On the picketline

By A STRIKER

Talking with pickets at the
gates of the sprawling Northern
Electric plant at Bramalea (10
miles outside Toronto) it’s clear
they are solidly determined to
show this giant. Canadian mono-
poly it can’t push people around.

Not that there has been any
direct confrontation at the
picket lines as yet. Other more
‘subtle tactics have been used.
Before the strike, it was the dis-
torted blowing-up of fictitious in-
creases in wages which were
promised via the cost of living
bonus, as though the company
could read the DBS figures two
years in advance. a>

Recently the company has re-
sorted to threatening the layoff

of up to 6,500 of their Montreal -

employees, and laying the blame
for this on the Bramalea strik-
ers. Every one of them I’ve
spoken with insisted this com-
pany move is nothing but intimi-
dation. :
They pointed out that Brama-
lea ships no more than 10% of
its production, in the form of
parts, to Northern Electric in
Montreal. And since the. Mont-
real plants have two-and-a-half
timés as many employees as
Bramalea, and most of them
work on unrelated production,
the strike in Bramalea could
never have the effect of laying
off 6,500 workers in Montreal.

“It’s nothing but a company

a
Ses

an 3 Pacific Tribune

. West Coast edition, Canadian Tribune

gimmick,” said one of the strik-
ers on the picket line, “through
which: it hopes to blame our
union for threatened layoffs and
thus keep its Montreal work-
ers forever tied to the Northern
Electric company union.”

The strike of the 2,500 mem:

bers of Local 531 of the United
Electric, Radio and Machine
Workers (UE) is in its fifth
week. The main issue is wages.
The company and union met on
Nov. 20 on the call of the Onta-
rio Department of Labor direc-
tor of conciliation services. That
meeting adjourned without set-
ting the date for any further
meeting. The plant is shut tight.

Canadian CP
wires U.S.S.R.

This is the text of the wire sent

Friday Nov. 20 to the Central .

Committee of the CPSU in Mos-
cow on the occasion of the
launching of ‘“moon-walking”
satellite Lunokhod:

“Congratulations on another
Gutstanding scientific techno-
logical achievement, a tribute
to the power of socialism and
human endeavor.”

The wire was signed by W.
Kashtan on behalf of the Cen-
tral Executive Committee of the
Communist Party of Canada.

Potetetetetateveteteteretetecotecess
asetetedecececetetecececeestectctaencttetatetetareretereasers

Editor —MAURICE RUSH
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PACIFICTRIBUNE-2-FRIDAY, NOVEMBER:27, 1970-PAGE4 sinc ivcrg

2 30A9—~

ONG! WS AIEMIVOH VACINS—-3IMUBINT DAIDAT

Loaded for bear

Trudeau is a tender wooer—till he
gets his way. His henchmen aren’t so
refined. Premier Bourassa and Justice
Minister Choquette, applauded enthu-
siastically when an antedeluvian type
named Bienvenue called in the Quebec
National Assembly for:

Compulsory military service for’
youth.

~ Censorship of news media.

¥ Strict control of public demonstra-
tions.

Identity cards to be carried by all
citizens.

“ Re-institution of capital punish-
ment.

¥ A sterner parole policy for pris-
oners. .

¥ Beefing up .police forces with
funds saved by cutting back spending
on cultural needs.

Don’t be taken in by talk the Public
Order Act is directed against terrorism.
ve loaded for bear and directed at all
of us. :

Is it realistic?

Prime Minister Trudeau is hell-bent
on ramming his “austerity” program
down the throats of the Canadian peo-
ple. He spelled it out in his speech at
the Liberal convention last weekend.

He said a blunt “no” to suggestions
about a guaranteed minimum annual
income to Canadians — the meeting
didn’t agree, by the way. “The govern-
ment cannot give more to everybody
now,” he declared. The same — vehe-
mently and sarcastically — in regard
to a proposal for a billion dollar public
housing program. He stated that try-
ing to get the government to promise
such measures was “a subversive tech-
nique” because the government’s in-
ability to fulfil such promises would
lead to revolution...

