THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

FEBRUARY, 1979

POLL SHOWS |

NDP LEADS SOCREDS

According to a province-wide
poll conducted in December by
Canadian Opinion Research,
the NDP is a solid eight-point
leader over the Socreds with
44% of the decided voters. The
poll, commissioned by the pro-
vincial Conservative Party,
shows the Socreds trailing with
36%, the Torys with 15% and
the Liberals at the bottom of
the list with five per cent of the
votes.

A surprisingly high 67% of
the voters told the pollsters
that their minds were made up.

The results indicated
marked increases in popular-
ity for both the NDP and the
Tories, while the Socreds and
the Liberals have fallen down
in voter favour. NDP leader
Dave Barrett refused to com-
ment on the results of the poll,
Saying that he never comments
on political polls.

In the 1975 provincial elec-
tion, the Socreds won 49% of

the votes, getting 35 seats in
the legislature. The NDP won
39%, getting 18 seats. The
Liberals received seven per
cent and the Tories got four per
cent, winning only one seat
each.

In releasing the results of the
poll, Tory Leader Vic Stephens
told a press conference that the
poll shows that the Conserva-
tives don’t take votes away
from the Social Credit, but
gained its strength from the
NDP. He said the poll proves
that if Premier Bennett calls
for an early election, he is
going to lose. ‘‘There is great
disenchantment in the land at
this moment,” he said.

Stephens .said there’s no
doubt that Bennet will rely on
the NDP increase in popularity
to try to scare people into
voting for Social Credit, and he
said he will meet that fear
campaign head on, and he feels

that voters are ready to do the -
- same.

Fonse Faour, NDP - MP,
urged that the prime minister
remind food companies of an
earlier government request
that they forego some profits
rather than push up prices
adding to the rate of inflation.

Noting that the AIB had
reported a 19 per cent increase
in food prices per year, Faour
reminded the Liberals that
one food company’s profits,
Burns Foods, jumped by 198
per cent in the year ending
September 30, 1978.

Earlier in the week, Dave
Orlikow, fellow NDPer, ques-
tioned Trudeau about his
meeting with business leaders
in January. The meeting was
to discuss the economy, par-
ticularly inflation, profits and

_ wage demands.

Referring to a statement

made by Trudeau during the
meeting that some wage in-
creases had been ‘‘exhorbitant
or inflationary” and that wage
controls may have to be rein-
forced, Orlikow noted that
Statistics Canada indicated
that salary and wages in-
creased by only 6.4 per cent in
1978 while the cost of living
rose by more than 8 per cent
for the same period.

Although Trudeau said that
some wage settlements were
above average — more than 6
per cent — he was unable to
give specific examples of so-
called exhorbitant wage in-
creases.

Stating that business should
restrain profits and thus prices
in the coming year, Orlikow
pointed to after tax corporation
profits that increased by more

than 30 per cent for industry.

t

_ WE ARE SEEKING INFORMATION about this old logging train trestle which we believe spanned
at Creek near Port Renfrew. We would appreciate hearing from anyone who has information on
was built and the name of the engineer in charge of construction.

FROM PAGE 1

“BARRETT”

FIRA’s. restrictions were
turning away potential foreign
investors from the province.

Quoting from FIRA docu-

ments, Barrett outlined what -

he considered to be an alarm-
ing acceleration of foreign
take-overs in B.C. FIRA had
said that in 1976, nine B.C.
companies were taken over,
which involved 1,150 employ-
ees. And last year, FIRA ap-

proved 37 companies being ©

taken over in B.C. involving
about 2,000 employees.
Barrett said the effect of the
growing foreign investments in
British Columbia, has been an
increase in the cost of living

and an increase in the export of |

Canada’s natural resources.
These actions have led to the
lowest dollar value, and the
highest rate of unemployment
since the depression.

He said that virtually four-
fifths of foreign investment in
B.C. has been concentrated on
buying our existing business
interests and assets; not
creating new firms, or building
new industrial plants.

“If B.C. is not for sale, as
Premier Bennett says, it is
because it has already been
sold,’’ said Barrett.

-

LONDON — British unions
representing some 2.5 million
public sector workers have
tabled detailed proposals for
greater democratic control
over government expenditure
plans.

