Page 12 — April 7, 1945

World

By AL PARKIN

HEN Canada’s House of Commons gave the Macken-
zie Kingvgovernment a 202 to 5 vote approving the
policies to be followed by the Canadian delegation to the
San Francisco world security conference, the country was
comimitted for the first time to definite support of the per-

spectives for world peace and
economic security laid down by
the Big Three at Yalta. That
Was the outstanding fact which
emerged from the debate. It

Was made clear by leading Lib- |

erals and the two LPP members
who took part in the discussion
on the House floor. It was em-

phasized by Prime Minister
Kine in his summary of the
.fovernment’s position which

preceded the taking of the vote.

Canada would not, the Prime
Minister asserted, go to the San
Francisco conference with any
proposals for amendments to
the Dumbarton Oaks plan. .He
denied, categorically that the
government had any intention
of hedging on Canada’s’ com-
mittments to the proposed
world security organization. He
refused to accept the Progres-
sive-Conservative demand that
Canada attend the peace meet-
ing as part of @ British Com-
monwealth bloc “which would
speak as ‘one voice” at the con-
ference.

In affirming these things, Mr.
King undoubtedly voiced the
sentiments of the overwhelming
mojority of Canadians.

For Canadians want their
country to acept responsib-
ity as a member of the new
world security organization,
ready to share responsibility
for jointly preventing ag-
gression, and ready to main-
tain a permanent armed force
after the war in order to help
in the collective safeguarding
of the peace.

The Ottawa debate did more
than place Canada behind the
decisions of Roosevelt, Churchill
and Stalin at Yalta. It served
also to bring into sharp focus
two opposing policies which
would, if permitted to hold
Sway, negate Canada’s part in
shaping world peace and seri-
ously weaken the structure of
the peace itself.

_monwealth

HILE the Mackenzie King

Liberals, with some waver-
ing and confused
generally presented and spoke
for a realistic policy based on
Dumbarton Oaks and Yalta, the
Progressive-Conservatives, un-
willing and in fact unable to
openly condemn the Yalta
agreement, camouflaged - their
attack on postwar unity by de-
manding that Canada submerge
her voice within-a British Com-
bloc. This would
mean a form of Empire isola-
tion. It would in effect line
CaCnada up in opposition to
both the United States and the
Soviet Union and would, as
Mackenzie King ointed out, ul-
timately weaken if not smash
the British Commonwealth. The
Tories were speaking for that
minority group of reactionary
finance capital who favor a do-
mestie policy of searcity and
unemployment, and a foreign
policy of unrestricted and un-
regulated world trade and im-
perialist adventure. But the
Tories knew they did not speak
for the people. They proved this
by not daring to vote against
the government’s policy.

The CCF group in the House
put forward still another point
of view, -as dangerous in its
implications as the Tory line.
CCF members, while praising
the unity of the Big Three, in-
troduced again the demagogic
argument of the “rights” of
small nations. They declared,
in effect, that the new world se-
curity setup should follow the
pattern of the defunct League
of Nations, with all states hav-
ing equal status. This point of
view, shared by most of the
CCF top leaders and expounded
often enough in the official
CCF press, is the product of
muddled thinking and a lack of
understanding, deliberate or
otherwise, of the actual work-

exceptions,

@)

This is the end of
the MISTY QUEEN,
valiant shjp of the
American Merchant
Mevime, destvoyed
bya Jap torpedo..
Go ends a career
movKed by courage
and valor in the
War for Ene Four
Freedoms.........

FEDERATED pRees-14

“COME ON,
CARL! HANG
ON!

Security Conference |

THE ORGANIZATION PROPOSED AT DUMBARTON OAKS

ings of the proposed world se-
curity council drafted at Dum-
barton Oaks. :

So far as the small powers
are concerned, they will not only
be adequately represented on
the World Security Council but
will have a majority of votes—
Six out of the eleven.

When questions arise not in-
volving the use of force, no na-
tion which is a party-to the dis-
pute, whether it be great or
small, will partiripate in the
Couneil’s decisions, and all de-
eisions will be made by a ma-
jority of the Council’s member-
ship. In situations involving the
use of force, the majority prin-
eiple still operates but there
must be unanimity of the five
great powers before action is
taken—that is, each of the great
powers has the right to veto ac-
tion against itself.

Now this section in the Dum-
barton Oaks proposals concern-
ing the right of veto, which was
worked out in its final draft at
Yalta, has caused sole confu-
sion, much of it deliberately

‘THE KID---
JOHNNIE!
DID YOu
SEE HIM?

SECRETARIAT

created by irresponsible news-
paper discussion. But the fact
is, Should a state of affairs ever
arise in which four of the great
powers act against the remain-
ing one, then all the security
councils in the world will not
preserve the peace.

A lasting peace, then,® will

still rest on the continued unity

of the great powers, just as
victory in the war is depending
on that unity. ae
The important thing to con-
sider—and the CCF deliberately
obseures this fact—is that the
smal] nations are surely safer
in a world in which the great
powers have reached an agree-
ment to keep the peace, than in
any alternative situation where
they might become rivals and
antagonists, each burdened with
enormous military establish-
ments, perpetually poised for
an assault on one or the other,

perpetually striving to cut each -

other’s throat in the field of
world trade, and with the Soviet
Union continually menaced by
a new Cordon Sanitaire.

NO, CARL--
IM AFRAID
HE'S--- 4

--OR A SLOW DEATH ae

Sa

AND SO FAHEY DRIFT WITH THE
TIGE, WAITING FOR RESCUE --

HOURS LATER 4 JAP PATROL
ON AN ISOLATED ISLAND
MAKES A REPORT---

’ SIRE,1 GEG TO
REPORT--YELLOW-=

--AND SHOOT
WELL!
=)

fame RELATIONSHIP DEFINED IN PROpasa;
@ was RELATIONSHIP TO BE DET! ERMINED

CANADA'S position in ¢
World Security Council as
Ration supporting the gene
‘perspectives laid down in ¢.
Crimea Accord ean in fact bee
cisive in helping to bring abe
a basis for political and ecor
mic cooperation between Brit:
and the United States 7
prevention of conflicts and m
understandings between fhe
two powers is going to be ¢
of the crucial questions in ma.
taining world peace. Canada
in a key position to act as j
“mediator” for all present a
future points of dispute afte
ing the good relations of Brit;
and the U.S. ~ :
Hor Canada to have adopi
the CCF position regarding -
Tights” of the small pow
would have been to send —
Canadian delegation to §
Francisco with a divisive p >
gram, which could well dism
the conference proceedings 4°
place our country as the lear
of a bloc opposing the establi —
ment of a world security ©
ganization. But like the Tor
the CCE members of parliams
knew well that the majority
the people didn’t want any st i
program. And they too, wi |
the vote was taken, were for |
to approve the Mackenzie K:

policy.
0X one important question
lating to San Francisco, ha
ever, many Canadians will fi
themselves opposed to Pri
Minister King’s position. 1!
is his refusal to include offic
representatives of the two lak
congresses on the delegation.

Labor is perhaps the Dif
gest single organized fort
within the Canadian popul:
tion. It has played a big ro
in the war, and is vitally cor
cerned in the plans for peac
It shonld rightfully be reprt
sented at’ San Francisco.

Apparently the Prime Min
ter recognizes the justice of |
bor’s claims in this matter.
showed this by “regretiul |
turning down the request *
representation during. the s&
mary of the debate. = :