British Columbia Vander Zalm and Socred p The resignation of Brian Smith as attorney general coming three weeks after the Socred defeat in the Boundary- Similkameen byelection has thrown the provincial government into a severe politi- cal crisis. Smith’s resignation was not an individ- ual act. It was a reflection of the deep divisions in the ranks of the Social Credit party and the disarray in the government. His resignation came one week before the premier was scheduled to announce a re- organization of cabinet, when it was expected that Smith would be fired. Other leading cabinet members were also rumoured to be on the way out or to face demotion. Smith’s explanation for his resignation was unprecedented in the history of B.C.’s legislature. It casts a long, dark shadow over democracy in this province. Smith accused Premier Bill Vander Zalm of interfering in the rule of law for which Smith, as attorney general, was responsible. He also charged that the pre- mier intended to take more functions of the attorney general’s department and shift them to the premier’s office. The charges are very serious. This is reportedly the first time in Canadian his- tory that an attorney general, the chief law enforcement officer in the British parlia- mentary system, has resigned on the grounds of interference from the premier Maurice Rush Tet 6 PROVINCE or prime minister. It smacks of dictator- ship and is cause for the premier to resign and to cali an election.. Var.der Zalm’s violation of democratic parliamentary traditions must be under- stood in the context of his plan to reorgan- ize government in B.C. This plan was begun with the appointment of eight “ministers of state” responsible for eco- nomic regions of B.C. The impending cabinet shuffle will carry this reorganization further by estab- lishing a two-tier cabinet. The top tier or inner cabinet will be the premier and his eight ministers of state. The rest will be of lesser rank and influence. The aim of all of this is to centralize power in the hands of the inner cabinet and the premier himself, at the expense of the elected MLAs and civic governments. What is actually taking; place is a plan to completely reorganize political life in B.C. and centralize it in the hands of a man who is increasingly showing his despotic and undemocratic character. «* David Poole, Vander Zalm’s principal secretary, has been quoted as saying the premier is Out to create over the next 10 er a “United States of British Colum- ia.” Apparently Brian Smith didn’t fit into the premier’s grand plan. Nor does the notion of an attorney general carrying out the function of chief law enforcement officer without political interference. Smith acted, as he put it, to defend his integrity. But we should be cautious of drawing naive conclusions about the divisions within the Socred camp. Smith and the other members of the government that may support him are united with Vander Zalm over the government’s neo-conser- vative policies. They all support privatization. They all support the Canada-U.S. trade deal. They all support Bill 19 and the attack on labour. Most of them support restrictions ona woman’s right to choose an abortion, although some resent the premier’s per- sonal role on the issue. - The source of divisions within the Socred caucus is the premier’s tactics, and the rivalry fostered by his centralization of power. There is a growing fear among some Socreds that Vander Zalm will become so unpopular that he may destroy the government and its entire neo- olicies must go conservative agenda. However it should be recalled that Brian Smith is also a far-right conservative who last year attempted to use sedition - laws against the labour movement. A government headed by him, or by Grace McCarthy, would not fundamentally change the right-wing agenda of the Socreds. There is already wide discussion in the province about how to get rid of Vander Zalm and replace him with a leader more acceptable to the neo-conservative estab- lishment. They would like to pull off another Bill Bennett caper, where the unpopular leader would take the rap for unpopular government policies, and a new leader would be named to save the government and its essential program. We shouldn’t be taken in by these manoeuvres. New Democrats leader Mike Harcourt was absolutely correct in calling for an election now. The Communist Party has also demanded that the government resign and call a new election. Its not enough that Vander Zalm go. The right wing policies of his government must go with him. Only a new election will make it possible to clean house in Victoria. Now is the time for all the people’s movements that are opposed to one or another of this government’s policies to step up their campaigns, and to link their fight with the demand for an election now. ‘Issues, not just leader must be focus of election’ Continued from page 1 But it is also a government that has insti- tuted policies that, irrespective of leader- ship, must be defeated, said Jean Swanson of End Legislated Poverty. “They’re not feeding hungry kids. They are not providing adequate welfare rates. They are trashing everything under the CP leader on CJOR HEWISON Newly-elected Communist Party of Canada general secretary George Hewison will be featured in an inter- view by host Barrie Clark on Van- couver’s CJOR radio this Monday, July 11. The show, at 600 on the AM band, begins at 9 a.m. and runs to 9:45 a.m. On Monday night, Hewison will join other panelists in a discussion of the recently concluded, historic spe- cial conference of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. That takes place at 7:30 p.m., at the Centre for Socialist Education, 1726 E: Hastings St. in Vancouver. 