EFEAT of the so-called LaCroix Bill during

mons by the simple procedure of “‘talking it out’,
did not remove the danger of a statutory blackout
of civil liberties in Canada.

Prior to the opening of the ‘present session
of parliament, LaCroix is-credited with the state-
ment that he would not introduce his bill again,
-since the “‘government expects to bring down
amendments to the Criminal Code similar to my

proposals.”

it be known in some of his own particular contri-
butions to the government's cold war policy that his
department has the matter “under consideration.”
Periodic comment from Commissioner Wood of
the RCMP also indicates a yearning for star-
chamber legislation against all progressive thought
and action which, to Commissioner Wood, is syn-
onymous with “‘communism’’,

Tory leader George Drew keeps prodding the

St. Laurent government with having “‘failed to take

adequate measures to curb espionage and other

activites of Communists,” and dreams of himself

as a second R. B. “‘Iron Heel” Bennett, clamping

a Section 98 “‘thought control” ban on all ideas
and activities not menting Tory approval.

Nor is the St. Laurent government adverse to

People removed Section 98,
they can block it now

the last two sessions of the House of Com-

Justice Minister Stuart Garson has also let

of the Winnipeg General Strike and the “Hungry
Thirties.” This despite the fact that it was a Lib-
eral government—compelled by mass popular pres-
sure—which repealed this shameful fascist-type
legislation in 1936. ;

A government that has surrendered Canada’s
sovereignty and economic well-being to the war
policies of dollar imperialism against socialism,
that has shown its willingness to cooperate with the
U.S. state department in an overall plan to smash
organized labor (the Canadian Seamen’s Union a
classical example), is not likely to stop short in
enacting undemocratic legislation, through and by
which it hopes to destroy the Communist vanguard
of labor. Legislation that will hold all progressive |
thought and action. for peace, jobs, economic and
social security, as being “subversive.”

There is only- one power that can stay the
hand of the St. Laurent government and its reac-
tionary allies (among which must be included the
top leadership of social democracy), in its desire
to introduce repressive thought-control legislation.
The united protests of all Canadians who value
freedom of thought and action commensurate with
democratic procedure. A resurgence of the mag-
nificent unity which compelled Mackenzie King to
erase Section 98 from the statute books in 1936,
can stop St. Laurent and his cold-war government
from bringing it back in 1950.

A government that stands for genuine peace
does not make war on the civil rights and liberties
of its own people. That is the purpose of Section
98. That is why it must never again disgrace the
statute books of Canada or outrage the Canadian
people.

the idea of feintroducing the infamous Section 98

CF

“ House of Commons this week to admonish the

St. Laurent’ government. “Let us recognize the gov-

ernment of China,” said he, “even though we dislike
or even abhor their political philosophies.”

The “us” and ‘“‘we” in Coldwell’s urging of

recognition of the People’s Republic of China are

significant. They underline the close affinity of top

CCF brass with the made-in-USA foreign policies of
the St. Laurent government. A comparison between
_ the insulting qualifications for Canadian recognition
of China recently offered by External Affairs Min-
ister Pearson and those now advanced by Coldwell,
are merely differences in formulation. Basically they
stem from the same capitalist “abhorrence” of revo-
_ lutionary socialism. :
_ Coldwell “abhors” the political philosophy of
people’s China. So do eae Sh ue Ghost
Drew, and the financial royalists of dollar imperialism.
In his plea for “recognition”—stfemming from grow-

_ ing popular opinion across Canada that such recog-
__ nition would give a tremendous impetus to our marhet
and unemployment crisis, as well as be a mighty factor

al leader M. J. Coldwell arose in the

ecognize People’s China —

"in strengthening peace, Coldwell lumps his “commun

ism’’ and fascism in the same, political category, using
popular hatred of fascism to pinpoint his hatred of

~ communism.

Coldwell is a devotee of cold-war in Europe and
Asia. In his political sleight-of-hand urgency for
recognition of China he also advocated “economic
assistance . . . as a weapon in the cold-war of South-
east Asia. . .’’ — a little package of food to accom-
pany the Marshall planned export of arms and counter-
revolution against the government and people of

China!

Full diplomatic and trade relations between
China and Canada is highly desirable, and for Canada
and peace highly beneficial. Such relations must be
based on full equality and mutual goodwill.

Markets and jobs for Canadian workers and
farmers, which would inevitably flow from Canada’s
recognition of the People’s Republic of China, are
what interest the Canadian people. From Louis St.
Laurent to M. J. Coldwell, all the public declara-
tions of “abhorrence of communism’’—and the cold
war policies flowing from them—have produced are

_ shrinking markets, economic crisis, unemployment and

the ever-present threat of war. :

‘Operation $weet $uicide’

PTE csinated cost ‘GPARE Jobat 1S -Catnctiak
“ military maneuvers in the Yukon and Alaska,

What conclusions our top military .brass and
cold-war politicians may draw from this costly exer-
cise is anyone's guess. Certainly the daily press blurbs
on “Operation Sweetbriar” contribute very little to-
wards our having a greater sense of “security” than
hitherto against an attack from some mythical

". But of course all that must remain “‘top

What isn’t so secret down below is the knowl-
e that the St. Laurent government is squandering
six million dollars of the taxpayers’ money, which is
equal to the amount it would pay out in unemployment
insurance in this province over a six-month period at
the present rate of expenditure. And this is only a
small part of the $550 million being poured into the
so-called ‘‘defense’’ preparations by the St. Laurent
government at the insistence of Yankee imperialism.
How much better it could be used on public works
and the people’s economic welfare!

