. . . woe -.: ee ry 24 “ eo. . AG - Wednesday, Oct. 14, 1981 - North Shore News (EE editorial page California’s “Proposition 13" tax crusader Howard Jarvis gave his appreciative audience in West Vancouver an entertaining evening last Thursday. But he didn’t quite get to the root of our tax problems. Mr. Jarvis attacked bureaucratic waste at all levels of government -- and with some justification. That non-productive element in the pipeline between dollars collected and benefits paid out inevitably swallows a proportion of the taxpayers’ money merely in order to sustain the bureaucracy itself. The best one can aim for here is to elect MPs, MLAs and council members dedicated to forcing the bureaucrats to operate in the most efficient and economical manner. In other words, insist on reducing bureaucratic waste to an absolute minimum. Taxes themselves -- the redistribution of, income for agreed social purposes -- are another thing again. Modern society demands a high level of government services in areas like education, health, welfare and public safety. Politicians promise them in order to be elected. It's only when the bills are presented, swollen by today’s inflation and interest rates, that the crunch comes. Assuming that bureaucratic waste is cut to the bone (no mean task in itself), there’s ultimately only one answer: demand LESS services if we're not prepared to pay today’s price for them. Politicians have no money except ours and there's no free lunch. Meanwhile, we should at least press hard for all taxation to be based on ability to pay -- which means divorcing.it completely from the ownership of property. In that context, at least, Mr. Jarvis was right on. Man’‘s world A recent report from Moscow says more and more Russian women -- over 90% of whom hold jobs outside the home -- are tired and fed up with their double workload as employees and housewives. Meanwhile, a Canadian doctor reports increasing cases of high blood pressure and ulcers among working women aged 35 to 50. Taking over a man’s world is no rest cure, ladies -- just ask any man! sunday news narth shore 1139 Lonsdale Ave. V7M 2H4 news (604) 985-2131 ADVERTISING NEWS 960-0511 CLASSIFIED 985-2131 986-6222 CIRCULATION 986-1337 Publisher Peter Speck Associate Publisher Edlitor-in-Chiet Advertising Director Robert Graham Noe! Wright Eric Cardwell Managing Editor News Editor Andy Fraser Chris Loyd General Manager Creative Administration Olrector Bern Hilliard Production Director Rich Stonehouse Tim Francis Photography Ellsworth Dickson Accounting Supervisor Circulation Director Purchaser Barbara Keen Boan A Elhs Faye McCrae North Shore News founded TOU an an Independent «omnrmuntty Newspaper and quatilied under Schedule Hh Pant it Paragraph MW of the troiwe Tae Act om putbtahed each Wednesday and Sunday by North Shore Free Preas Ftd and dintettuted ta avery door on the North Shore Gecond (lana Mat Ho gistration Numtrer 3689 Subscriptions $20 per year Entire contents All rights reserved 1961 North Shore Free Preea itd No fe spronmibat, ame england Your caret atte Mare] faava theses te Hacdngy Manwocrtpta and gee turen what afoub! fe ac omnparmnead by a stampod AAA Hone a vetope VE RUE IE OC IRE Un ATION 63 349 Wednesday 62 646 Sunday SN THIS PAPER IS RECYCLABLE North Vancouver, B.C. By BILL BENNETT Premier of British Columbia I have always believed that reasonable men sitting down together in good faith can come to reasonable agreements on issues of the day. That belief was what prompted me last week to begin canvassing my fellow premiers in préparation for meeting with Prime Minister Trudeau to hear what proposals he has relating to discussions on the con- stitution: following the historic judgment by the Supreme Canada. I believe it is of the utmost importance for Candians to understand what that Court of judgment said, in order that Canadians may assess - statements being made by various people in the wake of that judgment. In essence the court held that “constitutional con- ventions plus constitutional law equal the total con: stitution of the country”. That was the opinion of , the majority of the Supreme Court of Canada, in finding that agreement of . the provinces of Canada is constitutionally required for the passing of Mr. Trudeau's constitutional resolution. In other words, the Court held that for the Prime Minister to proceed in the unilateral manner he has been trying for the past year, would be unconstitutional. The Court, by the way, made no finding about just how many _ provinces’ consent is required in order that the federal government might go ahead. Constitutional law is written. Constitutional conventions are usually unwritten. “It should be borne in mind however that, while they are not laws, some conventions may be more important than some laws,” the Court says. “Many Canadians,” says the Court, “would perhaps ‘be surprised to learn that important ‘parts of the constitution of Canada, with which they are the most familiar becausé they are directly involved when they exercise their right to vote at federal and _ provincial elections, are nowhere to be found in the law of the constitution. or