BRITISH COLUMBIA

‘Raise welfare ra te, ’
say Expo protestors

Angered over the expenditure of,
$500,000 for opening-day: cermonies of the
Expo 86 preview centre, welfare rights and
unemployment activists met crowds out-
side the main gate of the megaproject May
2 with a demand that welfare rates be
raised to the poverty level.

Organized by End Legislated Poverty, a
coalition of more than 20 B.C. groups, the
demonstration of some 100 individuals
handed copies of a statement to fair-goers
asking their support for the demand.

The statement told attenders, “We hope
you have a good time today at Expo. But
when you get home, please write to Pre-
mier Bennett...Urge him to raise social
assistance rates to the poverty line.”

The group hit the Socred government's
priorities that allowed a half-million dollar
expenditure on the opening cermonies,
and Bennett’s attendance at the affair
while the legislature is discussing estimates
for this year’s Human Resources Ministry
budget.

“While Premier Bennett is here for the
party that opens Expo, the legislature is
debating the fate of B.C.’s poorest
people — the 237,000 People dependent

on social assistance,”
charged.

the statement

“It’s incredible,” said spokesman Sue
Harris, “That preview centre cost — mil-

lion and we’ve got tens of thousands of
British Columbians living well below the
poverty line. Bennett should be in the
House today talking about the welfare
budget.”

End Legislated Poverty, one of three
coalitions active on the question of pov-
erty and unemployment, says welfare
payments should match the level of
income deemed necessary for survival in
today’s economic situation. The United
Way and other social service agencies cal-
culate a single person requires $9,500
yearly.

The B.C. Conference of the United
Church, the B.C. Teachers Federation, the
B.C. Association of Social Workers and
the Solidarity Coalition are leading
members of End Legislated Poverty.

ELP members have been making the
rounds of municipal councils, schools
boards and other groups asking support
for a resolution calling for welfare pay-
ments to be raised to the poverty level.
And, the groups state, many of those
organizations support the demand.

“We've received letters of support from
more than 80 civic governments, trade
unions, women’s groups and church
organizations,” said Harris.

ELP points out that an increase in
GAIN rates would, under federal-

EXPO 86 opening. .

provincial agreements, be matched by
Ottawa, which “would increase consumer
purchasing power and create jobs, some-
thing the government hasn’t been able to
do. .

Backed by those groups, End Legis-
lated Poverty leaders requested a meeting
with Human Resources Minister Grace
McCarthy. The minister, citing a “heavily
committed schedule,” refused.

“T and the entire government have been
working hard for all citizens, balancing as
well as possible the province’s revenue
with the numerous needs that literally
require billions of dollars,” wrote McCar-
thy in a reply. °

Harris said the “billions of dollars”
going into costly megaprojects such as

.fairgoers reminded of B.C. poverty.

Expo are precisely the problem.

She said it is “incredible” that Socreds
such as McCarthy brag that the govern-
ment supports more people on welfare
than ever before, while its policies have
created vast numbers of jobless. The
human resources budget will likely be
increased this year, but GAIN rates will
remain frozen as they have for the past
three years, she said.

The government is talking about a
budget of some $887 million, while Expo’s
budget, with the project far from comple-
tion has so far totalled $802 million, Har-
ris pointed out.

“Tt seems welfare payments can always
be frozen, but the Expo budget can
expand indefinitely,” she said.

- COPE demands: No deals with apartheid ©

Canadians along with people all over the
world are appalled at the cruel treatment
~ and vicious suppression of the black major-
ity in South Africa by the apartheid dicta-
torship.

Blacks are regarded and treated as slaves,
wages are miserably low, social programs
are absent, workers that are needed for
South Africa’s factories and mines are
herded into barracks that are little better
than internment camps and allowed out to
see their families only once a year. Those
not needed by their rich white masters are
herded into reservations on arid lands far
away from the cities where there is no indus-
try and no work.

