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
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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