LEGISLATIVE SESSION REVIEWED:

- Socred shift to right threat to B.C.

By NIGEL MORGAN
The 1972 Session of British
etbia’s twenty-ninth Legis-
- Ure will 0 down as one of the
Ost Teactionary in its history.
, e Bennett government went
aa — Six-week-long sitting
Fish a primary aims: (1) to
ae eC: Into the forefront of
xf Jan Provinces for its right-
la peDolicies (2) to hamstring
Book and cut-back the standard
sj pager and social welfare:
frre ) to substitute Cabinet
ae for the traditional demo-
isa Processes, abrogating to
ae absolute power over the
Tae of wage and contract
a lations, educational and
ines expenditures, and
fea long-held rights ot
Pasi. School board, city and
Nicipal representatives.
ee of tremendous public
= (which forced the
MLAs Majority of 39 out of 55
4 to withdraw Bills 88 and
contro, einet-decreed wage
‘ S were fastened on 125,000
le service employees in
and. a a grave erosion of labor
Dlace. mocratic rights took
in alot obstacles were placed
Settleme of a satisfactory
negoti ent of wage and contract
Over nate now underway for
this 0.000 working people in
. Province — starting with
Dlovees building trades em-

ltyeetteducing into the Legis-
as € main demands of
Consiqenttactor’s Association,
a peo encouragement
erable €n the arrogant, intol-
Plover Stance of the B.C. Em-
Was 3 Council, and the scene
one a sharp confron-
telations. labor-management
ra mine utilized its majority to
Tough Bill 3 to control
booze" S Salaries, and bam-
as eae Opposition (N.D.P..,
tor Bin a Liberals) into voting
NO time 7, Premier Bennett lost
Counei) enacting an Order-in-
StVieg ; limiting all public
decree, creases to a Cabinet-
this a amount, and then using
ie Sition to telegraph all
Prim Provincial premiers and
emand; Minister Trudeau
Xteng Ing Federal action to
dian Wage controls to all Cana-
orking people.

pn WAGE FREEZE
Ameng , entitled “An Act to
Provides ® Constitution Act”
leuteng that ‘‘Where the
With a ot-Governor in Council,
Contro} view to restraint and
tor the of inflationary forces and
expend ose of - . . control of
Public apes in respect of the
a 9s ieee of the province
the a €rs that no increase in
the tig uditures of the govern-
fees _ ‘@Spect of salary, wages,
the contribution ofthe

oy
Whore ment thereto for the
© Pro ic Service of the
Pereg € shall exceed such
© lation 18° as is fixed by regu-

ler ($20 n° Salaries of the Prem-
NOt exon,ce) and MLAs. shall
Unlegg fed the percentage so set
tog, SUCh excess is submitted
he py ebiscite of the electors of
Bil Bence:
Witho,, . ©8S reported adopted
an gp, “Mendment and without
Signs ite Vote, thus under-
Ring the whole struggle
“age controls and laving

the basis for the demands on
Ottawa (in the name of the B.C.
Government. Bill 37 extends the
injustices of Bill 3. and if
indirectly, nevertheless sub-
stantially contributes to under-
mining of the whole concept of
free collective bargaining.

Failure of the opposition to
come out fighting to alert labor
to what the Socreds were doing,
and utilize their legislative
positions to mobilize and unite
the public (if not quickly
changed) can only open the way
to but another defeat, and a repe-
tition in the next election of
what happened three years ago.
No one can deny that the posi-
tion of labor, the teachers,
government and municipal
employees, welfare recipients
and pensioners fighting (for
living allowances in line with
rising costs), has been made
infinitely more difficult by that
unanimous vote to extend wage
controls while corporation
profits, interest rates and rents
are left free to climb skyward.

The labor movement of B.C.,
the teachers, hospital workers,
and government employees (the
majority of British Columbians)
have demonstrated they have no
intention of accepting Bennett's
6% wage freeze. B.C. trade
unionists, teachers, government
employees and pensioners have
shown both their willingness
and capacity to fight back.

The joint meetings and good
beginnings made in taking inde-
pendent political action, and
advancing a united, common
front against Bennett's coercive
legislation have shown the way.