The blacks of South Africa are fighting
bravely against these racist and inhuman
policies. Every protest is met with bullets,
torture and imprisonment. The blacks want

only the right to live as human beings in -

their own country in which they are the big

Harry
Rankin

majority. They are appealing to the people
of the world to support them and to have

nothing to do with the apartheid dictator-:

The United Nations has come out
strongly against apartheid and in support of
the black people of South Africa. In a spe-
cial resolution it condemned the policy of
apartheid “which deprives the majority of
the South African population of their citi-
zenship, fundamental freedoms and human
rights;” it condemned the “killings, arbi-
trary arrests and the detention of members
of mass organizations for opposing apar-
theid;” and it condemned the “overt and
covert aggressive actions of South Africa
directed at the destabilization of neighbor-
ing states.” _

The United Nations appealed to all
member states to end all loans to South
Africa, to end all trade with this racist state,

_ 2 e PACIFIC TRIBUNE, MAY 8, 1985

to implement sanctions against and a boy-
cott of all goods from South Africa. The
United Nations reaffirmed its full support
for the “total eradication of apartheid and
for the establishment of a non-racial demo-
cratic society in which all the people, irres-
pective of race, color or creed, enjoy human
rights and fundamental freedoms.” It called
for “the release without conditions of Nel-
son Mandela and all other political prison-
ers and detainees” and for the granting of
“full trade union rights to all workers of
South Africa.”

Canada voted for this resolution in the
United Nations but scores of Canadian
companies are still doing and are still
allowed to do business with South Africa.
The Social Credit government of B.C. has
always had a close affinity with the apar-
theid dictatorship and has encouraged trade
with and imports from South Africa.

One example is its continuing import of

liquor from South Africa which it sells in
government liquor board stores despite the
protest-of the people of B.C. South African
imports into B.C. include silver and lead in
ores and concentrates, nickel alloy scrap,
steel, canned fruit and liquor. Exports to
South Africa from B.C. include wood, pulp,
sulphur, potash, canned and fresh salmon,
cherries, softwood lumber and metals in

bres and concentrates: At least 20 compan-

ies in the Greater Vancouver region are
involved in this blood-money trade.

Last fall the Edinburgh district council of
Edinburgh, Scotland, passed a motion
informing all concerned that it had ceased
“to invest city funds in companies and
organizations whose names appear on the
United Nations ‘blacklist’ as having finan-
cial investments in South Africa.”

It urged “our sister cities to consider join-
ing Edinburgh by adopting a similar policy

as a positive step in helping the black major-

- ity in South Africa in their struggle against

the apartheid policies of the white South
African government.”

A copy of this resolution was sent to
Mayor Michael Harcourt with the hope
that Vancouver would take similar action.

The Vancouver branch of the Southern
Africa Action Coalition is urging Van-
couver city council to adopt a “disinvest-

Tribune office.

Tribune’s 50 years.

as our goal in 1985. .

We’re counting on you.

Midway — and $30,000

With this edition of the Tribune we find ourselves at the midway
mark in the financial drive — but a long way from the midway mark in
terms of achievement. At this point $30,000 has been. turned in to the

It doesn’t take a mathematician to realize that we must step up our
efforts if we are to acomplish our objective — ~ $2, 000 for each of the

It was 40 years ago today — May 8, 1945 — that the most deadly
war in history was brought to a close. World War II took 50 million
lives, and for our Soviet ally in that war it meant 20 million deaths.

The People’s Advocate (forerunner of the Pacific Tribune) covered
those solemn days of war and death, honoring with praise and gratitude
the heroic men and women who defeated Hitler’s fascism. The pages of
the People’s Advocate greeted the future with a vow of vigilance in
defence of world peace and human progress.

As we mark the 40th anniversary of the victory over fascism the
Tribune is committed to the peace movement as a voice for detente and
the end to Star Wars; for international solidarity and a stop to U.S.
intervention; as a voice against apartheid and for freedom in South
Africa; as a defender of human rights and equality in our own country.

In order to keep this voice “‘alive and well” and to make the Tribune
an even stronger voice for peace and freedom, we've targetted $100,000

For a successful drive to be celebrated at our Victory Banquet, June
22 — the tempo cannot lag — we must go after every dollar. From
here on in, the pace should be $1,500 per day.

ment” resolution. It will be coming up in”
council soon. It has the full support of the
COPE aldermen and I am sure it will be —
supported also by the entire trade union
movement and all groups that believe in
simple human justice.

Be ne

I challenge the NPA and TEAM alder-_
men to support such a resolution when it@
comes up.

suid cent cas