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Dramatic-changes mark conference

By FRED WEIR
Moscow correspondent

The Soviet press called it, “Four days
that shook the world,” and the blossom-
ing of “Moscow spring into summer.”
Such dramatic descriptions of the 19th
Communist Party conference may not be
Particularly misplaced: The meeting,
Which closed here July 1, was clearly a
Stunning departure in Soviet history. It
Served up a monumental agenda for
Change, consolidated and focussed the
Party behind perestroika, and imparted to

it a unity of purpose and a momentum
which probably cannot ever be undone.

A conference is an old — Leninist
— and long disused type of CPSU forum
(the previous one was held in 1941) and
there is considerable ambiguity in Party
statutes concerning a conference’s actual
role and decision-making powers. Yet it
was almost certainly for its moral author-
ity rather than any legalistic reason that
the Gorbachev leadership convoked this
one.

A profound process of change has
taken hold in 28 months since the last

Party congress; immense changes still are
in the wings. The conference provided a
unique platform from which to address
the Party membership and the coun-
try — over the heads of bureaucrats,
functionaries, and even the press — and
to take the temperature of perestroika, as
it were. The conference became a micro-
cosm of the democratization process, it
produced a storm of feedback and criti-
cism, and clearly served to bind rank-and-
file Party members far more tightly into
the struggle for change.
see CPSU page 4

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Citation
workers

fight IRC
— page 8 —

Vancouver celebration for Mandela

Rosemary Brown (I), former New Democratic MLA, joins Vancouver alderman Libby Davies (c) and former Vancouver
school board chairman Pauline Weinstein in holding birthday cake for Nelson Mandela, the imprisoned leader of the African
National Congress who marked his 70th birthday in South Africa’s Pollsmoor prison Monday. The Vancouver rally drew
more than 400 wellwishers who filled out birthday cards and donated money to the anti-apartheid cause, at a location
across from a billboard (in background) at Cambie and Broadway streets, wishing happy birthday to the activist, who has
been in prison and in isolation for 25 years. The rally also heard a pledge that anti-apartheid activists would be urging city
council to name a Vancouver location after Mandela, Rallies also took place in Toronto and cities around the world, and

several world leaders sent greetings. Story on page 2.

Albertans fight free trade

— page 8

AIDS and
the medical
establishment,
Part Il

— page 6 —

Jean Swanson has received the unanim-
ous backing of the Vancouver and District
Labour Council to unite the two progressive
civic alliances as an independent candidate
for the mayor of Vancouver.

Council delegates on Tuesday gave Swan-
son, who heads the coalition called End Leg-
islated Poverty, a standing ovation following
a speech in which she said the hold on civic
government by the right-wing Non-Partisan
Association can be “turned around.”

The VDLC meeting adopted without
amendment an executive recommendation
that backed Swanson’s candidacy and urged
both the Committee of Progressive Electors
and the Civic New Democrats to do likewise.

Ina hard-hitting speech Swanson charged
that despite attempts to maintain an image
as political moderates, the NPA is becoming
known as the group that is in the monied
developers’ pocket.

“Will we let developers dictate what
happens in our city? Will we put a pro-

see COPE page 8

July 20, 1988
SO

Vol. 51, No. 28

Labour backs Swanson
for Vancouver mayor

The lettering on the old canvas
street awning reads “Shoe Hospital.”

The shoes and shoe repairer are
gone now. But in a sense, the words
above the plate glass windows of the
old Commercial Drive store are
appropriate. There will be lots of shoe
leather worn out during the months of
July and August, if Sue Harris has her
way.

The former parks commissioner is
running the voter registration cam-
paign for the Committee of Progres-
sive Electors. It’s a job that should be
done by the city, but thanks to a right-
wing vote on city council, the task will
fall to concerned volunteers, says
Harris.

see COPE page 2