VA re NATO prepares a hot dish for cold war EDITORIAL Get out of NATO now! J ust recently Prime Minister Trudeau made some very sensible observations about the possible revamping of Canada’s foreign policy and our commitments to NATO, which amounts to somewhere in the neighborhood of $142 billion annually for so-called ‘‘defense.”’ : The PM’s reference to a NATO review with a possible cutback of this wasteful and totally useless government spending struck a responsive chord in Canada, but in the current NATO sessions in Brussels, it literally threw these war conspirators into a state of delirium tremors. It was also Said to have ‘‘shocked Washington’, which it must be admitted, takes some doing. E During recent years NATO has been on the decline; a sort of peace-time doldrums in which it was difficult for these war incubators to expand their bloody business, despite all the efforts of Washington and Bonn to fan the fires of war. Then, happily for the NATO war incendiaries, along came ~ the Warsaw Pact intervention to block imperialist intrigues and counter-revolution, aimed at ‘“‘liberating’’ Socialist Czechoslovakia from ‘‘Russian communism’”’! In Brussels, Canada’s Foreign Minister Sharp and Defense Minister Cadeaux responded heroically to the NATO arm- twisting, by assuring that international cartel of _anti- Sovieteers and warmongers that Canada had no intention of ‘pulling out of NATO”’ now or later. ge Meantime while Messrs Sharp and Cadeau were giving out with “‘assurances”’ in Brussels, it is reported over the weekend that Prime Minister Trudeau announced a 20-percent cutback in air division expenditures, plus a warning to the NATO ministers “‘not to over-react’’ to Canada’s decision to review its own foreign policy, NATO, etc. (Under NATO pressures Trudeau’s 20-percent has since been shelved). : At its origin the Communist Party of Canada (the only political party to do so) branded the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as ‘‘a war pact’? pure and simple, designed primarily by U.S., British and French imperialism — with all their ‘“‘Free West” imperialist hangers-on at their dollar-beck-and-call, for continued provocation and war on the Soviet Union. History has more than once borne out the validity of that contention. : Now once again we see these NATO sabre-rattlers in Brussels, donning their flimsy mantle of pretended peace makers’’, twisting the arm of those member nations who desire to cut themselves loose from NATO, or at the very least cut the cost — and the risks of such membership — and “warning’’ the Soviet Union of the ‘‘dire consequences to follow should there be any more ‘‘Czechoslovakias ’, the while berating Canada for even hinting of taking a ‘“‘“new look” at NATO. Reminds one of a covey of scrub chickens cackling at an eagle. Should Prime Minister Trudeau ever put the fate of NATO to a plebiscite of the people, he would find not only overwhelming support for a “‘new look’’ at NATO, but an even greater support to get out of this imperialist war cabal entirely — and save the $12 billion squandered annually for homes, schools, hospitals, medicare and social progress. _ It should also save the Canadian taxpayer the cost of transporting and maintaining an endless stream of ministerial apologists abroad — to NATO and similar gatherings, for the prime purpose of misrepresenting the Canadian people. Sa ~ ~PAGIFIC: FRIBUNE—NOVEMBER 22, -1968—Page2-------+ > +e r-=> c Tribune st edition, Canadian Tribune ee Le Editor—TOM McEWEN Associate Editor—MAURICE RUSH Published weekly at Ford Bidg., Mezzanine No. 3, 193 E. Hastings St., Vancouver 4, B.C. Phone 685-5288. Subscription Rate: Canada, $5.00 one year; $2.75 for six months. North and South America and Commonwealth countries, $6.00 one year. All other countries, $7.00 one year. Authorized as second class mail by the Post Office Department, Ottawa, and for payment of postage in cash. COPE offers alternative | ay program for city voters By ALD. HARRY RANKIN COPE, the Committee of Progressive Electors, is making a bit hit with city voters. That was made clear at the COPE nomination meeting on Thursday, Nov. 14, attended by over 200 enthusiastic members. Six candidates were nominated for Council, three for the School Board and four for the Parks Board. In COPE Vancouver voters have something refreshingly new and different. COPE, in contrast to all other civic groups, has shunned pious generalities and adopted a clear and specific program on the basic problems facing Vancouver by which it can be judged. The COPE program includes: e A new tax deal aimed at taking the load off the home- owner by means of a $4,000 