Facing up to Issues
in coming election

The first section of William Kash-
tan’s speech was devoted to the inter-
national situation, which is character-
ized by contradictory processes—moves
toward detente and peaceful coexist-
ence on the one hand and continued
world tensions and U.S. aggression in
Vietnam, on the other. He summed up
this section by saying:

The growing crisis of imperialism
leads the most reactionary circles to
seek solutions by a drive against demo-
cracy at home and by adventures
abroad. ...

’ In this situation, as the events in
Vietnam illustrate, there is the need
for the maximum of vigilance, the
maximum escalation of the struggle
for peace and the struggle for demo-
cracy, the ever present urgency of
building working class and democratic
unity so as to prevent imperialism from
finding a way out of its internal con-
tradictions through reaction at home
and military gambles abroad. Develop-
ments in Canada cannot be seen apart
from the framework of the deepening
of the general crisis of imperialism,
and the growing crisis of U.S. imperial-
ism which it is trying to overcome at
the expense of the working class and
peoples of other countries, including the
_ Canadian. This poses in all sharpness the
necessity of revising economic and
political relations with the U.S. and
strengthening Canadian independence.

The Political Scene

Turning to Canadian politics, W.
Kashtan said:

Twenty-seven Communist candidates
have already been nominated for the
coming federal elections and efforts
are being continued to reach the target
of 30 we set for ourselves...to make
an impact on Canadian politics, stimu-
late the labor and progressive move-
ment, focus attention on the central
issues of the elections, advance our
alternative policies, and strengthen the
progressive forces in and outside of
Parliament.

The prospects for so doing are be-
coming increasingly favorable.

Dissatisfaction with the Trudeau
government is growing, made public
by a recent Gallup Poll which showed
that support for the government has
declined, with no appreciable gains
_ for either the Conservatives or the

NDP.

The most revealing feature of the
poll was the high percentage of un-
committed voters—43% to be exact.

Trudeau Backs Down

Big Business had begun to look down
its nose at the government because of
its original bill on tax reform, on the
competitions act, on the labor code and
technological change, all of which it
felt were unfavorable to it: The U.S.
government has taken a critical atti-
tude to the Canadian government’s in-
dependent stance with respect to the

withdrawal of troops from NATO; its .

recognition of People’s China; its efforts
at establishing closer relationships with
the USSR. The U.S. government was
concerned with: the possibility that the
government, under pressure of the ris-
ing demand for Canadian independence,
would curtail U.S. monopoly opera
tions in Canada. :

The Conservative Party tried to util-
ize these developments to its own
political. advantage and become the
preferred party of monopoly.

The government undertook a number
of measures to correct this situation.
It amended the tax reform bill in favor
of Big Business. It withdrew the Com-
petitions Bill. It amended the Labor

_ » On May 27-28 the Central Committee of the Communist

pa of Carada met in Toronto to hear and discuss Party

_ Leader William Kashtan's report on the coming federal elec-

tion and the tasks of the Party. The meeting

address by Norman Freed, editor of Communist Viewpoint,

» on the anniversary of the birth of Georgi Dimitrov. Fania

Davis Jordan, Angela's sister, who was in Toronto fora .

. public meeting also spoke to the session of the Central Com- —
mittee. William Kashtan's report was endorsed by unanimous —

also heard an

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, JUNE 16, 1972—PAGE 6

Code referring to technological change
so as to emasculate those sections
which might help the workers affected
by such changes. It has taken a hard
line on wage policy as it affects work-
ers in the civil service, in Air Canada,
and in the CBC, and with respect to

the important issue of job security. The:

essence of its wage policy has been to
regulate wages in the interests of
monopoly and refuse to guarantee job
security.

Simultaneously with this it undertook
a number of measures to strengthen
the positions of monopoly at the ex-
pense of the Canadian people, the latest
and most blatant being the budget. This
budget gives cake and icing to the cor-
porations, the U.S. corporations in the
first place, in the form of a half-billion
dollar giveaway program, while giving
literally pennies, 72¢ per week in in-
creased pensions to pensioners and vet-
erans. Moreover this budget has a hook-
er to it. The Canadian people will be
called upon to pay an additional 3%
personal income tax while corporation
taxes are reduced.

Fake ‘Remedies’

The trickle-down theory which moti-
vates this budget and which is osten-
sibly aimed at promoting new employ-
ment by providing the corporations
with incentives to expand, will not
produce new jobs. Indeed, moderniza-
tion of plants, new machinery and
equipment based on’ new technology,
may create unemployment rather than
alleviate it. Furthermore, with manu-
facturing industry running at below
80% of capacity, such incentives are
not likely to be acted upon. The main
thrust of the budget is to strengthen

monopoly and guarantee high profits -

to the big corporations, Canadian and
U.S. alike.

While expressing concern in words
about high unemployment, govern-
ment policies are directed to aid mon-
opoly, not create jobs for the unem-
ployed.

The Trudeau government has been
equally energetic in establishing a new
atmosphere and a new image in its re-
lationship with the U.S. government.

From a position in which it seemed
to be developing an independent pos-
ture with respect to foreign policy, it
has moved back to a position of white-
washing U.S. foreign policy. Instead
of condemning U.S. military escalation
in Vietnam with all its dangerous con-
sequences, it has minimized the esca-
lation, whitewashed it, and in the name
of not “taking sides,” become an echo
of U.S. imperialist foreign policy. In-
deed it seems to have returned to a
position in which Canada’s foreign
policies are increasingly being coordi-
nated with that of the USA, presum-
ably in return for a lessening of U.S.
imperialist economic pressure’ on
Canada.

