OTTAWA — The Inuit
Tapirisat of Canada has launched
a postcard petition campaign to
convince the government not to
approve an oil company proposal
to ship gas out of the Arctic in
ice-breaking supertankers.

The Arctic Pilot Project will in-
volve two tankers initially, but

of which would carry crude oil.
\ The Project goes before the Na-
tional Energy Board later this
month.

The Inuit are opposed to the
project because it covers a huge
area of traditional Inuit territory
where aboriginal claims have not
yet been settled.

They charge that the impact on
their economy will be massive.

Experts retained by the Inuit

will spearhead dozens more, most -

Baffin and Greenland, with un-
doubted consequences on the
sonar systems of many of the
marine mammals, namely whales
and seals, which occupy the area.
This disruption in animal life will
severely threaten the hunting
areas of hundreds of Canadian
and Greenland Inuit.

There is also the fear of damage
to the ecologically sensitive Lan-
chaster Sound area through
which the tankers will pass. Mil-
lions of North American birds
nest and entire populations of
marine mammals congregate in
this area.

Even the oil companies agree
that there is no failsafe method of
preventing an oil spill in the
Sound and ecologists charge that
the no cleanup method exists

The overall energy needs of the
country are not a pressing matter
in this case. The gas that the tan-
kers will bring south will not be
required for at least another
twenty years.

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The Inuit are asking for public
support. Postcards can be or-
dered from them at 176 Glouces-
ter St., 3rd floor, Ottawa, K2P
OA6.

* —

ae
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believe that tanker noise will
permeate the entire area between

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tions.

which is suitable to Arctic condi-

Cover of postcard being distributed by the Inuit Tapirisat to

government

calling for no supertanker shipping through the Arctic.

Militant program outlined by Alberta labor

By DAVE WALLIS
EDMONTON — The Alberta Feder-
_ tion of Labor Convention 26th annual
| SOnvention held here Jan. 10-12 met at a
when the economic crisis is hurting
| across the province. International
| Woodworkers membership is down by
| 10%, former oil industry workers are
_ Row on welfare and housing starts are
| Now at a five year low, aggravated by a
| housing crisis which is boosted by 25-
| °9,000 people migrating into both Ed-
Monton and Calgary each year.

The provincial Tory government

| While Sitting on the $9.1-billion Heritage
‘ust Fund and letting countless of other

| billion dollars slip into the coffers of the
| Multi-national oil companies through
guaranteed prices and huge conces-

sions continues to hold back on funding
for municipalities, education and health

The crisis made the federation dele-
gate in a fighting mood. The convention
theme of medicare — ‘‘our right, our
fight’” — comes out of the practical ini-
tiative and struggle taken by the federa-
tion. Delegates unanimously backed the
federation’s action in setting up the prov-
ince-wide organization ‘‘Friends of
Medicare’ to fight against the erosion of
health care in the province.

At the time of this convention 55.4% of
doctors in Edmonton, 62.3% in Calgary
and 80 to 90% in Red Deer and Medicine
Hat were extra-billing all patients. Dele-
gates supported the resolution calling for
a medicare system free from extra and
direct billing and medicare premiums.

They also called for a boycott of all doc-
tors who extra bill.

In another significant move on the
question of health care the delegates au-

thorized their executive to establish an .

independent health clinic in Edmonton
and Calgary with full time occupational
health doctors. The resolution also cal-
led for mobile units to travel to specific
work sites.

Convention delegates adopted a
resolution calling for militant actions
against wage controls if enacted and for
the Canadian Labor Congress to in-
crease oppostion to the reintroduction of
such controls.

Delegates also outlined a plan of action
against cutbacks and restraint by adopt-
ing a six-point campaign on the basis of

the defence of the right to strike for all
Albertans; ending cutbacks in social ser-
vices particularly in medicare; affordable
public housing and effective rent con-
trols, and continued action against high
interest rates; a full employment pro-
gram including the stopping of plant clo-
sures and organizing the unorganized.

The convention saw a combination of
increased militancy on the floor and with
increased support for the New Demo-
cratic Party advocated by the federation
leadership. Delegates overwhelmingly
rejected the constitutional committees
recommendation of non-concurrence to
a constitutional amendment which
would permit all candidates to the execu-
tive to address the convention prior to
the election.

CPC convention and labor’s fightback

The press did not disappoint us in the treatment of the
Communist Party Convention. They either ignored us
Completely, tucked us away on the classified advertise-
Ment page, alluded to it as a gathering of old age pen-
Sl0ners, or alternately stooges of Moscow. Perhaps the
Most objective treatment was given by the CBC 11 p.m.
News Sunday evening, Feb. 14.

en I say they didn’t disappoint us this does not
mean that we would not have preferred more objective

‘atment. It means they did exactly what we expected
of a media owned and operated by monopoly.

