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FEATURES

The tumbling Tory majority

The Prime Minister is having increasing difficulty selling the free trade ‘cure’

By WILLIAM KASHTAN

Itis almost two years since the election
of the Mulroney government. After a
smashing victory in which the Tories pol-
led SO per cent of the total vote, the latest
polls report a decline to 32 per cent. The
Liberals are ahead with 40 per cent and
the New Democrats are climbing toward
27 per cent.

In Quebec the Tories are in an even
worse situation. The Liberals are back in
their traditional first position with the
Tories trailing the NDP.

This sharp shift in Tory support indi-
cates the widespread disquiet and dis-
illusionment with the ‘‘new direction’’ of
the Prime Minster. Economic and milit-
ary integration with the U.S.; increased
giveaways to the corporations; under-
mining social services; patronage on a
massive scale and the Mulroney’s own
dipping into public funds have combined
to turn voters against the Tories.

Alarmed at a deteriorating situation
and with an eye to an election the prime
minister was forced to admit ‘‘that Cana-
dians want some improvements’’; hence
cabinet ‘‘musical chairs’’, change some
faces, eliminate others, including Erik
Neilsen who the public saw-as one of
Ottawa’s main cold warriors and an

obstructive element in the House of

Commons.

Media commentary on cabinet
changes suggested that its main purpose
was to overcome the serious collapse of
Tory political fortunes in Quebec. Addi-
tional French Canadians were added to
cabinet but this time assigning them im-
portant posts with financial clout. Mul-

roney is also out to bring Quebec into the
constitutional framework, but it remains
to be seen on what basis.

Over and above its concern with
mending fences in Quebec is its concern
about winning support for free trade with
the U.S.

But free trade negotiations aren’t

going well for Ottawa. This may have led.

to the transfer of Kelleher from inter-
national trade and his replacement with
Pat Carney. Mulroney is pinning much
hope on Carney introducing her new port-
folio with ‘‘watch her run and hang onto
your hats’’.

Well, Canadians already saw Pat Car-
ney in action. She was among those who
threw the National Energy Program out
the window and replaced it by the West-
ern and Atlantic Accords which gave a
virtual carte blanche to the transnational
oil companies at public expense. Now
with the energy industry in crisis the cor-
porations and transnationals are clamor-
ing for more subsidies, again at public
expense. :

Alberta’s Getty government and the
oil corporations are trying to eliminate
the 10 per cent petroleum and gas re-
venue tax. Apparently Pat Carney the
“miracle maker”’ for the energy industry
will now become the miracle maker for

free trade. Mulroney is waiting for pie in -

the sky if he believes the Reagan ad-
ministration is going to change its ap-
proach to free trade just because Pat
Carney has been chosen to head inter-

. national trade.

The drive of U.S. imperialism for ex-
pansion at Canada’s expense as already

seen in shakes and shingles and in pres-
sure on lumber,.‘and the continuing re-
treat and capitulation of the prime minis-
ter to such U.S. pressures is seen also in
the current negotiations on drugs.

The pharmaceutical industry, with the
backing of the U.S. administration is
pressing Ottawa to grant them a guaran-

teed market for 10 years in Canada. If

this goes through the generic drug indus-
try in Canada will be virtually wiped out
and Canadians will suffer the con-
sequences in higher prices for drugs.
The government is pushing ahead with
the legislation because as Mr. Kelleher

told Parliament “‘it respects the right of
private property’’. However recognizing ~

the opposition, Ottawa is now man-
“oeuvring to soften up public opinion. Un-
less there is massive protest organized
from coast to coast this deal may go
through in the fall. But opposition is not
enough, we should campaign for public
ownership of the drug industry.

This adds all the more significance to
the campaign by the Canadian Labor
Congress against free trade, deregulation
and privatization. Labor Day, Sep-
tember 1 may mark the beginning of a
more organized effort by the CLC and all
its affiliates on this issue.

The Communist Party and all pro-
gressive forces on a Canada-wide scale
need to add their weight to an outpouring
by the organized labor movement and its
allies to ensure Labor Day rings out
against free trade, deregulation and
privatization and the fight for peace.
William Kashtan is general secretary of the
Communist Party of CANADA.

Bone

VAS <7.

New trial for
Leonard Peltier

Leonard Peltier is a Chippe-
wa/Lakota American Indian Move-
ment (AIM) activist who was framed
on the charge of aiding and abetting in
the deaths of two FBI agents on the
Pine Ridge Reservation. :

After the Lakota/AIM occupation
of Wounded Knee in 1973 there were
many trials of AIM activists and
sympathizers arising out of the FBI
campaign to eliminate AIM. Over 300
unsolved and uninvestigated murders
of Lakota took place before the
Lakota Elders asked AIM activist to
come in for their own protection.

