FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1968 °

COSTLY—BUT NO DEFENCE

GET OUT OF NATO

Independent policy
needed for Canada

“Canada should withdraw from NATO and adopt an
independent foreign policy free from U.S. domination.”’
This was the gist of a speech by national Communist
Party leader William Kashtan at a public meeting in

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Communist Party parley
expels disruptive group

“One of the final decisions of a
two-day Provincial convention
of the Communist Party, which
Concluded in Vancouver Sunday
evening, was the expulsion of
Elgin Ruddell, Charles Caron,
James MacFarlan and Allan
Blakey for violations of the
Party constitution and their part
in distribution of a slanderous,
anti-Party attack to the
monopoly press, radio and TV:
Provincial leader Nigel Morgan
declared in a statement
answering press stories by the
renegade group.

“Their expulsion for disrup-

tive and factional activities
over a period of a couple of years
was unanimously voted by 85
delegates representing 30 Clubs
of the Communist Party from
Vancouver, and all parts of the
Province,” he said. ‘““There is
good reason to challenge their
figure of 35 withdrawals. Not a
single resignation has been
received in the Provincial office
yet, although the attack of this
small group of dissidents comes
as no surprise to the member-
ship of our Party.

“Their disruptive, factional,
anti-Soviet, anti-working class

attitudes are so well known that
they were afraid to come to
defend their position before the
convention — at which it was
one of the items on the agenda.
“Their position, the essence of
which is a rejection of the
concept of a Marxist-Leninist
party and the substitution of
nationalism for proletarian
internationalism, and their
unprincipled, cowardly betrayal
of the Communist Party of
Canada, was rejected without a
dissenting vote by this Provin-

See DISRUPTERS, pg. 12

VOL. 29, NO. 49

Vancouver last Friday,

spokesman entered the national

foreign policy.

Last week both External
Affairs secretary Mitchell
Sharp and Prime Minister Pierre
Trudeau both called on
Canadians to express their point
of view whether Canada should
remain in NATO and NORAD.

However, almost in the same
breathe, both of them indicated
that the government has already
made up its mind to stay in the
U.S. and West German-

dominated military alliance. Indi-_
~ cations are that

they are
actually flying a kite to see how :
much public opposition is
expressed to their further,
involvement of Canada in NATO
military plans.

Speaking in Winnipeg last
Friday the Prime Minister
hinted broadly that Canada will
retain a military role in NATO.
His main argument was that by
staying in NATO Canada was
paying less for defence than if it

WILLIAM KASHTAN

as the Communist Party

debate on Canada’s

had an independent foreign
policy. . j

Almost at the same time as the
Prime Minister was making that
claim, the national Communist
Party leader told almost 200
people in the Ukrainian Hall in
Vancouver that between 1949 and
1969 Canada spent $2 billion a
year — or $40 billion on *‘so-
called defence.”’

‘“‘What could have been done if
that money had been spent on the
needs of the Canadian people
instead of weapons which have
not strengthened our security
one iota.’’ He pointed out that
NATO is pressuring Canada to
spend more on arms and that this
year Canada upped its military
expenditures by another $58
million.

Kashtan charged that while the
Trudeau government claims it
wants. a “just society” it is
following a foreign policy that
moves in the opposite direction.
“You cannot have a just society
and an unjust foreign policy,’’ he
said.

Challenging the contention by
External Affairs secretary
Sharp that Canada’s member-
ship in NATO means collective

‘security for Canada, Kashtan

said under NATO Canada is
committed to an alliance which
places the power of decision in
the U.S. and West Germany who
now dominate NATO. ‘“‘NATO
determines our foreign policy
and denies Canada an inde-
pendent policy.”’

Kashtan said that NATO is not
set up for defence. Its main
purpose is aggression against
socialism. the national libera-
tion movernents around the

See NATO, pg. 12

}