4 Terrace Review — Wednesday, July 8,. 1987 |

OPINION: ON

“YOH) NATO DK

—)

means AOE o renene. nasewen

a

—_—_—_

by Frank Howard
_ Quite frankly I never
thought I’d be writing an
open letter to Hubert

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G@cna

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a

Beyer, but here goes.
Hubert is a columnist who
writes about legislative
and political matters, He
is a respected member of
the Press Gallery in Vic-

_toria. I consider Hubert:

Beyer’s columns to be fair

and objectively written.
Hubert, I read your ar-.

ticle concerning .a rift in

the Social Credit ranks in -

the Legislature and en-
joyed it. In commenting
upon ‘that article I only
want to expand on your
perception by expressing a
thought or two from my
Own experiences as a
Legislator.

Hubert, have you

“thought of writing about

carrots and the ‘“‘nutri-

tional attractiveness’’ _ of.
carrots? I’ve heard that
precious metals are in
some species of carrot and
that these metals increase
one’s vision.

EXPANDING ON PERCEPTION

Commentary

I contend it is not loyal-

ty. which deters. most

government backbenchers
from going public with
their disappointments.

Many are more concerned .
‘about appointment than...
about disappointment; ap--

poinitment: as a Cabinet
Minister or-as a Parlia-
mentary Secretary.

You say that the calibre
of some Cabinet. Ministers
leaves a lot to be desired.
No comment from me on
that, but for every Cabinet
Minister, incompetent or
otherwise, there is a
backbencher or Parlia-
mentary Secretary hunger-
ing for-the Premier to.
recognize true brilliance,
If suci a person went
public his or her career as
a backbencher would cer-
tainly be consolidated.

Are Parliamentary

Secretaries stil] paid an ex-

tra $3,000 a year, or has it
gone up to the $6,000. per-
mitied by law? Whatever
the amount it is simply to

keep someone in‘line. For

every Parliamentary Sec-
retary there is a govern-
ment backbencher who
knows absolutely that all

“current Parliamentary
‘Secretaries are incompe-

tent. ‘‘Now, if the Premier
would only appoint
me...well,..

I predict ‘that many

government. backbenchers

will continue to ‘exhibit
that degree of spineless-
ness necessary to keep
themselves in the good
graces of the Premier. It
isn’t that they are basically
weak individuals, It is
simply that a carrot is
waving in front of their

- eyes and is thereby in-

creasing their vision con-
siderably.

He won't get my vote

Letter

Prime ‘Minister Brian
‘Mulroney: says his cons-

cience will bother him if
he would vote in favor of
capital punishment. What

bothers me is that he
seems so concerned about

the lives of a few selected
murderers while at the
same time he makes it
lawful to kill innocent
babies in their mother’s
womb, His conscience
doesn’t seem to bother
him a bit as far as this is.
concerned,

He is not getting my .

vote again. I will try the
Christian Heritage Party
of Canada when election

‘time comes.

Our federal government

does not seem to be con-
cerned about the lives of
the victims.
may be killed on the job,

fathers. can murder their

own children when they
have an argument with
their wives, store keepers
can be shot to. death.
Twenty five years in jail
and they are out on parole
and can do the same thing
again. Oh, these bleeding
hearts in Ottawa! Killing a
murderer is not taking
revenge, but exercising
justice, like a government
and the courts ought to
do. Our ‘‘intelligent”
moralists and lawmakers
do not know the dif-
ference it seems.

Tam Jewish and I amall
for the bringing to justice
of war criminals. But here
too J find hypocracy. Peo-
ple are concerned about

Policemen’

things that happened 40
years ago, and about old
people that are not a
danger to society any
more. Why not go after
younger folks that are a
threat to society right
now.

Fascists are not the only

-dangers to our lives and

freedoms. What about
Communists? They are a
serious threat to our

.freedom although they

always talk about
democracy. These old
Fascists and war criminals
will die a natural death
pretty soon, but these
young Communists, fresh
out of the universities,
what about them?

