RAPPROCHMENT BETWEEN LABOR, NATIONALISTS Will CCF split lead to torming of new party in French Canada ? the split now rending the CCF in Quebec lead to the formation of a new political party in French Canada? Many political observers see this as a distinct possibility. Emergence of a new proviricial labor party has become a subject of considerable public interest and discussion. It is increasing- ly mentioned in the daily press, and is known to be under active consideration not only by lead- ers of the trade unions but by other public figures as well. Arthur Blakely, Ottawa corres- pondent of the Montreal Gazette, - commented February 5. “The stage is now set — or almost set — for the formation of a Quebec labor party of the type long advocated in influ- ential labor circles in ‘that prov- ince. “Behind the inclination of Quebee’s organized labor to- wards a political party of its -own was the theory that the CCF, while advocating many of the necessary social policies, was overly preoccupied. with - Prairie agrarianism to be sold: in Quebec.” Many observers consider Blake- ly is exaggerating when he says the “stage is set.” Nevertheless, the schism that has developed be- tween the Quebec wing of the party and its national council, and the known inclination of many labor leaders in Quebec (including leading CCFers) for a separate provincial party, lends credence to his views. Re at The threat of a split in the CCF stems essentially from the failure on the part of their par- liamentary leaders to recognize French Canada as a nation. As a result, they do not see that the people of French Canada have the right to be masters in their own home. _CCF policies therefore are not directed to defending the nation- al rights of the French Cana- dians. On the contrary, public statements recently made by CCF members of parliament have shown a bias against Quebec which cannot but arouse wide- spread resentment. Harold Winch (Vancouver East) for example, is reported to have said that French-Canadian members who are able to speak English should do so in the House of Commons. Erhart Regier (Burna’ - quitlam) said Quebec was “he point” of national unity. In thus blaming the people of French Canada for the federal Liberal government's own. negation of Prime Minister St. Laurent’s view that “Quebec is a province Sheed bisren show ‘as against the - Canadian nation. => — Hazen Argue (Assiniboia), An- gus MacInnis (Vancouver-Kings- way) and CCF Premier T. C. Douglas of Saskatchewan, have spoken in a similar vein. ° These declarations led to a crisis within the CCF and a threat by members of the Quebec provincial council to quit the party. The Quebec CCF executive demanded that the four “implic- ated members of parliament should retract, correct or clarify their statements in parliament or Regier also: . DAVID LEWIS else be censured by the national council.” ’ CCF national chairman David Lewis met with the Quebec ex- ecutive and subsequently issued a statement endeavoring, pub- licly at least, to heal the breach. $3 % os Even before this crisis deve- loped in the CCF however, many influential trade union leaders had arrived at the view that the political situation in Quebec had become ripe for a new political party. As early as last spring the formation of a Quebec labor party was raised at the session of the Quebec Federation of Indus- trial unions (CCL-CIO). It came up as well at the last convention of the Catholic Syndicates. Other events since then have shown that interest in a new poli- tical party is by no means limit- ed to the labor movement. The overwhelming victory of the Civie Action League in the last municipal elections in Mon- treal against the entrenched reg- ime. of Asselin and Houde un- doubtedly stimulated interest in a new political party. The Civic Action League is headed by Mayor Jean Drapeau, a former leader of the Bloc Populaire. ‘ There also appears to be com- ing about a rapprochment be- tween leaders of the labor move- ment and people in nationalist circles in Quebec. A conference of “Les Amis du Devoir,” was held recently in connection with a drive to raise a $100,000 fund to sustain the morning news- paper. The Catholic Syndicates and the CCL unions made sub- stantial contributions to the fund. Leaders of these unions par- ticipated in an exchange of views on social and political problems in French Canada. Present. were people from the CCF, Social Credit, and’ LPP, and nationalists who belong to no party. : A notable contribution to this discussion - was made by Rene Chaloult, former __ nationalist member of the Quebec legis- - lature. Speaking on the threat to the French-Canadian nation rising from the alienation. of our natural resources by foreign trusts, Chaloult said that nation- alization of companies holding natural resources should not be rejected. F. A. Angers spoke on the ne- cessity for peaceful co-evistence and our relations with the United States and the Commonwealth. x es at These events prove that a trend is developing towards some new political alliances in Quebec. The trade-unions, particularly the CCL and Syndicates, have taken an unequivocal stand in opposition to the Duplessis re- gime. Their demand for the re- peal of the Padlock Law and of Bills 19 and 20, their denuncia- tion of the anti - subversive squads in Montreal, their demand for the processing of our raw materials in Canada, all show that they are not moving in the direction of support for the Lib- erals. For the Liberal party has tacitly supported the Duplessis sell-out of French Canada to the US. trusts. But whether and how soon a ‘new political party in which