— EDITORIAL

Ottawa regimentation plan

August 1931: Eight leaders of the
Communist Party of Canada were ar-
rested and tried under the infamous Sec-
tion 98 of the Criminal Code. They were
later locked in Kingston Penitentiary for
expressing the demands of Canada’s
working class, crushed by a capitalist de-
pression.

August 18, 1981: it was made public
that the federal government has adopted
secret plans to clamp restrictions and
physcial controls on massive sections of
Canada’s population — like the War
Measures Act used against Quebec citi-
zens magnified a thousandfold, and ex-
tended coast to coast.

The secret cabinet order, agreed to
back in May, fits with the moves toward
war and authoritarianism by the Reagan
regime in the USA, Canada’s NATO

rtner.

_ By this order, which was questioned in
Commons, July 17, by New Democrat
Ted Miller, the freedoms of all Cana-
diansare placed injeopardy. Anyone who
remembers the military sweep of the
War Measures Act in 1970, will recog-
nize an even greater threat in the new
order.

Although examples given of peace-
time emergencies which might trigger

the new provisions were an earthquake
or a disaster at a nuclear plant, among
the tasks of ministers would be regula-
tion and control of conditions of work,
rates of pay, and relations between labor
and management. What about union
contracts?

Without consulting parliament the
government has taken on the power, in
war or peace, to draft labor, draft far-
mers, allocate housing, to force-produce
resources, enforce drastic taxation, con-
trol and allocate housing and medical
care to the chosen, freeze communica-
tions, and requisition. transport as the
government of the monopolies sees fit.

It indicates Ottawa’s readiness to
adapt to Washington policies when it
should be charting an independent and
peaceful course for Canada. Included in
the plan, according to Globe and _ Mail
reporter Jeff Sallot, are internment
camps to deal with dissent.

The people of Canada have a gight to
know what is afoot. And from what has
leaked out so far, they need to be ready
for massive protest. It all has the sicken-
ing suggestion that we are in lock-ste
with U.S. imperialism’s drive to domi-
nate the world, and its dizzy rush toward
nuclear war.

Two-faced on South Africa

In refusing to take part in the huge
NATO naval exercise, Ocean Venture
81, Norway said it had evidence of the
involvement in the exercise of the South
African navy. This poses a sharp ques-
tion for the Government of Canada,
whose prime minister and minister of
external affairs have both deplored
South Africa’s racism, its crushing of
human rights, not to mention its illegal
occupation of Namibia. They have now
deplored also Pretoria’s invasion of
Angola.

But when it comes to action, whether
it’s investing in the apartheid regime, or

What’s so bad about peace?

Recently the Soviet Union proposed in
a letter to the United Nations secretary-
general, a treaty among countries using
outer space, that would prohibit the mili-
tarization-of space. Reuter news agency
quickly got out a news story predicting
U.S. rejection of the idea — because it
might be aimed at their space shuttle.

This draws attention to an interesting

phenomenon: Canadian newspapers —

and magazines have recently gone all-out
in exhorting us to want bigger and big-
ger expenditures on armaments. And

any country that suggests talks on —

disarmament, or proposes nuclear wea-
pon-free zones in the world, or prohibit-
ing armaments in space, is depicted as a
villain, out to destroy our freedoms.

The freedom to waste $5-billion a year
on arms, and to tie ourselves to the Rea-
gan toboggan into nuclear war, is hardly
a freedom we need.

Ned Temko, writing in the Christian
Science Monitor, sees signs -in the pro-
posed treaty, of yet another effort by the

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—SEPT. 4, 1981—Page 4

co-ordinating ‘the military threat to

* non-alligned and socialist countries, Ot-

tawa’s brass is right beside its racist
brothers. ©

One is not surprised at the hypocrisy
of capitalist politicians but sometimes the
intricacy of its design is breath-taking.
The spectacle of South Africa and
Canada keeping the oceans safe for
freedom and human rights — right after
Trudeau’s honeyed words on the Afri-
can continent — ought to arouse the
anger of every principled person in
Canada.

USSR to really get an agreement that will
limit the arms race, and begin to limit the

ena of thermonuclear war. In the

verification clause, he points out, the So-
viet proposal uses the language of the
stalled SALT II draft, and then goes on
to make it more favorable to the West.
Isn’t it time people in Canada and
USA stopped being stampeded by the
profiteers of the arms business and faced
the fact that proposals from the Soviet

Union for disarmament are not tricks, -

but a necessity for the building of
socialism? Does anyone think the Soviet
Union could not, if it preferred the arms
race, invent and deploy armaments for
space as well? © :

The military-industrial complex of the
USA and its Canadian branch office has
nothing to offer working people but
more taxes and the probability of nu-
clear war. It’s time to unmask the real
tricksters, and give our government
instructions to make peace its first priori-

ty.

Navy exercise Ocean Venture 81.

Fiashbacks

25 years age...

TORONTO AND
STALINGRAD

A dozen years ago,.the city of
Toronto adopted the city of
Stalingrad as a “sister city”. Pre-
sentations and official delega-
tions were received at the city
hall.

Came the cold war and friend-
ship was broken, but times are
changing. Last week the head of

a Soviet soccer team visited To-
ronto’s Mayor Phillips and made
him a presentation. Friendly
words were once again spoken
and the cold war ice began to
melt in official circles . . . even if
Mayor Phillips refused the cour-
tesy of an official toast.

Over 70,000 Canadian sports
fans had already broken the ice
in their warm greeting to the
Soviet team. :

Tribune,
August 27, 1956

Avia py

We all know that banks charge high interest rates because they
have to; it’s based on New York and the dollar, and Swiss gold, et:
An interesting by-product though, is that Bank of Montreal profil
for nine months ended July 31 was $267,868,000. In the samé@’.
period in 1980 they netted only $190,648,000.

Figures used are from the company’s financial statements.

‘of Ontario under the author!

~ reached the figure of $102,09

as : | .
ES Profiteer of the week
LMA |

50 years ago...

POLICE ARREST
CPC LEADERS

The cases of the leadifl
communists are to. appear
Magestrate’s Court, Toron
for preliminary hearing Sept
and involve the following wor
ers:

Tim Buck, M. Bruce, -
Ewen, A.T. Hill, Sam Carr a
John Boychuck. The chargf
against them are of “unlawfl
association” and are being p
secuted by the Attorney Gene

of the Criminal Code of
Dominion of Canada. __.
The Canadian Labor Defen!
League is the client in this ca
as in all cases handled by t
league, and the amount of bi
bonds now deposited throug
the agency of the league hi

The Worké
August 29, 19?

—

Editor — SEAN GRIFFIN
Associate Editor — FRED WILSON
Business and Circulation Manager — PAT O'CONNOR

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