tax exemption on all homes, and a graduated business tax to compel the owners of big industrial and commercial prop- erties to pay a fair share of taxes. e A housing program including the building of 2500 low rental public housing units annually, plus loans at three per cent to enable people to build their own homes on land leased to them by the city at nominal rates. e Rental regulations to protect tenants against unfair practices by landlords. eA low fare rapid transit system to ease traffic congestion and end frazzled rush hour nerves. e Expansion of ‘school facilities, kindergartens and child day care centres. e Extension of parks and beaches; low family rates for the aquarium and planetarium. COPE is coming together of ordinary citizens — home- owners, tenants, trade unionists, youth, senior citizens — all fired with the same purpose. That is to take control at City Hall out of the hands of real estate and other special interests and put it back in the hands of the people, where it belongs. COPE has high calibre candidates representing a good ~ cross section of the people. They include an electrical worker, letter carrier, chef, secretary, trade union research economist, lawyer, doctor and dentist. Their election will change the whole picture at City Hall. In the past progressive Candidates have had trouble beating the NPA but this time it could be different, With the entry of TEAM in to the civic political arena, representing another big business grouping that wants in at City Hall, the formerly strong NPA vote will be split. This gives COPE a good chance to make it. A great deal depends upon turning out a big . vote in the East End of the City Where COPE support is especially strong. ALDERMAN HARRY RANKIN and SCHOOL TRUSTEE JAMES MacFARLAN, are running for re-election in the December 11 civic > election on the COPE slate, Civic candidates named, campaign in full swin More than 200 enthusiastic ‘supporters of COPE — the Committee of Progressive Electors — decided last Thursday to nominate six candidates for city council and four each for school and park boards. Formed earlier this year by trade union, homeowner, tenant and other civic groups, COPE has already announced a progressive program of civic reform which it will carry to the electorate in its fight against the NPA and the new Liberal-front civic organization, TEAM. Meeting in the Rio Hall, 3325 Kingsway, the meeting named candidates who are representative of labor, ratepayers, tenants, professional circles and young people. Included among these are Alderman Harry Rankin and School Trustee James MacFarlan. The aldermanic slate, which is headed by Alderman Rankin, includes Dr. Harry Winrob, a Vancouver physician; Ronald Gomez, of the letter carriers union; Dr. Joe Blumes, a dental surgeon; Mrs. Alice MacKenzie, secretary treasurer of the Central Council of Ratepayers; and Bruce Yorke, initiator and leader of Vancouver’s newly- organized tenants movement, and an economist. The school board nominations, which are headed by School Trustee James MacFarlan, include John Stanton, prom- inent Vancouver lawyer; Garry Onstad, a Burnaby school teach- er; and Mrs. Irene Foulkes, wife of a UBC professor and chairman of the education com- mittee of the local branch’ of the Voice of Women. Endorsed for Parks Board were Donald Greenwell, a prominent community worker in Vancouver East and trade unionist; Lew Crippen, a MAURICE RUSH, PT Gssociate editor, will report on his recent trip to Romania and show color slides in the Clinton Hall, 2605 East Pender St., Sunday, Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. ; hospital worker: Edward Leong, an insurance agent; and Miss Carol-Ann Powe>, a 21-year old Secretary who is active in the youth movement and who will Probably be the youngest Candidate in the upcoming election. Each Candidate briefly addressed the nominating meeting, outlining their views on the major issues in the December 11 election. Ald. Harry Rankin pointed out that the key to success for COPE depended on drawing out a heavy East End vote. He said the Choice in the election was between the “first class policies of COPE” or the “wishy-washy” Policies of TEAM and the “non- Policies”’ of the NPA, School Trustee MacFarlan, who is up for Te-election after Serving a two-year term on the Present Schoo] Board, emphasized the need to fight for new education policies which would compe] senior governments to render greater aid to education. With less than One month to go the COPE Campaign is now underway with printed materials in preparation and with election headquarters Opened at the Labor Temple» !307 W. ne ibe Phone number is 874