instance it fundamental requirement of the con- Stitution that if the Op- position obtains the majority at the polls, the Government msut tender its resignation forthwith. But fundamental as it is, this requirement of the constitution does not _ from part of the law of the constitution...” “The main purpose of constitutional conventions is to ensure that the iegal framework of the con- stitution will be operated in accordance with the prevailing constitutional values or principles of the period.” ' “For example, the con- stitutional value which is the pivot of the conventions stated above and relating to responsible government is the democratic principle: the powers of the state must be exercised in accordance with the wishes of the electorate.” It has been noted that a Significant difference bet- ween constitution by con- vention and constitution by law is that convention can seldom be enforced by the courts. The Supreme Court gave a striking example of hew this works: ; “If after a general election where the Opposition ob- tained the majority at the polls the Government refused to resign and clung to office it would thereby commit a fundamental breach of conventions, one so serious that it could be CONTINUED ON PAGE AB NelsonRiis sticks his neck out If you've assumed up to now that New Democrats and organized labor are automatically political bedmates, you haven't yet met Nelson Riis, the NDP Member of Parliament for Kamloops-Shuswap. Mr. Riis sent us a letter the other week that suggests he may be on his way to becoming the Genghis Khan of Canadian socialism. It outlined a proposal for pious “Amen”, it’s pretty bringing an end to stnkes certain to die on their lips as and lockouts. soon as they hear what Mr. “Dunng these difficult Rus hasin mind. economic times,” wrote Mr Reduced to its simplest Rus, “management-labor (terms, his proposal would disputes are adding ad-— prohibit anyone from ac- ditional problems to an tually hitting the bncks or already troubled economy Something must be done in a positive and progressive way In an effort to initiate such a public debate ['m preparing a4 potnt af departure “Hopefully it as a small step forward toward making Canada a better place ~ Mr Ruts poes on to note that “all walks of life” are vorcing their displeasure at the present state of management labor in Canada He makes the relations Important point that costly cconomic disrupbons hurt aot only the partios involved in a dispute bul many third parties as well and that many of these disputes occur before meaningful discussions take place between the two partios Some new ap proaches must be found to the status quo he declares if at thas | pont any employers and umon leaders fecl tempted to murmur a barncading the doors for a penod of 10 weeks from the formal starting date of a strike oor lockout During mine of those weeks he would also confiscate employees wages and company revenues on a steadily rising scale Meanwhile, the plant would continue lo operate as usual with employees and the company allowed to keep only enough moncy “to enable cach to be tained al ry possible level’ main minimum It the dispute was resolved tn the first week lOO) per cent of the forfeited wages and revenuc would be returned to cach group Ifo oat Gdragped on to the accond week they ds get back only 9O percent Tn the third week SO percent Ifthe fourth week 70 per cent And so on to the tenth week by which point both employees and the company would recover only 100 per Noel Wright cent of the dollars withheld At that stage they would be permitted the consolation of finally closing down the plant and beginning ventional strike or action eon ove Mount The whole process would be supervised. with the force of law by oa commission It mediate oor 20 person would not arbitrate but merely cneourage the two Parties to settle fast by direct acgotatuon The money confiscated would be used to provide venture capital for the creation of new laber tntensive industries con fer other uses “Ubenefrial to society as a whole”. Whew! INCENTIVE The proposal, as Mr. Rus modestly puts it, would provide “a real financial incentive to both sided to resolve the dispute and results in no work stoppages for at least ten weeks.” In other words, any management and union that didn't. clear up their dif ferences within seven days would obviously need to have their heads examined The longer they horsed around, the more they both would lose The beauty of the scheme is that it doesn’t change any collective bargaining fun damentals There's no ar bitration, binding of otherwise The parties are left to slug it out one-on-one Ten weeks down the road (and 90 per cent poorer) (hey could stall close down the plant yust asin the good old days Mr Riis ois oa) brave socialist and amply deserves the public debate that he »s calling lor on his proposition He's unlikely of course, (oO cam many quick Brownie points in the boardrooms and unton halls ol the nation But he might win a sur prising number among the more than 60) per cent of non involved Canadians whe are led to the teeth with being held hostage by warring Corporate and labor bosses