Friday, July 29, 1983

Newsstand OCEEEIEND 48
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40c Vol. 46, No. 30
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Part of the crowd of 20,000 who filled the Legislature lawns for the

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TRIBUNE PHOTO — SEAN GRIFFIN | ©

—

Cruise
tests’

Rey. Clarke MacDonald,
Moderator of the United
urch of Canada, told
000 demonstrators ~in
€ncouver Saturday that
‘1ne federal government,
Y Agreeing to test the
ate. “has taken us
Own the path of death.
“Ut we are saying to the
§0vernment here today:
e back, reconsider.”
ally story page 6.)

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— DAN KEETON

TRIBUNE PHOTO

Operation Solidarity rally Wednesday.

By FRED WILSON
VICTORIA — As 20,000 protesters converged on the B.C. legislature
Wednesday in the largest demonstration ever in the capital, premier Bill
Bennett stayed hidden in the legislature and attempted to shrug off the
powerful political challenge to the Socred budget and legislative program

that has swept the province by storm.

This giant demonstration was only 20
days after the Socred budget was introduced
July 7. But it was already preceded by a rally
of 6,000in Victoria, an angry demonstration
of 1,000 in Kamloops and the huge march
and rally of 35,000 in Vancouver last Satur-
day.

Although not the biggest demonstration
so far, this rally had a special character
because it was the kick off for ‘‘Operation
Solidarity,’’ the united front of 500,000
organized workers formed at an emergency
conference 12 days earlier.

And the lengthy list of speakers was
selected to give expression to the success that
Operation Solidarity has already had in |
forging a broad coalition of forces opposed |
to the Socred program unequalled by any |
popular movement before in this province.
Church leaders read the protest note to Ben-
nett signed by the leaders of the four major
churches in Canada. Also read was the pro-

[ Next Trib Aug. 18 |

test lodged by federal labor minister Caccia
over the impact of the Bennett program on
human rights and trade union rights.
Human rights groups, tenants organiza-
tions, women’s organization, unemployed
organizations, academics, nurses and
dozens of unions all waved their banners.
But by far the great majority were
unionists. Some 5,000 private sector
workers, including many from other Van-
couver Island cities and from the Lower
Mainland, already nearly filled the lawn in
front of the legislature before the giant pro-
cessions of public sector workers converged
‘ See ACTION page 7

With this issue the Tribune will close
down for two weeks to allow for staff |
vacations. The next issue of the paper will |

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