the . {rade union movement -plays an important part will come into be- ing is still too early to tell. —HARRY BINDER A LOOK AT THE NEW PARIS FASHIONS Christian Dior is starting a real y ae Paris fashion shows invari- ably produce three immediate reactions: fashion becomes front- page news for a week; dress man- ufacturers begin to worry about unsaleable stotk—and some of the customers begin to rebel against the dictates of the de- signers. I receiver a typical letter re- cently from a man who. disap- proves of the way in which wo- men’s styles are set and takes me to task for my opinions. : “Tt does seem fantastic,” he writes, “that a few cynical dress designers can induce women to make such fools of themselves so readily. _ “Rose Henry seems quite re- signed to accepting this dehuman- ising A-line nonsense, and I sup- pose we shall in due course read of its suecessor in an article just as complacent.” - He goes on to picture a future “cul-de-sac line—known to buy- ers as the au dehors or Oh Dior line.” : BS BR Cat % Ht, : Well, I sympathise with every- body who feels revulsion from the idle and extravagant social- ites who huddle round the world’s top dress designers. And there is cynicism in the way styles are rapidly changed and adopted “in the mass-produc- tion factories of the world as a means of impelling women to buy more clothes than they need. Very few women are able to do so, of course, yet vast masses are nevertheless interested in dress, and are glad that style and color changes to give a spice to « JANE RUSSELL French elegance ‘or American glamor? “But you must promise not to use them.” Poet from Okanagan KEN JOHNSON, Salmon Arm, B.¢.: I am submitting the enclos- ed poem for publication: WE’LL END FRUSTRATION Thinking of what my mind has been Till recently: a hindered thing, Ignominously cramped between The stones that broke its baby wing, | see all round, dark barriers piled By greed and mysticism hurled Against the new in every child In this and every earlier world; I see that | am not alone; We are the millions, we will be Victorious, and surmount each stone Of our frustration, and be free! And we will work, and we will die, \ But those who follow us. shall know That all thought has the right - to fly . When all by. action make it so. He wants ‘to know when A:F., Fernie, B.C.: I am unem- ployed, and wonder if you could tell me when it is proposed by - the government to develop the life, without “making fools of themselves.” For them, too, these Paris shows are news, because what is shown there will affect the choice of every young woman and many an older one, next time she buys a new dress. The fashion trade is able to exploit us as consumers in the way it does, just as Tin Pan Alley exploits us, the pulp magazines and every other industry, be- cause it is part of our human nature to love color and form, sound and rhythm—because we are human. : % % os Capitalism has certainly speed- ed up the change of fashion, just as it has speeded up everything in this world — including, of course, the possibility of chang- ing society. But it hasn’t impos- ed an interest in dress upon us. A new purple dye made from seashells. became famous and fashionable throughout the an- cient world. In fact, its rulers evn tried to make laws to keep the new colors to themselves. _ Then clothes lasted a lifetime or were passed down from mother to daughter. Nobody, I suppose, thinks that was preferable to the present mass production of new clothes and the interest that is PACIFIC TRIBUNE — FEBRUARY 18, 1955 — PAGE 4 water power on the Columbia and Fraser rivers by building dams. I read in the papers of great plans, but there seems to be very. little action: 4 Boost for Yankee milk ALEX FAGE, Clearwater, B.C.: The propaganda of Mendes- France in favor of drinking milk was a boost for the American . Milk Company. France two years ago didn’t have enough milk on account of the foot and mouth disease epi- demic. The milk was only sold to the general public after the children had been supplied first. I have a letter from France saying that the French people didn’t like powdered and canned milk. They like their wine and said to hell with Mendes-France. Only paper for her MRS. S.H., North Burnaby, B.C.: I am sorry I am so late in send- ing in my renewal; am enclosing $5 for renewal plus a donation. I have taken the workers’ paper for a good number of years, and I sure would miss it,-as it is the only paper that gives us the truth about world affairs. —Fitzpatrick, St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Good place to establish a blockade. * bust-up stimulated by ringing the changes on them? % % *% The reader who criticizes me as being “quite resigned to ac- cepting this de-humanizing A-line nonsense” has fallen for one piece of dress designers’ cynic- ism himself — the “dehumaniz- ing A-line.” This is the view of the creators of the American sweater girl. Ever since the war the battle has gone on between Paris ele-. gance and American “glamor.” American fashion is based en- tirely on the emphasis and ex- aggeration of sex, and Hollywood is its real shop window. © — By their tremendous emphasis on the bosom (their pin-ups now boast of 44-inch busts), the Am- ericans have induced millions of — women to wear false busts foam rubber, or which blow uP like balloons, and to tighten their belts till they can hardly eat @ grapefruit for breakfast. ; I call this sub-humanizing women. It is not “complacency” to welcome a return to our natural proportions — even if Christian Dior’s' idea of making us look our best includes -wire-framed brassieres. ie —ROSE HENRY. .