2 « Pacific Tribune, July 6, 1988 sun,” Swanson, spokesman for the umbrella anti-poverty organization, charged. She said it is time to “stop focussing on personalities and concentrate instead on the actions of the entire party.” “Otherwise, they'll pull the old switche- roo, just as they did with Vander Zalm and Bill Bennett — they'll find another leader to try and sell their party,” Swanson cauti- oned. Bill Macdonald, president of the Hospi- tal Employees Union, said a provincial elec- tion is “long overdue.” Macdonald said Vander Zalm runs a “two-man show” consisting of himself and his principal secretary, David Poole. And, he said, the premier should see if he has a mandate for his policies, including privati- zation of health care. “It seems that U.S. based health care multinationals are coming sniffing around (and meeting with the premier) and are given every encouragement to do so,” the HEU president charged. B.C. Government Employees Union president John Shields said the key issue in an upcoming election would be “privatiza- tion and the government's intent to élimi- nate all public services and the public sector, which the public has shown it .soundly rejects and for which is clearly not man- dated.” “The time for an election is now, before extensive damage is done,” Shields asserted. Wes Knapp, a senior staff member of the B.C. Teachers Federation, said it is defi- nitely not premature to call an election on the two-year old government. He said public education needs “‘a sense _of stability and consistency, instead of new changes being introduced every other week.” Piecemeal changes to teachers’ job description, a wage ceiling imposed in the government’s education budget and deci- SHIELDS MACDONALD sions to pull English as a Second Language out of public schools have characterized the Socreds’ rule. B.C. Federation of Labour spokesman Tom Fawkes said Vander Zalm’s style of one-person government “means MLAs elected no longer govern, that the cabinet appointed to be the executive no longer governs.” Vander Zalm had an agenda for his actions even before he was elected leader of the Social Credit party, Fawkes said, calling for “a return to democratic principles.” He said that if Vander Zalm hadn’t been the premier “thing may have been done differently, but it’s safe to say that no Social Credit government would be fair to labour. There still wouldn’t be good legislation.” Jo Arland, president of the B.C. Old Age Pensioners, said that “the situation is so serious that an election should be called immediately. If the cabinet can’t even deal with the premier, then something is wrong.” Arland was part of a delegation of seniors who witnessed Smith’s resignation in the legislature. They were there presenting Health Minister Peter Dueck witha 42,200- name petition — 400 more names have since been gathered — protesting the Socreds’ fees hike for long-term care home residents, Ed Apps, public relations officer for the umbrella Council of Senior Citizens Organ- izations of B.C., charged that the Socreds had no mandate for the fee hike or for policies such as privatization. He also said the government should not be allowed to stay in power and “‘buy votes” as it is attempting to do with its “rainy day fund” of $450 million. That money, ARLAND SWANSON announced in the budget speech last March, was intended to be used to help balance a future budget around the estimated time of a provincial election — more than two years hence — to give the Socreds an appearance of financial competence. The construction trades called for an election “a long time ago, after Bills 19 and 20,” said president Len Werden of the B.C. and Yukon Building Trades Council. Things would be no better under another Socred leader, Werden asserted. “The things we feared most are already in place, and we can’t see that any future Socred government will withdraw them,” he said. Jess Succamore, president of the Confed- eration of Canadian Unions, charged that Vander Zalm ‘has betrayed every trust given to him. “He said he’d provide better govern- ment, and instead we get one-man govern- ment. He promised cheaper beer, and instead the price of a case has gone up. “It is not presumptuous to call for an election. It is a sensible and serious demand in light of the atrocious mess this govern- ment has left us in,” Succamore said. He said there would be no difference between a Socred government headed by any other leader. “I thought at one time no one could be worse than, Wacky Bennett, then along came young Bill (Bennett Jr.) — and made him look good. And after him came Vander Zalm.” Succamore said the current crisis in Socred ranks is due to strategy rather than serious policy differences. “There’s a line that even most Socreds won’t cross, and Vander Zalm stepped over that line.”