The capitulation of the Trudeau gov-
ernment to U.S. imperialist pressures
with respect to foreign policy, peace
and peaceful coexistence, finds its
counterpart in the retreat of the gov-
ernment with respect to Canadian in-
dependence.

Cynical Politics

The turnabout by Trudeau on all
fronts is at the same time a calculated
and cynical ploy. The Trudeau govern-
ment sees the Conservatives, not the
NDP, as its main opponent in the com-
ing elections, and is veering to the
right so as to take the ground away
from the Conservatives who have been
attacking the governmnet on precisely
these issues.

We need the .sharpest possible cri-
tique .of the government and its poli-
cies. At the same time we should make
clear as we do in our electoral policy
statement that the alternative we
strive for in this election is not a Tory
minority or majority government or a
coalition on the right but the election
of a large progressive bloc including
Communists and NDPers who would
constitute a genuine opposiiion to the
policies of the government.

Attack on Workers

What stands out today as a main
feature of Canadian politics is the
sharp labor-capital confrontation.

The monopoly offensive against the
working class has been stepped up as
can be seen in Quebec, B.C., and Met-
ro Toronto strikes and in numerous
other struggles...

While the immediate targets of the
attack are the workers in the public
service . . . once legislation is adopt-
ed to prevent strikes in the public ser-
vice, this would become the signal for
imposing compulsory arbitration in ne-
gotiations everywhere. United work-
ing class action is necessary to defeat
this drive and prevent the implemen-
tation of such restrictive legislation.

In response to this attack the work-
ers are uniting their ranks and under-
taking ever more militant forms of
struggle in defense of their jobs, their
living standards and trade union rights.
The battle for jobs and for job secur-
ity has become a major feature of
working class action. Gainful emoloy-
ment, the right to work, has become
a major issue for the working class
and finds its reflection in the growing
demand for the 32-hour work week
with no reduction in take-home pay.
Despite the efforts of governments to
check the working class and push it
back, despite the role of the right wing
in the labor movement, the unity,
solidarity and class consciousness of
workers is growing. This is a significant
feature of the situation today.

Struggle in Quebec

A great. and historic class battle is
presently underway in Quebec which,
starting as an economic struggle for a
$100.00 minimum wage, substantial
wage increases, and for job security,
has increasingly taken on the charac-
ter of a major political struggle against

the state and the parties of mon-*

Opolyee:.°.
It is of great historic significance

that the workers virtually took control

of cities and towns like Sept Isles |

Thetford Mines, took over coun

radio stations, that the workers in
the St. Therese GM plant could tell
junior executive of that company W#
had been stopped by the picket Mf
and who inquired under what autue
ity it had been done—‘by the autild!
ity of the workers in Quebec.” a

These developments evoked feat
the hearts of reaction and its PI
which in effect, called for a blood
against the working people of Qué
It evoked fear in the hearts of
right wing in the NDP and trade ul
movement also. How else can
characterize the statements of Mes
MacDonald and Lewis that “cha
exists in Quebec? How else can 0
characterize his claim that no cons
acy existed against the trade ul
movement on the part of the gov
ment, the corporations and judici@
How can one characterize such st@! q
ments except as an attempt to van
wash monopoly and its governmem
and as an expression of fear of
militancy of the working class?

The measures of solidarity takel
the CLC convention, by provi ie
Federations of Labor and count by.
unions throughout the country wl :
the National Farmers Union, point &
the fact that the workers and farm ‘
are becoming increasingly conscious
their responsibilities in the pres®
critical situation. ip

The way forward at this stag if
Quebec lies through a mass federa
party of labor, open to all segments
the working class, the NDP, the d
Communiste du Quebec, the
unions and other forces.

Drive to the Right

The Conservative Party is strivit
to take advantage of the growinB witt
illusionment and disenchantment if
the Trudeau government with the
of shifting politics more to the ;
and becoming a credible alternatiV? i, jh
monopoly policies. Its program oice ft
positions reflect this as does the c
of its candidates. It is not ace ;
that the Conservatives are goiné
of their way to select candidates tio” Mt
the extreme nationalist and rea©
ary ethnic groups. The alliance per
are building up is part of: theif Oe’
tive of establishing an important 910”
toral base for their reactionaly >

ram. i
= In the Social Credit Party it finds 0
reflection not only in the progt® cy
that party but in the fact that it ov
mund Burke Society has taken fi 4
in Ontario and now has a its
vehicle through which to push ¢ the
actionary pro-fascist policies. cred
same time in B.C., the Social z
Bennett government is pursuing ©
cy aimed at strengthening the on th
cal fortune of the Conservatives
federal arena. yenicl

= Se

oS
oe

controls and anti-Communis™ roy
main programmatic point rt
which to rally monopoly supp n ay
that of the petty bourgeoisie ee at gpd fe
tack on the trade union move
the working class. pe, add
These developments are ng fhe i
to by the advent of the Wi jifé

- John Birch Society into Can@

brought here by the CIA and by:
tionary interests in Canada. im

Unity is Needed
at
. pave |
So far these political grou ihe by
not coalesced. Notwithstandit cut” .
constitute a dangerous reaction (
rent in Canadian political 1ife- och ia |
The drive to reaction can 1)
by the united struggle of the “el
and all democratic forces cess f

of labor’s rights. Indeed the “ count
of a democratic coalition ee ap
and defeat these aims becom
creasingly pressing and pas
The opportunity for ach “f a}
exists. It lies in the election ppets
progressive bloc, including Ni
Communists, to Parliament.