og Trace Review — . Wednesday, March 25, 1987. ° New tone. evident in Throne Speech — The | new session of the Legislature is only in its. infancy but already there appears to be a definite improvement in the. way its business is being con- ducted. by Premier Bill Vander Zalm Maybe it’s too good to be true but there are strong indications that the ‘*700’” as it used to be call- ed by the media, is becom- ing a much more civilized place. Evidence of the new. tone was most apparent in the Throne Speech debate where speakers on both sides of the House offered a reasoned and measured comment that was re- markably free of partisan political rhetoric. , As the Opposition ‘House Leader, Mark Rose, commented, there’s no contradition between ‘Letters tothe editor will be considered for publication only when signed. Pisase include your phone number. The editor reserves. the right to condense and edit letters. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Terrace Review. Terrace Review Established May 1, 1985 The Terrace Review is published each Wednesday by Close-Up Business Services Lid. Publisher: Mark Twyford - Editor: Maureen Barbour Statf Reporter: Michael Kelly Advertising Sales: Jean-Luc Roy 635-7840 “Production: ~ dim Hall Office: -. ‘Carrie Olson Accounting: Mar] Twyford Second-class mall ragistration No. 6896. Reproduction of this paper or any por- tlon thereof ls prohibited without per- mission of the publisher. Errore and omissions. Advartising Is accaptad on the condition that in the event of typographical erros, that por- lion of tha advertising space occupted by the erroneous item will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. Adverlisers must assume responsibili. ty for errors in any classified ad which is supptied to the Terrace Raview In handwritten form, in comptlanca with the 8.C, Human Rights Act, no advertisement will be published which discriminates againat 4 person due to age, race, religion, col: of, 36x, netionallty, ancestry or place of origin. 4535 Greig Avenue, Terrace, B.C. V8G 1M7 Phone: 635-7840 members treating each other with civility and at the same time, engaging in tough adversarial fights that deal with issues. I echo those comments -because while the Legisla- ture .is the place where debate should be sharp, it should focus on and deal with the issues and not in- dividual MLAs or their personalities. ’ While shouting matches and charges and counter-. charges are great for get- ting headlines and cover- age in the news, they don’t contribute much to identi- fying and solving our economic problems or coming up with jobs for British Columbians. Don’t get me wrong. As Premier, I don’t want the Legislature to become a love-in, - Government’s job is to govern -- to put forward -. policies’ and a legislative program that it considers right for the times and good for British Columbia — and its people. The Opposition’s job is to look at those proposals. and be critical. But critical in a constructive sense, of- fering suggestions on how the programs and policies can be improved and made better. That’s the way our democratic system is sup- posed to work and I hold no illusions that our pro- posals will ever be given blanket endorsement by the other side of the House, . Fair enough. Nobody has a monopoly on good ideas or sensible solutions so there’s a lot to be gain- - ed by listening to each other and when it’s appro- _ priate, being big enough to. accept suggestions to -- make things better. So I’m very encouraged _ by the good start we're off to in terms of the atmos- phere in the Legislature and I’m optimistic it will be maintained. I honestly believe that people are just a bit weary. of interminable squabbl- ing, name-calling and rig- id partisan positions where everything is black and white and politicians take a “‘them or us”’ at- titude towards their duties. What people want is to see MLAs working to get things done and I think ; that if we carry on the way we've started, in this ses- sion we may. be able to ‘deliver the goods; - S635 DOIHEARAO?...ACDOLLARS! AODOUARS. CMONNOWTHISSTHE Scone here’ Ss meat in that. Hubert Beyer _ Terrace Review Victoria Correspondent For long-time observers of provincial politics, this year’s throne speech was decidedly different.. Embarrassing as it might be for a political columnist, who is supposed to throw brickbats at the government, I must say that the Premier deserves yet another pat on the back for delivering on his promise for more open government. Whereas throne speeches of years past have been very dull and vague documents, giving self-appointed reformers of parliamentary tradition an excuse to call for their abolition, there was quite a bit of meat in the first Speech from the Throne written by Premier Vander Zalm’s government. Bill Bennett’s government -- and that of his father W.A.C. Bennett before him -- invariably produced throne speeches that should have been abolished. They were nothing more than exercises in self-flattery, con- taining no specific references to any future Plans. or policies. SPECIFICS TO BE INCLUDED here Throne Speech To start, with, the throne speech not only announced the establishment of a royal commission. on education, but named the person who'll be heading it -- Barry — Sullivan. You can’t get more specific than that. The speech also announced the appointment of Mr. Justice Thomas Fisher as a commissioner to inquire into and make recommendations on the proposed elimina- tion of dual-member ridings. Again, very specific. The throne speech informed the official opposition that it will get a substantial i increase in funding “to meet its obligations in this session.’ It promised the long overdue introduction of legisla- tion that will put an end to British Columbia’s anti- quated and extremely unfair expropriation laws. It promised that final steps will be taken to give self- government to the Sechelt Indian Band. Privatization, the speech said, will go ahead at full speed. Provincially regulated trust companies, credit unions and insurance companies will have their powers extended. Revamped material to support sex education in schools, the speech said, will be distributed to school districts later this year, and the province’s high rate of abortion will be counteracted with better support pro- grams for single mothers, including more day care cen- tres and better adoption procedures. LONG TERM STABILITY | The sleeper in the throne speech could be what it _ referred to as an effort on the part of the government to A throne speech is to outline, albeit in broad terms, what the government plans to do in the coming year. While details can and should be left to the budget, _which always follows closely on the heels of the throne speech, the latter should, nevertheless, contain enough specifics to keep the legislative debate going for a week. The absolute exclusion in the past from throne speeches of anything more specific than the date on which they were delivered, made the mandatory throne speech debates a joke. Being unable to attack (or praise) anything in the speech, MLAs would invariably take their place in the debate with pet peeves, ranging from rampant pornography to potholes in the roads back home. They talked about everything under the sun, ex- cept the throne speech, The latest throne speech changed that considerably. There were more specifics in it than the opposition can fire at and government ranks can applaud i in the 10 days allotted to the debate. — “bring about long-term stability in labor relations,’’ To bring about this stability, the government will introduce drastic changes in the labor code, which could get a little sticky. One promise sounded very hollow: “A sound reforestation policy continues to be a priority for my government,”’ the throne speech said. Considering the government’s decision to funnel the money generated by the 15 percent export tax on soft- wood lumber into general revenue instead of spending it on reforestation, the throne speech promise can only be considered empty rhetoric. And although the speech made specific reference to increased welfare rates, it gave no hint of thesize of the: increase. I suggest you hold your applause until you’re sure that it’s more than a pittance. On the whole, though, the throne speech was a welcome change from what used to masquerade under that name.