Which column do you read?

These two reports, one sent from London by Reuters, the other

from Washington by Associated Press,

appeared on the front page

of a Canadian daily paper in adjoining columns of the same edition.

WELL, ISN’T IT TRUE?

Soviet encyclopedia:
16 pages onCanada

«REUTERS story from Moscow

reprinted in our dailies,
sneers at the 16-page section on
Canada in the Great Soviet En-
cyclopedia, implying that there
are inaccuracies in it,” writes the
Canadian Ukrainian. «“We would
be the first to defend our country
against misrepresentation, but the
list furnished by Reuters doesn’t
make out any such case.” Deal-
ing with the point in the Encyclo-
pedia cited by Reuters, the Uk-
rainian Canadian adds it own
comment:

@ That the rights of Cana-
gians are “grossly broken by
police repression mainly against
workers and progressives.”

Haven't they heard of the Pad-
lock Law in Quebec? Of police
and judicial attacks on striking
seamen, textile workers in Val-
leyfield, electrical workers in
Hamilton? Of the internment
of workers’ leaders during the
war and seizure of the Ukrainian
Labor Temples?

@ “Included in the British
Empire, Canada is in fact in con-
siderably greater dependence on
the monopolists of the United
State.”

Well? Isn’t it true? Aren’t Can-
adians in all walk of life saying
exactly that? ;

@ “The system of government>

reproduces the most reactionary
features of the state order of the
United States and England.”

Why, we haven't even got 2
Canadian Bill of Rights! And as
for Bill 7....-

@ “The Canadian Senate is a
most reactionary institution con-
sisting of representatives of big
capital.”

People’s Voice, Auckland, N.Z.
“There I wuz! Prizner of war!
Fed within an inch of my life!
Torchered with book readin’!
Surrounded by convoited G.L.’s!”

“Nurse, we’re going t
to fill this guy’s Seeth ance
the nose. He’s one of those writ-

ers who’s afraid t
mouth.” a

Isn‘t it?) Not only the labor
movement, but the CCF and Lib-
erals have long demanded that it
be reformed or disbanded.

@ “Election rights are based
on racial, religious and property
discrimination.”

Do Canadian Indians have the
vote? Or Doukhobors? Aren't
only property owners and, not
everywhere, apartment renters,
permitted to vote in municipal
elections?

@ “Very often most import-
ant state decisions are taken by
the Canadian prime minister and
cabinet without prior consulta-
tion with the House of Commons,
which lates gives them formal
sanction.”

Didn't they ever hear of gov-
ernment by order-in-council, not
only in wartime, but right now?
More than that, wasn’t there a
scandal at the last session of par-
liament when the government re-
ported that it had passed an
order-in-council which it refused
to divulge even to the House of
Commons—it still stands, a law
which is secret from everyone,
even from parliament!

@ Reuters objects to two of
the ten pictures included in the
write-up: one showing a slum in
Quebec City, and the other a
breadline at Scott Mission in To-
ronto.

Heck, you can see bigger slums
than that in Montreal, Toronto
and many another Canadian city.
And as to the breadline picture
it appeared in a Toronto daily
newspaper, and you can get a
hundred like it any day in the
week all over Canada.

So we have no choice but to

conclude: sad, but true.

BY WILLIAM KASHTAN

Bill 7 designed to smash labor

defense of jobs, living

ILL 93, as it was previously

known and now Bill 7 will be
debated by the present session
of the House of Commons. In
fact, it has already been given
first reading. But the Speech
from the ‘Throne made no
mention of increasing layoffs
in a number of industries al-
though one would think layoffs
are a matter of national concern,
requiring national action, Neither
is there any mention of the need
for a Bill of Rights, although the
overwhelming majority of Cana-
dian public opinion favors it.

These omissions are not acci-
dental.

With growing layoffs and at-
tacks on living standards on one
hand and the inevitable opposi-
tion of the working class, the
trade union movement and the
people on the other, the govern-
ment needs legislation on the
statute books to effectively smash
this opposition.

This is one of the ways reac-
tionary big business and govern-
ment plan to meet the depres-
sion—if they can get away with
it!

It is up to organized labor to
prevent it.

Strong opposition of all sec-
tions of the labor movement last
year prevented the government’s
plans from going through. It
delayed the government’s time

table but didn’t put it out of com-
mission.

There may now be a feeling
that having expressed opposition
to the anti-labor sections of the
pill, there is very little else that
can be done. Such a viewpoint,
if widespread, would be very dan-
gerous indeed. It certainly would
suit the purpose of reaction and
government and enable them to
rush the bill through the House
of Commons without any difficul-
ty.

To prevent this will require a
much stronger effort by labor
than took place last year. And
now is the time to start.

There is no reason why, on this
vital issue in which the right to
strike, picket and to speak free-
ly is at stake, the TLC, CCL, Rail-
way Brotherhoods and Catholic
Syndicates should not jointly ap-
pear before the government and
re-emphasize the united opposi-
tion of organized labor to any re-
strictions on democratic rights.

