1 all Ua | Wan WT

Lb M WLLL TE

a

Canada needs a

Bill of Rights

Id
NATIONAL campaign for a Bill of Rights that wou

A Xx Canadians guarantees in law of the rights of tree
speech, press and assembly, to choose and practice their own
political and religious belief, is projected in a report of the

Civil Rights Union to its mem-
bership and affiliated organiza-
tions.

“The majority of the Canadian
people want to develop and extend
democracy in Canada, and will ac-
tively work to protect themselves
against attacks on their freedom,
to organize to raise their stand-
ard of living,” states the report
delivered to a recent CRU mem-
bership meeting.

“A national desire for a Bill of
Rights exists in Canada,” the re-
port comments in. setting for-
ward the proposal that the CRU
take “the issue of a Bill of
Rights before the public so that
& maximum demand can be made
for the introduction of such a
bill at the next session of par-
liament.” The report was unani-
Mously adopted.

In reviewing the work of the
CRU in the past five months the
report details the following issues
which the Union has dealt with:

1. A brief to the Rarliament-
ary Committee on Human Rights
and Fundamental Freedoms in
Support of the UN Declaration
Cn Human Rights and Funda-
mental Freedoms.

2. Protest of the deportation of
Reid Robinson, vice-president of
the International Union of Mine.
Mill and Smelterworkers; a dele-
Sation to the Canadian Associa-
tion of Broadcasters in an at-
tempt to have reversed the refus-
al of northern Ontario radio sta-
tions to broadcast speeches by In-
ternational representatives of the
IUMMSW.

3. Campaign against the La-
Croix Bill on the grounds that it
represented “a dangerous threat

. to the civil liberties of all Cana-

dians”,

4. Full support to the Cana-
dian Seamen’s Union in its strike
against the shipping companies
and defense against attacks “by
overnment, shipping companies,
Police courts; bail amounting to
approximately $10,000 in cash
and property was put up for sea-
men charged during the strike.

The chairman of the CRU, Mrs.
M. H. Spaulding, stood bail for
the five who were shot and
wounded by a Canada Steamship
Lines’ official.

5. Withdrawal of Ottawa’s
“loyalty” questionnaire for civil
servants followed the protest of
the CRU, and other organiza-
tions and a demand has been
made on the government for
guarantees against unjust dismis-
sal of civil servants.

6. A joint protest with the Am- »
erican Civil Rights Congress on
the travel restrictions imposed on
unionists by the U.S. and Cana-
dian governments has been pre-
pared for submission to the UN.
' 7. An Ontario conference on
racial and religious discrimina-
tion in employment, property
ownership and in other forms is
now being planned.

8. The legality of the Toronto
Board of Education’s resolution
to ban the use of schools is be-
ing studied to determine whether
action can be taken to have it de-
clared void. :

“The above report gives some
indication that civil rights in
Canada are under serious attack,
but it by no means gives a com-
plete picture. In order to see that
we must look at more recent
events and also review the state
of civil. rights. as-it exists na-
tionally,” states the CRU.

“To determine more eeeurataly
the extent of the attacks on civil
rights in Canada we have drawn
up a catalogue of what we con-
sider are violations that warrant
our attention. These violations
are not always the sensational
ones that hit the headlines. In
fact, those who commit violations
of civil rights usually try to do
so without publicity, and certain-
ly without witnesses,” says the
CRU.

(The CRU’s catalogue of viola-
tions of civil rights and the re-
ply of the Canadian people to
these violations appears on this
page).

Pointing out that one full page

advertisement run by the CRU
on the Seamen’s strike cost over
$1,000, J. Cowan, treasurer of the
Civil Rights Union, appealed to
the membership to assist finan-
cially in the work of the CRU,

/ . >
@ In Quebec, the Duplessis gov-

ernment tries to impose
“thought control” by raids such
as this on Victory Bookshop in
Montreal, These attacks on fun-
. damental freedoms are a warn-
ing to all Canadians of what
can happen to their liberties
unless they fight back.

Your civil
are in danger

liberties

N A REPORT of its work in
the past five months the Civil
Rights Union, has listed the, fol-
lowing violations of civil rights
in Canada to demonstrate the
need for a Bill of Rights to guar-

antee the basic liberties of all
Canadians. .

@ The Halifax Herald ete
that the RCMP is “investigating”
the lives and activities of trade
unionists in Cape Breton.

