By SAMUEL WALSH = Quebec’s provincial elections are slated for either this fall or early spring. There is a serious danger that Claude Ryan, that mouthpiece for big business, and a reactionary who believes he’s touched by the hand of God could become: premier of Quebec. In the 1976 elections, the Parti Québécois won its absolute majority in the National Assembly with 41% of the votes because the Union Nationale drew off enough votes from the Liberals to let the PQ into the winner's circle. However in seven recent by-elec- tions, the UN vote fell to an all time low, with the Liberals emerging as the winners. It’s worth recalling that Rodrigue Biron, former head of the UN tried to rally all of the extreme right- wing forces in Quebec around the UN and the Quebec Tories into a new party. Biron failed for two basic reasons. To begin with Ryan didn’t leave enough roem on his political right to give the extreme right- wing a chance to manoeuvre. Secondly, Biron himself withdrew from the UN to publicly join the “‘Yes”’ committee in the referendum campaign. UN’s interim leader, Le Moignan, undertook dis- cussions with the leadership of the Liberals projecting an alliance with them in a bid to save as many of the party’s remaining five seats as possible, while promis- ing the Liberals UN support in the other consti- tuencies. For all practical .purposes, this demon- strates a polarization of the right wing, including the extreme right, around the Quebec Liberal Party. Coalition of the Right . Inspite of Claude Ryan's well deserved unpopulari- ty, it is precisely this coalition of the right linked with the majority anti-PQ sentiment among the non- francophone population that could bring Ryan,.the monopolies’ and multi-nationals’ man, to power. The Communist Party of Quebec considers such a result of the forthcoming Quebec elections would quite frankly be a setback for the working people, : democracy and the French Canadian nation. The PQ has the main responsibility of avoiding this defeat. It the, Parti .C uébécois tries to develop a following among the right wing, there is no reason to believe they will do any better than Rodrigue Biron. Therefore, what are we to think of the flirtations of the PQ with this same Biron? What are we to make of the fact that the PQ government as of July 30 has chopped as much as $25 a month off of social welfare benefits without any warning whatsoever for those the government thinks were receiving unemployment in- surance while they were drawing welfare. The government is also slashing as much as $100 a month from benefits of $110 for young persons under 30 years of age who have either quit their jobs or turned down job offers. These two gestures encour- age suspicions the PQ is trying to garner support from the so-called “‘red-necks’’ the anti-working-class elements and the reactionaries. It’s useless to ponder . whether the PQ can effectively compete with the Lib- erals in this anti-social domain. The only chance left for the PQ is for it to seek out allies and friends among the progressive sectors of soceity, the workers, farmers, small businessmen and among those who don’t agree with sovereignty association as defined by the PQ’s last congress and in the referendum question, but who are nevertheless in favor of the right of self-determination and the equal- ity of the two nations, enshrined in a new Canadian constitution. If there is to be polarization, the PQ should line up with all those forces defending themselves against the crushing power of the monopolies and multi-nationals and their political spokesmen. Communist Candidates For its part the Communist Party of Quebec will present a minimum of 10 candidates to preserve its status as an officially recognized political party. More importantly the PCQ will be presenting its own inde- pendent program for Quebec. While the PCQ con- tinues to expose the Liberal Party and the reactionary coalition surrounding it, there can be no question of silently passing over the anti-worker, or at least neut- ral, gestures of the PQ government. All of this doesn’t prevent the PCQ from strengthening its fraternal relations with the left wing of the PQ, even during the election campaign itself. This involves not only reaching possible electoral agreements as a contribution toward blocking Claude Ryan’s bid for power. But, such cooperation would also serve the interests of the Quebec workers. Finally, the deception of a large number of workers through the worst of the government’s anti-union PACIFIC. TRIBUNE—SEPT. 12, 1980—Page 4 ELECTION FEVER IN QUEBEC Blocking Ryan’s road to power practices, and its support for NATO and NORAD, shows there is no time to lose in taking the preliminary steps toward the formation of a mass federated party of labor. | There are large numbers of frustrated union ac- tivists who are toying with the idea of not participating in the elections, thinking they’ ve reached a dead end with no acceptable alternative to the PQ, which they . grabbing power, while building a truly large party, controlled by the workers themselves, and capable of defending the interests of the working class, the na-_ tion and democracy, by breaking the domination of the monopolies and the multi-nationals.. Obviously the timing should be carefully consi- dered so as not to scuttle rather than aid the accomplishment of the immediate task — blocking feel has deceived them. © Such preliminary ‘steps could possible encourage these workers by placing the forthcoming elections in a clear perspective. They would know they had done everything possible to stop the Claude Ryans