Spent for peaceful pursuits it would provide
remunerative jobs for Canada’s half-million unem-
ployed; it would provide nurnberless badly needed
public projects and create a genuine sense of peace
and security, rather than being spent on the suicidal
business of mapping out an Arctic cemetery for count-
less Canadian
World War III,

1 victims of Wall Street's projected

TOM McEWEN

As We See lt

AST week we in this province heard two speeches from the Throne,

one from Victoria and one from Ottawa. In our opinion the most
significant feature about these programmatic speeches was their
ommissions—what they didn’t say. Even the daily press found some
difficulty in following customary procedure—giving them a big “blow
up” out of all proportion to their real content, much the same as
the packing’*trust does when filling “home-made” sausages. More
crumbs than meat.

The federal proposal to expand the coverage of unemployment

insurance, and to extend insurance benefits (with a three-month
° limitation) is very good as far as it goes, but with
unemployment in Canada nearing the half-million
mark it is clear that such proposals don’t go nearly
far enough.
You just cannot assure food, clothing and shel-
ter to a jobless worker and his family with a
“step-in-the-right-direction” gesture, when there
are so many steps needed to look for the non-
existent job. And of this elusive job it must be
said that there isn’t even a hint in either of the
Throne speeches as to where or when a goodly por-
tion of Canada’s half million unemployed workers
might find it. :
: When questioned on the state of the nation
as to jobs, home building, markets, social security and so on, govern-

ment spokesmen in both Ottawa and Victoria become a bit hot under
the collar. They become highly indignant when someone suggests
that, in the face of growing crisis and unemployment, “the govern-
ment has done nothing.” ,

Only a couple of days ago Premier Johnson of British Columbia
recited a lengthy total of some $134 million dollars which have been
expended in B.C. during recent months on unemployment insurance
and family allowances. Similarly with federal government spokes-
men. They cite astronomical figures to “prove” they are “doing
something” in providing for jobs, housing, social securities, marketing
subsidies, and so forth.

All of which is quite true. Our governments are certainly spend-
ing money—scads of it. Yet we have almost half a million unem-
ployed workers, our export markets are vanishing, our farm popula-
tion is being told to curtail production, and the menacing fear of
hunger and war hangs over the land.

A study of these Throne speeches in the year 1950 makes one
point crystal clear: Except during election time, our governments

speak a different language than the people, Statistics! That’s the

ticket. Give the unemployed lots of statistics, Prime Minister St.
Laurent points to Canada’s growing labor force of five million work- -
ers, nearly double that of the Hungry Thirties, so what’s a piddling

(and “seasonal’) half a million unemployed?

Trade? Well, trade balances are to “improve,’ even if exports
“decline,” and even if our trade balances may take a drop of some
$225 million for 1950, that “will not be a major factor in increasing
unemployment.” Having placed Canada’s. independence, trade, and
security in hock to the financial warmongers of Wall Street, it nat- —
urally follows that St. Laurent’s economic horoscope for Canada in
1950 must be more than a shade foggy.

Behind it all, however is the assurance of the federal government

_—and to a lesser extent the Tory-Liberal Coalition in Victoria—that

come what may, the super profits of the big monopolists will con-
tinue, with full assurance of all governmental ssafeguards. While
attempting to “play down” the intensity of a growing economic crisis,
these governments of big business are already agreed on one point,

that workers, farmers, small business and professional classes, will
be compelled to carry the full load. : :

This was a key point in the recent meeting of the national com-
mittee of the Labor-Progressive party, the recognition that, while re-_
current economic crisis is inevitable in our capitalist “way of life,”
it does not necessarily follow that the workers and primary producers
should carry the burden as in all past crises,

: ee it - east in the Throne speeches that this good old
ourgeois custom prevail, a united struggle of the people for full em-
ployment, for trade relations with the USSR, the New Democracies
of Europe and China, for the redeeming of Canada from the war-
mongers and financial pawnbrokers of Wall Street can put the bur-
den of the economic crisis where it rightfully belongs—upon the backs
of those whose cold war policies have reduced Canada to a vassal
of predatory Yankee imperialism, and brought half a million (and
the number is still growing) of Canada’s working people to the border-
line of starvation and destitution. This is a fact that no amount of
governmental juggling of statistics can obscure. '

The fight for peace is the fight for all those things the le
‘peop.
need, all those things omitted from the Throne speeches. It is a
fight to transform Canada’s “peace-time” war budget so that the 600
million dollars now being squandered on military preparations will

be spent.to provide jobs, homes, soci ell- or
Gansdwe people. al security and ‘well-being f

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PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FEBRUARY 24, 1950—PAGE 8

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