6 — Wednesday, July 28, 1999 — North Shore News

“IIE case of the Chinese nationals

found adrift in west coast 3.C.

waters has again brought light
to bear on the woeful state of Canada’s
immigration system.

The decrepit vessel was discovered
early last week off Vencouver Island
with a cargo of 123 illegal Chinese
migrants.

The vessel’s passengers had each
paid tens of thousand of dollars for the
trip. From all accounts it was a har-
rowing journey in a marginafly seawor-
thy vessel. But. it presented for them
what promised to be the easiest access
to North America: the largely unpopu-
lated B.C. coastline followed by the
largely unmanned and unregulated
Canadian immigration system.

“ Subsequent stories. have revealed
“among other things that most Chinese

north shore news

VIEWPOINT

illegally through British Columbia
abandon their claims and disappear.
Little surprise then that all 123 taken
into custody from the boat immediate-
ly claimed refugee status.

Disturbing, perhaps, but not sur-
prising. Canada remains at the top of
the immigration sucker list the world
over. Its acceptance rate for refugees in
most years is 80% compared with 10%
in other countries. And once in the
country, refugee claimants are free to
roam the land until they are called to
appear before the Immigration and
Refugee Board for a claim hearing.

West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast MP
John Reynolds is right: the entire boat-
load should be sent back to their coun-
try of origin forthwith. If not, Canada
will continue to be the destination of
choice for illegal immigrants around
the world.

ian Tienes CNDSTSE OST BY HRD PRESS ic. ne. cd BeAr, tome

f

refugee claimants who enter Canada

: ‘eatin
WYV library needs"
Computer upgrade

. Dear Editor: : ;

~, Open letter to Jan Thompson re: $1 million to computer-
\. ize. West Vancouver library. :

__.... Thank you for sending me a copy of your July 16 letter to
“the North Shore News. I wanted to provide you with some
_- information that [ hope will make you more comforzable with
“our decisions. The cost of the system itself is approximately
$370,600. While we might have been abie to add on to North

’ Varicouver district for something less than that, Ameritech, the -

company that provides their system, would not have allowed us
to do so at no charge. The bulk of the remaining $500,000 is
“to upgrade our wiring, cabling, data files and network equip-
_ ment. This moncy would have to be spent regardless of where
and how we get our actual library system software and is the
result of many years of minimal spending on the technology.
"1 did briefly discuss the idea of cooperation with the chief
-, librarian‘ of North Vancouver District some months ago.It was
+ her opinion that the district docs not have the capacity on its
system to add our records: In addition, it is operating with an
_ Older system that is no longer being marketed by the software

vendoi:and may well have te be updated in the next few years.

as well oe nt
T also discussed with our consultant the con

to connect 0 4

‘costs significantly: “0
_ As you know these costs go on and on and can quickly add
“up to more than 4 one-time expenditure... .

~+ T tag would love to be spending this moncy on books but
at this stage in the development of the library, that just was not
Ann Goodhart, Chief Librarian

‘West Vancouver Memorial Library

‘Harts Shore News, founded in 1959 35 20
independent suburban newspaper anc quested
under Schedule 111, Paragraph 111 of the
‘Excise Tax Act, is published each Vednesdiy,
Friday and Sumtay ty Worth Shore Free Pres
{Ltd and cestributed to every door on the Nextt
‘Store. Canada Post Canadian Publicztions htad
‘Sales Product Agrooment No, 0087233.

Distribution Manager
906-1337 (124)

Creative Services Ditector
965-2151 (127}
61.582 {average circulation, Weanesday, Fritay & Sunday}

“SHOW me where the people
are going and I will run ahead
and lead them!” So goes that
cynical old joke about play-it-
safe politicians.

There’s much to be
said for such a modus
operandi if the politi-
ctan’s sole priority is to
get re-clected. The only
problem being that it
seldom achieves any-
thing worthwhile. The
sad truth is chat grass-
roots democracy and
genuine leadership
mostly mix about as well
as oil and water.

