COMMUNIST-PARTY VIEWS ON THE ELECTION

Magazine

Fight against A-arms, for Canada’s
independence at centre of election

This week the National

Executive of the Communist

Party addressd a letter to all Party members which sets
forward the views of the National Comittee which met
in Toronto on February 16-17. :
The PT was of the opinion that the analysis given
here of the political crisis in Canada will be of interest
to all our readers, we are therefore publishing the letter

in full.
Dear Comrades:

We are entering an _ election
Campaign in conditions of a
Sharpening political crisis which
Could mark the beginnings of a
breakdown of the two Party sys-
tem and making the NDP the bal-
ance of power in the next Parlia-

Ment.

The Diefenbaker Government
Was defeated and an election
forced upon the country as a re-
Sult of a sustained political
Offensive which started with the
Unwarranted public slander by
General Norstad, continued by the
Liberal Party statement in favor
of nuclear arms for Canada and
for her armed forces overseas,
and culminating in the crude in-
terference by the U.S. State De-
Partment in the internal affairs
of our country.

The crisis serves to emphasize
the change that has taken place
In the role of the Liberal Party.

his role personified by Lester
Pearson is the logical continua-
tion of the policies pursued by
the Liberal Party since the second
World war. It has become the Pro-
American Party in Canada, the
Political instrument of the great
Monopolies which operate in Can-
ada, and their Canadian partners.
It has become puble knowledge
that Bay St. in Toronto aand St.
James St. in Montreal, support
Mr. Pearson and are out to
bring about the defeat of Mr.

lefenbaker and his Government.

This does not mean that Prime

Mister Diefenbaker has become
the Saviour of the Canadian peo-
_Ple. But the logic of politics “has
foreed Mr. Diefenbaker to turn
to those cireles of Canadian
Capitalists who want to resist

‘S. domination of our economy,
to those circles of the people
Who are opposed to nuclear weap
ns, and to those who want to
Prevent a still further crippling
of our foreign trade and our in-
dustrial development by U.S. in-
fluence.

It must be noted — (a) that nu-
Clear weapons have not been in-
troduced by the Diefenbaker Gov-
€rnment, in fact the Government
fell because it refused to accept
nuclear arms. (b) The interests
Most closely associated with

resident Kennedy in the USA
aug no secret of the fact thal

£Y would ‘like to get Mr. Diefen-
aker defeated and replaced by
a Pearson and are campaign-
ae actively to bring it: about.
This us, campaign is being sup-
Ported in Canada by a number of
Canadian newspapers, including
Some that are notoriously Con-
S€rvative,
ae is considerable specula-

nN about a coalition of right
Wing Tories and Socal Credit. The

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Liberals are re-writing their pro-
gram so as to make it more ac-
-ceptable to right wing Tories
with the hope of inducing them to
vote for the Liberal Party.

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In the various manoeuvres Un-
derway only one fact is clear.
There is in progress now a deti-
nite regrouping of political loyal-
tics with the Liberal Party mak-
ing a frantic and lavishly fin-
anced effort to unite around itself
all supporters of the policies of
Bay St. and St. James St. and
their U.S. sponsors.

This is the central feature of
the regroupment. It is almost
certain that the Liberals will lose
the support of many who were
shocked at Mr. Pearson’s politi-
cal somersault on the nuclear
weapons question while they will
gain others, including some who
are deluded, who fall for the false
propaganda about the need for
a stable government, the neces-
sity to honor our “committments’’

and the danger of antagonizing ;

the USA.
It should also be noted that a
number of interests and the .

newspapers which reflect their
policies have changed their alle-
giance radically in the course of
this crisis. Until recently they
were feeling their way cautious-
ly, even timidly, in the direction
of strengthening independent in-
dustrial development of Canada,
and extending trade with the
socialist countries even though
their attempts did not include any
public challenge to the USA.
With the outbreak of the par-
liamentary crisis, 2 majority of
these interests and their news-
papers have backed away from
the logic of their position. Their
newspapers are now bombarding
their readers with arguments to
the effect that “we can’t change
geography”’; “We are a part of
North America’’; etc. What they
say in effect is that Canada can-

not have an independent policy

and must subordinate itself Lee
nomically, politically and mili-

i U.S. domination.
pes forced an election on
the issue of nuclear arms they
are now united in their eur, to
help the Liberals by distracting

attention from US. interference
1 affairs and its 518-

in Canadian af ie
nifeance to Canada. The Liberal

Party has likewise striven to
divert attention away from ue
issue of nuclear weapons with
Mr. Lester Pearson declaring
that he will reveal his plan con-
cerning nuclear
the election.

It is not yet clear as to how

i ious political
forthright the various
parties other than the Communist
Party and NDP will be on the

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central issue of nuclear weapons
but it is already clear that the
Liberals and Social Credit Parties
will try to evade the issue of the
sovereignty -of Canada. It is this
which presents our Party with
both a challenge and an oppor-
tunity. Ours will probably be the
only Party that explains frankly
and clearly to the Canadian pco-
ple the fact that everything else
depends upon the attitude that
the voters in the elections express
against U.S. interference. If US.
interference is not sharply re-
jected there is very little chance
that the Government which comes
into office on April 8th will adopt
truly Canadian policies.
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In this situation, including the
confusion which is widespread, it
is important that every member
of the Party realizes that this
election may well mark the

speeding up of the break down
of the two-party system. The last

weapons after

emphasized that

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Parliament was a Parliament of
minorities. The Parliament elect-
ed on April 8th may be even
more so. In that case it is quite
possible that the NDP could hold
the balance of power. Ifthe Party
which holds the balance of power
stands firmly against nuclear
weapons, no nuclear weapons will
be introduced in Canada. It is
important that the significance
of this is fully understood and
becomes the heart of the Party’s
electoral policy in this: election.

