HE’S BAAAAACK! And, as they say about certain hockey players when they step on to the i ice, he makes things hap- pen. ° 1 That's freshly minted Reform Party of B.C. member Bill Vander ‘Zalm, You may remember him. He - was the latest —~ and, according to “the wise (that means the press, . ~* dummy), the last — Social Credit premier of this province. . This was ‘not just your average citizen joining a political party. ” Bill Vander Zalm has the power _ to bring bodies with him. And bag- gage. Unsurprisingly, his enemies declare that he will bring more of *: the latter than the former. “Meaning that the political bal- -.; ance would show that the asset of Vander Zalm and his loyalist: Zalmoids to Reform will be out-. weighed by the debit of same. Net loss. : We in the media, always cheered by conflict and never more so than ‘ when manufacturing it ourselves, have been rubbing hands. An old ~ good story is like an old good friend. And Vander Zalm was always a good story. The take on it is: Reform party | © leader Jack Weisgerber now has a ‘problem. Several problems. -’ “Vander Zalm was Weisgerber’s __= boss. Now. Weisgerber is, as leader, -. “” Vander Zalm’s boss. Always an uncomfortable exchange i in relation- ’ Ships. Peter Speck Publisher. 985-2151 (101) Comptrole: 1139 Lonsdale Avenue North Vancouver B.C. | V7M 2H4 , _ North Shore Managed Doug Foot’ 985. 213i (133) © ELFEENTE RMU ERE TE Trevor Lautens And Vander Zalm’s signature on his party card was scarcely dry - before his cheerleaders were crying: “Leadership review! Leadership review!” __ Just what Jack needs as he toils ‘to get Reform’s act together tc meet ”general-election standards. In any event, Bill Vander Zalm’s * second coming —- a North Shore News scoop, incidentally, by way of a tip to the newsdesk from columnist Doug Collins — is a phenomenon. And what better person to ask abcut it than former provincial Reform party president and North . Vancouver resident Ron Gamble? Gamble has not been in the news ~ much lately, But he is still very much in the party. He lost the leader- ship contest to Weisgerber-after, as Gamble put it with pride, “Jack and the boys” —- all but two of the Socred rump caucus that was left ..., Ghris Johnson *” Operations Manager 965-2131 (166) HE FEDERAL government is proving again that it is good at jokes but bad at gags. Unfortunately for Canadians neither talent is amusing. The jokes are embarrassing and the gags are frightening. Take the continued efforts by the federal government to. pursue its outrageous Election Gag Law. The legislation is a thinly disguised attempt to shut private citizens up during election campaigns by making it ille- gal for Canadians to spend more than $1,000, individually or as a group, to sup- port or oppose parties or candidates during federal elections. Registered political parties would, of course, be exempt from such: ridiculous restrictions and would be allowed to spend millions of dollars supporting themselves. Canadians found guilty of syending more than the $1,000 limit face jail terms of up to SASL ATE RUAN SEIT A LEG TAS WLR TLE RY PT Gc NLP PT ERT TE CEES EEO NBP ELE TEESE LAN REE PEELS five years. A bizarre federal gag, but nobody’s laughing, because the law was actually passed on April 2, 1993, after a scant 15-minute debate ix Parliament —- all three major parties conspiring in the infamy. Three days later, however, the legis- lation was challenged by the ever-alert National Citizens’ Coalition and was later: ruled unconstitutional by the Alberta court. But government lawyers appealed the Alberta Court decision, and in May a trio of judges grilled government legal representa- tives. Rockets were launched at the feds’ pathetic arguments for the gag law. But again, taxpayers aren’t laughing. That it ever came to Parliament in the first place, let alone became flaw, is disturbing. Canadians should be demanding some heads on pletters for this ridiculous and expensive alain, 985-2131 (116) after the party's electoral battering in 199] — jumped to previously Seat- less Reform. Gamble led the provincial party, registered in [983 but virtually mori- bund when he joined it after a bitter split with national Reform party leader Preston Manning, through its green yeurs. (News flash! Gamble and Manning will soon “kiss and make up.” Watch for some reporter in a publication or electronic medium near you to pick up this story.) Gamble’s directorship on the B.C. party’s board ends this month. But there is a movement afoot to make him, at the June 9-11 annual convention in Kamloops, an ex-offi- cio “officer of the party” who would sit on the board with full voting powers. A handsome gesture acknowledging his pioneering efforts, But back to the Vander Zalm issue. How would he, Gamble, react to this more-than-average new mem- ber?’ : “I would certainly welcome Vander Zalm. “He's treated me with ” respect.’ * And that doesn’t compro- mise Gamble's support of Jack Weisgerber as leader. _ Weisgerber, he noted, had him- self said ata recent meeting on.the North Shore that he welcomed for- mer Social Crediters to Reform. Ah, I cried, but Vander Zalm has also stirred the pot by urging Kathleen Toth’s {,000-member Family Coalition Party —- which strongly opposes abortion, an issue Tirethy Renshaw Managing Editor Linda Stewart Sales & Marketing Director 980-0511 (319) that I think marked the real tuming point in Vander Zalm's fortunes — to join Reforra too. Wouldn't such an infusion sharply change the party’s chemistry? Gamble, who is widely consid- ered to be on the right wing of Reform, thought otherwise. Not, he said, if they joined as individuals. He had once asked Kathleen _ Toth, a doughty soul whose party apparently lured enough votes from Social Credit in the Matsqui byelec- tion to sink Social Credit permanent- ly, what separated Family Coalition and Reform. Abortion, she said, Gamble's personal stand: “I don’t consider myself either pro-life or pro-abortion. I'm pro-family. I'd rather accentuate the positive.” And he read from a resolution ’ prepared for the convention which affirms the traditional family. No same-sex “marriages,” thank you. Gamble would, however, put the question of whether abortions should be taxpayer-funded to a referendum. He also remarked, during our wide-ranging talk, that the Reform party is “far greater than any one Individual: ” / ' .[ wasn't sure if he meant Vander Zalm. Or Manning. Or, possibly, nei- ther. Just an innocent observation, perhaps. Bava SIP EOSIN ABS ! Shep Maivennrifrasa aero, aie Pater Kvarnstrom Display Manager $80-0511 (103} North Shore News, founces in ig09:as an independent suburban newspaper and qualified under Schadule 111, Paragraph 111 of the Excise Tax Act, is published each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday by North Shore Free Press Lid. and distributed to every door on the North Shove. Canada Post Canadian Publications Mait Sales Product Agreement No. 0087238. Mailing rates available on request. Submissions are welcome but we cannot accept responsibility for unsolicitad material including manuscripts and pictures, which should be accompanied by a stamped,’ self-addressed envelope. Administration Display Advertising Real Estale Advertising Classified Advertising Newsroom Newsroom Volce Mail Distribution Display & Real Estate Fax Newsroom Fax © Classified, Accounting & Entire contents © 1995 North Shore Free Press Lt All rights reserved. . PUPAL mom A service omission Dear Editor: . I would ‘like to response to: the May 21 article by Caroline Jackson’in the News’. Active Times “feature, in which she lists some of the admirable agencies and services .to~ _ seniors available on the North Shore. . Although the article was informative, she rade at least one significant. omission: ‘the . ‘services of the North Shore Volunteers for Residents in Care Facilities. Our - organization, which has been in existence for 35. years, creates teams of volun- teers who put on recreational activities in our North Shore . facilities. It also operates a local drop-in centre that offers a-wide range of activities: men’s discussion, bridge, com-' panionship, support for care- givers and junior service stu- dent practicum programming: with seniors. - ; We also offer valid opportu- nities for other age groups to _ become actively involved with seniors. Wendy Hanna Executive Director Vaterie Stephenscn Trixi Agrios * °: Classified Manager : 986-6222 (202) Promotions Manager 985-2131 1248) SDA DIVISION - 61,582 (average circulation, Wadnesday, Friday & Sunday}