On eee en ae Ter Es e inns oetaeesha minded ei i beetieaedi ante British Columbia Labour’s story ‘balances curriculum’ The B.C. Teachers Federation has been attacked by the Socred education minister and the daily media for its role in releasing a package of materials on trade unions and related issues intended for two mandatory courses in secondary schools. Education Minister Tony Brummet was the first to raise the issue while facing a barrage of questions from Opposition MLAs during debate on education spend- ing in the legislature last week. Media comment, including a particularly vicious editorial in The Vancouver Sun on Monday, quickly followed, branding the. package as “political propaganda” and “false news.” Ignored in the furore over the curriculum guide is the welter of pro-business materials sent daily to school districts and individual schools — business propaganda the labour package was designed to balance, BCTF and labour representatives point out. Ken Georgetti, president of the B.C. Federation of Labour, said Brummet was displaying the “political paranoia that is sweeping through the Social Credit cau- cus.” Lynne Macdonald of the federation’s bargaining division said the package — designed for use in'Social Studies 11, and entitled Education About Labour — en- courages students to study aspects of trade unions and their position on issues. A second package, containing much of the same resource material as Education About Labour, is due out this week. Designed for the compulsory Consumer Education 12 course, it is entitled Workers, Management and Unions. “We've said for a long time that we need labour education in the schools,” Macdo- nald said. She said several teachers have mentioned a lack of ready sources on trade unionism, but it was the complaint of a North Vancouver teacher that got the ball rolling. - _ Ajoint committee of the BCTF, the B.C. Fed and the Canadian Labour Congress developed the packages. But what really pointed out a crying need for a labour perspective was the five-year old Project Business, which promotes the aims and objectives of business and extols the “free enterprise” system. ; Project Business came on line about the same time as the provincial Socred govern- ment created the mandatory Consumer Education courses back in 1983. ‘Con Ed” must be taken at either the grades 9 and 10, or 11 and 12, levels before a student gradu- ates. The effect of those changes was to “dis- place” many teachers of electives — busi- ness, home economics and so on — and force them to teach the new courses, for which they had little training or back- ground, Macdonald said. Enter Project Business, created by Junior Achievement. The program offered teachers a full package of course guidelines and aids, including games and puzzles, and even pro- vided a special guest lecturer for up to 13 hours teaching time per academic year. “That’s very seductive to a teacher with little background in the subject, and one of the reasons it’s so popular,” said Macdo- nald. In a circular promoting Project Business sent to prospective financial supporters. Junior Achivement states that “it costs $65 for each student influenced.” (Project Business was developed in the United States and “adapted” for Canadian conditions.) Junior Achievement, with a board of directors that includes representatives of IBM Canada, London Drugs, Chevron and Cominco, states that its “mission” is “‘to promote economic literacy, an understand- ing of, and a positive attitude toward, busi- ness and private enterprise among Canadian youth — the future leaders, voters and par- ticipants in society.” The Soundingboard, a publication of the Vancouver Board of Trade, promoted the program with the advice that “seldom is there an opportunity for individual busi- nessmen and women to influence and help develop the opinions of future employees and voters.” The effectiveness of Project Business may be gleaned from a reading of a student’s essay — an extract from which the project quotes to advertise its influence. “T myself have realized the endless Oppor- tunities open to me and to almost anyone in the province of British Columbia due to the free enterprise system here,” a B.C. student wrote. The student’s essay concluded: “I realize that the doors of the free enterprise system are open to anyone with ambition and courage and the benefits are there to be reaped by anyone who wishes to strive for them.” In short, Project Business is intended to Some fine efforts Times may be hard for the Tribune — but you wouldn’t know it from the response of our readers. We've had a load of bricks dropped on us by the Attorney-General’s depart- ment which squelched our yearly fund- raising contest. And we figured it would hurt. But whatever the reason for this potential body-blow, our key supporters show they’re made of stern stuff. For example: Gary and David Harris of Mission, B.C., always bought contest tickets with their generous yearly dona- tion. This year, the chance to win a car, trip abroad or a third prize was denied them. That didn’t prevent them sending ina whopping contribution of $1,800, how- ever. Many thanks, folks. We have a note, too, from some Richmond readers who write: ““Would only have contributed half as much if we hadn’t been so angry over the ban on your usual campaign.” They enclosed Let’s top the target $100. And we received a call the other day from a first-year subscriber who said he wished he could send more, but that $35 was the best he could afford. That, plus his subscription renewal. To all those supporters, we give send equal thanks. It’s their effort that has kept the drive a success so far. Right now we’re at what business manager Mike Proniuk refers to as the “47-per-cent mark.” That is, we’ve raised $38,820 on a target of $82,000. That’s virtually half-way. But then, the drive itself is slightly more than half- way over. There are 5% weeks to go until the Victory Banquet on June 25. And we know how time passes quickly. Even without the benefit of a prize, you’ve shown you’re ready to support B.C.’s only labour weekly. We’re asking you to take inspiration from the above- mentioned readers, and help put us over target in 1988. 