Canada OSS DA Ships carry nuclear weapons OTTAWA — A retired U.S. admiral: has said that any vessel capable of carry- ing nuclear arms “is, in fact, carrying them.” B.C. MP Jim Manly told the House of Commons last week. Manly noted that foreign warships visited Can- adian ports 63 times last year without any questions asked by the federal government. The MP called on the government to defend Canada’s nuclear-weapons free status by insisting that visiting warships carry no nuclear weapons. UI cut in New Brunswick ST. JOHN — The Department of Employment has raised the province’s eligibility requirements to 16 weeks from 10 to qualify for unemployment insu- rance. The new guidelines will increase the economic hardship in rural New Brunswick which suffers from a 26.4 per cent jobless rate. Many workers rely on seasonal employment which does not cover periods of more than 10 weeks. An appeal to maintain the existing minimum by area MP Fernand Robichaud to min- ister Barbara McDougall was rejected. Poor denied medical care REGINA — Hundreds of low-income people aren't getting medical care because Saskatchewan has eliminated a $27-a-month travel allowance for wel- fare recipients. One result is fewer children are getting immunization shots and many women on welfare are unable*to get pre-natal checkups. Judges try to avoid stand HALIFAX — Five Nova Scotia appeal court judges are attempting to quash subpoenas which would require them to testify about their 1983 ruling on the Donald Marshall case. The decision ~ officially cleared Donald Marshall of the 1971 murder of teenager Bobby Seale, but exonerated the justice system by holding Marshall responsible for his own conviction. Marshall, a Micmac Indian, spent 11 years in prison for a murder he did not ‘commit. The inquiry now being con- ducted has produced a horrible picture of institutionalized racism from top to bottom of the Nova Scotia courts and police. Metro housing costs soar TORONTO — The average price of a 1,300-square foot detached home in Metro Toronto is more than $256,000, up 30 per cent from the same time last year. The average cross-Canada price of a similar home is $128,000. 6 e Pacific Tribune, June 8, 1988 TORONTO — The Popular Summit has been denied a permit to march past the convention centre here where leaders of the top seven capitalist countries will be meet- ing next month. Organizers of the June 19 people’s event had been negotiating unsuccessfully with police to go along Front Street past the meeting site, so they turned to the city servi- ces committee, which also voted against the idea, citing security reasons. _ Organizer Ann Pohl says this is the second route the police have rejected, but says the rally will go ahead as planned start- ing at noon at Queen’s Park. March details will be worked out. McCuaig Featured speakers include Victoria Bishop Remi De Roo, scientist-environmentalist David Suzuki as well as labour, peace, women and Native rights activists. Participants were angered by City Hall’s refusal to support their request. Michael Shapcott, a Popular Summit organizer, notes that U.S. President Ronald Reagan has been convicted in the World Court at The Hague for breaching international law. “We're being treated as terrorists, yet an individual who has been convicted in inter- national court is being protected,” he said. Security will be very tight during the meeting of the big seven June 19-21, causing major headaches for city residents. Police have warned that highways leading from Pearson International airport to downtown Ed Kerry will be closed, and a 20-block radius around the convention centre will be cordoned off. A host of events coincide with the Eco- nomic Summit, in addition to the march and rally. There is an alternative economic conference; a war crimes tribunal; numer- ous cultural events and a tour of the “Real Toronto” — to show the foreign press the food banks and places where the homeless have died. Organized by the Popular Summit Facili- tation Committee, which came together last . fall to begin planning, it aims to show the other side of the Group of Seven. “Their summit is about pomp and photo Opportunities, about putting human and natural resources to the service of greater profits,” says Pohl. “Ours is about people. We want to make visible the effect these policies have on people’s everyday lives. “What will be discussed here not only affects the citizens of the seven nations, but the majority of the world’s people, but they will have no input into the discussions or agreements which will affect them, includ- ing jobs, trade, hunger, housing, health, apartheid, peace and the environment,” she said. A highlight of the month of activities is the Crimes of the Official Terror Network, featuring ex-CIA agent Philip Agee; former U.S. attorney general Ramsay Clarke; arms expert William Arkin; and human rights