he assembled ministers and their constitutional

“experts’’ who attended last week’s constitutional

conference in Victoria, B.C., labored heavily — to give birth to
a very scrawny and emaciated mouse.

With all federal and provincial premiers on hand (with the
exception of Saskatchewan’s Thatcher — who gave a provin-
cial election and the bogey of NDP “‘Socialism” priority over a
new constitutixn for Canada, the end result could not have been
otherwise.

The vast sub-continent of the Yukon and Northwest
Territories (NWT) were not represented, nor for that matter
were the Canadian people in their English, French and Native
Indian entirety. None of the big problems facing Canadians
even approached the beginnings of a ‘‘solution;’’ economic,
social, political. The burning issue of jobs for a new generation
of youth, plus an older adult generation, of the state of the
nation down on the farm, all were pointedly ignored.

This constitutional conference body performed like a
hamster on a wire wheel in a guilded cage— going like hell but
getting no place: Plenty of cackle but no eggs.

It couldn’t be otherwise. The Canadian bourgeoisie are in
crisis, deep and insoluable in almost every sphere directing the
public weal. At least when the ‘‘Made-in-England”’ British
North America (BNA) which has served as a ‘‘constitution’”’ of
sorts since 1867, it started with a relatively ‘‘united’’ and
expanding Canada, despite the hangovers from the colonial
influences of the ‘‘Family Compact.’’ The ‘‘Fathers of
Confederation’ of 1867 were able to slake their thirst and
soothe their jaded political conniving with choice champagne
and unadulterated Johnny Walker.

In Victoria, B.C. in 1971, a century later, a more sickly
group of ‘founding fathers’’ had to content themselves in the
main with copious draughts of WAC Bennett’s well-watered
fruit juices. Such may have acted as a strong stimulant on the
kidneys, but did little to promote the inspiration and vision
essential to the writing of a new constitution for the Canada of
the future.

The “‘Charter’’ adopted by this august body of monopoly
servitors and watchdogs, is a ‘‘maybe compromise”’ to the nth
degree. Nothing agreed upon; everything dependent upon ten
governments’ approval ‘“‘in principle’ — before it can be
ratified by ten legislative assemblies, plus the Parliament of
Canada. Even then it is barely the beginning of a new
constitution. Prime Minister Trudeau in his evaluation of this
“charter”? included more “‘ifs, and buts’’ than a Holy Roller
guide to heavenly bliss.

Quebec’s premier Bourassa went home to La Belle Province
with two ‘‘no sale’’ deals on his mind; the one he couldn’t
“sell” the conference, a contemptable betrayal of the best
interests of the Quebec people—a typical Liberal maneuvre to
short-change the people of Quebec in a new two-nation
Canadian constitution. That, plus the package labelled a
“‘charter’’ Bourassa takes back with him, which will find few
buyers in Quebec, and probably end up in his own political
suicide if he tries.

Appointments to the Supreme Court of Canada got a lot of
attention, centering around federal vs provincial or regional
appointments. A class issue of top priority to a ruling class, but
to the mass taxpayer-cum-proletariat, not too important one
way or another. Whose interests it protects is more vital to the
people than who appoints it. Social Justice is more important
than reams of ‘‘law’’.

One thing the conference body were ‘‘united’’ upon, if
indeed diverging in ten or more different directions; they all
want a “greater share’’ of the nation’s tax dollars, more from
the nation’s basic taxpayer, and for the latter (perhaps ?) a
little more painless extraction. The technique of ‘‘painless
dentistry” embodied in a new constitution for Canada. In short,
they were all similarly infected with the ‘gimme’ virus, a
growing administrative epidemic in these modern times.

Nothing was said about peace — or the billions spent
(squandered is a better word) on wars, past, present and
future. One would have thought, just because of the baleful
influence upon Canada of the BNA, inter alia that ‘‘when
Britain is at war, Canada is also at war,” the ‘‘Motherland is in
danger”’ and all such tripe, that the ‘‘gimme’”’ boys would have
seized upon such an opportunity to place constitutional
guarantees against Canada becoming embroiled in bloody wars
against nations and peoples with whom we have no quarrel. But
nobody thought of it (?) and if they did they didn’t give voice to
such thoughts. Perhaps they all felt, each with the diverse
‘interests’? of his own baliwick in mind, — ‘‘Your Uncle
Sammy is watching you”’ so have a care.

Anyhow we now have a “‘charter”’ in lieu for a constitution,
good until Anno Domino, June 28, 1971. After that, as M.
Trudeau says, if they don’t okay it, ‘‘we start all over again—
at a later date.”

Ultra left disruption.
at city hall plays
into hands of reaction

By ALD. HARRY RANKIN

By the time you read this, the
June 23rd plebiscite will have
been held. But, at the risk of
being repititious, I would like to
give you one more example of
the fact that there are ‘‘liars,
damn liars and expert wit-
nessess’’ not only in the court-
room, but also at City Hall,
trying to bring out a big ‘“‘no”’
vote.

