HF SEN SAENGER Sa

Labor backs protest
against Trident base

Vancouver Island labor councils,
meeting in Victoria last weekend,
adopted a strong resolution con-
demning the U.S. plan to build the
Trident sub base at Bangor,
Washington.

The meeting, attended by
members of four Island labor
councils, voted’ to support a
petition to the federal government
protesting building of the base.

Building of the U.S. missile and
sub base was also protested last
Tuesday when the Vancouver and
District Labor Council voted to
support a rally at the Peace Arch
on Saturday, June 28 after hearing
a talk by James Douglass of the
Pacific Life Community organiza-
‘tion. : :

Douglass noted news reports that
day of a statement by USS.

president Ford that the U.S.
military had been ordered to train

for limited nuclear war, and said :

that this represented a big step in
plans to prepare the U.S. for
limited nuclear war.

The labor council called-on af-
filiates to support the Peace Arch
protest against the Trident sub
base which willrun from 1 to 4 p.m.

CORRECTION
Last week’s box score on the
results of the financial drive
contained an important error. The
Notch Hill club came through on

. the final day sending $110. While it

arrived just a little late to be listed
in the drive roundup, it should be
noted that they’ oversubscribed
their pledge to the drive.

BAND CALLS FOR UNITY

Native Indians, unions
‘have much in common’

By ALD. HARRY RANKIN

The Nimpkish Band Council of
Alert Bay on northern Vancouver
Island is undoubtedly one of the
most advanced Indian bands in the
country in its clear understanding
of the issues involved in the land
claims movement of the native
peoples.

Here is how they sum up their
thoughts and feelings in a
statement distributed to trade
unionists and the trade union
press:

“When the first white settlers
came to B.C., native peoples on
this coast had a highly organized,
well developed culture and way of
life.

“At first native and white traded
and exchanged goods and ideas.
However, the white settlers and
their bosses became greedy and

began’ exploiting the land, water

and people for money. The
greedier the white businessmen
became the greater the conflict
became between Indian and white.
The captains of industry (set out)
to destroy the native people
physically, culturally and
economically. At the base of this
genocide then and now is the land.

“Land was gobbled up by force

and coercion. A concentrated °

attack by government, church and
industry was launched against
every aspect of the native way of
life — homes, families, fishing and
trapping grounds, potlaching — all
were victims of this strategy. The
potlach is the ceremony in which
the communal wealth of the tribe is
shared amongst “all members.
Many people were jailed and fined
(by RCMP) for participating in the
potlach.

“Even reserves do not belong to
us but are held in trust for us by
the Department of Indian Affairs
(DIA) who have complete control
of every aspect of our lives —
health, education, housing, em-
ployment. Residential schools
where children are taken from
home and taught to be ashamed of
who they are and forbidden to
speak their own language. We are

‘treated like unwanted aliens in our
own land and made easy prey for
drugs and alcohol.

“Now we are standing together

and saying, ‘No more!’ We are
refusing to be bought off by any
makeshift government programs.
We will no longer be moved around
at the whim of logging and fishing
companies or to facilitate the DIA
in ‘administering’ us.

“What Land Claims means to us,
is that we regain our land, our

‘waters and our resources (before

industry destroys them all); that
we take control over our lives, our
culture and our education — our
destinies ... and become once
again proud, independent people.”

“The government and com-
panies look at the land and
resources and people only in terms
of dollars. They see us as obstacles
to “progress.”’ (Progress we think
means bigger profits for them). We
know that control of our land is a
necessity for our independence and
our independence is the only way
we can survive as a people.”

Band Council shows very well that
they understand that big business
and big corporations are its main
enemy, not just ‘‘white’’ people.

And this Indian Band also knows
who its friends are. In a stirring
appeal to trade unionists it says:

“Unfortunately in several recent

demonstrations and actions staged

by native peoples to draw attention
to our situation and assert our
rights, we have met with hostility

ANNOUNCEMENT

In keeping with previous
years, the Pacific Tribune will }
go over to its summer
schedule starting next week.
During July and August both
the Pacific Tribune and the
National Tribune will publish
eight-page editions.

With the first issue in
September, the Pacific
Tribune will return to its
regular 12 pages. :

: ting richer every day. The profits
This statement by the Nimpkish "

|

from union members and mel)

bers of the public at large.

“We feel that this  situatiol
probably stems from a mis)
understanding on the part of thé
public. s

‘Working people in this count |

have little or no control of thei
lives either. U.S.A. corporatiow®
control 80% of Canada’s resources
and 60% of the secondary i
dustries. More and more th

control of and profits from ths)

whole country are falling into the
hands of a_ few

“You know what this means

Skyrocketing food prices, #|

diminishing of the quality of food,

massive layoffs and closing dow! |
of industries, soaring land and |
housing costs, legislation limitiné

the power of: trade unions. You s@
the increased divorce rates

alcoholism and drug addictiot|

juvenile delinquency and so on. —
“While we are all struggling with,
these problems, the rich are get

of MacMillan and Bloedel and
Canadian Forest Products and th

others are increased as much #®

ever last year despite all thé
layoffs and closing down of camp

“And then they have the nerve”
turn around and say that worke®

cause inflation by their wag?)

demands! ia

“Qur situations are different
many ways and we must learn
respect each other’s ideas and way
of life, but we share much #!
common. We have a commol

enemy and we must work togethe!|.

and give each other support in ov!
struggles. Only in this way can We
create a better world for all ov!
children. b

“‘Wehave heard much oppositio®
from white working people to somé
recent demonstrations conduct
by native people to draw attentio?
to our situation and pressure t
government to negotiate. We fee
your anger should not be direct
at us but to those who created al
now maintain the situation.

