CANADA -

By NAN McDONALD

OTTAWA — The Mulroney
government’s neo-conservative
domestic and international poli-
cies came under heavy fire during
the annual- meeting of the Na-
tional Action Committee on the
Status of Women, May 30 to June
2

Some 500 women from across
Canada, representing more than
two million women focussed on
the need to deepen the unity of the
women’s movement for real
change in the political scene and
to counter the attacks of ultra
right wing forces like the National
Citizens Coalition and the so-
called REAL Women who find
vocal support among the more
reactionary Tory members of
parliament. :

This year’s NAC gathering saw
increased participation from
women in the labor, immigrant,
and visible minorities movements
and Quebec. The workshop
discussions,’ plenary debates and
more than 60 resolutions reflected
an increased awareness among
women of how their interests
conflict with those of big business
and their political parties in vari-
ous levels of government.

A resolution, submitted by the

Congress of Canadian Women

calling for the building of a
country-wide coalition for a
Peoples Budget, was adopted by

Women confront Tories,

the delegates, reflecting the sup-
port at the conference for the idea
of developing coalitions of labor

“and democratic allies in opposi-

tion to the regressive policies of
the federal Tory government,
particularly free trade.

In the annual lobby following
the meeting, Finance Minister
Michael Wilson was put on-the
spot, to the spontaneous applause
of delegates present, when NAC

vice-president Marjorie Cohen
scored the government for not

launching a public debate on free
trade before setting out on the in-
itiative to tie Canada closer eco-
nomically to the U.S.

On international issues, there
was solid support for Canada pur-
suing an independent foreign pol-
icy, particularly for no Canadian
participation in the U.S. Star
Wars program.

The Mulroney government was
also urged to press the Reagan
administration to join in the mora-
torium on nuclear weapons test-
ing, leading to a comprehensive
test ban treaty being proposed
and currently undertaken by the
Soviet Union.

Mary Skrypnyk, representing
the Association of United Ukrain-
ian Canadians noted how, ‘‘ The
broad character of NAC’s
membership and its interests, and
the example of unity expressed in

this annual meeting on the priority
task of preventing nuclear war

and for social progress, points to
the growing social consciousness
of Canadian women.

‘It is an encouraging develop-
ment,’’ she said.

Barbara Cameron, of Or-
ganized Working Women said
that the strong support for NAC’s
positions by the majority of
Canadian women has firmly
established the organization as
the main representative of women
and their interests.

“Its success has made it a

4

demand peace, jot

target for right wing attacks,”
Cameron told the delegates. “‘But
its* decision to build coalitions
with natural allies like labor and
democratic movements can only
help it grow in strength and popu-
larity.””

The specific issues that affect
immigrant and visible minority
women do not affect all women
equally, but they should be of
concern to the women’s move-
ment because they address the
need to fight back against the
ideology of privatization and the
drive to shift politics to the right in

=

Abortion law won't change

Ottawa has no intentions of changing the abortion laws despite
an increasing crisis in accessibility.

Justice minister John Crosbie commenting after the only
therapeutic abortion committee in Prince Edward Island was
disbanded, called the development ‘‘unfortunate’’ but said his
department had no intention of requiring any hospital to provide

abortions.

Prince Country Hospital had not approved any abortion
application since 1982. The Canadian Abortion Rights Action
League estimates that 400 PEI women go to Maine annually to
have the operation performed by U.S. doctors. The majority are
not compensated by the province’s medical insurance plan for

their considerable expenses.

On the evening the decision was taken to disband the com-
mittee, the anti-choice Right-to-Life group mobilized hundreds of
supporters from across the province to attend. There were more
than 1,400 people at the meeting, in a town of less than 8,000. The
vote was 879 to 396 in favor of disbanding the committee.

‘way of the real interests

this country, delegate
Loucas said.

She also noted and Wet
the significant increase 1
ticipation of immigrant an@
minority women at the AC
ference and credited
‘‘their determination an
persistence.” ,

CCW president Vif
Thomson welcomed N:
dorsation of the theme am
of World Congress of Wo!
be held next June in Mosc?
deliberations, she said_
‘‘vitally important to the Si
of Canadian women.”

She said that in_additié
discussing the U.N. Ni
Document for ending the ™
ity of women around the W
the conference will issue 4”
ridding the world of 0
weapons by the year 2000

“The call for the 1987 CO
points out that the arms race?
main obstacle that stands:

women, and is the biggest”
not only to women, but 0
humanity. is

‘‘Our experience at this
NAC meeting, when sig?
organizations to sit on the
dian Preparatory Committ
the World Congress was thi
clear disarmament is see?
priority issue for the majo’
Canadian women,” On
said.

The issue of nuclear power received atten-
tion at the recent (May 23-25) meeting of the
Central Committee of the Communist Party
of Canada whose position is contained in the
documents from that meeting. Titled: “‘Time
for Action! Time for. Unity!” , the materials
are available from your local Communist

71 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ont., MSV 2P6.

