Protect children from exploitation Dear Editor: Pagree with alot of what Hana Mercer said in her Feb. 12 column: parents do need to teach theie children night tron wrom! Phair jabs to be parents, and not just trends. However, Edo feel Mis. Mercer missed the point behind the public outery at Justice Duncan Shaw's ruling on the possession of child: pornography. Unlike My. Mercer, [believe that we need to protect all chldren, not jusc Canadian children, trom exploitation. Whether or not the children in the pictures were Canadian is immaterial, Untortunately we do get into the murky waters of what exactly, constitutes porn: could [get charged for iaking a pic- ture of my naked children in the bathtub? The naked body has been an art subject since time immeno- rial, and photos that were net taken as pornography could be used that way. Nevertheless, if photos of children are clearly exploitive (required the child to do something inappropriate for their age and/or expose them to embarrassment or humiliation), then the producer of the photo as well as the possessor should be charged. Our justice system surely can determine whether a situation was clearly exploitive, or whether there is sufficient doubr to acquit the accused. Heavens, vou can get charged with possession of stolen property, whether or not you actually did the stealing: Aren’ t Robyn Newton North Vancouver | 30% me | D BIASTAPESG ELASTICS eam & TRIMS TRlus 6" ‘more Incations in ‘the 4 Lowe? Mainland to serve you | NORTH milan Mall Firstia Fabric Selectibn,tyality & Vatue ; Wednesday. March 10 1899 — North Shore News - 9 north shore news MAIL Box Lions Gate Bridge needs another lane Dear Editor: According to reports. the costat the proposed repairs to the Paons Gate Bridge is going to be higher than est- Fa Canada Trust Manager, Residential Mortgages * Transferring your mortgage? * Arranging a new morgage? * Refinancing an existing mortgage? Our 3% CashBack offer pays sou 3% of vour mortgage value’. On a $250,000 mortgage, that’s $7,500. Use vour Cashiiack bonus anv way vou choose. For more inturmation, please call: 929-2525 ‘Nome conditans and exabunons apply Limued tine otfer Ask for complete deta TAILORING ACCESSORIES mated. Having wasted millions on nist ternes, the NDP want te waste more tax dollars on repairs to the bridge when not they have the opportunity to plans, time. The ted white, m.p. add an evtra dane at the same elected munieipal councillors should accept: the government and should organize Protests unul the government is prepared ta change its mind on the whole question af the bridge. Kabir Ebrahim admin@grouse-inn.com MILAs and advertorial, March 10/1999 THAT UNITED ALTERNATIVE THING Unless you are a “political junky," you probably didn't watch the live telecast of the recent United Alternative Convention on CPAC. If you did happen to watch the proceedings though, it probably struck you that most of the subsequent media reports about the event bore little or no resemblance to what actually happened. It seemed almost as if the reporters had been at a completely different convention, or had written their opinion pieces in advance of the event, in expectation of a specific end result. OTHERS WERE IMPRESSED Unlike some of the media representa- tives, the vast majority of the non-Reform delegates to the U.A. convention seemed to be greatly impressed by the grassroots controlled, and very democratic, way in which the debates and votes were can- ducted. | heard cornmments over and over again from non-Reformers, including the high profile ex-Liberal MP, John Nunziata, that they had never been to a political con- vention where the delegates were so much in control of the agenda. Their expe- rience at policy conventions run by the old- line parties had led them to expect a top- down, elite controlled, manipulation of the proceedings, but they found instead an open and productive exchange of ideas, culminating in massive majority endorse- ments of the basic principles which might be used in the building of any new party. THOSE BASIC PRINCIPLES Attending the U.A. Convention with me from North Vancouver were four other del- egates - two men and two women. On the evening before the convention | asked each of them what one principle or policy was so important that its absence from the principles of the proposed new party would cause them to consider the conven- tior: a failure. Those four principles were identified as *(a) a bottom up, rather than top down, structured and internal system of control for the proposed new party, (b) Citizens’ rights to initiative and ref- erendum, (c) the right to recall MPs, and (d) a Triple E Senate. In fact, by the time the cenvention closed, the first three principles had been tully adopted, with massive majorities in favour, and the principle of an elected Senate had also beer: endorsed by a mas- sive majority. The delegates decided, how- ever, ihat determination of the method for electing senators, and the numbers per province or region, were policy issues, rather than basic principles, and should be dealt with at a future conference on spe- cific policies. This outcome, although rot ideal, was accepted to North Vancouver delegate number four. BASIC PRINCIPLES The basic principles which would form the foundation of a new party were dealt with in a set of detailed resolutions which were open to amendment from the floor. Numerous amendments were debated, and many were adopted, producing a broad set of principles which can be summarized as follows: Economic and Fiscal Themes: * Mandated balanced budgets * Lower personal and business taxes * Priority reduction in the National debt * Simplification of the tax system * Property rights to be recognized * Job creation through encouragement of the private sector Social Thomes * Encouragement of personal responsibility and independence * Respect for individual freedom * Recognition of the family as an essential building block of society * Respect for law and order * Substantial reform of the justice system * A fully supported public health care sys- tem while recognizing provincial jurisdic- tion over heaith care * A balanced environmental program which promotes both conservation and wise use of resources * Support for genuine refugees, and immi- gration, where it is a positive source of economic growth * Reasonable assistance to those who are unable to secure the necessities of life Democratic Reforms: * A more focussed federal government * Respect for the role and powers of the provincial governments * Equality of all provinces and citizens under the law * An end to the use of federal spending powers in areas of provincial responsibility * Meaningful and substantia! reform of both Parliament and the Senate to make both houses more democratic and more representative, including free votes and a reduction in party discipline * Citizens’ rights to initiative, referendum, and recall * Recognition that fina! responsibility for public policy rests with elected govern- ments, and not with unaccountable judges or human rights bureaucrats THE NEXT STEP The broad principtes listed above will certainly be recognized as familiar by Retorm supporters as aimost all of them are included in the existing set of Reform principles. The convention del- egates thoatigh, almost half of whom were self-identified as past or present PC, Libera! and NDP supporters, hearti- fy endorsed them as appropriate for a new party. tn early May, the membership of the Reform Party will be given the opportu- nity to vote whether to continue with the process, and to suppert a United Alternative policy convention to be held later this year or early next year. If it does so, you will be hearing and read- Ing a lot more detail about the U.A. over the next 12 months. Ted Whise, M.P, , #302-1200 Lynn Valley Road, North Vancouver, B.C. V7J 2AZ Tel: 666-0585 Fax: 666-0509, Internet: http://www.reform.ca/white-t/ ”