NEWS
      &
      FEATURES
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      And
      the
      band
      played
      on
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Kim
      Campbells
      visit
      to
      PEI.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      n
      Wednesday,
      October
      6,
      1993,
      I
      went
     
     
      OC
      ie
      with
      a
      couple
      of
      hundred
      of
      my
     
    

    
     
      closest
      friends
      to
      the
      Kim
      Campbell
     
     
      rally
      at
      East
      Wiltshire
      School
      in
      North
      River.
     
     
      The
      crowd
      was
      even
      more
      partisan
      than
      I
      had
     
     
      expected.
      The
      Prime
      Minister
      herself
      looked
     
     
      down
      at
      the
      crowd
      and
      said
      that
      she
      ‘‘didn’t
     
     
      have
      to
      convince
      anybody
      here’’.
      I
      felt
      alone
      as
     
     
      an
      objective
      observer
      in
      this
      sea
      of
      blue
      and
     
     
      white
      posters,
      buttons,
      balloons,
      and
      T-shirts.
     
     
      The
      Prime
      Minister
      was
      an
      hour
      late,
      so
      I
      had
     
     
      plenty
      of
      time
      to
      flip
      through
      PC
      pamphlets
      and
     
     
      reflect
      on
      the
      first
      month
      or
      so
      of
      the
      campaign.
     
     
      One
      of
      the
      pamphlets
      sitting
      on
      the
      seat
      was
      ‘““A
     
     
      Taxpayer’s
      Agenda’’.
     
     
      It
      was
      interesting
      to
      note
      that
      education
      was
      not
     
     
      one
      of
      the
      major
      concepts
      featured
      in
      the
      Pro-
     
     
      gressive
      Conservative
      agenda.
      The
      jazz
      trio
      in
     
     
      the
      corner
      of
      the
      gym
      kept
      those
      of
      us
      who
     
     
      weren’t
      discussing
      politics
      awake
      during
      the
     
     
      wait.
     
    

    
     
      I
      overheard
      one
      person
      commenting
      on
      the
     
     
      apparent
      lack
      of
      Friends
      of
      the
      Island
      who
     
     
      might
      have
      come
      in
      black
      to
      mourn
      the
      signing
     
     
      of
      the
      fixed
      link.
      I
      was
      more
      concerned
      with
      the
     
     
      lack
      of
      mikes
      in
      the
      aisles
      for
      questions
      from
      the
     
     
      audience.
      Perhaps
      that
      phase
      of
      the
      campaign
     
     
      has
      passed,
      but
      personally,
      Iam
      just
      now
      getting
     
     
      informed
      enough
      to
      ask
      a
      sensible
      question.
     
    

    
     
      When
      the
      Prime
      Minister’s
      party
      did
      arrive
     
     
      there
      was
      shouting
      to
      match
      that
      heard
      when
     
     
      Ricky
      Henderson
      scores
      a
      home
      run
      for
      the
     
     
      Jays.
      Kim
      Campbell
      was
      accompanied
      by
      the
     
     
      four
      Prince
      Edward
      Island
      federal
      Conservative
     
     
      candidates
      and
      Leone
      Bagnall,
      former
      MLA.
     
     
      The
      Prime
      Minister
      was
      introduced
      by
      Garth
     
     
      Staples
      (Malpeque).
     
    

    
     
      The
      first
      few
      minutes
      of
      the
      Prime
      Minis-
     
     
      ter’s
      speech
      sounded
      to
      me
      like
      a
      victory
      ad-
     
     
      dress.
      The
      greatness
      of
      Canada
      and
      the
      hope
     
     
      that
      after
      she
      gains
      power
      Canadians
      will
      brag
     
     
      about
      the
      greatness
      of
      their
      government
      was
      the
     
     
      theme.
      She
      spoke
      of
      the
      ease
      of
      cutting
      services
     
     
      and
      how
      she
      wished
      to
      ‘‘do
      politics
      differ-
     
     
      ently’’
      by
      cutting
      the
      expenses
      of
      government.
     
