Unity without

uniformity — Rancourt

By MEL DOIG

The election of Gerard Ran-
Gist &€neral secretary of the
ebec Federation of Labor, to
BS of the two executive vice-
L Sidencies of the Canadian
cli Or Congress was the dramatic
Hore of the Seventh Constitu-

nal Convention of the CLC
he wtting on the last morning of
at ve-day Convention, it was
the 2°°. a victory for unity of

: Entire labor movement in
alta and an important ad-
Rams Of the Quebec trade union-

resolute: struggle for au-
ey: “Tt makes possible,”
© Rancourt, “unity without
Niformity.»

a their printed call to the
aneention delegates to elect
Co eourt,, the QFL . Executive
all pmittee speaking for almost
wy the Quebec delegates, stated,
labo, Wish to help build a united
a th Movement in Canada rath-
inter an See it torn down by
¢ nal rivalries and disagree-
im S. This requires that a full-
ie © Officer of the CLC be really
Presentative of Quebec.”

© Convention delegates re-
cloned by giving 887 votes to
defe Rancourt and only. 522 to
of «t Romeo Mathieu, choice
he CLC establishment’s
court Of the 887 votes for Ran-
Que; Some 200-odd were from
the ®c, while the balance of
unit Otes that spelled victory for
ino 4. Were from English-speak-
& Canada.
dey Peaking later at the Quebec
Lape tion’s celebration, Louis
and ie » President of the QFL

fader of its delegation, told

tj

the Tribune, “What is important
is that the majority of the dele-
gates — not only those from
Quebec — wished Quebec to be
represented at the summit of the
CLC by a man who truly repre-
sents the trade union movement
of Quebec. Mathieu did not
represent us. He was the choice
of the CLC. Our caucus and our
Council had chosen Rancourt.
We said so and repeated it; and
we have obtained the under-
standing of the other delegates.
C’est magnifique!”

Interviewed immediately after
the morning elections, Louis La-
berge commented, “There can
be no doubt the election of
Rancourt goes a long way to
reduce the strained relationship
between the QFL and the CLC
which came to a critical point
the other night.” (Mr. Laberge
was referring to the Conven-

. tion’s rejection of the Rancourt

Minority Report concerning CLC
structure and proposals for in-
creased responsibilities and au-
thority for provincial federations.
This rejection had been railroad-
ed through in a bureaucratic,
undemocratic manner by the
chairman, President Donald Mac-
Donald.

“His election,” continued La-
berge, “means that the voice of
the QFL will now be clearly
heard in the CLC. This will
enormously help in furthering
unity between the trade union-
ists of all Canada.”

Asked what are the intentions
now of the QFL concerning its
demands for greater autonomy
within the CLC, Mr. Laberge
replied, “We will continue to

fight for these rights until we
have won them.”

Throughout this historic labor
convention, occurring during the
federal election, no specific men-
tion was made of the crisis that
now involves Canada’s contin-
ued existence—no word was
spoken of the Canada of two
nations, of the need to recognize
their equality with full rights
to self-determination, in a new
kind of federation of equals,

Questioned by the Tribune
about what had been spoken, off
the floor of the Convention,
about the “two-nation thesis of
the QFL”, Fernand Daoust, one
of its vice-presidents, replied,
“The thesis of the QFL — that
Canada is composed of two na-
tions — has not been explicitly
invoked during this Convention.
It has, however, been implied.
It was at the very heart of the
three main problems or ques-
tions which directly confronted
the QFL kere. The first, the mat-
ter of the pact to be further
discussed with the Confederation
of National Trade Unions and
the Corporation of Teachers of
Quebec, was resolved in the
compromise agreement for the
QFL-CLC joint discussions with
them. This compromise we con-
sider as recognition, within the
framework of the trade union
movement, of the status of
equality between the two na-
tions. Therefore, we think the
compromise agreement is a po-
sitive step forward. The second
main question,” continued Mr,
Daoust, “was the division of re-
sponsibilities between the QFL
and the CLC and the Minority

Report submitted by Rancourt
concerning this.

“Here also the national ques-
tion was involved. Our position
was voted down, but we were
not defeated. The voting for
executive vice-presidents was
the final test, and here the elec-
tion of Gerard Rancourt to one
of the four main positions of
leadership in the CLC represent-
ed a resounding victory. He was
the choice of Quebec’s delega-
tion and as such was presented
as a direct challenge to the CLC
establishment, which had previ-
ously repulsed all our efforts to
win a distinct role in the CLC
for Quebec.”

Fernand Daoust concluded

PHOTO—JACK PHILLIPS

with enthusiasm, “We from
Quebec are very happy about
the way the Convention dele-
gates reacted in this election of
Rancourt. It can be said that it
was the delegates from English-
speaking Canada who elected
the Quebec candidate. And this
proved to us that the Convention
delegates are less conservative
and more ready to accept the
challenge of the new than was
the established leadership of the
CEG?