If.a criminal is sorry

_and shows it, he or she can

be forgiven and paroled,
but a die-hard murderer

coniinued on page 6

lag oe .
——

Will free trade
destroy. agriculture?

~ Hubert
Beyer

Terrace Review =
Victoria Correspondent

For some time now, Mark Rose, the New Democratic
Party’s agriculture critic in the legislature has been ask-
ing questions ‘about free trade and its potential impact
on British Columbia’s agriculture,

Time and again, he’s fired his questions at

Agriculture Minister J ohn Savage and he’s not happy. at
all with the answers. ©
Nor is Rose reassured by federal Trade Minister Pat

_ Carney’s claim that agriculture isn’t on the table in the .
_ free trade negotiations. ‘‘Neither was the Autopact, and.

look what’s happening to it now’’, Rose says. ©
Carney’s claim is further discredited by a leaked
document containing the summary of a briefing by Bill

_ Merkin, deputy, chief U.S. negotiator in the free trade . |

talks given to Congressional staff. According to that
document, agriculture is very much on the negotiating
table. Under the heading ‘‘Agriculture’’, the document
says:

been made so far. The Administration will address
Canadian dairy and poultry quotas-and discriminatory
practices of the Canadian Wheat Board.’*

It goes on to say that the U.S. side is interested in ‘‘a -

unified stand on agriculture subsidies and global
agriculture policies.”’ .

If Canada and ‘the U.S, reach a free trade agreemeiit
and it includes agriculture, Rose believes that the B.C.

agriculture industry has had it. And he’s not just talking
sabout “a few chicken:pluckers.in:the. Fraser--Valley?!,

The wine industry couldn’t survive a free trade agree-
ment, Rose says, pointing to the differences in climate,
wages and land costs in Canada and the U.S. In the
States, he says, agricultural land goes for about $500 an

“acre, here it’s $5,000 an acre or more, Wineries i in the

States, he said, employ cheap immigrant laborers and
have the advantage of-a longer summer. —

“Do you think that a free trade agreement is going to:
raise land prices in the U.S. or raise wages or improve '

our climate? Of course not,’’ he says.

The outlook is equally grim for other segments of .

B.C.’s agriculture industry, according to Rose, Egg pro-
ducers, he says, estimate that more than half of them
will go under if they have to compete under a free trade
agreement that guarantees ungbstructed market access,

“think this preoccupation with free trade is
ideological madness. Somehow, the proponents believe

that free trade is good for us.'? All Rose can see in a -

bilateral free trade agreement with the U.S. is the com-
plete integration of Canada’ s economy. with that of the
U.S.

Canada, he says, is bound to lose the fight for

unobstructed access to markets. The writing, he adds, is
on the wall, Our traditional markets have already been
eroded, China, often touted as the most lucrative

market of the future, is virtually self-sufficient, he says. —

So is India. And if the Soviet Union gets its act together,
Canada will not import one bushel of wheat to that
couniry in a few years.

What markets remain for Canada’s agricultural pro-
ducts, Rose says, are being swamped with U.S. subsidiz-
ed goods. U.S. wheat subsidy, he says; is $2.63 a bushel;

the European Economic Community subsidizes wheat

to. the tune of $3.13 a bushel. Canada’s subsidy i is 85
asks,

“A bilateral free vite agreement with the United
States will be the end of our economic independence,

Rose says. And with virtually everything else on ‘he

table, including culture, he.adds, it could well mean the
end of Canada’s independence, period, ~

All right, so he’s against a comprehensive bilateral.
free trade. agreement with the U.S. Has he got a better
idea? Indeed, he says, he has. A multi-lateral free trade.
agreement involving not just the U.S. but the European

Economic Community, Japan, and other nations.

Canada’s best hope, according to Rose, is that the:

free trade talks will end in failure, a distinct possibility,

considering the protectionist mood of the U.S. Con- .
- gress. Rose for one would be cheering the collapse of the

negotiations.

“The issue is on the table but not much progress has .

cents a bushel. “How can we compete against that?” he

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