     
      The
      PC’s
      also
      want
      to
      run
      their
      government
      like
     
     
      abusiness
      where
      “‘the
      customer
      is
      always
      right’’.
     
     
      Kim
      Campbell
      mentioned
      PEI
      specifically
      by
     
     
      referring
      to
      the
      fixed
      link
      deal
      and
      referring
      to
     
     
      Summerside
      and
      the
      GST
      processing
      centre
     
     
      there.
      Kim
      Campbell
      admitted
      she
      was
      not
     
     
      computer
      literate
      and
      told
      us
      that
      education
      was
     
     
      useless
      unless
      people
      were
      getting
      the
      skills
     
    
   
   
    
     
      4/X-Press/October
      14,
      1993
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      they
      need
      in
      today’s
      world.
      Many
      of
      the
      older
     
     
      generation
      do
      not
      understand
      what
      these
      skills
     
     
      are
      and
      what
      it
      takes
      to
      implement
      them
      into
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      GTI
      M@rT
      NG
      MU
      Coemeom
      cat)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (This
      is
      where
      85%
      of
      new
      jobs
      are
      created)
     
     
      4.
      science
      and
      technology.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Explaining
      that
      there
      are
      opportunities
      for
     
     
      Maritime
      busi-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      school
      system.
      The
     
     
      Prime
      minister
     
     
      mentioned
      a
      high
     
     
      school
      in
      Ontario
     
     
      where
      students
      get
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "The
      greatness
      of
     
     
      Canada
      and
      the
      hope
     
    
   
   
    
     
      nesses
      in
      Mexico
     
     
      led
      directly
      into
     
     
      criticism
      of
      Jean
     
     
      Chretien
      and
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      wniowinCAP
      that
      after
      she
      gains
      bea
      par
     
     
      Rae
      Beprvieten
      power
      Canadians
      will
      on
      te
     
    

    
     
      at
      she
      didn’t
      em-
      and
      his
      repeate
     
     
      phasize
      post
      sec-
      brag
      about
      the
      statement
      that
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ondary
      education
     
     
      when
      so
      many
      jobs
     
    
   
   
    
     
      greatness
      of
      their
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Canada’s
      deficit
     
     
      is
      not
      a
      problem.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      now
      require
      at
      least
      Discussing
      the
     
     
      16
      years
      of
      school-
      g
      overnment
      was
      th
      é
      deficit
      also
      led
     
     
      ing.
      theme.
      mw
      into
      condemna-
     
    

    
     
      The
      speech
      then
      tion
      of
      Preston
     
     
      became
      a
      more
      Manning
      and
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      typical
      PC
      speech
      with
      the
      emphasis
      on
      busi-
     
     
      ness
      concerns.
      Kim
      Campbell’s
      party
      is
      com-
     
     
      mitted
      to
      preserving
      social
      programs
      because
     
     
      they
      are
      good
      for
      the
      economy.
      She
      explained
     
     
      a
      four
      point
      plan
      to
      create
      jobs.
      This
      includes:
     
     
      1.
      life-long
      education
      and
      training
     
    

    
     
      2.
      better
      exploitation
      of
      export
      markets
      (for
     
     
      example
      through
      NAFTA)
     
    

    
     
      3.
      increasing
      money
      available
      to
      small
      business
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Reform
      Party
      for
      their
      plan
      to
      eliminate
      the
     
     
      deficit
      in
      three
      years
      through
      cutting
      money
      to
     
     
      seniors.
     
    

    
     
      The
      meeting
      was
      interesting
      because
      this
      is
     
     
      the
      Prime
      Minister,
      regardless
      of
      whether
      she
      is
     
     
      leading
      a
      party
      of
      decreasing
      popularity
      through
     
     
      an
      election
      campaign,
      and
      Canadians
      should
      get
     
     
      to
      know
      what
      she
      is
      saying.
     
    

    
     
      SHANNON
      YOUNKER