=
“ct

_~—

SSS

W. KASHTAN’S REPORT

oem Kashtan, general secretary of the Communist Party of
ticularly Presented a survey of the Canadian political scene, par-

aa With regard to the coming federal election at the May 27-
Thunist eh of the Party’s Central Committee. Noting that 25 Com-
are es have already been elected and more nominations
€ment luled, he stated that the turn-about by the Trudeau gov-
all the i matters of both domestic and foreign policy make it
Membe Ore important to elect a large progressive bloc, including

Ts of the NDP and Communist Party.

ON CANADIAN INDEPENDENCE
© end of rudeau government the screening mechanism may be
dence, Fo abe measures it will take to uphold Canadian indepen-
hing of r the Canadian people, however, it can only be the begin-
for Dubie ever larger effort, led by the working class, to press
OF all-Ca Ownership of public resources and industries based on it,
Ment of Reuan development of secondary industries, for develop-
ing basi : North, for the extension of trade on a mutually satis-
Ore} IS with the socialist countries, and for an independent
60 policy for Canada.

era ON PROCESS IN QUEBEC

the Cause .. utmost importance to the future of our country and

Class of oy democratic progress and of socialism that the working

edly With uSh-sPeaking Canada identify itself fully and unreserv-

that the p, he just struggle of the working class in French Canada,

Of the pends of class unity be cemented to the utmost in support
Tuggles of the working people of Quebec for parity in

For the T

It i

He \ i . .
for ear national equality, for the right of self-determination
NeW co Canada based on an equal voluntary partnership in 2

is nfederal pact.
Who in es important for the working people in French Canada
Public te 1a common front to advance their vital interest in the
Onto Fvice, to learn that the common front needs to be extended
4 mass pe ucal arena and find its expression in the building of
Vehicle th: erated party of labor. The lack of a viable political
S0cial a Ough which the working class can advance its economic,
isgust ie cel aims, in conditions where there 1s increasing
ay h the parties of monopoly, and more particularly, with
Social Cr ssa government, could lead to the Parti Quebecois or
line af dit becoming beneficiaries of the turnaway from the old
ote The NDP, including its Waffle wing, is facilitating
ROIs Ss of support for the Parti Quebecois, which is a petty
neo separatist party, in return for its support in the
+PPo ce Ctions. Such a line is not only an expression of sheer
forces, Then: it is dangerous for the working class and democratic

S
bour

Scale, ing its clasd unity in
Nationals in ty

Way forw : : ‘ac through a mass

Tat ard at this stage in Quebec lies throug A

Class, the Party of labor, open to all segments of the working
Q P, the Parti Communiste du Quebec, the trade unions

int § ON NDP AND WAFFLE
" 2 id be self evident that there is no advantage for the work-
the fra 224 democratic forces to jump from the frying pan into
mead, wage ceasing to vote Liberal and voting Conservative
wange, The Present situation calls not for new slogans but for real
“lection © Opportunity for achieving this exists. It lies in me
Munists (. 2 large progressive bloc including NDPers and Com-

licie Parliament. It rests in the fact of a seeking for new

i Sa : pee gs ‘
gly evident: turnaway from the old-line parties which 1s increas

ig in this situation of « pportunity and challenge the aa
P who, in alliance with the right wing in the
Party, quliatea to the NDP, re S eninitated a crisis within that
Scale, op na the crisis centres .in Ontario, it is country-wide a
za: affle fnmediate cause of that crisis is the decision to expe
Np: oe the NDP unless they dissolve their forms of organls
Wi P Capi €eper cause of the crisis lies in the adaptation © :
ing in gritalist policies, and the inevitable emergence of a le
Neulsion prosition to these policies of class collaboration. If the
. P and h ee Waffle takes place it will seriously weaken ne
Vantage €lp the parties of monopoly who would hope to take

he situation for their own benefit.
While ri

rite right wing ON ROAD TO UNITY
gle > the posi wing policy is responsible for the cris
© aBainst treet, Otten taken by the Waffle has mod trus
Ware teflecti he right wing more difficult. The Waffle too is in
hee, = ing the crisis of New Left policies. The rhetoric of the
aye Not su PSeudo-radical posturing, and New Left theorizing
ane Tepe] N calculated to win support for their policies and has
bove €d the very forces which condemn a right-wing policy.
ic prob-
P, tha cPadian people could be solved through and within the
thease Bes NDP is the vehicle through which to achieve the
tle Who aa ormation of our country, the Waffle have mis
ag Stoog Aah for genuine scientific socialism, @ the
ion ommon the way of uniting the forces of the sociali :
Such °XPeri aims, Certainly there is more than enough interna
ane N as €nce as well as performance in Canada, to disprove
atic Sumption. The NDP was and remains a social demo-
are med } Operating within the framework of capitalism. It 1s
Ca DOt goj 2 challenge the class structure of capitalism. Its aims
~Pltalism €ntific socialism but the seeking of reforms within

dengan’ Situation j ome part of @
i S to change, if the NDP is to-bec p

x iti 5 °
ih ig Sealition opening the doorway to genuine Canadian
t

and to soci icv i DP and
t cialism, right wi licy in the N

this ade ni , right wing policy

nion movement need to be defeated. To accomplis

a cas requires unity of the fleft for genuinely socialist
£0

: oes not lie, as is suggested in some quarters in a
€ alliance with the CLC:

by Bruce Magnuson

Despite many serious short-
comings and mistaken directions
on policy — as was the case on
the issue of peace and war in re-
lation to Indochina —. the 9th
biennial convention of the Cana-
dian Labor Congress registered
a step forward. Even on the
overall problems of international
affairs the policy statement of
the convention marked progress
when it called for admission of
the two German states to the
United Nations.

