OTe Re em magn eee cern gag wen

TABOR FRONT $

BY WILLIAM KASHTAN

When- New Democratic Party leader ie ‘Douglas
spoke at the Canadian Labor Congress convention he dealt at
length with “Operation Freedom” in the course of which
hé emphasized that the “enemy is on the right”. Delegates
applauded this remark, taking it to mean that all the forces
of progress and of the left should stand united against mono-
poly and in defense of democracy, peace and the economic
well-being of the people.

David Lewis, New Democratic Party candidate in South
York, seems to have a different viewpoint as to who the
enemy is.

* * *

Speaking to a meeting of Young Christian Workers in
that constituency he is reported as saying that ‘‘no one under-
stands Communists better nor fights the
Communists more strongly than the New
Democratic Party, on the political scene
and inside the trade unions.’ To show
what he meant by this, he drew atten-
tion to the fact that the Canadian Labor
Congress had expelled what he called the
largest Communist-controlled unions ‘“‘un-
til these unions rid themselves of Com-
munist leadership.”

Lewis might consider a judicious bit
of ke -baiting an astute method of garnering votes from anti-
Communists. Or he may be trying to prove to the Establish-
ment how dependable he and the right wing would he if
elected. (The latter, of course, he has proved over the years
by his poisonous and systematic anti-Communism and divisive
policies, policies which he continues to press for.) In either
case, by his actions and by his statements he is doing great
harm to the New Democratic Party.

- a *

Competition with old-line parties, including Social Credit,
as to who is the best fighter against communism is not cal-
culated to advance the political fortunes of the New Demo-
cratic Party. On the contrary, the more the right wing plays
and practices this tune, the more it plays into the hands of
reaction, divides the workers and places roadblocks in the
way of getting the workers out to defeat the old-line parties
at the polls.

The task of winning the electoral support of the more
than one and a quarter million organized workers and their
families in support of the New Democratic Party is an im-
mense one. But it won’t be solved by the irresponsible anti-

Communist line peddled by Lewis.
* * *

What is needed in these last few weeks before the elec-
tions is a powerful united effort on the part of all forces of
progress to focus on the central issues confronting the country
in one of the most crucial elections in Canadian history.

What is needed is the development of a crusading drive in
the factories, mines and mills throughout the country that will
bring the working-class vote out and make it count as a power-
ful blow against the parties of monopoly.

This is no mean task but it is the task of tasks today.
The working-class vote if united could decide the outcome of
the elections.

But it won’t be united by anti-Communism; nor will it
be mobilized to go out and vote.

~ = * *
In truth it can be said that the line peddled by Lewis is’
a “kiss of death” for the NDP. It needs to be defeated by all
nolan who wish to bring about the defeat of the old-line parties
in this election. It can be defeated, providing there is under-
standing that the “enemy is on the right” and that enemy is
the U.S. Canadian oligarchy and its political parties.

°°3 Communist Party proposes--

3 A NATIONAL HEALTH PLAN NOh

Can Canada afford a na-
tional health plan? Of
course it can. Yet accord-
ing to a recent survey by
the International Labor of-
fice, Canada ranked 17th
along with Chile in the
percent of national income
paid to social health and
welfare,

Sickness disability cost the

average Canadian family
$373 last year.
This startling information

was contained in a brief pre-
sented last week by the Com-
munist Party to the Royal
Commission on Health Ser-
vices, in which the party

. urged establishment of a non-

contributory, comprehensive

and all-inclusive national
health plan, fully paid for by
the federal government.

In its brief, however, the
party stated that until such

a plan couuld become effec-
tive, it supported as a step
in the right direction a na-
tional health plan jointly fin-
anced by the federal and
provincial governments and
individual and family prem-
iums.

The brief detailed the
party’s position on a’national
health plarf, which has be-
come a major issue in the
current federal election cam-
paign, and presented an ex-
tensive survey of the ques-
tion, of which the following
is a summary.

The federal-provincial ratio
of contributions to a jointly-
financed health plan should
be on an 80-20 basis, with the
federal government bearing
the major _ responsibility,
while individual and family
payments must be based on
ability to pay so that no-one
is denied medical coverage
because of economic circum-

’ stances.

not armaments

Health_needs

In 1961 we spent $1.7 billion for arms which provides no
protection in the event of nuclear war. Total disarmament

would release vast sums for social and health needs, says '

the Communist Party brief summarized here. Government's
have been able to find money for arms, they could also find

the money for a national health scheme if the will was there.

Why is Washington pushing U.K. into ECM?

