EDITORIAL

ee rercanateaait
Ae aaa

The Prime Minister took to-the air waves
June 28 on the first anniversary of the
government's “6 and 5” program and told
the country, “Economic recovery is not just
around the corner. It is here for the 10
million Canadians in the work force who
have seen the fear of unemployment begin
© tft...”

Trudeau took full credit for what he cal-
led the “recovery”, and at the same. time
threatened the labor movement that his
government will continue to act tough on
wage demands above the guidelines. He
renewed his faith in private investment as
the answer to the economic mess and ap-
pointed none other than Canadian Pacific’s
chairman Ian Sinclair to drum up business.

What recovery is he talking about?

Nearly two million Canadians are still

El pueblo

Days after the bloody 1973 coup and just
before his death, Chilean poet-patriot’
Pablo Neruda penned this scathing con-
demnation of the butchers who were rap-
ing Chile.

Nixon, Frei and Pinochet
Until today, until this bitter
Month of September
Of the year 1973
_ With Bordaberry, Garrastazu and Banzer
Voracious hyenas
Of our history, rodents
Gnawing the banners conquered
With so much blood and so much fire,
Muddied on the estates,
Infernal depredators.
Satraps a thousand times sold
And sellers, incited
By the wolves of New York.
Machines hungry for dollars,
Stained in the sacrifice
Of the martyred peoples,
Prostituted merchants

The government's big birthday party gift
to the country July | is a spanking new
“freedom-of-information law” which it
plans to peddle off as a high point in demo-
cratic evolution.

The concept, supposedly, behind the
Access to Information Act and the Privacy
Act is that Canadians may find out what the
government has on file about them, and
why. God knows, with Solicitor-General
Robert Kaplan admitting last winter that
the RCMP held files on 800,000 of us, a
freedom-of-information law is long
overdue. i

But before you rush off to check on
yourself, consider this: the new Act's dis-
tinction is its exceptions to the rule. In fact,
it’s a joke. How could it be otherwise with
an architect like Justice Minister Mark
MacGuigan?

The Act provides that the government
must not release information received
from other governments, including pro-
vincial and municipal ones. RCMP in-
formation, trade secrets and tax data are
also exempt.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JULY 8, 1983—Page 4

Speeches, but no jobs

out of work. In the past 12 months the

jobless rate has actually gone up _ by

252,000. Bankruptcies are at record levels.
Farm failures, for example, for the first five
months of 1983 were higher than last year’s
record-setting pace.

One forecasting firm, Chase Econo-
metrics, last week predicted unemploy-
ment will actually rise next winter and stay

- high into 1985.

How could be otherwise? The “6 and 5”
program simply held back wages putting
the average family further behind gallop-
ing prices. Job creation policies, and curb-
ing U.S. domination of our economy are
absent from the government's plans.

New policies to get millions working, not
pious, insulting speeches are what Canada
needs. Trudeau gave the country speeches.

a :
unido...
Of the American bread and air,
Murdering quagmires, herd
Of whoremongering chiefs,

With no other law but torture
And hunger whipping the people.

Almost one decade later the “voracious

hyenas” and “whoremongering chiefs” of
the military junta are facing the full wrath
of the Chilean people as general strikes and
Days of Protest rock the regime.
~ Thousands have perished in these 10
long years of Chile’s dark night.
Thousands have “disappeared”. One mil-
lion people are in exile and millions more’
inside the country live’ their lives daily
under fascist terror.

Ten years of struggle, sacrifice, orga-
nization and patience are now coming to-
gether. The courageous people of the land
of Neruda and Allende are shaking

~Pinochet’s fascist pedestal and the shock

waves are felt in far off Washington where
the criminal plot was hatched.

Information? Just try it

The government may withhold, at its

discretion, material relating to inter--

national relations, defence and those it re-
gards as subversive (remember the 800,000
files?). Entire areas of information may be
declared secret by order-in-council.

It may, however, release information
about you to any MP or Senator, to the
RCMP or toa foreign government. “We're

feeling our way,” MacGuigan told
reporters.

Having put enough restrictions on the
- Act to render it useless to all but the people
who have access to such information any-
way, in steps the Treasury Department
with a fee schedule designed to disuade all
but the stoutest hearts (and biggest bank
accounts). An applicant is entitled to five
hours government time for the first $5.
After that it’s $10 per hour. Computer time
runs at $16.50 a minute.

Added to Kaplan’s new super-secret
federal police idea, Bill C-157, the “free-
dom-of-information” act devised by Mac-
Guigan shows just where this government
stands in terms of real democracy.

Flashbacks

Qan Pearnrmand cinvoin Teen 2 ACER

HAVE WE THE
WILL TO LIVE WITH
PROSPERITY...”

25 years 50 years |

‘TELL IKE WHAT THE FASCIST
YOU TOLD US’ BIRDS OF WAR

It is hoped that when Pres- _ Twenty-four swift bearets ©
ident Eisenhower and State of death and destruction —
Secretary John Foster Dulles from Mussolini's fascist Italy —
arrive in Ottawa July 8, Prime will fly over Canada next 7]
Minister Diefenbaker plansto week. The fascist bombe!s

say to them very forcefully
some of the things he said to
the Canadian people before
and after the recent election.

In April he said, “It is not

will be in Montreal on invita
tion from Premier Bennett
and his government which 8°
warmly welcomed the blood-

stained naval squadron 0" —

Japanese imperialism tw i

months ago in Vancouver.
This time, with vacant”
bomb racks and empty |
machine-gun turrets, they”
will be jubilantly welcomed bY
the munitions makers a?
brass hats of the last war, the
bankers with their bloo@ —
stained millions and othe!”
exploiters of Canadian work
ers.

enough to dismiss the Soviet
peace offers as being political
propaganda and lacking in
good faith.” Eisenhower and
Dulles need to hear that from
Diefenbaker.

He added then that his
government is “prepared to
give leadership in bringing
together those forces which,
if not brought together,
would lead to destruction.”

Tribune,

The Workel
July 7, 1958

July 1, 193

a

Ever stop to think why banks make profits so easily? It’s ae
cause once they get the raw material in, presto! it becomes they
finished product with no nasty production lines, waste to get rid”
etc. Hence, the Bank of Montreal had a $136,668,000 after tax pro |
for az months ended April 30, comparing with $1 30,600,000 a yea
earlier. a.

Editor — SEAN GRIFFIN
Assistant Editor — DAN KEETON
Business and Circulation Manager — PAT O‘!CONNOR

Published weekly at Suite 101 — 1416 Commercial Driv@
Vancouver, B.C. V5L 3X9. Phone 251-1186 —

‘Subscription Rate: Canada $14 one year; $8 for six months:
All other countries: $15 one year.

Second class mail registration number 1560