Neither is there any reason
why such representations should
not insist that, before the Crim-
inal Code is debated, parliament
should first of all enact a Bill of
Rights to guarantee the rights of
the Canadian people.

If, alongside these measures,
every trade union local were

standards

again to reiterate its oppositio®
to Bill 93 and let every MP know
it, either by letter, telegram or
delegation, there is no doubt that
reaction’s attempt at shackling
labor can be defeated. ;

The League for Democrati¢
Rights is to be congratulated #2
having brought the dangerous —
implications of the bill to. aan
attention of labor ahd demoerati
opinion.

It is now preparing another
pamphlet entitled It’s still @
Crime, As the title of the, pamPi
let suggests, only minor amet
ments have been made to th
original bill, despite widespreé!
opposition. But the labor more
ment and democratic opinio® ©
strong enough to change the sitt
ation, provided everyone 1S
the alert.

Active trade unionists
cals will find this pamp
tremely useful in their he
defend the hard-won rien
labor and the democratic
of the people.

Trade union locals throug? sed
the country would be well adv} t
from now on to have the
of the anti-labor and antl
cratic sections of the bil 438:
the first points on their agen ‘b
It is part of the fight to cope ‘he
the threat of depression a4 jo8

hlet

defense of their jobs a”
standards.

Poor Tahsis service

READER, Tahsis, B.C.: The
mail service in this community
is disgusting and much dissatis-
faction exists as a result.

For example, on October. 26
mail, from the Princess of Al-
berni arrived at the post office
at 1:30 p.m. People started to
line up at 3:30; at 6:30 p.m. the
wicket still was not open and did
not open till the following day.

Mail arrives twice weekly,
Monday on the boat and Tuesday
by plane. Surely we deserve a
better deal. Three planes a week
arrive from Vancouver but only
one carries mail. It seems the
postal authorities are more in-
terested in saving dolllars than
in the needs and wishes of the
population here.

Younger generation

J.L., Pitt Meadows, B.C.: I ask-
ed a group of young fellows a few
days ago what they thought of
the world situation. They replied,
“We don’t understand it, no one
can understand it, no one can
explain it.”

I have thought ‘over this state-
ment many times. I am an old
man, 67, and tend to become “old-
fashioned,” and I wonder if there
is any truth in the statement.

If the time for theorizing is
past and people are now guided
by emotion, it is still relatively
easy for me and others to with-
stand what is happening in the
world today, because of our study
of dialectical materialism,

But for these young people, is
there no simple explanation we
could give them? Now that hu-
man exploitation has been end-
ed by 200 million people in the
USSR, it is only necessary for
people to realize this, and act on
their impulses and emotions.

On Doukhobors

MARJORIE THIBODEAU, Dun-
can, B.C.:; Your paper is getting
better every issue. I was so very
pleased with your coverage of the
Doukhobor question, as the facts
you gave upheld the opinions I
had held all along. Tom McEwen’s
column was a masterpiece.

Thoughts on the

READER, Vancouver, B.C.:

Light up streets

MOTORIST, Vancouver: mest
Chief Mulligan and is
men are having lots °
ing around in ghost cars
resting drivers who are fr
32 miles an hour, bee
are as frequent aS ©" (on
about some decent jightin8’

B. C. Electric

ag Ws
I have tried, in the followine aft

di

to put into verse what everyone is saying in less polishe' pect

It’s very difficult to wax poetic while travelling
and if the lines don’t scan neither do Dal Grauer’s “explan

I’m just one of the throng and | daily wend my
To place of toil in distant part of our large and
Bu: Gad! the unfair toll for transvortation
Seems to me, and all I’m sure, a sad and shameful

on the “tions

way
spread

1 must pay
pity:

ing oitY!

Now from my home to the location of my employment,

By devious ways must | of necessity pursue,

To transfer twice, then walk three blocks, mean

enjoyment,

And waiting by the stops, does me and many more “i

thoughts imbue,

Ai night it seems, that when the rain is pelting wet

m
minim
itn ait?

and ool

It’s then | usually stand, in misery and mounting 4”
Until that bus’or trolley crawls along, only to be told, ind rae
“Full up, mind the door,” then wait and nurse 4 grow

and hunger.

Uj
At last a bus arrives on which | nudge, then sorely presi,

I squeeze, and tread on toes, in space that’s of
Then soon again, must | alight and sprint like one
To seize a place in block-long'line that waits for

East.”

When finally to my home, | somehow manage fo
Appetite gone, nerves on edge, from these goings *
I’m so keyed up that all in the house are upset by

state,

Ere long I’m sure our home will be wrecked bec ne]

B.C. Electric.

Now for many days I’ve mulled it over,, thi

question,

Have talked with scores from all walks of

dancer,

answer.

And they all agree, most heartily, with hardly
To pay less fare for service more, public owners

very ‘
the bee soy oY

negotlt ic
$0
co

ie
£

ause of

. very Oe

to
life, stevedor?

exception,

hip’s

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — NOVEMBER 27, 1053 —