Trade-unionists and other de-
mocratic forces in Quebec will
also draw Strength from the fact
this great Convention of the CLC
declared itself for unity through-
out Canada’s labor movement.

ac

delegates

advance unity -

toate election of Gerard Ran-

Stro,’ “2Vorite son of the 200
of 4, Quebec delegation, as one
; two executive vice-presi-
Cones! the Canadian Labor
gine SS: has to be assessed as
Sol; dauificant victory for labor

fonty in Canada.
524 : flection by 884 votes to
’dmini Romeo Mathieu, the
&d 4, stration’s nominee, attest-
by ¢ the understanding, gained
dutine Majority of the delegates
tion € course of the conven-
Prengy nat Solidarity between
Worke and English speaking
Unity S is the key to all-in labor
Thi M this country.
aks urge for unity in the
ne + OF labor was the dominat-
Vas eee of the convention. It
erg op -cted in the large num-
abor resolutions from locals,
vag thouncils and federations. It
Ort... Major theme of the Re-
ing Constitution and Struc-
Wa Nd it was tackled in a
ntinn¢ better way by the con-
Xn,  COMmittee on organiza-
B
‘the’, drive for unification

trade “union ’ movement:

came strongest from the conven-
tion floor. Resolutions of the
committee on organization re-
commending action on affiliation
of unions presently outside of
the Congress which appeared to
hedge, or, attach strings on affi-
liation procedures, were refered
back to the Committee for re-
moval of the passages objected
to.

While the referals never found
their way back to the convention
floor there can be no doubt that
the Administration got the mes-
sage — to proceed with dispatch
in taking “all reasonable steps”
to bring ‘about complete unity
within the Canadian trade union
movement.”

Convention action taken on
unity resolutions and on the re-
commendations of the Commis-
sion on Constitution and Struc-
ture combined with the express-
ed will of the delegates moved
Congress policy on affiliation a
significant step forward. Doors
have been opened towards uni-
fication that have been closed

for a long time.,._ , a

A welcome step in this direc-

w

tion is the removal of the ban
on the Communist Party and
Communists from the constitu-
tion. Important also is the grow-
ing will to debate Policy
differences in respect to trade
union positions on economic
and foreign policy directions
within the concept of a united
movement. Assisting also togthe
further development of a united
and sovereign movement were
the defining of the CLC’s rela-
tions with the AFL-CIO as being
fraternal and not Structural, and
the decision to charter trade de-
partments under the CLC ban-
ner.

The will to debate basic
policy questions in convention
produced a Statement on Inter-
national Affairs much improved
in content over that submitted
by the Administration. It moved
the Congress into a much strong-
er position vis-a-vis the Vietnam
war and Canada’s role in help-
ing to bring that brutal US.
aggression to an end. It result-
ed also in moving Congress to

. venture. forth. into the; field) of).

cultural exchanges with that

great part of the world’s trade
union movement which lies with-
in the boundaries of the social-
ist countries.

However, there is little will as
yet to debate basic policy as
it bears on the question of Cana-
dian unity. The convention is
adopting the Report on Consti-
tution and Structure declared
that “trade unionists have a spe-
cial stake in making Confedera-
tion work because divisions
within the country as a whole
will undoubtedly affect our ef.
forts toward unifying the labor
movement and also have other
damaging consequences.” How-
ever, the actions taken do not
measure up to the truth of this
statement.

For while the decision to in-
tensify Congress efforts to im-
Prove the bicultural and bilin-
gual nature of all its Operations
and those of its affiliates can
be welcomed as steps in the
right direction, they don’t face
up to the real nature of the
problem, namely, that Canada

comprises two sovereign: peoples’:

— French and English speaking

— within its borders,

This is the problem which was
hidden behind the dispute be-
tween the CLE executive coun-
cil and the Quebec Federation
of Labor over federation rights
and autonomy. This was the real
reason why there were two
French Canadian nominees for
one of the two top vice-presi-
dencies. Only the g00d sense of
the delegate Majority (which in-
cluded the 556 who voted for
left-winger Bil] Stewart) in elect-
ing Rancourt saved the Con-
gress from a situation which
could have only led to a widen-
ing gulf between it and the
QFL.

The Administration proved to
be more farsighted and flexible
on other major questions before
the convention. This factor, but-
tressed by the vigorous partici-
pation of the delegate body for
forward-looking policies, pro-
duced results which places the
7th Constitutional Convention of
the CLC in the ranks of Similar
labor gatherings which have

“Thade “theif mark" ti’ the history”
Sof Canadian 4ab6H)i 219A:
PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MAY 17, 1968. Pages

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