NDP convention report

@ Continued from page 5

Yale and Towne Corporation
based in the U.S. Al Campbell,
president of UAW Local 27 and
a supporter of the Waffle group
in the NDP moved that the
agenda be amended to adjourn
at noon Thursday so that the
convention could then proceed
to Parliament Hill to demon-
Strate against unemployment
and the Trudeau  govern-

_ ment. The convention supported

Campbell’s motion.

As reported by the resolutions
committee, 467 resolutions were
received by the March 22 dead-
line and about 100 more after
that. date.

What happened to them at
the hands of the NDP right-
wing establishment was reveal-
ed by Mrs. Carol Gudmundson
of Saskatchewan, one of two
contestants for the NDP presi-
dency,* who charged in her
speech that “resolutions from
the riding associations of our
party have been deliberately
distorted by the present leader-
ship.”

Her presidential candidate
speech was made Thursday
afternoon. The following day
she received 565 votes as
against the 885 that elected the
former Ontario NDP leader,
Donald MacDonald as president.
The 39% ofthe votes cast in
that contest for Mrs. Gudmund-
son presaged the 37% vote that
went the next and final day of
the convention to Jim Laxer,
Waffle candidate for NDP lead-
ership, on the fourth and final
ballot of the election won by
David Lewis.

Mrs. Gudmundson was elect-
ed as one of seven’ vice-presi-
dents chosen by the convention.
Her election, and those of Cy
Gonick and Melville Watkins
among the 20 members of the
Council, were the only posts
won by those on the Waffle
slate.

The only major policy resolu-
tion adopted unanimously by
the convention delegates was
entitled “War Measures Act.”
Commending the Council of the
Federal NDP and the. party’s
caucus in the House of Com-
mons for their stand against the
War Measures Act last October,
the resolution condemns use of
the Act “and any exception
legislation restricting the basic
freedom of the citizens.” (See
full text of the resolution in
this issue.)

Three delegates only spoke in
the brief debate on the compo-
site resolution on Plant Shut-
downs. All three protested it
spoke only of what the NDP
would do about plant closures
if and when elected as the gov-
ernment of Canada. “What is
to happen today to the thou-
sands of workers already vic-
tims of shutdowns and the
thousands more sure to be hit
by them?” one delegate asked.
Another declared, “We have
proposed no action whatsoever
until we win a federal elec-
tion.” In spite of the protests,
the resolution passed with lit-
tle opposition.

Brevity of debate, and action
delayed until the NDP is the
government, -characterized the
composite resolution ‘Labor
Rights and Industrial Democra-
cy.” Advancing positive posi-
tions around the need for “a
strong trade union movement
exercising the rights of free col-
lective bargaining,” the resolu-
tion set forth terms of a Labor

Bill of Rights <thatua’New De-s
PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PRIDAY, “APRH 30; 1971-PAGE 6

mocratic government “will pro-
claim.”

One hour on the second tg
last day was assigned by the
convention committee for con-
sideration of a number of ma-
jor resolutions under the head-
ing of Canadian Independence.
Of these, only the resolution on
Natural Resources was discuss-
ed at any length. It was one of
three resolutions around which
the Waffle group and other
forces of the NDP left battled
the party’s right-wing leader-
ship. They contested the basic
premise of the resolution that
public ownership is only one of
the “available and appropriate
means” to increase public in-
vestment. Instead, the anti-NDP
establishment forces argued for
outright “nationalization of
Canadian resource industries.”
Following sharp. challenges of
rulings by the chair, the compo-
site resolution carried.

Already highly charged by
this debate, the convention pro-
ceeded immediately to a climac-
tic confrontation around the
resolution entitled, “Towards a
New Canada,” dealing with the
constitutional crisis. Drafted by
the NDP leadership, the resolu-
tion does not recognize the ex-
istence of two nations in Cana-
da. The Quebec NDP, supported
by the Waffle and other NDP
left forces, argued for “a recog-
nition to Quebeckers of their
absolute right to self-determina-

tion,” and called for a “new al- ©

liance between the two peoples
which make the Canada of to-
day.”

