TERRACE STANDARD

INSIDE SECTION B

COMMUNITY

EVENTS B2

EV BISHOP

Happy Christmas

T HE OTHER day one of my friends

brought up a recent Oprah show and
how Oprah had been encouraging her
audience to think about what really makes
them happy. 1 am not an Oprah fan. I try to not
dislike her as a person but Oprah as-a world

power? She makes me nauseous! However,

every once in awhile [ hear someone attribute
a quote or a suggestion for living to her and I
have to admit, perhaps she’s popular for a rea-
son.

Pondering what really makes you happy is
an especially good topic for this time of the
year. Tis the season ta wax poetic about the
world’s beauty, to celebrate the better parts of
mankind's nature, to feel at peace with others
and yourself. The only problem is that looking
at our world can destroy those feelings, Events
like September 11th and the current state of
the Middle East make job situations, which
are dismal in this area, seem like pale
complaints. Everywhere I po, I hear stories
about how hard life is or has been... So why be
happy?

My favourite Christmas carol when I was a
child was “I Heard the Bells on Christmas
Day.” (I know, ] know... I was an odd child.)
The way the song confronted the fact that life
seemed to mock the Christmas theme of
“Peace on earth, goad will to men” struck a
chord with me. 1 recognized the line, “Hate is
strong,” as true. E loved the song because, in a
season of make-believe and tinsel and pre-
tence, it addressed the fact that the world
doesn’t change, doesn’t stop having its pro-

-blems just because Christmas is. being,

celebrated. It is an honest song, with powerful
lyrics and beautiful music. The third verse

‘never failed to send a thrill up my spine, “God —

is not dead: nor doth He sleep; The wrong
shall fail, the right prevail, With Peace on

earth, good-will to men.” In the song, circum-

stances don't change. No magic elves whisked

‘In and made everything better, no credit com-

pany offered to put a “jingle in his pocket”
an attempt to solve the writer’s sadness with
money... Rather the writer realized that he had
hope. And his hope for the unseen took his
mind off of the temporal and reminded him
that goodness would win.

“Every year | get sucked into
one more decorating scam.”

Trying to take your mind off of current af-
flictions and to focus on the future is the
theme of a lot of contemplative writings. Ma-
hatma Gandhi said, “When [ despair, I re-
member that all through history the way of
truth and love has always won. There have
been tyrants and murderers and for a time they
seem invincible but in the end, they always
fall.”

This Christmas, I think that a lot of us are
feeling blue. Some of us are depressed be-
cause of the world’s affairs. Tight finances,
and the feeling that Christmas is just going to
add to that burden, stress others of us. Others
are contending with family problems and
losses, A papular song on the radio sings,
“everybody’s got a story that would break your
heart.” It’s probably true.

Every Christmas I say, “This is it. This is

’ the season where I get back to basics and ce-

lebrate the simple things in my life.” Yet
every Christmas I give in and buy “just one
more” toy that my kids will love. Every year I
get sucked into one more decorating
scam. Every Christmas becomes: something
that 1 need to recover from rather than some-
thing that refreshes me. This year is the year
I'm going to change this.

World events and Oprah, or rather, the
friend who brought her topic up, have got me
thinking about the things that really make me
happy. Most of the things that P’ve chased in
my life, secking happiness or even just some
peace, never brought it. The things that truly
make me happy are things that I am fortunate
to have always had, even though ] regularly
took them for granted. Faith. Pamily. Friends.
Freedom. I have referred to these Four Fs as
being simple but that doesn’t describe them
accurately. They're complex and completely
frazzling at times, yet they are what bring me
real happiness, plain and simple.

This holiday season, I wish us all peace and
happiness... not the kind that comes merely

from circumstances but the kind that comes- .

from looking out of ourselves, away from our
situations, to the good things that we're all
surrounded with, Happy Christmast

FINDING IT FUN: Andy Burton, seen here in the Centre Block

OMMUNITY-:

foyer on Parliament Hill, says in the past year he's nearly mas-

A capital

tered the rules of the House. H's the lifestyle change that's been

ei

the biggest adjustment for the former Stewart mayor.

a4

Skeena MP Andy Burton says life's S changed since he got a job in Ottawa

By JENNIFER LANG
SKEENA'S MAN in Ottawa has
just marked his one-year anniver-
sary in office.

It’s a year that’s taken Burton,
a former small business owner
and mayor of Stewart, all the way
from the dirt roads and wide open
Spaces of northern B.C. to the
sombre, cathedral-like hallways
and lush, well-appointed legisla-
tive chambers in our nation’s ca-
pital.

During an exclusive interview
with the Terrace Standard in Ot-
tawa Dec. 7, Burton looks relaxed
and possibly still a bit starry-cyed
at his relatively new surroundings.

