ne year after the Trudeau government’s use of the
War Measures Act (WMA) in the Quebec Front de
Liberation du Quebec (FLQ) crisis, it is still being

“investigated,’’ debated, and in large measure, widely’
condemned.

This archaic order-in council, sired by a Liberal-Tory
“Unionist”? government, dating from the eve of World War 1,
was carried out on the explicit instructions of Wall Street’s
House of Morgan & Co., and was primarily a declaration of
“open season’’ upon the civil and political rights of all
Communist and progressive-minded people, designed to
silence all opposition to the war.

To abrogate all vestiges of democracy, and to eliminate all
who insisted upon such democratic rights. A WMA which
“legalized’’ imprisonment without charge or trial, mass
deportations without hearings, brutal ‘‘interrogation’’ and
treatment while thus incarcerated — and on numerous
occasions the ‘‘mysterious’’ disappearance of certain
individuals from the ranks of the living.

Then the WMA lay dormant upon the Statute Books until
1939. Democracy had been “‘saved’’ for the time being — by
destroying it. Then it was again ressurrected in 1939 for a like.
purpose, and again it was “‘open season’’ on Communists and
like-minded citizens. Finally .on October 16, 1970, ostensibly
against the FLQ, but in actuality, against Canada.

This time however, as though marking the general crisis of
capitalism, the WMA was to cut a wider political swath than
hitherto. This time it wasn’t merely the Communists, but all
the people, young and old, in Quebec and elsewhere, who
advocated or believed in the right of French-Canadians to the
independence (and separation if necessary) for La Belle
Province. All who believed in a two-nation Canada — standing
and understanding together. :

Thus under the military-police state regime ‘“‘legalized”’ by
the imposition of the WMA decree, any Canadian found in
possession of the ‘‘FLQ Manifesto’? — minus revolutionary
content and largely a document of itemized ‘‘beefs,’’ was liable:
to arrest and imprisonment, with perhaps a brutal beating-up

_to boot, just because he (or she) wanted to know what the FLQ
was all about.

In Vancouver ‘‘Terrific’’ Tom Campbell went into political
DT’s when the WMA was invoked. ‘‘Now,’’ bleated this Big
Business towel-boy, ‘‘we will crack down on all Hippies, draft
dodgers, criminals and dope pushers,’’ neither category having
any relationship whatsoever with a socalled WMA, but all “‘fair
game’ for his noisy ‘‘Worship”’ under its anti-democratic
fascist ageis.

Here there is neither the space nor intent to go into all the
very valid reasons supporting the cause of French Canada.
Suffice it to say that, following the terror and persecution of
the WMA in Quebec, these multiple causes remain, unresolved
and unforgotten. Nor will such ever be resolved, now or in the
future by illegal and brutal WMA interrogations, or by the
violence of harsh prison sentences handed down by highly
prejudiced and hysterical courts — the socalled custodians of
morality, justice and democracy.

In the words of William Lyon Mackenzie of the Canada of
1837, ‘“‘no individual or government should be permitted to
trifle with the people’s rights.’ That is precisely what you did
Messieurs Tory and Libaral when you voted the WMA for
Quebec — and Canada. Nor did the sober lessons of earlier
“‘precedents’’, now condemned by history, deter you in that
grave hour of an unparliamentary and undemocratic hysteria.

On the eve of October 16, 1970, Canada was not without
those ‘‘precedents’’ upon which ‘‘the law’’ places a heavy
emphasis. And if ‘‘ignorance of the law’ is no excuse for
alleged law breakers, neither is ignorance of ‘‘precedent”’ any
excuse for government to destroy the civil rights of the citizen
under the pretext of ‘“‘preserving’’ democracy. The first
casualty in all such uneven conflicts is invariably that of the
civil rights of the common man. That history has already (and
too often) confirmed. If you have doubts about it, ask fellow-
Canadian Jean Batiste.

ES PIR BS PACERS IK CES OK BIS PAS ERE IK EK BO RY PLE IE ER
Celebrate

NEW YEAR’S EVE FROLIC
* DANCE * SMORGASBORD * FAVORS

FISHERMEN’S HALL ;

138 E. Cordova

Tickets — $7 each Pensioners $5 each

For Reservations Phone: 684-1451: 685-5288:
or 685-5836

: Ausp: Van. Labor Social C’ttee

Rexersacer es ere sce Bx s

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1971—PAGE 2

SENG OE SIE GE NGS Mth NEB

:
|
L

Foiled by a public outcry.
against handing the Vancouver
Island gas pipeline construction |
over to his political friends,
Premier Bennett has proceeded
to confuse the situation by
reneging on his promise that
only home-grown, home-owned
B.C. companies would be con-
sidered for the contract.

In April of this year he made
such a stipulation which is no
doubt the reason his former assis-
tant and close friend Dan Ekman
Ekman “‘put together” a group
called Malaspina Gas Pipeline
Co. to submit a bid. However,
organized labor, political
leaders and the general public
expressed strong objections to
the cabinet decision to award
the contract to this group before
public hearings were held. Four
other companies had submitted
bids, amongst them B.C. Hydro.

The Premier then announced
he would open up hearings and
would accept a bid from what

~ also appears to be a new com-

pany, Pacific Northern Gas, a
subsidiary of the U.S.-con-
trolled Westcoast
sion.

Other groups submitting bids
include Trans-Prairie Pipelines,
Ltd., Centennial Natural Gas

- Pipelines, Ltd., and Island Trans-

mission Co., as well as B.C.
Hydro.

