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MAN A Aah A

CANADA

People’s Coalition needed
fo oust Tories says CPC

TORONTO ‘**Mulroney
must go’ should become the
rallying cry behind a people’s
coalition to defeat neo-con-
servatism in the next federal elec-
tions, the Communist Party pro-
jected during its central com-
mittee meeting held here Dec.
5-7.

“The coming federal election
will be of major significance,”
party leader William Kashtan told
the meeting during his opening
address. *‘While two years away,
it is not too soon for our party to
undertake an all out effort to help
bring about a people’s coalition
around the slogan ‘Mulroney
must go’ or ‘the Tories must go’
and a proposed common program
around which to unite such a
people’s coalition’.

Special Effort Needed

Kashtan told the 102 members
and alternates of the committee
that the battle for a coalition will
call for a great effort prior to and
during the next federal elections.

“It demands that the party
have candidates in the field ad-
vancing the alternative to the dis-
astrous policies of the Mulroney
government ... Our party should
undertake step by step mass ac-
tivity directed to influence all the
forces that can be united in the
struggle for a new government

~ with new policies’’, Kashtan said.

The party sees such activities
linked up with the struggle for

peace and independence and cal-
led for every support to be given
to the Canadian Peace Alliance
and the peace movement to assist
it in its campaign to make peace a
central issue in the upcoming
election.

‘We face a two-fold task’’, said
the party leader. ‘‘To help unite
the forces that can be united while
simultaneously strengthening the
independent public mass activity
of the party.”

He called on more public meet-
ings and discussions on the issues
and emphasized mass distribution
of the party’s positions on key is-
sues leading up to the vote.

In the report, which was
unanimously adopted by the
committee, Kashtan clarified that
the party was not proposing at
this time an anti-monopoly coal-
ition, a goal in its program, but a
government with more limited
aims, one which could open the
door to such an anti-monopoly
coalition in the future.

Favorable Conditions

The report and delegate con-
tributions highlighted the escalat-
ing fightback of the. labor and
democratic movements. Noting
the outcome of the recent Liberal
Party convention which took
some encouraging stands on dis-
armament including making
Canada a» nuclear weapons free
zone, cancelling Cruise missile

testing, support for a test ban tre-
aty and condemnation of Star
Wars, the report stated that the
basis for such a people’s coalition
existed with participation from
the New Democratic Party, left
Liberals, the Communist Party,
the trade union, farm, women’s,
cultural, environmental and
youth movements.

Decisive is the role of the trade
union movement and the extent to
which it mobilizes its forces
around a democratic alternative,
said Kashtan.

“‘The Canadian Labor Con-
gress has given considerable lead
to the battle for such an alter-
native at its convention and since,
in the fight against concessions,
the fight against free trade, de-
regulations and_privatizations,
and in the fight for peace. It must
now go further and help initiate a
country-wide campaign for such
an alternative.”

Development With NDP

Remarking on the popular
showing indicated in opinion polls
for the NDP, Kashtan said that
party holds the possibility of be-
coming the balance of power or
official opposition in a minority
federal government situation.

‘Whether this is a likely
development depends on whether }
the NDP comes forward and
fights consistently for a demo-
cratic alternative to the crisis
policies of monopoly and the U.S.

TRIBUNE PHOTO — MIKE PHILLIPS

“The upcoming elections will be of great significance”, Communist

Party leader William Kashtan tells the party’s Central Committee. “it is
not too soon for our party to undertake an all out effort to help bring
about a People’s Coalition, around the slogan ‘Mulroney must go!’”

administration on the cardinal is-
sues of peace, opposition to free
trade ... and for consistent eco-
nomic policies directed to curb
the power of monopoly and the
transnationals, and in defence of
the interests of the working
people, or whether it pursues a
course directed to solve the prob-
lems of capitalism’’.

In other business the committee
passed resolutions noting the 50th
anniversary of the Spanish Civil
War and called for Canadians who
participated on the side of democ-
racy in the battle to be recognized
as war veterans.

The party reaffirmed its com-
mittment to the struggle against
apartheid in South Africa, de-
manding that the Canadian
government impliment total and
comprehensive sanctions against
Pretoria and called for the
broadest celebrations marking of
the 75th anniversary of the Afri-

’ can National Congress.

