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— ankin calls for critical
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Impotent fathers’ | took at freeway scheme

Le and this week’s Confederation for Tomorrow premiers’
Conference in Toronto, coupled with other recent developments, all

underscore the probability that Quebec’s “Quiet Revolution’’ may not By ALD. H. RANKIN
remain quiet much longer. Opposition to City Goines We do need improved traffic.arteries groups can present their views:
The issue of a new Constitution to replace an archaic and outmoded handling of the freeway issue in our-eity,.and!a modern low fare they should be held at a plat
“Made-in-England”’ British North America Act which has served after continues to mount. The public rapid transit system, but whether we enough to accommodate all who
a fashion as Canada’s constitution since 1867 is now very much on the meeting at City Hall last Thursday, need freeways or.not Is very much to attend. At last Thurs
= agenda at the beginning of Canada’s second century. November 23rd, was a good open to question. meeting, only the first of
barometer of public reaction. For was heard. The people are 4
Such being the case, no amount of half-baked concessions, Mayor Tom Campbell to describe it Further public hearings should be reservoir of ideas and we ©
evasions, circumventions, piecemeal patching or other political as a “near-riot”’ is utter nonsense. If arranged by Council where citizen __ listen. :

footwork by our so-called statesmen will meet the demands of an feelings ran high, and they did, that j
awakened French Canada. The French-Canadian people of Quebec only proves the concern of citizens. Pr]
have a “rendezvous with history”, already fairly clearly spelled out: The meeting was a good exercise in ace act 0 {wo n ations
the recognition of French Canada (Quebec) as a sovereign nation with democracy. q
full equality and rights as such, within a two-nation Canadian ;
ee ee eo ; b :s Cont'd trompg.1 If-the Confederat
Confederation — or a separate sovereign State on the North American The truth is, and this is the crux of : ils
the matter, that Council has bungled Conference could take the first Tomorrow Conference fal
. essential step in this direction. It up to the imperative need fora

jon

continent.

No Quebec as a province of Canada with ‘special privileges” ae wes ae pet could recommend the setting up of constitution, if it becom’
clumsily spelled out in an obsolete BNA constitution (federalism), but ES a t All a Constituent Assembly to be another meeting of provi
Quebec as an independent sovereign nation in a new two-nation ik F sae ad Sine _ elected on the basis of equal sremiers jockeyin& t
Canadian Confederation — with the right to separate from that sg eyo hi x ay ae ag: representation from French and something for themselves a
Confederation, should it be deemed necessary or desirable — by as ane Sate oe secs English Canada. In such an expense of the rest of the coll

new Georgia Viaduct, which are : ee eee as
Quebec. , : : assembly, the representatives of it will go down in history
. being smuggled into Council one ata the t ti Suid otiat h 2 in P

Our 1967 Fathers of Confederation, that is, our ten provincial time and stuffed down our throats. one Aaa COUeZnEe ee another exercise
premiers — or their representatives, meeting in semantic exercises ; new constitution on a comp etely deception.
under the chairmanship of Premier Robarts of Ontario, and under their The Chinese Business Community equal footing. rf
banner of high resolve on “Confederation for Tomorrow’, have and many other citizens strongly : : fa

‘ é 2 i ituti If the conference does
already made it sadly evident that they have neither the ability, oppose the Carrall Street section. If ier Sa Ea Se a responsibility, and 8 js for
=paHin ARIE willingness to tackle the gigantic task . drafting a a proposed section from Georgia cuaranteeing the civil libert = election ofa consti tutent 2 a
constitutional blueprint to meet the needs of the Canada of Tomorrow. ; i : é 2 forw®

Pp Viaduct to Cassair Street g0€S 21) Canadians, including the it will light the way ©
towards a new Canada

seeee ae a ek eae extension to French speaking
Serr we oye: bl oe communities in English Canada, never before. Pe
Soa SS ae oe d = va the privilege of asserting the same French Canadians will 10
ea . a ae é r a S ne rights as have been enjoyed for last become masters 1"
fc ee Need he Lg : generations by the English home. ms
objections? i aeons : ‘
speaking communities in French be able
Canada. k

But if our alleged statesmen in English-speaking Canada cannot, or
refuse to understand the grave constitutional issues which can make or
break the unity of English and French Canada, what of the great body
of organized labor and the people in English-speaking Canada?

F : : English Canadians will
Until now Council has listened only prakkcout orthe jung! 20
ko trebway, Consultants whorederns The new constitution would spell provincial fiscal relations nei

Do they subscribe to the BNA patchwork, labelled “federalism”
which would continue to hold the people of French-Canada in a state of
second-class low-income citizens, a status which some Yankee

ignoramuses have been known to contemptuously describe as Canada’s of reference pre-determined their gy those powers which the — open the way to the fina”
“white Negroes’’? Or are they prepared to throw their full weight conclusions. The people of representatives of both matons education, medicare, nousite |
Vancouver, including many — would mutually agree to assign to better social services i

behind their French-Canadian brothers for the sovereign nationhood
competent local planning experts the federal government. It would proper, centralized ee
oi

and equality — which is theirs by right of origin, birth, culture and
so es ye a _ ot make such changes in the structure great corporations "i a
: — sulted: ong de"
The struggle to forge a constitution guaranteeing the inalienable Technical and business aspects of the federal government as to made to pay for thes€
right of nationhood and independence for French Canada, is the fight of rather than human needs, have be on fully protect the national rights of | reforms.
English-Canadians also, because their future is inseperably linked with the main consideration both nations. i “ica Soa af
‘ i
: a
To work out such a new behind them, all :

the future of Quebec.

