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Vol. 7, No. 19 Vancouver, B.C., Friday, May 7, 1948 Fico Sakis
Lowering skies cleared long lead now in the fight for world
enough last Sunday for an es- Rene selma propaganda
timated 15,000 citizens lining ° ee cs Sh a ae
rien denounc d
the route from Georgia Viaduct Grote Wikivak “an nivexspeito
to Stanley Park to watch one of jo) the chains of fascism on
the largest and most colorful the Canadian people.’ War and
May Day parades held in Van- fascism, he stated, were synony-
couver since the war years. mous, and the fight for ae ate
i u by defeating
Pe Oks ted for this could only be won by *
x Rapin ce aR United all assaults on the people’s civil ;
May Day Committee, “Unity liberties and democratic rights.
3 5 3
for World Peace,” was the . Colin Cameron, CCF provin-
theme alike of the floats enter- cial president, enlarged on the
ed by a score of organizations theme that “the third force of S
and the speeches made to socialist: principles patterned on
thousands of paraders and spec- the freedom of the Western
tators at the concluding rally in world” held the greatest hope
Brockton Point Oval. of the world for avoiding the
i a hod. horrors of another war.
‘The world has been drenche ‘ ;
long enough with the blood of ss The a Nes BP enh a ete
the working people,” declared the decisive force i Ss t :
Dan_ O’Brien president. ofthe is the force of the working
BC. ‘Federation. of Labor. .“‘It’s (Continued on page 4) ‘
the weRan peowle who must See MAY DAY
OTTAWA—As the House of Commons procedure or is it going to be a ‘Rose

They died for peace

James Thompson (right),

Canadian Seamen’s Union and May

Pacific Coast vice-president of the

Day chairman, and Fraser

Wilson, honor the dead of two world wars in Vancouver May

Day ceremonies. Five thousan

d marched in the parade under

the slogan, “Unity for World Peace.”

prepares for a second discussion of Wilfrid
LaCroix’ bill to ban “the Communist Party
of Canada, the Labor-Progressive Party of
Canada and any association, society, group
or organization having similar aims or pur-
pose,” there are indications that the drive
to smother the people’s protest against prof-
iteering and high living costs by police state
measures is being stepped up.

This week, Fred Rose, former MP for
Montreal-Cartier, was brought into a Mon-
treal court to face a charge laid over two
years ago when he was convicted on charges
arising out of the government’s strongly crit-
icized “espionage” inquiry, sentenced to six
years’ imprisonment and ousted from his par-
liamentery seat.

In a statement to the court, Rose main-

tained that the charge was being held against

him’ so that he could not obtain his release,
and declared:

“I have now been in prison for two years.
I have spent 6% months in solitary confine-
ment. My health is undermined, my family
tortured. Then today I am suddenly surprised
to hear that I am again going to be brought
to trial. Is this going to be part of a general

Special’?”

Some observers saw in the timing of
Rose’ appearance before the court—an action
that can only be construed as_ political per-
secutioli—an attempt to create a_ political
atmosphere, for discussion of the LaCroix
Bill. ©

The ‘‘espionage” case will be revived in
coming weeks, with all the mass propaganda
facilities of the screen directed to fanning
anti-communist and war hysteria, when The
Iron Curtain, Hollywood’s glamorizd ver-
sion, is released throughout North America.
The film will open in New York on May 22
and will be shown simultaneously at theaters
in all big cities, it is understood.

In British Columbia, The Iron Curtain

will show at Famous Players theaters, open-

ing at the Orpheum in Vancouver on May
22.

It is in the political atmosphere created
by the constant stream of anti-communist—
anti-CCF anti-labor and  anti-progressive
—propaganda that the House of Commons
will discuss the LaCroix Bill. The bill, “talk-
ed. out” by Angus MacInnis (CCF-Vancou-
ver East) when it came before the House

Continued on page 4—See POLICE STATE