TheReview Wednesday, April 24,1991. — A7 Changes may be too late VICTORIA — Passing off her new cabinet as “the right team for the right time” is about as convincing as calling a tired old mare a potential Kentucky Derby winner. And yet, considering the terrible mess in which her predecessor left the stable, Premier Johnston made the best of a bad situation when she trotted out many of the same old horses. Her best move, by far, was the appointment to cabinet of two former rebels. Graham Bruce (Cowichan-Malahat) and Dave Mercier (Bur- naby-Edmonds) were among the four Social Credit MLAs who left the government caucus two years ago in protest against former premier Bill Vander Zalm. Dumping Bud Smith (Kamloops) from cabinet was her second-best move. Smith’s deportment in last year’s tape scandal would have been a major target for the NDP in the next election. By combining a number of ministries, Johnston trimmed her cabinet to 19 from the previous 22. The only other new face, aside from Mercier and Bruce, is Larry Chalmers (Okanagan South). Smith wasn’t the only member of Vander Zalm’s last cabinet to bite the dust. Cliff Serwa (Okanagan South), Cliff Michael (Shuswap- Revelstoke) and Harry De Jong (Central Fraser Valley) were also dumped. But no matter how you shuffle them, aside from Bruce and Mercier and Finance Minister Mel Couvelier (Saanich and The Islands), the cabinet consists of people who kept supporting a leader that no longer deserved their support, and it matters not whether they did so out of blind loyalty or for lack of courage. Aside from the above-mentioned three, the new cabinet cannot wash its hands of the political and ethical chaos Vander Zalm brought to this prov- ince, and that includes the new premier herself. I thought I was hearing things when, following the swearing-in ceremony of her new cabinet, Johnston said: “The team I have assembled has a mission: To give good, honest, open government and the very highest standard of personal con- duct.” Those were almost the same words Vander Zalm spoke after his first cabinet was sworn in four-and-a-half years ago. To hear them repeated by a politician who tumed with a fury on anyone criticizing her former leader was more than a little disconcerting. Where was Johnston when numerous Social Credit constituencies clamored for a leadership review? Where was she when Mercier and Bruce quit the caucus? To the very last moment, she fiercely defended Vander Zalm, snapping at reporters who dared ask questions about the ex-premier. “We will work hard to build public trust and confidence in government and we will do that by applying the responsible and businesslike approach to government for which Social Credit governments are well known,” Johnston said. That’s a tall order for a cabinet, most of whose members behaved like a bunch of Quislings when courage of convictions was desperately needed. Nor am I impressed by the new-found fortitude of some Socred MLAs who seem to find great pleasure in dancing on Vander Zalm’s political grave, now that it’s safe to do so. On the positive side, Johnston deserves credit for a number of changes she has instigated, including a freeze on government subsidies and a drastic reduction in government advertising. The latter will probably result in a considerable downsizing of the Public Affairs Bureau, the government's propaganda machine which has forged such brainwashing tools as the “News Update” TV spots and the periodical publication of B.C. News, a printed rag masquerading as a tabloid newspaper. The freeze on all government grants and subsidies to the private sector, except those falling under the recent job-protection legislation, is a return to the philosophical roots of Social Credit’s conservative fiscal policy which rejects govern- ment meddling in the private sector. “When people in B.C. pay their taxes, they really don’t expect the government to be in the finance business,” Johnston told reporters. Cou- velier later echoed her sentiments. “We’ve been philosophically in trouble on all those programs for several years. It’s not new,” he said. The changes in both the cabinet and in policies are, of course, designed to repair the image of a badly-bruised Social Credit government before the next election. The problem is that Johnston’s efforts may be too little too late. Too much has happened over the past four and a half years. The voter’s notoriously short memory may not be so short this time. Images of a premier who had to resign