Had the provincial premiers in their Confederation for Tomorrow ey: apr ak constitution will not be easy. But people of both French and
eA —, ~S ener a of Ss seo challenges the whole concept that the alternative is the break up of Canada will be
Eng — ing Cana pe seh ae tr - lu sare i freeways are necessary at all. Many Canada. Torn apart, the people of effectively to advan aden?
~—— aromer: ot! : wate a - oe a io . American cities are having second each of the two nations would find struggle for peacei ;

ve been progress. As It stan eration tor: tom thoughts about freeways. Their it increasingly more difficult to democracy and soc y°
largely chaos — with worse to follow on that path. traffic congestion problems have throw off political, economic and = make our country {ru ya
military domination by the U.S. hope for all who toil.

been aggravated rather than cured.

Tom
McEWEN

himself from his boyhood on had his usual six pounds (frozen), as long overnight on’ the Londd
fully experienced. as the job lasts. But Mrs. Jones will Exchange, of the ©
‘ : find that when she goes shopping, or ‘Rush’’, where spe
Long months of illness and stillnot the jandlord calls, that she has been _ turning devaluated pape! F :
ended, Joe Ivens is now compelled, phadly short-changed on the gold, and making fortut™
very much against his will, to slow gevaluation deal. Something will while his Missus goes ploe
down. athe few minutes WS Spent have to be done without, perhaps Mr. _ store to store, trying
with him in hospital he was like aN Jones’ pint of “‘alf-and-alf”’, perhaps deflated pound to
old retired fire horse at the sound of fewer potatoes, perhaps that tin of _ prices.
the alarm gong, snorting against his | GC salmon delicacy the family .

his week, Thursday, Novem- Communist and progressive press in enforced retirement, and itching to hudget used to include although it Mi.
ber 30th. Joe Ivens of Oka- Canada — and abroad. Few appeals gallop back to the fire. could ill ‘‘hafford”’ it at such prices. Nor will it so bid
nagan Mission will pass his 87th for financial support irom. a : : temper to know that ere
It would certainly be a heartening When Mr. Jones sits down of an his Trade Union wi
i

on

milestone. For Joe it won’t be much _ workingclass papers ever fell on deaf Aneta ail aah eaieterall
of a celebration since only last deaf ears when they landed in Joe’s . a a p $ a ee evening after the day’s work to agreed with Mr. ind
Sunday he had to go back to the mail box. uilder of a Socialist Sy ses ig 4 yymminate on the intracies of high Federation of British J
hospital for a prostrate operation, a - were a few mpore of F xen of : finance, the old flat is likely to warm the devaluated cut 1" on tis
“plumbing overhaul” Joe called it Since 1955 when Joe first got the send phone acy eet well ae up with a heavy flow of wages, plus the free? inet ;
when we dropped in to see him just pension he peeled off a two-dollar bill greeting apeoe iteet. celebrating his “Billingsgate”’ descriptive of those wages, is “a 8 1, J
before the operation. If that every month with clockwork B7th birthday = his:back a hospital, blighters who do the devaluating. nation — if not for Mr.
“plumbing” were all it wouldn’t be regularity for the PT, often more 638 damning the “‘bad-luck” that F the worst of it is ©
too disquieting, but it comes on top of when he could afford it. The same xeer s him out of the struggle. To In his favorite paper, be it the Jones in England W}
an already long illness which has went for other Communist papers him know that neither he nor his long — ondon Evening News, the Daily that of Mr. Jon? of eile
slowed down the work of this grand — which appealed to Joe. If there was 29a a work for progress, peace fail, or whatever, Mr. Jones will Bankers Association
old veteran for the cause of another old-age pensioner among his and soviatien eg not nee 2 eae read of fortunes being made put it over.
socialism and peace, to which he has —_ acquaintences whom Joe thought Joe doesn’t expect it — but in his
given many years of devoted effort. would benefit from the PT but illness the unexpected tas olen?
: : couldn’t afford it (and many could, great healing quality — and press
At his home in Okanagan Mission _just as well as Joe), he took out a masliciers gike 208 Ivens are all too few
we also visited his wife Mrs. Ivens, subscription for them, then wrote for the job still to be done.
getting close to her nineties, her and told them to “wake up”. : ec
body racked with years of arthritis
and pain, but her smiling face and

Pacific Ir

1 ag West Coast edition,

When Mrs. Jones of Threadneedle

AuRICE wus
wit93 E po

kindly eyes still sparkling with that Joe Ivens was a press builder of a Street has relieved her loving spouse ;

unquenchable spirit, so vividly very special category: one who of his weekly wage, say six pounds Editor—TOM McEWEN Associate Editor—

expressed by her lifelong companion, believed with deep conviction that with a dollar equivalent of some Published weekly at Ford Bldg., Mezzanine No. 3, a

Joe Ivens. within the pages of Communist — $16.80 per week. she will find to her Veincouver 4, B.C, Phone 685-5208.

: papers there was always that amazement that Mr. Wilson's ae : for
Long before the year 1955 when Joe awakening spark which someday — devaluation of the pound has lopped ee eet $2.79 5.00 om,

Ivens first became the recipient of could .becore ra_taging flame .0f > » off,a meat $2.40-0r, thereabouts from All other countries, $7.00 one year. Authorized as seco" dla

an old-age pension he was a staunch strugg¥e -agaifistsoppression, — her customary six pounds. Mr.Jones__ Post Office D: eae: Patera’ dd fer phythent of postag® "

exploitation and war, all of which he of course will continue to bring home