TRPPPR SCS ee re sze *

: The Wall Street Journal
“Can’t you finish your studies in Business Administration and
then relate to humanity on the side or something?”

EDITORIAL

That Trudeau ‘lemon’

Just before taking off for a quiet junket in Franco Spain,
Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau had a few words (sans much
wisdom) on the “‘inflationary’’ effects of continuing strike
settlements netting the workers six to seven percent wage
4 increases. This, opined the Prime Minister, “‘although still
within unofficial government guidelines’ are without doubt
definitely ‘‘inflationary”’.

On skyrocketting prices and profits, as a prime factor _
boosting ‘‘inflation’’, the PM was deadly silent.

’

Just about the time new Conservative leader Robert
Stanfield was demonstrating the banana as a symbol for
“strong silent’’ Tories, Prime Minister Trudeau was using the
‘lowly lemon in his metaphorical dissertations on Capital
versus Labor, and urging wage workers ‘‘not to Squeeze the
lemon dry”’ by their just wage demands to meet steadily rising
living costs. A “‘fruity”’ political salad to say the least.

Neither then nor in his most recent homily on wages and
“inflation” did M. Trudeau make any reference to the vast
profits being pocketed daily by the big monopoly interests. His
government may have ‘‘guidelines’’ for these profit ghouls, but
if it has they are obviously kept well under wraps. With Big
Business it is get all you can while the getting is good — and
rely on government to label every wage hike as “‘inflationary’’,
thereby providing another pretext for more whacking price
hikes.

(In this the government itself sets a fine example by its
contemplated one or two-cent boost in postage prices — which
will probably triple the wage gains the postal unions were
coerced into settling for? ).

Prime Minister Trudeau tends to be obscurantist in his
“policy” statements — or what passes for policy. While he was
bemoaning the “‘inflationary” effects of sub-modest wage
increases, the same day’s press headlines emanating from
Ottawa, was telling us that ‘“‘Trends Look Bright’’, and for “‘the
first time in three years there has been a considerable easing
in the pressures of inflation’, with the punchline ae always a
happy one for government and monopoly, that ‘ “wage increases
are getting smaller and productivity is climbing: rapidly’’.
(Province, Aug. 16/68).

While it is significant that Prime Minister Trudeau never
mentions excess profits in his “‘inflationary”’ dissertations, it is
even more significant that such an authority on “‘stabilizing’’

.the economy remains silent on the billions of dollars which
annually go down the NATO-NORAD arms drain; a criminal
waste which neither creates useful ‘‘productivity’’ nor
economic stability. Quite the reverse.

Happy holiday in Spain Mr. Prime Minister — if you can
enjoy a holiday where fascist terror and repression against the
common people are again in full spate. Should you take in a bull
fight, don’t try to feed the bull ‘‘inflation”. He, like Canada’s
working people, prefers more substantial nourishment.

‘coalition of all

SSeS

& Pacific ribune

‘West Coast EAE, Canadian TERE.

Associate Editor—MAURICE RUSH
Published weekly at Ford Bldg., Mezzanine No. 3, 193 E. Hastings St.,
Vancouver 4, B.C. Phone 685-5288.

Editor—TOM McEWEN

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‘PACIFIC THBUNE AUGUST 23, 1968—Pose 2

FOR GENUINE REFORM

‘Need civic coalition to
block NPA-TEAM threat’

By ALD. HARRY RANKIN

There’s only one way labor and
other progressive forces can
elect a majority to Vancouver
City Council, School Board and
the Parks Board. .That’s by a
people’s
organizations seeking genuine
reform at City Hall. No single
group - labor, the NDP or
ratepayers - can do it alone. To
think otherwise is to. kid

’ ourselves; to act otherwise is to

-mislead electors who want a real
change-

The NPA is no dead by any
means. It has ruled City Hall for
over 30 years and isn’t just going
to fold up now and depart from
the scene of the crime. And
coming up fast to gather up
voters who are~ becoming
disillusioned . with the old
conservative NPA is TEAM.

TEAM represents. a coalition
of right wing groups and
individuals with Liberal Party
activists. in the majority of
leading positions. Its backers
and sponsors include the same
big reactionary anti-labor
employers who kept the NPA in
office all these years. Bert
Hoffmeister, President of Forest
Industries of B.C. and former
chairman of MacMillan Bloedel,
and Don Lanskail, legal
representative for Forest
Industrial Relations are only two
examples of the men who are the
real power behind TEAM.

It has the support of both the
Sun and Province, as well as of
the privately owned TV and
radio stations. But to cover up
its essentially big business
outlook and aims, TEAM
pretends to be a reform group

and is actively seeking to enlist
labor and NDP support.

