E LABOR FRONT BY WILLIAM KASHTAN in his opening address to the CLC Convention, President Jodoin felt impelled to take me to task because of something I had written. Said he: I’ve heard some of the things these people have said and I've read some of the things they’ve written. I have here one of these things with the words “’solidarity forever’. It’s full of the kind of advice I’ve been talking about but let me read just one sentence of what they want the Congress to do: ‘Open the doors of the congress to all unions without exception.’ “These are the exact words: ‘All unions without excep- tion’ They want our constitution amended so that anybody could get into our congress — communist- controlled unions, company-controlled un- ions, anyone who would use unions and our congress for their own purpose. Well, we're more particular than that about the company we keep.” “Nobody is going to use this national trade union centre to destroy it and the democratic principles and policies it stands for.” * cS * Jodoin took exception to the term: “open to all unions’, and tried to create the impression that what Communists were advocating was the inclusion of company unions in the congress. Just to allay his fears it should be said that Com- munists don’t consider company unions, unions at all and the trade union movement should stop giving them that hon- orable name. What we were and are talking about are genuine unions of the workers who should all be united in one house of la- bor. It is this vital question Jodoin chose to ignore. Commun- ists don’t hide the fact that they advocate the opening of the doors of the congress to all bonafide unions. If we do so, it is not because of any narrow, partisan interests but because the working class needs a truly united trade union movement if it is to advance its interests and defeat the aims of U.S.- Canadian monopoly and its governments. * * * Jodoin may try to side-step this question. He may try to misrepresent the problem. He may try to throw up con- stitutional and ideological roadblocks to prevent such unity. And yet the recent convention was a living demonstration of how bankrupt and how disastrous his policy is for the working class. With a possible 500,000 organized workers outside the ranks of the congress, Jodoin cannot possibly claim the Can- adian Labor Congress speaks for the trade union movement today. Is that not a serious matter to all who are or should be concerned with the future of the organized labor move- ment? Is ti possible to adequately defend the economic inter- ests of the workers through divisions and more divisions? Is it possible to truly advance the political interests of the work- ing class through the New Democratic Party while those who claim ‘to support it, divide and weaken the trade union movement? To ask the question is to answer it. * * * How ‘feeble the position of the Congress leadership is can best be seen in the fact that they were finally compelled to propose to the convention that the incoming executive council be given the task of bringing in recommendations to the next convention on what to ‘do to bring unions into the congress, unions not permitted in up to now, and to bring back those unions who, since the merger, have either left or been expelled. I don’t know what the executive council will recom- mend on that score. But what is interesting is the fact that having taken to task those sia’ advocate “solidarity forever’ and the “inclusion of all unions” into the congress, they were finally compelled to react to these views. But two years is a long time. The threat advanced by Peter Gavin, chief of the AFL-CIO’s Maritime trades depart- ment which represents 41 unions, that: ‘‘some of our interna- tional unions have been treated so badly by the CLC in Canada that if this keeps up, we may just have to try and start a federation of our own in Canada,” empasizes that. No less does it emphasize how wrong Mr. Jodoin is when he said: “Nobody is going to use the national trade union cen- tre to destroy it and the democratic principles it stands for.” * * * If the CLC is in danger of being destroyed responsibility for it lies fairly and squarely on the shoulders of Jodoin and those in the executive council whose policies lead in that direction. If the congress is to play its full role it cannot be a “closed. shop” for some empire builders. It must be open to all gen- uine unions. It must respect the right of workers to elect their own officers. It must move in the direction of a truly national trade union centre, by eliminating all vestiges of U.S. dom- ination and control which undermine