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Wie! Letters

Walter Tickson, secretary Nanaimo, Dun-
can and District Labor Council, writes: The
Nanaimo, Duncan and District Labor
Council at its regular meeting on Sept. 19,
condemned the Macdonald Commission
recommendations for free trade with the
U.S. and urged the Canadian Labor Con-
gress, MPs and the trade union movement
to mount a public campaign to reject the
sellout to the U.S. under the pretext of “free
trade.” Such free trade would make Canada
a total satellite of the U.S. — a hewer of
Wood and drawer of water.

The immediate consequence of free trade
would be the closing down of U.S. manu-
facturing plants in Canada. Many of these
Plants were established here to get under the
tariff protection to produce for the Cana-
dian market. Once the tariff barriers are
Temoved the reason for the existence of
these plants disappears. The U.S. corpora-
tions would supply the Canadian market
from their highly integrated U.S. manufac-
turing plants.

_The Canadian market would imme-
diately be flooded with cheaper goods from
the U.S., driving Canadian manufacturing
plants out of business. The result would be
the loss of hundreds of thousands of Cana-
dian manufacturing jobs in machine build-
Ing, textiles, shoemaking, electrical goods
and many others. All this is offered with the
Promise of lower consumer prices. But once
the Canadian producers are out of the way,
the U.S. corporations will raise the prices to
what the traffic will bear.

There are other far-reaching changes that
would come with free trade. The idea of free
trade is based on the principle that compet-
ing companies in the two countries are on
an equal footing, with neither group enjoy-
ing special privileges which give them an
advantge. This means that many of the laws

-~NDDLC hits free trade

and business practices of the two countries
would have to be changed to be in line with
each other. It isn’t hard to predict which
country, Canada or the U.S., would change
to match the standards of the other. The
U.S. with its manufacturing and military
might and population ten times greater, is
not about to change its business practices
for the purpose of accommodating Canada.
Canada would be forced to change its prac-
tices and institutions. This would mean “a
fundamental shift in the philosophy of
government and the economy” in Canada.

Free trade would mean a loss of whatever
economic independence we have left; it
would completely undermine our national
independence and national sovereignty.

Instead of free trade we need to protect
and extend Canadian manufacturing indus-
try. We need to build an east-west power
grid to supply cheap energy to Canadian
manufacturing industry.

We need to protect Canadian manufac-
turing industry by giving priority rights to
raw materials to those companies that are
prepared to manufacture machines and
other commodities in Canada for the Can-
adian and the world market.

We need to provide long term credits to
those countries buying our machines and
other manufactured goods. Countries like
Nicaragua, those in the third world and the
socialist countries have expressed great
interest in such trade arragenemetns.

We must compel our politicans to reject
free trade with the U.S. To do nothing is to
allow the right-wing opportunists and U.S.
agents to reduce Canada to third world
country economic status.

Again we urge the CLC and all patriotic
Canadians to unite to defeat the sellout that
is in the making under the free trade prop-
osals.

Hal Banks demise no loss

Stan Wingfield, Montreal, writes: In the
Montreal Gazette of Sept. 25 Paul Delean
Teported that Hal Banks of the Seafarers’
International Union had died that week in
the U.S.

As an ex-seaman and member of the
Canadian Seamen’s Union, along with
thousands of other seamen who were black-
listed 36 years ago by this American thug,
there is no feeling of a loss on our part. As

€ Is going to be given a sea burial by the
in San Francisco with his ashes to be
Scattered on the water, we hope that the
ashes will end up by the shore at the sewage
Outfall for that city.

Delean states that Banks came into Can-

ada at the invitation of the Trades and
abor Congress of Canada. For the record,
Want to point out that the TLC supported

the Canadian Seamen’s Union in its legal

deepsea strike.
Delean also omits to say that Banks had
Served time in the San Quentin peniteniary,
fore he came to Canada. There is no
doubt that all authorities knew of his crimi-
Nal record, yet allowed him into Canada, to
Serve the purpose of the shipowners and the

__ Bovernment of the day.

t’s remember that part of our deepsea
et at that time was owned by the Cana-
4N government (the Canadian National
teamship Lines).

. he shipowners for years had tried to get
Nid of the Canadian Seamen’s Union, claim-
ig they objected to some Communists in its

fadership. Their point was that they could
Not make sweetheart deals with a leadership
Which came from the rank and file and were

elected democratically from those same
Tanks and could not be bought off at man-
@gement’s bidding.
© Canadian Seamen’s Union was
Smashed because of greed for more profits
by the shipowners. They wanted the likes of
~anks who would not throw up picket lines
fa ship was beirig sold to other countries or
the shipowners were trying to put Cana-
Vessels under foreign flags using cheap

labor. Nor did they want the seamen to raise
their voices in protest of conditions as they
had always done under the CSU banner.

