TIM BUCK reports:

‘The Regina Teach-in }
set inspiring example |

By TIM BUCK

HE Teach-in held on the
Regina Campus of the Uni-
versityof Saskatchewan set

an inspiring example which, it
is to be hoped, will be followed
in many other communities in

Canada.

In spite of the fact that it
was held on the eve of the long
holiday .weekend, when many
people who otherwise -would
have participated were going out
of town, it attracted a substan-
tial audience which in the even-
ing reached almost 300 people.

Even more signifificant than
the number was the composition
of the audience. It included stu-
dents (from Regina schools as
well as the university), profes-

South Vietnam’s liberation struggle

Last month in Hanoi
the second confer-
ence of the Interna-
tional Trade Union
Committee for Soli-
darity with the Work-
ers and People of
Vietnam against the
U.S. imperialist ag-
gressors hailed the
victories of the South
Vietnam National
Front for Liberation,
which now controls
four-fifths of the land
with 10 of the 14 mil-
lion people.

The map on the
right shows the pro-
gress made by the
National Front since
1961 — the year the
U.S. began stepping
up its aggression.
The “enemy occupied
areas” on the chart
refer, of course, to
those areas held by
U.S. forces and their
South Vietnamese
puppets.

The trade unionists
from 50 countries who
attended the Hanoi
parley adopted a
resolution demanding
an end to U.S. ag-
gression, _ withdrawal
of U.S. troops, cessa-
tion of bombing
against North Viet-
nam, and implemen-
tation of the Geneva
Agreements.

It also called’ for
settlement of South
Vietnam's affairs by
the South Vietnamese
' people without any
foreign intervention.

sional men and women, trade
unionists, housewives and farm-

from the floor of the auditorium
‘included some from all
groups named above, plus three

Three Yrieniis of sine dive U.S. citizens who were visiting

227 miles from Lloydminster to
attend the Teach-in. When I
mentioned this to the chairman
of one session he surprised me
by naming a number of people,
mainly farmers, who had travel
led similar distances.

An interesting and significant
feature of the Teach-in was the
fact that it was a community
undertaking. Some of its spon-
sors are members of local trade
unions, some are local business-
men (including the mayor of the
city), some are housewives, some
members of the Students’ Repre-
sentative Council of the Univer-
sity, and some members of the
staff of the University, including
Dr. W. A. Riddell, its principal.

The great value of being repre-
sentative of the community as a
whole must not obscure, in this
report, the tribute that must be

Another most inspiring feat-
ure was the volume and quality
of audience participation.
deed, the one significant im-
provement that could be made in
the organization of similar com-
munity undertakings in future
would be to extend the amount
of time allowed for audience
participation per average speak-

Participants in discussion

[J querritls areas

enemy occupied

paid to the men and women who
took the initiative in populariz-
ing the idea of the Teach-in and
in winning support for the pro-
ject from virtually all sections
of the community. Indeed, it
night have been easier, certainly
it would have been simpler, to
have organized it strictly as a
project of the University or a
group of members of its staff.

The action of winning com-
Munity support was a very im-
portant part of the value of the
Teach-in as a whole. Even more
important, it places the city of
Regina in first place in the car-
rying through of such projects,
which are going to be wide-
spread in future; it emphasizes
the fact that the question stu-
died by the Teach-in confronts
the community as a whole — it
is not the problem of our educa-
tional institutions alone.

The question posed for study
by the organizers of the Teach-in
was: “What should be Canada’s
foreign policy in relation to
Vietnam?”

The organizing committee in-
vited each political party to
send a speaker to present its
views as well as inviting a num-
ber of specialists to present fac-
tual reports, representative
speakers from various walks of
life and organizations.

Following a number of very
informative addresses and pap-
ers giving the audience factual
information, a 50-minute film on
the great Teach-in in Washing-
ton was shown.

Speakers representing the Pro-
gressive Conservative Party, the
New Democratic Party and the
Communist Party addressed the
Teach-in. Because the Liberal
Party leadership, that is to say
the federal government, could
not see its way clear to send a
speaker or authorize a_ local
member to speak on behalf of
the party, the official text of a
recent speech by External Af-
fairs Minister Paul Martin was
read to the audience, so that
they might be armed with the
Pearson government’s point of
view and its arguments in sup-
port of it.

Professor Berlan, the execu-
tive secretary of the organizing

committee, remarked at one
stage: “The only people who will
be able to say that the Teach-in
was ‘slanted’ are those who re-
fuse to take part in it.”

Dr. W. A. Riddell, who opened

the Teach-in on June 30, em-
phasized that it was not a pro-
test but a forum. Every partici-
pant was urged to speak, ask
questions and make comments.
He said that the Teach-in would
continue for as long as the audi-

July 23, 1965—PACIFIC TRIBUNE

TIM BUCK

ence desired. (The
showed their apprecl@
voting at 3.30 in the
after 12 hours of Te@
continue).

~ Eighteen speakers welt
list. Their addresses ©
very wide field. Sign!
almost every speaker 4!
himself or herself BS ih
policy and actions of ee
States government 1 vet
All except two or neh
sharply critical of the
government for its SUPE
U.S. policy and its ex

the barbarous action? —
forces in Vietnam.

Two of the participa?
the floor, each identify!
self as “an Americalh
very strongly in defen
the U.S. is doing in V! th
of them explaining
U.S. saved the Britis
world wars, once when
was on the verge of *t
to Germany, and today 4)
United States alone Be
serving peace throug}
world.

t be

Against this it mus
that one American V

that negotiations abouU
will have meaning _
the U.S. agrees to sit
negotiate with the ,
nam National Front [0
tion.

Limitations of spac® ct
report on all the Pera
would be unfair to thé
however, to omit ment
or two that made de 9
sions on the audienc®
these was an addres:
dame Therese Casgt@!
Voice of Women. An?
that of Woodrow Loy
of the CCF in. Saskt
and leader of the offic! f
sition in the provincl® —
ture.

a
Rev. P. W. Nash se
Campion College, 54
ould consider alter’
the present U.S. policy 0
nam and proposed t aut
should ‘press for
tion.”

? 4
Dr. Vo Thanh Minh j
dhist scholar who left
in 1949, said he felt ‘|
was’ the only solutio?
nam.
Norman Brudy of Re
1 presented the Commy
position on Vietnam. F
The Teachin at Ree
success. More than : ef
lustrated the great PO”
democratic action th@’
found in this new i®v
American democrats.
hope its example will :
ed in other communi”

Bi

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