CANADA

by SAMUEL WALSH
Leader, Communist Party of Quebec

With only a few weeks before the general pro-
vincial election on April 13, one can only em-
phasize the essentials.

The Parti Québécois government stresses its re-
cord for the last four-and-a-half years. As the elec-
tion platform of the Parti Communiste du Québec
says: ‘“‘The PQ government has taken a certain
number of interesting social measures: - free
medicine for the elderly, subsidized bus and sub-
way cars in Montreal. legislation to enable French
to be spoken at work.”’

reactions of different sectors of the bourgeoisie in
the pre-election budget of Jacques Parizeau, minis-
ter of finance. The organizations of the monopolies
and the multi-nationals such as the Conseil du Pat-
ronat du Québec (management council); the
Montreal Chamber of Commerce and the Montreal
Board of Trade, deplore the fact that Parizeau did
not provide tax relief for the high salaried, while
raising employers’ contributions to the medicare
program. On the other hand, the businessmen’s
council, which is composed mostly of profes-
sionals and leaders of small and medium enter-
prises, greets with satisfaction the taxing of state-
owned companies and above all the reduction of
taxes on profits benefitting small enterprise. . -
'~ Thus the Parti Québécois as the PCQ has always
maintained, defends mainly the interests of the
small and medium bourgeoisie and the. profes-
sionals.
Labor Critical
As far as its famous-or notorious ‘‘favorable

bias’’ toward the workers, suffice it to mention that
the only trade union centre of the three in Quebec
which endorsed the PQ, the Quebec Federation of
Labor, nevertheless felt obliged to criticize the
Levesque government for having adopted three
| laws to withdraw the right to strike from groups of

workers belonging to the QFL. ‘*We hope that the

government will behave more justly in the debate

on the right to strike, than it did during the last

negotiations in the public sector, with Hydro

Quebec, and in the municipal sector.”’

Rene Levesque began his election campaign on
two themes: ** The PQ would put the brakes on the
major reforms undertaken since 1976; and con-
fidence. Confidence of Quebeckers in their
government, and confidence of the government in
Quebeckers. But the first theme ¢an very well
cause the working people to lose confidence in this

’ government, in face of ‘‘plant closures, mass
unemployment, lowering of purchasing power, the
necessity of carrying on long strikes to obtain de-
cent working conditions, new cuts in health and
education budgets. That is the picture of capitalist
Quebec in crisis’”’ as the election platform of the
Parti Communiste du Québec says.

Ryan’s Road to Hell

If the PQ road, without important reforms, leads
us to an unknown destination, the road of Claude
Ryan’s Liberal Party takes us straight to hell.
“*Real progress,’’ Said he, ‘‘is the re-launching of
the economy, giving confidence again to the deci-
sion makers (apparently including for the Ryans),
and ceasing to scorn the ‘big’uns’ like Pratt and
Whitney in favor of the small and medium enter-
prises’’. Perhaps, because of the popular reaction
to the recent visit of President Reagan, Ryan, in the
same speech, felt obliged to contradict those (and
the PCQ willingly accepts the main responsibility)
who claim that the Quebec Liberal Party would be
in Quebec what the Republican Party of Ronald
Reagan is in the United States. What are the inter-
ests that President Reagan represents? — those of
the workers? — of the petit bourgeoisie? — of
lovers of peace? — or rather those of the
decision-makers, the “‘big’uns’’ precisely like Pratt
and Whitney, that U.S. multi-national which pro-
duces armaments for the nuclear hell policy of
Reagan. and General Haig.

.As for the Union Nationale, this ghost has ap-
peared from the Duplessis darkness of the past,
only to find that the Liberals have by-passed it on
the right and the PQ on the nationalist side;
Quebeckers would do well to hury it once and for

aca

Its class character was clearly revealed in the:

Levesque promises voters end
to reforms, and confidence

“Levesque’s promises to end cine and restore

confidence may find his first promise undoing his
second. The Communist Party of Quebec Is running
10 candidates in the elections and is calling for a
strengthening of the left in the National Assembly -
while keeping Ryan. out.

all in the framework of the campaign against air
pollution. : soy
Communist Platform -

The Parti Communiste du Québec is fielding 10
candidates in this election campaign, with a pro-
gram of profound change in the life of our society.
For the PCQ, the main enemy of the workers are

the monopolies and the multi-nationals, hence Ryan —

and Company. To do away with unemployment,
inflation and misery they must be subject to frontal
attack. The PCQ proposes democratic nationaliza-
tion of the key sectors of the economy: mines;
forests, basic industry, banks, finance and insur-
ance companies and telecommunications. |

These nationalizations are necessary to permit
effective planning of the economy, to prevent plant
closures, to allow the development of the manufac-
turing sector which generates jobs, and to permit
important social measures.

The PCQ does not believe that the ‘‘constitu-
tional question’”’ should be put on the back burner —
as suggested by the Parti Québécois. The PCQ
believes even less that the Quebec Liberal Party
should be permitted to polarize the voters into
‘‘separatists”’ who could vote for the PQ, and
everyone else, who must absolutely vote Liberal.