During the Second World War, Cana-
dian merchant seamen from the CSA made
a no-strike pledge for the war effort. In turn,
the federal government promised that once
the war was over they would have a modern
merchant marine and ouz shipyards would be
busy building them and doing the repairs.

It’s been many years since the end of that
war and the false promises that were made.
Canada no longer has a deepsea fleet and
our shipyards are very nearly idle.

No doubt the shipowners and some
people on Parliament Hill will now feel
more at ease that Banks is finally dead.
There is no longer any possibility of him
talking and causing them problems. That’s
the real reason he was never brought back
to face criminal charges in Canada.

The attack on the Canadian Seamen’s
Union was a black mark against those who
arranged it. They broke a democratically-
run union, but they never could and never
did break its spirit.

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COMING EVENTS

OCT. 26 — Coffee House, 805 E. Pender St..8
p.m. Entertainment and refreshments. Adm.
$2. For more info. see display ad.

OCT. 26 — Vancouver Peace Assembly fund-
raising social to send delegate to national peace
conference in Toronto. 6 p.m. at Arnie Thom-
linson’s, 483 East 49th Ave. Dinner, enter-
tainment. $5/$3 unemployed. Ph. 254-8692.

OCT. 27 — COPE FILM FESTIVAL. 2 p.m.
Vancouver East Cinema, 2290 Commercial Dr.
“Night Without Fear” and “A Question of
Silence.”

PORT ALBERNI
OCT. 27 — Introduction to Marxist Philo-
sophy. Prof. Charles Tolman. Greenwood Hotel.
7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sponsored by Socialist
Study group.

OCT. 27 — East Indian dinner and social,
complete with live entertainment. Sunnyside
Hall, Surrey. Doors open at 4:30 p.m., dinner at
5:30 p.m. $6 employed/$4 unemployed. Pro-
ceeds to Surrey Coalition of Progressive Elec-
tors. Co-sponsored by East. Indian Workers
Association.

OCT. 30 — After Nairobi, Where do we go:

from here? A panel discussion with Libby
Davies, CCW; Marian Dodds, BCTF; Emma Kie-
sild, Vancouver Status of Women. 8 p.m. at
Women in Focus, 456 W. Broadway. $2 if you
can. Coffee and discussion afterwards. Co-
sponsored by Congress of Canadian Women
and Women in Focus.

NOV. 2 — Youth Salutes the 68th Anniver-
sary of the Russian Socialist Revolution. Ban-
quet and special youth program. 6:30 p.m.
Russian People’s Hall, 600 Campbell Ave.
Tickets: $10, $8 oap, unemployed, $4 children.
Hear: Reg Walters, Young Communist League;
Chilean, Ukrainian and Canadian children per-
formers; Russian Choir. Sponsored by Greater
Vancouver Committee, CPC and YCL.

NOV. 3 — COPE FILM FESTIVAL. 2 p.m. The
Ridge Theatre, 3131 Arbutus St. “You Have
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and “Last Grave at Dimbaza.”

NOV. 10 — Celebrate 68th anniversary of the
October Socialist Revolution. Clayton Com-
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entertainment, light supper and refreshments.
Spons. by Fraser Valley Region, CPC.

NOTICES

LICENCED DAYCARE in my home by quali-
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FOR SALE

CHRISTMAS or greeting cards with message
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TO RENT

2 BDRM. upper suite, 49th & Fraser. Fridge,
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COMMERCIAL

GRAMMA PUBLICATIONS. Complete print-
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union shop. 1595 W. 3rd Ave. Vancouver.
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 733-6822.

ELECTRICAL PLUMBING, appliance repairs.
Don Berg 255-7287.

GENERAL INSURANCE, home, business,
trade union. Dave Morton, bus. 986-9351; res.
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LEGAL SERVICES

RANKIN, BOND, McMURRAY. Barristers —

and Solicitors. 2nd Floor, 157 Alexander Street,
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DIRECTORY

COMMUNIST PARTY OF CANADA offices
located at 102, 2747 E. Hastings St. Vancouver.
Phone 254-9836. Office hours: 9:30-12 noon;
1-5 p.m. Mon to Fri. For information on political
issues or assistance in political activity.

~ HALLS FOR RENT

RUSSIAN PEOPLE’S HOME — Available for
rentals. For reservations phone 254-3430.

UKRAINIAN CANADIAN CULTURAL
CENTRE — 805 East Pender St. Vancouver.
Available for banquets, weddings, meetings.
Phone 254-3436.

Classified advertising rates $1 per line per
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JOURNEY TO THE SOVIET
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PACIFIC TRIBUNE, OCTOBER 23, 1985 e 11

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