Reagan’s visit to strong arm Canada into subordination TORONTO — On the eve of U.S. president Reagan’s visit to Ottawa, the Communist Party of Canada’s Cen- tral Executive Committee issued the following ‘press release warning of the new administration’s aims in Canada-US. relations: * * * U.S. President Reagan, only just installed in office, is coming to Canada on March 10 for a two-day state visit. Why the rush? What does he want of Canada? There can be little doubt that he comes to Canada to interfere in Canadian affairs to advance the interests of the U.S. corporate elite. The press of Feb. 25, informs us under banner head- lines that the U.S. Government is critical of Ottawa’s energy plan as a “‘sweeping deviation’’ from alleged ““‘non-discriminatory’’ business principles established under the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The ‘“‘principle”’, that irks the Reagan administration in Ottawa’s energy plan, is its aim to reduce foreign ownership of Canada’s energy industry and limit the exploitive activities of foreign-owned oil multi-nationals in Canada. Weak as it is, Trudeau’s energy plan has been bitterly opposed by the U.S.-based multi-nationals. It is a well- known fact that the multi-nationals are the backers of western “‘separatism”’, which is aimed at making the Canadian Government back away from its stated policy of Canadianizing Canada’s energy resources and industries. Itis also a well-known fact that Reagan came out for a continental energy policy during the recent U.S. presi- dential election campaign. The multi-nationals and the Reagan administration are dead set to push Canada into their version of a con- tinental energy policy. Their concern is to guarantee U.S. control over the energy resources of the whole of North America. For energy stands at the very heart of today’s industrialized economies. And oil is the heart blood of today’s modern armies. To subordinate Canada’s economic interests to those of the USA weakens Canada’s independence and sov- ereignty, and threatens the well-being of Canadians. Canada cannot afford to be dragged into a continental common energy market which is but a device to enable the U.S. corporate elite to further tighten U.S. control and domination over the whole Canadian economy. Canadian autoworkers are presently bearing the brunt of U.S. corporate victimization as a result ofa con- -tinental policy — the Auto Pact. As a result of that Pact CANADA thousands of Canadians are jobless in the auto industry. Let one lesson be enough. : , The Canadian Government must not be allowed to back down on its plan to Canadianize Canada’s energy resource industry. To do so would weaken Canada’s economic and political clout all down the line, including the ability to negotiate as equals, fishery treaties with the USA, or even a satisfactory agreement just to clean up the acid rain hazard. Prime Minister Trudeau and his Cabinet colleagues must not give way to President Reagan’s arm twisting. To do so would be to further weaken Canada’s inde- pendence and its sovereign right to make its own deci- sions. Mexico is standing firm for its economic inde- pendence. So must Canada. : . And, most importantly, Canadian independence and an independent foreign policy are inseparably inter- twined. One cannot fight for Canadian independence without maintaining an independent foreign policy based on policies of peace, détente and disarmament; or with- out strengthening Canada’s relations with the socialist countries, the newly-liberated countries, and with those peoples, like the Salvadoreans, who are fighting for a democratic people’s regime: The basis for such relations being mutual self-interest. — : Prime Minister Trudeau must take advantage of Presi- dent Reagan’s visit, to voice Canada’s objection to the deployment of a new generation of mobile medium-range nuclear armed missiles, including the neutron warhead in western Europe. He should press upon President Reagan the urgent necessity for U.S. ratification of SALT If and continuing discussions with the Soviet Union on strategic arms limitation, and other disarma- ment measures based on equality of security, a moratorium on nuclear testing, and the simultaneous dismantling of NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Billion dollar oil rip-off found OTTAWA — Ina report released March 4, after an 8-year investiga- tion, by the Combines Investigation Branch of the federal department of Consumer and Corporate Affairs, charges major oil companies with il- legal price-fixing from which they pocketted several billion dollars public inquiry, on the authority of consumer and corporate affairs minister André Ouellet. The public inquiry is considered a chastising move as a substitute for laying crim- inal charges under the Combines Investigation Act. 6 Ouellet declined to say when he thought consumers .would be re- lieved of paying the extortion de- manded by the companies on top of their normal profit. over 10 years. Nineteen oil and pipeline com- panies are implicated by the in- vestigators, who originally cited seven big: ones: Imperial, « Shell, Texaco, Gulf, Petrofina, Sun Oil, and Great Canadian Oil Sands. As a result of the 1,700 pages of evidence, the restrictive Trade Prac- tices Commission will conduct a Manitoba NDP hit with more we - defections — Special to the Tribune WINNIPEG — Two more members of the New Democratic Party caucus in the Manitoba Legisla- ture, former cabinet ministers’ in the (Edward) — Schreyer government, resigned from the party last week. Ben Handuschak and Bud Boyce joined 2 third former cabinet minister, Syd Green, who had quit the NDP over a year ago to form a new party, | the Progressive Party of Manitoba. The new party has already attracted a former | provincial president of the NDP and former vice- president. According to Syd Green, its spokesman, the party will seek to nominate in every con- stituency of the province except where the NDP candidate is supportive of the policy of the Pro- gressive Party. Strange as that may seem, it relates to the fact that at least another former NDP cabinet minister, Sam Uskiw, has openly declared his sup- port for Syd Green since the latter left the NDP, but has indicated that he (Uskiw) will still run as an NDP candidate. There may be others in a similar position. : -_ The defectors gave as the reasons for withdraw- | _ ing from the NDP, labor control of the party, and | their opposition to anti-scab legislation and to the entrenchment of human rights in the constitution. ~ NDP leader Howard Pawley was apparently caught by surprise by the new defections. He rejec- ted the charge of undue labor influence in the party and claimed that the real reasons prompting the resignations were that both Messrs. Handuschak - and Boyce were unable to get NDP nominations. He cited the fact that Bud Boyce failed to get the NDP nomination in the last. federal election and that his provincial constituency had been elimi- nated inthe redistribution. Handuschak was being challenged by two other NDP members for the nomination in his provincial constituency because of dissatisfaction with his performance in the — House. While Pawley is playing down policy differences which have plagued the party for a long time, there is no doubt that, the element of personal ambition was a factor behind the resignations. As a result of the revision of some urban con-- stituency boundaries, a sharp struggle has broken out between the sitting NDP members who find their former constituencies gone and who are being challenged by fellow NDPers seeking the nomina- tion in the new constituencies. See The manner in which NDP nominations are got- ten follows a pattern pursued by the old-line par- ties. Each aspirant for office signs up his sup- porters as members of the party prior to the nomination meeting. The one who brings in the largest number of paid memberships gets the nomination. This practice lends itself to consider- able abuse: and hankey-pankey. A couple of months ago an ugly confrontation occurred at such a nomination meeting in the St. John’s constituency in Winnipeg’s north end. The sitting member, Saul Cherniak, a former cabinet minister in the Schreyer government, had indi- cated he would not’seek renomination for personal and family reasons. A contest developed for the nomination between Roland. Penner, a law pro- fessor and a relatively new member of the NDP, and Father Malinowski, MLA for Point Douglas, whose constituency had been eliminated in the redistribution. Malinowsky won the nomination by seven votes _ amid charges of illegal purchases of memberships, Signing up people outside the constituency and unethical electioneering practices. Coming on the heels of the NDP provincial con- vention, a little over a month ago, at which the party went all out to puta lid on inner-party differ- ences so as to gear up for an anticipated provincial election this coming May, the new defections and the challenge from the Progressive Party are bound tocreate trouble for the NDP. Time will tell whether the Progressive Party will be able to get off the ground, but in the meantime the Manitoba Tories are all smiles.