BRITISH COLUMBIA

Almost every day the press carries
economist or government politician tell-

that it’s just about over, that we’ll see a
turn for the better later in 1983.

The trouble with these optimistic
predictions is that:

* They are never accompanied by any
convincing evidence;

* Invariably they say that although the
economy will recover, unemployment
will remain high or go even higher.

If youar old enough to remember, or if
you care to look at Vancouver papers
published during the 1930s you’ll find

that the people then were fed the same
kind of guff about prosperity being just
around the corner, week after week,
month after month, year after year, and
after that for ten long years. Prosperity
never did return; it took a war to pull us
out of that depression.

That’s why I view present predictions
with a great deal of skepticism at best. I’d
go further than that; I think some of these
predictions are a deliberate political
fraud.

Government spokesmen, both provin-
cial and federal, would like us to believe
they are doing a good job getting us out of
the recession. All this with an eye to the
- hext election and their re-election. Of
course they don’t want to admit that it
was their policies which helped to get us
into this mess in the first place and that
they have no solutions now.

But both business and government
leaders have still one other reason for
their optimistic predictions, which may
actually be the main one. They don’t
want the unemployed to get organized, to
start holding parades, demonstrations,
sit-ins, occupations of buildings and so
on. And so even if we hurt, if we believe
that the depression will soon be over, we
may not think it necessary to take any

reports by some business leader,

ing us that the recession is bottoming out, |

- Harry

Rankin

‘Signs’ of prosperity
won't buy groceries

demonstrative action now to get the
government moving on work-making
projects.

I’m no pessimist but I can’t see a single
sign of any substantial economic
recovery. I think things are going to get a
lot worse and may not get better at all.
Every layoff, every cutback, every
restraint program aggravates the depres-
sion because it means less purchasing
power for working people. If we haven’t
got the money we can’t buy and if we
can’t buy the economic wheels won’t
keep on turning. That’s because we live in
an economic system where what is pro-
duced depends not on what people

need or want but whether or not some
corporation can make money producing
it. Which is a good reason why we should
begin thinking of replacing our present
corporate-controlled economy with one
in which industry is owned and controlled

' by the people and where production is

based on people’s needs, not profit.

That would be socialism and we may as
well get used to the word because in the
months and years ahead we’re all going to
hear alot more about it as people look for
alternative economic and political
systems.

In the meantime, though, we should
begin pressing for the kind of reforms ad-
vocated by the trade union movement
and others including the Catholic
bishops, reforms based on public owner-
ship of resources and other key in-
dustries, Canadian ownership of the
foreign multinationals now operating in
Canada, taxes based on ability to pay to
ensure that the wealthy pay their fair
share for a change, make-work projects
such as a huge housing program, a Cana-
dian merchant marine, Canadian in-
dustries to process more of our resources
at home and developing an expanding
manufacturing industry to serve the
home market. :

Schools summit urget

Teachers and trustees have pressed
premier Bill Bennett to discuss proposals for
ending ‘‘the conflict in the education system
in B.C.”’ caused by Socred cutbacks and the
education minister Bill Vander Zalm.

B.C. Teachers Federation president Larry
Kuehn announced last Friday a proposal
sent to Bennett calling for a tripartite com-
mission of government, teacher and trustee
representatives to negotiate questions of cur-
riculum, graduation requirements, provin-
cial exams and “‘any other appropriate mat-
ters.”

Until the proposed commission can make
its report, there should be a moratorium on
any changes to the system. Arbitrary back-
to-the-basics changes to curriculum had
been recently announced by Vander Zalm in
typical draconian fashion, precipitating
another in an endless series of crises for
educators.

The tripartite commission proposal

Cruise on FCM agenda

Canadian municipalities will be asked to
take a stand on nuclear diarmament when
they sit down to meet in Moncton this sum-
mer, thanks to motions submitted by Van-
couver city council.

On the initiative of alderman Bruce Yorke
of the Committee of Progressive Electors,
motions calling for a national referendum
on disarmament, a nuclear-weapons free
Canada and no cruise missile testing will be
laid before the Federation of Canadian
municipalities conference June 5-9.

Yorke, who will accompany four other ci-
ty councillors to the conference, said he has
also sent personal communications to
aldermen and the majors of Toronto and
Ottawa. a

The motions are included in a package of
generally progressive resolutions tabled for
debate in city council by the labor-backed
majority of four COPE aldermen, mayor
Mike Harcourt and alderman Bill Yee.

On the national referendum proposal, the
motion notes that citizens voted ‘‘75 to 80
percent in favor’’ of disarmament in civic

ballots, but ‘‘not all citizens have had anop- ~

portunity to express their views.’’
Therefore, the FCM should request the
federal government ‘‘conduct at the earliest
possible moment, and in no case later than
the upcoming federal election, a national
referendum on general disarmament, the
precise wording of which to be the subject of
country-wide hearings before an ap-

parallels that made by the B.C. Sch
Trustees Association two weeks ag0:}

organizations have demanded the res
tion of Vander Zalm, who has been @
spiciously absent from the ministry fof

past two weeks.

Kuehn in a letter to Bennett also pi
for an amendment to the School Act hiss
ing granting local teachers associations’
right to bargain with school boards 0#
broad range of personnel practices,” for
agreement that 1983 school contracts W
left intact as arbitrated “‘subject to there”
process of the Compensation Stabiliz
Act” and for a “‘financing framework é'
will allow boards to reinstate laid-off
staff. :

On Tuesday the BCTF noted that Bet!
gave a “‘positive response” by agree
negotiations between BCTF officials 4
deputy education minister Jim Cartel

propriate committee of the House of
mons.”’

