The record, 23 avril 1996, mardi 23 avril 1996

WE RE STILL HERE! fctOiUfl SINCE 1890 h >" RAMOS m PIANO RENTALS WITH OPTION TO BUY 1506 King St.West \SHERBROOKE )Q J-q4^1 j The Voice of the Eastern Townships since 1837 TUESDAY April 23, 1996 WEATHER, Page 2 50 cents —¦ Liberals turf two MPs from caucus over GST By Eoin Kenny OTTAWA (CP) — Rebel MP John Nunziata has been turfed from the Liberal caucus, putting his political future in doubt while being cast as a martyr for his anti-GST stand.Nunziata took another Liberal MP with him.Dennis Mills of Toronto said he will sit with Nunziata as an “Independent Liberal,” although it wasn’t clear if he had abandoned the government caucus.Prime Minister Jean Chrétien appeared to slam the door on any chance of Nunziata rejoining the party, suggesting in the Commons that he would not sign Nunziata’s nomina- Sweeten sovereignty party cadre suggests By Lu Ann LaSalle MONTREAL (CP) — Protecting the French language and offering a partnership with the rest of Canada were promoted Monday by some Parti Québécois members to make sovereignty attractive to more Quebecers.That means following Quebec’s language laws to the letter and keeping French as the dominant language on commercial signs.“We want to improve the current situation,” said Fabien Béchard, vice-president of the PQ executive.“(But) we’re not closing the door to an eventual return to unilingual French signs.” English was banned from outdoor advertising in 1977 but Bill 86, passed by the Liberals ifi 1993, allowed bilingual signs as long as the French lettering is at least twice as big as the lettering of other languages.In recent weeks, however, many PQ members have complained the law isn’t tough enough.The offer of an economic and political partnership with the rest of Canada, which the sove-reignists pushed during last fall’s referendum campaign, is also designed to appeal to moderate Quebec nationalists.“Sovereignty, yes.Partnership, yes,” Béchard told a news conference.“But if the partnership offer is rejected by the rest of Canada, there will still be sovereignty.” The partnership was initially put forward last June when the PQ, the Bloc Québécois and the Action Démocratique party formed a sovereignist coalition heading into the referendum campaign.The PQ’s national council meets this weekend in Montreal to discuss whether such proposals should become party policy.The changes to the PQ program could make Premier Lucien Bouchard’s party more attractive to voters in the next referendum.Federalist forces won last fall’s referendum by about 54,000 votes.Israel renews attacks on Lebanese territory From AP-Reuters BEIRUT (CP) - Israeli warplanes turned to a new target in Lebanon on Monday, attacking the heavily fortified base of a Palestinian group in hills outside Beirut after 11 days of focusing on Hezbollah guerrillas.U.S.State Secretary Warren Christopher, meanwhile, pressed ahead with efforts to broker a ceasefire, meeting again with Syrian President Hafez Assad to present a peace proposal.But, as Lebanon’s Muslims mourned victims of Israel’s offensive, peace remained elusive.On the 12th day of fighting, Israeli air force jets hit a fresh target — a command base for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.Like Hezbollah, the Popular Front opposes the Middle East peace process.The Syria-based group has frequently attacked Israel over the years but has not been directly involved in the recent fighting.The choice of targets suggested growing Israeli frustration over efforts to pin down the elusive Hezbollah guerrillas, who are largely invisible in the val-See ATTACK: Page 2 m m *"*f4 ! p ¦RHP mmmm ¦ Somalia papers still exist tion papers if he chose to seek a fourth term as a Liberal MP.“When a member of Parlia-ment votes clearly nonconfidence in the government, it’s because he does not want to support the government,” Chrétien said.“He will sit as an independent member of Parliament and I wish him good luck to be elected as an independent candidate.” Later, the prime minister said: “You have to support the government who helped you get elected.” In the House of Commons, the Reform party and the Bloc Québécois chided the gover- nment, whose mfgority is not threatened by the loss of Nunziata and the possible defection of Mills.Nunziata said Monday from Toronto he has no regrets about his decision to vote against the government’s budget bill last week.See TURFED: Page 2 The Town of Lennoxville has put together a booklet on the town’s history, released for sale Monday.Mayor David Price and town councillor Muriel Brand joined authors Gary Richards and Marc Bernier yesterday for the official launch.For all the details, please turn the page.Mixed views By Vic Parsons OTTAWA (CP) — Minority groups have welcomed a proposal from a government committee that would abolish religious oaths from courtrooms and replace them with a simple promise to tell the truth.Christian religous groups had mixed reactions to the proposal, while Reform MP Deborah Grey criticized it.A decline in the extent and depth of religious belief, and ethnic changes in Canadian society, are behind the proposal made by a federal-provincial working group.The change would go a step beyond amendments to laws of evidence, which went into effect in February 1995.Those allow witnesses to “solemnly affirm” that they are telling the truth, without reference to God.“We wou'd welcome this,” said Haroon Salamat, chairman of Al-Shura, the Muslim consultative assembly of Toronto.Salamat said swearing on a book of faith, whether it’s a Bible or a Koran, is no deter- See OATHS: Page 2 Nixing God from oaths: Clerk defied cover-up orders TORONTO (CP) — Original documents related to the Canadian military’s ill-fated Somalia mission still exist only because a Defence Department clerk defied orders to destroy them last September, the Toronto Star reports.A military police report obtained by the Star and another newspaper depicts panic in the Defence Department’s public affairs branch, where senior officers first ordered alterated documents be released to the media and then the destruction of the originals to cover their tracks.The Star says the originals survive because an unnamed file clerk in the office of the director-general public affairs (DGPA) disobeyed orders from Col.Geoff Haswell and Cmdr.Doug Caie to destroy them.The clerk told investigators that Caie later admonished her: “Had you got rid of the .stuff as I told, you, this wouldn’t be happening now.” The investigators’ report, first revealed Sunday by the Ottawa Sun, shows that the military was actively working to suppress Somalia-related material as recently as last September, suggesting the developing scandal over mis- sing documents is much wider than previously believed.Until now, the document controversy has centred on December 1992 and January 1993, when senior officers orchestrated a plan to rename, alter and destroy pre-written answers to media inquiries being sought by a CBC Radio reporter through access to information legislation.Haswell, who headed the public affairs branch at the time, has been charged with destroying documents but.no charges have been laid against Caie or Considine. 