I read with interest the Bruce Strachan's rewrite of history in today's Citizen.
Yes, Bruce Strachan did introduce the legislation to form UNBC, however he fails to mention that before he did so I introduced a Private Member's Bill also calling for the formation of a university in the north. His rewrite of history comes when he claims the NDP opposed the formation of this university. Not only did we support his bill for the formation of the university, the NDP fulfilled this commitment and built it!
Had we been opposed to the creation of a university here, it would not have been built. The reality is that the real opposition to this university came from the existing universities of UBC, SFU, and Victoria. All of these institutions lobbied hard to have the money invested in expanding their institutions rather than creating a new university in the north. Paul Ramsey and myself always remained true to our belief in a northern university and with support from Premier Harcourt and the rest of cabinet and caucus, our wonderful university was built. That is the rest of the story.
Lois Boone
Prince George