The shocking fact that the
government was prepared to
hand the contract to Malaspina
at a price of $97 million without
legislative discussion or public
hearings so outraged organized
labor that resolutions demand-

ing that a publicly-owned -

company be given the contract

Transmis:

were submitted to the recent
B.C. Federation of Labor
convention by the Oil and
Chemical Workers, IWA, and the
Steelworkers. ‘

The Oil and Chemical Workers
statement said: ‘‘The Federa-
tion should press for the cancel-

_ lation, by the provincial govern-

ment, of the gas pipeline fran-
chise to Malaspina and that the
transmission of natural gas to
Vancouver Island be awarded to
B.C. Hydro.”

The Steelworkers resolution
urged the B.C. Federation
executive to investigate the
award. The IWA said ‘‘This
recent decision of the B.C.
cabinet will add untold costs to
the cost of gas for the residents
of Vancouver Island.’ They
demanded that the gasoline be
brought under the control of a
publicly owned utility.

“The air stinks!’
“Yeah, but the profits don’t.’

City Communists

urge ward system

Unless the city charter is
amended at the coming session
of the provincial legislature,
the long needed change to a ward
system for city elections will not
be in operation in 1972.

It appears that the majority of —

Vancouver citizens want a ward
system instead of election at
large now in operation. This was
proved on Thursday when 12

briefs were presented to city ©

council asking for the imple-
mentation of a more representa-
tive electoral set-up.- (See also

page 12).
The NPA aldermen are against
area representation. As

Alderman Harry Rankin pointed
out in a recent column, the NPA
knows it would lose its 35 year
control of city hall if a ward
system went into operation.

On Thursday William Turner,
on behalf of the Vancouver
Regional Committee of the Com-
munist Party presented a brief
to council in which he stressed
the need for extending demo-
cratic procedures through
electoral reform.

He made these points: More
direct representation by the

-election of candidates from the

East End and working class
areas of the city is imperative.
Only one alderman out of ten

resides in the area east of Main
street at the present time.

Secondly, a ward system
would stimulate greater interest
in civic affairs.

Turner proposed that 12 wards.

be established which would
elect one alderman to city
council. The mayor would be
elected at large for a two-year
term.

He proposed retention of the
present 2-year
aldermen, park and school board
with half their number being
elected annually.

The practise of appointing a
Board of Administration by city
council is undemocratic, and an
exercise in bureaucracy, Turner
maintained. :

‘We are firmly opposed to the
appointing by the mayor and
city council of members of civic
boards including the Police Com-
mission, hospitals, PNE,
library, etc. The electorate

-should be given the right to

choose candidates to serve on
all civic boards and com-
missions.”

Night sessions of city council
so that working people have the
opportunity of attending
council meetings was also
recommended in the Com-
munist Party brief.

term for

Premier Bennett maneuvers —
to favor private companies

Now it has been revealed that
B.C. Hydro’s bid for the
franchise is a mere $45 million,
$52 million less than t
Malaspina bid. In addition, NDP
leader Dave Barrett maintains
that only B.C. Hydro is im 4
position to supply gas to te
consumer at a cheaper rate

because of potential rate

he -

—

reduction in the purchase Lee

larger amounts. B.C. Hydro 8”

the logical body to handle the
construction of the pipeline ae
the distribution of gas, Barre

says, but this province is marked

by one illogical fact — Premier

Bennett’s government has? 4

strong bias for ‘‘free enter”
prise,”’ home-grown or forelg?-

The capital costs for the
construction of the pipeline, #
any event, will be passed on 0
the consumer in the way °
higher rates. For that reaso?
alone the lowest bid and the mos
efficient handling agency shou
be given the franchise. !

It is rumored now that the
Public Utilities Commissio?
will not hold hearings until mid-
March. This means that the
opposition in the Legislature
will not have the necessaty

information and details to g° into

the matter in depth, which is, 9°

doubt, the reason the gover —

ment is postponing the hearings:

A matter of such extreme
importance to the consumer an 4
to the public generally shoul
have a thorough going-ovel @
the January session of the Lee!
lature before any franchisé if
handed out. A close scrutiny
events is called for as the 84°
pipeline story unfolds.

PEER eS
OBITUARY ___ |

ReERENNRe rece

Sigridur Bardal

Funeral services were held 0”
Tuesday of this week for a W°™"
known fighter for progressi¥@
causes, Sigridur Jacobing
Bardal, wife of Ted Bardal °
Vancouver. 3

Mrs. Bardal was born in 1893!
North Dakota and came with hé
family to Wynyard, Sask@’
chewan in 1907. She married
1922,

On the prairies she was very
active in the women’s section °
the United Farmers of canada,
and played an important role
the fight for women’s rights 2”
farm rights. during the depre
sion years. She taught in sever
schools in the Wynyard district.

The Bardals came to Britis
Columbia in 1953, where SHE
carried on her work in the peace
movement and other:
community projects. She et
been a member of the Co™
munist Party since 1939 and has
been a dedicated worker with!
its ranks.

She is survived b
husband, Ted, and daught
Mrs. Una McKenzie of
couver, and Mrs. A. R. Fraset ?
Port Claire, P.Q.;> two sons:
Thor of Thorsby, Alta., and K: “
Bardal of Prince Albert, Sask?
chewan; eight grandchildre”
and a sister, Mrs. Sigurds0?
Vancouver. a

Nigel Morgan gave the woe
orial tribute at the service. T
staff of the Pacific Tribune an
members of the Commut!
Party express their sympathy
the family, and their sense ue
personal loss. :

ers

yon |

van