The teachers, B.C. Federation
of Labor. and a number of large
unions, deserve full marks for
the steps they took to bring the
government's policies to public
attention and rally support for
their defeat.

The battle is far from over.
The Bennett government is
going to be defeated on its wage
freeze. It’s anti-labor legis-
lation: it’s anti-education. anti-
welfare policies and its callous
neglect of pensioners and the
people’s interests has angered
wide sections of the people.

Their all-out offensive against
the living standards and demo-
cratic rights of the people was
not concocted on the spur of the
moment, nor is it a temporary
emergency. It is an integral
part of the Socred program of
massive giveaways to the
foreign monopolies. of support-
ing dollar devaluation and
working towards customs union
with the U.S.

It was carefully elaborated
and represents a new phase of
development in which the com-
bined force of monopoly capital
and the state machinery aim to
increase the rate of exploita-
tion. and by- more repressive
forms. legally imposed and en-
forced. to destroy the power of
the working people to resist the
robbery and betraval involved.

Tied with it is a wholesale
offensive against lower income
groupings: a “tax the poor to
make the rich richer’ budget
which takes $409 million in
various sales and consumer
taxes from our pockets while

only recovering $172 million
from all royalties. licenses and
permits for our fantastically
profitable lumber, mineral.
coal, oil and gas resources, and
the cutbacks in education and so-
called ‘welfare reform”
program to destroy the existing
svstem and standards of public
welfare.

FIGHT BACK

There is scarcely a section of
the working and professional
people in B.C. who aren't
thoroughly fed-up and angered
by what the Bennett govern-
ment has done in this third
session. The political rumbling
is unquestionably getting
louder. There is deep concern.
The grass roots are on fire. What
is needed is a common program
of demands, based on the com-
mon concerns, to bring together
a common front representative
of the widest spectrum of opposi-
tion to the Bennett government
and its big business policies.

In this direction the teacher’s
proposal to initiate Citizen's
Committees in every consti-
tuency (and invite everyone
opposed to Bennett’s coercive
laws to participate) is a signifi-
cant and important develop-
ment. It should be given the
widest support in the effort to
develop unity in action against
the Socred program. This could

lead to a united labor-demo-

cratic alliance in the coming
Provincial election that would
guarantee replacement of the
Bennett ‘‘corporate state”’ dicta-
torship by a majority of elected
representatives. who could be
counted on to put the people's
interests first. And, that will not
be achieved by telling half a
million working people to ‘Get
Off Their Rumps and Vote
NDP” as Dave Barrett has re-
peatedly done. The persistence
of such narrow, partisan, anti-
unity attitudes constitute a

serious obstacle to generating a-

movement capable of achieving
victory. ,

The outlook is not bleak.
Significant new forces have
taken a stand and are moving
left. And while the NDP is the
largest political grouping at the
present time, it is not the united
front.

There are decisive sections of
anti-Bennett forces who do not.
and cannot be expected to
support the NDP in the immed-
iate period. An alliance of all
these forces is needed to reverse
the outcome of the last election
and defeat the Socreds present
heavy majority.

We must see and realize these
positive developments. The
people s forces can build on
them. To win we must not be
satisfied with them as they now
stand. We must signal the urgent
need for raising them to a new
level. The situation calls for the
broadest possible coalition to
challenge the power of the mono-
polies and ensure a change in
Victoria this time. This is the
only way to end the attacks upon
us. to fulfill today’s responsi-
bilities and seize the oppor-
tunities presented by the unpre-
cedented growth of mass
struggle and unity.

A) os “i a

wit THE Bo MORE
wostene, Me CHABOT ad
ar oe : \*" ERASE

WiO te
on? DISGRACE

B BILLS),
3:88, |

WO Woy, “AND UP?
one op
Woon
ONPHAYE

pss
sy

ERASE
a DISGRACE

The recent Legislative session was marked by popular protests against
the government's sharp shift to the right . . . above trade unionists
protesting Bill3and88. . . Photos by K. Robson & G. Richards

. . Teachers in convention condemning the Socred anti-education
legislation. . .

. . . Lobby protesting the third crossing and demanding action on rapid
transit. . .

. . Native Indians protesting lack of action on the death of Fred Quilt

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 1972—-PAGE 3