VANCOUVER SUN       JULY 31, 1997

     VICTORIA--The B.C. government made its first tentative step toward 
rejoining the	country's constitutional debate after five years of 
virtual silence Wednesday, releasing a report that flirts with B.C. 
separatism while showing hostility toward distinct  society status for 
Quebec.
     The report, put together by Premier Glen Clark's special 
constitutional advisor Gordon Wilson, represents a dramatic departure 
from the B.C. government's courtship of  Quebec throughout the Meech 
Lake and Charlottetown accord debates.
     And while Clark shied away from embracing the report Wednesday, 
he suggested it will provide the framework for a made-in-B.C. stance 
for the next round of constitutional talks.
     "I'll have to take a look at it, but I think there is a need for 
more discussion in British Columbia about a unique B.C. position , so 
this will be grist for that mill." Clark said.
     The six-volume report includes a number of voices on B.C.'s place 
in the nation, but taken together it amounts to the hardest line on 
Canadian unity put forward by a B.C. government in modern times.
     Wilson, the lone MLA for the Progressive Democratic Alliance, was 
appointed to the $100,000 project last year by Clark to help B.C. find 
its way back to a position on the Constitution since the government 
limped away from Charlottetown five years ago.
     Wilson outlines a number of ways for the country to strengthen 
national unity without reopening the Constitution.  But the "what if" 
scenario of Quebec separation is the underlying theme.
     "There are ways the government can act immediately to try to build 
a renewed Canada in advance of constitutional amendments," Wilson told 
reporters Wednesday.
     "However we also recognize the reality of the potential for a 'yes' 
vote in Quebec and we recommend the government, concurrently while working 
on building the country, put in place a contingency plan in the event of 
that reality......My personal opinion is that British Columbia is not 
likely to simply acquiesce to a rest-of-Canada model including British 
Columbia."
     Wilson and his panel of authors all agreed that if the federal 
government's approach toward national unity does not change, Quebecers 
will vote to separate in the next four years.
     The likely target of controversy is the volume written by former 
B.C. Liberal leader Gordon Gibson who outlines the province's options 
if Quebec votes to separate.
     An independent nation of B.C. is viable, Gibson concludes.
     "This option would work perfectly well, in both economic and 
political terms," Gibson writes.
     An independent B.C. wouldn't need to spend on defence, would have 
free trade with Hong Kong and use the U.S. dollar as currency, he says.
     "There is no doubt [that] leaders exist in British Columbia with 
the  necessary talent to lead an independent country."
     He also spelled out other options for B.C. that include creating a 
loose federation of the western provinces, a partnership of B.C. and 
Alberta or a union with the American states of Washington and Oregon.
     University of Victoria political science professor Norman Ruff said 
he couldn't  find a road map for future discussions in the entire six 
volumes, but predicted it could cause a national stir because it comes 
on the eve of a premier's conference next week in New Brunswick.
     "There isn't a very clear action plan coming from it," Ruff said.
     But he added: "It think Clark will be comfortable with a discussion 
around the kinds of questions Gibson raises."
     Rafe Mair, the CKNW radio talk show host who took a lead role in 
urging B.C. voters to reject the Charlottetown accord, writes that the 
country will split if Ottawa amends the constitution to grant special 
status to Quebec.  "Separation would no longer be a phrase for the pubs 
and the cocktail parties in B.C., it would be a real movement which 
would soon find a credible leader."
     He says Quebecers must be told clearly what the consequences of 
separation will be and at the same time the rest of Canada has to 
engage in a "lovemaking process" to sell them on staying.
     There is "no way" British Columbians will continue in a country 
where half of their MPs come from Ontario, Mair adds, but he stopped 
 short of offering a solution.  "In the event of a break-up of the 
country, the people of B.C. will expect that their government has 
prepared for that unpleasant occurrence.  That places the government 
in a very dicey position but, the, that's what politicians get paid all 
that money for."