The NPA-TEAM coalition is a
powerful group with unlimited
funds. It should not be
underestimated. It is out to
capture not just a majority but
every seat on Council, the School
Board and Parks Board.

The only realistic alternative
to this right-wing NPA-TEAM
coalition is a united front of the
left and progressive forces,
united on and committed to a
broad program of basic
democratic reforms.

Those who fail to understand
this simple yet fundamental fact
haven’t yet grasped the basics of
civic politics. Those who want to
.go-it-alone in fighting the NPA-
TEAM grouping are doing a
disservice to labor. Worse yet
are those in the ranks of labor
who are playing around with
TEAM in the hope of getting on
its slate or for other rewards.

Labor is the biggest and most
progressive force in this city.
That it should continue to be
without representation on City
Council is unthinkable. The path
to labor representation is
through a coalition of reform
groups that will include labor,
ratepayers, tenants and other
progressive forces. Anything
less will fail to generate the
enthusiasm essential for victory

that only unity can bring.

You know that the present City
Council, dominated by the NPA,
cannot be expected to do much
about low cost housing or rent
control. You know that its policy

of taxes on homeowners and
keep them down on industrial

and commercial properties. It’s —

prepared to spend half a billion
dollars on freeways that will

only increase downtown traffic °

congestion yet will do nothing
about a low. fare rapid transit
system.

Taxpayers and tenants pay the
bills for the Vancouver General
Hospital and the P.N.E. but both
are run by a small group of
business men over whom Council
has no control.
the city, where most working
people live, has little
representation on council
because the NPA refuses to
introduce a ward system.

Labor is consistently excluded
from all Council-appointed
boards because of NPA
prejudice against trade unions.
Council has no long-range plan
for building up our city - it moves
only when special interests like
the Block 42-52 promoters want
concessions.

All this needs changing and it
can be changed. A united labor
and progressive slate including
the trade unions, .NDP ~.and
ratepayer ‘and -tenant
organizations and other civic
groups can elect a majority to
Council.

A second conference of groups
interested in. these » objectives
will be held in September-where
a program and slate will be
discussed. Here is a chance for
every trade union and every
trade unionist to enter actively
into civic politics and help’ put
into motion a new movement
that will shake City Hall to its
foundations.

has been to pile the main burden

PNE coldwar powers
totally rescinded

must be

The people of Vancouver won
a victory last week when they

compelled the PNE directors to

partially back down on their
action in prohibiting certain

groups from renting booths at.

the exhibition. The ban was lifted
on the Co-op Bookstore, the
Canadian Campaign for Nuclear
Disarmament, and displays from
China and the German
Democratic Republic ‘(East
Germany). Still banned are the
B.C. Peace Council, the
Women’s International League
for Peace and Freedom and the
Communist Party.

You may remember that when
I first protested the ban in City.
Council, only alderman Tom
Alsbury supported me. All the
other aldermen refused even to
hear protests from the banned
groups and the Civil Liberties
Association. This itself was an
unprecedented and _ highly
undemocratic act. In our
democratic society Council

Should always be open to any -

citizen or group.

The ban of the PNE directors
on these groups was based on an
omnibus rule (Section 25 of the
Rules and Regulations for
Exhibitors at the PNE) passed
last February,

this rule were to be enforced no
citizen groups would be
permitted because every group
is for something or against
something and all groups favor
government legislation of one
kind or another. This makes all
groups political, even if not

partisan.

The PNE Board of Directors,
in a discriminatory fashion,
decided to enforce this ban
against selected co-operative
and peace groups, thereby
revealing its reactionary bias
and the real purpose of the ban.

It should also be noted that
Rule 25 banning so-called
political activity was passed in
secret. The press and public

banning all.
‘political activity at the PNE. If

were not informed nor were even
all members of the PNE’s Board
of Directors. All aldermen are
automatically members of the
board but weren’t informed of
the new rule. The reason is
obvious; the resolution is as
illegal and unconstitutional as it
is arbitrary and discriminatory.

Credit for compelling the PNE
-Board of Directors to back-track

must go first of all to the Civil
Liberties Association ‘which
conducted a vigorous public —
campaign protésting the ruling

that included picketing the PNE —

grounds; and to the B.C.

Federation of Labor and other _
concerned groups and citizens '

who registered their objections
at this abrogation of citizen
este

By partially lifting its ban the
PNE Board of Directors hasn’t

given us anything. It’s only given -
‘us back half of what it took away.

The pressure should be kept up
until rule 25 is rescinded in its
entirety.

The east end of °

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