Sean Griffin photo

AT THE MIKE AT B.C. FED. Photo shows Ray Haynes, B.C. Fed. secretary-
treasurer speaking from floor mike during the debate. Lined up behind
him to take the mike in debate are William Stewart of the Marine
Workers and Ald. George McKnight, I|WA delegate from Alberni.

Labor parley takes

strong unity stand

Cont'd from pg. 1

ation to the Executive Council
of the CLC to carry through with
the decision allowing for affilia-
tion of the UFAWU.”’

The statement also pledged
that if “‘any obstruction should
arise’ the Federation wouiu
consider “‘‘all possible courses of
action to carry out the wishes of
the convention.’’ The policy
statement passed with only one
dissenting vote.

Elsewhere in the convention
proceedings, delegates passed a
resolution calling upon the pro-
vincial government to imple-
ment as soon as possible ‘‘poli-
cies: designed to establish
secondary industry in British
Columbia under public owner-
ship wherever deemed
necessary or advisable.”’

Delegates also responded to
the campaign presently being
waged by the business com-

munity trying to introduce
shorter work week with no reduc-
tion in hours. A resolution now

unanimously adopted calling
upon the trade union movement
to ‘‘adopt as priority in collec-
tive bargaining a reduction in
the number of hours worked
annually by each worker, the
reduction to take the form of a
shorter day, week or year.

At the close of the convention
the executive elections reflec-
ted the determination of the
delegates to have new policies
and new spokesmen on the
Federation executive.

In the only contest, long-time
secretary of the Marine-
workers Union, William Stewart
captured the position of fifth
vice-president, defeating Ron
Bone, a candidate on the offici-
al officers slate, by a vote of 302-
to 221. Stewart, a’ well-known
Communist, is one of only two
people ever to break the officers’
slate in Federation executive
elections.

(Watch next week for a special

~article by ‘‘Observer’’ analysing

the recent BCFL parley.)

Angela Dennis named

candidate for mayoralty

In a conference room teeming
with newsmen, the Committee
of Progressive Electors named
Angela Dennis as its mayoralty
candidate’in the forthcoming
civic election. Mrs. Dennis, a
former teacher, is the first
native Indian woman ever to be
nominated for public office ina
major Canadian city.

‘“‘Tam pleased and honored to
be nominated by COPE to run
for mayor of Vancouver, Mrs.
Dennis said in her statement. ‘‘I

_ feel that voters want a real

change at city hall— not just a
change of faces.”

Born in Fort St. James twenty-
nine years ago, Mrs. Dennis was
a scholarship student at the Uni-
versity of British Columbia from
which she graduated with a
teaching certificate in 1963. An
active member of the B.C.
Native Indian Teachers Asso-
ciation she also served as a
board member of the Vancouver
Indian Centre.

Recently, Mrs. Dennis, along
with her husband Clarence, was
a key figure in the campaign to
get a new inquest into the death
of Fred Quilt.

‘‘As a member of an ethnic

ROD DORAN, delegate from’ the

New Westminster Labor Coun-
cil, is shown speaking at the B.C.
Fed. convention. Doran was
Communist candidate in New
Westminster in the recent Federal
election.

CP statement warns of

Cont'd from pg. 1

freeze on the working people,
the limitation of labor’s right to
strike and its replacement by
compulsory arbitration.

e Their aims include the forcing
of an early election through
which they hope to win a
Conservative majority govern-
ment to implement such a reac-
tionary program.

PEOPLE'S ACTION

Democratic opinion must be
alert to these maneouvres. The
working class and democratic
movement has nothing to gain
and much to lose from such a con-
servative program.

Its interests can be better ad-
vanced at this time by pursuing
a policy of conditional and cri-
tical support of the present min-
ority Liberal Government, pro-
viding it enacts legislation in the
interests of the Canadian
people.

Such conditional and critical

> support includes condemnation

~ PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1972—PAGE 12

of the Government if it gives
way to reactionary pressure.
The key in both cases is the in-
dependent movements of the
people outside Parliament.
This is now a decisive link in the
struggle for democratic pro
gress.

Skill and flexibility is re-
quired here so that conditional
and critical support can be
developed in such a way as to
ensure that when the next
Federal election takes place,
and it may well take place within
a short time it will lead toa
further strengthening, not a
weakening, of the progressive
forces in and outside of Parlia
ment.

The Communist Party will
work for these objectives and for
the defeat of the monopoly offen-
sive upon the living standards
and democratic rights of the
working people. It will continue
to place in the forefront the

right danger

struggle for genuine Canadian in-
dependence, on Canadian con-
trol of the economy through
public ownership starting with
natural resources and energy,
the adoption of a new Canadian
Constitution based on an equal
voluntary partnership of the
English speaking and French
Canadian people, and for an end
to U.S. aggression in Vietnam.

