6 Terrace Review — Wednesday. October 2, 1991 _ Riding the rails to nowhere "wr st’s become a regional curiosity that the dome car, that symbol of travelling in comfort through the inspiring scenery Canada is famous for throughout the world, is _ often as not now arranged by VIA Rail conductors to face backwards as the passenger train traverses the line from Jasper to Prince Rupert. Local diviners could probably read something fatalistic in that, but it is perhaps best seen as a concrete statement of the federal government’s attitude toward - rail passenger travel in general. a Two northern B.C. MPs,. Brian Gardiner and Jim Fulton, yesterday held the latest in what has become a periodic sequence of "this-is-it-for-the-Skeena-Run" wakes, this time in Smithers, Regrettably, this time the Rupert Rocket may really be finished. An internal report issued in July by a Transport Canada department and obtained recently by Fulton says VIA is considering three options for changing passenger rail service in western Canada, and none of them include the continued existence of service west of Prince George. Owing to the sad state of repair and absurd scheduling of the trains in this. region, the Skeena’s demise has become a near inevitability, — even though Fulton says it’s carrying an average 42 percent capacity on the thrice-weekly run, a better performance than any other remote line in Canada. . From the time of its creation, 1978, until two years ago VIA was paying out 65 percent of its gross revenue in track fees to its parent railways CN and CP, who like slow-moving spiders apparently decided to have a decade-long feast on their mutual child. Although a VIA representative points out that the track- age arrangement was changed two years ago when VIA assumed responsibility for crewing and equipment mainten- ance, it is still difficult to escape the conclusion. that VIA was killed before it ever got out of bed. . For a determined government it isn’t to late to create a suc- cessful passenger rail network, particularly in the west where the tourist trade would help keep domestic fares under control by propping up the ridership. There is ‘not, however, a deter- ~ mined government out there to do it. While air fares continue to escalate, putting air travel beyond the affordability of the average person; and in the backs of our minds we know that the day is coming when the price of ‘gasoline, both in dollars and environmental damage, is going to be too much for anyone to pay; at a time when all the pro- gressive jurisdictions in the industrialized world are ploughing development money into rail networks because they know that the day is coming when fuel efficient rail travel is going to be the only choice left to get people and goods from one place to another; in this era we have a government that is doing... Gena VATRUS? 7 Don frex vic Established May 1, 1985 The Terrace Review is published each Wednesday by Close-Up Business Services Ltd. 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Please Include your telephone number, The editor reserves the right to condense and. edit letters. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Terrace Review. Bs Soe ae HE AES! \ s VICTORIA — Doublespeak — seems to be a stock-in-trade for most politicians and their manipu- lators... er, aides. From the days of the Roman Senate, to Hitler’s propaganda machine, to Russia’s ministry of disinformation, it has always been considered to be part of their far- from-noble profession to spread half-truths, mis-truths and at times, anything but the truth. And during an election cam- paign, doublespeak flourishes, as | British Columbians are finding out more and more as the October 17th general election date approaches. Whether it’s Social Credit spewing out anti-NDP ads from “ordinary” Ontarioans who are anything but ordinary, or the B.C, New Democrats tarring Cabinet minister Peter Dueck unfairly with the scandal brush, it’s hap- pening. Sure, the Socreds say those Ontario people are real people, so it’s not really dishonest to pack- age them into the ads. That conveniently ignores part of the truth — that they were hand-picked for their proved anti- NDP politics long before Bob Rae became Premier there. And sure, the NDP can maintain that there were so many scandals, so many headlines about conflict . of interest and legal problems for ‘Socred Cabinet members and oth- ers, that the Dueck inclusion was _ a natural mistake. After all, they argue, he did “resign and his deputy minister was sacked and faces further legal proceedings. That's a scandal, right? | Well, yes, that part is; but Mr. Dueck “did the honourable thing” — something his disgraced for- mer boss Bill Vander Zalm The view from Victoria — by John Pifer could never understand, let alone do — when he resigned to await the outcome of the investigation which did clear him. The doublespeak is bound to get worse before it gets better, too. As the polling day nears, the Socreds will be producing a flood of “facts” about NDP “dirty tricks”, while playing their own. . And the NDP will be making - promises and policies without having to put a pricetag on them. Meanwhile, you may rest assured that there certainly will be more landmines exploding in the path of the leaders’ campaign coaches as the days dwindle down. . Now, it is a fact that more explo- sions have been going off on Pre- mier Rita Johnston’s rocky road than on Mike Harcourt’s, what with Socred John Ball and his — Ernst Zundel connection, and the criminal charges against 16-year MLA Jack Kempf, etc. And wouldn’t you-know it, into the middle of it all rides the mas- ter of doublespeak himself, Mr. Vander Zalm, with his “explana- tion” for it all. In acarefully crafted television interview on Thursday, he put his well-honed skill at innuendo into overdrive. . Mr. Vander Zalm suggested that the NDP was behind the timing which saw the disgraced former premier, his disgraced former Cabinet colleague and friend Bill Reid, and Mr. Kempf, all facing court dates within the same two- week period. Here’s how wily Willie tried to weave his spell! (please iginore his appalling grammar, we have for years): “Just before or just into the elec- tion makes one wonder who's behind it all, and where and what the organization, and to what lengths will they go. “T certainly feel it is being co- ordinated, and I feel there’s peo- ple within the government struc- ture that are feeding this stuff out systematically or holding it until the appropriate time. “We can all speculate... but I have to believe there’s something ‘wrong in the ministry of the Attorney-General. I guess there are people (there) with other philosophical views that are per- haps ambitious to see the NDP get in.” | What a crock, Mr, Disgraced Ex-Premier! Do you honestly believe that the decision-makers who appoint spe- cial prosecutors, or who are spe- cial prosecutors, are all NDPers, let alone so unprofessional as to be so influenced? Do you honestly believe for a. moment that they waited to pro- ceed with these cases for left- wing political purposes? No, | am sure you don’t, Mr. Vander Zalm, just as I am sure that you will not apologize for smearing all A-G lawyers, offi- cials and workers with the same brush of conspiracy. , I am sorry to ruin your disinfor- mation with a few facts, but it is worth remembering that your first Attorney-General -—— about as right-wing as you can get — resigned because of your interfer- ence in his ministry, not because of any NDP leanings. And your next A-G had to resign because of his arrogance and inappropriate political and per- sonal machinations. : But. if there iy more than coinci- dence to the timing of all these chirges, it is much more likely to be because of an honest attempt to sev justice done,