopin for a strong campaign by Conservative candidate, ia the expectation that this might split the nght-wing vote. But it’s a badly-flawed strategy beca that the Cons most popular second Liberal voters. In this sense, Tory sup- pore could just as easily come at the expense of the Liberals. And the should be concern because the Conservatives have nominated a strong candidate in Dennis Prouse. It’s worth noting that Prouse and Kinsella have remarkably similar back- grounds. Both of them work in the public affairs business, and both have served on the staff of prime ministers — in Prouse’s case, as a special assistant to (dare-we-speak- his-name?) Brian Mulroney. And so we have two con- Friday, May 9, 1997 — North Shore News — 7 Who’s in, who’s out in N. Van riding sumnmiate political insiders challenging an incumbent MP who’s actually a political outsider. It’s enough to make a political pundit’s head spin! And there’s more. The candidate with the best local qualifications in this race is Martin Stuible, who's run- ning for the NDP. Stuible was born and raised and continues to make his home in North Vancouver. He’s a local school teacher, with an cellent record of commwu- ty involvement. He’s ham- pered, of course, by the fact that the NDP received less than 7% of the vote fast time around and hasnt won the riding since 1972. North Vancouver voters will choose from among a strong field of candidates. At this point it remains unclear whether a specific party tide will wash over the North Shore. But there’s little doubr that the local cam- paign teams will be watchin Mother’s Day Week Sale No GST @ No PST Featured: Items: 7 piece Pine Bedroom Solid « Oak Table (leaf), Suite °1,199 4 Chairs 749 *Entertainment Centre ¢« Armoires « Dressers « © 4 PosterBeds » Night Tables plus much much more. and praying for inspired per- formances from their party leaders in the nationally-tele- vised debate on Monday night. Next week, IH take a close-up look at the new fed- eral riding of West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast. — The North Shore News believes strongly in freedom of speech and the right of all sides in a debate to be heard. The columnists published in the News present differing points of view, but those views are not necessarily those of the newspaper itself. /SANING YOU MONEY? “SINCE 1969. 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