and 12 Social Studies stu-. .

. ,

Ta it ee

What are the main issues in the coming _ ‘federal election, and which candidate do i you feel can best address them?

Editor's. note: Each of the five federal candidates for Skeena. spoke. to. Caledonia. “Senior Secondary: Grade 11°

dents for half an hour last Wednesday. After the ses- sions were over we asked some of the students to list the most important issues and select the candidate who could best deal with them.

Kathy Wale (Grade 11) The issues that I’m con- cerned about are Free Trade, abortion and land

claims. | feel that Jim

Fulton could handle these issues a lot better than. any other candidate and that’s who I'd vote for.

Joe Zucchiattl (Grade 11)

| think the major issues in this year’s election are definitely Free Trade, the economy, Native land Claims. | felt the best two speakers today were Jim Fulton and Ray Halvor: son. But | think that Jim Fulton Is unrealistic in his thinking and | would vote for Ray Halvorson any day.

Stephen Salanski (Grade 12)

| feel there are three “major topics: the econo: ~~;

my, Free Trade and abor- tion. 1 felt that Halvorson and Fulton were the two outstanding speakers, but 1 think Halvorson at one time on Free Trade con-

tradicted himself by say-''

ing at one point he was in favor of the agreement, but later | believe he said it had too many loop- holes. The Christian Heri- tage Party was unrealistic about abortion rights, and with the economy the Re- formers were very

unrealistic. with thelr

ideas on a test that would go to every individual to decide whether they were eligible for social pro- grams such as Unemploy- ment Insurance and Old Age Pension. Therefore, | would vote for Jim Fulton, NDP.

ton,

Sherri Pannun (Grade 12)

_...ic feel the-most impor. __

tant Issues In this elec- tion are Free Trade, Native land claims, abor- women's rights, child care and pollution. | don't want the Progres-

sive Conservatives to

have another chance in office — they’ve already had an opportunity to prove themselves. So I’d like to see a new party in command this time, and I'd prefer that party to be the NDP. So 1 would vote for Jim Fulton because he’s straightforward and honest — | don’t find that with any of the other can-

‘didates.

Chloe Asti-Rose (Grade 12)

The biggest issues are the Free Trade Agreement with the United States, abortion and women’s rights, Native jand claims and the environment.

* After listening to all five |

thought it was between Ray Halvorson and Jim Fulton. But | feel that Fulton came out on top

‘and he’s the one | would

vote for to deal with these issues.

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Terrace Review — “Wednesday, 1 November 16, 1988 5.

More letters —

Loss of inheritance

To the Editor,

As confusion reigns supreme in the current election issues, we need to become more concerned about who is influencing our thinking. Not so long ago, while

’ the whole country was arguing

about metric, a second official language and the price of gas, it was in fact the Charter of Human Rights that shipped in

- virtually unnoticed: Today the.

scenario is the same, the issues being Free Trade overshadowing the respect for life from con- ception through old age.

Any thinking person will know that the Americans need and want our natural resources, especially those in B.C. Do we really believe Free Trade will cause any store manager here to lower his prices? Do we really think Canada is just waiting for the tariff wall to come down to give relief to our imagined over- supply?

Just as Esau long ago gave away his inheritance to satisfy an immediate greed, so do we have become accustomed to the lifestyle that we are exchanging

for.our. ‘‘Christian’’ inheritance, .

the values this country was founded and built on.

Like the orchestra on the Titanic, are we playing ‘‘Nearer My God to Thee’’ as the ship goes down? If Jesus were stand-.

ing in our pulpits today, would. - He once again point to those.

who flock to hear Him and say “O foolish generation’’?

Ruth Peters,

Terrace, B.C.

Awareness vital

To the Editor,

I would like to thank the Ter- race Womens’ Centre for spon- soring Ellen Wordsworth’s workshop on ‘‘Free Trade, Meech Lake and Privatization’’. This is the first time I have par- ticipated in such an event and I found it well-organized and in- formative. I am especially grateful for the excellent childcare provided which en- abled me to attend.

Like many other Canadians, I found myself uncertain about the Free Trade Agreement. After reading Marjorie Bowker’s review I was left with grave misgivings and a desire to learn more, The workshop pro- vided a good opportunity.

One of the most valuable things I learned there is that for the full effects of the Free Trade Agreement to be understood, it is essential to connect it with other government policies and

~ not just look at the Agreement

in isolation. The threat to our social programs, for instance, is not directly spelled out in the Agreement but once combined with the Meech Lake Accord and the trend towards privati- zation, the dangerous undermin- ing of these programs becomes clear.

We have been asked to trust

‘Brian Mulroney to protect our medicare, U.1.C,, and Canada.

healthy economy,

Pension programs in future negotiations with the. United States about the definition of unfair subsidies under the Free Trade Agreement. I would ask that if these programs are an im- portant priority, then why was the reassurance of specific pro- tection for them not obtained in the Agreement to begin with?

I believe in the concept of freer trade, but this Agreement is flawed and poorly negotiated; leaving our natural resources

threatened, our environment un-. -- “protected, and our social pro-

grams at risk. This i is ‘too high a

for business.

Economic prosperity is pos- sible through avenues other than this Free Trade Agreement despite what the present govern- ment, which entirely bungled the issue, is saying, Our resource- rich nation has the potential and our people, the strength and in- itiative, to develop a global presence on the international trade scene without relying on the U.S. to determine the means.

Most importantly, the Cana- dian emphasis on the public good must never be sacrificed for the sake of profit, We need healthy people to _sreate a

It is vital that ¢ every eligible citizen vote with care and aware- ness in this election to preserve the right to determine our own uniquely Canadian vision of the future of this country. People

who are: tired - of -politicians’-- - broad generalizations and -

desire concrete information may order copies of the actual Free Trade document by calling 1-800-267-8527. It is complex but worthwhile reading to make an informed decision. — Kaeleen Bruce, Terrace, B.C.

Read FTA To the Editor,

Copies of the Free Trade Agreement are now available at no cost from the Terrace Wom- en’s Resource Centre, 4542 Park Ave., or call 638-0228.

Don’t be discouraged by the stories of how hard it is to read.

If you want to check. the source .

of politicians’ conflicting state- ments and atrive at your own in- formed decisions, please come by and pick up a copy. You don’t need to read it from cover to cover, just investigate par- ticular areas of concern to you.

Studying this document in conjunction with Marjorie Bowker’s analysis is also help- ful. (This is also available at the Centre.) Marjorie Bowker is a- retired judge who has written an independent study of the par- ticular Agreement. Her initial reason for undertaking this pro- ject was to educate herself because she was feeling be- wildered.

We at the Women’s Resource Centre encourage you to explore

this document yourself. Get |

together i with a friend or two

‘and disquss the possible out-

comes 0! nf stich an Agreement. Mary Bowering, _ Terrace, B.C.

wade