EDITORIAL ——-—-——

Stop the weapons tests

Testing weapons for the U.S. Pentagon comes first.
Allowing the news to get out to the Canadian people
comes later and — who knows? — maybe in some
cases, never.

Tory Defence Minister Robert Coates admitted Nov.
1, that testing has been completed in Alberta of two
AV-8B Harrier jets similar to the aircraft used by the
British in the Malvinas (Falkland Islands) crisis.

It’s quite clear that the minister was in no hurry to
make the matter public, having witnessed the long and
ongoing campaign against the testing of U.S. cruise
nuclear missiles on Canada’s prairies. A story leaked to
a daily newspaper forced his pen hand and he issued a

press release.

Testing of these jets, over territory resembling that of
the Sovet Union where the U.S. fondly pictures a victor-
ious U.S. conquest, is only the tip of the iceberg. The
leaked information listed six different requests, each
worse than the next. How many are there that have not
been brought to light?

Prime Minister Brian Mulroney refused to come
clean on the matter, evading the concern in people’s
minds by saying no new-requests have been made by
Washington. It makes one wonder. How many old
requests are there? And, of course, there are military

secrets in the top layers of imperialism about which the
PM would not speak.

Coates said that cruise missile testing is continuing in
Alberta, disregarding or, more exactly, defying the
millions-strong public expression of revulsion and pro-
test over this contribution to arms escalation, while the
government hypocritically professes its desire for dis-
armament. (Gagetown, New Brunswick is the site of
other continuing tets, known as low-altitude targetting.)

Among other weapons tests admitted to are a type of
air-dropped mine whose clusters cripple and kill troops,
the MK-82 laser-guided bomb; and the U.S. Navy’s
version of the problem-plagued F-18 fighter plane,
which Canada is committed to buying from the U.S.

Public protests are bound to grow over the trampling
of Canadian sovereignity permitted by the Ottawa
Tories, and its trampling for the purpose of integrating
this country into U.S. plans for world military domina-
tion.

It is not only an affront to all Canadians, it reduces
this country in the eyes of the world toa serving boy for
Ronald Reagan’s aggressiveness. It is to be hoped that
the vast peace movements will respond vigorously and
rally even broader sections of the public to refuse U.S.
weapons tests on our territory, and to once and for all,
declare an independent Canadian foreign policy.

Ethiopia: crucial aid

With over six millién people affected by the disas-
trous drought in Ethiopia, and an estimated 500,000
facing death from starvation by early next year, the
unprecedented response from Western capitalist coun-
tries could not be more welcome.

The wealthy U.S. is an exception, its UN ambassador
Jeane Kirkpatrick holding out for a corporate penetra-
tion of the stricken country, rather than government-to-
government aid. The League of Red Cross Societies in
Geneva is asking for $23 million (a mere footnote in the
budgets of wealthy countries) to care for some 200,000
of the starving next year.

Canada’s role, carried into action by External Affairs
Minister Joe Clark, who visited Addis Ababa on Nov.
4, has on the whole been a most positive one. Clark said
after discussions with government officials and heads of
aid agencies in the Ethiopian capital, and a meeting
with head of state, Mengistu Haile Mariam: “I can
recommend with confidence that Canadians should
contribute.” :

Stephen Lewis, Canada’s ambassador to the United
Nations, besides appealing for emergency aid, became
the first representative of a major western country to
support the UN’s declaration on rescuing vast drought-
stricken areas of the African continent, including areas
of Ethiopia.

While there was some slippage on Clark’s
return — the government refused to back up his
agreement to act as a bridge between Ethiopia and the
West — Canada’s own aid pledge was apparently
upheld. (Since the beginning of this year Canada has
shipped 60,000 tonnes of wheat, and plans to exceed
100,000 by year’s end. The Soviet Union and other
socialist countries have been assisting Ethiopia with
both emergency and long-term aid for a decade.)

To all appearances it is largely because of the unusual
extent of mass media concern about the tragedy, that
the West’s response has multiplied. To what extent it is
on the necessary scale, of the most urgent content, and
handled most expeditiously by the assisting countries,
later evaluations will have to show.

Western representatives, including Joe Clark, having
satisfied themselves that aid — food, medicines, trans-
port, and various supplies now flooding in from the
West are getting to the people who urgently need
them — it should be possible to continue it until the
emergency is overcome. At the same time, Canada
should continue to give unqualified support to UN
programs aimed at long-term alleviation of drought
conditions and their attendant suffering.

