British Columbia Abortion clinic opening celebrated Despite torrential rain, more than 300 pro-choice supporters marched through downtown Vancouver Saturday in celebra- tion of the opening of B.C.’s first free- Standing abortion clinic. Everywoman’s Health Centre, the cul- Mination of a year’s hard work by the members and supporters of the B.C. Coali- tion for Abortion Clinics, opened Friday at 44th and Victoria Drive on Vancouver's east side. Ata spirited rally at the Hotel Vancouver after the march, the crowd cheered, sang and gave repeated standing ovations to a ~ Slate of speakers and musicians. _“This is truly a magnificent day. A mag- nificent day because we, the women of B.C., have ensured that we have the right to choice on abortion. A right denied to us by a socially regressive provincial govern- ment,” said B.C. Federation of Labour vice-president, Anne Harvey. _Dr. Lorena Kanke, the new medical director of Everywoman’s Health Centre, Teceived the warmest welcome from the Crowd. But she spoke only briefly, encou- Taging volunteers to come forward to assist the clinic staff with a security escort service to be provided to women visiting the clinic. At the opening of the clinic the day before, hundreds of anti-choice demonstra- Continued from page 1 borne out the party’s analysis,” said B.C. campaign manager Fred Wilson. ilson noted that the dramatic turn- around in the campaign — the Tories’ Sudden drop in the polls — came about not SO much because of Liberal leader John Uumer’s performance in the televised _ debates, but because of the continuing efforts by free trade opponents such as the Pro-Canada Network. The peak of the network’s campaign — a feature supplement on the trade deal Mserted in 2.2 million daily papers across the country — coincided with the debate. €re were also demonstrations across the Country against Tory cabinet ministers Organized by various coalitions against free trade. That action was decisive in reversing What appeared to be a certain Tory victory at the polls, Wilson said. “Seldom has extra- Parliamentary action been so much a part of an election campaign.” However, there are still several days left the campaign and preventing a Tory Comeback is still the first item on the agenda. “No one can assume the Tories are Out yet,” Wilson cautioned. But he also noted that the rise in the -Iberals’ fortunes brings its own problems, oS many people will see them as the anti Tee trade alternative to the Tories, forget- Ung that they are still a big business party, Whose political program is set by the corpo- Tate sector, “It underlines the need for a genuine alternative program that will expose the €0-conservative program that both the iberals and Tories support,” he said. f € Communist Party has been putting orward that program throughout the elec- ie Campaign “and that’s what people Ould look at when they cast their ballots ©n Noy. 21, _ The struggle will continue after the elec- ihe and the bigger vote we get and the a Onger we emerge from this election, the Ore effective that fight will be,” he said. See In the constituencies, Communist = oe have been putting in long hours s “ Street and on the phones, striving to ia at message across in what most Cana- a See as one of the most crucial elections «yy COuntry’s history. in € ve been getting a lot of people com- 8 to us in all-candidates meetings and in T Phone canvass, asking about our tors crowded the street outside the clinic, Carrying placards reading ‘“‘murderers,” they sang and prayed for four hours while members of the clinic coalition and invited guests participated in the opening ceremo- nies. Over two dozen volunteer marshalls formed a barricade around the clinic, allow- ing guests and media unobstructed entrance. Joy Thompson of the clinic coalition told the guests inside that the clinic would con- tinue to function despite the anticipated protests. “We will provide safe houses and a dignified, peaceful escort service for women who wish to visit the clinic,” she said. “This facility brings us one step closer to achieving full freedom of choice for women,” said New Democrat MLA Dar- lene Marzari, speaking for NDP leader Mike Harcourt, at the opening ceremonies. “Tt represents years and years of hard work and suffering by thousands of women before the Supreme Court’s landmark rul- ing to de-criminalize abortion. “By refusing to cover the full costs, the