} Maybe vou haven’t believed that perhaps this month—only three years from VE Day—Canada could become a police state. me On this page we print the blueprint for the Canadian police state. It’s on the agenda of the House 65£ Commons as Bill No. 2, the LaCroix Bill, If the bill were to be driven to a vote, there is danger that a majority of the MP’s might vote for it. . aimed at outlawing the Labor- letters insisting that the MP’s speak out against the LaCroix Bill. None of the big business daily papers has said_ more than a few: words in reporting the LaCroix Bill. None has said that the bill is aimed at the whole fabric of Canadian democracy. The Pacific Tribune prints the bill in full so that the people of British Columbia will be alerted to the danger and raise a storm of protest that will compel British Columbia MP’s to reject _ Blueprint for the police state Big business organizes hoodlums—the raw ‘material of fascist storm-troops — to break up meetings and threaten physical violence to oppon- ents of the government. : The distance between this sinister pattern and the ultrmate horrors of fascism (remember the soap made of human fats?) is the extent to which. Canadians use their democratic avenues now—while there is still time—to halt oppression. Canadian democracy cannot be silenced. New Ostensibly Progressive Party, this act can be used to im- prison any other opponents 0 Complacency could lead being established in Canada by default of democ- The scheme for oppression can be upset of Canadians bombard racy. if hundreds of thousands their members of parliament with telegrams and f government policy. this fascist legislation. to the police state about Communists, courts. . fices are raided and padlocked. Under cover of systematic and savage lying trade unionists are being jailed and deported. Unions are dragged into the Union offices are bombed. Newspaper, political, union and cultural of- hundreds of thousands are demanding rising liv- ing standards, security, Canadian independence, freedom, and peace. those that want a CCF government in Canada. Nobody can imprison all Now is the time for patriots to be heard. police state. ’ Speak out against the menace of a Canadian Ilmeans to YOU! | This is what the LaCroix Bi Canadian big business proposes, in effect, to write the notorious Section 98 back into the Criminal Code in order to make criminals as we Shall see. out of democrats. The new section SUBSECTION 1: BANS DEMO- is many times worse than the old CRATIC ORGANIZATIONS. First i Read this -- and wire your MP now THE HOUSE OF COMMONS BILL NO. 2. An Act to amend the Criminal Code: (IHegal Organiz- ations). Bret é His Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows :— 1. The Criminal Code, chapter thirty six of the Re- vised Statutes of Canada, 1927, is amended by inserting therein the following section :— (1) The Communist Party of Canada, vab Progressive Party of Canada and any association, society, group or organization having similar aims or purposes are declared to be, and shall be deemed to be illegal organizations: PROVIDED that no association, society, group or organization, except the Communist Party of Canada, and the Labor-Progressive Party shall be deemed to be an illegal organization unless a Superior Court of Criminal jurisdiction has _previ- ously, upon a_ reference submitted by the Governor in Council, expressed the opinion that the said associa- tion, society, group or organization is an illegal asso- ciation within the meaning of this section. (2) Every person who, after the coming into force of this section or after the court of criminal jurisdiction has expressed the opinion mentioned in subsection one of this section, as the case may be, continues to be or becomes an officer or member of such an illegal ‘organization, or professes to be such, or who advocates or defends the acts, principles or policies of such illegal organization shall be guilty of an offence under this _ - section and liable to a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars or to imprisonment of not more than twenty years, or to both fine and imprisonment. — ees (3) In any prosecution under this section, if it is proved that the person charged has fares a) attended meetings of an illegal organiz&tion, or b) distributed literature of an illegal organization by circulation through the mails of the Post Office of Canada or otherwise; or c) knowingly permitted, as the owner, lessee, agent or superintendent of any building, room, premises or place, any meeting of an illegal organization ; ‘ . it shall be prima facie evidence that said person is a member of such illegal organization. (4) Any property, real or personal, belonging or Sus- pected of belonging to such illegal organization, or held or suspected to be held by any person for or on