6 - Sunday, December 27, 1987 - North Shore News News Viewpoint Embrace the eagle plex baggage we’ve collectively been carrying since ee TIME to drop the national inferiority com- Confederation and embrace free trade. Embracing the giant eagle perched to the south is not as radical a step as the naysayers would have us believe. The figures back an interpretation of the deal as a realistic confirmation of mutually beneficial trading patterns long established. / Total exporis for Canada last year were $120 billion. A full $93 billion of those went to the United States. U.S. exports to our country amounted to $77 billion, leaving a surplus for Canada of $16 billion. More than 75 per cent of our trade with the U.S. is already tariff free. Looking further afield one finds our export trade with the rest of the world standing at $27 billion. But that’s offset by $34 billion in imports for a $7 billion trade deficit. The deal gives Canada unique access to one of the world’s richest markets and a first step towards a common market for the continent. The steps have been taken to give us clearer, duty- free access te trade with a nation 10 times our size. Free trade will challenge Canadian business as it has never been challenged before. We can choose to react by allowing market condi- tions to dictate knee-jerk response or we can choose to reap the rewards through planning and foresight. Opa g ee ea papas SUNDAY - WEDNESDAY - FRIDAY 1139 Lonsdale Ave. North Vancouver, B.C. V7M 2H4 bye 58,804 (average, Wednesday Friday & Sunday) Display Advertising 980-0511 Classilied Advertising 986-6222 Newsroom 985-2134 Distribution 986-1337 Subscriptions 986-1337 Publisher Managing Editor Associate Editor Advertising Director Peter ; Speck Barrett Fisher Noel Wright Linda Stewart North Shore News, founded IN 1969 a5 an independent SUDUTBIN newspartet and qualbed under Schedule itt, Parag in - ee Tar Act ‘subi megcach led addres AEE BNVEO SH: SDA DIVISION rian’s ‘87 report card shows grades THREE MONTHS AGO Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and his party looked like very dead ducks, come the next election. But the eve of the New Year may be the time to do a little rethinking. Free trade will obviously go ahead, with a majority of Cana- dians (exact size unknown) more orless behind it. = - The Meech Lake Accord has brought Quebec and its 75 federal seats firmly on side — with the remarkable blessing of Bourdssa’s Liberal government. - And the latest polls show the third-place Tories climbing back out of their black hole as Ed Broadbent begins to flounder and John Turner continues to. Now,’ Brian’s boys and _ girls have been given a pat on the back for their good deeds by B.C.’s high priest of economic conservatism, the Fraser Institute’s Dr. Michael Walker, who is not known for dispensing praise lightly. : In a recent Vancouver speech Dr. Walker presented his third year ‘‘report card’’ on the Mulroney government, showing some marked progress in pupil’s performance since ‘‘enroll- ing” at the 1984 election. Out of the 18 ‘‘subjects’’ graded by Dr. Walker — representing 18 key policy areas — the 1985 report card produced one A, one.B, three Cs, one D, nine Fs and three in- complete. Last year this improved to three As, one B, five Cs, eight Fs and one incomplete. For. 1987 the score is four As, two Bs and again five Cs — with the Fs reduced to seven and no courses incomplete. So according to the Walker grading standards, the pupil’s re- cord over the three-year period in the 18 subjects has moved up from five pass-marks or better in 1985 to today’s 11, with the grade point ’ average rising from 0.78 to 2.33. The good doctor’s detailed 1987 report card reads in part as follows, with the grade in brackets between the ‘‘course’’ title and his - . ,eomments: OVERHAUL NATIONAL ENERGY . PROGRAM... (A) the ' GRADE-MARKER AND PUPIL... Minister Brian Mulroney. “Avoid pressure to capitulate on pricing.’’ MOVE TO FREE TRADE (A) **Go to the head of the class!”’ CURRENT YEAR DEFICIT (B) “Deserves credit, with reserva- tions.” FUTURE DEFICIT (F) “Must control | statutory =< srogram spen- ding and U.1.”’ TAX CUTS TO STIMULATE GROWTH (C) “Right step but must reduce top rate to 23%.” UNIVERSAL SOCIAL PRO- GRAMS (F) ‘‘ Must sell benefits of reform.’' REFORM UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE. (F) ‘‘Should overhaul immediately.” , ‘INFLATION CONTROL (C) ‘Future deficit raises concern.”’ \ JOB CREATION (C) “If .U.S. were matched; 300,000' more Ca- nadians would have jobs.’ t improving Dr. Michael Walker (I) and Prime COMPETITION POLICY (C) “Policy enacted but flawed.’’ REFORM LABOUR LAW (F) ‘*Complete failure to set tone for badly needed reform.”’ ABANDONING OF FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW AGENCY (A) ‘“‘Abolishes im- pediments.”’ ‘ DEREGULATION (B) ‘Good moves. Domestic deregulation next.’’ AGRICULTURE (F) ‘‘Fundamen- tal revision in thinking needed.”’ PRIVATIZATION (F) “Shameful performance. “head,” SEIZING MANDATE (F) “No distinctive Policy. Avoids stance on principle.” : CHANGING POLICY THRUST (C) ‘Holding line on spending in face of GDP ‘growth gradually diluting past policy effect.”’ ATTITUDINAL ‘Give Minister her’ oe ac < Ss sonN'4 mm & iday and Sunday by North Share Free Press 6 Mal Registration Numer IBS Subscrptons On tequest Sutfssions are welcome bul ee ity, ots uns Oi" nCited Masters! snchydng | ManUsC nits and pctures wtuch Should be accompanied Entire contents © 1987 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved. Noel Wright ISSUE “Meech Lake