On the eve of the 29th Legislature

Need pressure to force issues

By WILLIAM STEWART
Ontario Leader, Communist Party

TORONTO — The Fourth Ses-
sion of the 29th Legislature of
Ontario opens on Tuesday March
5 and on its eve, indications are
that it will be stormy.

Taxes, transportation, regional
government, municipal auton-
omy, housing and anti-labor
legislation, joined together with
inflation and unemployment, face
the Davis_ government with
monumental problems which the
speech from the throne can be
expected .to skilfully evade ra-
ther than solve.

Metro Toronto houseowners
and renters were dismayed last
week to'see predictions of a tax
increase this year which could
go as high as an astronomical
$70 and no lower than $40 on
the average home, which would
pass itself along to renters.

At the same time Metro
Chairman Paul Godfrey, whose
propensity for shooting from the
lip is quickly eroding his credi-
bility, threatened Metro transit-
users with a 25% increase in
fares. :

This situation will confront
most major municipalities when
they face up to budgets this
year. Assessment, the one means
of transferring the load from
homeowners to revenue produc-
ing property, which previously
rested with the municipalities, is
now in the hands of the provin-
cial governments, and municipa-
lities are faced with the dilemma
of either cutting services, which
in many cases are already too
limited, or hoisting the mill rate
on homes.

Less Than Kind

Only the provincial and federal
governments have the power to
tax the big monopolies who are
responsible for skyrocketing
costs, and great pressure can be
expected on Queen’s Park to
cough up with the money needed
to meet rising costs and prevent
massive tax increases. :

To make matters more difficult
for the already embattled Tories
who seem to be staggering from
one conflict of interest scandal
to another, the Ontario Economic
Council brought down five re-
ports last week which were less
than kind to the Davis adminis-
tration.

Ontario is systematically un-
dermining local government au-
fonomy, said one report titled
The Municipal Dynamic. This
puts. the future of local govern-
ment on “shaky foundations”.
This report can be sure of heat-
ing up the smoldering resent-

A leaflet entitled, “Stop the
layoffs in the Auto Industry”
issued by the Oshawa Club of
the Communist Party of Canada
has been distributed to auto
workers throughout southwest-
ern Ontario.

The leaflet charged that, “The
U.S.-owned and controlled auto
monopolies are taking advantage
of the energy crisis to increase
their massive profits at the ex-
pense of the workers in the in-
dustry. Huge layoffs are coupled
with speedup and increased ex-
ploitation of those who remain
on the job.”

To stop the layoffs and in-
creased exploitation, the leaflet
said, ‘Immediate emergency

Ontario Premier Davis’ “new
cabinet has to be seen as the
preparations for the upcoming
elections and an attempt to re-
peat the sleight-of-hand which
worked in the last elections. Six
new members were added, five
old ones dropped, among them
some of the most reactionary
and useless in the cabinet. Two
new posts were added, bringing
the cabinet up to 18 members.

ment existing around the prov-
ince about the Tory high handed
regional government policies and
its incursion into almost all areas
previously under control of local
municipal councils and school-
boards. But also in the area of
art and culture the heavy hand
of Queen’s Park is being felt ever
stronger.

Confrontation Politics -

Another report knocks the
government for dragging its
heels on _ industrial pollution
around the province... This -will
undoubtedly bring the environ-
mentalists into full throttle ac-
tion at this session of the Legis-
lature demanding action by the
new Minister of Environmental

- Control.

A third significant report
warns of “higher taxes, higher
municipal debts, and drastically
reduced services”. This report
accuses the Ontario government
of playing confrontation politics
with Ottawa which stands in the
way of an orderly approach to
more Ottawa assistance to the
province.

All. the reports stressed the
need for improved federal-pro-
vincial relations and spoke of the
feeling of isolation and aliena-
tion people felt from the social
services provided by the prov-
ince.

At the same time as these re-
ports were being made public,
Davis announced a major Cabi-
net upheaval which saw six new
members added to the Cabinet,

‘The auto layoffs must stop!’

legislation is needed by govern-
ments at both the federal and
provincial levels to guarantee
jobs for Canadian auto workers.
The layoffs must stop. The U.S.
auto monopolies must be curbed
by the imposition of legislative
control over this vital Canadian
manufacturing industry.

The leaflet also called for a
safeguarding of the 1965 Canada-
U.S. auto pact and an extension
of the Pact to ensure growth of
the industry in Canada, as well
as for steps to bring about pub-
lic democratic control of the
Canadian auto industry.

The leaflet pointed to one of
the weaknesses of the recently
concluded negotiations where the

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 1974—-PAGE 6

five old Cabinet members drop-
ped and two new posts added,
bringing the Cabinet to 18 mem-
bers plus the premier.
Most Reactionary

Notable in the sackings were
Dalton Bales, Attorney General,
and Solicitor-General John Ya-

remko, both of whom had been

involved in conflict of interest
deals recently. Yaremko, who
was one of the most reactionary
and useless members of the Cabi-
net, made a profession of anti-
Communism. He defeated A. A.
McLeod, Labor-Progressive mem-
ber for Bellwoods in 1957 on the
basis of one of the most scurri-
lous campaigns ever waged in
Ontario. He was Legislative
spokesman for ultra-nationalist
right wing groupings in the city,
along with Allan Grossman who
missed the axe this time around
and was switched to a new post
of Provincial Secretary of Re-
source Development.

