reno oe | Dennis McDermott, Canadian Director for the United Auto- ‘mobile Workers Union, welcom- ed the decision of the UAW Appeals Board on James Bridge- wood, and said it would help the Canadian UAW in its drive to have the entire clause removed from the constitution, at least insofar as it affects Canadians, at the union’s convention in Sep- tember 1970. - Harry Rankin, Bridgewood’s Canadian legal council, issued the following statement from Vancouver: “Canadian labor won an im- portant victory when the Public Review Board of the United Auto Workers (UAW) decided‘ that James Bridgewood could not be removed from an elected -posi- tion in his union just because he ‘had been a Communist candidate in last year’s federal election. “Bridgewood, an active mem- ber of Locai 707 of the UAW in Oakville, Ontario, was dismissed as chairman of the union's Civil Rights Committee under a. sec- tion of the.international union’s constitution which bars Com- munists from holding an elective or appointed position in the “Bridgewood’s appeal to the union’s international executive board was denied. Next he ap- pealed to the Public Review .Board, the union’s highest ap- peal body. “We based our appeal on the _fagt that this undemocratic pro- vision of a made-in-the-USA constitution of an international . union had -no legal validity in Canada because it deprived Can- adian trade unionists of rights guaranteed to them. under the Canadian Bill of Rights. The basic issue as we saw it was the right of Canadian members of international unions to run their own affairs. “Bridgewood deserves to be congratulated for the principled position he took. In taking this stand he won the support of progressive trade unionists a- cross the country. His victory is a victory for all Canadians who belong to international unions. Real partnership and internatio- nal solidarity between American and Canadian trade unionists can only be achieved on the basis of equality, on a recogni- tion by international unions that Canada is a nation with its own laws, customs and political free- doms and that Canadian mem- bers of international unions must have: the ‘right to make their own decisions. “Bridgewood’s victory sets a precedent and will encourage Canadian members of all inter- national unions to achieve those civil. and trade union rights which are already theirs under Canadian law.” : Noted civil rights attorney, Ernest Goodman, from Detroit, who also acted on Bridgewood’s behalf had the following to say when he learned of the Review Boards decision: “After having some personal recollection of 1941 convention and the spirit of McCarthyism which permeated that conven- tion (where the. anti-Commun- ist clause was adopted), it’s re- freshing to have the Public Re- view Board so limit the applic- ation of this McCarthy type of provision as to practically pre- clude its further application to UAW members. “Also its refreshing that it is the Canadian membership in UAW which has unified in oppo- -sition to this kind of political qualifications of holding office. American. UAW members will receive the benefit of the Cana- dian resentment of restriction on political freedom. I hope the coming UAW convention will follow this act of the Review Board with removal of article 10, section 8 from the union constitution.” S The Central Executive of the Communist Party, which inter- vened in the case by appealing directly to UAW International President for a ruling in support, of Bridgewood has issued a statement from which we quote in part: “A great victory for civil and trade union rights for Canadian members of International unions was won on August 27. That is the day when the Public Review Board established by the United Automobile Workers Union an- nounced its ruling that Jim Bridgewood . . . be restored to offices he held in his local union and from which he was sum- marily removed on May 26, 1968, because of his member- ship in the Communist Party of Canada. : “It opens the door to . . .mem- bers of the Communist Party to become active members- and hold office in the union of their choice. It permits the members of international unions, such as the UAW to nominate and elect communists on the basis of equality with other members of other political parties and to be MR. LANG SHORT OF MARK The following statement was issued by the North Western Ontario Regional Committee of the Communist Party: The concept inherent in the Mid-Canada Corridor Confer- ence, setting a broad outline for the development of Canada’s North, has been advocated by _ communists in this Region for years. We are pleased to note that other Canadians have become conscious of the need for the utilization of our rich resourc- es, by, of and for Canadians. It is. worthy of public applause. That mary citizens have ex- hibited great concern for the ecology of the Mid-Canada Cor- ridor is more than justified. In general there has been little ac- ceptance of the need for con- trol of pollution of the environ- ment, on the part of industry. This, despite the great number of control devices available, even where such make possible the recovery of valuable chem- icals