2—Thp RECORD—Tuesday, April 23, 1996 BuLprognosis good for veteran Liberal MP House leader Gray OTTAWA (CP) — Herb Gray, the government House leader in the Commons, has been diagnosed with throat cancer and will cut back bis heavy political schedule while undergoing chemotherapy.“I understand that the prognosis is very good,” Dan Rogers, an aide to Gray, said today."His hope and desire is to be back in the saddle very soon.” Gray, who will observe his 65th birthday next month, checked into the Ottawa Civic Hospital about 10 days ago and spent about a week there while doctor’s ran tests.He was diagnosed with TURFED:— Continued from page one "I'm satisfied that I haven't in any way betrayed my constituents or what I’ve stood for over the years, and we ll see ivhere it takes us all,” he said in an interview with CBC-TV’s Newsworld.An aide said Nunziata will • null over his options before deciding his future.He's going to spend the next ¦ew days in discussion with his • amih and his close friends, -and Arm McLeod ‘‘He’s going *< spend some time reflecting on Ins political future.” h unziata was a member of the Liberal party’s famed Rat Pack in opposition, known for its theatrics in the Commons.He could now become a martyr to his constituents and ordina- ATTACK:— small cell carcinoma of the esophagus.He hopes to spend part of each week in the House and the rest at home while treatment continues, said Rogers.Eventually he intends to return to full-time duty on Parliament Hill.Gray, who carries a double ministerial load as solicitor general, has been a pillar of the Liberal party for more than three decades.He was first elected to the Commons in 1962 and has served continuously since then as MP for Windsor West.With his bushy eyebrows, ry Canadians who detest the tax on goods and services.The president of Nunziata’s riding association in Toronto supported the MP.‘We had full knowledge of how our member of Parliament was going to vote,” said Doug Pudsey.‘‘We supported that 100 per cent.” Pudsey said the executive would meet Thursday but he expects it will follow Nunziata "into the wilderness if need be.” People interviewed on the streets of his York South-Weston riding were split.“I voted for the Liberals, not him as a person, so I think he should do what Jean Chrétien says,” said Kelly-Ann Carver, 42, a seamstress.with throat cancer diagnosed staid suits and cautious answers, Solicitor General Herb Gray demonstrates an image of decorous conservatism.But he cracks up staff members with witty one liners, has attended a Boy George concert and regularly is voted one of Parliament’s sexiest MPs.Politics is Gray’s passion, and friends say the throat cancer the government House leader and top cop has been diagnosed with will only be a temporary setback.“I don’t think you’ll see him away too much at all,” longtime friend Walter Muroff said Monday.“His attitude with this is it’s more an interference in his life than anything.He’ll just keep barrelling along and not let it get to him.” Gray has a reputation of never using two words when one will do, and of imparting as little as possible of government policy to inquiring journalists.A non-smoker and abstemious drinker, he has always cut something of a puritanical image on the Hill — although in private he exhibits a dry wit, an encyclopedic knowledge of rock music and a penchant for attending head-thumping concerts.Gray became the first Jewish cabinet minister in Canadian history when he was sworn in under Pierre Trudeau in 1969 and went on to handle a variety of posts for Trudeau, John Turner and Jean Chrétien.An economic nationalist, he has long been identified with the Liberal left wing but has been largely silent on economic and social issues as the party took a rightward turn under Chretien.He has been married since 1967 to Sharon Sholzbergof St-Laurent, Que.They have one son and one daughter, both now adults.Mounties undergo downsizing By Boh Weber EDMONTON (CP) — RCMP brass have prepared a proposal to merge 13 divisions across the country into four regions.The intent is to reduce staff time burned up on paperwork, said Insp.Randy Robar, director of the restructuring plan.“What we are trying to do is to remove levels of administration,” he said from Ottawa.“-We re looking at efficiencies to put more members on the highway.” The Pacific, Northwest, Central and Atlantic regions will each be run by deputy commissioners relocated to those regions from Ottawa.Regional headquarters, the locations of which have yet to be determined, will take over jobs such as personnel and staffing.Administration has already been cut at the provincial level in Alberta and New Brunswick.Reducing middle management in Alberta freed up $1.3 million for frontline policing, says the province’s Justice Department.In New Brunswick, more than 30 officers have been reassigned to active rural duty since 1994, said assistant commissioner Roy Berlinquette.The changes have used computers to centralize tasks such as personnel, budget-keeping and handling of policy directives, he said.The move has also drastically reduced the amount of paper officers have to push.Almost 55 annual reports on criminal operations used to come from each detachment in the province.Now that’s down to 17.The RCMP saved $5,000 on file folders alone in the program’s first six months.By May 1 all but three of the province’s 11 police districts will have gone through the changes.Some members were uneasy about being reassigned to active police work, Berlinquette acknowledged.Two officers resigned.Continued from page one meh, just south of the capital.y .The Damascus-based group The Sh ^T- .• sa,d °"e was injured The raid was the first in or Hezbollah said it fired 30 olancseirrockMeH H h Katyusha sockets into nor- tri n 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