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PAT CARNEY ON B.C. ALIENATION
Speaking Notes For The B.C. Unity Panel

As Others See Us: The Cartoonists' View of British Columbia
December 16, 1997

Honoured chairs, members of the Unity Panel:

      I welcome the opportunity today to share with you some media reactions to my recent remarks on B.C.'s role in Confederation, and the need to explore some changes within the context of the debate on national unity. Since Premier Clark has indicated your committee's conclusions will be the basis for the Province's position on any larger national unity debate, it might be helpful to present a range of views which I have received as Senator for British Columbia. Equally important, as an appointed Senator with a vote in the Upper House, I am vitally interested in your work and appreciate the opportunity to meet with you.

      Dullness is a misdemeanor, wrote B.C. novelist Ethel Wilson, and in order to avoid that charge, I have chosen to use cartoons illustrating the attitudes of some of the national media to my suggestion that the time has come for British Columbia to renegotiate our role in Confederation given the federal government's neglect of B.C.'s priorities. My exact words were: "I think that we have to rethink what we want from Confederation because the current arrangement is not meeting our needs and the fish war proves that". Asked by the Vancouver Sun reporter lan Mulgrew - who had phoned for a comment on lighthouse destaffing - if separation was an option, I refused to rule it out, stating that we should take all our options to the table.

      Those of you who know your B.C. history will recognize that my comments were consistent with those expressed by earlier B.C. politicians over our 126 year partnership in Confederation, starting with the Terms of Union debates during our colonial days. Dr. John S. Helmcken, the elected member for Victoria City, said (during the Confederation debates of 1870), "It is absurd to attempt to ally ourselves with a people 3,000 miles away ... We know what is best for ourselves and are able to legislate to that effect. We have no wish to pay Canada to do our legislation."
Carney
Senator Pat Carney
B.C. alienation and separatism

      In practical terms, I was of my own experience as Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources in Brian Mulroney's cabinet, dealing with the Atlantic offshore energy resources. Faced with a Supreme Court ruling that the offshore oil and gas resources were within federal jurisdiction, thwarting the ambition of the Atlantic provinces who wished to develop them, I suggested that we set aside the issue of jurisdiction and focus on joint management, which we have successfully done; Hibernia and other offshore energy resources are now on-stream, with a minimum of acrimony. I have since suggested this model to Premier Clark for possible management of B.C.'s coastal fisheries, which sustain our coastal communities and which are a continuing source of federal-provincial tension.

      But the reaction of Vancouver Sun readers to a coupon poll was unexpected and surprising. Nearly 700 of 1,010 readers phoned, taxed, or wrote in to support the suggestion of negotiation with separation as an option. Hotline radio shows heated up. Debate raged on golf courses, in coffee shops, and in homes and offices.

      The resulting furor, including fifty requests for media interviews, hysterical headlines, and a vicious media attack which would peel the skin off a less hardened politician, illustrated one of my main arguments - that many B.C. issues are viewed by the Central Canadian media through the prism of Quebec's concerns. It is as if we had no regional identity, no national vision beyond Quebec. We are not viewed as Canadians in our own right. It is this myopic attitude which is creating deep divisions in our country and one which I hope your work will help rectify.

" ... many B.C. issues are viewed by the Central Canadian media through the prism of Quebec's concerns. It is as if we had no regional identity, no national vision beyond Quebec. We are not viewed as Canadians in our own right."

      Our office received more than 300 phone calls, taxes, and letters - an unusually high volume for a Senator's office, although it did not approach the record; that was the 1,700 individual letters we received on the issue of gun control! Although this kind of response is self selecting and not scientific, it is interesting to note that the reaction was roughly the same as the Sun coupon poll, with about 71 per cent of correspondents supporting my comments and about 25 per cent rejecting them. Much of the negative comment came from outside B.C. "Hang Pat Carney?" asked the Ottawa Citizen, adding "We don't think she's a traitor but we do think she's unwise".

      Being laid back British Columbians, some had fun with the issue. CBC Radio ran a B.C. Blues contest on its early morning show; to my astonishment, about 70 people actually sang their compositions into the CBC answering machine, guitars and all. The Province appointed me President for Life (I actually aspire to being Princess Royal) and ran a new flag contest; bears chasing skiers or skiing bears. (Based on the coupons sent to our office, the favourite was skiing bears.) Valdy wrote a new anthem.

      The street responses generally followed three themes: "Good for You"; "Go For It"; and "About Time". Clearly many British Columbians are feeling frustrated with our present position in Confederation. But that does not mean we are separatists, at least not at this point. Typical responses:

      This theme ran through many letters. From a former British Columbian in London, Ontario: "If it is the squeaky wheel that gets the grease then it is time B.C. squeaked as much as Quebec." Other themes included the under-representation of B.C. in Parliament, inequality of federal transfers to B.C. given the amount paid to Ottawa by B.C. taxpayers, and the poor service meted out to British Columbians by eastem-based institutions: "I would love to see the major Canadian banks not have to deal with Toronto headquarters for simple orders placed by British Columbian investors". Other specific issues which drew negative comment ranged from national milk marketing to federal shipbuilding policies, which were perceived - correctly, in my view - as discriminating against British Columbians.

      Other correspondents took a harder line. From a coastal community: "You are right, B.C. must negotiate a new relationship, and if this new relationship results in secession, separation, a sovereign state west of the Rockies, so be it ... We can negotiate, we can separate, or we can continue listening to our federal government tell us to shut up and sign the cheque".

      The fisheries and lighthouse destaffing issues (which affect the lives of people living in coastal communities) drew comment, emphasizing what I think is the real separation in Canada: the imbalance of services and jobs available to urban and non-urban Canadians.

      Said a coastal resident: "I travel up and down the B.C. coast every summer. This year everybody were talking about separation .... It takes a concerted effort to keep a rich province like B.C. poor".

      Not all B.C. correspondents agreed. They described my remarks as "untimely", "distasteful", "absolutely appalling", and "irresponsible, bordering on treasonous". And talking about heresy, one woman wrote: "Yes, Quebec and Ontario paid for British Columbia's early growth. It is payback time now, Ms. Carney ... time to acknowledge that our province grew on the backs of Easterners". I should note this was a minority viewpoint.

      Reflecting on the responses, I think the general consensus was best conveyed by a Langley resident who wrote: "Canada consists of two provinces, Ontario and Quebec. When Ottawa decides to finally recognize B.C. we will be thrilled to join." The Vancouver Sun reflected this in a Peterson cartoon. (CARTOON #l - Peterson, Vancouver Sun, Oct. 14, 1997) Reaction from beyond B.C. was largely negative. From Niagara Falls: "Hang your head in shame. Not a lightening rod but the Devil's prong." A Hamilton, Ontario, a correspondent reminded us that "B.C. extracted a heavy price for agreeing to join Confederation ... Quebec did not receive any such special treatment".

      But I am sure you have heard similar views. What is particularly interesting is the different way this issue was treated by the media across Canada, particularly in Ontario -interesting because our media, and thus Canadians' view of ourselves, and the information we receive is overwhelmingly dominated by national media based in Toronto and Ottawa. This story had "legs", to use a journalistic term - it ran for several weeks, giving cartoonists, those canaries of public opinion, lots of time to reflect it from their particular perch.

      As I noted, original reaction in B.C. was muted. The Vancouver Sun ran a cartoon the next day which never mentioned the secession issue but did highlight regional concerns. (CARTOON #2 - Harrop, September 26, 1997)

" ... if separation was an option, I refused to rule it out, stating that we should take all our options to the table."

