_ The. national issue In place of Leslie Morris’ regular weekly column in this space we are publishing excerpts from a televis- sion broadcast he delivered on Feb} 11 in Port Arthur. ® This national crisis is at bottom a crisis of our national existence as an independent country. For years the Com- munist Party has been saying that our country has been sold to the United States, economically, diplomatically and mili- tarily. It was the Liberal and fory govern- ments who permitted this to happen. They had full authority to prevent it had they been so minded. But they were not. Now the chickens are coming home to roost. We are seeing that the surrender of our SOv- ereignty to the USA because of a mythical “threat” from the Soviet Union, has brought us not security, but insecurity. If we do not use this election to stiffen our og ; feelings of national independence, we Shall not be able to call our soul our own. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was set up in the first place by the United States, with ‘he help of the Lib- eral government at that time, not to protcct Canaca, but 10 ‘serve the interests of United States imperialism. Now NATO is falling vo pieces, because President Kenzedy is getting tough and ceniandiag more military etfort by the NATO countries While the NATO countries, including Canada, a.e coming to see that the whole thing is a hoax, designed ‘wv protect the interests of the big U.S. monopolies. NATO cannot defend Canada in any case. No country 1s defensible these days, now that the intercontinental ballistic missile can fly above frontiers and evade all known methods of defense. 4 What defense is there against this except the destruction of all nuclear weapons? The armaments race must end — or the human race will destroy itself. That is the truth, as Walter Reuther of the Uniteq Auto Workers union told his members the other day. * * * Why does the U.S. insist that we put warheads in the Bomarcs, with their paltry 400-mile range and usetul only against manned bombers? Because this will defend the USA? No. They do it to bring Canada to heel — politically and diplo- Matically, ; President de Gaulle of France has thumbed his nose at the U.S. generals and President Kennedy. Britain, under the Macmillan government, has been given the treatment and a great rhovement against the U.S. policies is arising there. SO much so, that political observers who are not Tory time: Servers agree that the Labor Party will defeat the Tories in the next election. The U.S. plans to invade Cuba and smash the gerbani Re- Public were thwarted by the actions of the Soviet Union. The US. government has not been able to blow berlin up into another war crisis because of the peace policies of the Soviet Union and East Germany, and the unpopularity of the idea Of dying to save Berlin for the West German generals who Not long ago wore Nazi uniforms. * * * The U.S. policy of bullying other people and interfering in their domesic affairs, is getting a beating. And in the Un- ited States itself public opinion is rising against this policy: of “‘brinkmanship.” But the Pentagon and the great American trusts who rule the United States will not give up without a fierce struggle, hence, when Canada, with its small population and its cel ican-owned economy lets 13 years go by without allowing fara : ‘ iti in the €rican nuclear weapons to be placed on its territiry or 1n ands of its troops and airforce, the U.S. BQVPOURE aes angry. It puts on the screws. It finds friends for its policy anada, notably now in the Liberal leaders. And so it precl- Pitates an election, hoping that the government that is elected Pentagon and the °n April 8, will be more friendly to the tate Department. * * * Thus the issue in this election is whether we shall put anada first, or the interests of the Untied States first. hther we shall be masters in our own house, or servants In Sur own house. Whether we shall run our country’s affairs, or have them run for us. ees My party, the Communist Party, stands for Canadian in- dependence, for peace, for disarmament, for peaceful oot Istence. We have fought for these policies since the end o World War Two. We are running candidates across GeradA 1 the hope that the labor movement and the New Bone the arty will pick up this great national issue, and go to People on it, and stop side-stepping it, as they now do. We hope the NDP will come out fighting, for Canada, for : €, for new national policies, because we know the time 'S coming when we must have a labor government in Canada, €nd that neither the Tories or Liberals can be trusted with Peace © destiny of our country. z 2 Bs * * Last October we all breathed a sigh of relief be eS it Khrushchev agreed to remove rockets from Cub 3 Urn for a pledge from President Kennedy not to invade CuR® ©u will remember that fateful Sunday, Oct. 28, when we Were on the brink of thermonuclear