Council’s director of finance
informed Council that if we want
to borrow $9 million to buy the

Four Seasons property (a figure

which is inflated and false to
begin with), taxes will go up by
$6.25 per year for the next 20
years on the average home. This
information was supplied at the
request of ‘‘some reporter’’ to be
used as propaganda in favor of a
““no”’ vote.

Contrast this information with
the following: At the same time,
we were also informed that the
borrowing of $29.7 million for
the city’s Five Year Plan ending
in 1976 (remember this is three
times as much as we are
supposed to borrow to buy the
Four Seasons property) will cost
the average homeowner only
$7.00 a year!

As the old saying goes:
‘Figures can lie and liars can
figure.”

* * *

The extreme left and the
extreme right complement each
other very well; they couldn't
get along without each other.
What happened at the June 22
meeting of Council illustrates
how one helps the other.

A group of ‘‘Young Socialists’

(in the labor and peace
movement they are better and
more accurately called Trot-
skyites) was unable to get a
Council hearing. (Incidentally, I
voted in favor of them being
heard). They then proceeded to
disrupt the Council meeting,
caused it to be adjourned, and
prevented other delegations
from being heard. While some of
their demands were reasonable,
even though beyond the juris-
diction of Council, others were
nothing short of stupid, like the
demand of ‘‘free food from the
supermarkets.’

The impatience and frus-
tration of unemployed young
people at the do-nothing policy of
all three levels of government is
understandable and justified.
But allowing themselves to be
used in this way hurts their own
cause.

The disruptive tactics used by
their leaders, the abuse and
name calling gave our right wing
mayor just the excuse he wanted
for another attack on demo-
cratic rights. He told the press
later that he was considering
stationing police in Council
Chambers, having Council meet-

Fallers strike

Fallers at MacMillan-Bloedel
camps at Campbell River
(Menzies Bay), Franklin River and
Queen Charlottes, staged a one-
day strike Wednesday.

The action was in protest
against a company-union agree-
ment made without ratification
by the membership.

ings in his office and excluding
the public, or allowing entry into

Council Chambers only by means.

ofapass.
That’s how it goes. The ultra

left Trotskyites and others’

provide the right wing reac-
tionaries with the ammunition
they want for measures to
restrict democracy. At the
same time they provide the right
wing and the whole Estab-
lishment, including the mass
media, with ammunition with
which to attack and discredit the
unemployed, the youth and
anyone who advocates social
reform.

The ultra left and the ultra
right work so well together that
one wonders if they don’t also
plan together at times.

* KOK

On June 7, mayor Campbell
and I were supposed to appear
together on the CBC-TV pro-
gram ‘‘Hourglass’’ on the Four
Seasons issue. When I was
approached and accepted, I told
the CBC that I didn’t think the
mayor would agree. Sure
enough, he chickened out — half
an hour before the show was
scheduled to be taped.

I was prepared and willing to
go on and told the CBC so. But
word had evidently come down
from the top that it should be
cancelled if the mayor didn’t
show up. Just because the mayor
chickened out, TV viewers were
denied the right and opportunity
to hear arguments in opposition
to Council's shameful sell-out to
the Four Seasons promoters.
And that, after all, is what the
mayor wanted, to prevent the
public from hearing an expose of
what has been going on.

As far as I’m concerned, the
action of the CBC in cancelling
the program just because the
mayor didn’t show up was a form
of censorship.

Refinery
threat

Atlantic Richfield oil company
is this week seeking a permit to
daily dump 3.74 million gallons
of effluent from their refinery at
Cherry Point into the Strait of
Juan de Fuca.

The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers is conducting the
hearing in Bellingham at which
a number of Canadian groups
will present briefs protesting the
move.

COMMUNIST CANDIDATE ©,
Schofield, above, was Mf”
munist Party’s candidate,
Regina North-West cone
in the Saskatchewan @

held this Wednesday: Ti,

farmers needs for many
is a member of the Parly
committee.

Large shipit
sent to VielN?

: er
The largest shipment ot }

by the Vancouver
Committee to aid th oul
Vietnam left for that Cy
aboard the SS Orenbers  —
23. F
Garments, bedcover®
ages, knitting wool, Tins
surgical dressings, e© "s\
and other assorted item:
as a cargo of pow el ‘0
were in the consignmel™
value is $9,229.

The large shipme 4
answer to an urgent red
aid to the homeless tof
children of Laos, and pati
materialwill go directly |

Continued need for & -
and bedding is emphas
recent appeal recelV®
Vietnamese women, 2°
for knitting wool a? se
materials. It was sires,
goods should be in dar®

In less than five ¥ mit!
CAVC Children’s tic
has shipped 52,000 9
apparel and bedding ©.
women in every PE
Canada and the Unite

While this is a ati
achievement, contig
intensive bombing 14! of
ing in widespread 1055 rea
and possessions, dail¥ ala
the pressing necessity “ce
ing this kind of assis@™ yj
Mrs. Shiela Youn®: qh
chairman of the CAV itte®
of the Children’s Comm

For further informa\ 733"
Young can be reached 4