ice Rush, B.C. leader, Communist Canada, writes: The unanimous Siven in the B.C. legislature May 27 house leader Frank Howard’s pri- Sand shakes will be supported by all Columbians. But less supportable is Cation in the bill of support for the He Negotiations with the U.S. ad of seeing the tariff imposed on and shingles and ‘the threatened aa Jvalling duties on B.C. lumber as a Of what the U.S. is after in the free €gotiations, the resolution commits €s in the B.C. legislature to support " free trade negotiations, with all the “tS that implies to the future of aN industries and jobs. _ 1 U.S. is not going into the free trade With the aim of giving anything away. 4e going into them’to see what the an get from Canada. President Rea- ‘aid'as much on May 29 when he spoke o future for B.C. | free trade talks to the U.S. National Association of Manu- facturers. He said: “Last week we began negotiations with Canada, our largest trad- ing partner, on a new comprehensive free trade agreement which should lower barri- ers to U.S. exports.” Those who think that a free trade agree- ment is going to lead to the U.S. throwing its market open to more Canadian products are living in a fool’s paradise and those advocating it are deluding the public. The U.S. wants to be able to unload more Amer- ican products on the Canadian market and thus reduce their $150 billion trade deficit. They also want a free trade deal which would give U.S. industry unchallenged access to, and control of Canadian and B.C. resources. Under free trade, tens of thousands of B.C. jobs will be lost and British Columbi- ans will be permanently reduced to hewers of wood, diggers of ore and builders of dams for the U.S. Not only will our forest industry suffer, but our small manufactur- ing plants and agriculture will go down the drain, as will food processing and canning operations. The alternative to a free trade deal with the U.S. — under which Canada would become even more dependent on the U.S. — is new economic policies. We must break out of our over dependence on trade with the U.S. by expanding trade with all countries, including new developing and socialist countries, and by expanding the domestic market for Canadian lumber and other products. We can all agree with the demand that the-U.S. government withdraw the 35 per cent tariff on shakes and shingles, and that there be no further tariffs imposed on B.C. wood products. At the same time, Canada’s and B.C.’s best interests would be served by cancelling the free trade negotiations now. There is no future for Canada inafreetrade . ‘deal with the U.S. : 5 (The B.C. Communist Party this week | | _ began a leaflet campaign against free trade, we _ MAURICE RUSH bel Richards, Victoria, writes: I want k Harry Rankin for the concise, bus- sa, tanner in which he informed us of wy 1S wrong with so-called free trade, tra ow Y 20, 1986). For most of us, our “Sdge of what free trade entails is \ to the daily press — in other words, ary) to put out a leaflet dealing with Uestion; a simple straightforward mes- el ne: based on Rankin’s article? ~ Watkins in This Magazine of April, SO lists reasons why we should Teas, free trade with all our energies. His A Sea much the same as Rankin’s, but One paragraph which is vital to our anding of what free trade will mean: — which is the tendency for the be made similar. It will happen at the €s to level the playing field by Fo de — oppose the sellout,” Trib- | ‘ Would it not be very valuable (indeed, - ~ ttade facilitates a process called ‘har-- i, 0! the participants in a free trade _ irt of the free trade negotiations, as: outlining the negative impact it would have on industry as well as social and economic poli- cies in this province and across the country. Some 20,000 copies of the leaflet will be distributed in this province as part of a larger campaign throughout Canada — Ed.) ‘Get out of the talks’. ploughing our policies under. It will happen after the free trade area is created, without respect to what was on the table during negotiations (this is the point which Brian Mulroneyhas yet to grasp) as the corpora- tions threaten to leave that country (read Canada) where, from their point of view, taxes are too high, environmental regula- tions are too tough, labor policies too pro- union, unemployment benefits too generous and so on, and go to that country (read the U.S.) where most anything goes.” Nothing could be most disturbing. Imagine what frail chance our medicare, our publishing houses (such as they are), our films and our music, our unemploy- ment insurance plans and social welfare schemes would have in the mind of Mulro- ney if U.S. corporations told him “them or 1? Surely we must stop free trade with the United States before the nefarious talks-go any further. oe * Me he ae eee Final push needed We’re into the final push in the 1986 Tribune fundraising drive. You’ve made the commitment, and now we can report, with considerable relief, that we’ve passed the $70,000 mark in the race to meet and surpass our target by June 21. But westill have in the neighborhood of $23,000 to raise if we hope to make that goal of $95,000 by the time the Tribune Victory Banquet rolls around. You’ve made us proud with your effort so far. Let’s make that final push and give us something to celebrate. GREATER VANCOUVER Quota Achieved Bill Bennett 700 1,042 - Burnaby 6,000 5,899 Coquitlam 2,700 2,208 Effie Jones 2,500 2,703 Kingsway 6,500 4,029 New West. 2,500 3,546 Nigel Morgan 2,200 873 North Van. — 2,900 2,543 Olgin 700 470 Richmond 1,600 1,847 Van. East 9,500 9,309 _ Van. Fishermen 800 470 West Side 4,800 5,075 ; FRASER VALLEY Delta 850 628 Fraser Valley 300 357 Langley 700 2,106 Maple Ridge 2,800 3,284 Surrey 5,000 3,304 White Rock 1400 - 546 KAMLOOPS-SHUSWAP Kamloops 950 1,445 Shuswap 750 51 OKANAGAN Penticton 750 366 Vernon 1,500 1,881 N. COAST/INTERIOR Correspondence 2,000 2,216 Creston 400 541 Fernie 250 350 Powell River 600 895 Prince George 200 30 Prince Rupert 250 25 Sunshine Coast 800 884 Terrace 50 100 Trail 800 461 VANCOUVER ISLAND Campbell River 2,000 2,625 Comox Valley —- 1,500 755 Nanaimo 2,800 3,083 North Island 400 84° Port Alberni 1,500 807 Victoria 3,200 4,628 Miscellaneous 2,000 1,889 77,150 73,355 TOTAL: Pacific Tribune Victory Banquet Saturday, June 21, 1 986 Russian Hall, 600 Campbell Avenue — Doors open: 6 p.m. Dinner: 7 p.m. * Roast beef dinner * Entertainment _ 4 * Press builder awards | Admission: $10, ~ $8 seniors & unemployed Limited seating available Tickets available at Tribune office, 2681 E. Hastings St. and Co-op Bookstore, 1391 Commercial Drive or phone 251-1186 for reservations. _