- Button, elected as a Canadian
Alliance MP after capturing 42.6
per cent of the vote in Skeena
during the federal clection in No-
vember, 2000, has just stepped
out of the House following Ques-
tion Period,

Is a “duty day” for Burton.
That means he’s got to be present
in the house while it’s in session
today.

He’s dressed in a conservative-
looking dark blue business suit
that’s brightened by a colourful
tie with yellow, green and red
maple leaves on it.

“When | walked into the
House here in January, it was the
first time J ever wore a suit and
tie in my life, you know, except
for when I was married or to go to
meetings and stuff.”

He bought the tie in the Parlia-
mentary gift shop. It was 25 per
cent off,

He and his wife Ann have pur-
chased a two-bedraom apartment
that’s five km from Parliament
Hill, but it’s hard to pretend life
hasn’t changed.

“I drive to work in the morning
in rush-hour traffic. I’m from the
north — [’ve never lived like that.”

He purchased a vehicle for the
20-minute commute.

"T’s a Cadillac,” he admits,
laughing sheepishly, as if antici-
pating the ralsed eyebrows this
information may cause around
Skeena if word leaks out.

“But it’s nat a new one! It’s a
used Caditluc, and it's a very
nice car. It was much cheaper
than buying a new car,”

Travel is a fact of life with this
job. The Burtons fly back to
Skeensa, one of the largest tidings

in the country In terms of size, at

least twice ‘ | month for consti-

ae

A VIEW of East Block on Parliament Hill.

JENNIFER LANG PHOTO

tuency work.

“The worst thing is the travel,”
says Burton, who stubbornly re-
fuses to use his MP’s pass and fly
first-class, although he*d be better
rested in those roomier seats.

“Inst sa you know, [ don't ride

House begin at 10 a.m., followed
by member statements at 11 a.m.
Today, Burton has read one urging
the government to act on softwood
lumber. “For Heaven's sake —
let’s get this sorted out,” he ex-
plains later.

“The worst thing is the travel,” he says. “Just so
you know, | don’t ride in the front of the airplane.”

in the front of the airplane. I’m
probably one of the few MPs that
do that, and they all give me hell.
I just can’t justify it. The average
round trip ticket is $850, [f you fly
up front it’s $5,000."

He concedes he may give into
the pressure in the future, After
all, more air miles and ileket up-
grades are a perk of business
class.

Burton gets to the office be-
tween 8 and 8:30 a.m..when he's
in Ottawa, He'll read the paper, if
he has time, get organized for his
day, and then it's off-ta commit-
tee meetings.

- Government business in. the

Then it’s time for Question
Period, when opposition MPs get
a chance to grill the government -
a lively display of democracy in
action. Burton, a rookie MP, ad-
mits he doesn’t get much oppor-
tunity to join in the fray these
days.

-“['m Kind of on the outs,” he
says, referring to his temporary
suspension from the Alliance cau-
cus after he and-a handful of
rogue MPs voiced their disappro-
val of party leader Stackwel! Day.

Burton and four other MPs
chose to return, and Day agreed to
a leadership convention’ in March.

Last week Day took that one

step further and resigned.

“We'll move on,” Burton says
of his party. Meanwhile, he pro-
mises to continue working for the
people he represents,

“It's been a tough year,” says
Burton, who’s wearing a tiny Ca-
nadian and U.S. flag pin on his
lapel ~ a symbol of his party’s
stance for tougher measures
against terrorism following Sept.
11.

Burton says the best part about
living in Ottawa is (he job. “] am
enjoying it and certainly the
people you meet.”

Burton’s afternoons are devoted
to constituency work,

For instance, a Heiltsuk dele-
gation from Bella Bella, B.C., re-
cently came to visit him in Otta-
wa to discuss gaining more access
to herring roe on kelp in their ter-
titory and other treaty issues.

And on Dec. 6 Nisga’a Lisims.

Government Chairman Herbert

Morven and CEO Edward Allen |’

dropped by.

“They're doing some research
on their members that were in the
service during the First and Sec-
ond World War — they want to
build a cenotaph in the village
and they're researching names and
they’ve hit a bit of a roadblock.”

Burton’s staff can help. If they
don’t know the answer, they'll
know someone who does. “It’s a
huge network on the Hill, believe
me.”

Every second Friday, he and
Ann pack their bags and climb
aboard a plane to Vancouver, then
take a connecting flight Terrace,
where they’re based in the riding.

“It wouldnt be much fun with-
out her, believe me,” Burton says
fondly.

Ann has joined the Spouses of
Parliament, an association for the
wives and husbands of MPs.

“She seems to keep busy. I
think she enjoys it more than J
do. a”

Living in Ottawa does have its
advantages. His wife’s sister lives
in Toronto, and Burton has two
grown daughters who live in On-
tario, one in Burlington, the other
in Guelph. The family can visit
more often.

“Is been a very interesting
year. There's certainly been a
learning curve,” he says. “It’s par-
tially the political: situation, but
mainly the lifestyle - ~ its a ' huge
change.” '

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