ie | Liberals within 6 votes of defeat PARLIAMENT SPLIT NUCLEAR ISSUE So egg © I FRIDAY, MAY 24, 1963 eae 50 + VANCOUVER, B.C. 1o0¢ VOL. 24, NO. 21 ‘Stop A-arms spread NATO parley urged A large lobby urging “No Nuclear arms for Canada!" Sreeted participants arriving in Ottawa this week for the NATO ministerial conference. On Monday the peace lob- by, organized by the Canadian Peace Congress, demonstrated on Parliament Hill. Tuesday they delivered briefs to the embassies of the NATO mem- ber countries and members of the Canadian government. On Wednesday, large num bers of men, women and youth, taking part in the lob- by, demonstrated outside the NATO conference. Additional Slogans carried by the march- ers said: “Stop the race to- wards death,” ‘Don’t make NATO a means to our end.” The brief signed by Dr. James G. Endicott, chairman of the Canadian Peace Con- gress, and vice chairman Mrs. Eva Sanderson, was address- ed to the North Atlantic Coun- cil and opposed proposals to create a multi-national or in- ter-allied nuclear force. “Any sprea d of nuclear weapons will magnify the danger of war, and in particu- lar, we are opposed to Canada acquiring nuclear weapons for use at home or abroad,’ said the opening paragraph of the brief. It urged the North Atlantic See NATO. pg. 12 VLC hits racists The Vancouver Labor Council has _condemned strongly the racist antics of the white supremacists in Alabama. Acting on a reso- lution submitted by the Longshoremen’s union, the VLC lashed out at the State Police of Alabama. likening them. to “Hitler- Germany's Gestapo.” Delegates agreed to for- ward the protest to the Canadian Labor Congress. with a recommendation that it be passed on to the AFL-CIO. U.S, State Secretary Rusk and Bonn 's Defence Minister Von Hassel shown in friendly handshake during Rusk’s recent visit to West Germany to discuss their strategy ©Pened in Ottawa Wednesday. Bonn is insis Many of whom are former Nazis, be allowe ©n the nuclear trigger. for the NATO meeting which ting that its generals, dto have their finger The minority Liberal government came within six votes Tuesday night of being defeated on the nuclear arms issue in a vote of confidence introduced by the NDP. Despite alast minute warning by Liberal leader Lester Pearson that the government would resign if defeated on the issue, the vote was 124-113 against the amend- ment. A shift of six votes would have meant defeat for the Liberals. The attempt by Liberal leader Pearson to pressure the opposi- tion parties with the threat of another election if they oppose his pro-nuclear policy, did not succeed in giving him a stronger vote of support. Liberals have relied on such blackmail tactics to force nuclear arms on the coun- try since their first announcement following the April 8 election. The no-confidence motion was introduced by NDP national lead- er T.C. Douglas, charging that such action by Canada would in- crease the danger of war by spreading nuclear weapons. The 118 Liberals were support- ed by four Social Credit members ‘from Western Canada and two Conservatives. The 16 Quebec Socreds supported the NDP no- ccon‘dence motian as did the Conservative members, with the exception of Douglas Harkness (Calgary North) and Jack Mc- Intosh” (Swift - Current - Maple Creek). HOW B.C. MP’s VOTED The two Social Credit MP’s from B.C. who supported the Liberals were Bert Leboe (Cari- boo) and A. B. Patterson (Fraser Valley). Liberals from B.C. who voted in support of nuclear arms were Jack Davis (Coast-Capilano), Ron Basford (Burrard), Jack Nichol- son (Vancouver Centre), Grant Deachman Arthur Laing (Vancouver South), and David Groos (Victoria). (Vancouver-Quadra), ° NDP LEADER DOUGLAS who introduced the no- confidence mofion and warned that acquisition of nuclear arms would heighten war danger. James Byrne (Kootenay East) did not vote because of an agree- ment with absent MP’s, but de- clared he would have voted against the motion. ; On the eve of the vote, even he- fore’ Parliament had @ Chance to discuss the issue, it was an- nounced from Washington that Canada and the U.S. had already initiated military negotiations to provide Canada with nuclear war- heads. A U.S. spokesman said last Thursday that the agreement to stockpile nuclear arms in Can- ada should be completed in a month. : PEOPLE AGAINST A-ARMS Despite the attempts of the pro-nuclear arms newspapers and other news media to hail the vote as a big victory for the Liberals, the very close vote, plus the fact that many tens of thousands of people who oppose nuclear arms voted for the Liberals because of their desire for ‘‘stable’’ govern- ment, indicates the overwhelm- ing feeling in the country against nuclear arms. It will be recalled, too, that dur- ing the election campaign many Liberal candidates soft-pedalled the nuclear arms issue and mis- represented the Pearson position, emphasising that if elected ‘“‘they will live up to the ‘commitment’ but negotiate Canada out of a nuclear role.” The minority Liberal govern- ment has made it clear that they intend. to ignore overwhelming public opposition to drive through with their commitment to the United States to turn Canada into a nuclear power, both insofar as Canada is concerned and the arm- ing of Canadian forces overseas. The crucial thing now, if the Liberals are to be blocked, is for united action by all sections of the Canadian people to stop the installation of nuclear wea- pons on Canadian territory or being placed in the hands of Can- adian forces overseas. CITY LABOR DEMANDS ACTION Sugar prices orbit as monoply profits soar The Vancouver Labor Council Tuesday night approved a reso- ® lution presented by its executive protesting skyrocketing sugar prices to the Liberal government, and demanding that the govern- ment institute an inquiry into the situation in line with the Restrct- ive Trade Practises. The resolution, which is to go to the Canadian Congress of Labor for action, was based on two resolutions which were sub- mitted independently of each other by the International Wood- workers of Amer::? ‘Local 1-217), and ‘the Marinewo:!s:rs and Boil- ermakers. The IWA resolui’sn protested “outrageous sugar prices” to the Prime Ministery and asked “‘the rest of the labor movement to take similar sction.” The Boilermaxers, in addition to calling for a government in- quiry, proposed the purchase of Cuban ‘through mutual sugar trade.” CHARGES PROFITEERING Syd Thompson, president of Local 1-217, charged that ‘‘the ~ sugar monopolies in Canada are taking full advantage of the world shortage,’’ and said ‘‘the many thousands of sugar beet producers on the prairies will not receive one penny more for their efforts’? despite the price rises. Tuesdays increase in the whole- sale price of sugar, which was the forty-first since last October, brought the price for 100 pound bag up to $16.35. The latest in- crease of 45c per 100 pounds is expected to spark further rises next week in prices to consumers and for products in which sugar is used. A recent issue of the Financial Post (Jan. 23, 1963) said “the recent sharp rise in sugar futures has been a boom to the the spec- ulators who bought them.” Last week the New York Times carried a Reuter’s report saying that a ‘‘Scramble to buy sugar on the New York Coffee and Sugar Exchange gave holders of con- tracts calling for sugar deliveries a windfall ‘paper profit’ of over $12 million.” WOMEN PROTEST Recently the Women’s Com- mission of the Communist Party in B.C. wrote Prime Minister Pearson and leaders of the op- position parties urging the gov- ernment act to stop profiteering practices by food monopolies. It pointed out that the increase up to the period ending April 30 would cost the average family of four $22.80 per year. (FOOTNOTE: W ednesday afternoon, after the above was written, sugar went up an- other 60c bringing the cost for 100 pounds to $16.95.)