THE B.C. LUMBER WORKER

In reply t

By TOM McEWEN
‘© the invitation of the IWA District Council

No. 1, to state the position of the Labor-Progressive Patty
on the 7-point program of the Executive Session of the

Canadian Con;

gress of Labor, and on the unity resolution

of the B.C, Federation of Labor, I want to say first of all,
on behalf of the Provincial Executive of the LPP, that our

Party greets t
of labor unity,

he efforts of the IWA in advancing the cause
, and welcomes the opportunity your Council

has afforded, in the discussion of these problems which are
the vital concern of all who desire to see Labor progress.

ition Only Answer Say L

On the CCL 7-Point Program }jion dollars to meet the immedi-
for labor and the Nation, the| ate needs of Canada’s chronic
LPP position is briefly: housing problem, and provide
HOUSING financial aid to veterans, work-

LPP has promoted, and will|ers, farmers or others, to build
continue to strive for, a ma-|decent sanitary homes on low-

tional. housing policy which will | interest, long-term arrangements
enable the construction of a min-| between the government and

imum of 50,000 low-rental homes | home builders.

NOW. We contend that it is! NATIONAL LABOR CODE

possible to float a National,| We support a National Labor
Housing bond: issue of one bil-| Code; administered by the Fed-

Th
ah

is province of ours has a big future
ead of it, but first there’s a lot to be

done.
THAT'S WHY | SAY IT’S MY BUSINESS

Thi

_JOBS--HOMES--SECURITY

ere are three things that you and | want

If we're going to have jobs, we ‘have to develop
our hydro power under public ownership. This
means cheap power, and cheap power means
our industry will grow and our communities
prosper. We need a steel industry to speed up
construction of recreation centres, hospitals and
other public facilities, to create new industries
and jobs. We have to develop the P.G.E. under
public ownership and so open up a part of the
country that is rich in minerals and natural re-
sources, Our forests must be preserved, agri-
culture must have a new deal. We have to give
the returned men a square deal.

Next to a job, a worker needs a decent home.
In fact we need 20,000 new homes.’ We have
to clear slums and provide new housing for
our returned soldiers and growing population.
What about a BOND DRIVE to put decent
roofs over our heads?

We want security. How about a real Labor
Code to stop the attacks of big business on
your wages and mine? How about compulsory
collective bargaining. We need a 40-hour
week with no reduction in take-home pay, And
what about severance pay for war workers
who have been given their slips since VJ-Day?

That’s a large order, you say?

Sure. That’s why I’m interested. Because I
krfow what kind of government we’ve got. to
have if we’re going to get that sort of deal.
For years now the big boys, representing reac-
tionary big business, have organized to hinder
B.C.’s progress. Hart and Maitland are their
government. .

@ I thing it’s about time the working people,
veterans, small business men, professional peo-
ple and farmers got organized, too! We don’t
stand a chance if we each try to “go it alone.”
Unity won the war, and if we're going to win
the peace we need even more determined unity

Only a government of
Progressive unity will
beat the Tory-Liberal *
Coalition of Hart and

« Maitland.

I’m Interested In Unity
Unity Is Strength!

AND THAT’S WHY 1’M GOING TO
aon MUM soo

LABOR-
PROGRESSIVE

THE PARTY THAT FIGHTS
FOR UNITY

Octover 8,
ns

eral government in cooperation
with the Provinces, which will
guarantee Union recognition, a
closed-shop and checkoff; com-
pulsory collective agreements;
and the outlawing of company
unions and associations, and the
fullest recognition of trade
union organization as a national

aid to postwar ‘progress.

MINIMUM WAGE LAW

The need of a national mini-
mum wage law which will as-
sure to every wage earner, re-
gardless of category or classi-
fication, a minimum wage of not

less than 55¢ per hour.
The need of a National basic

wage structure is long overdue.
The “comparative” clauses in PC
9384, which in actual practice
before Arbitration Boards, has
invariably worked against the
needs and interests of Labor, is
proof in itself of the urgent need
of a national wage structure. It
would put an end to the practice
of reactionary monopoly capital
utilizing sub-standard wage lev-
els as a lever to force down liy-
ing standards, and destroy col-
lective agreements.

TAX STRUCTURE
--The Labor Progressive Party
stands for a.complete revision
of the Canadian tax structure;
taxation must be based upon “ab-
ility to pay,” and the present
method of allowing corporate and
industrial capital to “get under
the wire” and evade taxation by -
paying on a “base year” rather *
than current profits, must be eli-
minated. We support a complete
revision of the powers of taxa~
tion between the Dominion and
Provincial government, to the
end that the Federal government
may assume a much greater re-
sponsibility for needed social leg-
islation—old age pensions, na-
tional health and other forms of
social security, etc,

BNA ACT

The Constitution of Canada,
the British North America Act
(BNA) must be re-written in
terms of the needs of Canada and
the world of 1945. As Jong as the
BNA Act remains in its present.

obsolete form Canada cannot play
her role as a’ world power, nor

give her people true Canadian
citizenship. In the hands of re-
actionary government, the BNA
constitutes an instrument of re-
trogression, which __ militates
against every convention in the
pattern of a new postwar world.

EMPLOYMENT
The need ‘of a National Em-
ployment Service operated by the
Federal government, and con-
structed to facilities remunera-
tive employment is long overdue.
In the past the Employment Ser-—
vices of Canada could well be.
Placed in the category of a 1
ete aees directed against
‘wage earner, rather than
ized to advance the int