MAILBox POLAR 8 CANCELLATION Shipyard workers feel betrayed Dear Editor: We, as voters in the west and in North Vancouver, were led to believe that once elected, our fed- eral representatives would promote our interests in Ottawa. At least, they solemnly promised to do this during this and previous election campaigns. The recent Polar 8 cancellation has convinced us otherwise. When the federal government handed out the orders for the navy program some years ago we in the west were told that, recognizing our expertise, the Polar 8 would be awarded to us. We welcomed this news in the wake of Canada’s disastrous shipbuilding policies which have seen a once proud merchant marine and shipbuilding industry eliminated while other countries, including the United States, have cultivated and main- tained theirs and have used them as springbeards for high techno- logy. We have iearned with great dismay, however, that our hopes and those of the west have been betrayed. While the Polar 8 has been cancelled ostensibly to reduce the federal deficit, ¢ navy pro- gram in the east has been preserved in its entirety even though the Cold War is over. Our shipyards in North Van- couver, in particular what is now Versatile Pacific, at one time employed as many as_ 10,000 workers. Even a few years ago, that number was in excess of 3,000. contributing enormously to the economic well-being of the Lower Mainland and, in par- ticular, of North Vancouver, That work force has now dwindled to 150. But what is of even greater con- cern is that our elected MPs have actually worked against us. And to top it all, they have added insult to injury. Mr. Chuck Cook openly stated that, in the interests of national fiscal responsibility, the interests and well-being of his constituents should be sacrificed. He further stated that the shipyard workers could find work with the construc- ticn of highrises on the site of the present shipyard. Such a statement shows a level of ignorance that is truly astounding. To compare a temporary con- struction job with a high tech in- dustry which has contributed billions of dollars to the local economy and which has been in existence for almost 100 years is truly preposterous. We can only assume that Mr. Cook has either taken total leave of his senses or that his job security and the pro- spect of a substantial pension at the taxpayers’ expense has made him insensitive to the needs and aspirations of his constituents. Our North Vancouver shipyard has had a major impact on the News support appreciated Dear Editor: All of us associated with the North Vancouver Christmas Bureau are very appreciative of what the North Shore News has done for us. Thank you again this year for making our season so successful. We are very fortunate here on the North Shore in having a com- munity newspaper that speaks with action as well as words. Pat Orr, chairperson North Vancouver Bureau Christmas Fabutous | [fashion | fixin’s PAGE 19 HEALTH FEARS RAISED OVER DOUBLING CURAEANT AT OUTOGOR SCHOOL Hydro line aes cte plan jolts NV School Board BS PROPINAL OC ede te smarnty » vasotmeem ee ee ee Whucd uaregceb ane 7 - Friday, March 16, 1990 - ENRICH YOUR FAMILY LIFE Host an overseas student. Remuneration for room and board. North Share News Short or long terms available. North Vancouver economy. The ships we have built over the years have an outstanding reputation of quality. Our shipyard = workers have families; they have respon- sibilities and dreams and they have proven expertise in highly skilled areas. The cancellation of the Polar & is not only a blow against our workers, it also seriously jeopar- dizes our potential for future op- portunities in areas which are filled more and more by countries such as Sweden, Finland and Germany. Be that as it may, the people in the west must draw appropriate conclusions. Our elected repre- sentatives failed to do for us what eastern representatives have been able to do for their constituents. it has now escaped us that, on the day the Polar 8 was cancelled, both Mary Collins and Kim Campbell were promoted by Brian Mulroney and that they joined the chorus justifying the cancellation. We ask ourselves and we ask Mary Collins. Is your promotion the prize for joining in the chorus against the interests of your con- Stituenis? As for Mr. Cook, it is our opinion that he should be recalled and stripped of his office as well as of his benefits. Let the word go out from the shipyard workers in North Van- couver {o all the people in the west that the Conservatives not only cannot be trusted to fight for the interests of the west but they can- not be trusted to fight for the in- terests of Canada either. They have not only deprived us of current work but have seriously undermined our competitiveness in a high technology area. 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