Election

ernative:
cial justice

~

orge Hewison

|

| Working for a better future. The

_ Stronger that vote, the stronger the
Movement for fundamental change

_ Nill be.

) _ “Communists are needed in
_ Parliament. A vote for your

¢ Communist candidate brings that
day closer.”

o_o

-Nd clean-up of the environment.

0 Take decisive action to halt and
Teverse the effects of acid rain. Tackle all
__ trans-boundary environmental threats.

9 Impose severe penalties for indus-
tal polluters, including the cost of
Clean-up.

| 9 End layoffs and expand the budget
_ Of Environment Canada. Make all
Mega-projects subject to public hearings.

ake funding avialable for research into
nergy and resource conservation.

0 Open up federal aid to deal with
nvironmentally-sensitive sewage and
garbage disposal. Impose a moratorium
On the development of nuclear power.
Ban PCBs and increase protection from
Other toxic chemicals.

AN ALTERNATIVE ECONOMIC
PROGRAM TO FREE TRADE

0 Independent economic develop-
ment: expand the public sector and pub-
lic services. Establish public ownership
and control over the financial industry,
energy and natural resources.

0 Full employment policy: increase
purchasing power. Restore the demo-
cratic rights of labour. Eliminate pov-
erty. Redistribute wealth to working
people and the poor through lower
interest rates, progressive tax reform,
improved pensions, improved minimum
wage legislation, UIC benefits and social
assistance. Implement affirmative action
programs. Establish a shorter work
week with no loss in take-home pay.

o An environmentally sound indus-
trial strategy: develop job-creating
secondary industry, based on our natu-
ral resources, new advances in science
and technology and the doubling of
expenditures on civilian research and
development. Initiate government pro-
grams to build an East-West energy
grid. Re-build a Canadian merchant
marine. Renovate and upgrade the rail-
way and transport system. Establish a
Canada-wide social housing program.

a A program to save farm families
and farm communities: Assist Canadian
agriculture through guaranteed markets
and prices. ;

a A democratic trade policy: cancel
the Mulroney-Reagan trade deal.
Expand trade with all countries, particu-
larly socialist and developing countries,
using long-term credits.

CONSTITUTIONAL AND
DEMOCRATIC REFORM

0 Scrap the Meech Lake Accord.
Initiate genuine constitutional reform to
guarantee self-determination for Quebec
and a united Canada. Outlaw racism

‘and discrimination.

0 Negotiate a just settlement of
Native land claims. Guarantee constitu-
tional recognition of the right of Native
People to self-government on their land.

o Establish a Bill of Rights for labour.
Guarantee the right to organize, strike
and picket. Outlaw strike breaking.

o Guarantee full equality for women.
Initiate pay equity programs. Establish
universally accessible quality non-profit
child care. Make publicly-funded thera-

- peutic abortion services available

throughout the country.

ao Guarantee the rights of young Can-
adians to jobs at decent pay, to educa-
tion and training, recreational and

cultural development.

Labour rights bill
urged as CP backs

PSAC questionnaire

on union bargaining

The Public Service Alliance of Canada,
representing 180,000 federal government
workers, recently sent a questionnaire to
the three parliamentary parties inviting
comment on nine key questions. As PSAC
members decide whom to vote for Nov. 21,
we present the Communist Party’s
response — giving PSAC members, trade
‘unionists across the country and all voters
the chance to see where the Communist
Party stands on labour and related issues:

PSAC must now negotiate 39
separate agreements with Treas-
ury Board. Does your party
agree with streamlining the collective bar-
gaining process by reducing the number of
bargaining tables while maintaining the
full right to strike?

We concur with PSAC’s goal of
one single collective agreement
covering all bargaining units it
represents in the federal public service,
this to be negotiated as soon as possible.
Our position here, as elsewhere, is one
union and one agreement per sector or
employer, to ensure workers the greatest
strength and unity.

Federal acts severely restrict and
in some cases prohibit public sec-
tor workers from bargaining col-
lectively. Would your party provide all
federal public sector workers with collec-
tive bargaining rights under the Canada
Labour Code?

Yes, all workers, in both the
public and private sectors,
should have full and equal col-
lective bargaining rights under an
improved Labour Code.

The Supreme Court has ruled
that the Freedom of Association

“provisions of the Canadian Char-
ter of Kights and Freedoms do not include
the right to organize, bargain collectively
or strike. Does your party support a con-
stitutional amendment explicitly including
these rights?

One of our longest standing
demands has been for a Bill of
Rights for Labour, incorpo-
rated into the Constitution, which would
explicitly guarantee these rights along
with the right to gainful employment, to
a progressively rising annual income and
shortened work week, to a union voice in
production planning and technological
change, to job retraining with an ade-
quate income, and the right to a comfor-
table and secure retirement. >

Half a million childcare spaces
are needed to meet existing
demand. What specific action
would your party take to eliminate this
shortfall?

We, like PSAC, believe the pro-
vision of comprehensive child-
care is a social responsibility.
We equally call for a system of publicly
funded, non-profit, high quality child-

care that is universally accessible across
Canada.

The federal government has sev-
eral pilot projects establishing
workplace childcare centres in
federal buildings. Does your party support
an extension of this initiative to all federal
workplaces where employees are prepared
to operate such a centre?

We see this as a good initiative,

to help alleviate the childcare

crisis. The full solution lies in the
above proposal.

Bill C-33 would end automatic
pension indexation. Does your
party support guaranteed full
indexation to the Consumer Price Index

for all public sector workers, past, present
and future?

We support a vastly extended,
comprehensive public pension
program guaranteeing full index-
ation to CPI for all workers, in both the
public and private sectors. We also call

for an.increased Old Age Security pen-
sion.

Federal public sector workers
who make the public aware of
government or bureaucratic activ-
ity that is either illegal or detrimental to
the public interest have no legislative pro-
tection. Does your party support “whistle-
blowing” legislation to protect federal
public sector workers who release such
information to MPs or the public?

Definitely, especially under this

anti-people government, which

Operates wherever possible on
secrecy and the principle that the public
should always be kept in the dark.

Privatization and contracting-out

have resulted in a significant

reduction in the size of the federal
public service, undermined employee
morale, and adversely affected delivery of
services to the public. Would your party
end these practices?

Unequivocally. We agree with

PSAC’s position, and would

immediately reverse the process.
We would initiate “contracting-in” for
all work falling under the competence of
the specific bargaining unit and federal
public service as a whole.

Downsizing and lack of recruit-
ment are resulting in a rapidly
aging public service. How would
your party address this concern and ensure
the required level of competence? .

We agree with PSAC’s position
that the government must take
steps to increase current levels
of staffing, and lower both the retirement
age and the number of years of service
needed to obtain a full pension. Along
with early retirement, the Communist
Party calls for a shorter work week so
that federal public sector workers can
enjoy a better quality of life and spend
more time with their families.

Pacific Tribune, October 31, 1988 « 7