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' AA4- The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, May 11, 1994

- TERRACE

STANDARD

ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1988

ADDRESS: 4647 Lazclle Ave., Terrace, B.C. * V8G 158
TELEPHONE: (604) 638-7283 * FAX: (604) 638-8432
MODEM: 638-7247

Troubled talks

THE PROVINCIAL and federal governments
are being played like a fish on a line by the
Nisga’a Tribal Council. Here’s why.

For three years the three parties have wot-
shipped at the altar of confidentiality when it
came to questions about Nisga’a land claims ne-
gotiations. Each time a question was asked, the
parties solemnly invoked a clause in the docu-
ment setting out how the talks would go. The
clause stated there would be no public release of
information unless all three parties agreed it was
necessary. All three said negotiations couldn't
take place in public and reacted in horror when-
ever a contrary suggestion was made.

Yet two weeks ago Nisga’a Tribal Council
president Joe Gosnell blew a very public gasket,
Teleasing what would presume to be crucial ne-
gotiating positions on offers and counter offers

of amounts of land under discussion. If anything -

might be considered confidential, this would be
it.

The response of the federal and provincial
governments was to turn tail and run in the other
direction. Officials from both governments
declined to comment on the nature of Mr. Gos-
nell’s comments. They even declined to confirm
or deny the negotiating positions released by Mr.
Gosnell. Some even referred to the con-
fidentiality clause, the very same one broken by
Mr. Gosnell. And some, despite the trashing of
the confidentiality clause, remain convinced the
land claims talks are not now compromised or
harmed,

Indeed, the response of provincial aboriginal af-
fairs minister John Cashore was so sympathetic
to the Nisga’a that it raises doubts about his
ability to continue in his portfolio. To be sure,
Mr. Cashore was right in stating that Mr. Gosnell

can say whatever he wants to his people. But for-

Mr. Cashore to not do the same for the people he
represents — the citizens of British Columbia —
borders on a dereliction of his public duty. The
minister cannot simply abandon the field to Mr.
Gosnell.

Mr. Gosnell’s comments were based on a
couple of gambles. In this era of political cor-
tectness, he knew that no government would
challenge his remarks for fear of being seen as
the big bad oppressor. In the absence of a federal
and provincial response, Mr. Gosnell could also
paint the Nisga’a as once again being victims.
‘Heck, he even got away with condemning the
state of logging in the Nass even though two of
the companies involved are Nisga’a-owned.

Mr. Gosnell also knows there’s trouble brewing
up in the Nass because of the slow progress of
the talks. A calculated display of temper would
place himself closer to those who think he and
the tribal council are dragging their feet. Please
note that the provincial offer of three per cent
has been on the table for more than a year. Why
would Mr. Gosnell wait until now to release it
unless it furthered the tribal council’s overall
plan?

Allin all, what happened was a clear public re-
lations victory for the Nisga’a. They can appar-
ently dodge out from behind the veil of secrecy
whenever it suits them. Given that the Nisga’a
have chosen a new path for the talks, perhaps it’s
time for the federal and provincial governments
to do the same. To continue on as before will
further erode public confidence in their ability to
do the job.

GUS
a PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Rod Link
ADVERTISING MANAGER: Mike L. Hainm

PRODUCTION MANAGER: Edouard Credgeur

coniire tn

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watch his face...
when ('ll tell him that
Pavel Bure broke aleg

this morning

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Yikes. What’s happening?

VICTORIA — It’s no picnic
these days to be an opposition
member, Same goes for colum-
hists,

We’re both supposed to ham-
mer the government to make
the province safe for demo-
cracy, and what do these guys
do? Come up with good ideas
that are difficult to shoot
down.

Mind you, the opposition
doesn’t seem to be bothered
too much by the fact that far
from rushing British Columbia
headlong into bankruptcy, the
NDP is doing a pretty fair job
of looking afler the public’s
purse.

Nor are they above criticiz-
ing initiatives and ideas
enthusiastically supported by
business, labor, aboriginal
people and environmentalists,
not a bad feat in this age of
confrontation. The Forest
Renewal Program falls into
that calegory.

What’s a poor columnist to
do. On the whole, it was easier
during the Vander Zalm days.
You just had to hang around
his office for a few minutes to
get the stuff hard-hitting
columns are made of, Like the
day he told us that our judicial
system reminded him of Nazi
Germany.

FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHS
grow more valuable cach year.
We don’t always realize that
when we take them.

But iry replacing them ten
ycars later if your single copy
is destroyed, no negalive ex-
ists, and you didn’t share
coples of the original.

My problem is replacing a
1984 grad photo lost when our
home burned.

In April 1984, National
School Services set up a
camera at Caledonia Senior
Secondary School and pro-
cessed soon-lo-be-grads
through a gown and mortar
board rigmarole, like a brewer
batiling bubbly.

