ea Jade tute i at

By MAURICE RUSH

Premier Bill Bennett and his Socred
government are in deep trouble as they
move down to the wire in making a deci-
sion whether to go for a spring election or
put it over to the fall.

The two main pillars on which the
Socreds have been building their hopes
for an election victory — the restraint
program and massive spending on mega-
projects — are collapsing around them.
The government’s restraint program,

Re Gne Sucre — can KEEron

; launched with a big fanfare in February,
h 1982, has proved disastrous. Unemploy-
4 ment has more than doubled since the
: Testraint program was introduced. The
: number of jobless continues to mount
, and is higher than any province west of

the Maritimes.

The Socreds have made a shambles of
social services and in a few months have
eroded standards which took years to
establish. Hospitals and education are in
deep crisis and further cuts are con-
templated. The main attack has been on

ig
95 services to the aged, the children and
it those on'low incomes. Now it has wiped:
ip out legal aid services.
(Ss Most of Bennett’s manoeuvring has
been aimed at reducing the effects on the
Po government of the backlash caused by the
in restraint program. But its attempt to
tt defuse the education crisis has blown up
if in its face, as did the attempt to use the ill-
i! advised proposal by IWA president J ack
1a Munro to use IWA pension funds to
ng finance a reforestation program.
il) The Socreds are also running into trou-
ch | ble with their megaprojects. It’s no acci-
dent that Don Phillips, minister of in-
ng dustry and small business.development,
ia) urged last week on the Jack Webster pro-
ce gram that an early election be held. He
oft knew that the northeast coal deal is in-
ef creasingly proving to have been a colossal
mistake and he wants to get an election
ji over with before the full impact Japan’s
of cutback in coal imports and the heavy
est costs to B.C. taxpayers of this deal
est become known. The cost of the project is

likely to exceed $1.5 billion and Japan is
now pressing for a new coal deal which
") would reduce the price of northeast coal
to Japan. Already the Japanese coal cut-
backs have led to massive layoffs in the
, - Coal mines in southeastern B.C.
7 With its right wing program in trouble,
s the Socreds in desperation are seeking to
{ bolster their popularity with a frontal
5 assault on the working people and the
5 trade unions. The Socred proposals to
f amend the labor code would open the
trade unions to dismembership and
seriously curtail labor’s right to strike.
Behind the slogan of “democracy at
the workplace” the Socreds, with their
big business backers in the Employers
Council and the manufacturers associa-
tion, hope to use unemployment and
groups of backward workers to under-
mine union certification and contracts
and lead to a lowering of wage standards
in B.C, The cry of “democracy”’ sounds
hollow and hypocritical coming from a
y government which has repeatedly denied
? the democratic choice of Vancouver
voters for a ward system. It’s not
democracy” this government has in

; mind but the emasculation of the trade
5 unions, their rights and conditions.

: This attack on the working people has
e been added to with direct interference In

| the Workers’ Compensation Board. The

scandalous action of the WCB in reneg-
ing on granting farm workers protection,
7 and the decision of Ed Peck, Compensa-
tion Stabilization Program commissioner

: that public sector employers don’t have I

of to pay arbitrated wage increases if they needed now to mount a united campaign

2 can show they can’t afford it, were direct for jobs and against the government’s at- T ey te | | 83

7 orders of the Socred cabinet. tack on labor, education and B.C.’s rage 3 BS ,000
The decision of the government to social services.

the so-called ‘‘independent”’ agencies like

Restraint policy, jobs
at issue as votenears

fight the coming election on the basis of
its attack on labor, on its restraint
program and massive megaproject
giveaways presents the labor movement
with a grave threat. Progressives are fac-
ed with the urgent task of doing
everything possible to ensure the defeat of
the Socred government when the election
does come. The prospect of the Socreds
in power for another four years is terrible
to contemplate.

The Communist Party joins with all
British Columbians who want to see the
Socreds ousted from office. The Socreds
are the main enemy who must be defeated
if B.C. is to be set on the path of recovery,
to meet the unemployment crisis, to pro-
tect labor’s rights, and advance the
social needs of the people.

