Aid to Vietnam cut off but trade credits to China unchanged Federal policy victimizes Vietnam A policy decision indicated in a letter last week to the Canadian Aid for Vietnam Civilians — and subse- quently affirmed by external affairs — has revealed that Canada intends to punish Vietnam for its support of the liberation. forces in Cambodia but will take no action against China — thereby giving objective support to that country’s six-week- old aggression against Vietnam. The CAVC released a_ letter received last week from the federal Canadian International Develop-' ment Agency which stated,‘*. view, of the recent Vietnamese ac- tion in Cambodia, the Canadian ‘government is re-examining its rela- tionship with Vietnam and CIDA will not be ina position to provide development assistance to that country for some time, pending the outcome of the policy review.”’ External affairs department spokesman Andre Simard later af- firmed that policy in a telephone in- terview with the Tribune Wednes- day, and stated that the policy review applied only. to Vietnam and did not apply to China despite what he called the Chinese ‘‘incursion’’ into Vietnam. He said that current policy on China with regard to trade and credits would continue without change. Simard added that the stated policy of taking action only against Vietnam ‘‘does not imply that we have two ways of looking at the events in Southeast Asia.’’ He justified the government’s decision on the basis that ‘‘the Chinese have made it clear that they will withdraw from Vietnam whereas Vietnam has not made a commitment to withdraw from Cambodia.”’ The CIDA letter and external af- fairs confirmation are of ominous importance in Canadian foreign policy but they will also have im- mediate impact since the CAVC—and Vietnam—had ex- pected assistance from CIDA in the construction of the Tien Son Hospital in Vietnam. The CAVC has raised $50,000 for the construction and CIDA had earlier indicated that it would pro- vide a matching grant. The recent letter stated that ‘workable policy guidelines had been virtually com- pleted at the time of the flare-up.” The CIDA letter stated that the file on the hospital project would be cancelled and added, . it will take some time to clarify the foreign Vietnamese ambassador Tran Tuan Anh (right), himself a veteran of the war of independence against French colonialism, told the aid to Vietnam rally in Vancouver Sunday that Vietnam “will continue her struggle for independence” — with the help of people around the world. With him is interpreter Le Leong Minh. (See story). —Sean Griffin photo make “ CP campaign will run 75 candidates As prime minister Trudeau final- ly declared the long awaited federal election this week for May 22, the Communist Party joined other political parties in Canada in quick- ly getting off the starting block for the 60 day campaign. At a press conference in Toronto Wednesday, Communist Party leader William Kashtan announced that the party will run 75 candidates across Canada, 13 in British Colum- bia. Kashtan called on Canadians to real choices’’ in the election and to reject the Trudeau govern- ment’s ‘‘decade of stagnation and inflation.’’ Trudeau’s ‘‘five challenges’” are phony, Kashtan said, especially that to reduce government deficits. ‘‘Less govern- ment intervention in the economy means more inflation, and unemployment, more poverty and inequality,’’ he said, ‘‘Trudeau is giving us gobbledygook, not serious answers to our problems.’’ The main slogan of the CP in the election will be ‘‘time for real change,’’ Kashtan declared, ‘‘Time for real change to liberate Canada from the straglehold of the multina- tional corporations through public ownership under democratic con- trol. “‘This will not only Canadianize the economy but it will make also make possible planning and steady growth,”’ he said. Key points in the CP election platform will call for a new Cana- dian constitution guaranteeing equal rights for Quebec and for Canada’s native peoples, a program of economic growth and develop- ment, jobs as a right for all Cana- dians and redistribution of national income through income tax reform, expanded social services and in- creasis in pensions, social assistance, family allowances and other social programs. In addition to the 13 candidates in B.C., the CP will run eight can- didates in Alberta, one in Saskat- chewan, three in Manitoba, 26 in Ontario, 19 in Quebec and one in Nova Scotia. Kashtan will be the party’s candidate in the Toronto Trinity riding. Kashtan will be in Vancouver Fri- day April 6 for media appearances and to speak to a CP membership meeting that evening. In B.C. the CP has He in 13 ridings including: e Richmond - South Delta: CP can- didate is Homer Stevens, former see CP pg. 2 Chinese troops still in Vietnamese territory ambassador tells aid rally - In their struggle for independence and freedom, the Vietnamese have suffered greatly, Tran Tuan Anh told about 400 people in Vancouver Sunday, and even though they now face another aggression from China, it has not dampened the spirit that the world has come to ex- pect from Vietnam. “Tt has only strengthened the iron-like unity of 50 million Viet- namese with one determination, one will,’’ Tran said. ‘‘Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom.”’ Tran, the ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Canada, was the featured speaker Tribune drive opens April 1 g With this edition of the Tribune we begin our annual two and one _ half months of campaigning to secure our subsistence for another "year of publication. It is our financial drive, this year for the sum of ~ $60,000, our largest ever objective. ye ks As in every year past for 44 years, we are putting the future of this _ Paper in the hands of its readers. But we are confident that this year, _ aS in every other year, our readers will raise the money we nent to continue fighting for working people. Details of the drive are on page it. at the ‘‘aid to Vietnam”’ rally in the Queen Elizabeth Playhouse spon- sored by the Canadian Aid for Viet- nam Civilians. Tran captured the audience with his calm but determined address, spoken through his interpreter Le Luong Minh, stressing that ‘‘the people of Vietnam will certainly defeat the Chinese aggression as they have defeated every previous aggression.’”? The ambassador predicted the victory with ‘‘the great support of the socialist coun- tries and friends from five con- tinents,’’ and after he had finished speaking the meeting responded with an extraordinary collection which raised a total of $19,000 of aid for Vietnam. The aid was the main purpose of the rally and under the direction of Vancouver alderman Harry Rankin, the 400 people present con- tributed about $6,500 in cash and another $1,300 in pledges. The CAVC contributed $5,000 itself and another $5,000 was received from an Ontario co-operative which had recently liquidated its assets. Marred only by a disorganized counter demonstration of about 40 so-called ‘‘refugees’’? who waved the flag of the former South Viet- namese regime, the aid rally was an unqualified success, . organizers said, in terms of raising money and in clarifying the issues surrounding the Chinese invasion. Contrary to the Chinese Statements that they have withdrawn from Vietnamese ter- ritory, Tran told the rally, Chinese troops still occupy 30 areas of Viet- nam, some as far as 20 kilometres inside Vietnam. see CHINESE pg. 11 policy issues in question.”’ | © VIETNAM: A special con- ference in support of Viet- | nam in Helsinki has rallied j world solidarity and ex- posed the motives behind China‘s invasion, pages 5,6,7,8 ae THRONE SPEECH: The Soc- red’s throne speech fails to meet the major issues and completely ignores many of them, says Communist Par- ty leader Maurice Rush, p.2 ¢ BOOKS: Authors Lorne Kavic and Garry Nixon spent some months re- earching their book on the NDP government in B.C., but the larger politics are missing, page 10.