‘No’ does not mean the “The ‘End-of-the-World’ has been posiponed again. Canada did not _ crumble into dust.”’ North Shore News, July 1, 1990. WITH THESE words we began this column, just after the demise of the Meech Lake agreement. We had been told that Canada as we knew it would fly asunder. That post-Meech column observed: ‘‘ The new theme of po- litical rhetoric is ‘cool it.’ And now our esteemed leaders will stumble all over each other trying to be the coolest, the calmest and the wisest. This follows a month of beating themselves to a frenzy with dire predictions of calamity.” It was a remarkable few months of history. The prime minister and the premiers had completely misread the Canadizn people. Not only did their deal go down in flames, there was no calamity in its wake. . Instead, many months of reflec- tion ultimately gave way to ex- travagant commissions, studies and political debate. It is still go- ing on, with every r*tblicized par- ticipant handsomely pid io tell us about the country’s troubles. An aspect of this constitutional orgasm that deserves attention is that every high-profile politician, bureaucrat, think-tank leader, native Indian chief, task force commissioner, women’s rights ad- vocate and their ilk have been fi- nanced by the taxpayers. It has been an unprecedented bonanza to airlines, hotels and the printing industry. We frequently wondered how long it would have taken to reach an agreement if every participant had to demonstrate sincerity by paying his own bills. These were astonishing displays. A hotel ballroom might have sev- eral hundred taxpayer-financed individuals endlessly mulling over the future of ihe country. . And now it is in the hands of the people. A friend asked this week if the referendum vote would be ‘‘bind- ing.”” If every one of the provinces votes ‘‘yes,’’ we can be certain that the deal will become law. ‘What is less clear, is what hap- pens if one or more provinces vote “no dd . . My guess is that one negative province — particularly if that is Quebec — would, after another round of expensive meetings, kill the agreement. fa Place To Go When | | You're Pregnant And ‘| QIRTHRIGHT| Call 987-7313 « Free Pregnancy Test » 9 5 229 Lonsdale —sin Vancouver Call & i Korth Vancouver 687-7223 J For Investment ideas, please call The North Shore’s only full Service Investmont firm RBC DOMINION SECURITIES Bacanber of i Sank 925-3131 201-250 15th Street, West Vancouver Gary Bannerman OPEN LINES If British Columbia is the only exception, the pressure on Victoria would be unbearable, If Alberta and B.C. reject it, my guess is that the deal would die. Unilateral federal action against the western provinces would assure overwhelming support for the Reform party in any upcoming election. Western separatism would again take root. Federal politicians and the premiers are again giving us their “‘End-cf-the-World” routine. They say that a better deal cannot be reached. They might be far more credibdle if they offered to resign if their agreement failed. If they believe this deal is the best possible, then there would be no point asking them to try to work another one. Iam certain that W.A.C. Ben- nett, T.D. Patuilo, Richard McBride and Amor de Cosmos — the visionary premiers in B.C. his- tory — would have been horrified by this emasculating agreement. Meech Lake paid tremendous respect to the individual rights of each province, as did the British North America Act. Item after item in these agreements em- phasized the sovereign nature of the Canadian province. This current agreement takes history and tosses it all into a blender, emerging with a hideous mixture best left to the diet cen- tres. When British Columbia entered Confederation in 1871, the popu- lation was 36,000. All but 9,000 of those people were native In- dians. The colony was in desperate fi- nancial shape. The merger of the two colonies — Vancouver Island and Caledonia (the mainland) — had failed to rescue the economy. Despite its impoverishment, British Columbia took great pains to assure its independence within the terms of Confederation. Since the 1930s, every initiative from the West Coast has demand- ed a mechanism whereby the brute force of population in Quebec and Ontario could be balanced. Every premier has demanded constitutional balance. This has been the only item on the shop- ping list. Both Patullo and W.A.C. Bennett argued fora “five-region”’ concept. British Columbia, the Prairies, Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces were the regions. The proposals divided the far north among the southern regions. It has always been non- negotiabie in the British Columbia position that 2 strong upper house — the Senate — must be used to soften the suffocating power of House of Commons majority. Meech Lake preserved the in- dependence and integrity of each province. it left many things — including the Senate — unresolv- ed. It was a far better foundation than what we now face. We could build upon Meech. The current deai not only in- creases central power, it protects it with an impregnable fortress. It was written by Ontario, not Quebec. eee Every premier of Quebec, W.A.C. Bennett of British Col- umbia, Leslie Frost and John Robarts of Ontario, referred to themselves as ‘‘prime minister.”’ One day, I asked W.A.C. Ben- - nett about that. SINGLE VISION dst PAIR *59.99 2nd PAIR QB Glass or plestic lenses. To Powers + or +6 with 2 cyt. (Extras Excluded) Sunday, September 27, 1992 — North Shore News - § end-of-the-world **Young man,’’ he said, ‘‘it is very important. It is the key to understanding our future.’’ He then began a fascinating, warm lesson on Canada. As major Crown colonies with all the ingre- dients of sovereignty, British Col- umbia, Quebec and Ontario pledged themselves to Canada, but the door has always been open for an exit. In Bennett’s definition, these major players, and Canada, must constantly refresh, renew and pledge themselves to each other. The four Atlantic provinces were also independent colonies, but Bennett said they lacked self- sufficiency. There has always been - a British constitutional separation between major and minor colo- ANN MARIE SWEENEY B.A., MS.W., L.L.B. ; BARRISTER & SOLICITOR 92240131 nies, and their successor rights. The ‘‘Prime Ministers’’ in W.A.C. Bennett’s world chose to operaie collectively, with the parts at least as important as the whole. Failing to understand any of this, and with a complete absence of long-term vision, Mike Har- court is content to be a pygmy in the land of giants, dooming Brit- ish Columbia to a world absolute- ly controlled by the ‘‘Prime Ministers’’ of Canada, Quebec and Ontario. : And ‘‘No’’ does not mean the end. It simply means we try. again. As we have for 150 years. ideally, with new faces at the table. FAMILY LAW & MEDIATION ® Power of Attorney * Real Estate & Mortgages * Separation & Divorce © Commirteeship ® Wills, Estates / Trusts #201-1590 Bellevue Ave., West Vancouver There's nothing itke the freedom you'lt feel when wearlag AMOENA AFFINITY. With its smooth contoured shape and consumer-tested attachmeat system, AMOENA AFFINITY is a safe, fashionable alternative for post- mastectomy women. For our North Shore cilenis we offer two bras for the price of one ($36.00 value) with each prosthesis. 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