(His didn’t explain why his govern-
ment’s welching on the promises of a
“just society” and “participatory de-
mocracy” haven’t resulted in revolu-
tion.)

He said demands for “more housing
. .. less unemployment’. . . a higher
minimum wage... greater payments
for those less able to earn” comprised
a “revolution of rising expectations.”

And he further said that he has been
trying to instill a “feeling of realism in
the Canadian people.”

The message is clear: Trudeau and
his government are going to do their
damndest to impose still further their
austerity program.

To oppose them is declared to be
“subversive.” :

On the other hand, to uphold the gov-
ernment’s policy is “realistic.”

What’s unrealistic about a billion dol-
lar housing program? Don’t we have
the building materials or the capacity
to produce them? Don’t we have the
workers to do it? The architects?

What’s realistic about unemploy-
ment? Is keeping plants and workers
‘idle realistic?

What’s unrealistic about establishing
a minimum income so that no one in

Canada would live in poverty and de-.

spair? Don’t we have the piled-up
goods and the capacity to double them
that would assure such a measure?

%

employed.

ti’ gent coibbs bosnsmmos Jie sist Sesd-ots. 01

Why, in the name of sanity, should),
there be austerity, poverty, unemploy,
ment, reduction in services, growl
taxes?

What Mr. Trudeau means is the off
truth: we can have jobs, we can puild
houses, we can keep industries runnin
only so long as it’s profitable to the bie
Canadian and U.S. monopolies that ow!
and run our economy.

Otherwise, it’s “unrealistic.” 7

We think that the Canadian work:
ing people will not take Mr. Trudeal
advice. They will raise higher and lou®
er the demand for one million new JO”
to wipe out unemployment, for a billid
dollar program to build homes, schoo!)
hospitals, ete., for a guaranteed mill
mum income to eradicate poverty, £0)
a continually higher living standat |
and level of education and culture col")
mensurate with our productive cap*
city put to work for Canada and th
Canadian people!

If Mr. Trudeau considers this
versive,” so be it.

— The terrible truth

Recently we have witnessed resolulé
actions by our Native Peoples—Indial!
and Eskimo — in defence of their li),
lihood, their rights and their hum?),
dignity. Those actions take many for™,
There have been demonstrations 3”
public appeals. There have been PF’)
tests against discrimination (in hire)”
workers for the Far North, for exal,
ple) and against various manifest)
tions of racism. There has been
occupation of land which is theirs
treaty rights but is being grabbed fr?
them even now, in 1970, as has be
done for nearly four centuries.

It is not enough, however, to che@\
these actions of resistance and Ww
them success. It is not enough to sy!)
pathize with their aspiration to ha¥},
the right to form self-governing C0!
munities with their own schools 4}
language. This is not the struggle oN
the Native Peoples alone — it is ov)
responsibility as a whole: lt

We are not dealing simply with m*),
mories of ancient wrongs, or with Sef
arate instances of rong dome today'{t
The truth is more terrible than that. }

Here are some data contained in 4
study conducted by a group headed bi)
Professor P. S. Elder of the Universiti)
of Western Ontario for the consider!)
tion of the Liberal Party policy conve?|
tion:
* the death rate for pre-school aa

=F
ini
a

soul ;

children is eight times the Canadi
average; k
e the death rate for Indian adults ?
three and a half times the Canadiam) |
° the average life expectancy of If}
dian women is slightly more than 7},
years; \
40 per cent of adult Indians are ue
:

These figures show that we have ©)
‘do not only with injustice but som®:
thing approaching genocide. |

As the various currents of the strup,
gle for a better Canada converge a|
gather strength, high on the list of de}
mands to be won is that of justice £0]
our Native Peoples, the earliest inhab})
tants of Canada, who have suffered
most and longest of us all.

It’s not just their fight—it is ours.

And not tomorrow—today.

bodsicgi “nisi

getting
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