a even doing that anymore.

Premier denies backing
hospital user fees

CAMPAIGNING PREMIER Rita Johnston met with
North Shore News editorial staff Tuesday. The following is
taken from a wide-ranging interview with Johnston, who

was accompanied by North
candidate Marilyn Baker.

NSN: Fellowing last week’s fund-
ing announcement for the
Panamax dry dock at Versatile
Pacific in North Vancouver, do
you see a brighter future for ship-
building in general on the North
Shore?

Johnston: “1 guess we're going
into this with our fingers crossed.
It’s my understanding that there
were something in the
neighborhood of 100 jobs (at Ver-
satile alone) involved and had that
dock left, we would have really
had some serious problems. It's
very significant and it should send
a inessage to those employed in
the shipbuilding industry that they
do have the support of this gov-
ernment. -

“We're going to do whatever
we can within reason to ensure
some stability to their job situa-
tion.

- “We're suge: ‘ting that it (the
dry dock) be ‘here at least 10
years. And sssuming that
everything goes the way it should,
‘ it should pretty well be a perma-
nent fixture.’’
NSN: What is the. status of plans
to upgrade the Horseshoe Bay
ferry tenainal?
Johnston: ‘The addition to the
Tsawwassen-to-Nanisimo ferry has
‘resulted in less. traffic going
through Horseshoe Bay and they
(the B.C. Ferry Cotji.) are review-
ing what the needs are. We'll have
additional vessels on next year so
‘that will give B.C. Ferries addi-
tional flexibility — more so than
they had this year.
~ “We had over £0,000 people
move into the province in the past
year arid there are additional
pressures in sO many arcas, we
talk about our schools, he: <Ditals,
highways and ferries — in, addi-
tion to our-tourism that’s grow-
ing. People want to go tu. the
islands and use our ferries. So the
ridership —— it used to drop down
!in the fall and winter — it’s net
We
have to do whatever we can to
’ address those demands.”’
NSN: Would your government be

Vancouver-Lonsdale Socred

willing to take another look at Bill

Johaston: “I support Bill 82
because it was brought in to
specifically address a sroblem we
felt we had in the rrovince. In the
past five years we saw wage in-
creases in the public sector exceed
those available in the private sec-

tor. ~

“In fact some people in the
private sector, if they weren't laid
off, were taking wage cuits.

“And it didn’t seem as if that
was a very fair situation. We tried
to level the playing field by saying
we're not going to freeze your
wages, we're not going into
massive fayoffs. We’re going to
set some limits and those limits
will be in line with what we're see-
ing in the private sector. That's
what Bill 82 was all about.

“The retroactivity has caused
some people concern. But when
Bill Vander Zalm made his public
announcement on the 29th of
January, he stated that legislation
would be coming and public sec-

PREMIER RITA Johnston and North Vancouver-Lonsdale 2ocial Credit candidate Marilyn Baker met.

with News editorial staff Tuesday.

general and no longer believe poli-
ticlans who say they represent
honest, open government?
Johnston: ‘Tt can understand that
statement too. At all levels of
government there have been those
elected people that have caused
embarrassment to their constitu-
ents.

“But I respond by asking peo-
ple to look at the candidates that

44 I support Bili 82 because it was brought in to

specifically address a problem ... In the past five

years we Saw wage increases in the public sector
exceed those available in the private sector.99

tor unions, school boards were
advised that this was the case.
“Some of them chose to ignore
that. And I know that people like
Marilyn (Baker) are uncomfort-
able with the retroactivity. But
whenever you set a deadline, there
are always people who are going
to be unhappy. I continue to sup-
port the legislation and will until
somebody can show me that it is
no longer necessary.’’
NSN: The issue of ethical integrity
and politicians is a constant con-
cern of the voting public and
seems to be a key issue in this
campaign. How do you answer
people who tell you that they are
Cisillusioned with politicians in

we are running. Out of 75 consti-
tuencies we have 48 new can-
didates, many of them with
proven records at the local level. |
have been involved as an elected
official for some 20 years now. So
I suggest people look at my re-
cord, and [| have no problem
holding my head up high as it ap-
plies to my honesty and integrity
during the past 20 years.

