ei te Page A4-— Tomice Standard, Weiesday, Ap 9, 1901 ° coral #727 1088 a Raptoduction in wl prt ibe fn esc s precept, Reghraton Ni No,’ 7820. 4647 Laz Ave., Terrace, 8, 3.0. vee 138 (804) 638-7283: Autorne a8 sero css Mk ting ta Pl Otce Depart fr payment of postage i ca, ~ - ng Manager, Vivelros : ‘San Coma ie hota Consultant, Terry Miler = ‘Groulation n Supa "| gorespondente: fet | -thelr ‘time and falents. Just exactly what has the provincial government accomplished by signing an agreement to begin land claims negotia- . tions with the Nisga’a? On first glance, quite a lot. The province — just as the federal government — has never ac- cepted the idea of native title to land and resources. It’s position in the Gitksan and Wet’suwet’en land claims case prov- ed that. Yet it has been willing to negotiate a form of self-government with. native groups. And it’s here that the agreement to negotiate with the Nisga’a gets a bit tricky, The agreement carefully splits con- cepts of self-government, basically a. souped up form:of municipal govern- ment, with native authority over land and resources. A conclusion in one area doesn’t necessarily mean settlement in the other. So while the province looks like it’s giving a lot by agreeing to . negotiate, in reality it remains as firm as it always has been. This distinction between self- government and land authority is clever ese Te pes fas: f Hy. to consider-the dome: care, ‘én VIA" Rail’s Skeena train that ‘runs through the northwest as proof the federal crown corporation really doesn’t care about its service here, The car runs backward. Instead of see- ing — and enjoying — the scenery as it approaches, passengers sitting in the dome car’s upper viewing seats instead get a great view of what has just passed, The reason the car runs backward is because it'll run the right way when the | train goes back and forth to Vancouver from Jasper. VIA officials say there isn't enough time to turn the car around for . the train's route from Prince Rupert to The next step - - Way off track. yy PRS aa lata. whine -dagper.™ ~ because it recognizes. what the, province and the federal government are willing to ‘do yet leaves intact the fundamental ‘Nisga’ a position of unextinguished title. In this circumstance it’sa fair bet that an agreement on self-government can be | reached: Indeed, all sides view this quite tightly as a way of ending a system that ~ drains governments and places natives in. a situation .of being dependent. . Agreement here will then be used as good will with which to enter the more contentious issues of title ‘over land and resources. The province is fond of sayingit wants a deal with natives that'll lead to economic and social certainty . without giving away the store. The Nisga’a say they only want to negotiate their way in- to Canada. Within those two positions is the reality of what will fappen to the northwest. And it’s a reality that*ll require a alot of attention on the part of all those- who will be affected by any land claims settle- ment. | It’s a stupid reason at best and an ap- palling lack of consideration at worst. The Skeena, for instance, spends the night in Prince Rupert before heading back to Jasper again. If that isn’t enough time to make sure the dome car runs the right way, we don’t know what is. “ VIA officials candidly admit more at- tention is paid on the Jasper to Van- ‘couver route because it carries more passengers. Yet passengers on the Jasper to Prince Rupert run deserve the same. kind of service as those on the Jasper to Vancouver route, Hairy and scary — ‘On “‘Sesame Street,”” when Ernie cut Bert’s hair too short, he handed Bert a book to read while his hair grew out. While I wait for my hair to grow, I scratch. It takes three months to rid my clothing of Through an Bifocals by Claudette Sandeckl every chafe from the last shear- from the, garment! ; Ee pa pariesenink 7, lagi bea ing, Even a single hair stub can be as irritating as a’ partisan chairman conducting, a public hearing. - During a trim, the plastic cape snugged around the neck over a tissue strip collects hair stubs thick as mud around a culvert. From there they migrate downward fanning out over the chest, across the lap and down into the. socks. In- variably at least one jabber lodges in my waistband, or ine - side a bra cup. Whenever that happens, I want to scratch: asMa Kettle did, heaving her’ massive bosom from side to ‘side-like. a trawler wallowing in‘ heavy: seas; But I’m insufficiently endowed. Anyhow,’ ‘scratching. is: futile. Much better to pinpoint each prickle with a ‘chalk’ ‘smudge or pin, then remove: the: garment ‘and examine each ‘site under. a- magnifying - lens,” In: this. -Wway,. visible hair stubs ‘can be plucked ‘one by one, “Crystal Gale and." Sifinead : O'Connor, have, brushi the dilemma with style, Periodically — or. every decade: — Crystal Gale announces she’s docking her Rapunzel tresses, Then she goes on-wearing it off by ‘letting. it drag along the ground, Sinnead O° Connor treats her scalp to a Neet.cap. -Deciding what to wear to the coiffure’s was troublersome un- til Itook a page from my mother’s “*Vogue." - -_: My mother, ‘after, ‘years® of cattle farming, learned: to care ‘for calving cows in distress. Whenever she was called upon to “pull” a calf, she wore a Sleeveless flannel shirt and” loose-fitting denim overalls, Following’ each. bovine delivery, Mom waslied the out. fit, then kept:it handy hanging on the cellar wall.’ __ For my salon ensemble, 1 chose my least favorlte top. Its color contrasts ‘with; my graying hair. its oe ii, soft, euly aa ‘ace ent Lip Up, ‘te for my sing, ©: - It’s odd the whisk is the best!” tool hairdressers have. Men nip . bristles from their nostrils using *: miniature electrical clippers. | Surgeons treat patients . with’ teeny Roto-rooters that crawl along inside blood vessels. : Machine. shops gather half-; pound ‘stéel bolts .with power. vacs. Why, then hasn't someone: designed: a Bic. vacuum ‘with? which: hairdressers’ can. “vanish: ring around the collar? ~. Until someone does, I can do. two things at the same time —"" ab get a haircut, and. do. ‘penance. ear PACVED WN | Sot SENT Te} SEUINER. ANP ESN ee HEOTER TO-THE BIG J. Shade fot SOME R voce Pll. IL BE IFT AINT NAZI GERMANY ALL OvER AGAIN... a Ir} peers OS Special spending VICTORIA ~- When our alleg- ed finance minister, the Honourable Elwood Veitch, fi- ed the B.C, Legislatiure, along with Premier Vander Zalm and his Social Credit MLAs last week, he took with him an In- terim Supply bill that could ' have given legitimacy to government spending : after _ ; March 31. are “But rather than face the. ‘scrutiny of the. legislature to. get the authority to spend ‘money after the new fiscal year begins April 1, the Socreds decided to use so-called special warrants, - Special warrants were designed to meet “unforeseen — expenditures,”’ nat to replace a budget. If, for example, toward the end of a fiscal year, the government runs out of money, special warrants may be issued to pay the bills. Special warrants are not - unlike a line of credit that can be used at will by the govern- ment without any accountabili- ty to the taxpayers. The authority to use special warrants is contained in the Financial Administration Act, and according to one former high-ranking former . bureaucrat, the potential for _ abuse was foreseen when the ’. bill- was.drafted in-1981.., Graham Leslie, former deputy Jabor minister, says in _ his-recently published book, _ Breach of Promise, that senior + government oficials told : / Cabinet at: the time special war- “rants should be used only to’ ‘cover unforeseen expenditures, and then only. if the need was: “urgent. a “There are precedents for the . ‘use of special warrants. Bill ‘Bennett's administration lived : -off ‘special warrants for three © months, but thé House wasn’t sitting : at the time; and could not, therefore, ‘debate an: In-. terim. Supply Bill that ‘would wie gets. introduced: or. va tifled, ‘A AND R ah . ae : eos 3 From the — _ Capital _-by Hubert Beyer - piven the government the : whew re “he Shia. tht _ are Y asked for interim-supply ‘authority. In fact, that; was the. original plan. The bill-was ready to be introduced ‘in the - legislature when Vander Zalm cut the session short. The end of the session was: not the dignified affair it usually is. For one thing, nobody knew the House would tise until the day it happened. Even cabinet ministers had - no idea, and it was more than just a little embarrassing to see a flustered finance minister — trying to explain that he did’nt _know he wouldn't have an op- portunity to introduce the In- ‘terim Supply Bill. . Once the opposition had © _* been informed that the govern- ment would prorogue the ses-_ . sion, NDP MLAs mounted one last attack on the Socred government. What did the government plan to do at mid- ‘night March 31, when its ‘. authority to spend money ex- _-pires, Chris D'Arcy, the op- position MLA from Rossland- Trail wanted to know. -. “o)'“There aré school districts. ’”. gut'there,-hospitals, .: ‘municipalities and numerous, . government services that need to be’attended-to. Why has the . : “minister. and his government © - failed.to produce a budget for - - Consideration by the people of. * British Columbia?” “asked, “Why, indeed? Unfortunate: : 7 lye the finance. minister was unable to. throw amy: light. on the matter, and I can ‘only. - D'Arcy ; assume that the question was” “beyond his ability to com-. -prehend, --" _- t Outside.the’ House, T fared © tary democracy - ino better. When L-asked him... “agree with Harco how the hell he can stand there This. government. could have :. . ana tall about fiscal ‘respon . ; - full-public scrutiny of the . governments finances and .. . worth tiore than $2 billion,’ vu 4 ‘sibility wien’ ‘the’ governiiient, ‘ had failed to produced a’! budget in time, he offered 1 no ‘explanation, I realize that British Colum: | ‘ bians have become so inured ‘to scandal that they might find | it difficult to get upset over., special warrants. That would. be a tragic mistake, because .. the situation is serious." it is, in fact so serious that NDP leader Mike Harcourt. _ has asked Lieutenant-Governor. David Lam to-stop the'govern-. ment from using special war- rants to spend our money... * In a letter to Lam, Harcourt: - said that if the Hieutenant- -- ‘governor decided to recall the ‘legislature quickly (obviously — without being asked by the: premier to do so), and if the’ finance minister brought down. a budget, the opposition would» ‘move with urgency” to deal with them. ° Le, In.a speech earlier to Van: --couver Board of Trade, Har- court was-more explicit. “The - Social Credit government has ie now chosen to. deliberately - bypass the legislature, avoid.” sek special warrants.likely ' Harcourt saide; 228. “There is no emergency te require such arbitrary.and ° undemocratic conduct. W BC, history "* the 0 Oppo! leader added, . a ‘slightest respect fo cit seems doesn’t ‘in a ley re aS peas pe ah apt a ne liming a cata a it's ate eae all cath dL cdrecelna% lh dean ths alts ALN duh “ebb call” wish ect no Ot” eas? cabot wthES ects eM dae eri? “ume eenien |.