issioner Miroslav Skuratko meet with in Lviv prior to TV space-bridge. TV link opens hearts, minds Special to The Tribune WINNIPEG — The twin cities of Win- nipeg and Lviv, Ukraine, made one giant space-bridge leap for peace and understand- ing April 24 with a tremendously moving cross-cultural exchange seen live by studio - audiences and television viewers across Canada and the USSR. Young pen pals, separated by thousands of earthbound kilometres, let out shrieks of recognition when they saw each other live for the first time only centimetres apart on giant video screens lit up through satellite TV signals. The heartfelt warmth between the two groups of teenagers brought a new surge of emotion from an audience already caught up in the magic of the two-hour extrava- ganza. As the program wound up, tears were streaming down the face of television celeb- rity Charisse Lawrence who hosted the | Winnipeg part of the show, broadcast from the 400-seat Club Rendezvous. And she was not alone. Dozens in the audience were smiling and laughing through floods of tears as they waved craz- ily at the cameras in finest live-television tradition, sending the message of hope, friendship and love ina split second to Lviv. That emotion-charged minute capped nearly three years of dedicated work by the Winnipeg Telebridge committee. The broad- cast, the first “space-bridge” ever between Canada and the Soviet Union, was partially financed by all three levels of government and through private donations. The signal was picked up by community cable broadcasters in most major centres in Canada. Telebridge Inc., the non-profit, non- political, cultural organization responsible for the broadcast, is considering even more ambitious projects in the future. The idea was initiated three years ago through the Manitoba Peace Council. A number of peace organizations, including the church-based ecumenical group Project Peacemakers, formed the core group, and were joined by local cultural figures and Videon, one of Winnipeg’s two cable televi- sion companies. Mayor William Norrie is honourary chairperson. Karen Burgoyne of Project Peacemakers is president of Telebridge Inc. and Doreen Plowman of the Manitoba Peace Council chairs the committee which pulled together the Winnipeg-Lviv event. Independent television producer George Kolomaya was the show’s project manager and acted as executive producer for Videon. The undying lesson of Telebridge and all space-bridge projects, said Plowman, is that “it is an extraordinary example of using technology to bring people closer together in peace, using technology in a peaceful way.” By this spring, over 90 organizations and 70 prominent individuals from all walks of life and parts of the community had endorsed the project. “It is very representa- tive of the community,” Plowman said inan interview with the Tribune. Groups such as the Rusalka Dance Ensemble and the children’s choir from the Ralph Brown School Ukrainian bilingual program participated in the show. This helped make Telebridge not only a unique and highly-successful cultural event, but also a bridge between cultural organizations in Winnipeg. Special to the Tribune WINNIPEG — The provincial Con- servatives’ failure to win a majority government April 26 is a major blow to neo-conservative plans for the country. The Conservatives dropped in popular 1986 election. The New Democrats went from 30 seats to 12 and lost almost two- thirds of their share of the 1986 popular vote. The standings in the new legislature will be Tories, 25; Liberals, 20; and NDP, 12. The Tory shortfall and the Liberal party surge from its one-seat standing in the last legislature guarantees intensified debate on free trade and the Meech Lake Accord. Defeat of both agreements was a major plank in the Liberal platform, a policy immediately affirmed by new opposition leader Sharon Carstairs on election night. The Communist Party, which ran five candidates, campaigned very. effectively on signalling the dangers to the province and Canada of the election of a Tory government. vote and have one less spot than in the - Party leader Lorne Robson said the task now is to mobilize public opposition to the two agreements, forcing the legisla- ture to reject them before another election is called. The first step will be to strengthen NDP Opposition to the Mulroney trade deal and the constitutional amendments, both in and outside the legislature, he said. The incumbent NDP failed to make these major policy issues in the election campaign. They also neglected to rally public support against the federal gov- ernment’s squeeze on the province. The NDP government had answered Mulroney’s political and financial black- mail with huge tax increases on Manito- bans to compensate up for federal cutbacks. The party showed a similar paralysis in dealing with provincial Tory manipulations which eventually brought a the government down. During the election, the media and pollsters used public anger against the government to lead an open campaign Man. vote blow to Meech Accord designed to create the impression of an unstoppable Tory juggernaut. But voters were unprepared to turn to the Tories. Manitobans still harboured the bad memories of Sterling Lyon’s reign from 1977 to 1981 and Tory performances in Ottawa and in other western provinces. This made them wary of Gary Filmon, despite his no-hits, no-errors campaign style. The province has also developed a vocal opposition to free trade and Meech Lake. The Liberals benefitted, even though Carstairs differed little from Filmon on the major provincial issues. Both prom- ised to revoke the payroll tax, a move which would hand back $200 million to large corporations and put the squeeze on health and education spending. The rebirth of Liberal fortunes in Manitoba in a campaign built around Opposition to free trade and Meech Lake will have an impact on the federal Liber- als. But no one disputes that the big loser in the Manitoba vote was Brian Mulroney. 6 « Pacific Tribune, May 4, 1988 Blockade for child care Prime Minister Brian Mulroney T fused to meet with about 200 child care activists who sat down in the corridors outside his offices April 24. They cameto discuss the government’s proposed chil care program. The $5.4-billion plan places too much emphasis on tax credits ($3. 1-billion),the demonstrators pointed out. Speaking 1 a weekend child care conference, ecOM- omist Monica Townson noted that the government's program would reduce the money available for child care. Current cost sharing agreements, in which Ottawa matches provincial spending 0” child care, would actually create more spaces than the 200,000 claimed in the new plan. Ss Earlier in the weekend, the prime minister turned down an invitation to view an exhibit of children’s photos. Organized by the Canadian Day Care Advocacy Association, the exhibit has gone across the country to demonstrate opposition to the federal strategy. Subs to cost $12 billion Even the hawks are deserting Ottawa in its bid to purchase nuclear sub- marines. Last month the internationally- known defence journal, Jane’s Fighting Ships, joined the growing’ opposition chorus in a book by Anthony Cordes- man. He predicts “the true cost would — rise to at least twelve billion,” adding the price “would mortgage Canadian defence investment funds for a generation.” _ Last week, the Hudson Institute said Ottawa wasn’t being honest about the costs of operating and maintaining a — nuclear submarine fleet. It also queried the subs’ safety, calling them “obsolete death traps.” The concerns were raised in the House of Commons by New Democrat defence critic Derek Blackburn. Space arm cost up $400 million The cost of Canadian involvement in the U.S. space platform has escalated from $800 million to $1.2 billion since Ottawa first bid on the project. Canada will supply the space arm which is capa- ble of loading and doing repairs. Physicist and peace activist Dr. Rosalie Bertell said the project edges Canada into Star Wars. The platform, she said, will eventually hold space-based nuclear weapons. In the House last week, the prime min- ister evaded questions as to whether the extra money would come out of the $1.3 billion Ottawa has pledged to universities for research. This money came after uni- versity and government scientists pre- dicted the collapse of scientific study in the face of continuing cuts. Cariou Regina candidate The Saskatchewan section of the Communist Party of Canada has nomi- nated its provincial leader, Kimball Cariou, to contest the new riding of Reg- ina Wascana in the next federal election. Cariou, 33, has been provincial leader for five years and is a well known partici- pant in the peace movement.