PRINCE GEORGE
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No more Bibles in courtroom?
Religious oath not in step with modern society, committee says
by JIM BRONSKILL The group, currently co-chaired by the fed- may still claim a particular religion, only Although religious oaths are co
Sniithnm Newsnaners eral government and British Columbia, is about one-auarter of the DODulation actually single, snecific form of nnth is
by JIM BRONSKILL Southam Newspapers
OTTAWA — God may soon have no place in the nation’s courtrooms.
A federal-provincial working group is recommending that the religious oath commonly used in legal proceedings be replaced with a simple promise to tell the truth.
The assumption that all witnesses should be willing to bind themselves by Christian oaths is “clearly less and less appropriate in the face of changes in Canadian society in recent decades,” says a consultation paper by the working group on multicultural and race relations in the justice system.
The group, currently co-chaired by the fed eral government and British Columbia, is made up of government representatives from across the country.
It says the idea of swearing on a Bible is rooted in a time when religious belief was central to cultural and social institutions — an age when few questioned the belief in God or the prospect of an afterlife.
“In general, religious beliefs are neither as widespread in modern society as they once were nor as strongly held, and they certainly cannot be assumed to play the same unifying role as they may have played in the past.”
The paper notes that although most people
may still claim a particular religion, only about one-quarter of the population actually takes part in observances such as church services.
It concludes the oath means little, if anything, to most attending court, and is presumably no more effective than a promise to tell the truth.
The federal Justice Department is analysing responses to the consultation paper, which was distributed to groups representing various religions, aboriginals, women and educators.
“The issue is still on the table,” said Susan Campbell, director general of the department’s social policy section.
Although religious oaths are common, no single, specific form of oath is currently required.
The law allows almost any oath that a judge believes will compel a witness to be truthful.
It also permits those who object to an oath to substitute a solemn affirmation that they will tell the truth.
However, the paper says, most people aren’t aware they have a choice, and are frequently too intimidated by the process to ask questions or express concerns.
A Bible is often automatically handed to a witness called to testify.
by Canadian Press
VANCOUVER — A case in which Indians claimed rights over private land is out of B.C. courts, at least for the time being.
Lawyer Jack Woodward said Sunday that the Burns Lake Indian band has agreed to drop its application to access a road that ran across property owned by Dave and Brenda Fountain.
In return, the Fountains have agreed to allow the natives to use the road which crosses part of their 60-hectare parcel of lakefront property adjacent to the Poison Creek Indian reserve in north-central British Columbia.
Still on file with the court, however, is the band’s application to have the court rec-
ognize its aboriginal rights on the Fountain land. The natives told the B.C. Supreme Court it wanted the land converted into a reserve.
“That’s on the back burner,” Woodward, lawyer for the natives, said Sunday from Victoria.
“It could go back to court but it’s less in the courts now than it was three days ago.”
Whether the issue returns to court depends on negotiations involving other aspects of native access to the road on the Fountain property, Woodward said.
The road was built by the natives without the Fountains’ consent. The issue reached prominence in February when Attorney General Ujjal Dosanjh intervened on behalf
of the Fountains to protect the province’s land title system.
That came after the band escalated the road access dispute by asking the court to recognize its aboriginal rights to trap, hunt, log and harvest other natural resources on the Fountain property.
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Ian Meiklhem was told last week how the family of Poison Creek chief Robert Charlie had to wade across a creek to reach their house because road access was blocked.
Dosanjh entered the dispute because of fears the judge could rule in favor of the natives and all B.C. property owners could find themselves open to suits from native groups seeking rights on private land.
CLYDE WELLS
Real estate meet hears unity ideas
Citizen staff
A constituent assembly may be necessary to solve Canada’s constitutional dilemma, says the former premier of Newfoundland.
Clyde Wells was in Prince George during the weekend to make the major presentation at the B.C. Real Estate Association convention in the Civic Centre. The topic was Canadian unity, and the convention theme was Bridges to the Future.
