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Norman Freed

T IS SAID THAT politics is
the art of the possible. It
may be in the political cards

that neither of the old parties
will be returned with a majority
and that the NDP will emerge
as the balance of power in the
next Parliament. Such ‘an out-
come is possible and desirable

-at this time.

Would it benefit Canada? The
Communist Party believes this
result would create the possibil-
ity of influencing Parliament in
a democratic direction, of win-
ning domestic and foreign poli-
cies in the interests of the
people.

Political commentators have

dubbed this election as “unreal” ~

or “unwanted”. It is said the
electors are apathetic, that over
35 percent are undecided.

What does this mean? It
means people are disgusted with
the antics of the old parties.

Prime Minister Pearson’s
double-talk is a case in point.
From one side of his mouth he
talks about his minority govern-
ment record. From the other
side he pleads for a majority
government.

Which is it? If the record of
the minority government is so
good, why is a minority bad? No
wonder the electors are be-
wildered and disgusted.

Let us look at the record.
Most governments since Confe-
deration have held the majority
ig Parliament. But in 1921 the
Liberals elected 117 members,
Conservatives (Liberal - Conser-
vative) 59, Progressives 64,
Labor 3. In 1925-6, the result
was Liberals 101, Conservatives
116, Progressives 54, Labor 2.

Important legislation , in the
interest of the people was en-
acted in this period. For exam-
ple, while the Liberal Party at
its 1919 convention promised
old-age pensions, it failed to
bring them in until J. S. Woods-
worth and his colleagues held
the balance of power in the
Commons in 1926 and forced ac-
tion on the promise.

In 1957 a Conservative minor-
ity government was forced to
introduce important legislation
for the farmers — the Agricul-
tural Stabilization Act, which
provided price support, and the
Prairie Grain Advance Payments
Act concerning threshed gain
held in storage on the farms.

That minority government
also increased old-age pensions

to $55 per month, reducing the
residence requirements from 20,
to 10 years.

In 1962, under another Con-
servative minority government,
the people were for a consider-
able time able to stall the in-
stallation of U.S. nuclear arms
on Canadian soil.

In the 1963-65 period, under
the Liberal minority government,
the people were able to win the
Canada Pension Plan and the
Canada Labor Standard Act.
Parliament was ready to act on
medicare.

The record is also full of ex-
amples of. the disregard of
people’s interests by old-line
majority governments.

The Liberal majority of 1953-
57 is remembered for the pipe-
line scandal, which set a.new
low both in the economic. sell-
out to the United States and. in
trampling the rights of Parlia-
ment. ~ :

The Conservative government
of 1958-62 is remembered for its
bungling of the Avro-Arrow and
for its high-handed firing of the
governor of the Bank of Canada.

The record speaks for itself.
Under minority governments

answers the question:

the people were able to exert
pressure to record gains that
would not have occurred under
majority governments of the
old-line parties.

A good outcome on Nov. 8

will not come about by itself.
It has to be fought for.

There is apathy toward the
old parties; but it is not true
that there is political apathy.
People are concerned about
ending the dirty war in Vietnam;
about the need of steady econo-
mic growth, about the need of
144 million new jobs by 1970.

They are concerned about the
need for free education at all
levels and the need for changes
in the educational system to pre-
pare our youth and retrain older
workers’ to meet the challenges
of automation.

People are concerned about
the lack of low-cost housing,
about price gouging by the
monopolies, about the need of a
total war against poverty, about
decent retirement pensions and
medicare.

People are concerned about
Canada’s constitutional crisis.

These issues require full de-
bate in the election, a debate

This photo shows a part of the throng of 500
marchers in Vancouver who protested on Oct. 16
against the U.S. war in Vietnam. People in action on
questions of peace and social progress are looking for
alternatives to the old parties, says the writer of this
article. Their votes can be won for candidates who
bring forward issues of deep concern in the election.

why a minority government?

that is vital for the outcome of
the election and for the period
after.

Of course each party will de-
cide what issues to bring forw-
ard and how to conduct its
campaign.

Those who are looking for an
alternative to old-party rule —
the labor movement, progressive
farmers, democratic circles of
professional, intellectual and
middle-class persons, students
engaged in the fight for peace
and searching for a new direc-
tion for Canada — will first turn
to the New Democratic Party.

This can mean votes on elec-
tion day if the issues of deep
concern to those seeking an al-
ternative are vigorously brought
forward by the NDP.

The Communist Party, which
is part of the Canadian labor
movement, shares the right of
all sections of the labor move-
ment to address constructive
criticism toward the NDP in
order to strengthen its role as a
democratic alternative to the old
parties.

It is not good enough for NDP
candidates to emphasize that
they have nice families and are
nice, respectable fellows.

At its last convention the
NDP adopted many worthwhile
policy planks: the need to end
the war in Vietnam; the need of
an independent foreign policy of
peace; proposals on economic
growth, jobs, prices, automation,
education, social welfare and
poverty.

Would not the-NDP set itself
clearly apart:from the old par-
ties and make_a significant ad-
vance on Nov. 8 by resolutely
bringing forward these program
planks now?

When the election is over it
will be too late to indulge in
postmortems about missed op-
portunities of making substan-
tial advances because of timidity
and evasion.

There are no clear lines of
demarcation between the old
parties. This has produced dis-
illusionment among the people.
More and more of them are
looking for an alternative, for
new ideas and new policies.

This can bring new votes to
the NDP and this is what the
NDP should take advantage of
in order to transform its election
possibilities into a reality on
Nov. 8.

- November 5, 1965—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 5