Rally to open popular summit victims and activists from around the world. Running June 9-12, the tribunal will use the testimony of victims and “experts” ian effort to prove the Summit participants guilty of crimes against humanity. There will be juries and prosecuting attorneys to question the witnesses. All embassies of the countries involved have been invited to pro- vide defence attorneys. z In addition to international law, the trib- unal will also be using Bill C-71 passed in House of Commons last September. Writ- ten to facilitate the prosecution of Nazi Wat criminals, it allows the prosecution of indi- viduals guilty of war crimes at any time In history against any peoples. It also gives the legal power to bar from Canada those known to have engaged in war crimes. - The tribunal will call for the barring and indictment of those who are found guilty at the tribunal. ; June 17-21 is the Counter-Summit, five evenings of forums and workshops featul= ing prominent Canadian and international speakers discussing free trade, global dispar- ities, the environment, development, demil- itarization and social solidarity. : Co-ordinator Kathy Jones says the con- __ ference brings together a broad range of economists, church, peace activists and environmentalist. ; “It is a time for the people to participate, for them to discuss the issues that pertain to them, to learn and to grow,” she says. It seems the Group. of Seven will be dogged wherever they go. Students at the — University of Toronto are setting up a tent city and rally outside a dinner for the leaders being held on campus. The rally will centre on the group’s role in “global poverty and oppression”, as well as _ exposing military-funded research on cam- pus, the intrusion of the private sector into the university and the exclusion of working class and other oppressed groups from post- secondary education. Letters This letter, addressed to the Soviet Women’s Committee, was received by the Tribune: Virginia Thompson, president, Congress of Canadian Women, writes: It was with considerable dismay that we read of the decision to hold a beauty contest in the Soviet Union. Progressive women and men in Canada condemn beauty contests. Parading women before judges in order to decide which woman has the necessary physical beauty to be a “winner” demeans all women. Such contests presuppose that physical beauty for women is a more important attribute than attributes such as intelligence, kindness, humour, rational- ity, strength, determination — attributes which express much more about our humanity than any measure of beauty. Accepting standards of beauty and glor- ifying them through contests also sets standards which other women then strive to attain and which, by definition, many won’t or can’t. We in the West are all too familiar with the disastrous effects of such unreasonable standards. In addition to degrading all women, the ‘Beauty’ contests demean all women glorification of the superficial, external and transitory features of physical appear- ance over the real quality and substance of women can result in severe psychological or emotional damage in _ individual women. Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia are the medical mani- festations of such damage. One element of the historic oppression Aquarium expansion opposed Constance Fogal, former Vancouver parks commissioner, writes: City planning director Ray Spaxman said that as of May 17, his department had not yet received a -permit application for the Vancouver Aquarium proposed expansion. He has also said, “If we discover a strong public opinion is in opposition to it, then we will have to take these comments seriously.” The aquarium has increased its size five times and on each occasion promised it would be the last. The parks board has passed motions each time stating that it would be the last expansion allowed. Columnist Mike Tytherleigh (The Pro- vince) in 1984 said, “The Vancouver parks of women is their objectification and commoditization. Beauty contests perpet- uate this. In capitalist countries such con- tests are held despite -the protests of thousands of women. We are greatly dis- appointed that a socialist country, being free of this symbol of women’s oppression, would allow the introduction of such a phenomenon into its social life. board has been seen as an agent of the aquarium rather than as an objective refe- ree acting in the best interests of the park itself.” Nothing has changed. You can let the planning department know how you feel by writing to them at City Hall, 453 W. 12th Ave., Vancouver, B.C., VSY 1V4, or by phoning 873-7344. You can also reach the mayor and alder- men at the same address. The expansion proposal must also pass a vote in city council. Let’s give the planning department the - strong public opinion in opposition to this theft of park heritage.