Ore importantly however, the membership of our
Party did not disappoint the party either. They did what
Was expected and required of them by the working class.
€y laid out a program of action and policies to help
fad the working class into battle against monopoly. _

__ The party is in a fighting mood. Contrary to the media
reports it is a young party. The average of the delegates
the 44 years. The largest single grouping present was
trade union contingent. Women constituted 30% of
legates. ae
Strength of the convention lay not only in its age,
©OMmposition or militancy, but also in its addressing the
Working class with clarity and confidence in their ability
ee Unite and fight back against being victims of the deep-
ning economic crisis.
tio S was indeed the theme of the Communist pouver
n N— fightback, against the mad Reagan drive to wor
wear war, against the attempts of monopoly to cut
48€s and working conditions.

Against Concessions

it The membership of the trade union movement shows
fi Self willing to fight concessions, social service cuts, and

° Protection and extension of living standards. This is

legentrast to the actions of significant sections of the top
€rship of the trade union movement.

Us, at a time when unity is essential, splitting, raid-

and divisions in the ranks of the trade unions are

This is. evident from the projected building trades
‘Plit-away scheduled to be sanctified at a gerymoder
Convention on March 30-31 and April 1 in Ottawa. *n

e

Labor in action
William Stewart

addition we are witnessing defections from Canadian to
international unions, and from international to Canadian
unions.

Raiding is growing. Particularly, the Food and Com-
mercial Workers Union seems intent on swelling its de-
pleting ranks by raiding other unions from east to west.

Delegates to the convention emphasized, while not
minimizing Canadian trade union autonomy and the
struggle for an independent Canadian trade union
movement, that these need to be subordinated to the
economic and class interests of the Canadian working
class as a whole.

As auto worker delegates pointed out, when inter-
national bargaining and joint bargaining objectives bet-
ween Canadian and U.S. auto workers appeared to serve
the interests of Canadian auto workers, they were strong
advocates of such bargaining and of the closest relations
with the U.S. union. However today when the U.S. top
union leadership is moving on a course of giveaways,
Canadians are opting for a Canadian bargaining program
and if necessary a program in which the U.S.-Canada

connection will be de-emphasized and if necessary even

broken. : 5
Likewise many members in the Canadian Union of

Public Employees (CUPE), a Canadian union which had
given much to the Canadian trade union movement, are
threatening to break away because of lack of servicing.
This is particularly true of hospital workers.

The big steel workers’ union in Trail was saved from
the possibility uf defecting to the Canadian Council of
Unions (CCU) by a ruling of the B.C. labor relations
board. Behind this is dissatisfaction in B.C. with the
leadership the union gives to members, the poor contract
signed last year, and the failure of the United Steel-
workers to set up a mining section in its union to give

special attention to the problems of miners, which are
distinct from basic or fabricating steel.

New Kind of Trade Unionism

These examples cited to the convention make it quite
clear that workers are no longer going to stand by while
their economic conditions, working conditions and so-
cial conditions are being taken away. They want a new
kind of trade unionism.

The leadership of the labor movement therefore, faces
a big responsibility.

The Communist Party, I think, lived up to its share of
this responsibility at the convention by charting a course
to help build genuine class struggle trade unionism in
Canada. A policy of unity, against raiding, against splits. .
A policy for full autonomy for all Canadian trade unions,
leading at an early date to a completely independent,
sovereign, Canadian trade union movement. A policy of
united action, economic and political, between all sec-
tions of the Canadian trade union movement, Canadian
Labor Congress (CLC), the Canadian Federation of
Labor (CFL) if it comes into existence, the Confedera-
tion of National Trade Unions (CN TU-CSN in Quebec),
the Teachers’ Federation (CEQ in Quebec), the CCU,
Teamsters Union and any other independent unions
which can be brought into such struggles. We call on the
trade unions to rededicate themselves to the policy of
one union for one industry and place in the hands of the
top centres the power to help bring this about. We call for
an end to mergers and raiding, based on the false premise
that what is big is good.

What is good for all labor is unions which are struc-
tured in such a way as to give the kind of attention to the
detailed problems of their membership that enables them
to fight the boss and win. This needs the solidarity of all
the trade union movement behind each of its contingents
when it is in battle.

The Communist Party is entering into a spirited dis-
cussion on these matters with a view to giving better and
more timely help to the trade union movement in solving
these problems. We hope such a discussion will take
place in the trade union and labor movement across
Canada at the same time.

|

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FEB. 26, 1982—Page 5