By NIGEL MORGAN

The political situation in this
province has reached an important
watershed. The provincial con-
vention of the NDP in Kamloops
next weekend is going to have an
important bearing on which way it
will turn — for better or worse.

The gang-up by right wing
reaction cannot be ignored. The
drastic effects of inflation, shor-
tages and substantial unem-
ployment are now giving way to
ever-greater economic
deterioration.

B.C.’s__ primary industry,
lumber — from which, directly or
indirectly 50 cents of every dollar
of production originates — is
confronted with layoffs that have
left an estimated 8,000 out of 28,000
woodworkers jobless.

The general crisis of capitalism
is becoming acute while the major
corporations are pressing their
offensive against the living
Standards of the people. The
mining companies, the insurance
firms, the land developers and the
real estate speculators have
launched lavishly-financed
campaigns throughout the mass
media they control in an attempt to
force the NDP government to
retreat.

The results of the July federal
election clearly indicated a sharp
turn right in this province — more
so than in any other province.
Voters in several traditionally
Liberal constituencies moved over
to the Tories while a number of
NDP strongholds were captured by
the Liberals. The loss of nine of 11
NDP seats in the federal house
(particularly Vancouver East and
Kingsway which had been CCF or
NDP from their inception), and a
drop of more than 100,000 votes by
comparison with 1972, provide
ample reason for a cool, objective
reassessment of the -NDP’s
position — and future direction.

Significantly, while the NDP
popular vote fell only 2.5 per cent
nationally, it fell a whopping 12 per
cent in B.C. In Saskatchewan, it
fell 4.7 per cent, In Ontario, 2.5 per

* cent-and only one per cent in

Manitoba and Alberta. It shows
that considerably less than half of
the losses in this province can be
attributed to the “balance of power
Squeeze”’ and the shift of votes to
the Liberals, prompted by the need
to defeat Stanfield’s wage and
price freeze. Undoubtedly, David
Lewis’ ill-considered advice to
labor to “‘go easy’’ — in the face of
unprecedented big business
profiteering — cost NDP can-
didates many votes and Lewis

himself his seat and the party -

leadership.
S

The recent prediction of former
NDP provincial secretary Hans
Brown that ‘if a provincial elec-
tion were held tomorrow, the

results would be Social Credit, 49 .

per cent; NDP, 40 per cent;
Liberal, 11 per cent . . . and “if we
turned the backlash around, the
results would look like this: NDP,
46 per cent; Social Credit, 45 per
cent; and Liberal,9 per cent’’, is a
sobering prognostication indeed.

Seeking an answer to the sub-
stantial losses, Brown
acknowledges, ‘‘our government’s
public relations are bad. Good
legislation is going relatively
unnoticed, unexplained and
unappreciated. We are losing
marginal, but critical chunks of
support. More important, our
organization is becoming run down
-.. the trade union movement, in
the main stands at arm’s | :
Our vote dropped as badly as it did

length.’ party and

— way out of proportion to the
national trend — because we didn’t
have the troops to get out the vote,
to check on Liberal slippage, to
check the backlash, to check the
abstention rate.”

These, of course, are but the
surface expression of the real,
underlying problems — a certain
disappointment and disillusion-
ment over policy and questions of
program. Yet, despite this, the
point has to be made, in any ob-
jective review of two years of NDP
government, that the defeat of the

Socreds brought an end to the.

arrogant anti-labor bias that had
characterized that government for
two decades.

&
The NDP government has a
number of progressive

achievements to its credit: Min-
come for pensioners, certain
education reforms and repeal of
the worst features of the Socred
anti-labor legislation; government
takeover of auto insurance, the
takeover of Ocean Falls which was
faced with closure, increased
return on natural resources and
the granting of bargaining rights
for government employees. 4
~ Still, on a number of other im-
portant issues — repeal of the sales

tax and the implementation of the -

election promises on removal of
education taxes from the home and
family farm, government takeover
of the telephone utility, elimination
of all vestiges of compulsion in
labor relations and tenants’ rights
legislation — the government has a
long way yet to go — or has backed
off completely.

Unfortunately, the government
in Victoria has stopped short of
measures that would have come to
grips with the real centres of
wealth in this province and brought
about a genuine redistribution of
that wealth.

These are the things that have
disappointed many NDP members
and supporters and have caused
the trade union movement to
“stand at arm’s length’. They
must be overcome in order to
create a new, broad alliance of
democratic forces needed to turn
the tide against the mining and
insurance companies and the land
speculators to defeat their openly-
advertised campaign to discredit
and-finally oust the NDP.

