‘ine

FERGUS McKEAN
LPP Provincial Leader

No.

Volume a

16, February 17, 1945

/ ‘oe McNaughton Defeated By Vicious

-Tory-CCF Campaign In Grey North

“THe outcome of the Grey

North byelection consti-
futes both a lesson and a
etaye warning to the people
oft Canada. At the most crucial
period of the war Canada’s Min-
ister of Defense, General Mc-
Naughton, was prevented from
securing: a seat in Canada’s Par-
liament, necessary for the effec-
tive -carrying out of his duties,
through the combined efforts of
the Progressive Conservative and
GCF Parties.

The conduct of the campaign
Was one of the most unprincipled
examples of political opportunism
and reckless adventurism in the
annals of Canadian politics. The
results of the byelection were the
disruption of national unity;
weakening of morale both among
the civilian population and the
armed forces overseas, embar-

Ped Baiting Charge

lully Substantiated

By MYER

(

SHARZER

5 The fact that the CCF got 19 percent of the vote is the
sly thing in the (Grey North) by-election that had any

enificance to Canadians, *
OF M._P., at last weeks ~

— contribution to the discussion
§ the topic, ““What does the
ult of the Grey North by-elec-
1 mean to Canada.” Speakers
B) participated, besides Mac-
bis, were Bergus McKean, LPP
f vincial leader, Walter Dent,
Hrnalist, and Howard Green,
isgressive-Conservative M.P,
im Vancouver South.
*he discussion, broadcast over
SOR on Monday night, was
-ked by the general agree-
at of the CCF and Tory repre-
ftatives that their parties had
ceeded in defeating the Min-
sr of Defense on the issue of
npower policy, on which issue
elnnis and Green were ob-
usly in complete harmony in
air attitude towards the gov-
iment.

F-TORY GANGUP
The CCF-Tory gangup was
0 evident in the attempt both
sakers made to revive the “red
MacInnis particularly
s true to form, attacking the
‘P for supporting McNaugh-
1 and MeNaughton for accept-
§ the support.

The Tory, Howard Green, was
t so finicky about seeing what
d been the actual lineup in
by-election, and boasted
enly that the issue had been
lanpower,” and that the CCF=
ry vote had constituted a “two
one rejection” of the govern-
int’s policy.
IDBAITING

Attempt of Angus Macinnis to
ny G@CE redbaiting in the cam-
len was completely refuted by

w

rtisements and news reports
@yed up in the Ontario Tory
‘88s, which proved how the CCF
id attempted to blast Mc-

baldly stated Angus MacInnis,
Town Meeting of the Air,”

during

Naughton for accepting “Com-
munist” support, and how On-
tario CCF leader Jolliffe had
challenged McNaughton to repu-
diate this support.

“This is something new in
Ganadian polities, *declared the
LPP leader. “It has been cus-

tomary in the United States for
a number of years, and particu-
Jarly in the last campaign the
reactionary candidate Dewey
used similar tactics. However, I
don’t believe the use of such tac-
tics edds anything to the cam-
paign. nor does it serve to solve
the issues, which I believe should
be decided on their merits.”

FOOLISH STATEMENT

MaeInnis, who had the unen-
viable task of reversing com-
pletely his party’s evaluation of
the by-election, as stated by CCF
speakers and in print prior to
February 5, got himself into dif-
ficulties again and again. It was
obvious that the ‘new line” was
proving difficult to digest, even
for an old party wheel-horse,
and as his explanations grew
“thicker” he resorted more and
more to his usual “last refuge”
of redbaiting. i

Having stated that, “I do not
think the Grey North by-elec-
tion has any important signific-
ance for the people of Canada,”
he found it difficult to reply co-
herently to the question as to
why CCE speakers had assured
voters of the constituency that
they were deciding the shape of
postwar Canada. His answer
aroused a storm of laughter as
he said “that it wouldn’t be the
first folish statement made by
the CCF,” and he quickly amend-
ed this to include other political
parties in the campaign.

The fourth speaker, Walter

' Naughton,

A broadcast delivered

at the Town Meeting

of the Air, over CJOR.
By FERGUS McKEAN

rassment of the Government in
the efficient prosecution of the
War and finally a victory for Tory
reaction. All of which was con-
tributed to and made possible by
the deliberate splitting of the
democratic vote and repetition of
the false issues and charges
vaised by the Conservatives and
by the CCE leaders who partici-
pated in the campaign.

ORY strategy in the election
campaign was to avoid any
reference to the real issues con-
frontine the Canadian psople,
such as the winning of a stable
peace, postwar reconstruction and
rehabilitation, and the introduc-
tion of social reforms necessary
to the happiness and well-being
of the Canadian people. The Tor-
ies knew perfectly well they could
not win the election if they cam-
paigned on such issues because
they are a party representativeot
the most reactionary sections of
big business and as such are op-
posed to social reforms for the
people, which can, in the final
analysis, only be financed from
the excess profits of big business.
For these reasons the Tories
conducted the campaign on the
false issue of reinforcements for
the Canadian army overseas; a
false issue because reinforce-
ments are more than adequate,
combined with a mud-slinging
campaign against the character
and integrity of General Mc-
the man who is ac-
knowledged to be the creator of
the Canadian Army.

POKESMEN for the Progres-
sive Conservatives stooped to
the most unprincipled use of in-
nuendo and distortion of the rein-
forcement issue to convince the
voters of Grey North that the
lives of their loved ones overseas
were being jeopardized because
of the reinforcement policy of
General McNaughton.