the autonomy and demo- cracy of the union membership in Canada. And it must base itself not on policies of class collaboration, but on those poli- — cies which can really enable the working class to advance to a leading place in the national affairs of our couniry. Two years is a long time to wait. Action is needed now to establish a sound basis for a 4 Sly united trade union cere r ger e . move § LAUNCHES VAN. EAST CAMPAIGN S ‘Devaluation of dollar Tory ; payoff to monopolies’ - “The issues which con- front the people in this federal election, the urgent need to end U.S. domina- tion in our country’s econ- omic, political, military, cultural and other internal affairs; to win peace, Can- adian independence, and an end to the nightmare of nuclear devastation and its pre - conditioned suicidal arms race, will not be ach- ieved by replacing a Dief- enbaker with a Pearson, or a Bennett in lieu of either.” The speaker was Tom Mc- Ewen, Communist candidate for Vancouver-East constitu- ency in an opening election rally last week. “On all vital issues affect- ing war and peace and the peoples’ primary interests,” said McEwen, “there are no basic differences between Tories, Liberals or Socreds. Each in their own devious ways are the political yesmen for big U.S.-Canadian business and its coldwar camp. Each studiously evades giving a forthright and direct answer to the most vital issues affect- ing the peace and well being of the people, knowing that if they did so with any degree of truth, they would lose votes in the process. So they hedge and evade, always careful against being pinned down on the gap between their words and actions,” said McEwen. HITS DEVALUATION On the recent devaluation of the Canadian dollar to 9214-cents by the Diefenbaker BR et Ne Pita of May av le Teta dd» Pov ree ai CoN ISTITUTION PROGR The srened PAY orricut cxcas OF THE COMMENT et ee RESOLUTIONS coMnT = TY OF CANADA SECTION OF is NIST THE COM HUMIST PAF ERNATION AW ree _Ghe “The Workers’ ae Wot te 28 aa gs | iE sosde Be WORKERS. WORL wu! ae is mo, Weleda 800 Angust 1 mene gee TT = Ot ee DAILY CLARION Conata'e a Faget, Bosaded March, dd T WAR AND Se Tuer renee pan me qave vb cave weaves torre bee ptatia | ors 3 CANADIAN TRIBUNE A Journal of Democratic Opinion SATURDAY, JANCARY 90, 1860, TE Mastheads of earlier Communist papers in Canada SOCIAL Also film “INVASION OF CUBA” HOME OF A. GILSTEAD 6989 Sussex St., S. Burnaby ‘Saturday, May 12, 8 p.m. Sponsored by Frank Rogers Club Proceeds — Pacific Tribune THE ASS’N OF UNITED UKRAINIAN CANADIANS Presents dys Evening of Soll. Ah inl Featuring The Milestones and Kobzar Dancers @ Sat., May 19 — Revelstoke High School Auditorium — 8 p.m. @ Sun., May 20 — Kamloops Elks Hall — 2 p.m. @ Sun., May 20 — Vernon Polson Park High School Auditorium — 8 p.m. SONGS AND DANCES OF MANY LANDS - Proceeds — AuuC Org. Fund ism.’ _ May i, 1962—PACIFIC TRIBUNE— McEwen cabinet, the Communist didate stated: “This 18 ® Tory pay-off for mono? election slush funds, pal@) advance before the elettl! results are in. An @ which will net the big m2 olists, industrialists and ancial interests new mil in profit boodle.” “The housewife will for it with more dollars less groceries; the taxP will pay for it with dollars to meet the dem Vancouver alone payer will have to cou an additional one hu thousand or more this on civic bond loans. “For the people it ™ lowered wage incomes, * er living costs, higher -and increased hardship: ‘the monopolists, a pay advance, of millions 2? lars.” “In this election,” Ewen concluded, ‘“disaPP ing as it may appear to ™ there is only one wor alternative; the election ° NDP parliament, shore by a goodly number of | munist MPs. Then, and only, can we look for Canada breaking loose ‘ the war alliances and gration” entanglements bY. through which both Libé and Tories have sold ov independence, our res? and our very survival 1 interests of UES; impe The Communist candi urged upon his audie? “step up” election act in the Vancouver-Ea stituency “as the only W? breaking through the ? confusion, evasion 2° vital peace issues, am deluge of promises ™ characterize Liberal - election soothing syruP being dished out in bulk : Ki Franco in trouve STRIKE WAVE SWEEPS SPAll) . General] Franco MADRID A sta emergency was proclaim General Franco this We" three key northern pr? in an attempt to : spreading wave of strike” About 60,000 miners Asturian coalfields have © F on strike against intolé conditions. The Asturia? ers have gone on strike, ! pite laws which forbid str The strikes are seen flecting widespread 8T? resentment among the ers with the Franco. r Be gibi