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Greater tasks in 1975
for Canadian working class

The realities of the New Year make this message. of the leader of the Com-
munist Party of Canada, William Kashtan, particularly significant. We publish it

‘with only the slightest abridgement.

This is usually a time for predictions.

If one looks at the annual reports
of bank presidents in this country, none
are particularly optimistic. At best
some of them say there won’t be a crash
like that of 1929, but all are compelled
to note that the Canadian economy is in
recession and that it is part of a reces-
sion in the capitalist world as a whole.

What they omit in their predictions

is that the present crisis is not only a
_ Cyclical crisis, with its mass layoffs and

Inflationary price spiral, but an all-per-
vading crisis which touches upon every
aspect of fife under capitalism, be it
economic, political, ideological, moral,

In foreign affairs, in monetary, energy

and raw materials, in the further dis-
Integration of colonialism and neo-
colonialism.

We enter 1975 therefore in conditions
of a new phase of the general crisis of
capitalism, one of whose primary feat-
ures is the changing relationships be-
tween socialism, peace and democracy
On one hand, and imperialism on the

_ Other. 1975 will mark a new stage, if |

One can use the terms, of sharp con-
trasts between capitalism and socialism,
Mm which imperialism historically is in
the phase of disintegration and decline
While socialism is in the ascendancy,
and with the balance of forces shifting
urther in favor of the forces of peace,
emocracy, independence and socialism.
_ The deepening crisis of imperialism
1S manifested likewise in the marked
Mcrease of anti-imperialist sentiment
and action on a world scale. Imperial-

ism is increasingly in retreat while the
forces of anti-imperialism gather new
strength and achieve new victories.
This finds its expression in Canada also
around the ever growing movement for
Canadian independence and an inde-
pendent foreign policy based on peace-
ful co-existence, detente and disar-
mament. The “special relationship”
which has existed for many years be-
tween Canada and the USA is giving
way to growing antagonism between
Canada and U.S. imperialism. This is
particularly evident around the ques-,
tions of energy, natural resources, }
trade and foreign control. The antagon-
ism will continue to grow, as the major-
ity of Canadians seek to find ways and
means to strengthen Canadian indepen- |
dence and Canada’s voice as a vital
force for peace in the world. 1975 is
likely therefore to give a new impetus
to auestions of Canadian control and
public ownership and the need for a
democratic coalition, an anti-monopoly,
anti-imperialist alliance to take Canada
on a new road of independent economic
development which will at the same
time limit the extent to which the U.S.
crisis-ridden economy negatively influ-
ences developments in Canada, and
prevents it from extending in every
way its trade, cultural and scientific
relations with the socialist and newly
liberated countries.

1975 opens up not least in conditions
of a new upsurge in the fight for
peace. If the world breathes easier as

seas

the old year ends and the New

€ar comes in, credit must be
8iven to the Soviet Union and
the socialist countries which
have fought tenaciously for

_ Peace against imperialist aggres*

sion and in support of the peo-
Ples striving for national and

_ Social liberation.

_ Detente marked a new stage

~M™ that struggle. And now the

adivostok Summit meeting be-
tween Comrade Brezhnev and
President Ford has opened up
new prospects to advance de-

_tente on the political field to

Soviets aid Third —

World in training

_ MOSCOW (APN)—More than
300,000 skilled workers and
technicians have been trained in
the developing countries with

Viet assistance. Instruction is
Provided directly on construc-

tion sites and in industrial plants

set up with Soviet technical aid.
In addition, more than 140

 €ducational institutions of dif-
ferent kinds have been ‘set up

and are being set up in African
and Asian countries. They in-
Clude polytechnical institutes in
fghanistan, Guinea and Ethio-
Pia, a technological institute in
Ndia and Burma, and the Na-
tional Oil, Gas and Chemistry
Institute in Algeria.
Oreover, Soviet higher

Schools annually enroll thous-

ands of students and post-gra-
duates from liberated countries.
Engineers, geologists, architects,

88ronomists and other special-
_ ists educated in Soviet institu-

tions are working back home in

_ different branches of their na-

tional economies,

detente on the military field, to
come to grips with disarmament,
step by step and stage by stage,
to freeze the arms race and then
begin to reduce arms, above all
nuclear arms, on a basis which
will assure equality of security
for all countries big and small,
and thereby strengthen the trend
to peace on a world scale!

Detente has created new pos-
sibilities to advance the struggle
for social progress, for national
and social liberation. In Canada
it is stimulating and “unfreez-
ing” the class struggle and the
struggle between monopoly and
the people. This can be seen by
the every growing strike move-
ment, by the widening move-
ment against monopoly and the
multi-national corporations, by
the growth of anti-capitalist and
socialist sentiment up and down
the country.

Unity of Action

The cold warriors want to re-
verse this process and push poli-
tics to the right. They want to
maintain hot beds of tension and
of war as in the Middle East,
Cyprus and elsewhere. They
want to step up the arms race.
They want to multiply the num-
ber of Chiles wherever they can.
They want to throw road blocks
in the way of the successful
completion of the European Con-
ference on Security and Cooper-
ation.

