WOLI07 14M Clark and the Tories By GERRY VAN HOUTEN The Canadian voters are in a mood for a change. This was indi- cated in recent by-elections which saw Prime Minister Trudeau’s Liberals lose substantially. But. do the Tories, as they claim, con- stitute a real alternative? Voters are angry over the pre- . Sent government’s unwillingness or inability to come to grips with the present economic crisis. Both unemployment and inflation are galloping ahead. The constitu- tional crisis continues to split the country. Cutbacks, wage controls - and strike-breaking legislation clearly show that the government is on the side of the big corpora- tions and against working people. -The Tories benefitted the most in the by-elections from the vot- ers’ discontent, and raises the ‘specter of a possible Tory government in the spring. - Do the Tories constitute a real alternative to the Liberals? The Communists pledge fightback against economic squeeze TORONTO — Pledging full Support to the labor mevement in its strike battles and in all aspects of its fightback against the economic squeeze, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Canada, meeting here, Oct. 21-23, noted an encouraging growth of worker militancy. ‘At the same time the meeting, buoyed by reports of an influx into the Communist Party of trade unionists and political activists, determined “‘to do all in its power to achieve unity of action of the working class and democratic _ forces. ‘The key here,”’ said the Cent- ral Executive report, delivered by Party leader William Kashtan, and endorsed by the 60-member committee, ‘‘is united action of the Communists and NDPers, un- ited action of the left in the de- veloping fightback waged by the working class and all anti- monopoly movements. This must be patiently and systematically striven for.” . Protest Neutron Decision e Defence of the gains of detente and ending of the arms race. This took in the whole spectrum of world tensions and cited the op- portunities for reaching agree- ments aimed at throttling back the arms race. A resolution was pas- sed pressing the Government of Canada to ‘“‘forcefully protest (U.S. President) Carter's deci- sion”’ to authorize production of parts for the neutron bomb. Included in discussion was con- tinuing support for liberation struggles in Africa, condemnation of Maoist China’s collaboration with Western imperialist aims. in Asia, and support for the Gov- emment, Communist Party and people of Vietnam in their strug- gle to overcome terrible flood damage, while defending their country against invasion insti- gated by Maoist China. The meeting condemned the Camp David peace hoax and stood firmly for the UN’s Middle East resolutions, and’ the re- convening of the Geneva Confer- ence on the Middle East. é i : 3 oe E Defend Workers’ Gains e Unity to defend the gains and standards of the working people. Noting that capitalist world un- employment had now gone beyond 17 million, the Com- munist Party’s Central Commit- tee said: ‘‘The so-called recovery and end of the crisis is . .. a myth. The world capitalist economy is sull in difficulties.” The meeting denounced the joint government-big business wage- cutting drive, and efforts to smash trade unions. To Create Jobs Noting the enormous economic battle before the working people, the Central Committee set down firmly a number of basic needs to **put Canada back to work’’ — to create jobs for all — and to get the country out ofits economic crisis. — adopt new economic policies based on achieving Canadian control through public Ownership, on measures to pre- vent foreign capital from dominat- ing the key industries of the coun- try, and on an investment policy based on independent economic development of the Country start- ing with public ownership of gas and oil. ~ — fight for the 32-hour week with no reduction in take home pay, eliminate compulsory over- time, and struggle for workers to have a say on all questions of con- cern to them. * hl William Kashtan ... “The key is a united fightback.” PACIFIC TRIBUNE—November 10, 1978—Page 10 - _ achieved.”’ — oppose the cutbacks in un- employment insurance benefits, the moves to disentitlement and the more stringent qualifications, and instead boost UI benefits to 80% of wages for full duration of unemployment. The gathering was critical of right-wing policies within the New Democratic Party, which do not go beyond minor reforms, and shy away from public ownership or democratic control of the big corporations, ‘‘without which no fundamental reforms can be However, Com- munists welcomed moves within the left of the NDP to look seri- ously at the united front needs of the working people. The meeting condemned all efforts toward sel- ling out the workers through tripartism deals. Confederation Crisis e The present stage of the crisis of confederation. The meet- ing endorsed the report’s assess- ment of the failure of both the Trudeau’s Bill C-60 proposals, and Levesque’s sovereignty as- sociation ideas, to solve the crisis of confederation. The Com- munist Party’s demand for ‘‘the right to self-determination as the way to resolve the crisis . guarantees the national rights and aspirations of the French Cana- dian people within a truly united Canada ...’’ is proving itself cor- rect, the meeting confirmed. It further called for the ‘recognition of the rights of the Native Peoples.’’ The struggles of the working people of Canada must include -**the economic, the social, the political, the ideological, all tied in with the struggle for peace and Canadian independence,’’ the meeting. stressed. Parliamentary and non-parliamentary forms must be combined. In contrast to the right wing of the NDP, the Communist meeting put emphasis on the fact that ‘‘without the non-parliamentary struggle the results of the parliamentary struggle will be minimal. The non-parliamentary struggle is therefore of decisive impor- tance.”’ A change for the better: answer can be found in Canada’s past and present. In 1911, Bordeg’s Tories took ‘power from Laurier’s Liberals. Before the Liberals finally suc- ceeded in regaining power, the Tories had brought Canada into an unpopular imperialist war, introduced the War Measures Act to ban the political activity of left-wing and progressive organi- zations, smashed the Winnipeg General Strike in a brutal and vio- lent way, and deprived the trade union movement of what few rights it had. In 1930, Bennett defeated King’s Liberals. Rather than take Canada out of the depths of the Great Depression, Bennett and his Tories. led Canada into a deeper economic and _ political crisis. Unable and unwilling to overcome the crisis in the in- terests of the working people, the Tories resorted to systematic suppression of all manifestations of popular. discontent. Strikes were brutally, and sometimes bloodily, smashed. Unemploy- ment demonstrations were bro- ken up through the use of the - police and troops. The Com- munist Party of Canada was ban- ned. Bennett quite deservedly earned the nickname ‘‘Iron Heel”’ as his government was charac- terized by mass violations of the fundamental rights of the Cana- dian people. The last Tory Prime Minister was John Diefenbaker. Elected in 1957, his government led Canada into its deepest post-war economic crisis, a crisis which was not to be matched until the present one. His program of au- Sterity was really another version of a program of cutbacks on jobs and services which had been won’ by Canadian working people. The Tories have not changed. Provincial governments where. the Tories are in power aye characterized by policies of re- straint, cutbacks, and support for wage controls. Policies of cup backs in educational, social and health services has resulted ip loss of jobs and the Jowering of standards of all types of servicey. Even schools and hospitals have been closed down. Working people in such provinces are all too familiar with such policies which have been introduced iy Manitoba, Ontario and other pro- vinces. The federal Tories are no diffe rent. They advocate policies of restraint and wage controls. Thay means that they favor cutbacky and lowering the living standardy of Canadian working people, ; They stand to the right of the Lib, erals and would more vigorously implement the same policies as the Liberals. In short, they are policies which will not solve the present crisis. In all likelihood, they will make things worse. q The policies of both the Tories : and the Liberals are policies which favor big corporations and | multi-nationals at the expense of — Canadian working people. The parties of big business are clearly interested in pursuing policies which will also deprive Canadians of many hard-earned rights. This is indicated by strike-breaking legislation which has been implemented by federal and pro- vincial governments alike, and by Liberals and Tories alike. Canadians need governments — which will implement policies in their interests and not in the in- _ terests of the corporations and the i multi-nationals who, with their parties and governments, are ‘responsible for the present crisis. In the next federal elections, Canadian working people must elect a progressive majority in- cluding Communists. Manitoba Tory’s gift to mining monopolies By PAULA FLETCHER WINNIPEG — Manitoba’s Tory provincial government has announced new concessions to mining companies, including a reduction in provincial mineral royalties. While cuts in royalties will be made effective next spring, other concessions are to be put into effect immediately. They in- clude: e Mining companies are no longer required to file detailed in- formation about their exploration programs in Manitoba with the government; e The five-year review of-min- ing claims started by the previous NDP government will be dropped; e Companies are now required to spend only 50 cents an acre (down from $1.) on exploration in the first year after an exploration permit has been granted; e Companies are now allowed to reduce the acreage of a permit in the second or third year. Permits last three years. These handouts to the multi- national mining companies, such _ as Inco, are in addition to the con- cessions made soon after the Lyon government was elected last fall. At that time the govern- ment disbanded the Manitoba Development Corporation by means of which the previous NDP — government had hoped to bring about public participation in the mining industry. The mineral ac- - reage tax was abolished at about the same time. Mines Minister Brian Ransom also announced that cuts in min- eral royalties will be presented at the legislative session next spring. The amount of the reduction, he said, will depend on what trans- pires in the federal-provincial talks on taxation of the mining in- dustry in Canada. While the mining monopolies _ are being pampered in this way, 20 66 the government’s ‘‘restraint’’ pol- icy is being applied harshly. in other areas. Since the Tories came into power, drastic cut- backs have occured in health - care, education and other social services. In addition, the gov- ernment is doing its best to hold down wages in the public service. . } f | | } |