THUS IS some shoot-em-up session of Parliament. 1 know — that's painfully glib and journalistic. I can only throw myself on the mercy of readers and plead that I can’t resist the tempta- tion. ~~ [speak of the break-out from the corral (i.e.; party discipline) _ and sudden decline of power of the sheriffs (i.e., party whips) on the -faucous issue of gun-control legis- lation. ; Nine maverick Liberal members of Parliament bucked their govern- ment and voted against it this week. And four Reform Party MPs, -including North Vancouver's Ted White, added their brand to the bill. notwithstanding their party’s over- whelming opposition to it. 1 If-you don’t think that the lead- ; ership of every party doesn’t make - «mental notes about who was on- ... Side and who wasn't on a vote, you ‘fail Politics 101. And also Human “Nature Kindergarten. | . ¢. Jean Chretien is the Captain -. Bligh of party leaders in swiftly, ruthlessly punishing dissenters. ~, ~ Reform is caught on the homs of its own advocacy of less party discipline and more free votes (this one wasn’t, but half looked like one). Jim Selye, its whip — the party sheriff himself — put down his Colt and mosied over to sup- " port the bill with most of the Liberals. Yes, that’s a muddily mixed oot UE, ay lea es yy eTTN, BN ‘oe ee ig WAN REMEMBER, FOLKG...A Litre fS "PROCREATION AND THAT'S ALL. ‘Trevor | Lautens Justice Minister Allan Rock, Selye and White and the other dissident Reformers are in fact j joining | the law-and-order gang. Rock specifically mocked the other. Reformers on that point. A fine bunch of law-and-order adve- cates and a fine bunch of populists, Rock jeered, pointing to public opinion polls that showed most Canadians support registration and other restrictions on firearm own- ership. In fact, as Ted White made clear, he supported the government bill — even though he is personal- ly opposed — precisely because most of his constituents did. _ Editorially, the News, not usual- ly unsympathetic to North Van's ‘peppery rookie MP, rapped him for his stand. | - And thereby hangs a historical tale. Readers as well-informed as BEDE it A ERR OER EERE RATAN DVR LTS UE ASSEN WA ISTE Be here aa rier Cet linet Ml Reel et AO Ine ODAY’S winners and losers i in the B. C. court system as dictated by the NDP government: crime victims and judges, respectively. First the winners: the provincial govern- ment recently unveiled a package of proposvd legislation aimed at helping the chronically short-changed victims of crime. As part of the package, the government will apply surcharges of up to 20% on all provincial fines to fund compensation for crime victims and allow the families of mur- der victims to pursue criminal-injuries com- pensation for such things as grief counselling, lost wages and funeral expenses. And now the losers: when it comes to provincial court judges, the NDP is proving far less judicious. An infuriated North Vancouver provincial court Judge Bill Rodgers refused to hear cases before him in court Monday as a protest ain si niveihdenio SIRT ERRANI: see over the government? s rejection of an 11.5% salary increase over three years for provincial court judges. The raise, which would have increased judges’ annual salaries from $118,000 to $132,000, was recommended unanimously by an independent panel established by the NDP to ensure that the issue did not become politi- cized. It would also help keep some separation of the state from the judiciary. But this is socialist B.C. Nothing remotely connected with government is free from poli- tics and the separation of state from, any aspect of life in B.C. is steadily being eroded. sudges, who have not hada raise since - 1992, will now have their salaries frozen until 1998. In the NDP’s political courtroom, ‘justice has not been meted out equitably on both sides of the bench. mine know all about Edmund Burke's famous view of an MP's responsibilities — exactly the opposite of White's. Burke was MP for Bristol, then England's second-biggest city. And in 1774 he told Bristol's electors in no uncertain terms: “Your representative owes you, not his industry alone, but his judgment; and he betrays instead of serving you if he sacrifices it to your opinion.” Noble words! Uplifting words! Courageous words! Words that have rung freedom’s bell down the ages! Ah, but you rarely hear about the aftermath. Bristol’s voters tossed Burke out in the next elec- tion. A pretty clear signal that they wanted their opinion expressed in Parliament, not their MP's. So Ted White is not on the right side of the great Edmund Burke. But he may well be on the right side of his constituents if he stands again in the next federal election. There ain’t no heroes in Parliament’s Boot Hill for defeated candidates. Or are there? Good for North Vancouver Judge William Rodgers. He has, by example, played a big role in the B.C. provincial court judges’ prin- cipled stand that involves a great deal more than a salary raise, or the size of it. Finance Minister Elizabeth Cull, aided and abetted by Attorney General Colin Gabelmann, this week overrode a unanimous report recommending an 11.48% pay increase over three years for the judges. The recommendation was made by the province’s Judicial Compensation Committee, consist- ing of two government appointees, two appointees of the judges, and a chairman —- Chuck Conaghan, another respected resident of the North Shore. The process was created by the New Democratic Party government itself only last year. The judges — heartily endorsed it. Cull’s flat rejection of the increase as too much isn’t really the point. Essentially, the judges see her striding in to call the shot as an attack on their independence from the state. It reduces them to government employees. They’re right. The separation of the judiciary from the government is a principle that was hard fought for 800 years ago, and vigorously defended since. Social Credit MLA Cliff Serwa ; charged that the NDP government would have taken a different tack if, the judges were seen as their polit-:/ ical friends, or belonged to a labor union. Right bloody on. eeition x Councillor's clarification Dear Editor: The closing comment::o the, June 9: News story “Tree people heard loud and clear,” implies that because of my professional - qualification as a realtor, I would be more aware of the compiexity of the issue and should ‘have opposed the motion instead of supporting it along with all the other councillors. Many of the people who con- tacted me emphasized that they did not want any hasty or indis- criminate development, but that consideration for any change ‘should come under. the ..closest.. |.: scrutiny, and not happen without their having an opportunity to be. inyolved. la response, I” made a replacement : motion to have ‘a’ moratorium on any development | or change of use ‘until. the ‘dis- /trict’s Official Community Plan was reviewed by district resi- dents. However, the other coun- . cillors spoke against the motion and it was withdrawn. : I, along with all the’ other councillors, then passed the. motion already under considera- tion. as being the most acceptable | response to the expressed public ' opinion, and ‘which ° will’‘still allow for further public inrut. 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