In a standing vote on the mo-
tion, made by Quebec NDP
president Raymond Laliberté to
refer back the original resolu-
tion and to substitute for it the
resolution submitted by the
Quebec NDP, delegates voted
853 against and 423 for referral.
The vote to support the origi-
nal resolution then swiftly car-
ried. Immediately following the
conclusion’ of the convention,
the new NDP leader, David
Lewis admitted in a press con-
ference that this resolution in
fact_provides no policy for his
party on the constitutional
crisis. °

On the fourth and final morn-

_ ing, after a prologed debate on

the “Women in Canada” reso-
lution, bitterly but fruitlessly
contested by many women dele-
gates as “nothing better than
the Liberal party proposes,” the
convention moved to considera-
tion of the resolution on South-
east Asia. After its introduc-
tion by retiring NDP leader T.
C. Douglas and former asso-
ciate president Robert Cliche,
the delegates stood in silence
for one minute. They then
adopted the resolution.

It speaks of “the indefensible
position of the United States in
the war in Southeast Asia,” and
declares that the voice of the
Canadian peoplé “has not been

registered in objection to the
war, because the Canadian gov-
ernment has sought to avoid

‘responsibility by being silent.”

A delegate from Vancouver-
Quadra, Mrs. Hilda Thomas
who attempted to strengthen
the resolution was cut off by
chairman Eamon Park. Inter-
viewed at the microphone, sil-
enced by the chair’s
Mrs. Thomas said she had want-
ed the convention to condemn
the U.S. aggression against the
peoples of Indochina and to de-
nounce Nixon’s Vietnamization
policy. She felt deeply that the
resolution should have called
for an immediate embargo of
all Canadian arms to the USS.,
and for immediate and uncon-
ditional withdrawal of all U.S.
forces from Indochina.

Although the resolution failed
to do these things, Mr. Douglas
did so later..At the luncheon
break, several hundred dele-
gates gathered on the steps of
the Civic Centre to express
their solidarity with Ottawa
peace demonstrators who were
to march from there to Parlia-
ment Hill. Addressing them on
behalf of the convention, Mr.
Douglas declared, “There is
only one way to settle the war
in Southeast Asia and that is
for the U.S. to get out and to
get out now! No Vietnamiza-
tion, no gradual withdrawals—
but just get out and let the peo-
ples of Vietnam, of Laos and
Cambodia settle their own
affairs.”

This was Tommy Douglas’
last speech as NDP leader.

Amchitka test

“TheU.S. decision to proceed
this coming October with huge
H.-Bomb tests at Amchitka
Island in the Gulf of Alaska
bordering on British Columbia,
despite widespread protests from
Canada, Japan and other count-
ries, is a colossal piece of ar-

.rogance endangering Canadian

life and property,” declares a
statement adopted at the Cent-
ral Committee meeting of the
Communist Party.

“Pacific coast cities and com-
munities have good reason to
remember the tragic Alberni
tidal wave caused by a minor
earthquake a few years ago. The
projected tests are to be con-
ducted in one of the world’s
most dangerous earthquake
zones where faults in the earth’s
crust are a constant source of
concern.”

Operation “Cannikan”, as the
test is to be known, is to be of
five megaton strength — the
equivalent of five million tons
of TNT, and five times the force
of the previous 1969 test con-
ducted in the same area.

The Communist Party urges
the Canadian government to
strengthen its demands that the
Amchitka tests be stopped.

ry

Photo shows the thick pall of sulphur dioxide and other poisonous gases
which pour out of Standard Oil’s refinery in Richmond, Calif. Similar
pollution will cover the U.S.-B.G. border area if the much larger
refineries. now being built and planned at Cherry Point, near Blaine.

ruling, ©

NDP farm

delegate

question resolution

OTTAWA —. Entitled “R-1,
Agriculture”, a composite reso-
lution covering 15 other resolu-
tions was introduced on _ the
morning of the first day of the
NDP convention held here April
21-24. With its introduction, the
resolution committee announced
that a second resolution, “Agri-
culture and Forestry” submitted
by the Quebec NDP, would come
up later in the four-day proceed-
ings.

“R-]” had a rough passage. On
its first appearance it was
passed after very brief consider-
ation. This was in spite of the
efforts of a number of delegates
who wanted it referred back and
a resolution on agriculture from
the Saskatchewan NDY substi-
tuted for it.