The PCQ proposes, as it has done for many
years, and just recently before the Quebec parlia-
mentary Commission on the constitution, that the
British North America Act should be scrapped;
that a new constitution should be worked out by a
constituent assembly composed of equal parts of
elected representatives from Quebec and from En-
glish Canada with guaranteed representation from
the Native peoples. This constitution must recog-

“nize that Canada is a democratic and sovereign

country uniting two nations on a voluntary basis,

’ each having the right to self-determination up to

and including the right to secession, and guarante-
eing economic, social, cultural and linguistic equal-
ity to the two nations; the recognition of the terri-.
torial rights of the Native people and their right to
self-government on their territories as distinct

‘peoples, while enjoying the same rights as citizens

as all Canadians.

‘It must defend democratic, language and cultural
rights of the minorities in French and English
Canada, and include a Bill of Rights, freely agreed

’ to by the representatives of both nations and the

Native peoples.

Thus while preventing the man of the
monopolies, Claude Ryan from coming to power,
let us strengthen the left in the National-Assembly
including the addition of Communists, for regard-
less of the results of the election, the working
people need their own mass party, including the
PCQ. This miust be on the agenda long before the
next general election...

Samuel Walsh, leader of the Parti Communiste :

du Québec, is contesting the riding of Argenteuil,
where Liberal leader Claude Ryan is the sitting
member. Of the 10 PCQ candidates; six are run-
ning in Montreal, and four outside Montreal.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MARCH 27, 1981—Page 8

2

*

-on any of the issues of deepest concern to Cana-

lion dollar super arms drive the Reagan govern- ,

_ Trudeau of being ‘‘adeépt in presenting two faces to
. the Canadian people,”’ one of ‘‘Canadian inde-

nothing about it;’’ and the other, “‘retreating before

~ Hands off El Salvador!”

* in this way lies success.”

agreements
: threaten

TORONTO — There was ‘‘not a word”’ in the
Reagan-Trudeau summit meeting of March. 10-11,

dians, the Communist Party charges in a March 13 -
Teview of the presidential visit to Ottawa. ~

However, despite the media claims that the
event was largely ceremonial, the statement, is-
sued by the Communist Party’s central executive,
notes that there was agreement on at least two
matters ‘‘which bode no good for Canada.”

_ These were, the renewal of the North American ©
Air Defence agreement (NORAD), renewed with-
out benefit of parliamentary approval, and the
“tacit approval by the Trudeau government of
U.S. military intervention in El Salvador.”’ The
latter gives Canadian ‘‘underpinning (to) the dis-
credited Monroe Doctrine under which U.S. im-
perialism claims the Caribbean, Central and Latin
America as its territories, not the territory of the
peoples who live in them.”

This is done in hopes of some defence produc-
tion crumbs for Canadian monopolies, the state-
ment says, just as the NORAD signing is an at-
tempt by Ottawa to get on ‘‘the gravy train of.
so-called defence orders arising from the multi-bil-

ment is undertaking.”

What about those matters with direct bearing on
U.S.-Canada relations, such as a fisheries treaty,
acid rain and pollution of the Great Lakes, the Law
of the Sea, re-negotiation of the U.S.-Canada Auto
Pact, Canadianization of energy? “Not aword” on
these, the Communists state.

‘*What about the North American accord which
is aimed at achieving U.S. control over the re-
sources of Canada and Mexico? Not a word.

‘‘What of the issue of relations between the U.S.
and USSR, the proposal for a summit meeting
which could begin the process of easing interna-
tional tensions and take the world on the pathway
of détente and disarmament, based on parity and
equality of security? Not a word,’’ the Communist
Party points out.

As to the ‘‘dangerous course being pursued by
the Reagan administration in international affairs, a
course which could drag Canada toward the pre-
cipice of nuclear disaster,’’ there is not a word.

- The Communist Party accuses Prime Minister

pendence and sovereignty while, in reality, doing

U.S. imperialism.”’ The face of Trudeau is at the
same time the face of Canadian monopoly.
Turning to the fact that there are other faces and
voices, the Communist Party cites the demonstra-
tions in Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton and elsewhere.
“These voices demand that Canada pursue an
independent course in Central and Latin America
by allying itself with the people of that continent
and with Mexico for their sovereign right to control
their own destiny and their own natural resources.
These voices demand of Regan and Trudeau:

Canada should “Pursue an independent eco-
nomic policy by ending multi-national control over
the energy and resources of Canada through
nationalization under democratic control, and end-
ing a one-sided relationship with the USA be it on
fisheries, acid rain, pollution, or the auto pact.”

The voices ofreason which make these demands
also want Canada to speak up for a summit meeting
which would open the door. to international
cooperation and peace, the Communists point out.

“Not least,”” it says, “these voices make clear
that Canada is not for sale. To leave it to Trudeau
or Clark and their parties is to look in the wrong
direction.

“‘The great working-class and democratic
movement of our country must now take leader-
ship of the struggle for a united and independent
Canada,’’ the Communist statement says. ‘‘Only