* 2K 2

The tragic events in Chernobyl have
stimulated those forces in the USA and
in NATO who are opposed to arms con-
trol. Instead of expressing sympathy to
the Soviet Union and its people as a re-
sult of the incident, they have instead
unleashed psychological war against the
Soviet Union and socialism. This
psychological war took various forms.
One was directed to prove that Soviet
technology was inferior to that of the

- West. Another was directed to raise the
question: “‘if the Soviet Union refuses to
tell the world what occurred and. why,
can one trust her on questions of arms
control?” g

This psychological war was directed
to undo what the Soviet peace initiative

_ had accomplished. It was used to divert
public opinion away from these peace
initiatives, away from the U.S. Libyan
military adventure and in the direction of
the arms race and the cold war.

hide the fact that it took some time to
report an accident at the U.S. Three Mile
Island nuclear power plant. The USA

the Challenger spaceship although the
accident occurred in January. These
forces also tried to hide the fact that 151

West.

Party offices or by writing Progress Books, -

At the same time these forces tried to -

has still no answers about the real loss of

nuclear accidents had occurred in the

In exaggerating the Chernobyl inci-
dent these forces are compelling people
all over the world to stop and think over
the danger of a nuclear conflagration.
The fact that the USA and its allies con-
tinue their nuclear tests with all their
radioactive discharges may compel the
people to see a new light the NATO
strategy which is based on first use of
nuclear weapons. Chernobyl compels
people to see what a nuclear war would
do. It also shows that failure of even the
best equipment can do harm. The
technological revolution brings with it
the possibility of lack of control. As the
27th Congress pointed out, -an acceler-
ated arms race could reach a point where

technology takes over with all its dan-

gers. The Chernobyl event emphasizes
the need for a radical restructuring of the
whole system of international political
and economic relations, the need to
establish* a comprehensive system of
international security. We welcome the
steps taken in Vienna to establish such a
system of international security.

The ‘tragic events in Chernobyl have
also stimulated those forces who are op-
posed to the use of nuclear energy in any

form, in this case for the development of .

nuclear power stations. In many cases
these forces also take a position against
the nuclear weapons threat. Within the
imperialist camp reactionary forces use
concern about nuclear power to cover up
the greater danger of their drive to nu-
clear war. Irrespective of one’s attitude
to the use or none-use of nuclear power
for peaceful purposes, one thing is clear,
the broadest unity possible must be
achieved to prevent the outbreak of nu-
clear war: Our Party is not opposed to
the development of nuclear power for

‘Nuclear power needs maximum safeguards

peaceful purposes. However the events
in Chernobyl, in Three Mile Island, in
Great Britain, all make clear that im-
proved security measures are called for
to secure maximum safety. ~~

The Communist Party supports in
principle the peaceful use of nuclear
energy based on social ownership and
democratic control of its production and

distribution. It supports in principle the .

construction of nuclear power stations
providing the safety of the population
and of workers and communities directly
involved is guaranteed and if other forms
of energy are not available. In Canada
there are ample stocks of alternative
forms of energy and these should have
priority wherever they are readily avail-

able.
- Our party demands a moratorium on

nuclear power construction until such
time as a thorough examination and
upgrading of currently operating nuclear
power stations to highest existing stan-

dards has been carried through and com-
pleted. This to include a full public in-—

quiry into mining, transport of uranium
ore and the handling of all radio-active

materials used in the fuel cycle — includ-

ing radioactive waste materials and their
disposal and/or storage — so as to gua-
rantee maximum safeguards for workers
as well as the general public and commu-
nities directly involved. That there be no
export of uranium or tritium to countries

conducting nuclear weapons testing or

who have not signed the United Nations
non-proliferation treaty.

The Chernoby] situation is now under
control. But what about Canada? Acid
rain from the USA continues to fall on
Canadian soil and waters. Canada feels
the effects of dioxin also emanating from
the USA. Why are governments and the

. the USSR and other socialist coun”

media making a noise about Chern0®:
but keeping quiet about the real dat

to Canada and her people, not
Chernobyl but from the USA?

nobyl events emphasize the need (07
pose the cold warriors while hel
widen the struggle against the th®e™
nuclear war. - ;
If even peaceful use of nucleat pe
affects the interests of all in the 1%
age, what then can be said about 4”
lear war? 4
The choice before humankind
peaceful coexistence or no existé A

_ As we have already stated the actl
of the Reagan Administration with
‘spect to nuclear testing and its ager |
against Libya have helped to break
the argument of equal responsibil!
show that it is U.S. imperialism
the source of international tensio® ;
the war danger. However this is 9%,
the majority view. This places atW og
task on the shoulders of Communis'
one hand to help widen the peace MY
ments in every way, and on the othef
help deepen understanding th@
source of the war danger is the fr
ary forces of U.S. imperialism. P@
and tact are called for here to help
understanding of the fundamen"
ferences between socialism
perialism, and of the significant !

the struggle for peace. In tacklif
question sectarian practices must
oided. Re ee pea
The struggle for peace and the P'
tion of nuclear war, the struggle
Canadian independent foreign P°
peace remains the central task
Party. — Nee

10 ¢ PACIFIC TRIBUNE, JUNE 18, 1986

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