LIBERAL MPs REPORT BACK TO PRIME MINISTER-DESIGNATE
Use senators to represent west, Trudeau advised
Citizen-%
Wednesday. Februarv 07 IflRfl Vnl oa- M« An i Drinnn n_____
The
Single Copy 20' Outside Prince George
25c Wednesday, February 27,1980 Vol. 24; No. 40 ' Prince George, British Columbia
OTTAWA (CP) — Two western Liberal MPs recommendod today that Pierre Trudeau appoint a minimum number of minister-senators to his Liberal cabinetto provide for western representation.
Lloyd Axworthy and Robert Bockstael, the only Liberals elected west of Ontario in last week’s federal election, said the number could be as few as three or four.
They would provide representation for British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan where no Liberals were elected last week. * **
Without saying so directly, they indicated that they expected Trudeau would appoint at least one of them to provide Manitoba representation in cabinet. Axworthy was elected in Winnipeg-Fort Garry and Bockstael in St. Boniface, an adjacent riding.
The two were assigned by Trudeau last week to make a quiet western tour to talk with defeated candidates and other Liberals to ask for suggestions on how the West can be represented. They reported to the prime minister-designate today.
They told reporters they feel that use of senators, who are appointed by governments rather than elected as are MPs, is the best way to solve the problem on the short term.
They said under their suggestion that the senators would work with provincial councils of Liberals who would tell them the needs and feelings of their respective provinces.
* ★ *
OTTAWA (CP) — Western senators most frequently mentioned in speculation as possible ministers in the cabinet that
Prime Minister-designate Pierre Trudeau now is fashioning:
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Ray Perrault, 54, for some years Liberal leader in the Senate. Was B.C. MLA and Liberal leader in 1960s. MP from 1968 to 1972. Appointed to Senate in 1973 and Senate leader in 1974.
Jack Austin, 48, former principal secretary to Trudeau. Deputy minister of energy mines and resources 1970 to 1974. Appointed to the Senate in 1975.
George van Roggen, 58. Best known for his chairmanship of
the Senate’s foreign affairs committee for some years. Appointed to the Senate in 1971.
ALBERTA
Harry Hays, 70, federal Liberal minister of agriculture in the 1960s and appointed to Senate in 1966.
H. A. (Bud) Olson, 54. former federal minister of agriculture who was MP from 1962 to 1972. Appointed to Senate in 1977. With Hays, an active member of Senate agriculture committee.
Earl Hastings, 56, at one time appointed Alberta spokesman for the Liberal government to make up for lack of Alberta Liberal MPs. Appointed to Senate in 1966. Former president of Alberta Liberal Association.
SASKATCHEWAN
David Steuart, 65, Saskatchewan MLA from 1962 to 1975. Held several portfolios and was deputy premier. Appointed to the Senate in 1976.
Alexander Hamilton McDonald, 61, another veteran member of Saskatchewan legislature who held several portfolios. Appointed to Senate in 1965. He is not often mentioned in speculation.
TODAY
"Heads we up the price of oil now, tails we wait until morning.”
FEATURED INSIDE)
Common market plan
The concept of a North American common market was suggested by U.S. governors Tuesday. They called for an international forum to discuss co-operation with Canada and Mexico. Page 5.
Index
Bridge................................19
Business...........................8,9
City, B.C..............2,3,0,11,36
Classified.....................16-21
Comics...............................36
Community pages......26-31
Crossword........................18
Editorial..............................4
Entertainment............36-39
Family..........................40,41
Gardening column..........31
Horoscopes.......................38
International......................5
Movies..........................36,37
National..............................7
Sports.................13-15,42-44
Television.........................39
THE WEATHER
The forecast for tonight and Thursday calls for mainly cloudy skies with periods of rain.
The expected high today was 7, the loyv tonight 2. Thursday’s forecast high is 7. The high Tuesday was 5, the low 1. On this aate last year the high was -3, the low -12.
Sunset today is at 5:43 p.m. Sunrise Thursday is 7:04 p.m., and sunset 5:45 p.m.
Details Page 2
NOW HEAR THIS
• While visiting Plaza 400, Tuesday, a reader spotted a message pinned to a car’s antenna: “Your meter ran out. You’owe someone a nickel. Pass it on."
Got a news tip? Call The Citizen’s 24-hour news line at 562-2441.
BULLETIN
VICTORIA (CP) — The British Columbia government today bowed to public pressure and environmental groups and placed a seven-year moratorium on uranium mining and exploration in the province.
Premier Bill Bennett said the fears expressed by British Columbians concerning the dangers Involved in uranium mining and exploration are too real to ignore.
