Canada must direct Young Canadians

economy, make jobs

HAMILTON — Congratulat-
ing the Communists of this city
last Thursday on nominating
two militant workers — auto
worker Jim Bridgewood and bus
driver Bob Jaggard—to carry the
party’s banner in the federal
election, William Kashtan prais-
ed the candidates as men “who
won’t bend a knee to monopoly,
won't betray the interests of
the working class.” aS

Once the Communist Party
alone called for the fight for
genuine Canadian independence,
the Canadian CP leader noted,
but now everybody is talking
about it one way or another.
This i$ a central issue in the
election, on the decision of

which the future of Canada. de-
pends.
One line of direction that is

being proposed is for the sale
of Canada’s natural and energy
resources to the U.S. and who-
ever else will buy them.

The other is for the develop-
ment of secondary industries on
the basis of our resources, ex-
panding Canada’s economy to
provide the 2,500,000 new jobs
needed in this decade, and
strengthen its independence.

What’s Nixon coming to Ot-
tawa for on April 15? Isn’t it to
increase U.S. pressures for a
continental energy policy that
will give American monopolists
our water resouces? To get the
auto pact provisions removed
that were. fair to Canada? To
get the Canadian dollar reva-
lued upwards? In other words,
pressue for measures that would
limit Canada’s independent de-
velopment.

Genuine Canadian indepen-
dence will not be advanced by
strengthening Canadian mono-
poly, but through public owner-
ship, first of all of the natural
and energy resources, to enable
us to control and influence the
development of Canada, to put
into effect an economic plan
over the decade to build the in-
dustries and provide the new
jobs.

We have the resources, the
people, the material and human
capacity to do this, but we don’t
have a Parliament that would
adopt and carry through such a
course. That is why it is so im-
portant for there to be Com-
munists in the Parliament.
With all due regard to the NDP
there can be no assurance that
they will do it, they are not
fighting to unite all patriotic
and democratic forces to this
end.

Genuine Canadian _ indepen-
dence also means an indepen-
dent foreign policy based on
Canada’s interests and world
peace, which would include
withdrawal from NATO and
NORAD, declare Canada a nu-
clear-free zone, expand trade
with all countries.

It would be a disaster if dis-
satisfaction with the Trudeau
government were to result in
the election of Stanfield and the
right-wing coalition that is now
being cooked up. The offensive
to swing politics to the right is
on, the attack on the right of
the public employee to strike,
reduction of expenditure on
schools, raising the language
issue to divide. the people, etc.

There must be a campaign, a
veritable “crusade,” to defeat
the drive of reaction and to shift
politics to the left, a campaign
rallying all patriotic and demo-
cratic forces to elect to Parlia-
ment a large bloc of NDP and
others who endorse the leftward
course, as part of the battle for
a new majority, a democratic
coalition to lead our country.
The election of a number of
Communists will be particularly
meaningful at this time.

COMMON MARKET HAS ECONOMIC STAGGERS
BRUSSELS—The European Common Market (ECM) has suffered
a dramatic cut in its economic growth, an official ECM report says.
The report, by the ECM Executive Commission, blamed its findings
on a general economic slowdown in Western, i.e., capitalist, econ-
omies as a whole, and said the crisis was characterized by high

unemployment plus high inflation.

In 1970, ECM set annual growth rate targets for between 3.5 and
6% for member countries. Today, it admitted that this year, growth
rates for Belgium and Italy will be only 3% at best, for the Nether-
lands only 2%, and for West Germany and Luxemburg, only 1.5%.
Only France escaped the trend with a projected growth rate of 4.5%.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY. MARCH 24. 1972—-PAGE 6

Three young volunteers from
Canada have joined the Interna-
tional Youth Brigade to build a
model school in Cuba. Chris
Hansen, a young construction
worker from Edmonton, a Cen-
tral Committee member of the
Young Communist League, leads
the delegation which includes
Donalda Greenwell, ‘Vancouver
and Ken Rouble, Toronto.

Sponsored by the World Fed-
eration of Democratic Youth the
six-month praject involves over
100 young volunteers from all
over the world.

In a letter to Elizabeth Hill,
general secretary of the YCL,
Chris Hansen writes about his
first experiences in Cuba:

On arrival at Havana airport
we were greeted by members of
the Cuban YCL and some of the
Cuban youth who are to work
with us. That same day youth
began arriving from many Euro-
pean countries, most of the so-
cialist countries and five Viet-
namese (two from the South
and three from the North).

For the remainder of the
week we toured Havana, visit-
ing Batista’s former headquart-
ers and excellent beaches.

We already have a good back-
ground of the history of the
Cuban revolution.

