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Editorial

Budget countdown

As Finance Minister Michael Wilson prepares the first post-free trade
budget, the stage is set for a classic confrontation between the vested
interests of the minority and the needs of the vast majority of Canadians.

Make no mistake: all signs point to a Thatcher-like, vindictive budget,
one aimed at attacking social programs and concepts all down the line
under the fake pretext of fighting the deficit.

As big business keeps reminding Mulroney, the November 21 election
was won at great expense precisely to prepare free trade’s “level playing
field,” which now means bringing Canada into line with U.S. standards
(drastically lowered under Reagan) in the sphere of social spending.

It means re-shaping the thinking and expectations of Canadians,
teaching us to kneel before the idol of “free enterprise” and practising the
religion of “belt-tightening.” :

It means “re-educating” working people to expect plant closures and
run-aways; to “understand” speed-up, wage concessions and union-
busting and privatization. It means driving down education opportuni-
ties, questioning universality, de-indexing pensions, reducing transfer
payments to provinces for housing, child and health care and other urgent
needs.

It means backing away from election promises under cover of reducing
the deficit — a deficit which has soared under Tory rule since 1984 while
federal social spending has declined in several areas.

It means transferring tens of billions to military spending at a time the
world is talking disarmament and co-operation.

It means continuing — expanding and extending — the bail-outs, tax
giveaways and outright fiscal and governmental corruption which
marked Mulroney’s first term.

The Tory timetable for delivering Canada to privatization and Ameri-
canization begins in earnest with Wilson’s April budget.

But the majority of Canadians, represented in many organizations,
have not disappeared in face of the Tory election win. Wilson is being
lobbied by those very Canadians who fought against the FTA and the
sellout of our country, and who now are gearing up to present a solid
front to block the Tory agenda.

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F ifty years is a long time to be active in
progressive politics. But Vancouver
Island activist Ernie Knott wears the
stresses and strains of those long years of
hard work well, and at a banquet in his
honour last week he pledged that he’s not
through yet in his fight for the rights of the
working class on the island.

During those 50 years Ernie has made
many friends in the diverse people’s
movements on the island, and more than
150 of them gathered on March 18 to pay
tribute to the man and his work. Included
among the well-wishers were: David Szol-
losi, social justice co-ordinator for Bishop
Remi de Roo; University of Victoria pro-
fessor, NDP candidate, feminist and peace
activist Milnor Alexander; B.C. Commu-
nist Party leader Maurice Rush; Bill
Fowler, president of the Victoria local of
the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.
MLA Mo Sihota sent greetings to the ban-
quet.

Mark Mosher, retired woodworker and
former Port Alberni alderman, headed the
program with a brief tribute to Ernie’s
work in the early days of the International
Woodworkers. Ernie, then a member of
the CCF, made a key contribution to the
success of the 1946 loggers strike. It was
his action during that strike that drew him
closer to the members of the Communist
Party and in particular to Alf Dewhurst,
who signed up Ernie at the close of the
strike.

Fowler of the Victoria Labour Council
said it was appropriate to be honouring
Ernie, a long time member, this year
because it also marks the 100th anniver-
sary of the council. Fowler thanked Ernie
for “showing the way ahead, not just in the
labour movement, but in the peace and
environmental movements as well.”

People and Issues

Fowler noted that Victoria has the
highest per capita participation of people
in the peace movement of any city in Can-
ada, and Ernie’s years of contribution to
mobilizing those people cannot be over-
stated, he said.

“The challenge for us today, those of us
in my generation — the generation after
Ernie’s — is to keep up the fight with the
determination that Ernie has shown,” he
said. Fowler noted Ernie’s long fight to get
back into his union, the FWA, after he was
expelled along with other Communists
and progressives in 1948. (He regained his
membership in the 1970s while employed
at a Victoria plywood operation.)

Ernie retired from the labour council in
1984, said Fowler, “but someone forgot to
tell him it was over because he still shows
up to every meeting and makes a valuable
contribution.” Fowler presented Ernie
with a plaque from the council, bearing
the inscription: “To Ernie Knott, for a
lifetime of service to the labour move-
ment.”

Maurice Rush honoured Ernie for his
40 years in the Communist Party, and in
particular his tenacity in working to con-
vince the party to take up the fight for the
protection of B.C. forests. “But above all
Ernie stands out because of his deep devo-

Bill Fowler (r) presents plaque from Victoria Labour Council to Ernie Knott for a
lifetime of service to the labour movement.

tion and commitment to the goal of a
socialist Canada,” he said.

Ernie spoke with pride of his connec-
tions to the working class on Vancouver
Island. He was born on the island, his
mother worked as a camp cook in the
woods and his father was a miner.

As he thanked everyone for the tribute
and pledged to continue his work, Ernie
made an appeal for unity of the left in
Canada.

“The enemy is too big and too powerful
for us to win alone,” he said. “It is high
time we on the left got together and
worked together on the pressing problems
facing our country, on peace, on preserv-
ing Canada’s national independence, and
against the right-wing agenda.”

* * *

e must report that two long-time

Tribune supporters and Commu-
nist Party members are in the hospital
after suffering serious coronaries.

John Johnson entered Vancouver Gen-
eral Hospital March 17 after his tenants
found him suffering from a massive heart
attack in his home. He remains in inten-
sive care, with only family allowed visiting
privileges.

Walter Gawrycki, also of Vancouver,
also entered hospital that week. He is
reported in fair condition but is still in
intensive care in St. Paul’s hospital, with
only family allowed to visit.

Both men are veterans of the Spanish
Civil War and members of the MacKenzie-
Papineau Battalion, and both have been
noted fundraisers and _ subscription
achievers for the Tribune.

Family and friends of both are wishing
the two activists recovery from what are
admittedly serious ailments.

4 « Pacific Tribune, March 27, 1989