See INDIAN, pg. 11

giatl)
conglomerates. A a

nthe off chance that it might assist federal immigration

minister Andras in the production of an immigration
policy geared to Canada’s needs rather than a safe haven
for drug pushers and invited fascists of every description,
we are quoting extensively from Pete Hamill in the San
Francisco Examiner of May 1, 1975.

In his article Hamill says: ‘‘Here they come, ladies and
gentlemen. Open your hearts, open your minds, open your
churches and your homes and your pocketbooks. Show the
world how vast is your sense of mercy, how deep is your

. compassion.

“Here they come, the racket guys of Saigon, the pimps
and the hookers, the black marketeers, the drug pushers,
the hit men and the stool pigeons. Here they come, the
men who operated the tiger cages at Con Son, the men who
murdered 40,000 Vietnamese under the umbrella of the
Phoenix Program, the men who shot political opponents
and tortured their families. These are refugees ladies and
gentlemen. It is your duty to hug them to your breasts.

“No, we did not get the innocent, except for the very
young. Instead, we got the worst of Vietnam. We got the
sideburned hustlers of Tu Do Street, the people who ran
the B-girl joints and rolled Marines in the Saigon dawn.
We got the people who helped contaminate the American

. Army with heroin. We got the ARVN officers who threw
Viet Cong soldiers out of helicopters. The refugee planes
carried no survivors of My Lai.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JUNE 27, 1975—Page 2

when the money of the American Army was turning that
lovely city into a swollen cesspool of vice and corruption.
Saigon would stew in the sun, luxuriating in its own
viciousness, full of dope, imported rock ’n’ roll, whore-
houses, Hondas, saloons and corruption.

“So I say to hell with these refugees. Not because they
are Orientals; we have had too much ‘Yellow Peril’’
racism in our history. But because many of them are
people who will only deepen the corruption of our own
cities.

“Tf a man worked in the drug trade in Saigon, he will have
little trouble picking up where he left off, in San Fran-
cisco, L.A. or New York. (And Hamill could have added
Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver for good
measure—T.M.) All we need is another batch of people
trained to slide picks into the backs of drunks at midnight.
Those are not immigrants.

““My parents were immigrants from Ireland, and I think
immigrants have been the hard spine of this country, the
people who brought their hopes for freedom to the hard
streets of American cities. The streets were not paved
with gold, and the immigrants were often badly used by
the people who ran big business. But they came here with
the love of justice in their hearts, a step away from the
British Special Branch, the Czar’s cops, the Italian secret
police. They were victims. :

“But this gang are the same kind of people who worked
for the secret police, the Tories, the Castle Irishmen, the
Czar’s informers, the people who fought Garibaldi. They
are not ‘the tired, the poor, the huddled masses’ yearning
to be free.

“Many of them are hustlers, con men and killers. We
have no obligation at all to them, and should not be
seduced by the sad songs of American politicians who tell
us otherwise. These people made their own brothels. Now
let them sleep in them.” ~

The foregoing are only a few quotes from the S.F.

Examiner, but enough to emphasize the dismal stupidilY |

of a so-called immigration policy which permits

allegedly responsible minister to grant landed immigral! |
status, plus lame and apologetic excuses to Canadians f0! |
having let such criminal scum as the General Quangs al? |

company to enter Canada in the first place.

To continue the subordination of Canada’s best interes® j 1
to the dictates of Washington and its Pentagon is of®

thing. To reduce Canada to the low level of a dumpi

ground for U.S.-trained criminal riffraff is somethil® |
else. It not only expresses a class contempt for a fre’ |

peace-loving and decent people, but enacts policies

which Vietnamese killers, drug peddlers and other worl |

known fascist murderers can readily gain asylum al
bear the honored identity of Canadian!

Unrestricted immigration with ministerial discretio? :

robs Canadian workmen and their families of a livelih
unrestricted immigration, also at ministerial discretio
opens Canada’s doors to every foreign crook wh0S*
bankroll is equal to purchasing his freedom from thé
merited justice of his own people. .

With Pete Hamill we say in chorus: ‘‘To hell with su
refugees,”’ and alone we repeat to hell with such greet
paper immigration policies that give preference to killers
and drug peddlers, all the while barring the door
refugees from fascist juntas, as in the case of Chile!

RiBUNI

Editor — MAURICE RUSH -
Published weekly at Ford Bidg., Mezzanine No. 3,
193 E. Hastings St., Vancouver 4, B.C. Phone 685-8108
Business. and.Circulation Manager, FRED WILSON ‘
Subscription Rate: Canada, $6.00 one year; $3.50 for six months:

ci)

North and South America and Commonwealth countries, $7.00 /
All other countries, $8.00 one year :
‘Second class mail .régistration number 1560