AIM set up camp on the Pine Ridge
Reservation. On June 26, 1975 two
FBI agents approached the camp and
a shoot-out occurred. The agents

Letters

were killed along with Joseph Stunts,
a 21-year-old Indian. :

' Four Native people were indicted,
three were acquitted. Peltier who had
entered Canada was arrested and held
in chains in Okalla Prison. He was
extradited to Iowa on statements
coerced from Myrtle Poor Bear.

Poor Bear was told she would end
up like Anna Mae Aquash if she did
not sign the statements prepared for
her by the FBI. Aquash, a Native
Nova Scotian, was one of the hundred
detained and questioned in the days
after the shoot out. Agent David Price
told Aquash he would see her dead if
she did not talk. Within a year she was
found with a bullet in the back of her
head. Poor Bear was shown pictures
of Aquash’s corpse.

At the beginning of Peltier’s trial,
Poor Bear turned witness for the
defence. With the loss of the Iowa
trial, the government decided to go all
out to get Peltier. They shifted the
jurisdiction from Iowa to North

| ished.

Dakota and a Nixon appointee, Paul
Benson, was named judge. With only
circumstantial evidence, Peltier was
convicted and sentenced to two life
terms.

Peltier’s case is now before the
appeals court. An ‘‘evidentiary hear-
ing’? in 1984 revealed that the FBI
ballistics expert had perjured himself.
The gun attributed to Peltier could not
have fired the shots which killed the

agents. In 1985 further hearing de-

molished the government's case
against Peltier. :

The hearing followed months of .

rallies, vigils, a walk and thousands of

- petitions and letters sent to the court. —

A further petition is being circu-
lated urging a speedy new trial for
Peltier. Letters of support should be
sent to Judges Heaney, Gibson and
Ross of the U.S. Court of Appeals,
1114 Market St., St. Louis, Missouri
63101.

Arthur J. Miller .

| who died. Over the weekend, at lea el}

| complete failure,’’ said the United

_ Massacres
shock Peru

By MARK FRANK

Peruvians are expressing shock
outrage and terrorist attacks are MOT
ing as details of what happened
ma’s Lurigancho, Fronton ane»
Barbara prisons become know!

On June 18, the Alan Garcia
government declared the three
“restricted military zones’ 4%
dered the armed forces to put dow#
prison takeovers by some 700 ©
pected members of the terrorist BF :
Sendero Luminoso (the Shining P

At Lurigancho there were 20
vivors and even Garcia now admil
least 100 were executed in cold blot
Prisoners in other parts of the ey fit
say government forces had a lis not IT
names and called people out to be*™ i}
one by one. |

It is still not clear what happened *
the island prison of Fronton. while
Garcia government has refuse¢ ©
lease all the details, it does admit” a)
the Navy used frigate fire, mortals’
anti-tank missiles in its assault.
Left deputies say at least 130 of the
prisoners died, many execute@ ©
they surrendered. - «|

Only at Santa Barbara womel
prison were most prisoners SP°
Two women died and some ten WY
injured as an Air Force-led assault 4
claimed the area. : ;

The government has reacted 10
massacre and public criticism by
to distance itself and the armed 10
from the incidents. It says the dec!
to use force was correct althou
massacre was a hideous crime.

In

The 80 military police and 15
whom Garcia says carried out
Lurigancho massacre are under a",
After hedging for over a week,
announced that all responsible,
matter how high their rank, will beP™”

4
WV

The United Left, Peru’s main OPP
ition force, and itself a constant ©
of Luminoso, charged since the a
ning that the government’s refus4
negotiate and its reliance on the ™!
was a terrible error.

The United Left has been critical f
Garcia for depending on military P° off
to deal with the Luminosos instead f

policy of negotiations and more
improvements in the Peruvian pe®
conditions.

It charges that ‘‘the uprising was
provocation aimed at Peru’s ©
support of Nicaragua’ and that
Garcia government played right int?
hands of Sendero LuminosO ~~
others. a
“The government’s actions wil’
increase the spiral of violence, moet
ings, assassinations and the cons? ‘a
dirty war of the military,”’ says 4§
ment of the United Left. 4
The Sendero Luminoso has UP
the ante. Its cold blooded attack
tourists last month was aimed at
ing Peru’s tourist industry, a key so
of foreign exchange earnings.

At the same time, five member (0) |
APRA were killed. A note attach wel |
one body promised to kill ten me™ "oy
of the governing party for each pl?" 45

{0

a

banks and six local APRA offices” |}
blown up.

pt? iy
‘‘Recent events show the govern’... 4
policy toward Sendero Luminos* Jf

wo!

— Daily

6 e PACIFIC TRIBUNE, JULY 23, 1986

Kansas City, KS