EDITORIAL

Support summit meeting

In the past, summit meetings between
leaders of countries, certainly in the case

of the Soviet Union and the United

States, have tended to sweep aside the
red tape which entangles lower levels of
discussion, and to get down to cases. Key
people on each side gain a chance to
gauge the chief policy makers on the
other, and to see where agreement is
likely.

One of President Reagan’s first acts as
president was to slander the USSR as a
supporter of “terrorism” (liberation
struggles), to allow his subordinates to
make provocative statements, and to
threaten military and economic retalia-
tion. In a Soviet response at the 26th
Congress of the Communist Party, Pres-
ident Brezhnev proposed several steps
toward disarmament and détente, one of
which would be a Brezhnev-Reagan
summit meeting:

Millions of people concerned at the
deterioration of world security will see in
such a summit a sane and positive mea-
sure for trying to head off nuclear con-
frontation.

Canada, which has a stake like any
other country, but is much more closely
tied to Pentagon and White House ambi-
tions, is obligated to take initiative in talk-
ing some sense to the U.S. administra-
tion. If Ottawa does not see this, then it is
up to the people of Canada to put the
point across. (One way is to pledge to
collect a part of the million signatures on

the petition addressed to Ottawa: Peace
is everybody’s business.) :

Opposition to the reckless U.S. course
is already swirling through NATO. The
journey of Gen. Haig, U.S. secretary of
state, through the Middle East, peddling
arms to reactionary regimes, and preach-
ing incitement against the Soviet Union,
opened what is termed “a serious rift” in
USA-NATO ranks.

Atthe recent NATO meeting in Bonn,

«the U.S. defence secretary, Caspar

Weinberger was bowled over by protests
from U.S. allies. Chancellor Schmidt
acknowledged “the dispute over funda-
mental issues of defence policies.”

The working people of the USA have
long had good reason to demand a stop
to the military squandering and the ag-
gressive probing at the expense of ur-
gent social needs. The government
should now begin to see the light as well
before it loses all its allies. A summit

meeting to chart disarmament, and clear

the way for the creative use of human
genius, would be very much in the USA’s

own interests — if one leaves aside the

reactionaries whose system has no future
but self-destruction. Oy

Even if it has to be dragged kicking
and screaming to a summit meeting,

since this is one of the means to help save .

the world from nuclear disaster, the
USA must be compelled to agree. Cana-
da’s government is called upon to press
for such an outcome.

- Deepening fight for jobs —

In March another 55,000 Canadians
joined the unemployed ranks. If the
figure is accurate it raises the “official”
jobless total from 928,000 in February,
to 983,000. (The official figure, though,
is estimated to lag 100,000 to 200,000
behind reality.) The unemployment
rate, the percentage of the labor force
unable to get work, is now over 8% be-
fore Statistics Canada’s “seasonal ad-
Justment” based on whether unemploy-
ment is above or below expectations for
the time of year. Seasonally adjusted, the.
current rate is 7.4% . F

Among men 15 to 24, not 7.4% but
14.1% cannot get jobs, and among
women 15 to 24, 12.7% are denied jobs.
At any age the hardship, frustration and
outrage at being unable to find a job can
have devastating effects. It is.not sur-
prising that young people, many of
whom have never had a job, are alien-
ated from capitalist society.

Unfortunately, that does not lead
them automatically to the collective fight
for a better society — socialism — but
often leaves them in limbo. In the long
run the fight for socialism is the answer.

Labor leaders are justly critical of high .

interest rates, high mortgages, and soar-
ing prices, as contributors to unemploy-
ment. Bob White, Canadian president of
the United Auto Workers, cites interest
charges to finance car buying. They are
higher, he says, than the wages of auto
workers who built the car! When con-
sumers can’t afford to buy, jobs disap-

ar.

Even so, while the fight goes on against
the high cost of existing, a more substan-

PACIFIC TRIBUNE— APRIL 24, 1981—Page 4

tial change needs to be made by begin-
ning to nationalize resources, industries
and financial institutions, under strict
democratic control. Not only would this
ensure democratic control of the whole

rocess and systematically provide jobs,
it would guarantee the return of revenue
to society, which now goes to the multi-
nationals and their Canadian monopoly
cousins. Instead of a handful of tycoons

ripping wealth out of Canada to buy -
cheap labor in Taiwan or South Korea, ©

the returns would build Canada.

If Canadian workers, including young
people coming out of school, are to have
jobs on which to secure their lives and
their futures, the people of this country
have to demand new and expanded
industries, nationalized and under
democratic control. For an independent
Canadian economy, able to guarantee
employment, these changes are essen-
tial. The right for jobs will be won only
with tight labor unity on these issues, and
with fighters for a socialist Canada in the
forefront of battle.

Grabbing?

~The USA took Canada to task at last

month’s meeting in Paris of the Organi-
zation for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD). The USA objects
to Canadianization of oil and gas, as in-
terference with their multi-nationals, but
sees nothing wrong with U.S. take-overs
here, even up to 100%. The trouble with
Canadianization, apparently, is that it
gets in the way of the U.S.-American-
ization of Canada.

Flashbacks

25 years ago...

OTTAWA BARS
ROBESON TOUR

Federal. immigration au- ~

thorities have refused entry to
Canada for a concert tour by
world-renowned singer, actor
and civil rights activist Paul
Robeson and his accompanist,
Alan Booth, Jerom Concerts
and Artists Ltd., commercial
sponsors of the tour announced
last week. He was scheduled to
sing in 17 Canadian cities. —
The decision by the Depart-

-ment of Citizenship and Immig-

ration was an about face in
government policy. Just last
February, Mr. Robeson gave two
Canadian concerts, in Toronto
and Sudbury. A spokesman for
Jerom called the decision “high-

handed and arbitrary” adding

that “we do not believe the de-
partment’s action will be en-

dorsed by. the Canadian

concert-going public.”
Tribune, April 16, 1956

s

£6 2 hemes
k~y Profiteer of the week —
—— a

The Grafton Group Ltd., may not ring a bell, but their

registers rang bells to the tune of $20,088,000 after-tax profit
the year ended Jan. 31/81. They. own Maher Shoes, Toby indus
tries (furnishing accessories), and operate about 90 retail outle”
as well as men’s and boy’s wear departments leased at Woo
stores. So, that thing you bought that you thought was a steal, wes

50 years ago...

WORKERS PRESEN!
UIC PETITION _

A delegation of 34 workél”
from all parts of Canada p¥
sented Premier R.B. Benne
their demand for NOo
Contributory State Unemplo)
ment Insurance, backed by | —
petition carrying the signatul®
of 94,169 workers and 1%
poverished farmers from # ~
over Canada.

The delegation was headed! -
Tom Ewen, Secretary of @-
Workers’ Unity League, whit
sponsored the Bill. Comra®
Ewen, in presenting the case
Canada’s starving army of wo?
ers, was subjected to const#
interruption by Bennett,. W”
exhibited all the pompous ar®
gance of the upstart, small-to
lawyer that he is and interru
him at every opportunity w!
his characteristic boorishness:

The Work
April 18, 19?

PACIFIC

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