The lack of substance ’ in
Barrett’s budget, the continued use
of injunctions in labor disputes and
the proclamation of other
iniquitous sections of the Labor
Code, the backtracking on tenants’
rights legislation and the govern-
ment’s failure to speak out against
the lack of federal action on in-
flation and unemployment: these
are the issues which the Labor Day
convention must raise if
a turn is to be made. These are the
issues that lie at the heart of labor
and democratic unity — needed so
urgently today to halt monopoly’s
offensive.

Increasingly, reactionary right
wing forces are coming together.
Even though the much-vaunted
Unity Party was stillborn, the
growing clamor for unity of right
wing political forces aimed at
defeating the NDP and instituting
a government which will faithfully
carry out their orders, is a serious
threat. Considerable sums of
money are being used to refurbish
the Social Credit organization.
Provincially, the Socreds have

made some obvious gains. Three of
the five Liberal MLAs are
reportedly ready to desert their
the Conservative
president, as well as some sections

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY , AUGUST 30, 1974—PAGE 12

tT

NDP PROVINCIAL CONVENTION in November, 1973,
to Kamlodéps, but many of the same issues will hold the attention of delegates.

of the Tory organization, have also
moved over to Social Credit.

For the working people of this
province, divisions have been, and
remain, the major stumbling block
on the road to consolidation of the
notable victory achieved in
August, 1972.

Experience accumulated by the

working class movement over the
years proves that unity in action is
vitally necessary. Differences in
long term objectives and dif-
ferences in views cannot be
allowed to stand in the way of that
unity in action in support of the
urgent needs and interests of the
people. The same unity is im-

t the Vancouver Hotel. This year the parl

perative if working people
counter the massive x
campaign aimed at 7 ?
the voters into a politica
— and disaster.
The eyes of British cole
be on the NDP Be:
weekend, Much will de.
what the delegates de¢!

The Toronto Chilean Association,
an organization of exiled Chileans
living in Canada, has published a
newsletter in which they state
“three fundamental things
characterize the situation in
Chile’.

“First, the military junta is
attempting to carry through an

economic program which consists’

of banishing every piece of
Socialism, and at the same time
developing a dependent
capitalism,” the Chilean editorial]
States. “They are encouraging a
free market economy to stimulate
the different sections of the
bourgeoisie to invest and produce.
Nevertheless, the junta wants to
attract an enormous amount of
foreign investment, mainly North
American.

If the junta succeeds, Chile
would again be a country com-
pletely dominated by the
multinational corporations.” The
editorial goes on to Say that a new
constitution and legal System are
being formulated to aid the
development of the economic
program.

“Secondly,” the statement
continues, ‘‘the junta is en-
countering a considerable amount
of difficulty. Chile has a long
tradition of democracy which can
not disappear through the
irrational use of physical for-
CO.

“The middle classes which did
not fully understand the purpose of
social justice of Popular Unity are
now suffering economic, political

and moral pressures, a situation
which brings them against the
junta. Even the _ Christian
Democratic Party, which had an
important responsibility in over-
throwing of the constitutional
government, is now in opposition to
the armed forces. Many of its
leaders, militants and sym-
pathizers have been persecuted,
imprisoned or dismissed.

“Furthermore not all sections of
the armed forces support fascism
and repression.

“Together with the international
rejection of the junta and US.
difficulties which prohibit large
scale economic aid, these factors
amount to an unstable situation
within the country.

The third characteristic, say the
Chileans, is that “‘the parties of
Popular Unity have maintained the
integrity of their organizations. It
must be kept in mind that their
militants and sympathizers were
almost 50% of the population. This

percentage has increased enor-

mously with all the people who
reject the junta, although they
were against the PU.

“The formation of an anti-fascist
united front is a fact which is
permitting the increase of unity

and solidarity. Many social and.

political sectors which were op-
posed to Allende’s government are
now participating in this front. ’

“The junta thus, in spite of its
repressive force, has a very dif-
ficult task, and the possibility of

sey

overthrowing it depe? will
‘achieving of a stron
ween all the social se¢ tice.
for progress, met
socialism,” the st@ i
cludes. ; a

For up-to-date infor you
developments in chile, °
subscribe to “Venc
Chilean newsletter, fool 5
Write to: Box 931, Po
Toronto.

last week announ
in its executive
governing body of
The changes will
elections are held 4
convention. stall, wh
John Squire, Ri tore
and Department of fou
assumes the position |
president, vacate rl.
Bill Stewart in APP.
‘formerly fifth viceT ye
Government EMP
president John re
post vacated, 1 a we
Two other veces nav
executive councl e
filled by the appoints
Thurber of the M “Bob.
the BCGEU and
president 0
Telephone Work

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