suena

A strong indictment of federal
and provincial treatment of B.C.’s
nm ative Indian population was
in VOiced in a 27-page brief presented

to the annual conference of the
mj SOuthern Vancouver Island Tribal

Federation held in Duncan on
;, December 9.

Jf The brief, which will be taken to
Ottawa, was prepared because in
the words of the brief: “Living
-COnditions of Indians in this
Province are generally extremely
| Poor by comparison with those of
; Non-Indians and opportunities for

'mproving the situation are not
Nearly adequate.”’

The brief charges that, ‘‘Social
Welfare measures for alleviating
the effects of social and economic
deprivation are, in many instances,
; Non-existant. Where provision is
| Made for extending such services
they are too often poorly planned,
'mplemented with widely-varying
d Competence and effectiveness and
Usually highly paternalistic.”

The brief warns that as things
Stand the problems of the Indian
People ‘are not being solved but
are getting worse and will continue

to do so unless actitn is taken
Now."

Pointing to the fact that earlier

I Predictions and warnings of the

Plight of the Indian people have
'80ne unheeded, the brief says:

“The danger of this course is
°bvious: Another racial minority in’
Biel nt Ein ae oo fpegh gh > viata

g

“deprivation of thoserights: *
ee a eS" ag Bea

WOUNDED IN MOTHER’S WOMB. Vietnamese baby, Ngoc Bao,
wounded by a splinter from a U.S. anti-personel bomb while in its
mother’s womb, was saved by doctors after birth.

Native Indians
hit inequality

another country.experienced major

_ difficulties strikingly similar to our
own. They, too, asked for equality.
Official inactivity, despite their
pleas, resulted in despair and
frustration that led in turn to the
horrors of Watts and Detroit.

‘“‘We ask that you learn from
history and begin now to help us
help ourselves toward equal
opportunity and to full citizenship
in our country.”

There was an animated

discussion at the conference on the
many proposals contained in the
brief, and officers of the Indian
Affairs Branch of the government
were bombarded with questions
demanding answers on the many
social, economic, educational and
cultural disadvantages under
which B.C.’s Indians labor.

The brief concluded with these
words:

“The story of the relations
between Indian and non-Indian
Canadians is a shameful chapter in
the history of this nation.

‘“‘We have for too long been the
pallbearers for our hopes, our
rights and our heritage. We must
be granted the rights that a country
which would call itself democratic
owes to all its citizens.

“We must be helped to repair the

damage done by the long years of a

et

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1967

U.S. planning

VOL. 28, NO. 51

new escalation

lof Vietnam war?

As 1967 drew to a close there were growing signs that the Johnson
Administration is planning a further escalation of the war in Vietnam

early in the new year.

Recent indications are that the
military-industrial-complex is
running the show in Washington.
This is causing grave anxiety in the
U.S., in Canada and around the
world. It is now generally agreed
that the recent removal of
Secretary of Defence McNamara
was a victory for the Joint Chiefs of
Staff.

The New York Times, in an
article entitled ‘‘McNamara Shift
Pleases Military,’’ said that his
removal has “‘been greeted by
thany military men in Vietnam
with relief.”’

The widely-publicized ‘‘fire-side
chat”’ by President Johnson over
three U.S. TV networks this week,
where he re-iterated U.S. policy in
Vietnam and threw out another
“peace feeler’’ in the guise of a
Suggestion that the puppets in
Saigon should discuss peace with
the National Liberation Front, is
again part of the old pattern. On
each occasion when the U.S.
escalated the war it was proceeded
by a ‘‘peace gesture”’ from;
Washington.

The latest incident causing alarm
is the obvious campaign being
whipped up in the U.S. to justify
extension of U.S. military
operations against Cambodia and
Laos.

This week both Prime Minister
Pearson and External Affairs
Minister Martin publicly expressed
the hope that the U.S. will not

escalate the war against Cambodia
and other neighboring states. This
public appeal may indicate that
Ottawa has inside information that
such an action is being planned in
the near future.

Reacting to this new danger to
peace, the Central Executive of the
Communist Party of Canada last
Tuesday sent the following wire to
Prime Minister Pearson:

“United States government
reportedly considering extending
its Southeast Asia aggression to
Cambodia. No pretext about ‘right
of hot pursuit’ can conceal fact this
would be new very dangerous
escalation threatening peace of
Asia and the world, and further
gross violation of Geneva
Agreements Canada is committed
to uphold.

“In view of grave reservations
you have already expressed urge
Canada now join with other
countries to jointly condemn this
plot to spread the war.”

The danger to world peace was
emphasized in recent days by two
stories coming out of Washington.
Last Wednesday the powerful
Congressional armed services
committee urged that the bombing
of North Vietnam.be extended to
new targets whether or not they
are in heavily.populated areas.

The. committee also called for
the destruction of Haiphong and

proposed that U.S. forces ‘increase
search and surveillance missions”
into Cambodia. Committee
chairman Mendel Rivers said
progress has been too slow and a
major escalation must take place.

The other story which came out
of Washington in the first week of
December reported that the
Pentagon had placed large orders
for bombs and other military
hardware to be ready for
escalation of the war in the spring.

In the 2% years since the U.S.
started the bombing of North
Vietnam U.S. aircraft have
dropped 1,630,500 tons of bombs, 12
tons of bombs for every square
mile. This is more by 86,037 tons
than was dropped on all‘of Europe
during World War Two.

Broken down further, the U.S.
have dropped 100 pounds of bombs
for every man, woman and child in
North and South Vietnam. It was
estimated this week that for every
Vietnamese killed the cost to the:
U.S. is $1,000,000.

The need for Canada to speak out
against the slaughter in Vietnam
and to dissociate itself from the
U.S. war is greater than ever
before. Such a declaration by the
Canadian government now would

-Strike a blow at plans for stepped

up aggression in Vietnam and have
a sobering effect on the U-S.

warmakers.

CIVIC WORKERS HIT MAYOR'S WAGE FREEZE. Photo shows a section of the crowd at the civic workers rally last

Saturday at Exhibition grounds to condemn Mayor Tom Campbell’s “hold-th

Oe. 0 Ne Wg ee ee ee a

story on page 12.)

Pos AAEM AL AERA S

e-line’’ policy on wages for 1968. (See

'. 2 Jack Phillips photo

i