Bennett said there are fears uranium mining and exploration will do irreversible harm to the environment and radioactive wastes have yet to be controlled in a manner that is satisfactory to a large seg-
ment of the population.
The premier said B.C. does not need to develop its uranium resources and nuclear power does not play a major role in the govern-ment’s energy policy.
Bennett said that because of the government's decision, the inquiry by the Bates Commission into uranium exploration and mining has been terminated, effective immediately.
The announcement came two days before an antiuranium demonstration was scheduled to coincide with Friday’s opening of the provincial legislature’s next session.
by HAZEL ALLAN Citizen Staff Reporter
Prince George registered nurses joined others across the province Tuesday and voted overwhelmingly in favor of strike action — if their contract demands are not met.
In Wednesday’s government-supervised strike vote, 90 per cent of the province’s 12,500 nurses cast a ballot and of those 98.1 per cent voted in favor of strike action.
In Prince George, 99.4 per cent of the 363 nurses who voted said “yes” to strike action.
“We had a very high turnout. Only 54 nurses didn’t vote and many of them were away on holiday,” said Jean McMartin, local RNABC staff representative.
Contract negotiations between the RNABC and the Hospital Labor Relations Association, which represents 113 B.C. hospitals, have dragged on since September.
Talks broke off Jan. 30, when RNABC officials rejected the HLRA’s offer of a 21-per cent wage increase over a two-year period.
The nurse’s union wants an 18-percent raise over one year, and a catch-up $145 across-the-board increase. The catch-up would bring a starting nurse’s salary to $1,450 a month from the current $1,305. The 18-per-cent raise would boost the salary to $1,711 a month.
'Determined to catch up'
‘We’ve fallen behind in previous contracts, but we’re determined to catch up now,” McMartin said.
Nurses have taken two previous strike votes in B.C. but have never taken strike action.
RNABC officials say this time, they are taking a tough stand.
Essential services committees have been formed in all hospitals, and nurses are discussing what form strike action would take.
Prince George Regional Hospital officials arc preparing contingency plans in the event any strike action is taken.
“The basic thing is to work with nursing personnel in establishing which areas have to be maintained”, said hospital executive director Bert Boyd.
He said elective surgery would be the first to go, and from then on, “services would be restricted to emergency admissions.”
Patient care is uppermost in
nurses’ minds, and McMartin said that “our main concern is that patients don’t suffer.”
The nurses, essential services committee will bear this in mind when deciding what action might be taken.”
Wages are the major concern for B.C.’s registered nurses, although they have 89 demands in their contract, ranging from increases in isolation pay to a shorter work week.
A registered nurse, who has undergone a two-or three-year training course, is currently paid $8.28 an hour after one year’s experience, rising to $9.15 an hour after five years.
“When you compare these wages with people in unskilled jobs, such as supermarket clerks who earn $9.08 after one year, or a liquor store clerk who goes from $8.53 an hour to $9.60 in three years, nurses are underpaid,” said Malcolm Wilkinson, chief negotiator for the nurses in the contract dispute.
Casting her ballot during Tuesday’s strike vote is Ar lene Dyer, a registered nurse ional Hospital. Story, left.
ALBERTA COMMUNITY
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at Prince George Reg-
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“In government-owned and operated hospitals, the cleaning personnel earn $9.31 an hour."
When he was in Prince George two weeks ago, Wilkinson told The Citizen nurses can buy seven per cent less now, than five years ago."
At the time, he said the higher the strike mandate, the less likely job action would be necessary “because HLRA will realize nurses are determined to get their demands met."
I
In addition to their contract demands, RNABC officials were angered by the recently proposed agreement between HLRA and the Hospital Employees Union. Under that pact practical nurses will receive a 28-per-cent increase over two years. Registered nurses were offered a 21-percent increase over the same period.
"In addition, each practical nurse will receive a $2,400 lump sum payment," Wilkinson said.
He said practical nurses were not overpaid, but registered nurses want a proper relationship between the practical nurses and themselves.
Registered nurses must -train for a minimum of two years, compared with 10 months for practicals, and it is the registered nurse who assigns duties to the practicals.
“We feel a differential of 25 per cent is proper,” Wilkinson said.
Communications co-
ordinator Jerry Miller said today that RNABC officials “were pleased by the strength of the mandate and also by the turnout.”
“It underlines the fact that nurses really do care and are involved,” Miller said.
“Only four hospitals in the province had less than 80 per cent of the nurses voting in favor of strike action.” RNABC officials thought the vote would give them a strong mandate, “but this is an incredible yes.”
