THE RIGHT TO DECENT HOUSING

Canada’s housing situation is critical. Home ownership becomes more elusive, rents continue tO
climb. Decent housing is not guaranteed as a right for Canadians. The reverse occurs: developers,
banks, mortgage companies make fortunes on the housing market. The poor live in slums, pay the
highest percentage of their incomes for inferior housing. Shelter costs have skyrocketted over the past
decade and there is adesperate shortage of low cost housing. Half a million homes are needed now just’
to keep up to present demands.

Under socialism decent housing is a basic right. Despite heavy war damage, reconstruction and new
construction has provided most families with good housing. In the GDR they plan to completely solve
the housing shortage by 1990. Rents are incredibly low — in the Soviet Union rents have not risen since
1928! Rent and apartment sizes are determined by your income and family requirements alone. Heating,
gas and electricity have maintained the 1948 levels. Compare this with your housing costs.

Bere as aioe let Saedibilate THE RIGHT TO HEALTH CARE
The workers in this photo are on strike against a U.S.-owned multi- |

national corporation. The signs tell thelr story, “We want dignity,notpover- = 454 health care is not universal in Canada. The dollar operates. Decent health service, recreation,
ty,” “Rest periods for resting not running”. diet, for all is non-existent. National Welfare Council figures reveal that the poorer you are the less
— healthy you are likely to be: A 1969 study of school children in a Montreal low income area showed:
21.3% of the children were undernourished, more than 22% were retarded in weight and height, 27.5%
were retarded in physical-mental coordination. 1970 figures show that 24.5% of Canadian children
under 16 (1, 657,019 of them) were living in poverty. What about their human rights? Is this picture
improving? Cutbacks across the board in social services including health services reveal the reverse
to be true.

ga

Socialist health care is universal, free and wide ranging. Each citizen is fully protected throughout his
or her lifetime by the world’s finest health service. The aim is to safeguard health, increase the lifespan,
reduce the illness.rate and to eliminate factors and conditions harmful to heatlh. Clinics, hospitals,
factory clinics, resorts, medical research, ample doctors (the USSR's doctors account for over one-
fourth of the world’s total number) — all combine to provide citizens with complete health care free of
cost.

Mere, THE RIGHT TO A FULL EDUCATION

Canadian taxpayers pay $3.4-billion a year to provide the armament’s In our class system we have a class education. Today only 6% of university students come from
industry with super-profits. In spite of repeated efforts by the socialist families of industrial workers or craftsmen. Forty-six per cent of the places are occupied by the children
world to enact a universal disarmament program, Canada persistsin tailing of the upper 20% of Canada’s income bracket. This structure extends to public education with the poor
the United States in her foreign policy and actively works to undermine the receiving the poorest education and less opportuntiy for attaining the needed skills for decent jobs.
agreements of the Helsinki Conference. Figures indicate that more than 600,000 students will be unable to find work by 1980. Added to this,

‘ university fees continue to soar, putting higher education further out of the reach of working-class
students.

-In socialist countries education is free right through university. Only the student's desire to learn;
B ae capacity, interest and skills determine the level reached. Students are paid a living allowance during
education and guaranteed work in their field upon graduation. Continual education for working is
universal and provides complete opportunity for profession upgrading or change of skills. A socialist
system, requiring a highly educated workforce, encourages its people to obtain the best educational
levels.

FREEDOM OF THE PRESS

Canada's media is owned and controlled privately. Press mogul Lord Thompson called this “‘a licence
~ to print money”. It’s more than that: its a licence to mould public opinion, misinform when necessary;
— ___ black out the news, distort, play issues up or down, depending on the requirements of the owners and
; on anemmaenen mena: meget as jot Fin tahevond the advertisers. We don't have a “free press”. We have a privately-owned and controlled press at the service
pecent housing Is not a right in Canada. sulle valpall af slay Jon natt of corporations and their governments. We have a biased press — biased in favor of the influential and
eek ist — fanactens.1e a 25% of tenants spe powerful because the press belongs to the influential and powerful. = ;

™ — Freedom of the press is guaranteed in socialist constitutions. The media is owned by the people and -
informs, reflects their views and interests and educates the people. There are restrictions: race hatred,

| anti-Semitism, war propaganda, sensationalism and religious discrimination are not permitted. The

"4 same applies to all mass media. There is no advertising that determines and controls programming.

Harmful violence is not inflicted on children via the TV screen to sell cars, gasoline or breakfast foods.

International treaties on human
rights — and who supports them?

_ The United Nations’ efforts to fight for human rights Is reflected in the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. These
are the basic UN documents which record In treaty form the principles contained in the UN Declaration
on Human Rights.

A ity in the extreme north of They have been ratified by the socialist states and many other UN nations. The United States has not
th Medical student at the Yakut State University In {minority groups and ratified these Covenants. The U.S. also refuses to accede to the International Conventions on the
le USSR. Special attention is paid to the education o 4s Aretha ofthe Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid, on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial
Sse aaas bein atany ar ara on a sfthe results | Dlscrimination and has refused to support the UN Decade of Action Against Racism (1973-1983).
ation is engaged in some form of hig -"
of a socialist ean of education is that USSR doctors account for one-
Urth of the world’s number.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MARCH 18, 1977—Page 7