The second motion cites Canada’s P!
tial role as world peace-maker ‘“‘if @4
were not to become further involved
new arms race supporting programs.

It urges the Canadian government
declare Canada a nuclear weapons-free#
‘“fncluding the production, testiNé
transportation through Canada of nud
weapons and any allied systems.” _—__,

The government is urged to “‘bring bel
Parliament for debate any sub-agree™
that might (involve) the testing of the me
generation, first-strike cruise missile,” 4
the FCM is called on to oppose any such’
agreement. “a

Other motions from Yorke urge suPP
for medicare, a federally-suppo!
“massive affordable housing progra!
and financial, institutional and law-m
autonomy for municipalities. An0"
backs the demands of unemployed
groups for improvements to Unemploy™
Insurance.

Motions from Harcourt and Yee call!
increased federal funding for social hous!
and federal sponsorship of muncipal pul
works programs for the jobless. — i

COPE motions passed handily by a
or 7-4 majority, with right-wingers Ge?!
Puil and Wrnet Kennedy opposed to all. £
fellow Non-partisan Association met!

don Bellamy voted for the peace motio#
—_—.

D eople in this country unhappy with the lack of in depth

At 70, aremarkably energetic Mona Morgan has hardy

media coverage given to disarmament conferences —
the brief columns and even briefer air time given the disar-
mament conference at UBC last weekend is a case in point
— might draw some solace from the fact that in Britain,
where the peace movement also has a massive following,
disarmament conferences are treated with much the same
disdain by the establishment media.

At the conference last weekend, featured speaker Dr.
Michael Pentz, a leader of Britain’s powerful Campaign.
for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), cited an example from
his own experience, in which he was interviewed by what
he termed an ‘‘imbecilic’’ television reporter. The reporter
had referred to CND’s call for unilateral British disarma-
ment and demanded to know what would happen if the
Soviets should seek to take military advantage of a Britain
without nuclear weapons.

Pentz offered a detailed reply, explaining, in addition to
other points, that there were several other non-nuclear
countries which opposed Soviet policies which had not
been ‘‘taken advantage of’’ by the USSR. But because he
found the question so incredible, he had prefaced his
answer with a laugh.

When the interview was finally aired, the only part of
Pentz’s answer that was broadcast was his laugh.

That is perhaps an extreme example of the anti-
disarmament bias that exists among editors, publishers
and producers. But it is certainly not an isolated example as
was demonstrated by a recent survey of media coverage of
the UN Special Session on Disarmament carried out in Bri-
tain by the Hampstead Group of the World Disarmament
Campaign. Some 60 volunteers monitored coverage of the
UN session and later contacted editors to question their ap-
proaches. The replies they got were revealing.

The foreign news editor of the British Observer, referr-

PEOPLE AND ISSUES

ing to the fact that the Falklands war was just concluding
and the invasion of Lebanon still in progress at the time of
the UN session, wrote: ‘We will try to cover the session at
some point, wars permitting.’’

Thames Television also blamed the war in the Falklands
but was somewhat more apologetic for its omissions:
‘Unfortunately, because of the Falklands and because of

the rail dispute, we have not been able to focus on this sub- ~

ject in our once a week program.” : :

In the case of the BBC, the foreign editor decided for his
viewers what their opinions should be without offering any
significant coverage to enable them to draw their own con-
clusions. He stated: ‘‘The sad fact is that the special session
was not very effective. As far as one can tell it has had and
will have little or no effect on the state of armaments in the
world.”’

Closer to home, and closer to the present, the Van-
couver Province didn’t even have the excuse of the.
Falklands campaign. Its Sunday edition gave a scant one-:!
column nine-paragraph story to the disarmament con-.
ference at UBC. The same page devoted six columns and a:
photo layout to a name-the-whale contest.

* * ue

be the 1940s, she helped the IWA organize the logging
camps. In the 1950s, she helped found the Congress of.
Canadian Women and was an activist in the peace move-
ment during its toughest years. In the 1960s and ’70s she
led consumers’ movements against rising prices, became a
well-known community activist and ran for civic office in
Vancouver, and served as organizer for the Communist
Party’s Kingsway club.

slowed her pace. She is a driving force in the SONC com
mittee, battling the Socreds over the new rapid tr:
system, and although last month she stepped down fro
her long-time post as organizer of the Kingsway club, shé
remains on of the best CP organizers and will managé
the CP provincial election campaign in: Vancouver Cet:
tre. : ?

As more than 200 people gathered last weekend t0
honor her on her 70th birthday, the continuous threat
through a series of tributes was the recognition that there}
barely a struggle undertaken by the progressive movement!
in B.C. over the past four decades to which Mona had no!
contributed, more often than not in a leading capacity.

But of all the many issues and causes she associated
with, the essential Mona was summed up best by foul
speakers. Emil Bjarnason, her brother, traced he@
development from the class-conscious Icelandic com
munity of Winyard, Sask., to the west coast labor mov
ment and her marriage to Nigel Morgan with whom she
shared in the leadership of the Communist Party in B.C:
for more than 30 years. Eunice Parker spoke of Mona ®
long-standing commitment to the Congress of Canadiat
Women and the B.C. Peace Council. Donalda Viaud, of
behalf of the Kingsway club, toasted her organizational
tenacity and devotion to her party club. And Mauricé
Rush, provincial leader of the CP, hailed her as one of thé
outstanding women Communists this province has pr0-
duced and compared her to Annie Stewart, Hele?
Mathieson and Effie Jones.

Typically, Mona had little to say about herself if
response to all of this, choosing instead to state that her life
as a Communist had been an honor, and that she has noin-

_tention of changing anything now. 2

—

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MARCH 11, 1983—Page 2