CANADA’S SOVEREIGNTY INVOLVED IN CAR DEAL

Do we want to be 5st U.S. state?

The three-year agreement on automobiles and parts signed recently by Prime Ministe
Pearson and President Johnson could in effect be the first step towards economic union “‘b
means of which Canada would be absorbed by her larger neighbor to the south,”’ charges.
a statement released by the Communist Party of Canada national executive. ‘Do we wan
to be the 51st state ofthe U.S.? Is this the direction in which we want to take Canada?

Reprint from Ottawa Citizen Dec. 19, 1964.

An Open Letter To

PRESIDENT
JOHNSON

Dear Mr. President:

Canada is an ally of the United States and a partner in what are
termed. defense arrangements: NATO, NORAD, the DEW Line. USS.
bombers have rights on some Canadian bases and U.S. nuclear warheads
have been placed on Canadian missile bases.

Therefore it is reasonable that Canadian citizens should raise their
Voices against certain policies and actions of your government which may
be considered as unrealistic and dangerous to the peace of Canada and
the world.

End the war in Vietnam

Of supreme importance is the necessity to end the war in Vietnam.
Common sense, justice ang a decent regard for tne opinion of mankind
require that the 1954 Geneva Conference be reconvened and a reasonable
political settlement be made.

: You cannot win the war against the people of South Vietnam. In
spite of all the terrorism of your puppet regimes, the National Liberation
Front government controls and governs almost 80 percent of the country.

” What is the difference between your “Special Warfare”

and Hitler’s Warfare?

We have recently had a representative in Vietnam. We are shocked
and horrified to learn at first hand of the brutal, inhuman and criminal
nature of your so-called “Special Warfare”.

Thousands of villages have been burned with napalm-gas, and huge
areas drenched with poison chemicals, killing hundreds -of thousands of
men, women and children, as well as domestic animals. You have ele-
vated the bestialities of Auschwitz and Buchenwald into a science of
“Special Warfare”. The toll of dead, wounded, and burned is now one
million.

The vast majority of people in Asia and Africa are being gra-
phically informed. Hundreds of delegations go to see for themselves.
You are creating a huge tide of hatred and loathing for the United States
of America. : :

This open letter is published to commemorate the fourth annivers-
ary of the founding. of the National Liberation Front government. These
heroic men and women really represent 80 percent of the pedple and the
territory of South Vietnam. They have earned the right to be the govern-
ment of their people just as surely as did George Washington and his
supporters during the grim winter of Valley Forge.

In the name of our common humanity, Mr. President, end this
. inhuman war, reconvene the 1954 Geneva Conference ant negotiate
reasonable and just settlement.

CANADIAN PEACE CONGRESS:
Box 218, Station @, Toronto 7, Ontario

*

The above advertisement by the Canadian Peace Congress appeared in the
Ottawa Citizen in December. We reprint it here as an urgent appeal to end the
savage war against the people of South Vietnam. ;

New coup in S.Vietnam

The U.S, policy in South Vietnam was again thrown into crisis
this week as South Vietnamese generals, headed by Lt, Gen, Nguyen
Khanh, seized power,

The crisis was deepened during the week by renewed mass
demonstrations of Buddhists against the U,S,-sponsored clique
headed by Tran Van Huong, The Buddhist demonstration took on
a sharp anti-American tone in récent days,

Tuesday a 17-year-old Buddhist girl burned herself to death’

in protest against the government and the U.S, Leading Buddhist
priests have been on a hunger strike for many days,

This latest coup again reveals the fact that the people of South
Vietnam will not support any U,S,-sponsored government bent on
continuing the present course.

asks the statement.

Following is the full text of the
statement issued January 22:

On January 15th Prime Min-
ister Pearson of Ceund. and
President Johnson of the United
States signed a three-year con-:
ditional agreement whose aim is
to remove tariffs and bring about
continental rationalization of
production in automobiles and
parts,

The agreement raises a mum-
be * of rather basic questions for
all of us as Canadians, Will
Canadian production, Canadian
employment and Canadian ex-
ports increase? How will it ef-
fect the auto parts industry in
Canada? To what extent will any
increase in volume of output bring
about employment ofnew workers
in the iudusiry. particularly in
view of S1e continental rational-
ization and specialization pro-
gram to cut costs and increase
labor productivity?

