3 ‘Coscdien Labour Congress States CANADA'S ECONOMY WILL BENEF BY IWA REPORTER Trade unionists can no longer skip the news about Canada’s trade relations. British and American negotiations with the Europ- ean Common Market have hit Canada like a bucket of cold water. Ill-informed forecasts can cloud negotiations, especially in the lum- ber industry . Trade is Canada’s lifeblood. Expanding trade is part of the answer to the present economic stagnation and mass unem- ployment. Certainly, trade relations will be a red-hot issue in the approaching federal election. The reaction to the unfolding of an economic miracle in Western Europe has moved trade into the political spotlight — a position it hasn't held for 50 years. Canada is a country of small. population, without a domestic mar- ket to fall back on if trade barriers grow around her. She is one of the leading trading nations in the world. Sixty-seven per cent of her trade is with the United States. Most Can- adians would like to avoid a com- plete reliance on the American economy. : Continued political nationalism is one thing, but when it becomes economic nationalism, Canada must face new and large trading com- plexes which may increase the gap between living standards here and in other trading blocs. Britain has played a significant role in Canada’s trade relations. Ex- ports to the U.K. totalled nearly $1 billion in 1960. Our tariff policy of the past few years has earned us no new friends in Britain—quite the contrary. Britain has no alternative but to join the Common Market. Isolationism is too costly, and will sacrifice a growing market for Britain inside the Euromarket. Events Sharpen Crisis Recent events which are speeding a crisis for Canada are: @ The British Lord Privy Seal, Hon. Edward Heath, visited Canada to confer with the Diefenbaker Goy- ernment. Secrecy cloaked the dis- cussions. Canadian Ministers have been forced to cease their former posturings about British plans. Quite obviously, Canada will have the opportunity to discuss Common Market concessions for Common- wealth countries. @ President Kennedy has made overtures to the Canadian Govern- ment, proposing freer trade, while at the same time he has bargained for concessions on American agri- cultural products in the Euromarket. It is expected that he will get Con- gress approval for more horse- trad- ing of tariff cuts. @ The opportunity has arisen to renegotiate major changes at Geneva under GATT (General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs). Attempts are in prospect for multilateral, most- favoured nation agreements. @ American lumber producers in the Pacific Northwest are clamour- ing in Washington for increased pro- tection against imported Canadian lumber. Shipments from British Columbia fo the Atlantic seaboard are a mainstay of the major basic industry in British Columbia. In- creased tariffs against B.C. lumber would be a damaging blow to coast business activity. Fortunately, the Kennedy administration is seeking reciprocal arrangements which will expand this trade. @ The Euromarket has reached agreement on its most difficult prob- lem, exchange of agricultural pro- ducts, and thus holds a leading card in pending negotiations. @ Euromarket spokesmen have favoured the development of an Atlantic Trading Community. It has been suggested that the economic provisions of the NATO agreement should be given emphasis as the basis of such development. @ The Soviet Union must now be reckoned with as a major trading nation. Contrasting Political Policies A quick look at the policies of the leading Canadian political parties reveals interesting contrasts. The New Democrats, with the support of the trade union move- ment, says that Canada will benefit in the long run from an expanded European and British economy. The party has urged that Canada asso- ciate itself with the move to build a strong unified western economy. British Labour Rebufts Merger With Liberals The government took a beating in recent by-elections in Britain, but the gloom isn’t confined to 10 Downing Street. The Labour party, which is hoping to become the public’s favourite after two years of internal party bickering, didn’t get anywhere either. The big winners were the Liberals, Britain’s tiny third party. While the Conservatives retained their three seats and the Labour party retained its constituency, the Liberals made huge gains in popular vote. In all three Tory ridings the Conservative majorities plunged to less than the combined Liberal- Labour vote. The Liberals came second in two of the three ridings. Trend In Moss Side (Manchester) the Conservatives were down 21.2 per cent, Labour down 11.9 per cent and Liberals up 22.1 per cent. In East Fife, the Tories dropped 22.4 per cent, Labor 3.7 per cent and the Lib- erals gained 16.2 per cent. Oswestry saw the Tories fall 15 per cent, Labour 1 per cent and Liberals go up 12.2 per cent. In Bridgeton (Glas- gow) Labour was down 5.9 per cent and the Conservatives were down 16 per cent. During the past year the govern- ment has successfully defended 13 by-elections in three-cornered fights, but in only two did the Conserva- tive candidate win a clear majority. In six contests Labour and Liberals were within five per cent of each other. Many Stay Away Clearly, the government is losing support substantially, but Labour is failing to attract these disappointed former Conservative voters. Many stay away from the polls and the rest vote Liberal. Despite the joy in the Liberal camp, the party which has only