TheReview

Wednesday, February 20,1991 —

Fond farewell for Gracel

VICTORIA — VICTORIA — When Grace
McCarthy finally pulled the plug on her 25-year
political career, she did so without malice and
animosity.

Despite the bitter feelings between her and
Premier Vander Zalm, she refrained from taking a
parting shot at him. She also had kind words for
her former political opponents.

The lady has class, something that cannot be
said for Neil Vant, Social Credit MILA for
Cariboo and Anglican minister in dire need of a
refresher course in Christianity 101.

Vant was the only one who offered a nasty little
comment on McCarthy’s departure. “I’m glad;
you can tell her that. Why? Because she’s not
Amazing Grace any more. Good riddance,” he
said, confirming that the opinion I’ve had of him
was correct all along.

Everyone else, Premier Vander Zalm and Oppo-
sition leader Mike Harcourt included, paid tribute
to McCarthy, acknowledging her contribution to
the Social Credit Party and to this province:

McCarthy served as cabinet minister under
three premiers, W.A.C. Bennett, Bill Bennett and
Vander Zalm, although W.A.C. took some of the
distinction out of the honor referring to McCarthy,
Pat Jordan and Isabel Dawson, all ministers
without portfolios, as “my kitchen cabinet.”

On the other hand, one can understand, if not
excuse, W.A.C.’s somewhat chauvinistic reference
to the female contingent in the legislature,
considering some of the antics for which
McCarthy's female colleagues are remembered.

There was, for instance, Agnes Kripps, who
achieved temporary fame for requesting that the
government rename sex education courses
Biology of Life Today or BOLT for short.

When MLA’s couldn’t stop laughing, Kripps
asked the speaker to restore a semblance order.
“Mr. Speaker, why don’t you take that thing of

---yours and bang it om the table,” she said.

McCarthy remained a low-profile minister
without portfolio until the crushing Social Credit
defeat in 1972, but during the next three years, she
was to unleash her formidable powers as an
organizer and party faithful.

Had it not been for McCarthy and fellow
Socred Dan Campbell, travelling to every city,
town and hamlet, selling memberships and mar-

shalling support against the socialist hordes
governing in Victoria, the Social Credit Party
might never have recovered from its humiliating
defeat.

As it turned out, McCarthy’s hard work paid
handsome dividends. The NDP was thrown out in
1975 and Bill Bennett began his 11-year stint as
premier.

During the Bennett administration, McCarthy
held a number of portfolios, including provincial
secretary, social services and tourism.

AS social services minister, charged with the
responsibility of implementing tough welfare

‘measures, McCarthy earned a number of nick-

names such as Agent Orange and Marie Antoin-
ette, but as tourism minister she received nothing
but praise. Nobody, it was widely accepted, was
better at selling British Columbia than Amazing
Grace.

When Bennett resigned, McCarthy became one
of a dozen candidates trying to succeed him, but
she came in third behind Vander Zalm and Brian
Smith,

Trying to patch things up and unite the troops,
Vander Zalm appointed her minister of economic
development, one of the more powerful positions
on cabinet, but the political honeymoon between
her and Vander Zalm was not to Jast.

Citing interference from the premier and his
principal secretary, David Poole, whom she gen-
uinely detested, McCarthy quit her cabinet post
and voluntarily returned to the back bench.

Stuck with Vander Zalm as leader and unable to
resolve her differences with him, McCarthy really
had no choice but to quit. She knew that if she
ran, she would have been either an opposition
member or a government backbencher. Neither
possibility was acceptable to her.

McCarthy’s. exit will have some detrimental
effect on the party. Contrary to what Vander Zalm
loyalists will have you believe, McCarthy still has
a large following among party members. More
than one poll indicated that the Socreds could win
an election with McCarthy as leader.

But isn’t only the politicians and party suppor-
ters who will miss McCarthy. I for one will also
miss her. The legislature just won’t be the same
without her.

652-1111

656-7366

SERVICE TAXI

Sidney - North & Central Saanich
PROMPT, POLITE, PLEASANT, POSITIVE, PROFESSIONAL

BROCHURE CORRECTION

Winter 1991 Brochure - Community Resources Section

The telephone number for:

Sidney & North Saanich Yacht Club

should read 656-4600

Our apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused

(©) PANORAMA
LEISURE CENTRE

Legion lotiery wins three times

THREE CHEQUES ARE being made out after
a 55-year-old Ganges lady won $10,000 by.
breaking open a White Cliffs ticket recently.
Pearl (Shirley) Haynes, a member of the Army,
Navy Air Force Veterans in Canada, Sidney
Museum Unit 302, opened all the windows on her
50 cent ticket to discover the prize, then started
yelling. The B.C. Lottery Corporation, which sells
White Cliffs, Bless °>Em All and Lee John Ayers
breakopen tickets only in veteran’s:service ‘clubs,
also gave a matching $10,000 prize to the Ganges
Legion, and a $1,000 prize to the Legion’s sister
branch, RCL Britannia-Number 7 in Victoria.
Haynes plans to use the money to build a new
sundeck.

* * *

THAT BEAUTIFUL STRETCH of sandy
beach at Sidney Spit provincial park received
international exposure last month. The provincial
marine park was featured in the January 1991
issue of Natural Histery, a magazine produced
by the American Museum of Natural History
based in New York, N.Y. The article appeared on
pages 74 to 77.

* KOK

RAISING MONEY IN an innovative way was
what the employees of the Royal Bank in Sidney
did Valentine’s Day. Helping the Variety Club
Telethon’s 25th annual fundraiser, the Sidney
branch’s bank employees held a Box Lunch
Auction, manager Pat Hannah said. Everyone
decorated a box or bag lunch, then employees bid
on lunches, bought them and ate them over the
noon hour. “It was a lot of fun and besides getting
something tangible in return, everyone felt good
about raising money for a worthwhile organiza-
tion,’ Hannah said. The idea contributed $120
toward the Feb. 16-17 telethon.

* OK OK

xO

TOURISM VICTORIA’S Events Magazine is
hot off the press and being circulated around the
Saanich Peninsula and Greater Victoria. The
January-Apni edition highlights Victoria’s Ninth
Annual Dixieland Jazz Festival. Information on
specific events or to obtain copies, call 382-2160.
A limited number of copies are available at The
Review office on First Street in Sidney.

kK *K

TELEPHONE OPERATORS from southern
Vancouver Island are organizing the first-ever
reunion, to be held Nov. 8-10, to celebrate B.C.
Telephone’s 100th year anniversary. Former oper-
ators who covered calling areas from Duncan
south are sought, particularly those who were
placed in small towns that used to have a
telephone office. For information call Val Berthi-
aume at 388-8075.

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