behalf thereof may, without warrant, be seized or taken possession of by any person thereunto author- ized by the Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and may thereupon be forfeited to His Majesty. _ (5) No person who is a member of an illegal organ- ‘ jzation shall be eligible to be a candidate to serve as a member of the House of Commons or to sit asa ‘member of the Senate or House of Commons.” the Labor- of all, this subsection would out- law the Labor-Progressive Party. The LPP is a working class par- liamentary party fully entitled by the democratic traditions, consti- tution and present laws of this ’ country to openly contribute to the shaping of national policy. The activities of its members are publicly imprinted in the his- tory of this generation, a consist- ent record of defending the living standards, security, freedom, inv dependence and peace of the Can- adian people. While experience in scores of countries shows that such bfrorts never succeed, this proposal would remove the right to advocate fun- damental social change and re- strict political rights to the right to believe that big business should forever own and control this country, : It is important for all demo- crats to defend the legal rights of the LPP, since it is through wholesale lying about the LPP that the assassins of democracy seek to cover up their evil work, and since outlawing the LPP is only the first step in the Hitler pattern. But subsection one does much more than outlaw the LPP. It outlines the procedure whereby any other association, society, group or organization having “similar aims or purposes” be- comes illegal, through the govern- ment. submitting a reference to any superior court, This could be applied to trade unions, the CCF, cultural or com- munity organizations, peace -groups—almost any organization. Take the case of Reid Robinson, “for example. Robinson was directing a drive of ‘the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers ( CIO-CCL) to win wage increases in Ontario goldfields, He has been deported to the United States as an alleged “Communist.” -The RCMP’s chief labor spy, In- spector John Leopold, claimed ‘that Robinson was one of the sponsors of the National Council for American-Soviet Friendship. Leopold gave his word that the latter was a “subversive organ- ization.” If this yardstick is applied to the Canadian-Soviet Friendship Council we find that such people as. Mackenzie King, Percy Ben-' gough, A. R. Mosher and Vihljal- mur Stefansson have been patrons of a “subversive” organization. ' Hundreds of statements from prominent Tory, Liberal and So- cial Credit high commands as to what they consider “Communist” make it quite clear that this bili PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MAY 14, 198—PAGE 5 is specifically designed to embrace any of the democratic organiza- tions in this country at the gov- ernment’s will. . SUBSECTION 2: PRISON FOR INDIVIDUAL OPPONENTS OF GOVERNMENT POLICY. Indi- viduals convicted under the new section 98 could receive vicious prison terms, or fines, or both. These penalties could be applied not only to those charged with being members of illegal organiz- ations, but to any member of the general public. Express a personal opinion of criticism of some as- pect of government policy—and presto!—you could go to jail. This e ee. could include demanding repeal SUBSECTION 3: EVERY LANDLORD A STOOLPIGEON! avoid conviction under this sec- tion—and still might be convict- ed! : SUBSECTION 4: THE POLICE TAKE OVER. =a This is the most far-reaching — provision of all. Property and be- longings of any tyPe could be seized on unfounded “suspicions” raised by any informer, or origin- ating in the fertile mind of the zealous officers of the police state. This could be done without warrant by any person at all carrying the authorization of the Commissioner of the RCMP. No more gross violation of justice, no wider swathe of intimidation was ever conceived under the Hitler state. / SUBSECTION 5: RESTRICTS PARLIAMENT TO. BIG BUSI- NESS PARTIES, through speci- fic application of the “ban” to — election candidates. Such is the blueprint for the Canadian police state conceived ‘by. those who stand behind the e notorious fascist sponsor of the bill, Wilfred LaCroix. There is no reason to believe it cannot hap- pen here. If it is not the LaCroix — Bill it could be something else. The drive for the police state does not originate with a handful of fanatics. It stems from the top circles of big business and the old-line parties who fear the re- sistance of the Canadian people to their policies—policies which are breeding depression and war. _ Ninety-five percent of Canadians want peace, iong for economic se- curity, cherish democracy. A noe shattering defeat for the LaCroix — parliament now. a