CPC brief on Northern environment _ Ontario’s northern development must embody settlement of the Native peoples’ land claims, the Native peoples’ full involvement in northern resources and industrial development, and veto rights on their own territories. Such development must provide for their trad- itional hunting and fishing rights. And it must end the destruction of the environ- ment. These are some of the conclusions and proposals contained in a brief to On- tario’s Royal Commission on the North- em Environment submitted by the Communist Party of Canada (Ontario) in Thunder Bay, Feb. 21. The brief’s preamble recalls the setting up of the commission under Mr. Justice E.P. Hartt in July 1977 with a mandate to assess the environmental effects of major enterprises in the north, to recommend methods for their assessment and to examine alternative uses for northern re- sources, with attention to the lives of people and their communities. Hartt recommended a continuing commission to consider the environment and development north of the 50th paral- lel of latitude, and ‘‘a task force of north- em residents’ to find ways for com- munities to relate to government and in- dustry. He urged a tri-partite body of federal, provincial and Indian members to deal with unresolved issues of the Status of the Indian people. The commission, now under John Edwin Fahigren, took up the work on August 2, 1978. The Communist Party brief was pre- sented by Bruce Magnuson, central ex- ecutive member, Gordon Massie, On- tario leader, Paul Pugh, northwestern organizer, and John Maclennan, Ontario organizer. Supports Native Rights ' The Communist Party of Canada, for its part, ‘supports fully the just demands of Canada’s Native peoples for meaning- ful settlement of their land and environ- mental claims.”’ GANADO The brief demands full recognition of Native people’s national identity and language and cultural rights, as well as strict adherence to treaty rights. Pollution-free Progress It also takes issue with the polluters of our north, citing Reed Paper Ltd.’s pollu- tion of the English-Wabigoon river sys- tem and the poisoning of the Native population with Minamata disease. The fish which fed the population were con- taminated with mercury, causing in hu- mans paralysis of arms, legs and speech, and loss of sight. Reed was sold to Great Lakes Paper in 1979. The answer is not to hold back the growth of the productive forces, the brief argues, “‘but to ensure their progress by means of efficient and long-term social Management in the interests of humanity.” It offers telling evidence of the pulp and paper monopolies’ singleness of purpose — profit. It calls for a massive program of reforestation and re- generation of our renewable resources. This requires democratic nationalization as well as democratic control, with veto rights over development by the Native people in their own territories.” Unscrupulous Exploitation The Lumber and Sawmill Workers Union asserted back in 1946 that the forest monopolies were ‘‘seeking im- mediate revenue to the exclusion of proper and careful preservation of the forests that produce the revenue,”’ the brief reports. : It says that the current concept of “allowable annual cut’’ (AAC), bears no relation to ‘‘average annual growth’’ (AAG) which it must do if ‘sustained yield’ is to be obtained.”’ The ‘‘unscrupulous exploitation by. profit-hungry capitalist investors’? com- bines with ‘‘calamities such as forest fires and insect infestations”’ to project a drastic drop in wood supply, the brief warns. Yet, the Ministery of Natural Re- sources of Ontario recommends drastic increases in timber cutting! Monopoly’s grip, and government involvement is readily shown: e The Federal Department of Reg- ional Economic Expansion (DREE) and Ontario’s Board of IndustrialLeadership Development (BILD) are throwing $170-million into pulp and paper com- panies for modernization and expansion. e Great Lakes Forest Products Ltd., mill constimes 5,000 cords of wood a day. It now leases 21,385 square miles (55,500 km2) of timber land. In the mid 70s Canadian Pacific Investments bought controlling interest (52%) in Great Lakes. CPI is 99% owned by Canadian Pacific Ltd. e Abitibi Price Ltd., owns and leases 5,200 square miles (13,500 km2). What Must Be Done “It is obvious, and has been for a long time, that growing monopoly control by private capital in development of natural resources is not in the best interests of Canada and its people,’’ the brief says. Among its eight conclusions and prop- osals, is the insistence that Ontario put pressure on Ottawa and the us through the International Joint @ mission, to put an end to, and take s# to deal with, the consequences of at rain and all forms of environme pollution. aa It calls for full involvement of the tive peoples in northern resources; # for affirmative action programs to ® Native peoples’ housing, jobs ane vices up to provincial standards. oa It demands the nationalization of pulp and paper industry’s facilities @ the creation of a ‘‘publicly owned # democratically controlled pulp and industry.”’ : Massive reforestation is needed. ; It demands restoration of “the nt strike and free collective bargaining ® i Bill of Rights for Labor, including # hour week at 40 hours’ pay.” - It says that environmentally sensi mega-projects must be publicly one under democratic control. And it calls diversification of the timber industry # the development of manufactulfll including a machine building industry * supply forestry and mining. Gordon Massie (left, Ontario leader, Communist Party of Canada: Bruce Magnus member Central Executive Committee; and Paul Pugh, organizer of the Northw Ontario region, CPC at the Fahigren hearing in Thunder Bay. —— Decide Ottawa trek to press goverment In the mass unemployment, privation and political op- pression of Canada in the 1930s, working people organized to fight back, and some of their actions led to the On-to-Ot- tawa Trek. This is’the third of a series. By ALEX MCLENNAN On April 4, 1935, 85% of B.C.’s relief camp inmates struck and proceeded to Vancouver. There they were joined by the single unemployed who had refused to go into the camps. Together, they totalled between 1,800 and 2,000, divided into four groups, each with a strike committee. These met independently as well as jointly as a central strike committee. Other committees handled publicity, finances, tag days, picnic arrangements, as well as planning strategy. From time to time, it became necessary to expel police agents who were constantly being infiltrated into the ranks. A favorite tactic of the authorities was to recruit narcotics users from skid row and promise them immun- ity from prosecution if they agreed to become provoca- teurs and informers. THE ON-TO-OTTAWA TREK The immediate aim of the strikers was to win public _ Support and to press the authorities to grant their de- mands, which included work and wages. According to Swankey and Sheils (Work and Wages), the Longshoremen’s Union declared May 1 a holiday so that its members could participate in the parade. So did the Boilermakers’ Union (ACCL) and the Seafarers’ Industrial Union. Over 3,000 students left their classes and joined the march. Together with another 15,000 labor sympathizers, they paraded through the city to Stanley Park. The Relief Camp Workers’ newspaper reported that there were 35,000 workers assembled in Stanley Park. : The women of the Co-operative Commonwealth Fed- PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MARCH 18, 1983— Page 8 eration had organized a Mothers’ Committee. On Mother’s Day, they marched 7,000 strong to Stanley Park. Evans describes how the mothers asked the citi- zens to ‘“‘make the day a happy one and gladden the hearts of the relief camp workers by providing them with a home in that week in which Mother’s Day occurred.”’ At the rally in Stanley Park, the mothers formed them- selves into the shape of a giant heart to symbolize the great collective love of the mothers for their sons. The Vancouver Women’s Labor League commended the Mothers’ Committee for their worthy actions. In- stead of the excessive bourgeois sentimentality usually associated with Mother’s Day, the committee billetted the strikers in their homes. They organized picnics and held a tag day to raise money for the Trek. The MacDonald Commission had been set up by the federal government, and the Relief Camp Workers at- tended the sittings, believing that the commission was there to discuss their grievances. But on attempting to raise these questions, the workers were told that their demands ‘‘did not pertain to the inquiry authorized by the commission and were not within the scope of its _ authority.’” They continued to organize parades and street demon- strations, to hold dozens of meetings and march through department stores. They kept the issue constantly: before the public. The most notable demonstrations were at Spencer’s and Hudson’s Bay Company stores. Trouble erupted when the police entered the stores and pro- ceeded to jostle the strikers and swing their clubs. * The men left the store and marched to Victory Square, where Mayor McGreer read The Riot Act. The men then dispersed and marched to their respective meeting halls, thereby avoiding the clash which the authorities had attempted to provoke. The strikers later conducted a poll among Vancouver citizens on closing the relief camps and granting relief to the strikers and to all unemployed. Of the 27,647 who voted, 26,972 voted to close the relief camps and grant immediate relief to the men. On the same day, the may was confronted by a delegation and asked to proV food for the men, to which he responded by readin wire he had received from Ottawa, stating,.‘‘You Se have militia, I have police and I have bullets.’’ He Y asked if it would not be cheaper to feed the men than extra police, to which he replied, ‘‘No, certainly not! It was at this point that the strikers, in desperatl decided to occupy the museum. The operation was ¢ ried out by one-quarter of the men, while the remail! occupied the attention of the police in other parts of! city. The group barricaded themselves in the musé! which was located on the top floor of the library. Th announced that they would not leave until the authori agreed to grant relief to the strikers. They remained in the museum until eight o’clock # night. During the occupation, the citizens supplied ' men with hot drinks and food. This was hauled up to! top floor by ropes. Throughout the day, demonstrati¢ took place both at the city hall and then at the museu! Finally, there was an announcement by the mayor 2 the chief of police that sufficient funds would be mé available to feed the men for the weekend. The strike having won their point, surrendered and marched out the museum. se The Strike Committee later received a letter from ! curator of the museum, stating that no damage had bé done, either to the building or to the exhibits, and that! conduct of the men had been exemplary. : By the end of May it had become evident that the rel camp strikers in Vancouver had reached a dead end. efforts to force Ottawa to negotiate with the strike co mittee had failed. At a meeting in the Avenue Theat Arthur Evans proposed that they go to Ottawa en mas and force the Bennett government to negotiate. 1 proposal was enthusiastically received, and the p! adopted. *Work and Wages, Swankey and Sheils, p. 96.