EDITORIAL

Going against the grain

The Canadian public has once more
been put through the mill of the
monopoly-owned and monopoly-
government-condoned media.

This time the grain handlers at Thun-

der Bay were the culprits. Yes, they are
back at work, having won both wages and
the concilliator’s earlier demand that the
companies’ scheme for 24-hour, 7-day
operation be studied, and not inflicted
on this bargaining round.
_ But what did we get during the strike?
We got lying propaganda that the coun-
try was being ruined, that western far-
mers were losing $10-million a day!

That was a lie. Senator Hazen Argue,
the minister responsible for the Wheat
Board, says it’s a lie; and quite obviously
it was a lie, or the National Farmers
Union would not have issued on Aug. 20,
a press release warning the federal
government against back to work legisla-
tion, as “counterproductive”.

The NFU release defended the collec-
tive bargaining process. “Rather: than
considering the use of strike-breaking
legislation,” advocated by the Tories and
the reactionary press, the NFU said, “the
federal government should bring pres-
sure to bear on the employer ... to bar-
gain in good faith.”

Whether or not that was done, collec-
tive bargaining and mediation won the
day, and the right-wing and its media,
screaming for repression, were de-
feated.
_.. The media were dishonest about more

ses to agribusiness. (Senator Argue
points out that the farmers’ returns were
merely delayed. In union contracts,
when payment to workers is put off fora
year or two, it’s called deferment.)
These same newspapers and radio and
TV stations which spend each new day
trying for new anti-Soviet slanders with
which to brainwash Canadians, were, in

tharrthesu 2 eer $10-millionaday los-

fact, ranting about the delays in the
biggest ever grain shipments to the
Soviet Union — for hard cash. Their
dishonesty makes them two-faced. _

The five-year deal with the USSR for
25 million tonnes will add about $5-bil-
lion to the Prairie economy. The real
losses to Canada’s farmers resulted from
the stupid grain embargo ordered by the
USA, and obediently picked up by Ot-
tawa in 1980.

The grain handlers’ strike resulted in
mere delays while the lives of those
workers were being fought for by their
union.

As to trade with the USSR, not all
businessmen view it in the same way as
the rabid right. In June, for example, an
Alberta delegation headed by H.
Schmid, provincial minister of economic
development and international trade, vi-
sited the USSR to work up more trade.

Canada’s exports to the USSR. have
grown from $291-million in 1973 to
about $1.5-billion in 1980. Grain is still a
major part of that, although non-grain
sales in 1980 totalled $150-million.

- The question is: Are the consciously
anti-Soyiet,- confidence-destroying
media, and their political champions,
who undermine detente and. berate

Canadian workers, working for or

against Canada’s interests? When they
bemoan farmers’ “losses” one day and
try to destroy Canada-USSR relations
for the next 364 days, are they not

“enemies of Canada rather than of the

Soviet Union?

The grain handlers are back at work.
The grain will flow.— to all our trading
partners. But if you want to investigate
who expresses Canada’s interests and
who does not, the reactionary cliques of

the ruling class and their media mouth- :

pieces should become objects of con-
tempt.

Ministers have no answers

While homeowners are being battered
by soaring interest rates, and hundreds
already have been evicted or forced to
sell their homes, tenants are bracing

against current and pending huge rent ~

increases. When the ripple effect (more
like a tidal wave) of oil and gas price
increases, hits consumers on a dozen
fronts the crisis may well explode —
along with citizen action.

In the circumstances it is surely in-
furiating to watch the Ottawa quadrilles
by government ministers, to the hollow
cries of Tories, who have always wanted
to do more for big business. -

The problem for the Liberals and To-
ries is
up with those parties’ services to the
corporate elite and the multi-nationals at
the increasing expense of the people —
and workers in the first place, hit by an
anti-labor crusade.

During the meetings of the Cabinet
elite in Ingonish, N.S., it was our out-
of-his-depth external affairs minister,
MacGuigan, telling striking coal miners
he hadn't bothered counting his $92,000
a year Salary lately.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—SEPT. 25, 1981—Page 4

at millions of Canadians are fed

Then it was the turn of the energy
minister, Lalonde, to tell a miner’s wife,

who detailed the economic and health -

problems of miners’ families, to take an-
other look at the bosses’ generous offer.

The prime minister got off one of his
sneering remarks, saying that at most,
only those in “dire straits” could expect
to be defended by the government. If the
defence is typical it will guarantee con-
tinued extortionate interest rates to the
banks and trusts.

Housing minister Cosgrove sprinkled
star dust, telling home owners to “hang
on”, with faith in the fall budget and a
call to banks and trust to be lenient. _

But finance minister MacEachen de-
nied such a request, saying, Sept. 15: “No
decisions have been made ... .”

It isn’t that the capitalist ship of state is

off course; it’s just that the passengers —

are being fed to the sharks.

The fightback against the assault on
living standards is taking form in the
labor movement; and with home owners
and tenants being booted out, some ear-
lier methods of dealing with bailiffs will
have to be revived.

‘directly related to

\

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eae. <

Ps. and MBC’s computer-controlied broadcasting system reports that despite
the accidental neutron bomb explosions a few moments ago, not a single piece
of property was even damaged . . . as the bomb’s makers had always guaranteed.

Flashbacks

MALNUTRITION

AMONG ELDERLY

MONTREAL- — Old age
pensioners in this city are “suf-
fering from malnutrition” try-
ing to live on the Federal
government's $40 per month
pension, a leading welfare
agericy has charged here.

The. Montreal Council of So--

cial Agencies called on the Dup-
lessis government to immediate-
ly add to the basic federal pen-
sion by at least $10 a month.

- The exposure of starvation

conditions showed a pensioner
living alone requires a mini-
mum of $70.82 a month to feed,
clothe and house himself at
current prices.. This is more
than $1 a day over what most
pensioners are getting. A survey
showed many elderly hospital
patients suffer from illnesses
under
norishment.

: Tribune,

September 18, 1956.

Profiteer of the week

Maybe you noticed that the president and board of directors of |

PRAYERS FOR
EMPTY BELLIES

While thousands of un
employed workers and theif
families are starving in the holy —
city of Quebec, the church finds —
nothing better to do than start a
“crusade for prosperity”.

Twenty-five thousand de- |
luded workers were herded by |
the clergy and_ prayers were
offered asking for a return of -
“good times” (the clergy never —
had anything else) and a sef-—
mon was preached on the_
“multiplication of the loayes”.

Now the believers can im-—
agine that their dry crusts are —
turned into milk and honey: —

25 years age... 50 years ago...
.

Now the church, through holy —

intercession, will’ end the de- |
pression.
Prayers are much cheapet
than relief. |
; The Worker, |

September 19, 1931 _

Royal Bank were not in any of the protests about high interest _
rates. In nine months ended July 31, Royal had net profit of >
$377,163,000 compared to $229,851,000inthe sameninemonthsa
year earlier. Royal says nearly 50% of the increase resulted from

loans. }

Figures used are from the company’s financial statements.

RiBUNE )

Editor — SEAN GRIFFIN
Associate Editor — FRED WILSON
Business and Circulation Manager — PAT O'CONNOR

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