There were strong objections
to chairman Eamon Park’s han-
dling of the defeated referral
motion and of his efforts to
stampede the vote on “R-1” it-
self’ A woman farm delegate
challenged the chair, and only
a close vote sustained it.

At that point, and just as the
Quebec “Agriculture and Forest-
ry” resolution was to be intro-
duced, an elderly farmer from
The Pas movingly protested that
he had come a long way to the
convention and refused not to

have the opportunity to te
delegates of the terrible P’
farmers. His protest rest
a motion to reconsider
agricultural debate. @
requiring a two-third ™
It carried, with the decis!
agriculture must come ¥
at the next plenary sessi
This was Thursday ™
Delegates who spoke let
emphasis on the fight
the family farm. Differ?
opinion appeared ang
farm delegates. A Nn
delegate said, “Gene
is good, and if I were”
berta I’d tend to supp? eg
as I’m from the east, 1¥
say the resolution ma d
ference to the food indu
A beef farmer suppor
A Saskatchewan fi
flected the general [26
the farm delegates. te ff
farm problem “goes right
the country”, he sav’
nion that “there are
this convention rite
se quickly of thlp |”
eal Sctolation! which a
and not precise enovg™
The convention V
tion of R-1 and they,
debate, carried the ee
resolution on Agricl

- Forestry.

Tell Nixon end war M1?

@ Continued from page 5
proportions. Thousands came
from New York City but thous-
ands more came from the Mid-
west. It was in the ranks of
labor that vast numbers of black
and brown peace fighters were
to be seen.

The contingent of union gov-
ernment workers stretched for
two blocks 30 abreast. Hospital
workers, mostly black women, in
their blue paper caps marched
more than a thousand strong
singing, ‘Amen, Amen, Amen.”
The National Council of Distri-
butive Workers (District 65)
added hundreds more. A throng
of Chicano workers marched
under a banner which declared,
“UFWOC-AFL-CIO,” — the ini-
tials are those of the farmwork-
ers’ union.

Thousands of welfare recipi-
ents marched under a huge ban-
ner that read, “6,500 or fight.”

Other contingents were identi-
fied by geographical area. A
green velvet banner proclaimed
“Brattleboro, Vermont,’ and
close behind it came another
“Bloomington, Indiana.”

One avenue-wide banner said,
“U.S. Navy Seabees For Peace.”

Rally organizers put the size
of the crowd at 500,000.

The demonstration was easily
twice the size of the November
1969 march of 300,000. When
added to the demonstrators who
flooded San Francisco the same
day, estimated as high as 500,-
000 it is clear as many as a mil-
lion protested against President
Nixon’s war.

Hundreds of Communist Party
members and youths of the
Young Workers Liberation Lea-
gue surged past chanting, “Nix-
on in, Angela out.”

Their vermillion banner read
“Communist Party of Illinois”
and “Communist Party of New
York State.’ But a banner
which read ‘Tennessee Com-
munist Party” created a sensa-
tion among spectators and fel-

-, low marchers. <Right-on to the _

&

CP of Tennessee,” ont
remarked. “I didn’t ei
was one,” his compan

A YWLL sign $2!
Brass and Nixon TO?)
other said “Que Me
co libre,” (Free Puch

The crowd listené ‘aa
ers at the rally 9);
blooming azaleas 4
trees. Peter, Paul am in(
“It’s blowin’ in ne j
wind arose from i
and sent boiling ¢l2
over the people.
gathered over the

Rep. Bella Abzus \_
to laughter and ¢ ee Es (
like everybody is hé He’
cept Richard NixOD “4
treat at Camp Dav! “ric!
treat from the A®

ple.” vies
She lashed Pres
for prolonging vg |
90,000 New York Cll
face layoffs, th
welfare crisis, 2
health costs soar. 5 v
Harold GibboP>» oni
dent of the Interna sa
therhood of Teamst e |
must now turn tO ©
for a final solution
nam war, not the
Black congressine
yers (D.-Mich.) 59
demonstration !
end the war. “Un
late this into P®
this will be anol
an empty Capitol.
must go!” He cre
roared its approv” | jf
Mrs. Coretta
cused President
“strengthening

I"

the war. She demi ;
troops be withdra g, 19
china by August 74
versary of het 4 gm
band’s “I have 4

“Let us declar? tar
is over. Let us Cag
war on poverty: © ;
pression is in for ole