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October 3, 1986 News 985- 2131

Classified

986-6222

Throne speech mention in French

QUEBEC

TO

G

CAPILANO MP Mary Collins said Thursday the mention

of construction of an icebreaker by Gov. Gen. Jeanne

Sauve

in a French portion of Wednesday's speech from the throne
does not meun the contraci will go to Quebec shipyards.

“Absolutely not,’’ Collins said,
“that has nothing to do with it.
(The mention) was a reaffirmation
of the ship’s importance..."" and a
confirmation that the Polar Class 8
icebreaker will be built.

Marine Workers and
makers Industrial Union
(MWBIU) president: John Fitz-
patrick said he was pleased the
icebreaker was mentioned in the
speech, but concerned that it was
mentioned in French’ ‘‘You don't
have to be an archbishop to figure
that one out. You're damned right
I'm concerned."

Read in the Senate, the speech
signalled the opening of the second
session of the 33rd Parliament.

Amid the Conservative Gov-
ernment’s objectives and programs
laid out in the speech was a com-
mitment that Canada ‘will build
one of the most powerful
icebreakers in the world to enhance
our sovereignty and continue
deve:opment of the north.”

But Quintin Watt, vice-president
of marketing for North Van-
couver’s Versatile Pacifie Ship-
yards Inc.. said Wednesday the
specifies of the icebreaker were not
mentioned asd until they were
known, the future of the project
would remain unclear.

Versatile was one of three Ca-
nadian shipyards asked to bid on
the original Polar 8 design. The
shipyard’s president Dave Alsop
has said he believes his company’s
bid was the best of the three,

Subsequent to tendering of the
original bids, three unsolicited
proposals for designs offering sav-
ings of up to 4OQ per cent over the
original $450 million design were
submitted from two Calgary-based
companies and Wartsila. Arctic
Inc of Vancouver.

Withou: a commitment soon on
the Polar 8, Alsop has estimated

Boiler-

Ry TIMOTITY RENSHAW
News Reporter

Versatile’s current: workforce
be down to 200) by

that
of $50 will
mid- 1987,

Fitzpatrick said putting a totally
new design out to fender would
mean another two-year delay. in
awarding the contract and would
have serious repercussions for local
shipyards.

In her speech Thursday, which
moved the addtess to the speech
from the throne, Collins said
awarding the icebreaker contract
to West Coast yards would be one
step in reconciliating regional
disparity.

Collins was the first B.C. MP in
90 years to move the address to the
speech from the throne, which
opens discussion on it.

Fitzpatrick said it was vical that
the local Greater Vancouver Coali-
tion on Shipbuilding (GVCS) make
a final push to convince the federal
government to award the Polar 8
contract to West Coast yards.

“(Local) Tory MPs have denied
it (the icebreaker) will be built in
Quebec. But if chats the case, why
was the commitment to build: it
made in French? They (ocal MPs)
are putting their neads on the
chopping block over this one."

Formed on June 6, the GVCS, a
coalition of local labor, industry
and municipal government, has
made two trips to Ottawa and
presented its case to Minister of
Finance Michael Wilson, Secretary
of State Jog Clark and labor
Minister Pierre Cadicux.

According to GVCS figures,
B.C. has been allotted only four
per cent of the federal gov-
ermment’s $4.3) billion worth of
shipbuilding procurement since

Se eCity Coie

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NEWS 5 photo Stuart Davis

Bully for wheels!

BREE, a British bulidog. has found a new way to get about town with her owner
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