ae

@ East coast layoffs: Anger is
building over National Sea
Products’ closure of two fish
plants in Newfoundland and
Nova Scotia; over-fishing and
free trade are targeted.

Page 10

@ The Last Spike: Ottawa plans to
pull the ties that bind'the nation
with its decimation of Via Rail,
but union actions and an artists’
tour aim to keep the trains on

the track.
Page 6

@ No seven-per-cent solution:
The Business Council on
National Issues has the Tories
reduce the proposed Goods and
Services Tax to seven per cent,
but it’s still a regressive tax.

Page 4

@ No choice in Nanaimo: Local
MLAs and an outraged
community are demanding the
provincial government overturn
the Nanaimo Regional General
Hospital board's decision to ban
abortions.

Page 7

@ Middle East: The road to peace
is blocked as long as Israel's
right-wing leaders continue to
dream of “greater Israel,” Adel

Safty writes.
Page 20

@ After the Summit: Mikhail
Gorbachev and George Bush
met at sea, and while they
struck no formal agreements,
there may be smoother sailing
ahead in the search for world

peace.
Page 24

Spotlight on

El Salvador
— page 25 —

Reviewing
books, music
— pages 27-30 —

Hold up Ul legislation

December 18, 1989
50°

Vol..52, No.45

Bishops urge Senate

TRIBUNE PHOTO — SEAN GRIFFIN

With this special 32-page year-end issue, the Tribune extends
holiday greetings and our best wishes for peace in 1990 to all our
readers and supporters. We'll be back with our first issue of the
new year Jan. 15.

In an urgent appeal for the “will of the
people to be heard,” the Canadian Confer-
ence of Catholic Bishops last week called on
the Senate to hold up Bill C-21, the
government’s unemployment insurance
bill, until hearings on the contentious legis-
lation can be conducted across the country.

The call, issued Dec. 12 on behalf of the
bishops by Charles Valois, chair of the
Episcopal Commission for Social Affairs,
came as the Tory government moved closer
to.the Jan. 1, 1990.date when the legislative
changes to UL areslated to come into effect.
Bill C-21 calls for $1.3 billion in cuts to the
UI program, including reductions in benef-
its, changes to entrance requirements and
the transfer of funds from the insurance
program to job training.

“The withdrawal of federal government
financing from the unemployment insu-
rance program, coupled with the new
entrance restrictions, penalty clauses and

see CALL page 7

Coalition to
fight dioxins

Recent closures of fishing grounds
and a leaked federal government
report showing how senior govern-
ments routinely let corporate pollu-
ters violate dumping regulations have
sparked an almost spontaneous anti-
pollution movement, says a spokes-
person for the United Fishermen and
Allied Workers Union.

“What seems to be evolving is a
kind of groundswell where a number
of coalitions are converging,” says
Arne Thomlinson of the T. Buck
Suzuki Foundation, the  union’s
environmental wing.

The new Anti-Pollution Coalition
of fishermen, environmentalists,
natives and forest unions have
demanded “an end to the environ-
mental catastrophe facing us due to
the continuing release of toxic sub-
stances from B.C. pulp mills and
sawmills.”

In a statement the coalition invited
federal Fisheries Minister Tom Sid-
don, his provincial counterpart John
Savage, and the provincial and federal
environment ministers to attend a
meeting slated for Dec. 17, 1:30 p.m.
at 111 Victoria Dr. in Vancouver.

see INQUIRY page 3