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A S EACH day passes the fate of

Stracha n!

-mendable “emergency” resolution

Speak Up,

‘EDITORIAL PAGE *

=

the great Columbia River hydro
development nears decision. In
face of a widespread opposition
against the Draft Treaty sellout,
which gives U.S. monopoly virtual
ownership and control of this vast
Canadian hydro potential, Ottawa
and Victoria appear to be hellbent
to dispose of the Columbia River
and all that it entails, for a fast
Yankee buck.

For the past several years many
prominent Canadian engineers,
numerous trade union organiza-
tions, Columbia River Commit-
tees, sections of the New Demo-
cratic Party, and long before that
the Comunist Party, have vehem-
ently opposed this Columbia River
giveaway. As an alternative these
voices of opposition have advanced
the adoption of the McNaughton

to Save the Columbia, a very wel-
come change from his earlier mud-
dleheaded “‘Let’s get on with the
job” position.

Surely Mr. Strachan must know
that if ever there was an “‘em-
ergency” time to same the Colum-
bia, itis NOW! Surely he must
know that if ever there was a time
to boldly and courageously rally
all existing cpposiuion to the Pear-
son-Bennett horse-trading of a
ah life-giving resource, it is

OW. The noisy ‘‘accord”’ be-
tween these Liberal and Socred
brokers for U.S. monopoly in Can-
ada confirms that urgent need.

Time to speak up Mr. Strachan.
The Columbia River is “‘on-the-
block,” the auctioneer is getting
set to shout “sold,” ad your
silence on this vital issue at this
critical time can be too costly to
this and future generations.

Plan instead; a plan which in its
essence and content, projects this
great hydro development as an
enterprise, built, owned, and con-
trolled, by and for Canadians.

In this growing struggle to
‘Save the Columbia for Canada,”
up until quite recently, Mr. Bert
Herridge, NDP-MP (Kootenay-
West) has waged a consistent
struggle in Parliament. Prior to the
presence session of parliament, Mr.
Herridge was ably supported by
ex-NDP-MP Tom Berger.

Now, it would seem, as the
Pearson-Bennett “accord” to final-
ize this dastardly sellout to U.S.
monopoly goes forward, a strange
and ominous silence in NDP lead-
ership prevails.

In B.C., provincial and Opposi-
tion leader Mr. Robert Strachan
appears to be studiously silent on
the Columbia River sellout. This
despite the fact that at the recent
NDP provincial convention Mr.

Strachan introduced a very com-

Wuitte Prime Minister Lester
B. Pearson and his Liberal min-
isters were mouthing fine phrases
about “peace” and a “happy New
Year,’ astealthy and heavily-
guarded U.S. convoy was nosing
its way through the dark early
hours of January 1, 1964—deliver-
ing a first consignment of U.S.
nuclear warheads for Canada’s
Bomarc launching pads at North
Bay, Ontario.

A few hours later Defence Min-
ister Hellyer was “‘assuring” the
people of North Bay (and Canada)
via radio and TV that there was
“no danger” because of the arrival
of these horror weapons; that our
.U.S. “friends are very careful.”

‘Peace On Earth,” recited by a
shameless Philistine Liberal gov-
ernment to the simultaneous ac-
companiment of a convoy consign-
ment of U.S. nuclear warheads and
U.S. triggermen.

Seldom has Canada, or the
world, seen such a cynical and
cold-blooded disregard for the will
of the people. The kiss of Judas as
the symbol of betrayal for a mis-
erable “thirty pieces of silver” is
small by comparison with this
monstrous Liberal betrayal. Even
while these Liberal philistines
were giving out with their canned
shibboleths about “peace” and the
“festive season,” they also knew
that a cargo of U.S. nuclear Death
was enroute to mock their empty
words; to transform Canada into a
potential charnal house in “‘de-
fense’”’ of U.S. monopoly—and de-
grade the name of Canada among
the peace-loving nations of the
world.

How then was this monstrous
betrayal manipulated without re-
gard to the presumed sovereignty
of Parliament?

As indicated by newspaper re-

ports from Eastern Canada,
NDPer Andrew Brewin stoutly

Comment

‘Peace’ with H-bombs

opposed the acceptance of nuclear
warheads for our U.S. Bomarc and
Voodoo engines of death, declaring
in the Parliamentary Defense
Committee that both were useless
as far as “defense” is concerned.
In this Mr. Brewin was voicing
the will of a majority of the Cana-
dian people, of his constituents,
of the majority will of the conven-
‘tions of his party, and not least,
his country.

Some two weeks ago NDPer
Harold Winch was reported to be
“opposed” to nuclear weapons in
Canada. Now Mr. Winch; with
characteristic adeptness at switch-
ing his political footwork to con-
form with ruling caste dictum, 1s
reported to be “going along” with
the idea of U.S. H-Bombs for Can-
‘ada, now a grim reality.

Closely related to that policy
was the issue of nuclear armsin

Canada, and NDP policy on that

has been made crystal clear, on
and off the hustings: No nuclear
arms for/orin Canada. -
What the tens of thousands of
Canadians would now like to know
at this grave moment in our his-
tory, and since the arrival of that
deadly cargo in the early hours of
January 1, 1964—just what is NDP
policy? It it the Winchian “‘going
along” in the Defense Committee,

which together with Tory and’

Socred “go alongers,’ made it easy

for the Pearson minority govern-:

ment to flaunt the will of the

people, and give the green light -
for this first cargo of U.S. nuclear

death?