This is all the more reason
why unity of all democratic and
working class forces is needed
in Canada, and why unity of ac-
tion of all Communist and
Workers’ parties and all anti-
imperialist forces is needed on
a world scale. What is involved
is the question of tipping the

balance in favor of peace, demo-

cracy, independence and social- .

ism on a world scale and
strengthening the trend left-
wards in Canadian politics. An
essential part of achieving these
objectives is the isolation’ and
defeat of ultra leftism, of Mao-
ism with its dangerous anti-
Leninist, anti-Marxist and anti-
socialist positions.

We enter 1975 with the Com-
munist Party stronger and more
effective than ever. Thanks to
the efforts of our Party member-
ship, to the support given us by
progressive - minded Canadians,
some headway has been achiev-
ed in the municipal field.

Challenge to Monopoly
The Party is growing numeri-
cally and its influence is increas-
ing in the trade unions and
among the democratic forces in
Canada. A stronger Party will

be an ever more effective force .

for unity of the working class

and democratic forces. It is in —
this light that the Party has —

made 1975 the Party Building
Year, the aim of which is to

strengthen the links of the Party _

with the working class, the

youth, indeed all vital forces of —

the working people.

We are confident that the en- i.

tire Party will throw itself into
the battle for péace and detente,

WORLD NEWS

ARMS AGREEMENT REACHED IN LATIN AMERICA

AYACUCHO, Peru — Eight Latin American countries, after a
three-day meeting in Peru, have issued a declaration of agreement
to limit armaments and halt acquisition of offensive weapons. The
eight states are Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Argen-
tina, Colombia and Panama.

A follow-up meeting has been scheduled for next summer in
Caracas, Venezuela, with all-Latin American countries attending.

One stated aim is to divert arms expenditures to economic and
social projects.

One frontier problem referred to specifically in the declaration
involves landlocked Bolivia’s wish for access to the sea. But Latin
American observers said the agreement would also have a bearing
on traditional disputes between Colombia and Venezuela. Vene-
zuela and Guyana and Peru and Chile.

The declaration also expressed the intention to bring together
foreign ministers and defense ministers of the eight countries in
the event of a threat to peace.

Guest delegations attended the meeting here from Cuba, Canada
and the U.S.

ITALIAN GENERAL CHARGED WITH RIGHTIST CONSPIRACY

PADUA — Italian police have arrested Gen. Ugo Ricci, a senior
member of the Italian army’s general staff, on charges of political
conspiracy, legal sources said here Dec. 16.

The sources said the charges against the general who is 52, stem
from his alleged involvement in an extreme right-wing, group called
“Rosa dei Venti” (Points of the Compass) which organized guerilla
activities in the north of Italy.

NATO TO SPEND MORE ON ARMS

BRUSSELS — Despite the menace of a world-wide economic
recession in the capitalist countries, NATO foreign ministers at the
end of their meetings in Brussels called for further increases in
military expenditure.

Though they admitted that there had been enough progress at
the European Security Conference in Geneva to show that substan-
tial results were possible, they refused to commit themselves to
concluding the conference by a summit meeting this year.

The NATO communique said the foreign ministers were resolved
to pursue the Vienna negotiations between NATO and Warsaw
Pact countries on force reductions with a view to “ensuring un-
diminished security for all parties at a lower level of forces in
central Europe.”

POLITICAL PRISONERS RELEASED BY MARCOS

MANILA — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos last week
ordered the release of an additional group of 454 political prisoners.

The government said the new release bring the total number of
prisoners freed to 1,076. A government spokesman said most of
the prisoners were arrested after Marcos declared martial law in
September, 1972. z

Marcos said there were still 5,234 persons under martial law -
detention in the Philippines. He said that of this number 1,165 were
political detainees. i

U.S. COMMUNIST PARTY CONVENTION IN JUNE

NEW YORK — The Communist Party, USA will hold its 21st
national convention June 26-29 at the Ambassador Hotel in Chi-
cago. At the Central Committee meeting which set the date, Gus
Hall, general secretary, said that the general crisis of capitalism
“is a process of decay in all spheres of capitalist society. It is a
measure of the corrosion in the areas of economics, politics,
ideology and culture.

“The new stage of decay is clearly seen in the breakdown of
the capitalist world’s monetary system and its inability to establish -
a stable peg, or a common monetary denominator. This has added
a new quality to the instability of world capitalism.

“The new stage is characterized by uncontrolled, inflationary
spirals that become a continuing tendency for all capitalist
countries. |

“The new stage is evident in the fact that there are no periods
of stability, economically or politically. Instead the crises have a
chronic character. There are no full recoveries from the crises.

“The new stage is characterized by the tipping of the scales in
the overall quality of life in favor of socialism. This is a qualitative
shift affecting the political and ideological competition between
the two systems. 3

“In the past stage, world socialism was ‘becoming the decisive
factor.’ In this stage, it has become irreversibly the decisive factor
influencing world events. The instability, the deterioration of its
reserves, the permanent nature of the overall crisis of capitalism
are all in a new qualitative stage of development.”

for new policies for Canada, @&

against the crisis policies of !

monopoly, and the building of a
democratic anti-monopoly, anti-
imperialist coalition able to

challenge monopoly power, curb, |

it, and create the conditions for
advance to a socialist Can-
ada.

ae OTR *

This week fighting flared in the Middle East once more. Above,

smoke rising over Beirut following an Israeli air attack.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 1975—Page 3