Social Credit government is attempting to turn back the clock and continuing to thwart a woman’s right to choose legal and safe medical care. The stand this out-of- touch government is taking shows that its members are still more interested in impos- ing their own narrow personal views on program — there’s been a tremendous new interest,” said Kim Zander, the 29-year-old CP organizer running for the party in Van- couver East. Although changed somewhat by redistribution, the riding is a working class stronghold where the Communist Party has run since the 1930s. “In many meetings, we’re the strongest voice against the.trade deal,” Zander said. “But we’ve also got an economic alternative to it and people want to see what it is.” As in most ridings, the CP in Vancouver East still faces the problem of polarization as voters wanting to defeat the trade deal don’t want to risk taking their vote away _ from the NDP. But Zander counters that the CP’s pres- ence in the election has helped to focus the campaign against the Tories, a process that will benefit the NDP. “And a vote for the party is a special message that will carry beyond the election,” she said. In North Vancouver, the CP candidate, peace activist Betty Griffin, has seen Tory incumbent Chuck Cook come under increasing fire over the course of the cam- paign. Clearly the most knowledgeable about vy FU ND if March celebrates abortion clinic opening Nov. 5. women than providing safe and medically necessary services,” she said. B.C. Health Minister Peter Dueck con- firmed last week that the Medical Services Plan will pay the $106 fee for abortion procedures at the clinic, but that fees for counselling and equipment and operational the trade deal of those seeking the North Vancouver seat, Griffin has been part of the growing opposition to the deal that has prompted concern in Tory ranks about the possible defeat of Cook. Gary Swann, runr.ag in Comox- Alberni, has also found “a lot more people listening” which has been evidenced in the consistent local media coverage given his campaign. Last week, when the Royal Bank’s Sas- katchewan vice-president Boyd Robertson raised the spectre of 20 per cent interest rates and a 70-cent dollar if the trade deal was defeated, Swann set up a campaign protest outside the bank’s Courtenay office. Elsewhere, CP candidates have taken part in other actions, including travelling to _ the Nanoose base to highlight disarmament issues. And this weekend, Communist can- didates across the country were taking part in anti-Tory day Nov. 12, demonstrating outside Tory constituency offices in several ridings. One of the most high profile campaigns for the CP has been in Saanich-Gulf Islands costs will not be funded. The B.C. Coalition for Abortion Clinics will challenge that ruling in court this week, hoping to receive the designation of a Treatment and Diagnostic Centre for the clinic which will ensure funding under the Hospital Act. -CP campaign stresses alternative program where long-time Victoria trade unionist Ernie Knott is challenging Tory incumbent Pat Crofton, the chair of the standing committee on national defence. “Tt’s the best campaign I’ve ever been in,” said Knott, citing the extensive media cov- erage, the new members which have come to the party and the substantial financial support. Knott has run frequently in the Victoria area in both federal and provincial elections. As have most CP candidates, he’s “‘been involved in the campaign every day.” But the difference has been the coverage in all three media, including profiles on the main television station on Vancouver Island, he said. “If my vote on Nov. 21 reflects the sup- port I’m getting in the campaign, it will definitely go up, but this is a very polarized riding,” Knott said. “I’m still fighting for every vote. “But everywhere I’ve gone people have agreed that we’ve got something important to say. They recognize that we have an alternative. ‘Now we want them to cast their vote for the Communist Party on Nov. 21.” GARY SWANN 4 VAL CAREY BETTY GRIFFIN N ERNIE KNOTT DEBORAH MacDONALD NICK CHERNOFF North Vancouver Comox-Alberni Saanich-Gulf Islands Nanaimo North Island-Powell River Kamloops 4 * eR REG WALTERS ELSIE DEAN ~ Vancouver South Burnaby-New Westminster BERT OGDEN Vancouver-Quadra VI SWANN Surrey-White Rock L KIM ZANDER Vancouver-East HOMER STEVENS Richmond Pacific Tribune, November 14, 1988 « 3