Whal are f12 assusanges, in
the event of an economic down-
turn or recession, that the mar-
ket for Canadian~- made auto-
mobiles and parts will still be
there? When will Canadian-
made cars be brought down to
the U.S, price level? What bene-
fit can labor look forward to in
terms of wage - parity with auto
workers in the United States?

What guarantee is there that
the $50 million loss of Canadian
customs revenue nowtransferred
to the big auto companies will be
used for expansion of productive
facilities and new employment in
Canada? Finally, is it reasonable
to assume that the 97 per cent
American-owned auto industry
will, now or in the future, give
adequate consideration to Can-
adian national interests?

ANSWERS NEEDED

The Communist Party believes
that these and several other and
related questions must be asked
and debated in Parliament in or-
der to secure satisfactory an-
swers, ;

‘Inasmuch as the application of
this agreement, and decisions
concerning capital investments,
production, marketing and em-
ployment, will rest mainly in the
hands of United States companies
and their Canadian subsidiaries,
our national sovereignty and in-
dependence is involved,

In fact, it is our contention
that the ruling class of the Un-
ited States looks upon Canadian
sovereignty as an obstacle to
complete control and domination
of our country, One of the prem-
ises upon which sucess of the
automobile industry agreement
seem to be based is the main-
tenance of lower wage rates in
Canada. In effect this means to
impose a double yoke of ex-
ploitation upon Canadian workers
and to increase the profits and
monopoly control of General Mot-
ors, Ford and Chrysler,

During postwar years we have
seen the independent direction
of Canadian developments en-
croached upon in various ways.

You” will be

It started with the Abbott plan in
1947, and proceeded to the Norad
agreement in 1955, and then to
the imposition of nuclear arms
by the Pearson government in
1963. Now we face this, which
in effect could be the first step
towards an economic union by
means of which Canada could be
absorbed by her larger neighbor
to the south.

Do we want to be the 51st
state of the United States? Is
this the direction in which we
want to take our country?

THERE 1S ALTERNATIVE

It is an outright falsehood to
suggest that markets for Canad-
ian products are to be found only
in the United States. Equally
false is the idea that the only
alternative, in order to expand
industry and jobs in Canada, is
to allow United States companies
to become complete and unchal-
lenged masters of our nation’s
industries and resources,

There is another alternative
This alternative is to regain con-
trol of our industries for in-
dependent Canadian development,
to seek other markets in newly
independent and developing coun-
tries including the socialist
world, not to the exclusion of
trade with our neighbor to the
south but to refuse to put our
trade into a single basket.

Such a policy would serve our
national interest both nowand for
the future, would strengthen our
independence,

Parliament must be made to answer vital questions about the recently sig

car deal.

Tim Buck to speak
in B.C. on automation

“The Age of Automation and
the theme of
speeches to be given by National
Communist Party Chairman Tim

.

TIM BUCK

and, above all,

January 29, 1965—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Pag

a

promote a policy of peaceful ¢
existence and trade withall co
tries,

Nationalization of such key
dustries as auto, now under fo)
eign ownership and control sho
be earnestly considered, It i
legitimate question to ask as
whether this, together with tr
design and the production of #
100 per cent Canadian car, woul
not provide a better guarantee
the fulfillment of the aims p
jected by the Ecomomic Coun
of Canada on January 12, thr
days prior to the Pearson-Johi"
son meeting in Texas,

We ask all Canadians to t
seriously about this matter
relation to our overall nation
interests, We particularly ure?
that members of parliament PF
made aware of your views lf
this regard, :

Buck, during his forthcom
speaking tour of British Coll
bia,

Buck recently returned fr?
an extensive tour of Europe #
Asia where he observed firs
hand the vast changes taki
place,

The following itinerary was!
leased this week by the provil!
cial office of the Commun
Party:

WED, FEB, 10, CLOVERDALE

Elks Hall, j
FRI, FEB, 12, VICTORIA
SAT, FEB, 13—NANAIMO
SUN, FEB, 14, VANCOUVER:

Pender Auditorium
TUES, FEB, 16, VERNON

All meetings start at 8 Pe
Watch local announcements *
meeting halls.