Johnston

heads long

list of contenders

IN LATE 1989, as I was completing an article about her
for another publication, Rita Johnston expressed some
concern to me about a government promise to create a

Ministry of Women's Issues.

As | jotted down her com-
ments, she exclaimed: "Don’t
quote me on that...it is govern-
ment policy.’’

When it was suggested to her
that her reservations about this
were too important to be ignored,
1 offered to phrase the subject in
such a way as to reflect her sen-
timents, without appearing to be
opposing her party. She subse-
quently permitted me to attribute
the words to her.

The article, titled, ‘‘B.C.’s Most
Influential ¥V/oman,”’ contained
this passage:

She still bristles at the memory
of former (Surrey) Mayor Don
Ross who, asked to comment on
her mayoralty aspirations, said
that a woman wouldn’t make a
good mayor, but would be better
off arranging tea parties.

The minister feels strongly
about equality for women, but is
less sure about the solution.

“My concern is that the issues
are too important to be side-
tracked.

“Many people think a Ministry
of Women would expedite solu-
tions. My fear is that it might be
used to disguise delay, or to dead
end a useful course of action,’’
she said.

It is curious to note that just
prior to swearing in the first fe-
male premier in Canadian history,
the first Chinese lieutenant-gover-
nor in Canadian history served tea
to a group of ladies. And the first
Dutch-born premier walked away
in disgrace, accused of lying in a
messy scenario that contained
bizarre imagery such as hand-
counting $20,000 worth of $100
bills.

With some inspired organiza-
tion, we could sell tickets to the
kind of spectacular entertainment
delivered by daily life in British
Columbia.

eee

It was interesting to note that in
Bill Vander Zaim’s moment of
agony, there was but one cabinet
minister behind him on the po-
dium. It was his friend Rita.

Where were the others? They
were always quick to crowd
behind him for the photos during
the now long forgotten episodes
of triumph.

ft brought me back to one im-
age of Whistler 1986.

We were broadcasting live from
just off the convention floor. I
was paged more than once for a
long distance call. “

1 was finally escorted to a
private office in the Whistler
Convention Centre and my caller
turned out to be Richard Hatfield,
then still the premier of New
Brunswick. Hatiicid wanted to
know about the various goings-on.

At that stage, it seemed certain

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that Bill Vander Zalm would be
the leader.

What I didn’t know was that
next door to the office in which |
was sitting, Pat Kinsella and Brian
Smith were trying to rally 80 per
cent of Bill Bennett's cabinet for
one last ditch effort at victory.

When th:«'r meeting broke up,
the entire assembly paraded past
me. The stress and anguish etched
on those faces told a sad story of
modern politics.

The outsider — Vander Zalm —
was going to win.

These ministers were concerned
not for the province and not for
the party: they were concerned
only for themselves. They had
backed the losing horse and they
feared the end of their cushy and
prestigious jobs.

And now these same people
have something else to think
about. The 54-year-old grand-
mother from Surrey, who drives
around Greater Vancouver in her
dark red mini-van, is now the
boss. She controls whatever perks
are left in the dying days of this
government.

If this is not enough to bring
out the fruit salts, it is heavily
rumored in Ottawa that Justice
Minister Kim Campbell — who
came dead last at Whistler — is
interested in coming home to seek
the leadership.

There isn’t a man in the caucus
who could match Kim’s intellect,

and Premier Johnston’s moxy,

experience and wisdom would
swamp their lifeboats if they row-
ed toward another self-serving
harbor.

If this is the contest, we would
have the fresh, vigorous younger
and untarnished Kim Campbell,
lacking necessary roots outside
Vancouver, against the estab-
lished, universally respected and
better-connected Rita Johnston,
suffering from association with
the effluent of the past.

John Reynolds, the most adept
politician in the province, is al-
ready testing the wind. Claude
Richmond — untainted by current
calamities -— has been an honest
and solid performer.

Mel Couvelier, more respected
than anyone in business circles,
has already withdrawn. Mayor
Gordon Campbe!!l has been touted
to be a candidate. (I guess they
didn’t ask Gordon. Picky, picky.)

One pundit actually suggested
Jim Pattison. As appealing as this
may be to those who want good,
no nonsense government, if Pat-
tison had become premier in 1986,
he’d now have the smallest cabinet
in global history.

The rest would have been fired
for incompetence, dishonesty or
general stupidity.

There’d be no conflict of inter-
est problems wiih J. Pattison Esq.
We'd just whip him into the
Franciscan monastery for decom-
pression. Government would be
forced to do business only with
the half of the province he doesn’t
currently own,

And then there is the first lady
of the Social Credit Party, Grace
McCarthy.

Her supporters will start
clamoring to right what they still
see as a wrong perpetrated at
Whistler. She came so close.

Had Bill Vander Zalm not seiz-
ed half of her natural constituen-
cy, she would have won.

She is a radiant, intelligent and
and energetic 63. She has the his-
tory. If such things couid be true,
W.A.C, Bennett would still be
marching with her. Has she made
too many enemies since her 1988
cabinet defection?

We should not neglect The
Gong Show: this is the British
Columbia Pacific Party (aka
“PP’’), These people have come
to enjoy visits from television
cameras. We wish them well as
they pass into a deserved obscuri-

ty.

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