“It’s pretty tough because of
some of the controversies that we
have had. J suggest if people look
at the governmental record -— the
governmental record is good. If
they can divorce the personal ac-
tivities from the governmental ac-
tivities. But it has been an item

that has come forward far more
often than I thought it would.
And I don’t think that a day goes
by that [’m not having to respond
to that issue. I had hoped that I
wouldn't have had to spend 28
days defending my own honesty
and integrity.

“We have conflict of interest
legislation. We have a commis-
sioner that manages that legisla-
tion. We have guidelines that
come from the premier’s office as
they apply to the ministers. I
don’t think there’s another pro-
vince in Canada that ‘is a strict
and as hard on their elected of-
ficials.”’

NSN: What has been your biggest
disappointment so far during the
election campaign?

Johnston: ‘'Well we've had a
couple of embarrassing issues that
I wasn’t properly briefed on and
that caused me some concern.

“But [ guess it’s the type of
campaign that has been carried on
that is disturbing to me. It’s far
more nasty than I expected it to
be. I expected to see some nega-
tive-type advertising. And we've
seen that. But § didn’t expect the
personal comments and attacks. I
find that very distasteful.’’

NSN: Can the public expect to be
paying hospital user fees in the
near future?

Johuston: ‘The NDP has twisted
comments I have made over the
past few months. The federal

government over the _years has
contributed. by way of transfer
payments to the cost of the provi-
sion of health care in all pro-
vinces,

“They are reducing that cone -
tribution while at the same time
they’re placing the same require-_
ments on provinces. 5
. “So we've had a royal commis- .

sion travelling the province and ~~”

we'll. be dealing with their rec-..
ommendations later this year. I -
expect that one of the recommen-
dations may be that we’re going
to be looking a some type of user .
fee for people going into the hos- -
pital. - _
“At no time have J. ever said
that I want to introduce user
fees."’ . .
NSN: Would you reject the gran- .

ting of distinct society status. to °°:

Quebec? Loe
Johnston: “1 think the time for
politicians to be taking those
kinds of positions has passed. As
a result of the Meech - Lake:
failure, if we learned anything at
all it is that the people want to
have more say in any future
changes to the constitution. ~~

“The peopie of British Colum-
bia have told us that they want us
to work to keep Canada whole,
but they don’t want any one part
of Canada given a special privi- -
lege. The distinct society reference
causes a lot of people in this pro-
vince concern. »* .

_WV-Capilano candidates tackle Lions Gate Bridge
- Increased congestion needs addressing 3 — —— or

‘election campaign stories occond | on major issues aia
the four North Shore provincial ridings.

The News asked West Van-
couver-Capilano candidates to
comment on what constituents
have been telling them as they
knock on doors. The candidates
were also asked to give their views
about the chronic problem of
Lions Gate Bridge traffic conges-
tioa.

e@ Libertarian party candidate
Tanya Audain:

Doorstep issues: ‘The main thing
is that they’re fed up with gov-
ernment period. That's not
peculiar to our riding. We feel
that the Libertarian party has the
only alternative. We offer and
promise less government and
much more accountability of the
tax doliar and we promise less

By Michael Becker
News Reporter

taxes. We fee! mathematically that
you will have less government
waste and corruption by simply
having less government.”*

Lions Gate Bridge: ‘‘The standard
position Libertarians would have
to any problem is that we would
seek out private solutions first. So
perhaps there is some sort of
commerical user pay way that has
not Seen explored. Something like
that (a toll) would probably be the
most efficient and quickest answer
to the problem and I do believe
that people would be willing to

WEST-VANCOUVER-CAPILANO candidates give their views on traffic congestion on the Lions Gate
Bridge. From left to right are: Libertarian party candidate Tunya Audain; NDP candidate Helen
Chaplin; Liberal candidate Jeremy Dalton; and Socia! Credit candidate John Reynolds:

pay for the convenience.’”

@ NOP candidate Heien Chaplin:
Doorstep issues: ‘‘People are tell-
ing me that they are just simply
fed up -—~ that is the basic
message. They don’t even have
time to get into specific issues
such as pollution or medical ser-

vice user fees, or anything like
that.”

Lions Gate Bridge. ‘‘More clever
people than I am have tried very
hard to find a solution to that for
years. [ don’t have an easy solu-
tion to anything. We’re very real-
istic people.

“Yes it is a problem and I’ve
travelled it every day for 24 years .
off and on. I just get up early. A
fot of people have also said to me,
‘Keep it difficult to get over here
because then we can preserve the

See Reynolds page 8