THE CANADIAN WESTERN LUMBER WORKER

BY CHARLES LYNCH

LYNCH vs. MOB

OTTAWA — John Diefenbaker was slapping David Lewis
around in the House of Commons yesterday, with the Liberals
joining the Conservatives in wild applause and shouts of derision
at the cocky little socialist leader.

Any time the Grits and Tories unite in a common assault on
anybody, I am inclined to think that the object of their anger
must be doing something right.

This is a tendency I picked up from Pierre Elliott Trudeau,
who used to tell us of his life-long suspicion of consensus, and his
preference for going against the current. Trudeau was ap-
plauding Diefenbaker yesterday, so it is to be assumed he has
dropped this old principle, and perhaps it is something it’s easier
for journalists to practice than for card-carrying politicians.

The Dief — one Liberal even called him “Super Dief’’ — was
socking it to Lewis for the latter’s public criticism of judges, and
in particular Quebec Superior Court Justice Pierre Cote.

Lewis had said, to a United Steelworkers of America
audience, that it was ‘‘stupid’’ and ‘‘savage’’ of Justice Cote to
have sentenced three Quebec union leaders to a year’s im-
_prisonment for contempt of court, a sentence that led to the latest
round of continuing labor unrest in Quebec.

EVERYBODY A TARGET NOW

Diefenbaker’s point was that Lewis had disparaged the in-
tegrity and independence of the judiciary.

Maybe so. We live in disparaging times, when no element of
society is above criticism, when everything is open to question
and free debate, including the Queen, the Pope and motherhood.
Was Lewis sin so great?

It was greatly to his credit, I thought that he did not back
down as he faced his accuser in the House, a moment of rare
drama as parliamentary moments go.

What he had said about Judge Cote’s action matched what
just about everybody was saying around here last week, but they
were Saying it privately. One senior Liberal cabinet minister told
me the severity of the Cote sentences was deplorable, and that he

‘wished the attorney-general of Quebec would appeal the
judgment, in the interest of public order.

That very cabinet minister was one of those pounding his
desk the loudest in support of Diefenbaker’s attack upon Lewis
yesterday. Humbug, Mr. Minister.

USUALLY KEEPS COOL

When he decides to stick to his guns, David Lewis has the
tenacity of a terrier, and in debating skill he is at least the equal
of the present-day Diefenbaker, though he blew his cool in an
interview outside the House when he was asked if judges should
be guided by the rule of the mob.

“You have no right to ask that question of me,’’ snapped
Lewis. :

Of course, the questioner had the right to ask it, just as much
as Lewis had the right to make his statements about judges,

including his elaboration about there being a law for the rich and
another law for the poor.

This is the kind of issue that has been exploited in Manitoba
by the NDP’s Joe Borowski, who has a way of striking a chord
with the common people while outraging the popular notion of
what is proper, and what is not.

Lewis was in rare fighting fettle when he said it was not only
his right, but his duty as an elected representative of the people,
to condemn unwise judges; members of other parties in Parlia-

ment who represented the corporations and not the working peo-
ple.

“I speak for the dissadvantaged,” said Lewis.

SCRAPPING IS HIS FORTE

This was Lewis the scrapper, who has something to offer to
public life in this country, as against Lewis the elder statesman,
who comes through as a bland and ineffectual leader of what is
supposed to be our party of the left.

Are there any among the Liberals and Conservatives who
hooted Lewis yesterday, and cheered Diefenbaker, who would
not wish that Justice Cote had reserved judgment on the three
labor leaders, or passed a suspended sentence?

Was it well for the House to cheer Diefenbaker when he
swiped at Lewis for being a lawyer ‘‘with a tremendous income in
the labor field,’”’ while saying he himself had been active as a

- labor lawyer “‘without charge?”

Humbug, Mr. Diefenbaker.

Lewis can take care of himself against this sort of thing, and
those who disagree with him can do so, as I have done on a
number of occasions. But you will not find me applauding those

who seek to silence or censure him when he attacks the Sacred
Cows of our society.

FROM PAGE ONE

“INDIANS’ POVERTY REPORT”

confidential because the
British Columbia government
had not assented to its being
made public. Would the
minister recheck the informa-
tion on which the statement of
the parliamentary secretary
was based? Alternatively,
would he inquire whether the
British Columbia government
has changed its original posi-
tion on this matter?

(Translation)

Hon. Jean Chretien
(Minister of Indian Affairs and
Northern Development): Mr.

Speaker, I am not aware that
the government of British
Columbia has changed its posi-
tion on that subject. If it has,
however, and is ready to allow
us to table the report, we will
be glad to do so.”

One of the confidential
chapters points out that
poverty prevents the Indians
from developing their reserves
so that they are forced to lease
land to non-Indians, thus losing
the benefits of their tax-free
land.

Indian spokesmen charge

that when their land is leased
the provincial government
then moves in and taxes im-
provements to the land almost
equivalent to the amount re-
ceived from the leases.

One of the examples they
have cited is the development
of stores along the ‘Trans-
Canada Highway on the Cow-
ichan band reserve on Van-
couver Island, where they are
being taxed to death and all
their pleas to the government
for consideration are totally
ignored.

INDUSTRY TAX BENEFITS SHOULD BE
RETURNED TO CONSUMER— MATHER

The half billion dollars that
the Liberal Government is
giving to industry in tax bene-
fits should go instead to middle
and lower income taxpayers,
plus substantial increases in
old age pensions, says Barry
Mather, M.P. (NDP Surrey-
White Rock).

“The trickle-down theory
doesn’t work,” the M.P. says,
“except for the benefit of in-
dustry whose profits have
already zoomed and over half
of which is non-Canadian

owned. To promote employ-
ment we should put the tax
money back into the hands of
consumers, not top producers.

There is already a surplus of
goods.

650

PIONEER

Tax and interest cuts will
mean more purchasing power
in the hands of millions .. .
and increased sales at all
levels.’’ He was addressing the
annual Surrey-White Rock
Federal NDP meeting at the
Newton Ratepayers Hall.

Barry Mather speculates
that the big business groups
which contribute to old line
political parties will now be
more ready to swell Liberal
campaign funds.

“There is no more guarantee
that industry will keep the
employment-creating faith
with the taxpayers who are, in
effect,. putting up the half
billion dollars in industry’s tax
concessions than there was

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that Denmark would quit
fishing salmon when our
Government stopped, to set an
example.”

“The trickle down plan won’t
work. I believe in the grow-up
program .. . of putting more
purchasing power in the form
of tax cuts and selective reduc-
tions of sales taxes, into the
hands of the public.”’

“The M.P. said that the old
age pension changes were a
belated small step forward
along a road repeatedly urged
by the NDP but that they left
vitually unchanged the inade-
quacy of the basic payments.
He and Stanley Knowles, M.P.
have been urging a $150 a
month basic pension.

FROM PAGE ONE

“TIMMATH HONORED”

officers of Local 1-417 stated
that the IWA owed him a
great deal for his courage,
dedication and sacrifices he
made in helping to build the
organization into the great
union it is today.

In a short and emotional

speech of thanks, Ed stated
that he hoped the young peo-
ple in the IWA would see as
much accomplished in their
time as members of the Union
as he has seen accomplished
in his time as a member of the
Woodworkers.

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Distributed in B.C. and Alberta by s

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