Crisis of system unresolved

It’s no secret that the capitalist system is in
deep crisis. Its own agencies and economists
Confirm it. Finance Minister MacEachen was
forced to scrap his November budget and at
least go through the motions of presenting a
new one. Workers and their families have
faced nothing but layoffs, unemployment,
throat-slashing social benefits cuts, the leaden
burden of military spending, and the threat
of universal wage controls.

Those workers who see that they are part
of the working class — engaged in a class
struggle — also see beyond the degeneracy of
parliament and the monopoly media. They
See parties of capitalism defending the system
of mass misery and no hope. They see the
Broadbent New Democratic leadership aspir-
Ing to shore up capitalism and make it work.
For whom?

Class-conscious workers realize that in the
final analysis only socialism will rid them of
Capitalism’s horrors.

Yet, in the meantime a militant fightback is
needed to force changes of policies to alle-
Viate the crushing pressures on working-class
families. The Liberal strategy has been, not a
Strategy but a calamity. The truth is that

‘Canada, like other capitalist countries, is
plunging recklessly toward a depression.

And what of the virulent Tory attack on the
80vernment, its blockage of parliamentary
Work in the bell-ringing episode? Reportedly
the polls give the Tories an increase in sup-
Port. Well then, have Tory goals anything in
common with workers’ needs and demands?

The only “program” the Tories ever ex-
posed to view — and that was indecent — was

Take the banks! ;

The Communist Party of Canada, which
recently celebrated 60 years of struggle, has
for many years called for the nationalization
of the banks and credit institutions of Canada
as a way to establish independent economic
feces to put Canada back to work. Com-

ined with nationalization of resources and
Other key economic sectors it would serve the
broadest Canadian interests.

The idea has caught on, been understood.

ow, not only the Canadian Labor Congress
Convention and, earlier the United Auto
Workers, but the United Steel Workers, Un-
ited Electrical Workers, the Confederation of
National Trade Unions (Quebec), and the
Canadian Union of Public Employees have
Made similar demands. That’s what should

in the new budget; but it will take a longer,
tougher fight by labor to achieve it.

Flashbacks

EDITORIAL __

during their disastrous seven months in
office in 1979.

Presumably they would still set out to dis-
mantle everything “public” from Petro-
Canada, to Air Canada, with designs on the
CBC, Canadian National and Eldorado Nu-
clear. They’ve said they would wreck FIRA,
the Foreign Investment Review Board, weak
as it is, to allow free U.S. take-overs of what-
ever they select. The Tories consistently at-
tack government spending — not the $7-bil-
lion a year for arms, but social programs, civil
service wages, etc.

The Tories demonstrated before, both in
domestic and in their ill-starred foreign pol-
icy mess, that. they would be the Ameri-
canizers of Canada, tying us securely to
Washington’s policies.

Neither the Liberal budget nor the Tory
champions of the U.S. State Department
offer anything to workers. Workers, itis clear
must rely on their own forces, not least the

.Communist Party, to change policies, change

the government, and change the system.

News Item: In the opinion of leading Pentagon
strategists a tolerable percentage of Americans
would survive a nuclear war!

Brezhnev vetoes first strike

The Soviet Union has pledged, unilateral-
ly, not to be first to use nuclear weapons.
That’s a cause for rejoicing by the people of
the world. But does that mean that the Soviet
Union has faith that the war-mongers of the
imperialist world, led by Reagan and Haig,
can be trusted not to decide to annihilate
socialist society?

It doesn’t mean that. Those U.S. and

NATO defiers.of.humanity, with their Zion-

ist brutes for partners should be trusted by no
one. Their purpose is to wage war for U.S.
world domination, and they live in the
euphoria of believing they can win a nuclear
war. They are irresponsible and as dangerous
as any other armed psycopath.

While the Soviet Union has pledged, unila-
terally, not to be first to use nuclear weapons,
U.S. General Bernard Rogers, Supreme AlI-
lied Commander in Europe (it takes a Yankee
to command Europe!) says he would use first
strike nuclear weapons “at any time when I
could not accomplish my mission conven-
tionally”.

There is the difference between the side

‘that wants to freeze, and then reduce to zero,

nuclear weapons — the USSR; and the side
that is so depraved as to hope to launch and

win a nuclear war.
Brezhnev for the Sovet Union proposes

freezing and reducing and eventually doing

away with nuclear weapons. Reagan for the
imperialist United States and NATO, against
all scientific and logistical reason wants to
conscript the youth of the whole western
world to fry in a nuclear hell — just to prove
that Reagan guessed wrongly.

It’s a choice: fry for Reagan or fight for
disarmament!

Been nicked on airport meals, or souvenir shops lately?
The outfit behind the gun may have been Cara Opera-
tions. They operated on their customers to the extent of
$9,017,000 for the year ended Mar. 31/82. Profit a year
earlier was $7,969,000.

RIBUNE

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SCIENTISTS AGAINST BOMB

Scientists all over the world are to be asked to join in
the “Stop the H-bomb Tests” appeal made by 2,000
American scientists.

“I should like to see the signatures of thousands of

Ussian scientists, of British and French scientists, of
Scientists of all the countries of the world to this
appeal,” said Dr. Linus Pauling, the eminent U.S.
chemist and Nobel Prize ‘winner who announced the

Merican scientists’ call.

From the first nuclear explosion, he said, he had

en concerned about the danger of polluting the
atmosphere.

“It is my estimate,” Dr. Pauling said, “that the bomb
tests are causing now 1,000 additional deaths by
leukemia (a blood disease) each year, and even more

Y bone cancer.” Tribune,
June 24, 1957

AUTO WORKERS’ HYDRO CUT

WINDSOR — With Ford’s new Blood-8 on the mar-
ket, production workers are being rushed ata devilish
pace. As for the other auto companies, General Motors
and Chrysler are almost shut down. There are about
7,000 unemployed; many are reduced to paupers on
“welfare” relief. A workers’ delegation to the welfare
board’s office demanded that the practice of cutting

off electric power to jobless workers homes be stopped |

and that electricity be restored to homes that have
been cut off; that single men be given more than the
one 16-cent meal a day they are now receiving. They
were told by Windsor alderman Clyde Currie that,
“the meals are good ones,” and one is enough since the
workers are not working. Delegates cited cases of
workers being cut off for being militant.
The Worker,
June 25, 1932

BOSS LOST PROFITS

MONTREAL — In an injunction against the Inter-
national Ladies’ Garment Workers the union was as-
sessed costs because:

“Considering that there is general evidence tending
to establish a money loss to the plaintiff by reason of
an unjustified interference of the defendants with the
plaintiff's business, and that the latter had to pay
more and obtained less results than before the strikes,
the court assesses the damages caused to the plaintiff
at the sum of $200.00 with interest. All defendents
are jointly and severeally condemned to pay the costs
of the present proceedings.”

A conference of all unions to discuss this matter
and decide upon a line of action will be held in the
near future.

The Worker,
June 27, 1922

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JULY 2, 1982— Page 3