With this in mind, with the
over-riding necessity of achiev-
ing unity of action of the demo-
cratic and working class move-
ment, and to lay the basis for
bringing about a democratic
coalition, a new parliamentary
force to replace the Liberals and
Tories, the Communist Party
will nominate candidates on an
ever larger scale. It will do so to
influence the outcome of the
coming Federal election in an
increasingly progressive direc-
tion, in the interests of the work-
ing class, the struggle for demo-
cracy and for socialism.

minority,’ Mrs. Dennis said, ‘‘I
think I am well qualified to
understand the problems of the
people of Vancouver. I know the
problems of inadequate housing
and inadequate public trans-
portation.’ She added that the
time had come for someone to
run for mayor who represented
the interests of. the average
citizen instead of the interests of
private developers.

Asked to name the major issue
in the campaign, Mrs. Dennis
stated that it was ‘‘clearly the
need for a basic overall plan for
the city. There is also a need for
better distribution of services
throughout the city. I think it’s

about time that the people of the
huge Raymur project got better
facilities for their children, for
example,” she added.

At the news conference, held
in a committee room in Van-
couver City Hall, Mrs. Dennis
was flanked by incumbent
alderman, Harry Rankin and
other COPE candidates for
school and parks board whose
nominations were also announc
ed.

Angela Dennis smiled confi-
dently when she was questioned _
about her chances in the mayOr ~
alty race. ‘‘I think the main
competition is between Art
Phillips and myself.”’

A Committee of Concerned
Citizens was formed Tuesday
night to press the new Attorney-
General Alex MacDonald for
action in the Harry Rankin case.

Rankin has been cited by the
Law Society for ‘‘alleged
misconduct,’’ charges based on
statements he is supposed to
have made during the campaign
to gain a new inquest into the
death of Fred Quilt. Because the
statements were of a political
nature, essentially comments
on the administration of justice
or the police, the citation.against
Harry Rankin is highly unortho-

' dox.

Only one other lawyer —
Stewart Rush— has been cited in
the past for political statements
made during the time of the
imposition of the War Measures
Act in 1970. But never before
have the charges been made
public.

The Committee, consisting of

trade unionists, professional—

people and representatives of
the Native Indian community,
launched its campaign witha
wire addressed to Attorney-
General MacDonald. The wire
charges that the case is ‘‘ofa
political nature and constitutes
a suppression of the right of free
speech.”’

“The unprecedented action in
publicizing this case is intimi-
dation against any lawyer who
speaks out on social or political
questions,’’ the wire said.
Pointing out that the complaint,
which was initially filed in
August by Gilbert D. Kennedy,
Deputy Attorney-General, ori-
ginated with the Attorney-
General’s department, the wire
urges MacDonald to ‘‘withdraw
these unjustified complaints
and to use his influence to stop
these proceedings.”

“We also feel that a review of
the whole structure of the Law
Society in B.C. is long overdue
and should be reviewed by your
government,’ the wire read. It
was signed by Brigette Moran,
spokesman for the Committee.

The Law Society is a self-
governing,  self-disciplining
society and has the legal right to
impose penalties ranging from a
reprimand to disbarment.
Appeal to a court can only be
gained if there can be shown an
instance of incorrect procedure
or if there has been an abuse of

_ the privileges of the Society.

Attorney General asked to
intercede in Rankin case

In an information document
also released, the Committee
emphasized the public nature of
the case and the significance of
its appearance at a time when
Harry Rankin is in the-midst of a
civic political campaign for re-
election as alderman.

“Is this an act of revenge,’’ the
document asks, ‘‘initiated by
the former attorney-general’s
department in an effort to get
even with Harry Rankin for his
criticism of Attorney-General
Peterson for his reluctance to
grant a new inquest in the Fred
Quilt case?”’

The document also warns of
the dangers implied in the action
of the Law Society. ‘‘If the execu-
tive of the Law Society can get
away with this, a dangerous
precedent will have been set that
is a threat to the freedom of
speech of all lawyers and, in the
long run, to all citizens,’’ the
document warns. Indian
representatives also empha-
sized the threat to their own
people that is veiled in the case.

The committee plans to extend
the campaign, to solicit support
from all the trade unions, from
the Civil Liberties group and
within the legal profession itself.
They also plan a meeting with
MacDonald and Deputy-Attorney-
General Kennedy later this
month.

“But this committee is not set
up by Harry Rankin,’’ the Com-
mittee stressed. ‘‘He will be
fighting the case within the Law
Society.”’ :

-mayoralty race in Toronto.

NELSON CLARKE, former editor of
the Canadian Tribune an

presently secretary of the Toronto
Metro Committee of the Com-
munist Party, has entered the

i