      The Victoria Times Colonist's Trevor Bryden concentrated on a real coastal priority, the B.C. ferry system. (CARTOON #3, October 5, 1997)

      Only after the central Canadian media started spinning the separation angle did the Vancouver Sun address the issue, but without the emphasis on Quebec placed by the Eastern media. (CARTOON #4, Harrop, September 27, 1997)

      The Victoria Times Colonist was the first to raise the Quebec link. About the time we received a letter from Perth, Ontario, saying: "Lucien and Pat will someday pay the price if they succeed in destroying Canada". (CARTOON #5, Raeside, October 3, 1997)

      And Ingrid Rice of North Vancouver asked the question puzzling my Ottawa friends, who found Quebec wiped off the front page. (CARTOON #6 -- Victoria Times Colonist, October 5, 1997)

      It took nearly a week for The Province to link the issue to national unity, since it had treated the issue in a lighthearted manner, despite the fact it gives a great deal of coverage to B.C. marine safety and other regional issues. But still the "Quebec factor", so beloved by the Eastern media, was absent. (CARTOON #7, Krieger, September 30, 1997)

      Crossing the Rockies, we find the view is different. The so-called National Newspaper, The Globe and Mail, portrayed my remarks entirely within a Quebec context, hairnet and all, showing the B.C. Senator wearing a B.C. Libre T-shirt and singing the P.Q. song, "We're humiliated!". (CARTOON #8, Gable, September 27, 1997)

      It should be noted that nowhere, in either the media comment or the mailbag, did any British Columbian ever suggest that our frustrations reflected humiliation at the treatment by those Easterners - anger, frustration, impatience, perhaps, but we're missing that Québécois inferiority complex.

      The Globe and Mail dismissed my remarks as a "little explosion of separatist distemper, provoked by fish..." in an editorial headed "Anti-Canadian Values".

      Another Globe cartoon indicates its view that B.C.'s frustrations are just another example of "wet, me-too federalism". (CARTOON #9, Gable, October 1, 1997)

      The Globe has run several negative letters on this issue but never a positive one, even though I have received copies of supportive letters to the editor.

      The Toronto Star's Richard Gwyn showed his grasp of national issues in his national column by posing Unity Minister Stéphane Dion's question: "Goddanm. What does fish have to do with secession?" Gwyn's answer: "Not a goddanm thing".

      The Star, which likes to think of itself as the champion of Canadian nationalism but is the bastion of the Canadian status quo, thinks the concept of any change in B.C.'s status as definitely loony tunes. Cartoonist Vic Roschkov trots out the butterfly net and the psychiatric evaluation forms. (CARTOON #10, Vic Roschkov, October 8, 1997)

      And expressing a common view of British Columbians as fat cat, lazy louts, whose achievements have more to do with good luck than hard work, the Toronto Star's Patrick Corrigan has the Prime Minister stuffing cheese down my throat, to go with ... dat whine" (CARTOON #11, October 4, 1997)

" ... Basically we're still viewed as laid back lotus eaters, enjoying good fortune, good weather and good golfing, who whine a lot."

      The Hill Times, bible of Parliament Hill, shows us what they think of British Columbian politicians who raise B.C. issues, pushing a fat lady - I could sue - out to sea on a raft of eastern-sized logs, trumpeting, "A better deal for B.C., A better deal for Canada". (CARTOON #12, Peter Zazulack, October 6, 1997)

      Don't think I am the only B.C. politician viewed in this light. Take the Vancouver Sun's Harrop cartoon of Premier Glen Clark, whose view of Canada is belittled by the pontificating Jeffrey Simpson, who described him as "showing that national vision for which he is renowned" when he talked about the Pacific salmon dispute. (CARTOON #13, Harrop, September 17, 1997)

      The Kingston Whig Standard's cartoonist portrayed me as Good ol' Foot in Mouth. So much for attention to B.C.'s concerns. (CARTOON #14, Edwards, October 8, 1997)

      To the Ottawa Citizen, stationed at the pinnacle of political power, B.C.'s concerns are just another laundry list. (Peter Zazulack, October 8, 1997)

      To be fair, the Citizen was the only newspaper outside B.C. to deal with our fisheries problems editorially in a thoughtful way, debating the points I raised and giving me two out of four. Several commentators, including the authors of the Globe and Mail column "The West" refer to the salmon fishery as largely symbolic.

      Our office can find no other reference to the real issues we face; when we lose our fish, we lose our fishers, and when we lose them, we lose the community fuel dock, and when THAT goes, so goes the neighbourhood - no other marine traffic, be it other commercial fishers, recreational fishers, American boaters, tug boats or other industrial users come calling, and the community's infrastructure collapses. Coastwatchers tell me it is happening in Masset, Alert Bay, Kyuquot, and possibly Ucluelet, and other coastal communities.

      In the rest of the country, the story ran with varying degrees of scorn and incredulity. La Presse asked, "What does B.C. want?" The answer, apparently, was not much. A wonderful example of Quebec's bewilderment about B.C.'s frustrations is the Aislin cartoon in the Montreal Gazette attributing the B.C. reaction to El Niño. (October 2, 1997)

      The Halifax Daily News howled: "IT'S JOE HOWE ALL OVER AGAIN: Pat Carney's rhetoric is strikingly similar to the oratory of Nova Scotia's favourite separatist. (Are you listening, Lucien?)". The Halifax Chronicle Herald dismissed the story as "Silly Season into Re-runs"; no doubt the Atlantic provinces are nervous about any competition from B.C. for a share of their $3.5 billion bail-out of displaced fishery workers. Newfoundland Premier Brian Tobin - a former federal fisheries minister -called my comments "irresponsible" and urged that the bail-out program known as TAGS be renewed.

      To show the difference between east and west, the column "301 Inside Politics" by Brad Evenson and distributed by Southam Newspapers, ran my criticism of the Quebec linkage as the quote of the day: "In the eyes of the central Canadian media, Senator Pat is just another fat lady who sings to Lucien Bouchard's tune." The Ottawa Citizen's version of the column contained the comment: "With unusual precision, Senator Pat Carney is able to sum up her image as a cheap provocateur." That sentence was dropped from the Vancouver Sun's version.

      Prairie comments were mixed. The Regina Leader Post made the French connection. (Dolighan, October 2, 1997) The Saskatoon Star Phoenix called my comments "blackmail". The Winnipeg Free Press labeled my remarks "a weak-minded effort by a washed-up Tory politician to get some attention for her dying party." Calgary commentators were kind - after all I was Oil Man of the Year when I was Energy Minister - but Edmonton comment was muted.

      A new national unity theme casts B.C. as the saviour of Confederation. Peter White, a governor of the Council for Canadian Unity, in Vancouver recently argued that B.C. has an obligation to take the lead in defining the West's position within Confederation. Canadian cartoonists show, however, that this view of B.C. will be a hard sell in the rest of the country. Basically we're still viewed as laid back lotus eaters, enjoying good fortune, good weather and good golfing, who whine a lot.

      In my experience, British Columbians have a much more vibrant, exciting and inclusive sense of country than the claustrophobic, self-absorbed, myopic view of Canada conveyed by the Central Canadian media.

      Back in B.C., the cartoonists were having a terrific time with the issue and the Eastern hysteria. The Sun focused on Minister Dion's and Prime Minister Chrétien's unfamiliarity with B.C. issues. (Peterson, October 4, 1997; and Harrop, October 6, 1997). One of my personal favourites is the Vancouver Courier's Geoff Olson, which shows how out of touch the Central Canadian media can be. (October 1, 1997)

      Back home on Satuma, the local correspondent of the Island Tides put the issue into local perspective: under the heading "Sovereignity (sic) Satuma": "Down at the bakery my partner and I were listening to Pat Carney on the CBC talking about B.C. Little did these interviewers know that the possibility of Saturna being a sovereign nation has been discussed at length on the Island for a long time. Of course there would be a place for Pat in the hierarchy but most positions would be honourary and the Island would be run like we run the BBQ."

      Or as Victoria cartoonist Raeside shows us, plus que ca change, plus que reste la même chose, or the more things change, the more things stay the same. (September 30, 1997).

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