Hence Reform founder-leader Preston

.. Manning’s mounting probiems with his

United Alternative initiative to create +
body politic able to defeat Jean
Chretien's Liberals at the next election in

. 2001-2002.

The UA concept was endorsed in May
by a thin 60.5% of Reform party mem-
bers voting. Buc since about half the
total membership of some 70,600 didn’t
bother to vote — presumably because
they were content to leave it to Preston
— the true UA exdorsement figure was
undoubtedly higher. on

Since that spring referendum both the
UA and Manning have been having a
bumpy ride. .

Fundamentalist Reformers —- fearing

’ the UA goal of a merger with the Tories

would water down cherished Reform
principles, some of them criticized by
opponents as “redneck” — have orga-
nized Grassroots United Against

‘The gorth, Store ews is gublished by Horth Shore. Free Press Ltd.,

Aeasensosanennnnecereranocnorseossnaceanenense

, Classiied Manager
SOE-CE22 (8).

Entire contents © 1999 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved. ;
om 1139 Lonedate Avenue Korth Vancouver,

Reform’s Demise (GUARD) which is
conducting a tiding-by-riding campaign
against the UA. In the Reform caucus 17
of its 59 MPs have also opposed the pro-

ject.
As well, Tory leader

Joe Clark continues to
reject outright any
merge7 or clection
cooperation with
Reform, despite a more
positive approach to
the UA idea by some
of his top advisers.
And latterly the squab-
ble within Reform itself
has grown nastier —~
with cries for the head
of Manning's top poli-
cy wonk, Rick Anderson, after he specu-
lated about the renewal of certain
Reform MPs’ nominations in the next
election. . ;

Then, last week, came Manning’s
stern letter which warned party members
against a descent into anarchy if they: -

continued bickering over the UA project

and threatened disciplinary action against
recalcitrant Reformers... io .
Finally, last Friday, Manitoba MP Jake
Hoeppner, one of the most vocal UA :
opponents, became the first victim of the

threat by being kicked out of the caucus.

for a vicious personal attack on Manning.
“Reform party ‘imploding ran a
National Post headline.

“Imploding,” I suggest, is unlikely.
But what we certainly have is a textbook
example of what can happen when cre-

ative leadership confronts shortsighted,

take-no-risks “democracy.” -
The chances, anytime soon, of

-Reform’s fate — just a footnote?

Reform again splitting the right-wing
vore with the Tories in Ontario and ~
points east, yet still wisining enough seats
to oust the Liberals and form a majority
government in its own zame alone, are ~
Virtually nil, aon
Even truer is the impossibility, in the
foresceable furure, of Joe Clark's Tories
— presently a mere 19-MF* rump shut -...

_ out west of the Ontario-Manitoba border

— ever winning nearly enough scats to
defear the Grits, ignore Reform and rule®:,
alone. - . - ;
_ So unless the Chretiens, Paul. Martins“...
and Allan Rocks are to run Canada for- |"
ever, Conservatives and Reformers need
each other in the worst way. pooh
Not that Manning's preference, an *”
entirely new “Conservative Reform”
Party, 1s necessarily practical right away.”
— given Clark’s intransigence, grassrocts
worries about Reform “principles” and.»
an clection possible within a year. _
‘But there are other options under.
VA umbrella, includitig running singi
Reform or Tory candidates at riding level:
and a post-election coalition pact. ~:
__ Instead of bitching against Mannin

_ grassroots Reforiners yearning to sim
"| “stay'as sweet as we are” should tha:

their stars for a leader who insiste on
what MUST be done, one way or anduh:
er, to save them from. winding up as
quickly forgotten foctnote.to Canada
turn-of-millennium history.

— 000:
WRIGHT OR WRONG: Succ:
measured by how high you fly,
high you bounce. - at

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