The million or more who voted
NDP to preserve their peace, dig-
nity and honor from the stains of
Liberal and Socred betrayal would
like to know—if for no other rea-
son than to make sure this first
consignment of U.S. nuclear
bombs to Canada—will be the last.

Pacific Tribune

Editor — TOM McEWEN
Associate Editor — MAURICE RUSH
Published weekly at
Room 6 — 426 Main Street
Vancouver 4, B.C.

Phone MUtual 5-5288

Subscription Rates:

Canadian gnd Commonwealth coun-
tries (except Australia): $4.00 one year.
Australia, United States and all other
countries: $5.00 one year. Authorized

as second class mail by the Post Office:

Department, Ottawa and for payment
of postage in cash.

ia .

Tom
McEwen

hither the NDP?’ has become a
broad topic of divergent thought
and debate, especially since the 1963
federal elections, .
Many thousands of progressive, soci-
alist-minded and Communist working
men and women, were and are strongly
of the opinion that the NDP has afuture

- in Canadian politics, providing its

leadership are able to rise to the
tremendous opportunities that the times
present for the ending of the 97-year
monopoly domination of Canada’s par-
liamentary institutions. To see the NDP
as atruly anti- monopoly ‘‘alternative’’
to the Tory, Liberal and Socred lick-
spittle political servitors of Big Busi-
ness,

A million or more votes in the last
federal election confirmed that belief
despite the anti-working class antics,
utterances and stupidities of certain
NDP leaders driving away support and
votes from their own party.

There is another school of thought

however, not a little aided and abbetted
by NDP ultra right-wing social demo-
crats, who regard the NDP (or a sub-
stantial section of the same) as being
nothing more than misplaced‘ Liberals’
with a hankering to return to the hy-

’ brid political fold, providing the fin-

esse of political trickery, opportunism

and ‘‘face-saving’’ which can just be
slicked up enough to smooth the period
of ‘‘courtship’? and achieve political
wedlock.

In some of the older European coun-
tries there is a character known as
the ‘‘Shachtan’? (Russian). Slavic,
Jewish and other peoples have different
names for the same character. His
profession is to ‘‘fix’’ weddings, to
interview prospective brides and
grooms, their families, etc.; to ‘*fix’’
the time, dowries, etc,, all financial
and family relationships preparatory
to the ‘‘nuptials’’, shotgun or other-
wise.

In our day it would appear that a
Mr, Mark Gayn, the Toronto: Daily
Star’s ‘‘expert’’ on anti-Soviet muck-
raking and similar political garbage
collections, together with a handful of
prominent Liberals and NDP’ers, have
assumed the role of ‘‘Shachtan’’ to
speed along some unholy nuptials
between the Liberals and the NDP,

The Star’s edition of December 23
1963 carries a number of leading
articles by ‘‘Shachtan’’ Gayn, detailing
a number of preliminary ‘‘secret con-
ferences’’ between prominent Liberal,
NDP, and of course Steel Union heads,
aimed presumably at warming up this
unholy ‘‘courtship’’,

At the federal level Liberal-NDP
tete-a-tetes are reported to have in-
cluded NDP national leader Tommy
Douglas, NDP whip Douglas Fisher,
and NDP vice-chairman David Lewis,
together with Liberal Walter Gordon,
Labor Minister MacEachen. and Lib-
eral national organizer Keith Davey.
This preliminary political ‘‘smootch’’
is described by ‘‘Shachtan’’ Gayn as

?

*¢shadowy’’, ‘‘exploratory’’, ‘‘tenta-
tive’’ and so forth. All concerned were
emphatic in their denials of any court-
ship. It just didn’t happen at all—or if
it did, indicated ‘‘nothing immediate—
mebby sometime in the future’, (if)
**the two parties could find a common.
meeting ground’’, Such ‘‘coyness”’ re-
minds us of our more youthful gauche -
years,

In Ontario it appears the rendezvous
for this illicit courtship centers around
the home of former provincial Liberal
leader John Wintermeyer, with Messrs,
Mahoney, Cotterill and other top Steel
Union functionaries, cast in the role of
a coy maiden, but as Mr. Mahoney says,
**all strictly in line with union policy’’.
**Politics’? says William, ‘‘are not
static, and allideas for reform should be
discussed frequently and publicly’’.

To that we add a fervent ‘‘Amen’’—
but reforms are alsoimportant from the
standpoint of who sired them; an NDP
backed by the working people of Canada
compelling monopoly to disgorge, or an
NDP leadership enticed into bed with
the Liberal prostitutes of Big Business,

Of course ‘‘Shachtan’’ Gayn, the Tor-
onto Daily Star and numerous Liberal
‘courtiers’? (to which the CBC-TV
added its voice last week), have an
additional aim in mind in their pub-
licized ‘‘courtship’’ of the NDP; the
hope that such publicity will eventually
wreck the NDP and destroy the morale
and confidence of its rank-and-file
members and supporters. For them
the moral would appear to be: beware
Liberals bearing stinkweed bouquets
and murmuring sweet nothings on Lib-
eral-NDP wedded bliss. Seduction is in
the air!

January 10, 1964—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 4: