san

fficial youth wing

By Ryan Nakashima OTTAWA (CUP)

MEMBERS AT THE REFORM PARTY intion Oct. 13-16 were put in the uncomfort- bosition ofaccepting that they would not have youth wing.

Ezra Levant, a 22-year-old law student at iversity of Alberta, said he trusted the ‘‘good t’’ of delegates when they voted Oct. 14 st a resolution to create a youth wing. Special pges should not be given to anyone, he said. outh] really is a special-interest group,’’ Le- aid. Other major parties, like the Liberals and rrvatives, reserve 10-20 per cent of voting ate spots at their conventions for embers. But Levant said this system ‘‘arti- ly segments,segregates and ghettoizes young

Ian Whyte, president of Carleton Universi- eform Party club, only had non-voting status convention, but said he was glad delegates

down the proposal for ‘‘special status’ for

‘‘My personal feeling is that I can have a lot

influence as a regular member rather than sectioned off in a youth wing,”’ he said.

A 1990 internal poll showed 48 per cent of

members were over 60 years old and 38 per ere retired, according to Sydney Sharpe and raid in Storming Babylon: Preston Manning be Rise of the Reform Party. ‘‘The people ed to the Reform Party are pretty much the

same no matter where Manning finds them. As countless journalists have noted, his audiences are

ederal Politics: Reform Party delegates vote down

posal is to divide up the current $2.6 billion in transfer payments made to the provinces by the federal gov-

mainly white, male, mid- ernment for education. dle class, and pushing 6c : It would be divided the far side of middle ‘AS count less - our- among students attending age,”’ they write. e post-secondaryinstitutions Most of the au- nalists have noted, in the form of vouchers. dience at the Reform con- Students would then be

vention at the CongressCentre were white and elderly, and the audience seemed about 60 per cent male. Young delegates had a small amount of time to

his [Preston Man- ning's] audiences are mainly white, male,

able to shop the voucher around to different schools. “It puts more purchasing power in the hands of stu- dents,’’ Manning said. Levant also rose to speak during a debate over

ones middle class, and Reform’s resolution to support of students fuund- ; ‘‘support the right of all Sete pushing the far side j serie petanet

By a show of . 93 merit’’ and argued against Se ae of m iddle ag @, special a ena ha mi- other delegates indicated norities. Levant helped

they didn’t know much about how education is funded. Delegates tabled a resolution to support federal grants to studentsthrough education vouch- ers, because they indicated they weren’t well in- formed. At a question-and-answer session for youth Oct. 14, Reform Leader Preston Manning supported a voucher system of funding. The pro-

found the group Minorities Against Discrimination at the University of Alberta, which is opposed to af- firmative action admission into law schools.

Levant, who is Jewish, said he founded the 53-member group with black student Kentish Steele. Most of the members of the group are non-white, he said. ‘‘] feel stupid checking off the list [of our

5

members]: Sikh, Chinese, black.”’

He also gave a speech to delegates Oct. 14 about being a young Reformer. ‘‘I’m not just a young Reformer. I’m a Jewish Reformer. But I’m not in any racial caucus, and I’m not in any special committee because I, like thousands of other Cana- dians of different ethnic backgrounds have found — for the first time in a long time —a party that values people not because they meet some quota, and not by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character, a party that promises not to give anyone special treatment or special laws or poli- cies or privileges or affirmative actions based on what we are, but rather to value us for who we ere,°’

Meanwhile, outside the convention, a pro- test was going on against the Reform Party. One student from Queen’s University, who identified himself only as Richard, said he was protesting not only the Reform’s alleged racist agenda but its policy on student cutbacks. ‘‘If the Reform Party [were in government and] carried through policies - like cutting back funding to the universities, cutting back student assistance — what’s going to happen is we’re going to have an education system that’s going to become even more elitist,”’ he said. “‘I think that’s going to be a disaster for society.’’ -- with files from Zachary Houle, The Charlatan

By Heather McGuffin MONTREAL (CUP)

EMERGING BODY OF EVIDENCE at chlorine compounds used for bleach- per products mayalso be linked to breast in women.

“Breast cancer is now being associated lorine,”’ said Johanne Fillion, administra- ordinator for Greenpeace in Montreal. ‘‘It fact, but since we have reason to question it, juld be taking precautionary action.”

The concern is over organochlorines, the emical by-products of chlorine technology. an 1,000 different organochlorines, includ- ins and furans, are discharged in the efflu- Pulp mills. More than one million tons are d into North American waterways every

Many organochlorines are widespread in €r, food, and the workplace, and have accu- H in the tissues and fluids of the general 1on. A number of studies, including a 1993 Tom The New York University Women’s Study, have shown that women with breast €nd to have higher levels of organochlorines fat and blood than healthy women. ‘‘Our Uons provide important new evidence relat- “level environmental contamination with hlorine residues to the risk of breast cancer “n. Given the widespread dissemination of hlorines in the environment, these findings Nnediate and far-reaching implications for calthintervention worldwide,’’ the report Greenpeace is calling for a phase-out of F andorganochlorines. The organization at chlorine bleaching ofpaper, the second-

largest use of chlorine after PVC plastic, can bereplaced with off-white paper or bleaching proc- esses based on oxygen, ozone, hydrogen-peroxide,

, or metallic compounds.’ There are alter- natives,”’ Fillion said. ‘“That is why weare soagainst the use of chlorine.”’

Fillion says she is concerned about femi- nine-hygiene products, particularly tampons, which are chlorine-bleached. ‘‘It’s unnecessary for chlo- rine to be used on these products,”” Fillionsaid. ‘<Wehave to let the companies know we don’t want chlorineused on sanitary pads and tampons. There is no reason for it.’"In England there was a cam-

JAP +e OS

paign against bleached paper productsin 1989, and as aresult there are now unbleached menstrualproducts and diapers available. We have to do the same here. Wehave to let the manufacturers know we don’t want chlorine.”’

For women who want to stay away from chlorine-bleached feminine-hygiene products, there are non-disposable sanitary pads and tampon alterna- tives available at many health food stores. While some women might cringe at the idea of re-using feminine- hygiene products, it’s easy to do, according to Louise Dallaire,co-owner of Ecologique, a distributor of reusable menstruation products. “‘It isn’t any more

ealth: Possible link between bleach and breast cancer

work. It’s just a change in mindset,”’ Dallaire said. “‘Reusable products have many advantages. You save money over the long-term. You aren’t throw- ing waste into the environment. And now that there’s a possible link between chlorine and breast cancer, you are also protecting your health.’’

But just switching to reusable products isn’t enough, says Fillion. Women also have to tell the manufacturers of chlorine-bleached menstrual products why they are switching.’’We have a tesponsibility as women to try to change this,”’ shesaid. “‘It is easy for the companies to stop using chlorine. They just need pressure.’”

c

October 25, 1994