6 - Sunday, May 17, 1987 - North Shore News News Viewpoint Polls apart ITH STILL 18-24 months before the next federal election, the blip that put the NDP at the top of the opinion polls for a day ‘shouldn't be taken too seriously. : Nor should the current 9-10 point Liberal lead over ; the Tories. Public opinion is notoriously mercurial — : as the nosedive suffered by John Turner and his Grits . in the 1984 election showed. . What today’s polls really reveal is the public’s ap- praisal of the party leaders rather than of the parties. Hence, the latters’ peculiar problems. Most probably a majority of Canadians today would welcome popular Ed Broadbert as prime minister — if only he were a Liberal or Tory. But many remain un- easy about the perception of the NDP as spendthrift, hostile to business and a tool of the unions. John Turner Jacks Broadbent’s personal appeal and his party is plagued at the moment by rifts on several major issues. The Liberals undoubtedly owe their standing in today’s polls to the depth of present public’ disenchantment with the Mulroney Tories rather than to any concrete virtues of their own. The Tories’ problem is Brian Mulroney himself. Ob- jectively examined, their collective record in office is markedly better than the polls suggest. Rated on that record alone, they might at least be still neck-and- neck with the Grits. But their team performance has been overshadowed by the prime minister’s growing loss of personal credibility. Today, people ask: Can Broadbent tame the NDP? Can Turner and the Liberals make up their minds? Can the Tories salvage Mulroney? But by election day the polls may be bringing surprising answers to quite different questions. 1 THE VOICE OF NORTH AND WEST VANCOUVER North Vancouver, B.C. _ V7M 2H4— SUNDAY + WEDNESDAY + FRIDAY 1139 consdale Ava. 58,489 (average. Wednesday 7 Friday & Sunday} HAPPY DAYS HERE AGAIN?. Display Advertising Classifled Advertising 986-6222 Newsroom Distribution Subseriptions North Shore News, lounded in 1969 35 an independent suburban newspaper and qualified under Schedule IN, Paragraph iti of tty Cocine tae ALT 1s Dublshed each Wednesday, Fnday aod Sunday by Nortn Shor Free Press Lid and dstrbuted to very door on the North Ghote Second Clars Mail Registration Number 3445 Subscriptions Horn and West Vancouvet $24 per year Marling fates, dvalable 00 fequest Submissions are wHicome but we Cannot accept restonsibility for unsolicited material mctadeng manuscrpts ana prctutes “men Should be accompated by a siamped AddtASSHD Eneeioge SDA DIVISION 980-0511 985-2131 986-1337 986-1337 Publisher: Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Advertising Director. . Peter Speck Noel Wright Barrett Fisher Linda Stewart ORs NG Entire contents wo) 1987 North Shore Free Press Lid. All rights reserved. photo submitted . newly elected B.C. Liberal president Grant Burnyeat (third from left) sur- rounded (i to r) by delegates Joyce Stratton, North Van’s James Hatton, Betty McIntosh and Rick Miller, ; and Senator Ray Perrault. NV cadets earn war hero's hod SPECIALLY HONORED Tuesday at their annual ceremo- nial inspection parade were the lads and lasses of North Van’s 6 Field Engineer Squadron Cadet Corps. Inspecting officer for the occa- sion was Colonel Cecil Merritt, VC, one of Canada’s outstanding citizens — war hero, veteran soldier, lawyer and former Van- couver MP. Son of a World War One army officer killed in action. And a great grandson of former Canadian _ prime minister Sir Charles Tupper. As commanding officer of the South Saskatchewan Regiment, he won his Victoria Cross, the Com- monwealth’s highest military award, for exceptional gallantry in the 1942 World War Two raid on Dieppe, where he was captured by the Germans and held as a p.o.w. until their final defeat in 1945. Since his return to Vancouver after the war he’s been widely involved in civic activities and, as former c.O. of the Seaforth Highlanders, in local military tife. North Van’s Army Cadet Corps was originally formed in 1922 and flourished until lack of funds in the Great Depression forced it to close down. It was re-established in 1956 as the 6th Field Squadron RCE Cadet Corps by a Captain Derrick Humphreys — later to become Mayor of West Van — and, in the past 3! years, has enabled hundreds of young North Shore men and