Last Friday we arrived at the
camp where we will live while
constructing the ~school. We
were greeted by our Cuban co-
workers who lined up on both
sides of the walk clapping to a
snappy tune about ‘“Compan-

ee

eros”. This setting was very
moving and would have been
ideal for the beginning of a film.

We began work on the school
on Tuesday. We work an eight-
hour day, five and a half day
week. Fidel was here (he is very
humorous) on Thursday and
told us some people will be
transfered to construction of a
town nearby. The name of this
school is “Saba 7” and is the
‘Seventh of its kind to be built
in Cuba, It will have dormitories
for 250 boys and 250 girls who
will live here five days a week.
They will study half days and
work in the fields surrounding
the school (which are part of it)
the other half. There will be

three main sections a .
three stories high. Two % 7
are dormitories. The pt
also live in the school.
grounds will be part of thé
lex. :
: This type of school nis
sulted in higher student mh
By the time this one is CO"
there will be 50 of i8 ul
Eventually 500 will be b f
Most of the 100-120 ¥
people from other lands |
arrived including four #
United States. Average pat
the brigade is 23 years. jell
my haste in writing this 9
they keep us very busy int
is difficult to find the *
write. :

WINNIPEG — Unemployed
people are being victimized by
loan companies because of de-
lays in receiving their cheques
from the Unemployment Insur-
ance Commission. In desperate
need of cash after waiting any-

where from four to eight weeks”

for their claims to be processed
the unemployed have been com-
pelled to turn to loan sharks
who discount their expected in-
surance cheques for cash at
usurious interest rates.

A meeting sponsored by the
Unemployed Men’s Action Cen-
tre was told by one woman that
in order to provide gifts for her
children at Christmas, she had
to have her husband’s $155 un-
employment insurance cheque
discounted for only $40. Similar
experiences were related.

According to a spokesman for

the group there is a $2 million a

year business conducted by five
local firms in discounting unem-
ployment insurance and income
tax refund cheques at exhorbi-
tant interest rates. :

Ray Rerrault, parliamentary
secretary to Federal Minister
Bryce Mackasey, told the meet-
ing via a long distance telephone
hook-up that he and the Minister
deplored the activities of the
companies concerned by “so far,
unfortunately, there has been
little evidence that the practice
is technically illegal.” The gov-
ernment would do what it could
“to slow down: this practice (of
discounting).”

Provincial Attorney-General
Al Mackling suggested that bor-
rowing on unemployment insur-
ance and income tax rebates be
put under the terms of the Small
Loans Act, where there is a limit
of 2% interest per month.

Bitter complaints at the de-

lays and run-around experienced
at the local UIC office were aired
at another meeting in North
Winnipeg sponsored by the
Neighborhood Services Centre
and addressed by NDP MP David
Orlikow and Councillor Joe Zu-
ken. A railway worker told of
waiting since the middle of Janu-
ary for his cheque which hasn’t
arrived yet. Another worker said
it took eight weeks for his first
cheque to reach him but only
four days to notify him of an
overpayment because his holi-

day pay was counted as extra
income.

Councillor Zuken called for
government action at all levels
to deal immediately with the
“scavengers who feed on poor
people.” The federal government
could solve the problem within

48 hours, he declared, Oy
ing the Criminal Code An
such businesses _ illeg fs! 4
Unicity Council could % 4)”
license the discounts “a?
romised to introducy’.
BHR at the next coll
However, the root ‘
problem, he pointed 4 08
that the government ha fot
crete jobs policy. A job”
Canadian as a right W? 9)
was required. In the My
the two-week waiting vel
should be abolished, fi
and holiday pay shoul the
considered as earning’ id
tape in the UIC office 3
cut through and cheque g
not be mailed to addres i)
than those of the ree ne!
as to keep them out 0
of the discounters.

ne
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tic renovation of France.

mania;

accusers,

French Communists in industtY,,

In the March issue of WORLD MARXIST REVIEW? ii
staff members of the journal describe their visit
Renault auto works in Paris—the giant nationalize
prise taken over by the government in 1945 after the
in prison of its collaborationist owner Louis Renal!” vw

Known as an important centre of the French labor 7
ment, Renault is equally known as a powerful cen of
communist worker activity. Indeed, it is the intensive t a
of the several thousand communists in its plants thea
made Renault a key factor in French labor politics: cot

The authors describe the manifold activities of t es (
munists, how they work to carry out the Party’s Dy oc
for the workers’ rights and demands and for the d@

ent?
get!

Other articles in the same issue: new program of ey
of Canada; 32nd Congress of the CP of Great Brita gv
Congress of the Lebanese CP; socialist education ‘10%

contradictions under socialism;
phical testament; new data on state-monopoly ca
and a comprehensive review of the life and actlV
Georgi Dimitrov including excerpts from his speech
Nazi court of Leipzig where he totally confout

br
ital
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Lenin’s

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