—

In this election

ITH about 10 days to go

before election day the

: hoped for Liberal major-

ty government, which is the

 Teason why an election was cal-

€d in the first place, appears to

| %€ fading. This is the view of

~®Oost_ political commentators.

l@ Prairies do not appear to be

80ing over to the Liberal camp,

Nor is British Columbia. Even

N Quebec, where it was believed

he Liberals would make a big

_ SWeep, there is less assurance

{| Xow.

Although the situation could

Change, as of now it remains
Uid and uncertain.

This is attested to, for what it
is Worth, by the latest Gallup
Poll. As usual the Toronto Star
Chose to twist its meaning
With a headline reading: “Liber-
ls show gains among the ‘de-
Cided’ voters”. However, the
Main significance of the poll is
Its findings not on the decided
‘but on the UNDECIDED voters.
ese have reached an all-time
igh. On an all-Canadian scale,
percent of the voters are
Shown to be uncommitted. By
| Provinces, Quebec has 40 per-
| ent of its voters listed in the
Undecided camp, Ontario 30 per-
ent and the West 35 percent. ©

These high percentages of un-
€cided voters mirror a relative-
Y new phenomenon in Canadian

Political life and, if correct, in-
icate some interesting conclu-
Sions,

| — In one sense they constitute a
©Ondemnation of the Liberal
80vernment -for having called
8 unwanted and unnecessary
flection. In another, they ex-
Press opposition to a Liberal
Majority government and indic-
te a growing dissatisfaction
&nd lack of confidence in the
°ld-line parties of monopoly. In
Still another sense, they express
Uncertainty as to the basic is-
‘SUes involved in the present
flection campaign.

Unfortunately, they also re-
Bister the fact that more than
°ne-third of the voters have not
yet made up their minds how
they should vote and do not as
Yet see a clearly defined demo-
Cratic alternative to the old-line
Parties,

says

WILLIAM KASHTAN

National leader, Communist Party

\progressive Canadians
face

CHALLENGE

OPPORTUNITY,

If these figures are correct
they constitute both a challenge
and opportunity — as well as a
danger — to the progressive
forces of this country.

The challenge and the oppor-
tunity lies in the possibility of
a big breakthrough in this elec-
tion for those who stand for
peace, progress and democratic
advance. °

The danger is that the progres-
sive forces could “miss the bus.”

This could happen if the great
trade union movement failed to
unite its efforts in a powerful
drive to help elect a substantial
group of progressives to Parlia-
ment and satisfied itself with
merely endorsing the New
Democratic Party, when what is
required is a real grass roots
movement in every plant, mine
and mill in this country to get
out the vote.

It could happen if the NDP
were to sidestep and play down
the crucial issues which ought
to be at the centre of this elec-
tion campaign.

The NDP convention last July
adopted some sound positions on
the United States domination of
the Canadian economy and on
the need for an independent
foreign policy, including. the ne-
cessity for Canada to speak out
against U.S. aggression in Viet-
nam. This, however, does not
appear to be the burden of the
NDP campaign so far. On the
contrary, these issues are being
pushed into the background on
the mistaken assumption that

they will lose the NDP votes.

The fact, however, is that the
NDP candidates may not make
the gains they could in the pre-
sent situation if they merely ap-
pear as “Liberals in a hurry”.
These gains could be made by
advancing a truly democratic
alternative to the old-line par-
ties.

.The fight for a democratic al-
ternative policy is an essential
part of the effort to elect a large
progressive group to Parliament
and to prevent what appears to
be the strategy of monopoly,
Canadian and U.S. alike: the re-
storation of the two-party sys-
tem and the elimination of the
minority parties in the process.

When Prime Minister Pearson
and External, Affairs Minister
Martin both declared the issue
was the election of a majority
government — and not neces-
sarily a Liberal majority at that
—they were expressing what big
business wants and works for:
the restoration of the monopoly
of the old two-party system in
Parliament.

Big business wants a majority
government now ‘in face of an
uncertain future and the grow-
ing pressure of labor and the
people for deep-going measures
of democratic reform.

The call for a “strong, stable
government” and the restoration
of the old two-party system is
directed at putting labor in its
place, slowing down the demand
for democratic reforms and re-
solving the constitutional crisis

without those democratic meas-
ures which alone can assure a
united Canada.

It is related to the constitution
of a policy which, in the guide
‘of so-called constitutionalism,
discards the national policy
which was the basis of indepen-
dent economic development and
moves towards further integra-
tion with the United States.

It is related to the constitution
of a foreign policy which subor-
dinates Canada’s interests and
security to U.S. imperialism, be
it in Vietnam, Latin America,
Western Europe or elsewhere.

While not differing essentially
from the Liberal Party position,
the strategy of the Diefenbaker

- WILLIAM KASHTAN

AND A DANGER

Conservatives is taking on more
and more of an anti-Quebec and
anti- French Canadian orienta-
tion. This comes out both on the
issue of the Constitution and
Confederation and in the way

. the issue of graft and corrup-

tion in government is_ being
twisted. One way or another it
is calculated to play. on the pre-
judices, lack of understanding
and chauvinism in English Can-
ada for cheap party advantage,
regardless of the harm this will
do to the goal of achieving a
truly united Canada based on
full national and economic equal-
ity for French Canada. .

In pushing ahead with this
line, Diefenbaker is in effect ad-
mitting that the Conservatives
have no chance in Quebec.

In these conditions, with the
prospect of a growing fragmen-
tation of political parties and the
efforts to play down the essen-
tial problems the Canadian peo-
ple have to resolve, the Com-
munist Party and its candidates
have a particular, in fact an in-
dispensable, role as well as an
important responsibility in this
election campaign.

It is called upon to do every-
thing in its power to focus pub-
lic attention on the cardinal is-
sues of the elections. These are:

(1) The need for policies of in-
dependent economic develop-
ment,-as against, growing U.S.
control of the Canadian econ-
omy;

(2)’ An independent ‘foreign
policy of peace, as against U.S.
dictation of our policies, and en-
ergetic action to compel a U.S.
withdrawal from Vietnam on the
basis of the Geneva Agreement
of 1954;

(3) A united Canada based on
a new constitution centred on

the equality of French and En-
glish Canada.

This is the path to an effective
movement of the Canadian peo-
ple ‘against U.S. domination of
our country and toward the
election to Parliament of a large
progressive group of which the
Communist Party is part.

October 29, 1965—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 5