by Hubert Beyer Special to The Review VICTORIA — We may not be going to the polls until next spring, but you can bet your ballot that we'll be in a pre-election cam- paign mode from now on. A number of new measures proposed last week by the NDP is just one indication. While the government seems to have difficulty staying out of trou- ble, the NDP’s fortunes are improving by the week. One rea- son the sun is setting on the Socreds is the government’s decreasing shelf life. The closer a government gets to the end of its five-year term, the fewer options it has to manipulate public opinion. Scandals can be fatal in the last year of a govern- ment’s life; twelve months may not enough time for the public to forget. Meanwhile, the NDP is no lon- ger just waiting for the government to destroy itself. Instead, the oppo- sition is presenting the public with concrete and detailed options. During the past few months, the NDP produced some impressive position papers, the best of which was probably the one dealing with environmental controls. There was a time when the NDP was guilty of trying fo get into office by defaulf. That’s no longer the case’ Last week, the opposition unveiled what it calls “good government laws,” a series of measures the party says it will introduce as legislation if elected. The package includes proposed legislation to provide TV coverage of debates and proceedings in the legislature, lower the provincial voting age to 18, guarantee fair and open bidding on all government projects, stop political abuse and mishandling of lottery funds and require full disclosure of campaign contributions. Those are the minor proposals. - The important measures promised by the NDP include tough conflict of interest laws and freedom of information legislation that would guarantee access to government documents and records. Laws governing conflict of interest are long overdue. Vander Zalm’s guidelines just don’t cut it. The biggest problem is that the premier himself is the final arbiter of any disputes involving a conflict of interest. The NDP proposes a “legally enforceable code of ethical behav- ior to govern the conduct of all Members of the Legislature.” The legislation would require cabinet ministers to take part in a seminar, outlining their legal and ethical obligations. The legislation would also tighten regulations for public financial disclosure by MLAs and provide for suspension if a mem- ber doesn’t comply. And finally, the legislation would give the public the right to initiate an investigation through the B.C. Supreme Court into the conduct of MLAs. Laws specifying the public’s right to access government docu- ments and records are clearly pref- erable to the politicians’ inherent preoccupation with secrecy. The NDP’s freedom of informa- tion legislation would cover not only all government ministries, but all boards, commissions, agencies and Crown corporations. Records to which the public has access rights would include docu- Miller. The equipment was WHEELS WITHIN WHEELS, the structure of a Case Traction Engine dwarfs Saanich Historical Artifacts Society volunteer Archie one of the operating pieces displayed during the society's annual sum- mer fair last Saturday and Sunday. NDP sieps up pre-election campaign ments, tapes and computer records. Needless to say there would have to be exemptions. There was a time when the NDP was guilty of trying to get into office by default. That’s no longer the case. The party’s position on all major issues is clear. The platform from which the NDP will fight the next election is solid. And I’m sure the latest series of proposed “good government laws” will go a long way towards making the NDP a credible alter- native in the battle for votes. 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MAYLAND MCKIMM GANGES, B.C. 537-9951 . | ___TheReview — Wednesday, June 20,1990 — Al4@ cs snsneeseeetnnsSesanen COLLECTIBLES ANTIQUES x OLDE FURNISHINGS 656-8126 Sidney 2D) 3 ee Personal “Tau LU@IUIT I WEIN 7 EL SC 7 ese eee EXvpERIOR COATING WHY “PAINT” YOUR HOME 15 YEAR WARRANTY SEE THE DIFFERENCE — FEEL THE DIFFERENCE 388-6575 Homes for you to view. SHOWROOM 3374 TENNYSON “Never Paint The Exterior Again.” Did you know. I you. O eee that since 1986 the CDA has provided $10,600,000 to diabetes research? For more information, contact your local Branch of the Canadian Diabetes _ tes 2 : Canadi lati Association or the National Office, Dates & sere 78 Bond Street, Toronto, Ontario M5B 2J8. Association du diabéte OmorI Oo WDM — GOOD BOOKS By Echo Eburne WEST COAST HISTORY Local history is a subject that | find immensely fascinating — wondering how sireets or places got their names, noticing ol buildings and thinking about the families that may have lived in them: In some aspects, it is like a puzzle that you continually work at and never really finish. Tanners does have a healthy supply of books about our area and the province, in general. Two of these books will be the subject of this review. “Raincoast Chronicles Six/Ten - Collector's Edition II” is a journal of West Coast culture. The history of the B.C. coast is captured in stories, poetry, cartoons and book reviews, which are further enhanced by nostalgic photographs, drawings and color plates. Readers will find stories about the Queen Charlotte Islands, Vancouver, Sechelt Inlet, the Upper Skeena, plus more. “White Bears and Other Curiosities” by Peter Corley-Smith is about the first 100 years of the Royal British Columbia Museum, celebrating the people who founded the Museum as well as those who have helped make it grow and prosper. The book traces the Museum's beginning in 1886, when a group of citizens met to prepare a petition to the Provincial Government to create a museum, through to the new building that it is currently housed in. An interesting note is that it was first housed in a 15 by 20-foot room! The book contains scores of photographs and drawings. | found both of these books to be immensely informative with a good bit of humor. Readers are sure to be delighted with them. B.C. BEST SELLERS FICTION Figures in Brackets Indicate Last Week's Position (4) Golden Fox (3) Friend of My Youth (2) The Outlaws of the Mesquite (1) September (-) The Burden of Proof Skinny Legs and All (8) Bourne Ultimatum (-) The Black Candle (-) Masquerade (-) EveningNews _ Smith Munro L'Amour Pilcher Turow Robbins Ludlum Cookson Dailey Hailey SODYNDHARwWM— on O — NON FICTION (4) A Brief History of Time (-) The Lighthearted Cookbook (3) The Trouble With Canada (2) Towards a Just Society -) Bradshaw on the Family (-) Barbarians at the Gate (-) Eat Well, Live Well (-) David Tarrant’s Pacific Gardening Guide (-) (-) Hawking Lindsay Gairdner Trudeau & Axworthy : Bradshaw Burrough McDonald & Howard Tarrant Naisbitt Megatrends 2000 Cullen A Greener Thumb — oO Open 8 am - 10 pm EVERY DAY ee ney