This election opens very im-
portant possibilties to all patriotic
Canadians if they unite to keep
nuclear weapons out of our coun-
try in the cause of world peace.

The top leadership of the NDP
continues :to maintain a firm
stand against nuclear weapons.
This is not to deny that in vot-
ing for the Liberal and Social
Credit amendment and __— sub-
amendments, the NDP members,
with a few honorable exceptions,
voted with the Liberals who have
proclaimed their adherance to
U.S. nuclear policy. It would be
quite wrong to ignore the signifi-
cance of this. At the same time
it would be equally wrong to
ignore the established practice of
all four parties that were in the
House of Commons, to act on the
basis of immediate tactical ad-
vantage, rather than on the basis
of principle. It must be noted
that after the vote in Parliament,
T. C. Douglas, NDP National

“Jeader, repeated the pledge that

the NDP will oppose nuclear arms
Canada and has since re-
position at a
number of public. rallies.
The Communist Party

in

and

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everyone of its members will
work during the election cam-
paign to strengthen the anti-nu-
clear sentiment within the broad
NDP.

The NDP may not face up to
the vital issue of U.S. interfer-
ence in Canadian affairs, but
failure on the part of the NDP

to place the issue of Canadian _

sovereignty in the forefront of
its election campaign will not re-
duce the need to ensure that it
stands firm on the central issue
of nuclear weapons. It will, how-
ever, increase the responsibility
of the Communist Party and of
all its members, to campaign so
that, while strengthening and ex-
tending unity against nuclear
weapons, our campaign will also
add the indispensible factor of
emphasis on the vital importance
of rejecting U.S. interference and
decisively rebuffing all its spon-

sors and supporters.
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Our political campaign must not
neglect the vitally important eco-
nomic issues confronting our peo-
ple, the question of jobs, over-
seas markets, social security, the
shorter work week, housing.
These remain vital needs. In the
final analysis a parliamentary
majority mu&St be united around
these issues if Canada is to pro-
gress. There can be no progress
otherwise. What we must empha-
size immediately however is the
fact that Canadians will solve
these problems only if we stay
alive and Canada remains a dis-
tinct political entity in North
America. Dead men will not solve
the problem of unemployment and
those who remain alive after a
nuclear war, will not be in a
position to even deal with it.
Those who want to make our
country a better place to live in,
must unite to preserve it from
nuclear war.

As distinct from the political
parties there is the need for mo-
bilizing the tremendous political
force of the trade union move-
ment in this election. The Cana-
dian Labor Congress and the
Confederation of National Trade
Unions. are both committed to
oppose nuclear weapons in Can-
ada. If fhe one and quarter mil-
lion trade unionists can be united
against nuclear weapons, and vote
against those who advocate ac-
ceptance of these weapons, they,
by themselves, can tip the scales.

A confusing argument that is
being injected already in the de-
bate in the trade union movement
is couched in terms such as
“there must not be an anti-Ameri-
can campaign.’’ What the people
who argue that way are trying to
conceal is the fact that a vote
against nuclear weapons will be
a vote against U.S. policy and
U.S. interference in Canada. In
other words on the issue before
us in this election, it is impos-
sible to mark a ballot for pro-

_Canadianism, to put Canada first,

without being accused of anti-
Americanism. It is the task and
duty of Communists to take this

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issue into their local unions and
central labor councils and combat
the confusion being spread.

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Our moto should be: ‘for united
trade union action against nuclear
arms.”’ '

Bearing in mind the crucial
character of this election and
what it could signify in the con-
tinuing struggle for peace and
independence, we should set our-
selves the following aims in the
campaign.

(a) to strengthen and extend
the unity of all men and women
who are opposed to nuclear arms
to vote against nuclear weapons
in Canada and for her armed
forces overseas.

b) to bring into the campaign
on the widest possible scale, an
understanding of the vital need
to condemn and reject U.S. inter-
ference in the internal affairs of
our country. This understanding
is necessary to make the votes
against nuclear arms simultan-
eously votes for Canadian inde-
pendence.

c) in order to put forward its
position in this critical election
around the following main slog-
ans: “Stop Amercan Interfer-
ence! No Nuclear Arms! Put Can-
ada_ First!’’, the Communist
Party will nominate in a number
of constituencies across Canada.
These nominations must be in
accord with the electoral policy
of our Party as contained in the
Report of the NEC to the Na-
tional Committee — and all nom-
inations must be discussed with
and approved by the NEC.

e
Comrades:

To work with the aim of mak-
ing the NDP the balance of power
in the next Parliament while
simultaneously building up sup-
port for our candidates and our
policies, will require great skill
and extraordinary effort by every
Party member throughout the
country. But it is a challenge and
a responsibility which we must
take up and act upon because
it is an extraordinary electon.
It will require a proper disposi-
tion of the forces of the Party-
and of those who support it in
every constituency, so that while
working might and main to get
the biggest possible vote where
we run candidates, we do not lose
sight of the need to help ensure
the election of NDP candidates
where real possibilities for so

See COMMUNISTS, pg. 12

March 1, 1963—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 5

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