6 - North Shore News — Wednesday, March 1, 2000 ESSON for today: our public education system needs over- aul. That might not be news. Many parents with children in that sys- tem will already know that excellence is not the overriding principle driving public education. Too often that prin- ciple is mediocrity: a system that processes the most students with the least amount of friction. And too that principle can be tainted with the poli- tics of political correctness that have nothing to do with education but everything to do with satisfying the belicfs of special interest pressure groups. A recent story in the daily press underscores that sad reality. It docu- ments the results of a recent study of 13- and 16-year-oilds by Statistics Canada and the Council of Ministers of VIEW POINT: Sex education underscores the damage done to the public education system by the pro- moters of its feminization. Results show boys falling farther behind girls in a host of subject areas. Not because boys, as feminist cheerleaders would have you believe, are any less able than girls, but because those same feminist cheerleaders have managed to skew the systein so that it promotes the interests of gender politics over education. Ingredients of discipline, structure and compctition that promote learning and achievement in boys have been subsumed in a feel-good co-operative fog. There is of course a place in the public schoo! system for all of the above, but when a single philosophy overwhelms all others, the result is education mediocrity and inequity instead of enlightenment and excel- DISGUSTING (4, pS Education. Among other things, it lence. rrEailioe x Lucky to live in Canada Dear Editor: ; The other day I had the privilege of being present when an, Iranian gentleman spoke to our group about his coun- try. His words were received with enthusiastic interest. He concluded his talk with a strong emotional appeal. He pointed out how, throughout the world today, small dif- ferences between groups lead to bloodshed. He then, qui- etly but empharically, emphasized that in Canada we also have our disagreements, but we go home afterwards and the next day. go on cooperatively working together for - “common goals. : ; * . Ta_many countries it is “the difference” that divides but in Canada it is truly “the difference” that unites us! It is > “the difference” through which we learn to appreciate “the other’s” side. Viva la difference! ” "Canada, the gentleman concluded, is the greatest coun- . ‘try on earth. As an immigrant who had lived in many parts of the world he knew this was:truc.<0 0s Do ‘we, native-born Canadians; who: daily accept our - way of life as just normal routine, realize how lucky we are “to live here? | a a “Keith Hester’ ; ‘ North Vancouver Bring art to public buildings ih en ws ‘Rei Advertising if buildings (Jan. 21 News). - There‘are.no:end of clever, inventive people. of all ages iving in North Vancouver. Why not give them an opportu- nity to offer suggestions as to the use of wall space in publi- cally-owned facilities (and the bus area at the Lonsdale Quay)? It would be an excellent undertaking for our local Newspaper to support and/or sponsor, The Community ‘Aris Council. has a good overview.of the needs here and could bea productive part of the consultative process. tart the ball rolling may, we suggest that the district and city apply for a federal workplace grant to promote such Worth Shore News. founded in 1969 as an independent suburban newspaper and quahfied under Schedwe 111, Paragraph 111 of the Excise Tax Act. is published each Wednesdiy, ~ Friday and Sunday by HC’ Publications Company and distibuted to every door on the __ North Share. Canada Post Canadian Publications Mad Sales Product Agreement No. 0087238, Mating rates avaiable on tequest. op ’ - Mark Faacher Cretive Services Director 985-2131 (127) miancher@nsaews.com YEAH, ULL SAY... THESE SUSPENSIONS Supreme Court catches PR bug THINGS I never dreamed I'd live to see: Canada’s top, ermine-robed judges embarking on a public rela- tions campaign to endear themselves to the great, noisy unwashed. I learned at mom’s knee that you never — not ever — questioned or criticized a judge, and that if you dared to, you'd inevitably wind up with an indef- inite term in the slammer for contempt. So what to make of the special public information committee set up last week by the Canadian Judicial Council to take the message of “misunderstood” judges to schools, public forums and the media, and to find ways for judges to answer their critics? There’s no lack of reasons for the dilemma in which the once sacrosanct courts, including the Supreme Court, _fow find themselves, First, the best educated public in history, fed daily by instant media, including the Internet. Second, the flawed Charter of Rights. Third, the public perception that the ‘whole judicial process (including, at one remove, judges themselves) is lawyer-driven — lawyers ranking in the polls just below journalists as a least welcome son-in-law for many Canadian fathers. Add to the above mix today’s prolif- eration of every type of interest group - potentially affected by senior court PETER SPECK - Publisher 985-2131 (101) pspeck@nsnews.com HevPromotions Manager 885-2131 (218) Odhaliwal@nsnews.com . Terry Peters Photography Manager GES-2135 (160) ipeters@nsnews.com ations c T= 980-6222 (202) ¥SLEPHORSORENSUEWS.CONMT Entire contents © 1999 HCN Publications Company. All rights reserved. judgments — aboriginals, anti-abor- tionists, homosexuals, feminists and environmentalists, to list only a few, not to mention affected federal and provincial governments — any of which can (and do) keep an issue alive politically long after the court has ruled on it judicially. But the biggest judicial bugaboo, despite its motherhood language, | is undoubtedly the Charter of Rights. Once you try to codify human behaviour, all you create is a financial bonanza for Iawyers. Individual human behaviour simply does not conform to any rigid one-size- fits-all code. So in specific cases a skilled lawyer armed with such a code can successfully argue almost any out- come he wishes. Many such legal contortions arise ‘from the Charter’s four fundamental freedoms — of conscience and religion; of thought, belief, opinion and expres- sion (including a free press and media); of peaceful assembly; and of associa- tion. To take just two examples, who’s right or wrong when freedom of press comment threatens.to materially dam- age a religion freely cherished by oth- ers? case a gaggle of anti-free speech goons) _ intimidating a peaceful assembly listen- ing to a free.expression of opinions at a local library? : wl. For lawyers counting their hours it. up to.$506 a chime Charter cases not What about free association (in this ‘ too different in essence from these offer a bottomless gold mine. : By contrast, Britain, which has never, had a formal written constitution, depends on common law and case- made law to sort out such problems. In short, on tradition, precedent, common seise and judgment on merits. British common lay being based on the pre- cept that a citizen is free to do anything ‘he or she wishes, provided only that it. harms no other citizen. : In other words, legal pragmatism — a welcome theme recently touched on: by our Supreme Court’s new Chief Judge Beverley McLachlin. ° - Announcing that she'plans to lead a pragmatic court, she said, “I think it is increasingly acknowledged that judges have to be aware of how their decisions . are going to play out in the real : world.” For the #R pros looking after the details of the court’s unprecedented campaign to cozy up to the watchful |. Joe Lunchbucket crowd, there couldn’t |. -. be, better news from the court’s boss. ° lady. Diba ge aS Se BOG es ees MANY HAPPY RETURNS of tomor- row, March 2, to North Van District... birthday girl Councillor Janice Harri: ... Wish theni again tomorrow to:: | North Van Kiwanian‘Doug Shields And happy 72nd birthday Friday," _ March 3, to Mount Seymour, Lion “Dudley Kilt. oN: oie OOO,. ; WRIGHT OR WRONG: Never for- get, anger is only one letter: short of. danger. 0 0 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR” Letters must include your name, © full address & telephone number.” _ WA e-mail: trenshaw@nsnews.com 985-2131 (118) - Genshaw@nsnews.com Dispiay Advertising Manager 980-0511 (317) . duhitman@nsnews.cont