Canada foreign policy
is ‘made in the USA’

By MARK FRANK

OTTAWA—Professor A.

R. M. Lower of Queens Uni-

versity recently stepped down long enough out of his

ivory tower to tell Canadians

the stark naked truth: Canada

has no foreign policy of its own. Canadian foreign policy is

dictated by Washington, D.C.
Here is what the professor says
in an article in Maclean’s Maga-
zine, December 15, entitled “Can-
ada—Next Belgium?”

“There is no suggestion in this
country of a desire for an in-
dependent foreign policy, which
means independence of action in
foreign affairs . . talk of a
Canadian foreign policy just does
not make sense. . . If, there-
fore, it can be asked, whether
Canada is a satellite of the Unit-
ed States, there can be only one
answer. Of course she is.”

Cold turkey from a professor.
It does not matter whether Am-
erican foreign policy is embark-
ed on a world expansionist drive,
propping up reactionary regimes,
lifting a dollar-curtain into place
—creating two economic and po-
litical worlds, sidesstepping the
UN. All this does not matter.
Canada is doomed to play a
puppet-on-the-string role, accord-
ing to the professor who speaks
in shocking terms about the in-
evitability of mass destruction
and a World War III. .

As though to emphasize the
academic view, General H. D. G.
Crerar told 40 delegates to the
Conference of Defense Associa-
tions on December 5 that Can-
ada was in the political and mili-
tary “front line” in a big war
shaping up between the USA and
the USSR. Included in the audi-
ence were senior Canadian army
commanders and Defense Minis-
ter Brooke Claxton.

General Crerar has just return-
ed from a trip to his fellow brass-
hat General MacArthur of Japan.
Students of the Far East see in
General Crerar’s latest talk to
high military officials on “Can-
ada and Japan’ an attempt to

sell MacArthur’s position on Am-

erican use of Japan as a base of
attack against a revolutionary
China. :

That Crerar is speaking with
the official approval of top cab-

inet members who make Canadian

foreign policy is to be seen in
what is fast appearing as a}
King Doctrine in international
affairs—Canada’s own little Tru-
man Doctrine.

Most significant was Premier
King’s elaborate statement on
December 8 outlining what he
ealled “inside information.” As
an afterthought Mr. King said it
was more accurately “authorita-
tive information.” Whatever the
language two things stuck out as
plain as day:

@ The “inside” information
had been public propaganda for
many a month. It was the old
“red bogey.” Millions and mil-
lions of words had already been

i

*

MAY 1948
‘BE A YEAR OF
_ PRORESS
FOR LABOR

*

4

R. Lawryniuk
296 Keefer St.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 1948

softening up Canadians with the
well-worn story about “com-
munistic influences” being at
the seat of Europe’s troubles.

@ Mr. King’s speech was in-
tended to place the Canadian
seal of approval on the Mar-
shall Plan as a “genuine” aid-
Europe program. He linked his
support of the Marshall Plan
with forbidding implications
that the USSR was directing
those forces hostile to an “aid”
plan involving loss of sovereign-
ty as a political string.

This fact plus his mysterious
reference to “inside information”
leaves nothing to the imagination.
Canadian policy is committed to
Marshall Plan economic and poli-
tical penetration in Europe; the
rebuilding of a war potential in
the German Ruhr; a_ two-world
strategic concept envisioning the
inevitability of war between Can-
ada and the USSR.

Mr. King’s “own” Truman Doc-
trine of course got an advance
start by the sensational manner
with which Igor Gouzenko’s
stolen information was employed
as an essential weapon of pro-
paganda to. stir international
opinion against the USSR.

Since the Gouzenko affair the
unparalleled remarks of Mr.
Phillipe Brais, K.C., crown prose-
cutor in Prof. Raymond Boyer’s
trial further expose the wale
mongering character of the King
Doctrine. Mr. Brais, who _inci-
dentally is reported as having
received anti-Soviet coaching for
his part in the “spy” scare by
members of the RCMP, summed
up in his final address to the
jury with the words:

“War between Soviet Russia
and the United States is com-
ing.”

Member of Parliament J. F.
Pouliot (Lib., Temiscouata) pro-
tested the remarks in a question
to Minister of Justice J. L. Isley
asking whether the department
had authorized the declaration.
Mr. Ilsley replied that his de-
partment “does. not* give counsel
instructions” in such addresses to
the jury. f

Not a single note of censure
of what is fundamentally a war -
mongering. declaration cOntrary
to the spirit of a recent UN
resolution! By implication it
cannot but be concluded that our
government appears to favor
_ such anti-Soviet propaganda
voiced in our courts to stir
opinion against the USSR and
to strenghen what it feels is
a weak legal case against Prof.
Boyer. i

Surrey LPP plan
prices campaign

CLOVERDALE, 3B.C.—Problems
of Fraser Valley dairy, poultry
and hog farmers arising from the
King government's recent termin-
ation of feed grain subsidies and
the campaign for restoration of
price controls and subsidies will
occupy members of Labor-Pro-
gressive Party Clubs in Surrey
and Langley muicipalities when
they meet in a South Fraser re-
gional conference on Sunday,
January 11.

The conference will also dis-
cuss the recent municipal elec-
tions, in which progressives gen-
erally received a setback in the
two municipalities. ;

Completing the agenda is a
review of LPP organizational

work,

Just before the break |

Chatting amiably. Secretary of

State George C. Marshall and
Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslay Molotov share a ‘love seat’
in the London residence of U.S. Ambassador Lewis Douglas.
Shortly after this picture was taken the London meeting woun
up in disagreement.

unity seen

dissatisfaction and bitterness at
the betrayal of both the Social
Credit government and the feder-
al Liberal government; a deter-
mination to resist the big busi-
ness attack on living standards.
At the Legislative Session early
in the year some concessions were
won. (Removal of Social Service
Tax, free hospitalization for pen-
sioners, etc.) as a result of pres-
sure on the government. Large

KATE FOUNTAIN

numbers of workers were involv-
ed in strikes during the year and
union membership grew. The
packinghouse workers’ strike
brought about a high degree of
farmer-labor unity that resulted
in some gains for the workers.
This unity was again demonstrat-
ed at conventions of labor and
farm bodies where, in each case,
fraternal delegates were received

and listened to enthusiastically.