women to benefit from cadet program training in their subsequent careers. The Corps put on a good show for its distinguished guest Tuesday evening in the Armoury on Forbes and the Colonel had special words of praise later for the cadet Master Warrant Officer responsible. Symbolic of changing times on the drill square, as everywhere else, was the name of the 18-year-old MWO: Rachel Armstrong -- a very smart young lady! eee TRUE GRITS DEPT.: Visiting Liberal leader John Turner found the North Shore well represented at last week’s B.C. Liberal conven- - tion in Richmond, where North Van delegates included convention co-chairman James Hatton, newly elected secretary Betty McIntosh and credentials chairman Rick Miller, president of the North Van-Burnaby riding — plus na- tional secretary Bill McEwen and B.C. election readiness chairman Russell Brink of West Van. The 450 delegates from around, the province elected Vancouver lawyer* Grant Burnyeat as their new presi- dent. POSTSCRIPTS: Happy landmark event in the opening history of “WELL DONE, SERGEANT MAJOR”.. Noel Wright North Van’s brand new St. John’s Anglican -Church, rebuilt after destruction of the former building by fire two years ago, was its first wedding yesterday, when Rev. Ray Murrin officiated at the exchange of vows between Mike Cassidy and Linda Watson Celebrating Spinal Health Week (May 1-7), chiropractor Frank Martin took on the pleasant job of testing 120 pretty fit-looking aerobics . en- NEWS photo Dave Walker .Col. Cecil Merritt, VC, com- pliments Cadet Master Warrant Officer Rachel Armstrong. @ Sunday brunch ® thusiasts at West Van Rec Centre for spinal alignment ... Phil and Norelle Smith (984-6883) are look- - ing for North Van volunteer fami- lies to host 20 visiting Japanese college students, aged 18-22, from July 15 to August 5. They'll be at- -tending classes four days a week and going on day excursions, so the need is for beds, meals and a chance to learn about Canadian home life — call Phil or Norelle if you can help ... Tug your mane to Glen Muri, elected 1987-88 presi- ‘dent of Mount Seymour Lions, along with veepees Al Bach, Ken Poon and Stan Stronge, secretary Ernie Maine, treasurer John Poon, tail twister Bob Griffin and lion tamer Stan Kryszkiewicz (sounds as if these last two overlap!) ... Early summer weather brings a warning from Bob Kusch, West Van’s assistant director of parks, that beach lifeguarding starts later than usual this year — June 6 at Ambleside Park and June 27 at Eagle Harbour. Until then, swim- mers, take care, you’re on your own! ... Get well cards to North Van Kiwanians Roly Robinson and Jim Edwards, convalescing from the scalpel in LGH ... and happy birthday today (May 17) to North Van Kiwanian lady Brigit Larsen. see WRIGHT OR WRONG: Keep smiling. It makes everybody wonder what you’ve been up to. . 4 : LETTER OF THE DAY Can Post to keep up rural service ‘Dear Editor: Many- of our customers who reside in the rural communities of Canada have been exposed to a campaign of attention seeking tac- tics and misinformation that -has been recently launched across this country. . This misinformation has created - concern and anxiety among our customers and many of our employees, and their families. Canada Post will not remove tural route service from any of its customers, and let me-assure you that the corporation does not have any plans to effect widespread closures of rural offices.. That simply is not the policy. Canada Post has no intention of reducing service anywhere in Canada. In fact, the opposite is true. The number of postal pro- duct outlets will be expanded by 50 iper cent over the next 10 years or ‘more. In the majority of cases, Canada Post will simply be changing the method or location of postal ser- ‘vices, using the resources of local - private businesses. Wherever changes are con- templated, they will arise because of natural opportunities such as the resignation, retirement or promotion of a postmaster. In the majority of cases, when service changes, a community will be given 90 days consultation so that the views of residents about service alternatives can be considered, In the vast majority of cases, the service will be improved or, at the very least, will be comparable to the existing service. It is. clearly the intention of Seu Efficiency Page 7