The Communist Party is concerned
not only with the campaign in the five
ridings where it is running but also with
the issue of government itself. It is not a
matter of unconcern to us what kind of
government B.C. has. We recognize that
in the present polarized political situation
in B.C. most people who want the
Socreds out see an NDP government as
the only alternative. Being realists, we
recognize that this is a fact at this time.

However, the right wing leadership of
the NDP have so far failed to come for-
ward with the kind of fighting policies
which B.C. needs and which could pro-
vide a strong alternative program to
Socred right wing policies. The Barrett
leadership is repeating the mistakes of the
Kamloops byelection of not fighting the
election on the basic issues, and failing
to challenge the Socreds restraint policy
and attack on the trade union movement
for fear of losing middle class voters. The
lesson of the Kamloops defeat has not
been learned by the NDP, and it can be
duplicated provincially unless pressure
from the labor movement and its sup-
porters, compels the NDP to take up the
fight for more basic policies.

NDP leader Dave Barrett has indicated
that he intends to fight the Socreds ona
low key, limited issue campaign, promis-
ing no sweeping changes in provincial
policies and hoping that if he gives the
Socreds enough rope they will hang
themselves. This strategy is causing con-
sternation among many NDP. sup-
porters, including trade unionists. Many
are justly concerned that the NDP is tak-
ing labor’s vote for granted which could
be costly as it proved to be in the Saskat-
chewan election.

The Communist Party will run five
candidates in the election with the aim of
sharpening the attack on the Socreds and
pointing to the kind of alternative pro-
gram B.C. needs. In each of the two-seat
ridings of Vancouver Centre, Vancouver
Fast and Surrey the Communists will run
one candidate. In addition there will bea
candidate in “Burnaby-Willingdon and
one in Alberni on Vancouver Island.

In these important working class areas
the Communists will put forward a pro-
gram for jobs now and will call for sweep-
ing changes in policies. Only the Com-
munist Party is putting forward the kind
of anti-monopoly program which will
meet immediate and long range needs, in-
cluding nationalization of major resource
and utility companies. At the same time
Communists will campaign in every
riding to expose Social Credit policies,
call for unity to defeat the Socred
government, and urge the NDP to take
up the fight for a real alternative program
to meet the needs of the people of B.C.

Inthe meantime, whether an election is
called in the next few days or not, action is

Frustrated by the provincial government's refusal to proclai i i ingi
hotel dwellers under the protection of the Residential er be ere tfc 9 he
Downtown Eastside marched in protest outside the Rentalsman’s office Tuesda
They were joined by aldermen Libby Davies and Harry Rankin (in photo) Nancouver
Centre MLA Emery Barnes and NDP Little Mountain candidate Jean Swanson
Several groups, including Vancouver city council, have pressed the government t
enact the legislative amendments which passed in a near-unanimous vote aes
years ago. Lacking the rights granted other tenants, the area’s hotel dwellers can
be evicted with little advance notice and face unrestricted rent hikes,

-‘Tribune’s 1983
financial drive
_ opens this week

85,000: That’s how many people we would like to see take part in the W
for Peace on Apr. 23. We’d like to see 85,000 people selaret lobbying af
organizing for jobs in this province. And 85,000 has special significance for the
Tribune this year.

We're shooting for $85,000 in the 1983 press which opens this weekend.
: The press drive is very much-a part of the campaigns for disarmament and
jobs because the Tribune has been part of the fight for peace and full
employment since it was founded in the midst of the Depression 48 years ago
And in 1983, no less than in 1935, the Tribune’s fighting voice, its unique
sen eaee and its stand for unity and mobilization of working people will be
crucial.

We realize that $85,000 is a substantial figure at a time when thous
people are being forced on to UIC or are facing exhaustion of their an ate
cp hes sy Nea well over the target of $82,000. And we’re sure you’ll see the

— and it is urgent — to go over the target again. i i
pope is part of the fightback. 7 ena shearer
in past years, we are holding a contest for a 1983 Ford i

two to Cuba or Grenada and a side of beef. Again there will eet
money raisers, those in the 500 Club, the honor press builders and the press ?
builders. The targets for individual press clubs will appear in next week’s issue

Over the next 12 weeks until the victory banquet June 25, we urge you to do
everything you can to make this drive a reflection of your response to the times
we live in. Oversubscribing the $85,000 target will be a fighting message.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—APRIL 1, 1983—Page 3