_| HUMAN RIGHTS Demonstration in Victoria marks protest of Bill 11 An overnight vigil at the provincial legis- lature Apr. 29 and a demonstration set for Tuesday mark the first of a series of actions human rights activists have planned to pro- _ test Bill 11, Demonstrators were set to board buses bound for Victoria at Vancouver's Kings- gate Mall to voice their anger against the Proposed act, which legislated out of exist- €nce the last vestiges of human rights agen- clés and allows employers, landlords and others to discriminate without reasonable Cause, “We're trying to mobilize as many people 4S Possible,” said Peter Beaudin, director of _ the Vancouver branch of the B.C. Human ghts coalition. _ We're not worrying about numbers at IS Stage — we’ve.just decided we can’t sit ack and fret about Bill 11, we’ve got to take some action,” he said. Coalition supporters were out in force during Saturday’s Walk for Peace in Van- Couver, distributing some 20,000 leaflets for the action, endorsed by several organiza- Hons including the B.C. Federation of abor and the Lower Mainland and pro- vincial solidarity coalitions. ._~h€ action plans were approved at a pub- lic meeting called by the coalition Apr. 24, during which Bill 11 was compared to the actions that preceded the rise of Hitler. Grace MacInnes, CCF MLA during World War II, said Hitler rose to power by eliminating democratic legislation and agencies bit by bit, finally eliminating labor leaders, Communists” and others. Bill Black, a University of B.C. law pro- fessor and member of the B.C. Civil Liber- lies Association, said the bill’s most negative features are that it allows for no full-time Staff to pursue human rights complaints, unlike other provinces, and the proposed five-member human rights “council” can 'SMISS Complaints without reason. . € Human Rights Coalition charges ep Bill 11 is essentially no different than es 27, the original bill introduced with the Ocreds’ budget last July and withdrawn < the barrage of protest that marked the Solidarity Coalition’s activities last year. Critics also charge that Labor Minister Bob McClelland ignored the advice of the advisory committee set up to aid the redraft- ng of the legislation after the Kelowna accord in November. They note the com- mittee had filed its report only four days efore Bill 11 was introduced into the egislature. McClelland’s response was that “‘some of the advice” had been followed. On October 28, 1983, Winnipeg Police clubbed, kicked and Ee iched dozens of the more than 400 people who had gathered t the US Consulate to protest the US invasion of Grenada. __. Seven were arrested and many more were abused by the police. Charges included unlawful assembly and obstruction. The police riot was sparked by the actions of six fatigue-clad members of the Winnipeg Rifles militia unit who had entered the demonstration with the intent of Violently disrupting the speeches. When demonstrators attempted to deal with jhem. the police acted — rt he militi — butagair One demonstrator was so badly beaten that he required medical attention and was on crutches for weeks. While most of the demonstrators were Canadian, Most arrested were Chilean exiles. Not one militia man was charged. A Defense Committee has been formed. We have succeeded in pressing for a Public inquiry into police violence. We are raising funds for the legal defense, h may cost as. much as $30,000. We need your help. For more information, ortgsend donitions: contact the October 28th Defense Committee, 418 Wardlaw Avenue, Winnipeg, Manito- ba, R3L 0L7. Democratic rights are on the line. Act now! But the coalition says the bill’s features show the government has completely ignored the recommendations contained in briefs from dozens of organizations which trekked to Victoria during the past several months. Groups such as the B.C. Coalition of the Disabled, the Black Solidarity Coali- tion and several others had urged the government to reinstate the Human Rights commission, disbanded last July by order- in-council, and to retain the Human Rights Branch of the Ministry of Labor, which was slated for elimination May 1. Bill 11 has also drawn the fire of Gordon Fairweather, chief commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission. Fairweather said the Socreds’ changes to human rights legislation “is an ideological thing and one that I deplore. The govern- ment has embarked upon it and I don’t think they had a mandate for it.” He said the bill was “‘seriously out of step with federal legislation.” Two weeks ago the coalition held a press conference and introduced three British Columbians who represented thousands effectively disenfranchised when the branch is abolished. ; ’ In one case, a jobless carpenter was denied employment when he refused to sign a prospective employer’s application form that stipulated no union activity would be permitted. In another case, a pregnant woman was seeking redress from a com- pany for unjust dismissal. In the third case, a young welfare recipient faced age discrim- ination from the Ministry of Human Resources, which cut back by $25 monthly welfare payments to recipients under age * The coalition has concluded that the new bill means it will be “open season” for bigots, employers and landlords to discri- minte without fear of penalty. “Our public meeting was quite a moving affair,” Beaudin told the Tribune. ““There’s a real determination’ to see that Bill 11 is withdrawn, and that the human: rights agencies are reinstated.” Further details on the vigil, and’ the number of demonstrators heading for Vic- toria, were not available at press time. CO” May 1, the inter- national holiday of the working class, I salute the courageous men and women from whose struggle for the eight-hour day has sprung _ the great tradition of May Day and all the gains won by working people it symbolizes. My best wishes to the Pacific Tribune, the paper that truly fights for labor. John O. Kovacevich — MAY pers GREETINGS DAY Finnish Organization of Canada MAY DAY GREETINGS TO ALL MANKIND FOR PEACE Ukrainian Senior Citizens Club No. 1 BUTT tT Ty _ May Day Greetings to world labor Veterans of the Mackenzie- Papineau Battalion IN MEMORY OF ALF DEWHURST Oct. 1, 1908 - Apr. 30, 1983 An exemplary Marxist - and fighter for peace. MAY DAY GREETINGS to all workers and fighters for peace.