The Prime Minister of Canada, Mr.
Clark, has declared that he is opposed
to the right to self-determination for
Québec.

That's one reason why he couldn’t
get more than two members elected
in Québec in the last federal election.

That's why no self-respecting
Québécois wants, or dares to, join his
cabinet.

After more than two centuries of
being treated like stubborn children
_ who must be kept in their place, the
| people of Québec want to make their

‘What is the right to
self-determination?

_ The right to self-determination of a
people does not mean automatic sep-
aration into an independent state, any
more than the right to divorce means
that all couples must automatically
divorce.

- The right to self-determination of a
nation or people means the right to

_ choose whether a nation or people
wants to live with another nation or
people in one state or not. And ifthey

_ want to live with the other nation or
nations, under what conditions?

The right to self-determination of
nations and peoples is now’a funda-
| mental principle accepted by the
United Nations.

_ In every country where the

monopolies and the multinationals

dominate, those who represent them

_ politically deny this right to peoples

| whom they want to keepas a special

reserve of cheap labor.

To emphasize the difference be-

tween the right to self-determination

and independence, even in its

“sovereignty-association” form, both

the Confederation of National Trade

- Unions and the Centrale de l’En-

seignement du Québec (the teachers’

trade union centre) in June 1979 reaf-
firmed their support for the right to
self-determination for Québec and re-
fused to support independence in-
cluding in its “sovereignty-
association” version.

Many large trade unions as well as
the Canadian Labor Congress. rep-
resenting workers in all Canada, in-

cluding the largest trade union centre
in Québec, the Québec Federation of
Labor, in more general terms have
adopted a similar approach. At the
same time they very correctly em-
phasized the necessity for the unity of
the working class of all Canada re-
gardless of national origin or
language

Even the Pépin-Robarts Commis-
sion on National Unity urged recog-
nition of the right to self-deter-
mination as an essential element in
achieving Canadian Unity.

Equality and the right to self-
determination — an accepta-
ble and democratic basis for a
new Canadian constitution.
The British North America Act does
not recognize the right to self-
determination for Québec. This Act,
which doesn’t even recognize the
French-Canadians in Québec as a na-

tion, can therefore no longer serve as
the basis for a Canadian Constitution.

There is no way it can be amended
to guarantee equality and the right to
self-determination to the two nations
of Canada.

The BNA Act #nust be scrapped.

_Inits place, the Communist Party of
Canada proposes that a Constituent
Assembly be convened, composed of
equal numbers of elected delegates
from Québec and from English Cana-
da, to work out anew Constitution for
Canada.

This Constitution must have as its
basis:

1. The recognition that Canada isa
democratic and sovereign state unit-
ing voluntarily two nations, each
having the right to self-determination
up toand including the right to seces-
sion, and guaranteeing economic, so-
cial, cultural and language equality to

both.

2. The recognition of the territorial
rights of the native peoples, and their
right to self-government on their
lands as distinct peoples, while en-
joying equal right of citizenship with
all Canadians.

3. Defense of the democratic, lan-
guage and cultural rights of the
minorities in both English and
French Canada.

4. A Bill of Rights.’

Such a new Constitution would
guarantee unity through equality be-
tween our two nations, immeasur-
ably strengthening-our resistance to
the domination of the monopolies,
and especially to U.S. imperialism.’

The Communist Party of Canada
fully supports the Parti Communiste
du Québec in its demand that this
option be placed before the people of
Québec in the forthcoming referen-
dum, so that all Québécois may be
able genuinely to exercise their right
to self-determination. As it now
stands, the choice the PQ government
seems to intend to offer is that be-
tween political independence (in the
form of “‘sovereignty-association”’) or
the status quo (however superficially
modified).

The working people of all Canada
have nothing to gain and have much
to lose by allowing the monopolies to
keep Québec as a special zone of.
cheap labor. They have nothing to
gain and much to lose by separation
which would seriously weaken the
unity of the working class and the
resistance to the domination of the
monopolies and the multinationals.
They should therefore speak up now
for a democratic solution to the crisis
of Confederation.

The Communist Party of Canada
calls on the working class and all
democratic and truly patriotic forces

to declare themselves clearly and re- |

solutely in favor of such a democratic
solution.

Only the working class and all
democratic and patriotic forces can
save Canada from sinking into the
quicksands of the status quo, or into
the quicksands of separation marked
“complete U.S. domination”

Speak up now for unity :
through equality, for the right
to ee eateries)

of this leafiet are available in both French and English for $2.00 per 100 copies. -

_ Please write the address below:
CENTRAL

.

COMMUNIST PARTY OF CANADA,

COMMITTEE,
24 CECIL STREET, TORONTO, ONTARIO

By JAMES LEECH

By matching up statements of
Clark and his ministers, examining
Tory performances at home and ab-
road, and harking back their election
promises, one begins to bring into
focus an alarming picture. It reveals

the Clark Tories in the act of enriching -

further the bloated corporations who
monopolize all major wealth-
producing functions in Canada.

Theix enrichment'will be realized, it
is perfectly clear, by reducing living
standards and opportunities for ful-
fillment of the working people.

It is alarming because Crown cor-
porations and similar bodies, in a way

subject to the electorate’s influence, .

are scheduled to be wiped out. How
many will fall.to the Tory wrecking
crew, and to the zeal for privatization
of Treasury Board chairman Sinclair
Stevens — Petro-Canada, Canadian
National Railways, Radio Canada,
Air Canada, the Post Office?

The onset of the Tory ice age,
which will freeze out 60,000 public
service workers in three years, will no
doubt be matched by legislative
weaponry against organized labor as a
whole.

This look at the Tories’ 100 days in
office will serve a good cause if it en-
courages the maximum unity, the
maximum solidarity of the working
class and democratic forces. That will
be required to withstand the new
right-wing government’s efforts to
turn back the clock.

The Working People

. One of Clark’s most publicized
election promises, a $2-billion income
tax cut, presumably would aid work-
ers and other low-income people. But
on Aug. 27, at a three-day inner
Cabinet meeting in Jasper, Allta.,

Clark admitted this was not one of the

“‘priorities”’.
However, the plan to slash 60,000

public service jobs is going ahead,

whatever
public. On
Stevens P
two-mon
police) W:

ed:

By GORDON MASSIE

historic importance of the events
that led to the signing of the
Crow’s Nest Pass Rate Agree-
ment in 1897, and the vast con-

turn for fixed grain rates. This is

- the message being circulated by
“the National Farmers Union
(NFU) and representing the grow-
ing anger of the farm communities

at the sabotage of the grain handl-
ing system by the railroad com-
panies and governments.

_. The National Farmers Union
~ “has launched a class action court
ease against the CPR claiming a

farmers due to the CPR’s failure

as obligated under the Crow
. _ Agreement.

 easmaonotihe peak Rei:

_. deliberate attempt by the CPR to
_- force up the Crow Rate and to

ae Crow apcoments,

Farmers should not forget the

cessions granted the Canadian.
Pacific Railway Company in re-

net loss of almost $400-million to. -
‘to get the grain to export market —
“The farmers’ Sige ce aniiceass ins

a dy expressed by the demands
. for action on the NFU position of ~.

_ Many farmers say the deteriora- —
tion of the hopper car fleet is a ©

~_foree the taxpayer to foot the bill » dist
_ for new hopper cars, obligations
- Of the railroad companies under —

PACIFIC TRIBUNE— SEPTEMBER 7, 1979—Page 6