Our oldest daughier was
among them,

Thereafter her 8x1i inch Na-
tional portrait sal on the piana,
beside a 1985 grad photo of
her sister. However, the
younger one’s photo was taken
by a local photographer who
had no trouble unearthing her
negalive in his files; I can or-

THE: CAPITA
HUBERT BEYER

Not so these days, I swear
the NDP is dreaming up good
ideas just to make me iook
bad. The other day, they did it
to me again, announcing a
$200 million program designed
to put more unemployed
people back to work and give
high school students practical

job skills. -

Called Skills Now, the pro-
gram is expected to completely
reshape secondary education,
reduce the high school dropout
rate, make post-secondary edu-
cation more accessible and ex-
pand opportunities for ap-
prenticeship and retraining.

**New technologies, changes
in traditional industries and
global competition all make it

THROUGH BIFOCALS

CLAUDETTE SANDECKI

der any quantity or size of her
portrait. Not so with the Na-
tional picture.

I’m told National School
Services saves their negatives
only two years, which means
my chances of obtaining te-
placement copics from them is
probably eight years too late.

Still, I shall ask -— if I can
find their address or phone
number. So far the school
hasn’t been able to provide ei-

essential that British Colum-
bians upgrade their skills for
new job opportunities now and
even more importantly, into
the near future,’’said Premier
Mike Harcourt in annoucing
the program.

And who was there on the
platform with him? Jerry
Lampert, president of the Busi-
ness Council of British Colum-
bia, Ken Georgetti, president
of the B.C. Federation of
Labor, and John Watson, presi-
dent of the B.C. Institute of
Technology. They all had high
praise for Skills Now.

What’s going on here, dam-
mit? The business community
is supposed to hate the NDP,
not warmly embrace their pro-”
grams. But that’s the problem
with the NDP. They are com-
ing up with far too many good
ideas, including this latest one.

What impressed the business
community is that Skills Now
emphasizes not only academic
endeavors bul vocational train-
ing. The program calls for a lot
more co-op education, ap-
prenticeships and work experi-
ence,

The program aims at 30
separate and specific initia-
tives. Here are some of them:
It is expected to help 50,000
unemployed from welfare to

ther. Which strides me as odd
that, in this age of increased
school security, an oulside
photographer would be
permitted free access to Stu-
dents without the school ad-
ministration having address,
phone number, and some form
of licensed permission on
permanent file.

All the record I have is a
bankbook entry for April 26,
1984 teading: C's grad pic-
tures $58.43, I wish I had in-
cluded the name and address of
the company to receive (he
cheque, and the total pictures I
was paying for. But how was I
fo know a decade later this
notation would be all IT had to
work from, or that I would
need it.

At the time the girls’ grad
pictures were taken, multiple
copies seemed unnecessary.
No grandparents were alive to
share the achievement, aunts
and uncles had grads of their
own to be proud of, and our
daughters weren’t that keen on

the workplace by matching
training ta job needs, giving
business credit for on-the-job
training to the tune of $78 mil-
lion over the next three years.

It will provide training
credils to B.C. businesses of up
to $10,000 for each new em-
ployee being trained. Ap-
prenticeship programs will be
expanded and modemized.

Post-secondary schaol equip-
ment will be modernized at a
cost of $12 million with
matching grants from business.
High school students will be
given credits for courses taken
outside school,

The number of post-
secondary positions will be tri-
pied. Colleges and universities
will be offered incentives to
find cost-effective way of
teaching more students. And a
labor force development board
will be established to keep
British Columbia on the lead-
ing edge ofjob training. -

Now, how the hell do you
shoot holes into that one, With
shame in my heart, I give the
NDP full marks. Like I said,
it’s not easy these days to be a
columnist. My hopes now rest
with the Liberals. They’ll at-
tack anything, including
motherhood, if the NDP had
invented it.

When pictures are missed

their own likenesses, dis-
satisfied as are many teenagers
by what they consider to be
unsightly glasses, braces, or a
childhood scar.

While I empathize with their
reluctance lo be photographed,
nonetheless, regardless of how
many informal snaps are laken
with polarcids or 35mm
cameras, there’s nothing like a
studio closcup. For a parent’s
failing eyesight, they’re a cure.
And as a benchmark for track-
ing a receding hairline or jowl
sag, they’re ideal.

If I had the girls’ grads to
photograph again, I’d buy mul-
liple copics of their formal
portiits and give them away
to unwary relatives, Then, if I
lost my lone picture, I could
make replacement photos from
one of theirs.

With today’s laser printers,
making a high quality copy of
a photo is easy and in-
expensive ... so long as you
have a photo to copy.

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Serving tha Terrace ates. Published on Wednesday of each week by Caliboo Pross (1969) Ud. af 464)
Lazela Avo., Tertace, British Cohimbia,

Starles, photogiaphs, Ilustrations, designs and typesiyles in the Terrace Standard ase the property of the
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agencies, . : .
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Aulhotized as second-class mall panding tha Post Office Daparimant, far paymnant of postage in cash.

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