in disgrace may be too fresh. Except for the hard-core Social Credit suppor- ters, British Columbians may view Johnston’s changes as a political quick-fix rather than a genuine commitment to better government. THE DRIFTERS RESTAURANT Breakfast & Lunch Specials Daily MON - SAT 7 am - 4:30 pm NOW OPEN SUNDAYS 8 am - 4 pm Breakfast Available All Day Sunday 2138 Keating X Rd. (Beside Co-op Market) 652-2513 An Extract The cause of universal education, which has FROM Baha’i already enlisted in it’s service an army of dedicated people from every faith and nation, STATEMENT deserves the utmost support that the govern- ON PEACE ments of the world can lend it. For further reading material and/or contact Bahai community. Please call... . 656-3599 656-0601 652-5922 ee a BRENTWOOD COIFFURES » BRENTWOOD COIFFURES TANIS BRENTWOOD COIFFURES WHERE YOUR HAIR BECOMES OUR TOP PEMD L CHRISTINE MAUREEN CINDY BRENTWOOD COIFFURES - 652-3333 ALWAYS-A FRIENDLY SERVICE Brentwood Shopping Centre, beside Royal Bank BRENTWOOD COIFFURES - BRENTWOOD COIFFURES - BRENTWOOD COIFFURES Fish line found across park path TWO LENGTHS OF fish line were found Tuesday morning stretched at throat and ankle level across a path in Horth Hill park. North Saanich trails coordinator Jo Doman said the line was stretched across the trail sometime Monday night and found by a hiker Tuesday. “It could be very dangerous,” Doman said. She feared some- one riding a mini-bike or running along the path could be seriously injured. The fish line was removed and the incident reported to police. * ok ok THIS IS THE WEEK for Organ Donor Awareness, April 22-28. Over 250 British Columbians are currently waiting for organs and tissues, hoping someone will give the gift of life before time runs out, the B.C. Coalition for Organ Donor Awareness said. The B.C. Transpl- ant Society is hosting an open house this week with the official unveiling of plans to hold the Ninth World Transplant Games in Vancouver in 1993. The group encourages readers to consider making yourself an eligible organ donor by filling out a card attached to your driver’s licence Tenewal form. Kk * SOME CONFUSION WAS apparently created by a Review cartoon last week, intended to encourage readers to donate to the Saanich Peninsula unit of the Canadian Cancer Society in its annual fundraiser. Some readers weren’t quite sure what the message was. The goal is $100,000 this year. See related story this week or call the unit at 656-1311. * KOK CAT IDENTIFICATION tags and collars are now offered by the Victoria branch of the B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for $3, plus tax. All cats adopted from the shelter will also receive tags and collars. In 1990, the Victoria SPCA received 1,560 stray cats, of which only 133 were returned to their owners. The majority of unclaimed stray cats were destroyed. * k * THERE’S GOOD NEWS for Peninsula garden- ers, and it’s not just that Helen Lang’s column will continue in The Review. A weekly television series on gardening is being launched by Shaw Cable 11 to be aired Monday at 6 p.m. and Wednesday at 8 p.m. Produced on location at the Horticultural Centre of the Pacific, the show is called Centre on Gardening and features a wealth of gardening tips and techniques for novice and experienced gardeners alike with host Richard Kirk and the Centre’s director Hanna McGee. * kK NICHOLAS W. LOTT CHRISTOPHER S. LOTT R.G. WITT LAPPER D. MAYLAND MCKIMM TIMOTHY F. LOTT GRANT S. WARRINGTON GEORGE F. McKIMM - COUNSEL Personal Injury / Real Estate Criminal Law / Wills & Estates Family Law / Commercial & Co. Law Municipal Law FIRST 1/2 HOUR CONSULTATION FREE 9830 FOURTH ST. SIDNEY, B.C. 656-3961 GANGES CENTRE BLDG.| GANGES, B.C. 537-9951 NO CLIPPINGS _ NO RAKING MU LCHING MOWERS Check These Peak Performance Features f Rugged briggs & Stratton Quantum Engine Lightweight, Long-Life Cast Alu- minum Deck Will Not Rust Dual blade With Six Cutting Surfaces to Cut and Re-Cut Clip- pings. Super Maneuverable, Only 66 Pounds Quick Change, Five-Position Wheel Adjuster The unique design of the dome deck creates suctlon to lift the rass up, cut and re-cut it Into fine particles Mulching returns particles to the soll where they break down and continue to give you a healthier lawn. Other brands may offer add-ons or “adapt” an existing model. This doesn't cutit! Only Homellts has a100% mulching mower with sundays HOMELITE 22) RICHLOCK RENTALS i “SALES/REPAIRS -10115E McDONALD PARK RD (opposite Sieg Lumber) 656-9422