and other by-products now being wasted. We welcome any measure that will effectively control pol- lution ‘but those recently out- lined by the Hon. Otto Lang, fall short of the mark. A fine of $5,000 a day may look im- pressive, but as Mr. Lang knows, his department would have great difficulty proving “willful” pol- _lution. If we are serious about ‘pollution, all plants must re- duce any pollutant to a mini- mum level determined by the efficiency of the best available controls, or be shut down. That there has been any great success on the part of the paper mills at the Lakehead to con- trol pollution is highly question- able. What has so-far been ac- complished is a good job of covering it up. In our opinion, it is both morally and socially unjust to impose any part of the cost of the exploitation of our resourc- es, job creation, pollution con- trol and other “incentives” upon the broad strata of society. Technological improvements in production make it quite prac- tical for industry to assume full financial responsibility ne- cessary to their operations. Aside from Crown Corpora- tions needed for the develop- ment of the Mid-Canada Cor- ridor, the fact is that the pri- vate interests who could under- PACIFIC TRIBUNE—SEPTEMBER 5, 1969—PAGE 6 inectesn ee é $ eS take the development of indus- try would largely come from the five percent of those Cana- dians who own 90 percent of the wealth of Canada. This small section of Canada’s popu- lation contributes little in the way of taxes and should not be given subsidies by any level of government, Federal, Provincial or Municipal. The concept of a just society, in our opinion, implies that our natural resources and the: eco- logy of the Mid-Canada Cor- ridor should, on no account, be exploited without guarantees that the heritage of all Cana- dians will be preserved for future generations. The 95 per- cent of Canadians who will de- rive no direct benefit from the projected venture, have a right to expect all elected represen- tative to preserve the public weal. Judged on their past and present behaviour our indus- trialists have shown little or no regard for the preservation of those environmental factors es- sential for the continued sup- port of life not excluding man. That they have a social and moral responsibility is beyond question. judged on the, basis of ‘their deeds rather than by foreign and ruling class prejudice against a political point of view . and a: social philosophy. Its de- cision: rightly challenges the right ‘of international unions to impose the most backward sec- tions .of its constitution on a Canadian citizen. “As stated in the Constitu- tion of the Communist Party of Canada: ‘Every Party member must combat every effort, whet- er it comes from abroad or from within the country, to injure the rights’ of labor, and the people, or any section thereof, or to im- pose upon Canada the arbitrary will of any group, party, clique or conspiracy, thereby violating the unqualified right of the ma- jority: of the people to direct the destinies of our country.’ “No evidence has ever been produced, or can be produced, to show that Mr. Bridgewood, .or any member of the Commun- ist Party of Canada have work- ed for anything else but the best interests of the working class and the people of Canada or any other. country. “The lesson of the Bridgewood — case, and the verdict rendered opens the way to a new look at: this undemocratic and harm- fus situation. “As Dennis McDermott, Cana- dian Director of the UAW, has pointed out, the decision render- ed will help the effort of the Canadian Council of the union to seek the exclusion of the Cana- dian region from the discrimin- atory clause barring Commun- ists in the UAW constitution. “We would agree with this, but would hope that the UAW 1970 Convention may go further and remove this kind of clas! from its constitution entirely harmful and injurious t0 7 cause of its members & where. The same applies ! other unions where such Me criminatory cold war and Carthyite provisions have their way in any form union constitutions.” The. reprecussions tO Bridgewood ruling are boum be widespread. Years of cold-war habits ol deeply ingrained in top cite in the Canadian as well U.S. trade union mover This was evident in the ? “it speech of Donald MacD0l.) President of the Canadian al or Congress, which SUPP the continuation of ant munism in spite of the decis to the contrary at the last convention. Fe What has changed is the lingness of society as 4 © and in particular the Y® members of the labor fol? accept this paranoia as an cause for reasoned discl and a_ handy scapegoat | which to brand all opposi#! However long it take® whatever the obstacles “ij surmounted it seems cle@! 5 the tide is running in fav" 4g strengthened left in the 7. union movement with munists playing their ig and historic role. ye This augurs well for thé dian labor movement ane dian society as a whol@ Bridgewood and those whe lied around him to form fense committee deservé 4 credit from the entiré cratic community. Jo RESTS ON A FIRM I “OUR PROSPERITY ® FOUNDATION! ASS. \ Ny fae +3 \ 3X G Halt the profiteering!