@ In Quebec the notorious Pad-

lock Act is used against the labor
and the political press. Certifica-
tion of unions is revoked as
though it was not worth the pap-
er it was written on and labor
legislation is drafted to restrict
rather than to protect, the right
of trade unionists. Radio time on
the provincial ‘network of the
CBC and on private stations is
refused to recognized trade union
centres. Films produced by the
UE-CIO are banned from public
showing. Films produced by the

On guard for freedom

AGAINST the catalogue of viola-

‘

tions of civil rights, the peo-
ple have demonstrated the vigor of
their belief in free speech, as-
sembly, and press, freedom of po-
litical belief and religious creed,
Whenever these rights have been
invaded or suppressed..
Here is the Canadian people's

catalogue of protest against vio-
Jations of civil rights, as set forth
in the report of the Civil Rights
Union: 4

e The Jehovah's Witnesses
presented 500,000 signatures on a

petition to parliament asking for

a Bill of Rights.
e The general council of the

£2

he

fflutinn

)

IPaci ill Top

Wed TG

Huth

Ih
(i /[2 2, TE

Sel

Dl
prs LANE

'

po Wi antl

ATI ‘| NB
NIB V2

Friday, November 19, 1948
In this section

Let the rail splitter awake

By Pablo Neruda

22a

United Church meeting in Vic-
toria stated: “It is the duty of
the state democratically to strive
for a better relations among

.men, and we think that construc-

tive efforts to this end should not
be attacked as threats to the
common good. We urge upon the
government and parliament of
Canada that every possible pro-
tection be given by and to the
rights and liberties of citizens and

residents of Canada and that the —

support of Canada be accorded
the Declaration of the United Na-
tions on Human Rights and
Freedoms.

@ The conventions of both the
Ganadian Congress of Labor and
the Trades and Labor Congress
condemned the practice of racial
and religious discrimination, and

. the Schroeder decision in partic-
ular.
@ The LaCroix Bill was de-

feated. This was the most im-
portant. victory for civil rights in
Canada since *he repeal of
Section 98,

National. Film Board are also
banned.

@ In Ontario restrictions are
placed on the free showing of
educational films. The film, Na-
tive Land, with Paul Robeson as,
commentator, based on ‘the find-
ings of the LaFollette Committee
to investigate civil liberties and

the rights of labor in the U.S., is -

banned from public showing. Un-
ions are also: refused time on
private stations. and if they do
finally succeed in buying time
their scripts are subject to heavy
censorship.

@ The Jehovah’s Witnesses are
refused permission to build a
church in North Toronto. The
press in Toronto refuses to run
advertisements prepared by un-
ions and other organizations. In
Belleville the YMCA will not al-
low the unions to use its hall for
membership meetings. Justice
Schroeder decides that it is legal
to discriminate in property own-
ership against persons of Jewish
faith. The law to prohibit racial
and religious discrimination in
advertising is violated in summer
resorts in Ontario. In Hamilton a
young Negro is refused admission
to a dance hall.

@ An article in the current is-
sue of MacLean’s Magazine
proves the existence of racial and
religious discrimination in em-
ployment in Ontario.

@ Ross Russell, director of or-
ganization of the UE-CIO, was
arrested on the Leaside picket
line after he said, “Good morning,
fellow workers” over a micro-
phone on the grounds that what
he was “about to say” might cre-
ate a disturbance. As Russell said
to a delegation from the CRU who
investigated the incident, “Don’t
get caught thinking.” At the time
Russell was arrested a provincial
police officer struck a 19-year-old
girl and broke her nose. No action
was taken against the officer.

@ Violation after violation of
the Canada Shipping Act has been
recorded against the shipping
companies involved in the sea-
men’s strike. The federal govern-
ment has done nothing. The em-
Ployee of the shipping company
who shot and wounded five sea-
men is still out on bail awaiting

a

trial. This is in sharp contrast to
the haste with which seamen have
been convicted with shipping
company lawyers acting as crown
prosecutors. The Canada Ship-
ping Act denies them the right
of trial by jury. More violations
of fundamental civil rights have
been committed during the cur-

rent strike on the Great Lakes

than in any other labor dispute in
Canadian history.

-@iIn BC. a graduate of the
law school is refused permission
to practice law because of his
political opinions. The B.C. board
of censors bans the film Diary of
A Nazi, because it depicts “the
Nazis at their worst”.

@ The Progressive - Conserva-
tive Party, i is on record as favor-
ing another LaCroix Bill.

© The CBC makes regulations
concerning the time to be allotted
to political parties for broadcast-
ing on the national network,
which effectively prevents new
parties, and those who do not
hold seats in the federal house,
from reaching a national radio
audience.

@ However, in a display of ex-
ceptional generosity the CBC
provides organized labor in Can-
ada, now grown to almost one
million strong, with 7% minutes
a week on the national network,.
provided, of course, that man-—
agement ‘takes the other 714 min-

utes of a 15-minute program so

that no one can accuse the CBC
of being “partisan.” While it has
evolved this restrictive device for
labor broadcasts it allows the
Canadian Club, or any other “ve--
spectable” organization to broad-
cast speakers who represent large

. corporations and business assaci-

ations, no matter how little they
may represent public opinion.

@ In Ottawa civil servants

are secretly “investigated.” House-

wives’ delegations are refused en-
try to parliament to exercise the
right of petition.

® While all of these vidtnGiene
of civil rights take place,, four
Nazi collaborators slip quietly in-
to the ‘country on forged pass-
ports, and with full, but secret,
permission of the, federal govern-—
ment, become legal residents with
all the privileges of Canadian
ecitizenshin.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — NOVEMBER 19, 1948— PAGE 9