John Bracken, the Progressive
Conservative National Leader,
went so far as to charge that Ca-
nmadian troops in large numbers
were throwing their rifles over-
board from troop transports. In
spite of the fact General Mc-
Naughton, in his capacity of Min-
ister of Defence personally denied
the charge as false and stated
that only one rifle had been
thrown overboard, the charge was
repeated with an utter disregard

Dent, amused the audience with
his characterisation -of the three
candidates in the election as
‘tarneoats’”’ each of whom had
changed his politics, and the
effect this had on the type of
yoter in Grey North.

Ment warned his listeners that
no party would have a majority
in the next Parliament and drew
fron: this conclusion that what
would emerge would be a “non-
partisan” government. He also
prophesied a swing away from
the party system of government
and asserted that “even the CCF
has lost its original evangelical
fervor.”

for the truth. Io further weak-
en United Nations unity and cre-
ate demoralization the Pro-fas-
cist American senator, Burton
Wheeler repeated and further ex-
aggerated Bracken’s charges by
claiming that 16,000 to 18,000 Ca-
nadian troops had thrown their
rifles overboard. ids it not clear
that such false and irresponsible
statements can only undermine
Canadian morale and give aid and
comfort.to Hitler? That such
statements are in effect anti-war
statements as they injure our war
effort.
.)

HE role of the CCF in the
North Grey byelection was
just as reprehensible as that of
the Tories. Although the CCF
had been appealed to by Tim
Buck, National Leader of the
Labor-Progressive Party not to
split the democratic vote in North
Grey and make possible a Tory
victory, as they had done in the
Quebec election, the CCF insisted
on importing a candidate whom
they claimed spoke for labor. Who
was this champion of labor whom
the CCF put up to split the demo-
cratic vote and defeat General
McNaughton ?

The CCF candidate, Air Vice
Marshal Godfrey, is the yice-
president of a Steel Corpora-
tion in Gananoque, Que. He is
a wealthy capitalist who, in
addition to revenue from stocks
and bonds, it is reported, draws
a salary of $5,000 per year and
unlimited expenses from the
Steel Cempany in addition to
a pension from jhe Canadian
government of $5,700 per year.
He is reported to be the most
wealthy man in Gananoque
owning a summer home, sev-
era] motor cars, motor boats
and race horses. He has not
denied the charge that he re-
cently fired one worker who
had ben employed by his com-
pany for fifty-five years.

The @CF conducted the cam-
paign in Grey North on the same
false issue of reinforcements as
did the Conservatives the only
basie difference being that they
also introduced a vyicious cam-
paign of red baiting against Gen-
eral McNaughton. Conservative
newspapers in Ontario gave the
widest publicity to the red-baiting
campaign of the CCF . For in-
stance, the Toronto Globe and
Mail of January 31, carried a
headline: “Jolliffe challenges
Minister to repudiate Commun-
ist support.” While the Toronto
Evening Telegram carried a head-
line: “Communists fake labor
support for McNaughton.”

Following the election the To-
ronto Globe and Mail stated edi-
torially: ‘Regardless of the side
issues which the CCF leaders
sought to introduce into the cam-
paign, the fact remains that be-
latedly, and whether for ulterior
purposes or otherwise, they ac-
cepted the issue as the Progres-
sive Conservatives drew it and
borrowed from them the terms
of unqualified condemnation of
the Governments limited and dis-
eriminatory conscription pro-
gram.”

But not only did the CCE split
the democratic vote in Grey North
and fully align themselves with
the Tories; In their reckless am-
bition to secure partisan advan-
tage by defeating the Minister of
Defence they also split the Poli-
tical Action Committee of the
Canadian Congress of Labor.

* deference to the widespread
epposition to the attempts of
Charles Millard, MPP and other
GCF leaders to tie the unions of
the Canadian Congress of Labor
to the CCF the Political Action
Committee of the Congress, head-
ed by Millard, at its November
16 meeting adopted a resolution
whieh read: “That PAC is an
agent of the Congress unions and
wholly independent of any poli-
tical party.” “That the PAC will
join its full strength and influ-
ence with all other democratic
organizations to defeat reaction
and to ensure the election of a
representative and xresponsible
government of the people feder-
ally and provincially.”

However, followimge the nomi-
nation of General McNaughton
the January 16 meeting of the
CCF dominated PAC adopted an
entirely different resolution:
“National PAC reaffirms its en-
dorsation of the ©CF and through
its organization will do all pos-
sible to elect a CCE government
at the next federal election.”

“That in given constituencies
will endorse individual CGF can-
didates and offer full organiza-
tional support to these candidates

_|in their camaign for election.”

And to make sure all candi-
dates endorsed would be CCF the
resolution further stated: “That
lecal PAC’s shall make recom-
mendations to the National PAC
regarding local candidates but in
order that a full and co-ordinated
political action plan may be fol-
lowed the final Congress policy
in regard to candidates will be in
the hand s of the Nationai
PAG.

There. you have it. Failing in
their attempts to inveigle the
trade unions inte affiliating to
the CCF (out of 5,000 local
unions only 100 affiliated).
The CCE leadership tried to
force the trade union movement
through PAC to endorse the
CCF candidate and defeat Me-
Naughton. While they suc-
ceded in defeating McNaugh-
ton they got little er no labor
support in doing so as many
of the largest unions endérsed
MeNaughton and unions which
represent nearly half of the
membership of the Congress
withdrew their affiliation to
the National PAC.

HE lessons of the Grey North

byelection are quite clear. First
there is a real danger of the elec-
tion of a reactionary Tory gov-
ernment. Second, the opportun-
ist, partisan policies of the CCF
strengthen this danger. Third, to
ensure the election of a progres-
sive democratic government in
the next Federal election labor
and all democratie forces of the
feople must unite to form a
democratic coalition that will
give Canada a government that
will ensure peace, security and

prosperity in the post-war world.