stiffer curbs ‘Wages face a By MAURICE RUSH ents ___ lfever any proof was needed that a the federal government’s controls the | Program is weighted in favor of big ould business and against the working nose People, the changes announced in ome Ottawa Tuesday by finance 7 Minister Donald Macdonald is it. _ While announcing that controls tant On business will be eased and larger margins of profit will be | allowed, Macdonald made it clear j| that the federal government in- tends to adopt an even tougher | Stance against wage increases } than before. Macdonald claimed that wage settlements are too high, Dawe) a ie Vol. 38, No. 36 and that the government intends to stand by its position to hold wage increases next year to six per cent. What Macdonald has actually done is to ease a number of con- trols on companies which will make it possible for them to run up bigger profits than they have been making. At the same time the new regulations will practically wipe out any power the Anti-Inflation Board had — if it ever intended to use them — to roll back prices on products. It was never the intention of the government to control prices. These latest changes in the regulations make a farce of con- trols and will inevitably lead to even sharper rise in consumer prices. Corporations have been given the go-ahead to increase profits and not worry about having to account for higher prices on consumer goods. The whole farce of the government’s controls program is now exposed. The Liberal government’s claim that it was out to fight inflation by asking every Canadian to sacrifice, and that it will control profits, prices as well as wages, stands exposed for what it is: a scheme to force down workers’ living standards while giving the monopolies a free hand. The major reason given by Macdonald for these latest measures was that companies needed more profit for investment capital to create jobs. In fact for some weeks now the media and big business community has been peddling that line. For some months now the big corporations have been exporting investment capital abroad in the search for maximum profits and as a means of putting pressure on Ottawa to give them a freer hand in Canada to allow them larger profits. Capital has been playing a treacherous game harmful to Canada‘s interests. Now Ottawa has surrendered to the big monopolies and granted them the concessions they wanted. The new regulations mean the government has capitulated to the pressure of big business while standing firm on its anti-working class position. This latest turn of events makes labor’s fight-back against the wage freeze and the upcoming National Day of Protest more important and urgent than ever. UNFAIR 10 WORKERS Labor's first demonstration against the federal government's wage freeze came almost a year ago, at the convention of the B.C. Federation of Labor, November 7, 1975, when delegates, headed by George Johnston, president, and Len Guy, secretary-treasurer, led this protest in a downtown march. Since then labor's opposition has grown and will reach a highpoint in the October 14 Day of Protest. : Be eee ‘Members of the Stoney Creek Band at Vanderhoof, B.C. are not getting justice and are rapidly losing faith in the white man’s justice system,”’ says a lead article in The Indian Voice, commenting on the death of Coreen Thomas who was killed as she was walking home to the reserve on July 3. _ The 21-year old pregant woman was struck by a car and killed as she was returning to the reserve from Vanderhoof’s 50th an- niversary celebrations. Her un- born child died with her. Hers was the second death in the family. Another member of the family, Larry Thomas, was run over and _killed two years ago. The driver was Stanley Redekop. The driver of the car that killed Coreen Thomas was Richard Redekop, Stanley’s brother. Neither death col A CG ut al} he Labor Day messages. by ae Canadian Labor Congress President Joe Morris and B.C. Federation of Labor president George Johnston linked the traditional reflections on past accomplishments of the working people of Canada with a call for all- Out support for Canada’s second National day of labor — October 14. In his annual message, CLC President Morris noted ‘that Labor | Day 1976 was of “particular Significance for working Canadians, and particularly for trade unionists in that . . . these Past 10 months have seen Canadian | labor subjected to the largest “| Politically inspired attack in its history.” In the past 10 months Morris Said, ‘“‘the negotiated collective } 4greements of about two million || Workers have gone before the Anti- Inflation Board and about one half Of them — the wages of roughly one tei Million Canadians — have been witl tolled back by a board more in- I hal terested in mathematical gym- ivitie nastics than in justice.” on a Union members across Canada, 1s arf he said, ‘‘are urging other workers unc both organized and unorganized —and other victims of the controls ies Program, including poor people, Unemployed workers, old age > All out on Oct. pensioners, and post secondary students to protest with them” on October 14. The CLC president said that Canadian workers have to ‘‘realize that we are confronted by a con- tinuation of the hardest struggle ever fought by the labor movement in Canada’ and called upon them to join in ‘‘work stoppages, parades, meetings and information pickets in communities across the country’? when October 14 rolls around. Morris said that the fight against wage controls and for the adoption One of many stickers issued by the CLC as part of its campaign against wage controls. of the CLC Labor Manifesto have made for “‘an even more powerful Canadian Labor Congress in the future. We demand an equal voice for labor in the affairs of the nation. The price of labor’s cooperation in solving unem- ployment andinflation is a share in the decision making powers over all forms of income including in- vestments and prices and profits, and not just wages and salaries. Our demands are for a full say in all areas which have an impact on working people.” George Johnston’s Labor Day message recalled that Labor Day _ is the time when tribute is paid to the millions of working Canadians, both past and present, whose labor did the actual building of Canada, and then “‘surely it is right and proper, logical and sensible that our government and our economy should operate to serve the in- terests of the great mass of Canadian workers, active and retired, who make it all happen.” “Tt is also surely obvious that in 1976 things are not happening that way,” he charged. Instead of serving the interests of the working Canadians, our governments are concerned solely with placating the interests of ‘“‘bankers, promoters, speculators, landlords, foreign 14 corporations, businessmen large and small,” Johnston said. Johnston said that on this Labor Day “it’s time we began, together, to put a stop to all this” and stand together to tell “politicians, the barons of industry, and the media that as Canadian workers we are going to begin to determine our own destiny.” has led to charges against the brothers. At first the coroner in Van- derhoof, Eric Turner, ordered a simple enquiry, but because of strong protests from the local Indian people, he acceded to their demands and has ordered an inquest into the tragedy. Sophie Thomas, president of the Stoney Creek branch of the B.C. Indian Homemakers’ Association, took the initiative in contacting the provincial Indian Homemakers’ president in Vancouver, Rose Charlie, and the B.C. Human Rights Commission, protesting the failure to hold an inquiry and demanding a full investigation. Mrs. Thomas charges that two deaths in the family in two years are not coincidental but are part of a pattern of harassment of Indians by young whites in Vanderhoof who get their kicks out of aiming their cars at people walking from town to the reserve, making them scatter off the road. ‘“‘Chicken”’ is the name of that game, she charges. “‘A lot of people complain,” she told aninterviewer, ‘‘but they don’t tell the cops about it because when they report something they (the police) don’t do anything about it and that shows they’re not in- terested in our people. If they were See INDIAN, pg. 12 Propane gas scandal The report issued by the B.C. Energy Commission last week, showing that nearly half the price increases for propane gas from the fall of 1973 through to 1975 was ‘‘pure profit,” is shocking and a con- demnation of the provincial government. During this period the price of propane to consumers rose by nearly 100 percent. The oil companies producing propane did not deny making the profits. They’ll take everything they can get — and they just got another handout a few days ago when Victoria lifted the freeze on oil. It’s scandalous that in this period of rapidly rising prices, the provincial government, which has power to control propane prices, is doing nothing, unless you attach importance to transport minister Jack Davis’ promise that the provincial government will try to hold down the price of propane. Much more than that is needed. Both Victoria and Ottawa have proven they can act firmly against workers seeking wage increases. Let Victoria demonstrate it can act firmly against the oil monopolies by ordering a roll back in propane prices and a rebate to consumers. One thing is sure: they won't do that unless public opinion forces them.