EDITORIAL CSIS has got to go One day last week we had the alleged watchdog of Canada’s version of the CIA admit to concern about the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service's excessive spying on students, environmentalists, peace groups and so-called “fringe” political organizations. The next day, we had federal Solicitor General James Kelleher saying there was no substance to such reports, apparently with the top dogs at the Security Intelligence review committee nodding their heads in agreement. The muted and anonymous concern and the co-ordinated denials aren’t especially surprising. From the infamy of Section 98 of the Criminal Code, to the War Measures Act and now the CSIS Act, there remains an unbroken tradition of big business-run governments arming themselves with the broadest powers for the purpose of keeping the lid on dissent and social progress. It’s little comfort to know that a few closet civil libertarians in the federal review group balk at the CSIS plotting “dirty tricks” to disrupt Canadians pursuing their rights of citizenship, when CSIS head T.D. Finn places “‘subver- sion” ahead of foreign espionage and “terrorism” as the service’s most impor- tant concern. Perhaps we’re getting a glimpse of the agency’s priorities when we see the review committee itself is “wrestling” with how to inform the “naive” that organizations they support are financed or directed by those perenially insidious “outside forces.” If you belong to a solidarity group backing the African National Congress’ fight to bring down apartheid in South Africa, then under the CSIS Act you are fair game to be spied on. And this is only one example. Legions of labor, peace and civil rights activists who have been victims of state-police snooping will attest that there very often isn’t much of a line separating surveillance from harassment. CSIS, and all that goes with it, is as central to the neo-conservative assault on our economic, social and democratic rights as are Vander Zalm’s right to work laws and the overall game plan to integrate Canada into fortress America. The forces rallying to preserve our democracy from the ravages of free trade, Editor — SEAN GRIFFIN Assistant Editor — DAN KEETON Business & Circulation Manager — MIKE PRONIUK Graphics — ANGELA KENYON Published weekly at 2681 East Hastings Street Vancouver, B.C. V5K 1Z5 Phone (604) 251-1186 ISSN 0030-896X Subscription Rate: Canada — $16 one year; $10 six months agenda — scrap CSIS. _ privatization and deregulation should add another demand to the people’s Foreign — $25 one year; Second class mail registration number 1560 I‘; quite possible the advertisement for the conference caught your eye. But even if you were interested in attending, it’s doubtful — being as you’re a Tribune reader — that you can afford the $325 fee. On the other hand, they do take all major credit cards. We're referring to the panel discussion this Thursday on privatization, in which the federal and provincial kingpins of pub- lic assets divestment will extol the benefits of giving away what we and you bought with our taxes over the decades. On hand to promote this glorious sellout will be federal Minister of State for Privatization - Barbara McDougall and B.C. Intergo- vernmental Affairs Minister Stephen Rog- ers (who presumably will not have died of shame over being caught out for his “poor white trash” remark). The chief architect of the federal Tories’ public corporate sellout and her provincial counterpart will presumably argue the pros of privatization. With them in spirit, we're certain, will be panelists Robert Kucheran of the B.C. Government Man- agers Association, vice-president of Government Corporate Financial Servi- ces (and former Socred finance minister) Hugh Curtis, president Robert Skene of HTS High Tech Systems, Canadian Fed- eration of Independent Business provin- cial affairs director Oksana Exell, Ted Ohashi of Granville West Financial and Peter Gall of the notorious anti-labor law firm, Jordan and Gall. Only former NDP MLA Gary Lauk, of Lauk and Associates, may be expected to argue to the contrary. Not enough? Well, for those really slav- ering for a place at the soon-to-be- privatized public trough, there’s a talk by United Communications Research presi- dent Les Storey on “how private sector People and Issues ne i A a Be EE 8 SR IRS RISA EE IE OE TSS, tions can do so with popular support.” And, arising from Rogers’ recent visit to England, there’s Eric E. Anstee, who assisted the Thatcher government in pri- vatizing the transportation business and in so doing, drove thousands of rail and air- line workers on to the dole. But we don’t know if he’ll tell the well-heeled partici- pants about that part in his talk on “the British experience.” The conference also promises to focus on “targets, precedents” and “successor rights” — just in case anyone in the trade union movement thought that private sec- tor buyers, in their largesse, wouldn’t want to do away with union representation at the public firms they acquire. It’s sponsored by B.C. Politics and Pol- icy magazine, which, alas, failed to send us an invitation. But then, we’re not sub- scribers, having declined an invitation to take the magazine at a cost of $258 for 12 issues a year. Prices like that should leave no doubt about who will benefit from privatization. Se Se Ithough the issue largely escaped notice at the time — including among ourselves — we feel we should not let the opportunity slip to comment on the recent renaming of the former Mount Stalin B.C. We do this partly to assure everyone that in being renamed “Mount Peck,” the 2,750- metre peak hasn’t lost the name of a war- time Soviet leader only to gain that of a current czar. No, the mountain isn’t named for Ed Peck, the soon-to-be-czar — if the Socred government gets its way — of all things relating to labor in the province. It takes its new handle from the late Don Peck, a former prominent guide outfitter and rancher in the Fort St. John area. The provincial government press release notes diplomatically that the mountain, located 140 kilometres southwest of Fort Nelson, was named for Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in 1944, “but there have since been suggestions that the name be changed.” Is there any justification for such a name change? According to recent press reports, the former Soviet leader’s “tyranny,” in the opinion of some groups, has made his name unfit to be remembered on a Canadian mountain. An area resident pointed out in a recent letter to the Vancouver Sun, Mount Stalin was only one of many in the region to be accorded names that commemorated World War II. For starters, the two adjacent mountains are named after the other of the “big three” wartime leaders — British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. Other nearby mountains commemorate events: Teheran (and, we ask, is the name of Iran’s capital due to be changed because of objections to the actions of the country’s fundamentalist government?), Normandy and Yalta; to name a few. The Sun letter writer, W.J. Mann, takes issue with the claim that the name change is in Canada’s “national interest.” He writes: “... the name was given in memory of the fact that three men, representing three countries, stood together to defeat a com- mon foe who might not have been defeated if they had not been allies.” In fact, the name fell victim to a vicious, if minor, Cold War style campaign from some ultra-right organizations, based in the east. And they constitute a reminder that even at a time when the peace movement is growing, there exists those elements ready to scuttle the memory of a wartime alliance which saw Canadians and Soviets fighting fascism, the greatest threat to human lib- erty, side by-side. Mann closes his letter with a call on read- ers to write their MLAs, the premier and D.F. Pearson in the mapping section of the environment ministry in Victoria (V8V 1X5) to protest the name. change. dies cepa 33 ut if there are those who want to scut- tle peace, they are outnumbered by those promoting it. Among the ranks of the peace activists is a recently established non-profit society, The Pacific Peace Umbrella. It wants us to “give peace a dance.” : No, that’s not a typo. Give Peace a Dance is the name of a fund-raising event that begins at noon, May 30, at the Plaza of Nations on the former Expo site. End- ing at midnight, the event will see teams of from two to 10 people dance as long as they want to, or as long as they can hold out, in the cause of world disarmament. Prominent groups, including Powder Blues and Mango Dub, will play. The idea is that the teams will be spon- sored by friends and neighbors, much as were the participants in last fall’s Move-a- thon. The money will go to Unicef, End the Arms Race, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, the city of Vancouver Flame of Peace monument, or the society. Registration, which should be com- pleted by May 20, can be done by phoning 321-6626. e | companies acquiring government opera- a 4 e PACIFIC TRIBUNE, MAY 20, 1987