Another offical called the vote “unbelievable — what a mandate we got throughout the province.”
BROOKS, Alta. (CP) — Explosions and fires ripped through Alberta Gas Trunk Line Co. Ltd.’s main compressor station near this southeastern Alberta community Tuesday night, temporarily shutting off two-thirds of Alberta’s natural gas flow to Eastern Canada.
But Eastern Canadians will not freeze in the dark.
“There will be no shortages of fuel in the East,” said Dianne Narvik, senior vice-president of the Calgary-based company. She said most Eastern utilities and TransCanada Pipelines Ltd. have ample underground storage facilities to
tide over the temporarily-reduced gas flow.
Four workers were in the Princess Compressor Station when it caught fire shortly after 6 p.m. local time. Two explosions followed, one about 6:30 p.m. and the other about 7:40 p.m. Two workers were treated for minor injuries at Brooks Hospital.
Mrs. Narvik said the cause of the fire and explosions is under investigation.
The station is a major junction on the main natural gas trunk pipeline to Eastern Canada and the midwest United States. Mrs. Narvik said the flow of gas between Alberta and points east ceased with the explosions.
No one made an estimate on Tuesday night of the cost of damage to the station, one of the largest in the world.
“It looks like a lot," Mrs. Narvik said.
Giant Rolls-Royce engines, exerting 85,000 horsepower, push Alberta gas from this main gathering point to the Saskatchewan border and the TransCanada Pipelines network that takes the fuel to Ontario and Quebec.
Flames shot more than 300 metres into the air and their reflection off clouds made the fire visible in parts of Saskatchewan and Montana.
Photo page 7
NEW HAMPSHIRE VOTING
Carter, Reagan win in primary
Southam News WASHINGTON — Voters in New Hampshire tuned themselves into the Jimmy and Ronnie show Tuesday night.
President Jimmy Carter scored a comfortable — and widely predicted — Democratic primary victory over Senator Ted Kennedy in Kennedy’s New England backyard.
But while New Hampshire Democrats did the expected, Republicans in the Granite State fooled the pundits* and pollsters by choosing Ronald Reagan over George Bush — overwhelmingly.
Reagan, the 69-year-old former movie actor and t wo-ter in California governor, gave upstart challenger Bush, former
CIA director, a surprise thrashing.
In fact, Reagan beat Bush a margin of more than two-to-one, even though most pollsters had claimed the two Republicans were in a dead heat.
“We'don’t need an airplane,” a jubilant Reagan, flanked by his wife Nancy, remarked as he rattled off a list of four states he’ll campaign in starting today.
“I thought it would be closer,” a subdued Bush, who had trounced Reagan in Iowa last month, said when the results were known, offering no excuses for his defeat.
Reagan, who reverted to his right-wing rhetoric when he faltered as a more moderate candidate, indicated he
doesn’t think he has vanquished Bush yet.
In Manchester, N.H., where he watched the TV returns that gave him a 51-23 per cent win over Bush, Reagan took a swipe at Bush, whose Yale and oil industry backgrounds have earned him an elitist label in some quarters.
“I don’t know about the hierarchy or the upper reaches,” Reagan said with a straight face. “I only know about the people."
In the Democratic race, Carter beat Kennedy by 49-38 per cent of the popular vote, with California governor Jerry Brown a distant third with only 10 per cent.
TORONTO (CP) - Canada Permanent Mortgage Corp. has raised its key mortgage rate to 143,4 per cent after two chartered banks increased their rates to 14Vi per cent.
The increases bring the cost of borrowing money for a house to the peak levels seen late last year. Mortgage rates started to rise again a few weeks ago. with some lenders increasing rates by half a percentage point, after they had fallen slightly.
The Canada Permanent increases means that someone taking out a $50,000 mortgage over 25 years now will be paying $614 a month, compared with $587 before the latest rise.
As recently as two weeks ago. the cost of such a mortgage was about $560.
The Bank of Montreal and the Toronto-Dominion Bank raised their rates to 14\k per cent. There was no immediate comment from other chartered banks or mortgages companies.
J.E. Donahoe, Canada Permanent senior vice-president, said rates on mortgages and term deposits had appeared low in relation to other interest rates.
Canada Permanent raised the interest offered on guaranteed investment certificates at the same time it bumped the mortgage charges.
The old rate was 12 per cent.
When the round of higher mortgage rates started a few weeks ago, some financial officials expressed surprise because demand for new mortgages was slack.
7WE'VE FALLEN BEHIND'
1 Provii ice's
okay strike action