Wells outlined where Canada is now in terms of constitutional change and the unity issue, where the country needs to be and how Canadians might address the persistent, increasingly menacing unity problem.
An option might be to convene a constituent assembly to pull the country out of its constitutional quagmire. It would be a way to resolve the deadlock the country now seems to face.
Members of the constituent assembly, called together to bring about major constitutional change or to fashion a new constitution entirely, could be elected or appointed or a combination of both, he said in a telephone interview Sunday.
“It could be elected at large across Canada or partly elected provincially,” Wells added.
There is no provision in the 1982 Constitution for convening a constituent assembly for an overhaul of the country’s framework document.
“It was never contemplated, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t occur,” he said.
Wells’s speech was well attended, said Jan Thompson of the Cariboo Real Estate Association, an organizer of the weekend real estate convention.
“We’ve had a tremendous response,” she said.
The approximately 400 delegates attending the convention feel strongly optimistic after the weekend’s events, and are also bullish about Prince George.
“They have seen the good facilities, and how they have changed so much for the better since 1988 (the date of the last BCREA convention here),” Thompson said. “They’ve seen the growth in Prince George.”
More from convention, page 3
INDEX
Bridge.............. ,...18
Business ........... .....7
City, B.C.........3,11,13,20
Classifieds.......... .17-19
Comics ............. ,...14
Community Calendar . ...12
Crossword .......... ...14
Entertainment ...... .14,15
Horoscope .......... ...18
Lotteries............ ...13
Lifestyles............ ...12
Movies.............. ...15
Nation............. ,6
Sports ............. ..8-10
Television........... .. .15
World ............. 5
BUSINESS
58307
001 oc’
minutes r
■ The world of photography will never be the same — at least that’s what the photo industry is saying. A major launch begins this week to put a new “smart camera” in stores across the country. Industry insiders say the new equipment will make it even easier to take good photographs. Page 7
■ Industry Minister John Manley appears to be on the side of Canada’s downtrodden workers. He thinks corporations that lay off workers with only the short-term bottom line in view are short-sighted. He said some firms are resorting to knee-jerk layoffs in order to spruce up the bottom line. Page 7
PROVINCE
■ Hastings Park in Vancouver hasn’t missed the boat when it comes to finding its market. The racetrack is looking at grabbing a bigger share of the lucrative Chinese market. Officials at the track say Chinese bettors tend to bet more on races than Caucasians. Page 20
ENTERTAINMENT
■ Shirley MacLaine steals the show in Mrs. Winterbourne; unfortunately there is little to steal. The intricate premise of the movie outweighs the rest of the film. Page 15
WORLD
■ Not one, but two, separatist rebel groups have claimed responsibility for a bomb that killed 17 people at a hotel in India. The groups said this is the first gift to the Indian government for deciding to hold elections in Kashmir. Page 5
CANADA
■ Twisters ripped through Ontario over the weekend. One man was plucked from his trailer and deposited in a nearby field. At least three people were hospitalized and one insurance adjuster suggested the
COMMUNITY
This morning’s top local headlines:
Property tax hike on the table /page 3 Northern cadet bands compete here /page 11 Duck race moved month ahead /page 11
damage would top $1 million. Page 6
SPORTS
■ The Chicago Blackhawks took a stranglehold on their quarter-final with the Calgary Flames winning 7-5 for a 3-0 lead in games. The Habs and Red Wings missed an opportunity to grab the same lead; the Blues edged Toronto. Page 8
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Citizen photo by Dave Milne
EARTH DAY CELEBRATORS filled a 35-metre-long fish and marched from Cottonwood Island Park to Fort George Park early Sunday afternoon to support the Spruce City Wildlife Association Fish Hatchery’s Sponsor-A-Fish program. Called The Longest Fish in the Fraser, its head and cover were made by Barb Kelly's students at Foothills elementary school from papier mache and squashed cup-cake cups. The fish design on the red fabric was created by dipping real fish in paint and pressing them onto the fabric. Some of the dried scales remained in the dried paint. The event was part of Earthfest ‘96 celebrations.
Indians back off in road dispute
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