Canadian Pacific Ltd., Montreal, owns the well-known air, rail
ship and truck services, plus telecommunications. It also owns
(70%) Canadian Pacific Enterprises which is in oil and gas, mines
and minerals, forest products, real estate, etc. Well, CPL ha
after-tax profit for nine months ended Sept. 30 of $260,668,000 UF
from $101,834,000 in those months of 1983. ie

‘Editor — SEAN GRIFFIN x

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ast Tuesday’s byelection victories — by
New Democratic Party candidate Bob

We note that Phillips just returned last ,
week from a two-week tour of several

Williams in Vancouver-East and particu-
larly that of Lyle McWilliam who ended a
32-year Socred grip on the seat in Okana-
gan North — will be welcomed by pro-
gressives all across the province. The Nov.
8 vote offered the first electoral test after
the Soldiarity events of last fall had roused
broad opposition to the government’s pol-
icies and provided the first opportunity for
voters in those ridings to indicate their
position on government economic poli-
In both cases, the message they sent to
the Socreds was one of repudiation.

Of course, there were other elements to
be noted in the vote, in particular the
resurgence of the “.iberals, but even that
suggests that there are some divisions
appearing within the Socred alliance put
together in 1975.

More than anything, the vote demon-
strated that there is a strong base of oppo-
sition to the government which, with
continuing action and the advocacy of
alternative policies, can be built.

And the first place to start is in the Nov.
17 elections — to carry the byelection
momentum into municipal election gains,
particularly in the crucial Vancouver civic
vote.

<< ook

‘oO no one’s great surprise, all of the
various privatization schemes under-

People and Issues

taken by the Socred government have
proven to be profitable plums in the hands
of their corporate recipients. but it’s not, as
Bennett would have it, “because private
enterprise does it better.” It has everything
to do with the giveaway conditions of the
original sale or the perks that have gone
with the deal after it was signed.

First there was the sale of the money-
making Beautiful B.C. magazine to the
Jim Pattison Group — which then had
access to the entire B.C. Hydro mailing list
for distribution of promotional brochures.

Then there was Pacific Coach Lines
which was broken up and sold to several
companies, one of which is owned by three
former management executives of the
Crown company. Once the sale was com-
pleted, service on a number of routes was
reduced or eliminated, fares were jacked
up and dozens of union drivers were
shown the door. Who wouldn’t make
money under those conditions?

But the most outrageous, according toa
bulletin issued last week by the B.C.
Government Employees Union, is the deal
worked out by the government for the sale
of the Manning Park Lodge and ski facili-
ties to a new private consortium, Gibson
Pass Resorts Inc.

The main lodge at Manning Park, says
the BCGEU, was built in 1972 at a cost to

taxpayers of $1 million. In the 12 years
since then, even at a conservative estimate
of appreciation based on the Consumer
Price Index, its value has reached some $4
million.

But the resort also includes 15 cottages,
a workshop, power plant and ski lift. That,
says the union, puts the total value at
somewhere between $10 and $20 million
based on today’s real estate market.

Yet the whole works was sold to Gibson
Pass Resorts for $500,000.00.

Needless to say, the union notes that at
least one of the shareholders is a promi-
nent Social Crediter.

Lest anyone think that privatization can
be justified on the basis that a facility can
be run without a direct operating cost to
the province, consider than when Man-
ning Park Lodge was sold, taxpayers got
only five cents on the dollar. Even credi-
tors at a bankruptcy do better than that.

* * *

achine-gun mouth though he is,

Minister of Industry and of Small
Business Development Don Phillips wasn’t
just firing tracer bullets in the dark when
he threatened earlier this year to introduce
legislation to create special economic
zones in this province to circumvent union
agreements.

European countries where he was having —
what the ministry termed “‘a first-hand
look at Europe’s free ports and economic —
zones.” ; a

When he left, Phillips said he was t0 |
“meet senior business and. government |
representatives to discuss, specifically, the |
establishment and operation of their free
ports and economic zones.

“This will enable us to apply the Euro-
pean experience to our own plans, now
actively underway, for special economic
zones in our province,” he said.

ARs

t was omitted from our round-up of

peace events two weeks ago — since”
date was not confirmed at the time — but
the public meeting Nov. 27 by the Vat”
couver Peace Assembly and the B-
Peace Council is an event worth noting 0
your calendar. Scheduled to speak are
James Lamond, British Labor MP and the
chairman of the British Peace Assembly;
and Satish Chandra, a member of the
Indian Ministry of Education. Both are
Canada for the World Peace Council:
sponsored World Dialogue on the Preve
tion of Nuclear War, for Disarmament and
Peace in Toronto Nov. 23-25. ss

The meeting is set for 7:30 p.m. 10 the
Robson Square Media Centre. Adm!

ot

4 e PACIFIC TRIBUNE, NOVEMBER 14, 1984