from BRAMPTON — For the workers fighting the runaway multi-national, * | Tung-Sol International, what they’re-going through is more than a strike for a measure of justice, it’s also an education. On August 19, the remaining 58 workers at Tung-Sol, following a June layoff of 100 workers, decided the best way to protest the cheapie severance offer by the U.S. multi- national was to strike the company . which is planning to lock its doors in Brampton for good next month. Since the strike began, Tung-Sol management have shown that in ad- dition to having nothing but the ut- most contempt for the workers, they have even less respect for the On- tario Government. United Electrical workers (UE) co-ordinator Ralph Currie offered the proof, Aug. 28, when he revealed that Tung-Sol failed to appear at a meeting ' scheduled that day with the union and a mediator from the Ontario Ministry of Labor. In fact, Currie pointed out to the representatives of the Labor Min- istry that Tung-Sol management had lied to the government officials in the process. The provincial mediator advised the union on Aug. 28 that Tung-Sol had contacted the labor ministry the previous day saying. they couldn’t make the scheduled meeting because they had to meet with senior management in the U.S. | “‘The union advised . Mr. Netherington (the mediator) that this was a lie and in fact the company committee was at the Brampton plant’’, Currie said. ‘‘Mr. Netherington made a phone call and indeed discovered he had been misled.” : Company Lied Currie and the strikers weren’t surprised by this revelation because it fell completely in line with past company behavior. ‘‘After all, in May they laid off 50 workers and in July another 50 and told those work- ers it was because of a sales slump when in fact they were closing down - the plant’, Currie explained. “Since April, this company has lied to the union all during negotia- tions for a new contract,”’ he said. Another meeting ‘has been plan- ned between the company and the UE with a provincial mediator, Sept. 4, providing the company turns up. What has been added to the strik- ers’ education is the fact that broad support. for the strikers exists in Brampton in the same way Houdaille workers discovered that _ workers across the country were ‘deeply interested in the outcome of their sit-in for pensions and sever- ance pay. -Tung-Sol, a stri Claude Ryan’s road to power. Samuel Walsh is president of the Communist Party of Quebec, and an executive member of the Com- | | munist Party of Canada. ke for justice ee Seige ee ge Members of the United Electrical Workers demonstrate _ lost through U.S. plants packing up and moving south of the boarder. This was demonstrated by the support the strikers got from Brampton City Council, Sept. 3. Fol- lowing a presentation by the union, council agreed to send a letter protesting the Tung-Sol closure to the company’s U.S. parent. : On Sept. 8, amotion will be placed before the council calling on senior governments to introduce new and tough laws to force companies plan- ning to run away, to justify their plans to the communities that will be affected. The resolution will also demand legislation forcing runaway companies to provide satisfactory severance payments to the stricken workers as well as tougher pension laws so the runaways can’t leave workers high and dry without com- ing across with the pensions the workers have earned. It is an indication of the kind of skin-flint outfit Tung-Sol is, that in -all of the 18 years the Union has been representing the workers there, they’ve never been able to get com- pany agreement to a pension plan. City Council Support The Brampton council also sup- ported the union’s demand that Tung-Sol International should have to pay the laid off workers’ health insurance benefits and whatever other medical plans they subscribe to, until the workers can find new jobs. poe Tung-Sol is offering nothing more than a severance payment to the remaining workers, ranging from $200 for the lone, worker with less than five years’ seniority, to $500 for workers with 15 and more years ser- vice. The UE is: demanding sever- the numbers of jobs — ance pay of one week’s pay for every year of service for the remaining 5 as well as the 100 previously laid off. The latter got the chop without a red cent in compensation from the company. 4 Currie noted the growing mood across Canada demanding govern- ment action on plant closures. He outlined what he thought should be legislated in addition to tougher laws to protect pensions and ensure satis- factory severance payments in the event of a plant closure. He called for laws forcing com- panies to justify plant closures, and where they can’t be justified and the company persists in trying to run away the firms should be nationalized. Grants, financial and ‘tax give-aways to corporations should be stopped, he said, while the imports into Canada of the products of runaway companies should be barred. cre: - Asked if he - thought workers would respond to an initiative from the Canadian Labor Congress such as a broad campaign to fight such closures including a mass lobby on the federal government, Currie gave — a positive reply. ‘I think they could get a good lobby going if the top leadership of the labor movement was behind it, organizing it. ‘The people would: come out’’, he said. ‘‘Until recently the un-— employed in Brampton were more or less in the background, but that isn’t the case any more. The latest official ‘figures show a 12% jobless rate in Brampton. People can see it happen- ing to their neighbors and to them- __ selves.”’