Full support was also pledged
to the Young Communist League
who are marking their 22nd con-
vention in Feb. next year and cal-
led on the party to examine its’

work in defending the rights of |

young people.

Bank deregulation free trade opening

The Mulroney federal government and the Ontario

Liberals have come to an agreement which puts a “‘For
Sale’’ sign on Canadian financial institutions.
Announced in the Ontario legislature Dec. 4, the

_ lateral concessions an

tions.

Class is its financial sector. 41
fended itself against competition throu

Tegulation and protection.

regulations separating bank, trust, insurance and
investment dealers will be lifted to allow the powerful
banking interests to underwrite and trade securities on

- the stock market, an area until now reserved for invest-

ment dealers. ’
The new ownership rules will take effect on June 30,

1987.
In addition, for the first time, foreign controlled in-
stitutions will have a free hand to control 100 per cent of
domestic investments dealers by J une 1988. The rational
for the timing was explained by Minister of Financial

Institutions, Monte Kwinter, was to allow Canadian cap-

ital a jump start in the takeover wars which will ensure,

before foreign investors are allowed in.
Ontario Corimiintel Party leader Gordon Massie ac-

cused the Liberals of accomodating the Mulroney

ts policy of free trade and deregulation.
: ie end of the National Energy Plan

and the Foreign Investment Review Agency; we’ ve seen

tarrifs on softwood lumber, duties on shakes and shing-
les. quotas on steel. This is not negotiations, It 1s uni-
a d sell-out. Now the Ontario Liber-
als and Tories are getting into ae ne
ce}
Reisman Architec

According to the Toronto Star, sources in pte and
Toronto say Simon Reisman, Canada's free ie de sa
tiator. is the architect of the massive deregulation plan

government in I
‘*We have seen t

- islature. 5
- announced in the legis sier to syphon investment

. j a
The move will make it € ke it harder for the Cana-

capital out of Canada and ma r fo 2
: Bien overnment to regulate the financial industry be
3 ith multi-national corpora-

cause it will end up dealing w!
The development reflects changes in the nature of

: . inate
Canadian capital. The oe the past it jealously de-

gh government

sector of the capitalist ,

TRIBUNE GRAPHIC: DANNY HEAP

Now the banks feel they are strong enough to compete
in the international market. They see the 10-15 big U.S.
banks, but they also see the 10,000 small regional banks
which will now be prime targets for takeover and they
want to move in and grab their share.

“The banks are now in a position to jettson national-
ism i.e. their own protection, and go for free trade’’,
explains Jim Turk, research director for the United Elec-
trical Workers and author of Free Trade with the United
States: The Implications for Canada.

“One of the first casualties will be the opening up of
investment dealers. But we've already seen this process
happening with the takeover of the Bank of British Col-
umbia by Hong Kong interests and the Continental Bank
by the British.

‘We must look at this in the context of free trade. The
U.S. is pushing to eliminate barriers to trade in services,
and financial services is certainly part of this’’,

Mulroney’s Free Trade Quest

Turk says the move’ reflects the consistent policy on

the part of the federal government in its quest for free

trade. ‘It is the approach Mulroney has been taken going
back to his meeting with Reagan in Quebec. He certainly
confirmed his commitment to move Canada in the direc-
tion of free trade and did all he could to achieve this end,
including trucking deregulation, and the patent legis-
lation which gave into the multinational drug companies.
Certainly there was a commitment to deregulate finance
capital as well. This has been the Mulroney strategy, to
give away in advance most of what we have to negotiate
in a free trade deal.”

The Communist Party’s Massie charged that unless

the Peterson government is compelled to back off from
this course of accommodation with the Mulroney
government, ‘there will be disasterous results for On-
tario industry and Canadian independence.
_ “The organized labor movement and all other organ-
izations opposed to free trade should inundate Queen's
Park with demands that the Liberal government and
Tories stop their accommodation with the neo-con-
Servatives in Ottawa. It emphasizes the need to cancel
the free trade talks and brings to the fore the need to
nationalize the banks and the financial institutions”
Massie said.

.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE, DECEMBER 17, 1986 e 11

Sen, Paras

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