In the main the Cabinet switch
has to be regarded as prepara-
tions for the upcoming Ontario
elections and an attempt by
Davis to repeat the slight-of-
hand which worked in the last
election. In that case Premier
Robarts, who was also in deep
trouble, stepped down and Davis
was selected leader at the Tory
convention. A Detroit public re-
lations team then convinced On-
tario voters that there was a
new man, a new team, and new
policies at Queen’s Park. It has

taken a little more than two”

years to abuse that illusion.
Clear Alternatives

All’ of which, we repeat, sets
the stage for a session which will
be the percursor of the next On-
tario elections. For the working
people of Ontario however, one
thing is sure. If there is to be
anything meaningful coming
from this session for them it
will only happen if they make
it happen.

This means mass pressure on
the legislature, as in the example
set by Ontario teachers last De-
-cember, plus a sharp projection
of clear alternative policies by
the NDP inside the house.

For the Communist Party, and
the Ontario trade union move-
ment and other special interest
groups it means focusing great
attention on the present session
of the Legislature and transform-
ing it from a closed circuit opera-
tion to a meaningful public
forum where the real issues con-
fronting the people of this prov-
ince can be forced out into the

* open and debated before the

people.

union failed to press for and win
more wages, shorter hours and
an end to the killing speedup. As
an answer to these shortcom-
ings, the leaflet put forward a
demand “to re-open the contracts
to deal with the questions of
shorter hours, protection for
short term employees under the
terms of Supplementary Unem-
ployment Benefits (SUB) and
overtime. There are precedents
for such re-openers and in any

case drastic conditions require.

drastic actions by the union
leadership.”

The leaflet concluded by point-
ing to monopoly capitalism as
the cause of the crisis and de-
manded that it pay for the crisis.

Mowat on Solzhenitsy

In the huffing and puffing by
Canadian writers over the “fate”
of Alexander Solzhenitsyn, one
sane voice has emerged from the
frenzy. This belong to author
Farley Mowat, who has spent
considerable time in the Soviet
Union.

In reply to types such as Pierre
Berton and Charles Templeton,
who have jumped on the pro-
Solzhenitsyn bandwagon with a
vengeance, Mowat writes (To-
ronto Star, Feb. 23):

« _ . Surely it is now obvious
that the hysteria about Solzhenit-
syn’s actual arrest was indeed
blown out of proportion. Instead
of being killed, or sent'to Si-
beria, as both Solzhenitsyn and
his supporters in the West in-
sisted would be his fate, he was
exiled to West Germany and is
now in Switzerland.

“Anyone who has read Solzhe-
nitsyn’s work, particularly his
early verse play The Victor’s
Feast, knows he is not interest-
ed in reforming the Soviet sys-
tem — he wants it destroyed and
replaced by a system such as
ours. :

action against him by ignorl

“That is his business; but
pretend he is a patriotic refo
er of the Soviet system is, to us
one of Berton’s own phrases, hog
wash. That Solzhenitsyn sou
martyrdom with all the strengt
of his being is so apparent tha
it does not need additional com:
ment.” ; .

Berton and Templeton had 4
tacked Mowat for his first state
ment after Solzhenitsyn’s arrest
At that time Mowat said tha
“the arrest was complete
blown out of proportion,” and
cried “the considerable hysteria:
over the event. ~ 5

Solzhenitsyn, Mowat said ther
was “deliberately attempting ©
force” the Soviet Union to tas

summonses and is “dedicated
the destruction of the Soviet s¥*
tem.” ae

He said Solzhenitsyn was “M0
a great author” but rather —
good adequate one.” His fam
Mowat stated, comes from hi
opposition to the socialist Be
tem, not from his writing,
there was “political reasoning
behind the awarding of
Nobel Prize.

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Firms seek injunction

to silence

TORONTO — Two Toronto
companies, Toronto Refiners and
Smelters Ltd. and Canada Metal
Co. Ltd., are seeking injunctions
against three members of the
Toronto Board of Health. The in-
junctions are to prevent the
board members from dealing
with any business involving the
metal companies!

The metal companies involved
in the court actions refine and
reclaim lead products. The pro-
cess of reclamation, according to
community workers and health
Officials, can cause serious injury
to workers who work in the
plant and to residents who live
in the area of the plants. The in-

jury derives, they say, from in- |

ordinate amounts of lead par-
ticles in the air, which, when in-
haled, can cause lead poisoning
of the blood.
The injunctions sought against
the health board members by
_ the companies, are part of a
series of legal steps that the
companies have taken to silence
their critics. In the past month
the company also had injunctions
issued against the Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation and
the Toronto Globe and Mail to
prevent them from commenting
on the anything to do with the
lead poisoning issue. An hour-
long program of investigative re-

lead critics

porting on the CBC’s «As It
pens”, which was to
the issue of lead poisoning
stopped in the middle 5
broadcast when an injul
was served on it.

While the flurry of Te
injunctions continue tO Pe
of the provincial courts, | 1
vincial ministry respon ai
investigating incidents 0
trial poisoning — the
ment of Health — has ye
ticeably silent. And no |
been able to get an injur
against the companies a
their activities, which i?
tors allege, poison the aif

As the companies cOMy
spew the accused pollute’
the air, their lawyers an
manded an apology Mail!
CBC and the Globe and the
Outerbridge, lawyer for ©,
panies, seems to assume 7
need only “keep them
about injunctions and 9
lead pollution and 4
will be all right,” bees
long as the judges co! ress
issue injunctions to sup will
companies’ critics,
stare confine the die
court battles and avoi bt
of how many children
ing permanent damage

pollution.

~~