Probably in no other: prov-
ince in Canada is there such
consciousness of the natural al-
liance between farmers and wor-
kers. This close tie between city
and country toilers is one of
the greatest signs of the health

and strength of the people of
this province.

The Alberta “dirt farmer” and
the Alberta worker in every in-
dustry and commercial enterprise

Growing farmer-labor

in Alberta

By KATE FOUNTAIN

Our Round-up for 1947 is at a close. Traditionally the
year’s end is a time for review and reflection. It is a time
for high resolve for a truly new year. Looking back over
the year passed in Alberta, what do we see? A growing

are victimized by the same forces
of capitalist exploitation. The four
big packing plant companies in
the province exploit their work-
ers and underpay the farmers with
equal ruthlessness and _ callous-
ness.

The farmer robbed of just
rights by the oil monopolies who
invade his land, has common
cause with the worker in the
oil field. The worker compeled
to seek wage increases because
of inflated food prices knows
that it is’ not the farmer who
reaps the reward but the food
monopolies. Worker and farmer
members of consumer coopera-
tives find that protection afford-
ed by the coops is more and
more threatened by monopolist
control over supplies and prices
set by the big manufacturers,
wholesalers and distributors; Big
Business which has used its fi-
nancial power over government
policy to bring new and unjusti-
fied taxation upon cooperatives.
The small business and profes-
sional men whose economic se-
curity depends upon that of wor-
kers and farmers, are the logical
allies of both. Cooperation of
these three groups on economic
and political problems spells peo-
ple’s unity of such strength and
proportions that it is no wonder
the forces of reaction and fi-
nance capital endeavor to break
it at every turn. :

Such people’s unity in action
on a& common program can
mean the difference between
depressed living standards and
government measures to raise
the standard of life.

In a very few months now we
will be called upon to go to
the polls and express our will
as to who shall govern Alberta
for the next four or five -years.
Alberta people have such a con-
scious pride in their progressive
history it is unlikely they will be
enticed back to the fold of old-
line parties. Through all appeals
to Right or Left, it must be borne
in mind that united» action of
all progressives and election of
their candidates wil be the best
possible safeguard that the next
provincial government will keep
Alberta progressive and carry
out the will of the majority on
every issue.

Race bias prevalent

TORONTO — Discrimination
against negro girls seeking to be-
come. student nurses exists in a
iumber of hospitals across Cana-
da, according to the results of a

Dominion-wide survey of 58 schools
of nursing.

The survey was conducted by
the National Council of the YWCA
in the form of a questionaire sent
to 178 hospitals. More than two-
thirds of the hospitals receiving
the query did not réply. :

Returned questionaires recorded
no rejections on the grounds. of
race, but the Council noted “a
real tendency to discriminate speci-
fically against Negro girls.” ;

Indian and Chinese girls: are
more readily accepted in nursing
schools, the survey showed, and
the open discrimination practised
against Japanese-Canadians during
the war has eased off.

Hospitals operated by Roman
Catholic nuns seemed generally
free of discrimination, but in two
of these—one in Halifax, and one
ix St. Vital, Man. The medical
staff were reported as objecting
to negro trainees, although the
nuns were willing to receive them.

No ‘high wages’ here

OTTAWA—The government was
urged last week to place a tem-
porary price ceiling on butter,
during the next few months when
the product will be in short supply.

Mrs. R. J. Marshall of Agin-
court, Ont., president of the Cana-
dian Association of Consumers
wired Finance Minister Abbott and
Agriculture Minister Gardiner urg-
ing Ottawa to curb soaring butter
prices while production was at a
low ebb.

In a statement, Mrs. Marshall
was quoted as saying that much
of the butter now selling at 75
cents a pound in Montreal, at 71
and 72 cents in Ottawa and at
from 68 to 72 cents in Toronto
was storage butter which was pur-
chased from the producer at much
lower prices and which at the
time it was purchased was selling
for a far lower price to the con-
sumer.

‘It is ridiculous that butter,

which was selling to the consumer
at 66 to 67 cents a pound should
suddenly be selling at anywhere
from 70 to 75 cents,” declared Mrs.
Marshall. ¢

Is mine director

TORONTO—James_ F. ,
former secretary of State, has been
reported elected a director of the
Newmont Mining Corp. of Canada
Ltd., a Canadian concern. Appar-
ently @ holding company, it has
been reported engaged in pros-
pecting and exploration over the

past few years. It was formed in
1944,

To bake their own

EDMONTON — At a general
meeting of Edmonton housewives
resolutions demanding a roll-back

of prices and the imposition of a

100 percent Excess Profits Tax
were forwarded to Finance Min-
ister Abbott. The ‘petition cam-
paign sponsored by the Edmonton
Housewives’ League on the prices
issue has met with tremendous
support in many Alberta centres
and communities. :

The meeting also endorsed a
‘bake-your-own-bread’ campaign; it
was pointed out by League presi-
dent Mrs. A. Swankey that home-
baked bread is ‘much more nour-
ishing and economical.’ She fur-
ther stated that it ‘cost bakeries
only 5.7 cents to produce a loaf

of bread, yet consumers are forced
to pay the unreasonable price of
12 cents a loaf.’

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE 3