The first sign of a turning
point in the cold war atmo-
sphere in the labor movement,
as far as the CLC is concerned,
came at the Toronto convention
in 1969. That was when the anti-
Communist clause was removed
from the Congress Constitution.
This development did not come
about without a long and diffi-
cult struggle for a proper class
orientation in the trade union
movement, Even’ after that deci-
sion by the CLC, political per-
secution and witch-hunting con-
tinued, as exemplified in the fed-
eral election of that same year,
when the UAW sought to dis-
criminate against one of its
members for running as a Com-
munist.candidate. :

At the Edmonton convention
in 1970, there was a serious at-
tempt to rekindle the cold war
by red-baiting. The wide-spread
demand for all-inclusive trade
union unity expressed in nearly
100 resolutions to that conven-
tion from union members across
Canada, became in the eyes of
Donald MacDonald and his co-
horts a Communist conspiracy.

There were, to be sure, similar
forces operating behind the
scenes in Ottawa in 1972. For
example, there was the Confer-
ence of construction workers
unions on the eve of the CLC
gathering. These craft. unions
have over the years been the
vehicle or instruments through
which the U.S. right-wing trade
union leaders have sought to
impose their will in the Cana-
dian trade union movement. This
year’s conference of the build-

LABOR SCENE - The pluses and minuses

at the CLC convention

ing trade unions was no excep-
tion. Of the 246 delegates pres-
ent in the Ottawa meeting, 46
were international representa-
tives, officers or business agents.
They opposed vigorously any
support for the Quebec workers’
struggle. Instead they discussed
ways and means of smashing
the rival CNTU in Quebec by
raiding and internecine warfare
on the CNTU construction work-
ers’ unions. They opposed any
move towards an autonomous
building trades department with-
in the Canadian Labor Congress.
Needless to say, they backed to
the hilt George Meany’s support
of U.S. aggression in Vietnam,
a position which ends up far to
the right of President ‘Nixon
himself.

But the saner voices prevail-
ed in Ottawa. The United Steel-
workers held a policy confer-
ence, also on the eve of the
CLC gathering. This conference,
representing the largest group
of industrial workers in the
CLC, took a generally progres-
sive position on many key policy
issues. It adopted a better posi-
tion on Indochina, for instance,
than the CLC convention did.

On the morning of the open-
ing of the CLC convention, some
unknown outside elements dis-
tributed two pieces of scurrilous
literature attacking CLC Presi-
dent MacDonald and the whole
Congress leadership. The liter-
ature was issued in the name of
a so-called “Elect Beaudry Com-
mittee” (Jean Beaudry is the
Quebec Executive Vice-Presi-
dent of the Congress.) Obviously
this provocation was calculated
to cause confusion and division
within the convention, and par-
ticularly to fan extreme national
and chauvinistic feelings as be-
tween French and_ English-
speaking delegates. The provo-
cation failed miserably.

* * *

There was considerable dis-
satisfaction with the CLC lead-
ership. This found expression in
various ways during the con-
vention. For example, on Thurs-

day some 400 delegates left with-
out bothering to participate in
the Friday vote to elect officers.
Many of these delegates express-
ed disappointment at the absence
of any organized effort to bring
about a change in leadership.
Nevertheless, when the election
took place on Friday, MacDon-
ald faced his first challenge for
the office of president from J. K.
Bell, secretary-treasurer of the
Nova Scotia Federation of Labor.
Mr: Bell managed to get 380
votes to MacDonald’s 649, with
two ballots spoiled. There were
only 1,031 ballots cast out of a
total of 1,657 delegates regis-
tered at the convention. Simi-
larly in the election of general
vice-president, Wm. Stewart of
the Vancouver Broilermakers
polled 57% of the votes cast, or
493 votes against the incum-
bents, who were re-electd with
an average vote of 900.
een. *

The convention marked a
change that reflects new rela-
tionships of class forces inter-
nationally, and which moves us
in the direction of a detente and
an end to the cold war. It is
this which takes the rug from
under the feet of the cold war-
riors in the trade union move-
ment and brings about a turn
towards the left.

The trade union movement is
being compelled to organize the
as yet masses of unorganized
workers, particularly in the
white collar and service indus-
tries.

The main issue facing progres-
sive unionists now is to organ-
ize, unify and activate the left
forces for promotion of correct
class orientation and class strug-
gle policies as against those whe
are out to disunite, confuse and
defeat labor.

If this job is properly done,
the Vancouver CLC Convention
in 1974 can meet as a united
and autonomous body of all
Canadian labor on the way to
the writing of a new chapter in
Canadian labor history.

Quit Shoving

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 1972—PAGE 7