six seats out of 625 in the House of Commons has not come close to winning a seat anywhere. Their vote is usually up in the safe Conserva- tive seats and they make little im- pact in industrial areas held by Labour. Many who have voted Lib- eral as a protest against the govern- ment in a by-election would proba- bly swing back into the Conserva- tive fold again in a general election to prevent a Conservative defeat. Merger Hinted There have been some hints from the Liberals that the Labour and Liberal parties should get together and that the Labour left-wingers should be cast off into the wilder- ness. This has met with little re- sponse from the Labour party. While some Labour critics are using the party’s bad showing in the by-elections to press particular policy points-of-view, most obser- vers feel that now the party seems united behind Mr. Gaitskell it will get down to the business of prepar- ing for the responsibility of govern- ment after the next election. The party’s new look should go far to stimulate interest among the new voters, the experts believe. The Conservatives, as the gov- ernment, are apparently willing to accept the worst. While fighting noisily against Britain's proposed entry into the Common Market, they were relying on President Kennedy to win authority to deal with the ECM. If he does, Canada will trail along behind in an attempt to build an Atlantic Trading Community. The Liberals favor an expand- ing Atlantic trading bloc which would include both the U.S. and Canada but hedged about with reservations regarding protected Canadian industries. Mr. Pearson has agreed that Canada should not wait for the U.S. to act. The Canadian Labour Con- gress, speaking for Canadian lab- our, sees advantages coming to this country from the Common Market. Labour envisages an expanded in- dustrial production in the Common Market as a profitable source of trade for Canada. The unification of the European economic structure may force long-needed improvements in the international monetary system —a distinct benefit for Canada if it comes to pass. The CLC research bulletin quotes a British industrialist, “You must forgive the average British business- man if he asks why Canadians should be so sensitive about keeping the British market open to Canadian goods when at the same time they are proposing legislation which will curtail British opportunities in the Canadian market. nation entering which has a large agricultural production”. Apparently, Canada may apply for associate membership, The Government just doesn't want to get in. The Diefenbaker Government fears that any bargaining between Canada and the Common Market would involve concessions at the ex- pense of secondary industries now protected by tariffs and quotas. In this clouded situation, no one may qualify as an expert, but there is a growing demand for decisive- ness and leadership from the gov- ernment. Beneath all the furore, Canadians, by-and-large are united in their desire to expand this coun- try’s trade with any nation that is willing to do business, There is a uni- form desire too to avoid, if possible, increased reliance on the United States. Political Contribution Ban Hits N.D.P. Tom Berger, counsel for the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Work- ers, stated recently before the B.C. Court of Appeal that the Bill 42 ban on trade union poli- tical contributions was designed to “destroy the New Democratic Party at its inception”. Mr. Berger appealed the de- cision of Mr. Justice Whittaker in Supreme Court last August when he ruled against the union on the question of the check-off. The appeal is based on the ground that “no provincial legis- lature has the constitutional power to interfere with any poli- tical party”. Road - Hogs Fixed New radio telephone device, made possible by modern electronics, will enable you to pick up your car phone and dial the licence number of the car ahead. You can then speak your mind to the driver who is holding up a long line of traffic. You are not supposed to tell women drivers how you feel if you are polite. MEET THREE GENERATIONS OF THE /’aris FAMILY A DYNASTY OF SHOE CRAFTSMEN “SE = May we introduce, proudly, and for the record: STEVE — ROGER — MIKE — PIERRE — GREG — GEORGE — RICHARD YOUR GUARDIANS OF A GREAT TRADITION Ours is an age of anxiety. We worry constantly about all manner of things. In some industries, for example, workers worry about the effect of automation: will machines replace men. At home, housewives and mothers worry about the quality ofthe products they buy. Will the shoes she buys for little Johnny stand up like they used to. This is a question with real meaning. All this leads back to the philosophy of the Paris family: “Qnly Man can Profit by Experience, and Experience is Best Handed Down within the Family” At Pierre Paris & Sons we are happy that our third generataion is just picking up this precious thread of ex- perience. Three generations have learned to refine, to improve, to seek for an ever higher standard of quality. These are men proud of their craft, as ancient as history itself. Machines have come along since the day Pierre founded the business in 1907. Where they have proved capable of serving the family quest for higher quality, they have been accepted. But they have never displaced men. FOR NEVER IN MACHINES, ONLY IN MAN HIMSELF, RESIDES THE KIND OF PRIDE IN FAMILY AND TRADITION WHICH HAS MADE THE PARIS BRAND FAMOUS FOR NEARLY SIXTY YEARS. Pierre Paris & Sons 51 WEST HASTINGS STRET Tel. MU 5-0164