NEWS
      &
      FEATURES
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Meet
      Catherine
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Callbeck
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      Sean
      McQuaid
     
    
   
   
    
     
      atherine
     
     
      f
      Callbeck
      was
     
     
      :
      among
      sev-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      eral
      provincial
     
     
      Liberal
      politicians
     
     
      who
      visited
      the
     
     
      Robertson
      library
     
     
      “Pit’’
      on
      Monday,
     
     
      March
      15,
      totalkwith
     
     
      students
      about
      their
     
     
      concerns,
      ‘‘just
      chat-
     
     
      ting’’
      as
      one
      Liberal
     
     
      described
      it.
      She
      con-
     
     
      sented
      to
      a
      brief
      in-
     
     
      terview,
      as
      follows.
     
    

    
     
      The
      biggest
      con-
     
     
      cern
      for
      students
      in
     
     
      this
      provincial
      elec-
     
     
      tion
      campaign
      is
      what
     
     
      government
      will
      do
     
     
      to
      help
      them,
      specifi-
     
     
      cally
      whether
      govern-
     
     
      ment
      will
      increase
      funding
      to
      U.P.E.I.
      and
      help
     
     
      prevent
      still
      more
      increases
      in
      tuition
      costs.
     
     
      While
      Callbeck
      has
      stressed
      education
      as
      an
     
     
      important
      concern
      for
      her
      government
      she
      has
     
     
      yet
      to
      release
      any
      firmly
      detailed
      policy
      on
      the
     
     
      subject.
      When
      asked,
      she
      responded
      with
      char-
     
     
      acteristic
      evasiveness
      by
      saying
      that
      her
      (the
     
     
      party’s)
      position
      will
      be
      made
      clear
      at
      the
     
     
      debate
      between
      the
      Liberal,
      PC,
      and
      NDP
      party
     
     
      leaders
      scheduled
      for
      the
      twenty-fourth
      of
      this
     
     
      month.
     
    

    
     
      When
      asked
      if
      she
      had
      difficulties
      making
     
     
      the
      transition
      from
      national
      to
      local
      politics,
     
     
      Callbeck
      admitted
      that
      ‘‘...
      a
      lot
      of
      (the)
      issues
     
     
      are
      different.’’
      She
      feels
      that
      federal
      politics
      “‘
     
     
      are
      not
      as
      close
      to
      the
      people’’
      as
      provincial
     
     
      issues
      such
      as
      health
      care
      and
      education,
      though
     
     
      she
      says
      she
      enjoyed
      her
      four
      years
      in
      Ottawa
     
     
      and
      thinks
      that
      her
      experience
      there
      will
      be
     
     
      valuable
      in
      her
      role
      as
      premier,
      saying
      that
      she
     
     
      will
      represent
      P.E.I.
      at
      all
      federal
      meetings
     
     
      ‘*from
      a
      position
      of
      equality
      because
      we
      are
      one
     
     
      of
      the
      ten
      provinces.”’
     
    

    
     
      Regarding
      local
      issues,
      Callbeck
      says
      that
     
     
      her
      main
      concern
      is
      economic
      development
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
      4
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      that
      we
      must
      make
     
     
      full
      use
      of
      our
      hu-
     
     
      man
      resources
      and
     
     
      natural
      resources.
     
     
      More
      specifically,
     
     
      she
      says
      that
      (Island-
     
     
      ers)
      have
      to
      develop
     
     
      a
      food
      strategy
      in
     
     
      which
      the
      various
     
     
      marketing,
      testing,
     
     
      and
      producing
      agen-
     
     
      cies
      and
      individuals
     
     
      work
      together
      to
     
     
      develop
      new
      prod-
     
     
      ucts.
     
    

    
     
      Callbeck
      went
     
     
      on
      to
      say
      that
      P.E.I.
     
     
      has
      thousands
      of
     
     
      acres
      of
      uncultured
     
     
      land
      on
      which
      new
     
     
      products
      can
      be
      de-
     
     
      veloped,
      and
      said
     
     
      that
      “‘we
      have
      to
      get
     
     
      out
      and
      sell
      P.E.I.
      aggressively
      as
      a
      place
      to
      do
     
     
      business.’’
      Citing
      the
      province’s
      ‘‘good
     
     
      workforce’
      and
      strong
      marketplace,
      Callbeck
     
     
      spoke
      of
      the
      likelihood
      of
      attracting
      new
      busi-
     
     
      ness,
      saying
      that
      at
      least
      one
      major
      outside
     
     
      business
      and
      two
      smaller
      ones
      had
      expressed
     
     
      interest
      in
      operating
      on
      Prince
      Edward
      Island.
     
