} 20° The Message of this hand-painted sign, stuck on a fence overlooking a busy Street, typifies the demand being voiced by thousands of people Cross the country as they approach the Christmas season faced with Steadily increasing unemployment — and government inaction. It Friday, December 16, 1977° ESS 18 Vol. 39 No. 49 '_¥ 4PPeared outside a house on Rupert Street in Vancouver's east end. —Sean Griffin photo Opposition groups to an oil port on the west coast called on com- missioner Andrew Thompson this week to recommend strongly against the building of any west coast oil port on, -or adjacent to, Canadian waters. Even Thompson’s own staff joined with the United Fishermen and Allied Worker’s Union, the Kitimat Oil Coalition and Native organizations in stating that the proponents for an oil port had failed to demonstrate ‘fa com- pelling need.’ But the UFAWU and other groups had harsh words for Thompson for his suspension of the West Coast Oil Ports Inquiry at a time when pressures are mounting in the United States to bring about an early approval for a port at Kitimat, B:C. The Inquiry reconvened only briefly this week to allow for three days of ‘‘summation’’ before Sadat sabotaging Geneva conference eS The long sought Geneva con- pomce on Middle East peace ced new attempts at sabotage ast week as Egyptian president yar: Sadat moved closer to a a With Israel and the U.S. and Coc panied his actions by hs Sure of a number of cultural pores and consulates which Present the Soviet Union and €r socialist countries in Egypt. den © Egyptian government or- aie the shutdown of cultural De €s of the USSR, the German Mocratic Republic, Hungary Sa €choslovakia and all of the con ates outside of Cairo of those tries and Poland. © abrupt action, seen as a capitulation to the policies ad- vanced by the U.S. and Israel and an abandonment of cooperation with the Soviet Union, followed earlier moves by Egypt to severe. diplomatic relations with Libya, South Yemen, Iraq, Algeria and Syria. Those countries had at- tended the Arab summit in Tripoli the previous week, called to discuss resistance to Sadat’s policies. Although progress had been made towards the convening of a Geneva conferenece under the joint chairmanship of the U.S. and the USSR — as specified in the United Nations resolution _ Sadat’s policies have been aimed Season's Greetings With this issue of the Pacific Tribune, we conclude Publication for this year, our forty-second year, and extend warmest wishes:for the season to all our friends and Supporters. 4S in recent years, this year-end issue has been enlarged to 16 pages and bclniaee a fine of features for holiday reading 8s well thovement. Andin order that Tea January 6 in the new year. ur offices will be open for Weeks, however, Sipsing only on December 26 and 27 and ary 2 in addition to regular weekend closing. fee greetings for the season, we also wish to = y their subscriptions and many donations, have Janu, N extendi all those, who aS greetings from sup the rters and friends in the labor staff might catch up on all the 38 that got missed over the year — and perhaps do some » ng themselves — our next issue will not be out until business over the next two ~uabled British Columbia’s only labor weekly to reflect in its the st: : Siok Struggles of 1977 forward to their continued support in 1978. Mid-East peace imperiled at sabotage of the conference, posing the danger of a deal with Israel which would leave unresolved the major issues in dispute. Arab critics have noted that, despite the earlier summit, the Israeli prime minister has changed nothing of his earlier policy of refusing to return captured Arab land or to grant rights to the Palestinian people. Thompson submits an interim report to the government. UFAWU president Jack Nichol told Thompson that U.S. legislation calls for the approval of a west coast oil port within 11 months. “Shortly we will be flooded with propaganda from various sources that we had better dispense with this Inquiry and leave it up to the federal government to enter into direct negotiations with the United States on this question, or else run the risk that the Americans will proceed on their own with an all- American alternative,” he war- ned. “It is clear to us that the need for the re-opening of the Thompson Inquiry is greater than ever. It is also clear that powerful forces want to see it permanently closed down.” Nichol said that neither the oil companies, and Kitimat Pipeline Company in particular, nor the federal government ‘“‘like the Thompson Inquiry.” Oil company arguments were being shattered under public scrutiny at the Inquiry, he said, and. “the American oil companies are no longer content to approach the Canadian ~- regulatory bodies themselves — they now send their government.” The Jackson-Dingell _ bill, presently in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, calls on the applicants for a west coast oil port to apply directly to the American Secretary of the Interior and directs U.S. president Carter to negotiate with Canada for ap- proval of a port at Kitimat. “How is this for gall,’’ Nichol said, ‘“‘A consortium wishing to build an all Gov't called ‘callous’ for unemployed crisis Communist Party general secretary William Kashtan con- demned as “callous and highly irresponsible’ statements man- power minister Bud Cullen and acting prime minister Allan McEachen that ‘“‘it is not the total obligation of the federal govern- ment to provide jobs for the unemployed.” Cullen’s and McEachen’s remarks followed release by Statistics Canada of November jobless figures showing that 840,000 Canadians were out of work — the highest unemployed rate since the 1930’s. ‘Workers know now that there are real alternatives to economic crisis, unemployment and in- flation,’ Kashtan said. ‘‘These alternatives lie in a restructuring of the economy, public ownership of the decisive sectors, democratic control and planning — and a government committed to im- plement such a program.” The Communist Party leader noted that the statements made by Cullen and McEachen “are based on the misconception that working people will not fight back.” “But they misread the temper of the working people, he said. “While the Liberal and Tory parties have moved to the right, the working class hasn’t. This can be seen in the militant positions of the trade unions and their energetic fight for jobs.” Kashtan said that the fight to win alternative policies would require “more than speeches in Parliament by NDP leader Ed Broadbent. “Tt will require the unity of all working class and democratic forces,” he said. Canadian port and pipeline is directed to apply to the American government for consideration.’ The victory that opposition groups claimed in the Inquiry debate was backed up by the submission of Thompson’s staff. Commission counsel Russell Anthony opened the hearing Tuesday by stating ‘‘with regard to the need for a west coast oil port, against which the environmental and socio-economic risks must See “RE—OPEN” pg. 3 INSIDE | YEAR IN REVIEW: Fred Wilson keeps score on the many events which shaped the year 1977, pages 8-9. LABOR: Jack Phillips looks at trade unions in the USSR — and what workers’ control means for them, page 16. PAUL BUNYAN: story written 25 years ago, in: a Tom McEwen gives a fascinating insight into the loggers’ legend, page 7. ARTISTRY IN WOOD: Sean Griffin interviews woodcarver Sid Sarkin who first began’ carving while in an internment camp in 1940, page 10. WORK AND WAGES: Hal Griffin reviews Ben Swankey and Jean Evans Shiels’ new book on Arthur Evans, page 14.