The core of the discussions
between President Kennedy
and British Prime Minister
Harold Macmillan in Wash-
ington recently was hidden in
five lines near the end of a
96-line joint communique
issued at the White House.
These lines reported that
Kennedy and Macmillan “dis-
cussed problems of mutual
commercial interest, includ-
ing questions of shipping pol-
icy, tariff and the commodity
problem.” ,

Imbedded in these seem-
ingly innocuous words is the
final blunt and abrupt rejec-
tion by the Kennedy admin-
istration of an urgent appeal
by the British Tory party and
London’s financial and indus-
trial chieftains to allow them
to maintain their markets in
Australia, Canada, India and
other Commonwealth nations.

For more than a year now

Washington has been pressur-
ing Britain to join the Euro-
pean Common Market, an
organization aimed originally
at welding a solid economic
unit (political, too) of West
Germany, France, Italy, Bel-
gium, Holland and Luxem-
bourg, with common tariffs
and trade. preferences. The

purpose was to create a pow-

erful trading unit to take
away from the U.S. and Bri:
tain the traditional markets
they built up during the de-
velopment of imperialism.

West Germany’s monopol-
ists have grabbed complete
control of the Common Mar-
ket setup.

In an effort to cut into this
economic power of West Ger-
many, Washington has been
pushing Britain to join the
Common Market. The hope
of the Kennedy administra-
tion is that Britain, by its

presence in that organization,
will weaken West Germany’s
position.

Even more important,
Washington sees in Britain’s
entrance in the Common Mar-
ket a golden opportunity for
undermining that country’s
trading position in the Com-
monwealth nations. Govern-
ment economists and policy
makers see this as essential
for the coming period when
the Common Market, headed
by West Germany, will move
into the world trading areas
as a formidable rival.

Britain has nourished its
financial sinews and main-
tained its system of economic

exploitation for generations
on a system of trade prefer-
ences with its imperial do-
main, first as colonies and
semi-colonies, then as mem-
bers of the Commonwealth of
nations.

With no tariff barriers,
Britain’s manufactured goods
went to the colonies and
Commonwealth nations, and
raw materials and foodstuffs
came to the British Isles.

But among the conditions
of membership in the Euro-
pean Common Market are a
common tariff and the ending
of any individual preferen-
tial treatment. The British
government has already been
told in emphatic terms by
West Germany and its co-
members in the European
market that it will have to
give up its exclusive markets
in the Commonwealth na-
tions.

June 1, 1962—PACIFIC TRIBUN

There should be
iums levied on pel
unemployed, inca
and the lowest incom
Premium payments
commence at the

come level, incre
scale in accordant
come.

3-POINT PLAN

der - central
and should establi
standards of care
available to all resi
(2) It shouuld cover
medicines, 4?

care, ug
corrective devices %
scription. e-

(2) It should inclu
care.

The federal share @
tional health plan sH0%
financed from gem
enue. This would ine
appropriations presel
ing made to cover
of those federal hea"
vices now operating
in 1956-57 amounted —

‘ percent of the natioz

enue. :

Useless arms spé&? i
should be stopped, F
money spent on healt
_ In addition, an in
the national product
an enlightened exten
trade with the undé
oped and socialist ©
would provide a widet
tion base for the ful
quired for a_ health
Additional funds ca” #
found through incre@
ation on capital gai
corporation incomes:

A national health
would also be a boot”
entire economy.

Based on a 1950- 51
by the Dominion Bures
Statistics, which were
est figures apparently
able (a “telling comme”
as the party put it,
attitude of the feder4
ernment toward the 14”
health), an average
workdays per workel
lost due to sickness.
tion, the average sickness
ability rate of the to
force work days was 1

cent.
Applied to 1961, the

ures probably underst@
actual situation today:

In 1961 the total oul?
goods and services in
was valued at $36.84 P
Thus the loss of an @
5.6 days per worker
sickness disability, usi™
10-year-old figures, cost
country goods and serv?
the value of $660
which could have bee?
duced.

PEOPLE PAY

“The economic ¢c0§
sickness,” declared thé
“takes a large sum of ™
out of the pockets of ti? |
ple, many of whom
afford it. It means a 10
of the standard of hy
many, a loss of savit
millions of dollars we
consumer goods unsol
sale of which would oa
stimulant to the eco?

a whole, thus assistin8
alleviation of another
evil—unemployment.’

Because of their bié"
free prescribed drug® ~
be included
health plan,
brief. In addition,

See HEALTH PLAN: