FRIDAY
eye 24, 1995

ISITE
the news

svsesnerie 25
7 rl Crossword...
& Entertainment...
@ Home & Garden...
“s Insights...

: A rs Shore Alert.
Real Estat
‘. i) Sunshine Girl.

/ aye a

br apeukes

Weather

Sanreey mainly cloudy,
ot. low 2°C.

sain photo 2rad Teautdge

AT LEAST one person was taken to hospital after. this crash on Tuesday at the
Marine Drive and MacKay Avenue intersection in North Vancouver. Police say the
injuries were not life threatening.

Two injure

a Eurcpean-designed
. Ford Mystique: 4

gs Listings for. new and
‘used cars: | 23

|g Weekly Real Estate
» section: 33 - 76
Landscaping your
new home: ~ 12

CHOOSE.
TO CRUISE CRUISE

Deficit-reducing plan too tough for local politicians |

A REFORM party “taxpayers’ bud-
get” that Capilano-Howe Sound
Refosia: MP Herb Grubel calls a pre-
scription needed to cure the nation’s
fiscal ills is too tough a cure for two
local politicians.

By lan Noble
News Reporter
Reform finance critic Grubel, who helped

draw up the budget, defended the cuts as “not
a big deal” because a growing economy and

_ lower interest rates duc to the strict measures

will both spur demand.

For the next three years, Reform plans call
for cuis equal to about 1% of a $750-billion
economy that is now growing at 4% annually,
he explained.

That. he said, will balance the budget,

' which last year had a $40-billion deficit.

To balance the budget, Reform has targeted
$15 billion in social spending and $10 billion
in government operations.

But those cuts are too much for North
Vancouver District Mayor Murray Dykeman.

Dykeman, basing what he said from media

reports he had read, ‘said the three-year time
frame for repairing the deficit is too short.

“As a pharmacist, the diagnosis may be:
there, but I’m not sure of the medicine they’re
prescribing,” he said.

He agreed that the federal deficit has to be
tackled, but said it must be done in a way that
will allow Canada to continue to be one of the
safest and best countries to live in.

North ‘Vancouver- Lonsdale MLA David

Schreck said the taxpayers’ budget remains °

consistent with what he calls the Reform
party’s “lack of compassion.”

He objects to a long-term Reform idea to
make family members and charitable organi-
zations the first line of defence in the social
safety net.

“The Reform approach emphasizes beg-
ging over entitlement,” he said.

He -also agreed that scimething has, to be
done about the deficit, but said getting it under
control should not undermine social services.

Grube] said he realizes people will be
affected by the budget. however, Canadians,
he said, must be weaned from the welfare
state.

He said past mistakes have. made social
programs too generous, adding Canada’s
unemployment insurance payouts are twice as
generous as those in Europe and three times

larger than those‘in' the United States.

In Reform’s proposed budget, operations~ ‘
* side cuts would include: mo
ba MP pension plans ($10 million); .
multiculturalism ($22 million); 7
es official language programs ($310 million);
@ foreign commitments ($1.3 billion);
bs defence ($1 billion); .
t regional development grants including the

. Western Economic Diversification fund (near-

ly $2 billion);
and subsidies to the CBC ($365 million)
and business.

Unemployment insurance would be sliced
$3.4 billion, Indian and Northern Affairs $800.
million, health care $800 million, equalization °
payments $3 billion, welfare $2.5 billion and

‘the Old Age Security program $3 billion to a

$17-billion program. .
According to Reform, those cuts and others

‘would: represent. about a, 20% reduction in

Social program spending.

West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce
treasurer Teresa Black’ Hughes said business
people agree with cutting spending, but also

. believe the three-year time line is too harsh.

Considering the size of the deficit and the
fact people need time to adjust their attitudes,

five-year program to reduce the deficit
would be more reasonable, she said.

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