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Census and sensibi

HE search for sense in census questions gets harder and harder. Census representatives will soon begin to distribute millions of census questionnaires to households across the country for Census Day on May 14. Eighty per cent of households will receive the short census questionnaire. It has seven questions on topics includ- ing age, sex, marital status and mother tongue. The long census questionnaire goes to one in five households. It probes for more detailed informeiion about the household: ethnic origin, for example. Taking the statistical pulse of a nation can be a tricky task. The statisticians

want to know if we are White, Chinese, South Asian, Black, Arab/West Asian, Filipino, South East Asian, Latin American, Japanese or Canadians.

The information is needed by govern- ment and employers to administer and assess the impact of the Employment Equity legislation —- a sensitive issue to many people. One critic made headlines recently by proclaiming that he would answer such a question with an indica- tion that he is of Martian origin.

The official word is that such a response would be illegal and subject to reprimand and a fine.

FOR THE LAST TIME, GORPON, 17'S SHAKING HANDS AND KUSSIMG BABIES.

Sie

” CAMPBEWS HANDLERS BEGIN To SUSPECT GIAD-HANDING WS NOT ONE OF GORDON STRONG SUITS

“IT’S nothing stiort of

sensational, a sea change in Canadian politics: Preston Manning has come out of the closet and he’s just another pragmatic

liberal.

Pragmatic. Putting middle- of-the-road appeal (i.e., attain- ment of power) ahead of con- viction. And — like other polit- ical leaders who leave their private beliefs behind them while on public business — an adherent of the allegedly objective civic reli- gion. Which, as reaffirmed by recent events, is as dogmatic and judgmental as any religious zealot.

You can sense the joy in Ottawa and in the Great liberal (small-l) Establishment. Another of those irritating Western populist movements that spring up now and then, get in the way of the nation's business, and then wink out or make their accommodation with entrenched interests! What a relief.

The delight being that this week Manning drummed out of his Reform Party caucus two members of Parliament, including B.C.’s Bob Ringzrna, for their supposed extremism, and then, ironically, a third who had complained loudly of the extremists in the party. Hello, party discipline, hello, conformity, hello, Jean Chretien — the autocrat who rules his party like a medieval king.

Criticized as weak and silent — by interests

_deeply hostile to his party, especially the Ottawa ascendancy and the media including the

We estern media's Ottawa-based reporters who, parallel to so many MPs, become aot their western readers’ reporter in Ottawa but Ottawa's reporter to western readers — Manning abruptly turned into a Chretien-style martinct.

“Up to now,” he said in a tong statement to the Southam papers, Reform had tilted “far in the direction of free speech” for its MPs, But “it is ime lor us to redress this balance.”

And this is redressing bal-

ance with a vengeance. Manning declared that members who don’t agree with party principles “should leave the party, the sooner the better.”

Those principles are “consistent with our country’s desire to be be a democratic, just and pluralistic society.” They affirm “the equality of all” and “the right of Canadians to be free from discrimination, hate-mongering and intolerance on any basis.”

Fine words. Ringing words, But the applica- tion? What now is Reform’s “pluralistic” and “equal” policy on Quebec, for good instance? Any change?

And then there are “gay rights” — and how the homosexual lobby must be chortling, since that issue was precisely the triphammer for the party’s present crisis.

In his statement Manning clearly bends to

‘ make peace with that lobby, which is surely cel- _ ebrating a week of triumph: “Reformers are

opposing the government's gay rights bill, not because they favor discrimination, but because they favor a better approach to prevention of discrimination.”

So Manning effectively concedes that oppo-

Korern-

Nities

The question should not. be asked. It only encourages the ~ further Balkanization of an increasingly. tribal country. :

We are all Canadians first and. fore- most. We are here now. We face new.and - shared challenges. We bring diversity to the task of building our country. Unity. will not come from Canadians qualified by racial hyphens.

It’s true that we have differing ethnic ‘ realities, but playing the game. of. us against them, as is most glaringly: expressed in legislated moves such as employment equity regulations; is ulti- . mately counter-productive. ; 2

Dear Editor:

i's extremely difficult’ t to ‘per’ Doug Collins — if one uses reasor able logic. ;

But I've got you this time, Doug Unfortunately 1 have to incriminate myself, You see, J, too, ‘am an-old:’ fart’ — older than you, Doug, and I've been taking pension cheques” and CPP cheques — hundreds’ of percent more than I ever put into the fund. Do I send ‘em back? No! Like, you, Doug, I feel a bit of a ting conscience when they come...

; But recently, the govern " recognized this, and forced: me to accept cheques — they: put ‘the money in the bank for me. It saves'a twinge of conscience when | see. the ©

ing. But 1 still accept. m " { know it's a bribe. You : don't you Doug? Have I caught accepting bribes? 4 N. Westwelt . North Vancouver

seis what the oe has fully proclaimed all along, painting, with much media complic ty, any opponents of its shrewd agenda as bi

ots.

And where does that leave those many.

Reform members who joined in the apparent delusion that the party had a strong Christian basis, and that discrimination against homosex- , uality — not homosexuals —- is entirely ijusti-

fied by scripture and faith (let alone in public health terms)? vo

(Inerjection: As 4 write, the media, sensing ) blood, are now putting Reform MP Grant Hill |. in their sights for stating, plainly, the typical“ and very widespread consequences —- medical - facts — of the gay “lifestyle.”)

In his hook The New Canada Manning. , devotes an entire chapter to “The Spiritual Dimension.” And you can find in it both evi-: dence that he envisions a strictly secular party and one influenced by religious conviction..'-

“What role, if any, does my personal faith play in my decision-making on public issues?” he asks. And goes on: “There is a relationship“: between public and private morality, between what one believes and how one responds tc to - public policy issues.”

But: “The final positions of the party on - | major issues of public policy will be decided by a majority vote in democratically constituted assemblies in which those sharing my, evangeli cal Christian views will be a minority.” :

It seems Manning encountered God on the road to Damascus and, after hearing him out, replied: “Well, thanks, God, but I’ve got.a lot of. worldly things to do. In fact [ was just thinking about throwing out several members of my ow caucus when you interrupted my train of ‘ thought.” .