2 ¢ Pacific Tribune, May 18, 1988 do more than simply acquaint students with the business world — it promotes an ideo- logical perspective. = That means school curricula need a bal- ance, Macdonald said. “The fact is that working people haven’t had their story told, and it needs to be.” Georgetti noted that a Business Com- munications course at Killarney secondary school in Vancouver hosted some 50 busi- ness speakers, and only three from trade unions. “I find it most peculiar that Mr. Brummet is not concerned about such a blatant imbalance in the education system,” he commented. Course guidelines for both labour pack- ages include. videotape showings — one from the National Film Board — visits by trade unionists to classrooms and readings of resource materials. The avowed aim of the program is to introduce students to labour’s terms and concepts, meet trade unionists, and “pro- vide students with a background to histori- cal and current labour issues.” The packet of materials includes excerpts from publications such as CUPE Facts and trade union position papers. The program raised the ire of Brummet, who during hard questioning by New Democrats over education spending last week lashed out at the package, claiming some its contents were “frightening” and “dangerous.” Yet several times Brummet acknowl- edged that “much of the material is objec- tive material. It may not suit people who don’t like unions or that sort of thing, but it’s fair, honest and straightforward.” The minister complained about trade union speakers who he said were “expe- tienced organizers :.. trained at a special meeting to come into the classroom as a ‘resource person.” He was apparently unconcerned that Project Business lecturers’ are also trained to operate in classrooms. Brummet also protested the inclusion of several political cartoons lampooning U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Prime Minis- ter Brian Mulroney, and issues such as pri- vatization and free trade. The Vancouver Sun and other media outlets also professed Outrage at such materials. Macdonald noted that most of that mate- rial was included in the resource read- ings — not the written guidelines — and that many were reproduced from the editor- ial pages of the country’s major daily news- papers, such as the Ottawa Citizen and the Edmonton Journal. An item found particularly objectionable by some press pundits included instructions on the singing of the labour anthem, “Solidarity Forever.” Included in a 1974 Maclean-Hunter publication, Canada and the World, it encourages students to “try to sense the feelings the workers would have had while singing the song.” At one point it asks students if they think the song’s words contain “exaggerated” opinion, or if they are backed by evidence today. : , Brummet also charged that the project was not approved by the ministry, district school offices or school boards. But Georgetti noted that Project Busi- ness “had no teacher or parent input, bypassed the school boards (and) used breakfast meetings to sell the idea to princi- pals and selected others.” Macdonald said many materials sent directly to schools do not go through, nor do they require, ministry approval or sanc- tion. She said the BCTF has an entire depart- ment devoted to producing classroom materials and has maintained it for half a century. “Now it seems our 50-year tradition is suspect. I think what’s showing here is a dangerous anti-union bias, and that’s unfortunate.” Workers, Management Unions DESIGNED FOR THE Sash MER EDUCATION 12 CURRICULUM SECTION . R MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION™ Labour course teaches trade union story —— Crosby wins byelection CAMPBELL RIVER — Labour's David Crosby has won the aldermanic byelection here, adding a needed trade union voice toa city council charged with hiking taxes and failing to defend the city’s critical water supply. : The president of the Campbell River, Courtenay and District Labour Council beat out business-backed opponent re - local Honda dealer Ron Barnard in a 507- 414 vote. ey Crosby, who has contested elections In Port Alberni and: Campbell River 5 4 labour-backed candidate, said council has. not gotten behind a provincial municipali- ties’ campaign to demand tax reform from Victoria. : “Just one week into the election, council hiked taxes 7.5 per cent,” Crosby said. “We said that council had to work with other municipalities in the UBCM to Pres- sure the provincial government to give us back our industrial tax base. We can’t Just keep going back to residents and tenants. The UBCM, or Union of British Colum bia Municipalities, is campaigning for te return of direct taxing powers over busi- nesses and commercial enterprises to local governments. ¢ Crosby said council was also guilty of “not really taking a stand” on mining 1 Strathcona Park. Exploratory drilling in the - province’s oldest park by Cream Silver Min- ing has drawn protests and sit-ins against the industrial encroachment of B.C. patk- _ land. Acid mine tailings and other industrial | wastes have been found in the watershed — serving Campbell River, Courtenay-Comox — and Port Alberni. : . “We oppose any further mining in the park and, in fact, any further industrial use — of the park. We wanta return to the former, park boundaries,” Crosby said. (The provincial government altered the — boundaries of Strathcona and other provin- cial parks last year to facilitate industrial — exploitation in the parks.) = ’ Crosby also noted the accidental dis- charge of 90,000 tonnes of sulphuric acid by — Elk Falls pulp mill — an incident that went — unreported to the Waste Management | Branch — during the election campaign. The labour council drew attention to the . discharge. ; Labour was active in Crosby’s campaign. — The Canadian Paperworkers Union local at — Elk Falls canvassed pulp mill workers to — make sure they got out to vote after work Saturday. 3 Crosby is an alderman until the election in November, when three aldermanic and ) the mayor’s positions will be open, each for — a two-year term. In 1990, a full council will be elected for a three-year term to conform with the Municipal Act.