Let's have them, Mr. Pearson—without delay | Under the above heading, the Canadian Tribune, published in Toronto, last week carried the following front page editorial. We reprint it here in full for the benefit of our readers. Mackenzie King is a long time dead but his ghost is still very much in evidence around Parlia- ment Hill, The former Liberal prime minister used to operate on the premise that the art of politics was to try tobe allthings to all men and principles be damned, Prime Minister Lester Pearson, it would seem, is doing a good job of following his dic- tum, “A few. weeks ago the Pearson government took a commendable step: it decided at long last that Canada should have its own dis- tinctive flag and anthem andpro- mised to introduce a resolution in Parliament to that effect, The , . decision was greeted heartily Photo shows Cambodian villagers killed during a raid by South Vietnam troops under command of U.S. “advisers.” It was attacks such as this which forced Cambodia to lodge a protest in the U.N. Rally demands Ottawa act in Vietnam crisis A demand. that the Canadian government live up to its re- sponsibility as a member of the three-nation Control Commis- sion in Vietnam by calling for the withdrawal of all foreign military personnel in_ that country, was made last Thursday at a public meeting in Vancou- ver’s Fishermen's Hail. Called by the Vancouver Com- mittee of the Communist Party, the meeting, attended by about. 200 people, heard city secretary William Stewart outline the trag- edy which has befallen the people of South Vietnam and Laos asa . result of recurrent imperialist intervention in their country’s affairs, Stewart told the meeting that the only foreign troops in South Vietnam are ‘‘not Chinese, not Russian, not North Vietnamese, but American,’’ A resolutién unanimously ad- opted by the meeting called on the Ottawa government to ‘‘denounce the inhuman American policy of napalm bombing, burning and de- stroying of South Vietnamese vil- lages, razing crops and slaught- ering livestock, and the herding of people into concentration camps under the guise of lib- erating the people of South Viet- ‘nam,’’ ~ The resolution also called on the American government to pull its troops-and military personnel out of South Vietnam and stop spending $15 million a day to defeat the legitimate aspira- tions of the people, It also urged the ‘fimmediate convening of the 6-nation conference in Geneva ‘to work out a settlement which would allow the people of South Vietnam to resolve their own internal affairs,’’ The meeting expressed full support and solidarity with the. heroic efforts of the South Viet- namese people in the struggle for national liberation from foreign interference and domination, Chairman of the meeting was PT circulation manager JerryShack, by Canadians of all political per- suasions, from all regions and all walks of life. The design chosen by the Cabinet found wider acceptance than anyone had dared anticipate, In was inevitable, of course, that there would be opposition to the idea, The Orangemen, the Anglo - Saxon chauvinists, the die-hard reactionaries and jingo- ists all came out against it, plugging loudly and heatedly for the Red Ensign, Opposition Lead- er John Diefenbaker andhis Tory MP’s, except those from Quebec, saw in this a splendid anti- government issue and began play- ing itfor all it was worth, Even Tories who a few years agowere for a distinct Canadian flag were now opposing it, e The Liberals really had noth- ing to worry about, The majority of New Democratic Party MP’s backed the new flag design, so did we all the Quebec MP’s, A majority vote in the House was assured, All press reports and opinion polls agreed too that the majority of the people across the country - were behind the government on this issue, : But Mr, Pearson, his eyes on the voters’ lists and the ghost of - Mackenzie King whispering in his ear, began to give in to thepres- sures of the opposition, After all the brave posturing and advance publicity for the press, when it came time to introduce the mat- ter in Parliament; he brought in two resolutions, One proposes that three red maple leaves on a white back- ground flanked by two vertical bars on either edge shall be Canada’s official flag, but pro- vides that the Union Jack will continue to be flown as a symbol of Canada’s membership in the Commons and of allegiance to the Crown, The other resolution calls for adoption of ‘*OCanada’’ as the national anthem, but re- cognizes ‘‘God Save the Queen’’ as the royal anthem, This, understandably, was im- mediately interpreted by most supporters of a new flag and an- them as in fact a proposal for two flags and two anthems, It was an obvious attempt by the Liberals to make a concession to the jingoist elements for nar- row partisan advantage, a typi- cal Mackenzie King style of ploy to provide ‘‘something for every- body,”’ This Liberal hesitation and procrastination is making it pos- sible for all sorts of individuals and groups in the country to make political capital out of this issue, If continued, there is a grave danger it could be blown up into a divisive issue far beyond what Tommy Douglas raps sellout of Columbia | New Democratic Party leader T, C, Douglas told a meeting in Ottawa last Saturday, the day after Parliament voted to ratify the Columbia River treaty, that it was the biggest sellout in Canadian political history, The treaty was pushed through despite a last minute appeal by -19 top engineers, who sent a special appeal to Prime Minister Pearson urging that the major sources of disagreement be re- moved from the treaty before it was too late,’ Pearson ignored the appeal, ts 5 be the people now consider ee and in the end perlite on the in no decision peing take! ee: matter at all. The role of the 1 gressive movements pate is therefore so important. The Tribun on te not hold with those forces ee left who express cynic ae it the flag issue, who con unimportant or secondary. ‘ We cannot, ‘i long with NDP leade jak one he poses the oF ‘cunless we have a free ee pendent country, what a ¥ of flying a flag ove? itt we want independences want a flag too. One have to be countexpyss other, The fight for assist the fight for independ” of just as the will of the ee: te a national identity and } to de dence is prompting them mand a distinctive flag. : se Nor do we go alone wih He who wail that this nation divided over ‘a piece ® g not ing.’’ A distinctive fe ‘the just a piece of bunting = aay it setting of aur country” cory has become a VeTy aa symbol of nationhood. alone cannot and wil i Canada’s two nations, trait will contribute much towatee unity. anthem, maple leaf (or leaves) pol; the anthem - of C2 That is what the majority nadians want. ae xt mus The Pearson governme? 2 yme ‘be told in no uncertain bg ti stop playing politics Ww issue and bring it to { Parliament at the earliee” sible opportunity. To do otherwise 15 ae a: disunity and disaster. ols Justus in the Minnea? The author — PT VICTORY CELEBRATION Saturday, June 13 — Queen Elizabeth Playhouse 8:30 p.m. the AUUC, Carl Olsen, The talented performers. * EARL ROBINSON, noted American composer % Colorful program, including the Chinese Youth Association Dancers, Kobzar Dance Group of Milestones, other and people’s artist, will be flying directly from New York to participate in the festivities.