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"So much attention is paid to the aggressive sins, such as violence and cruelty and greed with all their tragic effects, that too little attention is paid to the passive sins, such as apathy and laziness, which in the long run can have a more devastating effect." Eleanor Roosevelt

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When this area is overlooked by those in the south, we're quick to get upset. Why, we ask, are hearings held in Fredericton or Moncton but not up here where busy citizens, business people, and politicians can appear to speak? In fact, you don't have to go as far afield as Fredericton or Moncton. When the previous government scheduled some hearing or other in Bathurst and Edmundston, but not here, there was an outcry.

But what do we do when we get the chance to go out and speak up? Very little, sad to say. As you may judge from articles in this week's Tribune, attendance was not exactly standing room only at important hearings held this week.

For instance, in spite of the uproar across the province about Early French Immersion, very few parents showed up at the informational open house held in Dalhousie by District 15 on the subject. It must be that parents in the area either don't care, or have already made up their minds that the government is right to do away with EFI. The low attendance reflects the number of local letters to the editor that The Tribune has received on the subject. Almost all of the ones that we received were from southern New Brunswick, apparently part of an organized letter-writing campaign.

There was a lunch-and-learn put on by the NB Status of Women on the subject of sex trade workers. It intends to issue a policy paper on the subject. Admittedly, it mightn't be of much interest to the general public, although it probably should be. But given the topic and the conclusions of the research, would it have been unreasonable to expect to see police, crown attorneys, and judges in attendance? None were. (The media, criticized by the report too, were present.)

Then there was the tax reform hearing. This was a full select committee of the legislature, which had members of both parties including the leader of the opposition. The tax reforms proposed are indeed radical, and affect every citizen and business in the province. Yet only six people showed up to speak. There were no representatives from local municipalities and no-one from the Chamber of Commerce. Nobody. Their failure to attend is consistent with a similar failure to appear when a meeting on retaining our young people was held in Campbellton a few months ago. Perhaps the issue of income and property tax is of no concern to these bodies? Then again, there were no representatives of private business other than perhaps Mr. Callaghan, who spoke for himself. The committee chair, Roly MacIntyre, indicated there were fewer speakers scheduled here than on other stops in their tour. It is good to hear that the issue is taken more seriously elsewhere, but why should any more legislative hearings be scheduled for this area? The few interested people can drive to Bathurst.

What does it say about our commitment to democratic participation in this area if we cannot bother to participate when it is made this easy for us to do so? Can't we do better?

"The tyranny of a prince in an oligarchy is not so dangerous to the public welfare as the apathy of a citizen in a democracy." Charles de Montesquieu