They are calling for annual
public discussions of the gov-
ernment’s programs, involving
parliamentary committees
and the unions in the sector
concerned. Only after these
discussions should final pro-
grams be prepared for ap-
proval by the cabinet.

headquarters.

professional audience.

with experience.

Robin V. Sears

Ottawa, Ontario
K2P 1R9

APPLICANTS WANTED

The New Democratic Party is seeking applicants for the
position of Federal Policy Co-ordinator. This is a per-
manent staff position operating from the Ottawa Party

The Co-ordinator is responsible for the preparation and —
development of research and policy recommendations for
the federal party, with a focus on long-term goals.

The successful applicant will have experience in eco-
nomic research for government, the trade union movement, .
or a research institution. He or she will have extensive ex-
“perience in preparing written policy analysis for a non-

He or she will have experience in economic analysis. The
successful applicant will have worked with volunteers and
professionals in completing a research project.

A knowledge of the New Democratic Party and the trade
union movement will be a valuable asset.

A commitment to the goals of the NDP is a requirement.

This position may be filled on a permanent part-time or
full-time basis. Salary and benefits will be commensurate

Applications should be sent to:

Federal Secretary
New Democratic Party
301 Metcalfe Street

| GRANTS AVAILABLE |

FOR CHILDREN’S PROJECTS |

OTTAWA. — Labour mem-
bers of the Canadian Commis-
sion for the International Year
of the Child — 1979 — are en-
couraging labour participation
in CGIYC projects.

“Local unions are eligible to
apply for the low-cost com-
munity-based projects,’ ex-
plained Peter Lea, CGIYC
vice-chair, also national repre-
sentative for the CLC’s Social
and Community Programs
Department. ‘‘Unions could
also consider co-operating with
other community groups to
sponsor such projects.”’

Lea is one of four trade union
CGIYC Commissioners. The
others are: Barry Fleming, of
the headquarters staff of the
Public Service Alliance of
Canada, Ottawa; Bea
Williams, National Union of
Provincial Government
Employees, Rosetown, Sask.;
and Jean-Jacques Jauniaux,
Quebec regional director for
the CLC, Montreal.

The 40-member CCIYC Com-
mission has agreed on five
objectives for the Year of the
Child in Canada: a review of
“the quality of childhood’
within their respective juris-
dictions by families, communi-
ties, various organizations and
governments;

—co-operation in the de-
velopment of plans, programs
and services to strengthen
maximum development of the
child.

—encouragement of ‘‘the
celebration of the joy of child-
hood” and a milieu favourable
‘to ‘‘children’s activities,
creativity, imagination, ideas
and thinking’’;

—discovery of “ways and
means to support parenthood
and the family in Canadian
society”; and

—respect for the children’s
“personal identity and worth
as individuals belonging to a
given cultural, linguistic,
religious, social or ethnic
group.”

“Community-based non-

profit groups are eligible for
grants for operating expenses

for local projects for children,”’
Lea explained.

“The Commission will
consider applications-—for.——
grants for projects in which
children are directly involved,
or for advocacy groups or
media projects,” he said.

The maximum grant for a
project proposed by an
organization is $5,000; for a
proposal from an individual,
the ceiling is $1,500. ~

Further information on
funding of projects may. be
obtained from Canadian Com-
mission on the International
Year of the Child, 323 Chapel
St., Ottawa, Ont. KIN 722;
(613) 238-3483.

WORKERS
SHOULD
RETIRE EARLY

Workers should be able to
retire by choice and collect a
government pension at 60-
years-old, Stanley Knowles,
New Democratic house leader
said.

Knowles, a _ long-time
crusader for better pensions
told the Commons those who
are prepared to leave the work
force should be entitled to a
pension. They would also make
room for the youth who are’
eagerly waiting for jobs but
are instead collecting unem-
ployment insurance. — ;

He was speaking during
debate on a motion to provide
pension for those at age 60 and
an increase to $350 a month of
the basic pension payments. —

Currently the basic old age
security and guaranteed an-
nual income supplement total
$304.68 monthly for those 65-
years-old and over. The hour
set aside for the motion ex-
pired before a vote was taken. |