BOOKS From Free Trade to Forced Trade: Canada in the Global Economy by Peter Urmetzer Penguin, 248 pages, $22.00 IF YOU HAVE EITHER anti or pro “free trade” sentiments, this reviewer thinks you should read this uniquely Canadian book on the topic, pub- i] lished only last year. Okanagan Community College lecturer Peter Urmetzer does a fine job in giving a primer on free trade in lay- SS! man’s language. The book is broken down into chapters that cover different perspectives on a theory which modem-day government FROM FREE TRADE To FORCED TRADE PETER URNETZER tout as the “Big Idea” — a cure-all for unemployment, growth, productivity, political unrest and Third World Debt. As readers will discover, there is little evi- dence to back-up that free trade, as it is practised, does any of these things. The book's early chapters talk about the three major economic philosophers who are often cited in debates on free trade: Adam Smith, David Ricardo, and John Maynard Keynes. The author points out that although modern free trade advocates, who believe in a “greed is good” philosophy often quote the famed author of “The Wealth of Nations” — Adam Smith was more concemed about the plight of the common labourer and wanted to curb the power of state-controlled markets that benefited an elite minority class in igth century Britain — a class that faced no democratic opposition. The author convincingly argues that had it not been for merchantilist (pro- tected) trade policies with both France and Britain and 110 years of protection- ist trade policies, under the National Policy (1879 to 1988), Canada would not likely have become a country. He notes that, since the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement went into effect, Canada has become even more depen- dent on the United States for its exports — that in an age of increased globaliza- tion. And he singles out the softwood lumber dispute as evidence, that despite the NAFTA, U.S. protectionism runs high. And, like all other Western gov- ernments, the U.S. has no qualms about intervening in the economy. Unmetzer points out that huge divi- sions exist between those for and against free trade and that there are also large differences within those separate camps today. He also presents the case that Third World nations are forced into trade deals and are often denied market access (especially in agricultural prod- ucts) and that both the anti and pro free trade sides will selectively seek free trade when it’s in their interests. - review by Norman Garcia FEATURE REVIEW Fighting for Dignity: The Ginger Goodwin Story by Roger Stonebanks CCLH 206 pages, $26.95 Reviewed by Norman Garcia WHEN A OFFICER OF the Dominion Police shot union organizer Albert “Ginger” Goodwin through the neck in the woodlands near Cumberland in July of 1918, a man who fouught the establishment and also tried to change it from within lay dead, Rifleman Dan Campbell and a posse of hired guns were scouring through the Beaufort Mountain Range on Vancouver Island, looking to capture men who refused to be drafted into the First World War. Goodwin, who had mysteriously been reclassified as fit to fight in trench warfare, fled from Trail to Cumberland where he sought refuge among supporters in the coal mining community where he had worked. In this 2003 biography on Ginger Goodwin, former Victoria Times- Colonist journalist Roger Stonebanks, tracks in detail the events leading up to the mysterious death of Goodwin — an event which sparks passionate debate today: was it an assasination or did Campbell act in self defence? In any case it is clear that we may never know: the much maligned Grand Jury system that ruled until the early 30s, never indicted the gunman. Charges were dismissed and testimony not kept. Just as key as the information on the killing is the book’s portrayal of Ginger Goodwin's life and times. Born in Yorkshire England in 1887, Ginger grew up in a wretched coal mining town where the rates of child mortality, exceeded those of any country in the world today! Sent to work underground as a teenager, Goodwin’s family would face evic- FILE PHOTO BY NORMAN GARCIA = In2000 then Local 363 president Sy Pederson and Jorge Gonzalez, then president of the Chilean forest workers’ confederation visited Goodwin's tomb. tion from the Denaby Mine company town in 1906, along with 2,000 oth- ers, in the midst of a strike. The Goodwins emigrated to Halifax in 1906 and found work at Dominion Coal in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia. It was there _ that Goodwin first fh joined the v ‘The Ginger Goodwin Story United Mine Workers to fight back F against com- pany union ism. A huge strike in 1909 saw the company, police and hired thugs evict nearly 1,800 families. From there Ginger made his way to seek employment in the Crownest Pass (in Alberta - B.C. boundary coun- try). He got a job in the now defunct coal mining community of Michel. As in other mines, men faced poisonous gases and sudden explosions. Cave-ins were common as was permanent dis- ablity and injury. Goodwin moved to Cumberland in 1910 and sought employment in the Canadian Collieries mines, where he {' joined others to fight company union- ism and wage discrimmination (Chinese and Japanese miners were paid 1/3 of the wages paid to whites). In Cumberland the United Mine Workers of America fought to enforce an 8 hour day for underground work- ers, for safety standards and better pay. From 1912-14, 1,600 miners from Cumberland to Nanaimo to Ladysmith struck for union recognition, in The Big Strike. Once again, Goodwin and thousands of others faced eviction. From there it was on to Merritt and then Trail were he became a candidate for provincial parliament for the Socialist Party of B.C. His name was also forwarded to become a Deputy Minister of Labour in the B.C. gover- ment — an act that had him temporari- ly suspended by party hardliners, By late 1917 the newly classified Private Goodwin would become a perfect tar- get fora hunt— someone who opposed the war on political grounds and a trade union organizer whose lifetime experience made him revolt against the economic system. This book is a recommended read and a great contribution to Canadian labour history! MUSIC REVIEW Slowdrag — Ploughin’ it Right to the Fence Corvus Records, $20.00 SINCE FIRST SEEING the roots band Slowdrag at the Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver on Canada Day, 2003, I've played their Ploughin’ it Right to the Fences CD so many times that | had to get a back-up copy just in case the first one wears out. This mighty fine Vancouver-based trio cut this gem in 2000 and is said to be working on a new one. Working folks out there should listen to this one to get a real sense of roots music, both from the United States and Canada. Edmonton-born vocalist, composer and guitarist Koralee Tonack, Toronto- born bluegrass picker and singer Craig McKerron and string bass man Paul Bergman of Vancouver have a unique chemistry that has yet to be discovered by many. They cover a gamut of bluegrass and other roots tunes: from the Carter Family, to the Louvin Brothers and Bill Munroe, to the legendary Hazel Dickens, with a splendid version of “Working Girl Blues”: “I'm tired of working my life away; giving somebody else all of my pay; while they get rich off the profits that | lose; and leave me here with the Working Girl Blues.” They also do a great version of Dickens’ “Scraps From Your Table” a humourous love song, which she sings about being tired playing second fiddle. Both songs are a good introduction to Dickens’ music, which often reflects the life of women in rural Applachia and its coal mining communities. There's no doubt that some IWA Local 1-207 members will get watery eyes when they hear “My Alberta Prairie Home,” penned by Koralee’s mom, Frances “Frets” Tonack, whose “Blues Don't Come for Me” also adorns the record. Craig McKerron‘s “Madrid,” is a great drinking song which he miraculously composed during a guitar workshop (he out- Jimmy Buffetts Jimmy Buffett on it!) and Koralee shines again in the up tempo “Crumple Faced Lover,” which she wrote and composed. The record was produced by British Columbia’s mandolin virtuoso John Reischman who also contributes, along with the awesome banjo picking of Nick Hornebuckle on several cuts. I can’t wait for Slowdrag to come out with a new record! When my wife and | saw them in at a small hall in Chilliwack last January, it was akin to seeing future big leaguers in a small ball park. With the right management, this trio of talented Canucks will be on Austin City Limits some day! ~ review by Norman Garcia 22 T THE ALLIED WORKER JUNE 2004