war. What Is good for Uba is Zood for Canada. Why should we now allow nuclear Weapons to be forced on us by the American | Sly a few months ago we all greeted the remov “Weapons from Cuba? al of nuclear generals, when > “LABOR ROUNDUP: Pulp local breaks away; seamen called by Norris The Crofton local of the In- ternational Pulp & Sulphite workers union has voted ta break away from its parent body. In a_ recent vote, in which 98.6 percent of the 300 members of the local partici- pated, over 85 percent favor- ed the breakaway move. In addition to this develop- ment, it has been reported that the Prince Rupert local has also gone on record as favoring a relationship with the international which would guarantee the Cana- dian section more autonomy over their own affairs. The Crofton workers have gone so far as to apply to the B.C. Labor Relations Board to have the union de-certified; the international has replied by placing the local under R. FORTIER arbitration on the men. ends on March 31! GREATER VANCOUVER | Prince Rupert 15 3 Quotas Achiev. = Sointula ____ _ 30 3 = Subs P/S Subs P/S _ Steveston ___. 15 4 i = Club - rail-Rossland _ 95 10 22 ; % Advance _-.. 50 20 See: Correspon. __ 30 3 6 Bill Bennett . 100 20 11 5 Prov. Mise. . 125 5 21 * Broadway --- 140 35 19 5 VANCOUVER ISLAND : = Dry Dock _.-- 55° 20 7 2 Albertix: = 55 60 5 4% Frank Rogers — 35 20 3 2 Campbell River 35 4 3 BS ss Georgia ___-- 20 15 4 5 Cumberland __ 60 18 i Kingsway -- 75 18 6 Cowichan __. 55 15 Niilo Makela _ 20 2 2 Nanaimo ____ 100 = 125 12 22 Spinco 40 6 Parksville ___ 22 4 5 = Point Grey -. 30 20 1 7 Mactoria: =. =" Fo 50 4 3 Vane East. 250 120° 30. 50°: -* Saanich --_-- $0 = 15 11 % Vance. South __ 90 35 8 5 DEWDNEY = Victory Square 65 12 > 1 Haney-Map. Rg. 55 5 2 = West End -..- 65 12 = 1 Mitch. Hill --- 26 3 * North Burnaby 130 55s 4 Mission _____ 20 4 2 * Edmunds __.... 65 35 33 3 OKANAGAN = North Shore __ 135 . 20 3 Kamloops __ 40 3 1 City Misc. ___- 75 300 95250 Vernon: 22 ~ 33 5 City Totals __ 1365 733 138 146 DELTA Ft. Langley __ 50 5 6 PROVINCE GENERAL Ladner: == =~. 20 3 Z Quotas Achiev. New West. ___ 85 30 11 5 Subs P/S Subs P/S South Surrey 40 5 1 Club purrey, 22. 125 50: 2 3 Fernie-Michel 20 5 6 Prov. Totals 1330 451 120 39 Nelson --.--- 25 14 2 City Totals _ 13865 733 138 146 45 : Powell River ALL LABOR MOURNS THEM J. FORTIER These are the three workers who were brutally killed on a Northern Ontario picket line during the recent bushworkers’ strike. The 33-day strike of 1,500 bush- workers ended recently with all questions in dispute referred to an arbitration board. Union leaders strongly condemned the Ontario government's pressure to force trusteeship and freezing all its assets. Indications are that the battle for autonomy within the framework of the inter- national organization is con- tinuing, with the top leader- ship below the 49th parallel realizing that they have a tiger by the tail. So far, how- ever, no announcement~ on this question has been made. The union represents ap- proximately 6,000 workers in the pulp and paper industry in the province, with the total Canadian membership stand- ing at about 35,000—most of it in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes. @ The Canadian Merchant Seamen-Veterans’ Association has been invited by Mr. Jus- tice Norris to appear before F. DROUIN At the end of every month the PT will publish the table 2 = below, showing just where each press club stands in relation = = to its annual circulation objective. Check your club standing and what progress it is mak- ing towards the quarterly objective set earlier. First quarter Grand Totals 2695 his Royal Commission, which is investigating activities of the SIU and Hal Banks. The CMSVA, with mem- bers from the Atlantic to the Pacific, is comprised mainly of those seamen who manned the Park Steamships Fleet and sailed the convoys of World War II. They were the original organizers of the trade unions of the Canadian waterfront and shipping in- dustry and became the first victims of the Banks mach- ine and the notorious DNS list of the SIU. Over 100 members of the CMSVA met in Toronto re- cently and decided to ask the Norris Commission to: @ Consider the question of reintatement to the industry of all qualified seamen, with- out regard to the Banks’ blacklist; @ Deport Banks immed- iately; ®@ Recommend that all Canadian seamen be given the right to freely choose their own trade union repre- sentation; @ Recommend to the Can- adian government that it give immediate and serious con- sideration to the rebuilding of the Canadian merchant: fleet and the adoption of leg- islation requiring that Cana- dian crews be carried on all Canadian-owned vessels, irre- spective of the flags worn by such vessels. The CMSVA is circulariz- ing a letter to all former sea- men, inviting them to pass on any information which might be of value to the as- sociation in presenting its