    

    
     
      When
      asked
      about
      her
      thoughts
      on
      public
     
     
      interest
      in
      the
      fact
      that
      she
      would
      be
      Canada’s
     
     
      first
      woman
      premier
      if
      elected,
      Callbeck
      re-
     
     
      sponded
      by
      saying
      that
      ‘‘people
      today
      vote
      for
     
     
      the
      person
      that
      they
      feel
      can
      best
      do
      the
      job’’,
     
     
      and
      she
      feels
      that
      her
      business
      experience
      and
     
     
      political
      experience
      will
      serve
      her
      well
      in
      her
     
     
      office.
      So
      far
      as
      ‘‘women’s
      issues’’
      are
      con-
     
     
      cerned,
      Callbeck
      has
      never
      described
      herself
      as
     
     
      a
      feminist
      but
      does
      not
      claim
      to
      be
      oblivious
      to
     
     
      women’s
      concerns,
      such
      as
      violence
      against
     
     
      women
      which
      Callbeck
      says
      ‘‘definitely
      con-
     
     
      cerns’’
      her.
      Still,
      one
      of
      the
      only
      clear
      things
     
     
      about
      the
      habitually
      vague
      and
      evasive
      Callbeck
     
     
      is
      the
      fact
      that
      she
      does
      not
      want
      to
      be
      regarded
     
     
      simply
      as
      a
      women’s
      candidate.
      What
      will
     
     
      count
      is
      how
      well
      or
      poorly
      she
      does
      her
      job
      if
     
     
      elected.
      @
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Profile
      of
     
     
      Pat
      Mella
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      Andrew
      MacPherson
     
     
      A
      bout
      a
      month
      ago
      I
      had
      the
      opportunity
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      to
      meet
      the
      leader
      of
      the
      P.E.I.
      Progres
     
    

    
     
      sive
      Conservative
      party.
      The
      occasion
     
     
      was
      the
      nominating
      meeting
      for
      the
      Tory
      candi-
     
     
      dates
      in
      the
      riding
      of
      Second
      Queens.
      Ms.
      Mella
     
     
      was
      the
      keynote
      speaker
      for
      the
      occasion
      and
     
     
      while
      the
      votes
      were
      being
      tallied
      I
      managed
      to
     
     
      corner
      her
      for
      several
      moments.
      It
      was
      my
      first
     
     
      opportunity
      to
      ask
      the
      leader
      ofa
      political
      party
     
     
      questions
      about
      his
      or
      her
      platform
      so
      I
      took
     
     
      advantage
      of
      the
      situation.
     
    

    
     
      We
      spoke
      about
      many
      subjects
      ranging
      from
     
     
      the
      state
      of
      the
      Conservative
      party,
      both
      provin-
     
     
      cially
      and
      federally,
      to
      some
      of
      her
      policies
      I
     
     
      wanted
      clarified.
      This
      meeting
      took
      place
      a
     
     
      short
      time
      before
      Ms.
      Callbeck
      called
      the
      pro-
     
     
      vincial
      election
      but
      Mella
      seemed
      ready
      and
     
     
      eager
      to
      get
      into
      the
      campaign.
      While
      Ms.
     
     
      Mella
      doesn’t
      come
      off
      as
      well
      in
      front
      of
      the
     
     
      television
      cameras
      as
      some
      of
      her
      party
      mem-
     
     
      bers
      would
      like,
      one-on-one
      she
      is
      very
      friendly
     
     
      and
      easy
      to
      get
      along
      with.
      I
      explained
      to
      hermy
     
     
      involvement
      in
      the
      Student
      Union
      at
      UPEI
      and
     
     
      outlined
      what
      we
      would
      like
      to
      see
      from
      thenext
     
     
      premier
      of
      our
      province.
      While
      she
      seemed
      to
     
     
      be
      rather
      sympathetic
      to
      the
      plights
      of
      students
     
     
      on
      the
      verge
      of
      leaving
      school
      due
      to
      lack
      of
     
     
      funding,
      she
      also
      pointed
      out
      that
      it
      is
      difficult
     
     
      to
      get
      a
      party
      which
      has
      traditionally
      supported
     
     
      more
      right-wing
      policies
      to
      make
      sucha
      switch.
     
     
      It
      must
      also
      be
      noted
      that
      she
      does
      seem
      to
      be
     
     
      making
      some
      strides
      in
      the
      area
      of
      improving
     
     
      education
      as
      a
      whole
      with
      her
      proposed
      provin-
     
     
      cially
      funded
      kindergarten.
     
    

    
     
      I
      was
      very
      sceptical
      about
      Ms.
      Mella’s
      capa-
     
     
      bility
      to
      serve
      as
      premier
      of
      this
      province
      but
     
     
      this
      encounter
      gave
      me
      a
      few
      more
      reasons
      to
     
     
      believe
      that
      she
      could
      do
      a
      good
      job
      if
      she
      were
     
     
      elected.
      While
      she
      does
      not
      have
      the
      smooth-
     
     
      ness
      of
      a
      Joe
      Ghiz
      she
      is
      charismatic
      in
      her
      own
     
     
      way.
      When
      matched
      up
      with
      Catherine
      Callbeck
     
     
      she
      comes
      across
      as
      being
      a
      little
      more
      sincere.
     
     
      I
      had
      the
      opportunity
      to
      meet
      Ms.
      Callbeck
      last
     
     
      year
      while
      she
      was
      the
      Member
      of
      Parliament
     
     
      for
      my
      riding.
      At
      the
      time
      I
      believed
      that
      she
     
     
      was
      the
      best
      Island
      MP
      in
      Ottawa.
      Unfortu-
     
     
      nately,
      since
      she
      announced
      her
      candidacy
      tur
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      continued
      on
      page
      6