B.C. will likely have the worst human rights code in Canada when Bill 27, the new Human Rights Act, becomes law. Several groups who are traditionally targets of discrimination and who are pro- tected by the spirit, if not the letter, of the current Act will be stripped of protection when the new legislation is enacted. And the advances made in recent settlements of discrimination cases will be eradicated. The abolition of the Human Rights Com- mission and the ministry of labor’s human rights branch have nothing to do with restraint, but are a deliberate assault on working people and minorities on behalf of the employers and landlords who form the corporate backing of the Social Credit government. These were charges which united several hundred people who packed the Robson Square media centre in Vancouver Tuesday at a special strategy session held by the Human Rights Commission. On hand were commission chairman Dr. Charles Paris, members Renate Shearer and Hanne Jensen, and B.C. Civil Liberties Association director Dr. Bill Black, the per- son who authored many of the provisions of the current code. The forum, which saw speakers from community, anti-racist, women’s and gay rights organizations attack the Socred measures and praised the commission for its past initiatives, was called to discuss strategy for a fight-back as well to air the shock and anger over the abolition of the current code. As a result, participants — many of whom called for the formation of a coalition — were urged to attend a meeting July 18 of the newly-formed coalition of trade unionists, unemployed workers, seniors, teachers, tenants and community groups. Twice Paris called Father Jim Roberts, a noted advocate for the unemployed, to the ‘microphone to explain details of the ————— Bun GFT FIGHTBACK Human rights ‘set organization, put together by more than 100 participants at the UFAWU hall last Monday. “The Social Credit’s draconian budget and legislative attacks on the economic, democratic and human rights of the people of British Columbia will be met with deter- mined and wide ranging opposition,’”’ the new coalition pledged in a statement. The new organization plans ‘‘protest ac- tions”’ and has pledged to co-ordinate its ac- tivities with the B.C. Federation of Labor. The new human rights Act replaces the branch and commission with a new council of five members chosen by labor minister Bob McLelland. The Act gives no mention of any staff, and the ministry has already laid off —in the most heavy-handed manner — several branch employees. The staff cuts mean that attempts to en- force human rights in B.C. have been ‘‘set back 10 years — if we’re that lucky,”’ said Black in a critique of the new legislation. Among the most devastating of the new changesis the elimination of the ‘‘reasonable cause’ provision, which governed those classes of people not mentioned in the old Act (and absent in the new version) such as homosexuals and people whose first language is not English. Also axed under the new code is the op- tion to redress unintentional discrimination, said Black. A recent victory for human - rights was scored when the Human Rights Branch awarded Buphinder Singh Dhaliwal back wages and a job at a Vanderhoof sawmill whose personnel manager had refused to hire Dhaliwal on the grounds that his fluency in English was not adequate. The board of inquiry found the real reason for the rejection was the personnel manager’s dislike for East Indians, and made the award even though the company was not considered directly responsible. There is a list of regressive changes regar- ding the complaint process, Black noted. No : longer can community organizations repre- _ sent an individual victim of discrimination. Instead, it is up to that person to make the complaint, and there will no longer be any assistance available from Human Rights agencies and lawyers. There will be no further provision for punitive damages, such as awarded to vic-, tims of discrimination in cases which did not involve ‘‘out of pocket loss,”’ Black explain- ed. No longer will victims have the right to ap- peal a decision rendered by the minister’s hand-picked board of inquiry (established on the minister’s prerogative), or the right to lay criminal charges in court for violations of the Act, he added. “One can only draw the conclusion that the purpose of the new Act is to make en- forcement more difficult and less effective,” said Black. “*The only people who will benefit from the gutting of human rights will be those who profit from discrimination in the workplace or in housing,”’ said Donna Stewart of the Vancouver chapter of the recently formed B.C. Human Rights Coalition. “Racists have been given the green light to organize in B.C.,’’ said Charan Gill, chair- man of the B.C. Organization to Fight Racism. Jill Wiess of the B.C. Coalition of the Disabled said that ‘‘the new code doés not deserve the name of human rights.” Calvin Sandborn of the farmworker branch of Abbotsford Legal Services praised Paris and the commission for its hearings last year into conditions on Fraser Valley farms and subsequent reports calling on the goverment to include farmworkers under labor legislation and the Workers Compen- sation Act. “You were fired because you were doing your job,”’ said Sandborn. Coalition against budget launched More than 50 organizations in the Lower Mainland have formed a broadly-based coalition to fight the provincial government’s budget and have called for an initial demonstration against the govern- ment’s program July 23. - Coalition-chairman George Hewison said the demonstration will be a massive march from the ALRT station at Main and Ter- minal in Vancouver across the Georgia viaduct to B.C. Place. “We'll be marching from one Socred monument to another, to contrast those with the attack on people,’’ Hewison said. It is a rally “‘for human rights and democratic _ rights,’’ added Father James Roberts, Langara religious studies instructor and member of the coalition’s steering commit- tee. The coalition was formed out of a jamm- _ ed meeting of more than 100 representatives Fed gathers Contirued from page 1 broad-based coalition of groups who are adversely affected by this anti-people legisla- tion.” He said that the federation had already been in contact with Bishop Remi De Roo, chairman of the Catholic social affairs com- mission which prepared the well-known Statement on economic and social issues, of labor, community and political groups who came together Monday at the Fishermen’s Hall in Vancouver to assess the budget and plan a response. The meeting had been initiated the week before in an- ticipation of the budget by the unemploy- ment committee of the Vancouver and District Labor Council. Among the organizations that formed the coalition are women’s groups, tenants, students and senior organizations, municipal groups, the Communist Party and NDP constituency associations. COPE aldermen and school trustees from Van- couver as well as aldermen from Burnaby and Coquitlam and NDP MP Ian Waddell were there to endorse the call for the coali- tion. Included among several trade unions at the meeting were public sector and private sector unions affiliated to the B.C. Federa- tion of Labor, as well as Building Trades unions, Confederation of Canadian Unions’ affiliates, teachers, and faculty and profes- sional associations. The meeting adopted a six-point resolu- tion which in addition to calling for a Lower Mainland demonstration also called on the B.C. Fed ‘‘to initiate a province-wide pro- test,’ and urged all other organizations to organize their own protest actions. The resolution also appealed to the NDP opposi- tion in Victoria ‘‘to do everything possible to delay passage of the Socred legislation.”’ The coalition is open to any organization in the Lower Mainland that opposes the Socred budget and its restraint program. A larger number of organizations are expected to attend a second general meeting Monday, July 18, 10 a.m., at the Fishermen’s Hall, 138 East Cordova, Vancouver. support for fightback “Ethical Reflections.’’ And church as well as community leaders were expected to take part in the conference Friday where delegates will discuss the plans for a broadly- based coalition and will map out a plan of action to fight the legislation. Kube told reporters that the campaign would include “‘demonstations, rallies and a RIBUNE Published weekly at Suite 101 — 1416 Commercial Drive, 4 Vancouver, B.C. V5L-3X9 Phone 251-1186 é 1am enclosing: 1 yr. $140 2 yrs.$250] 6mo.$8( Foreign 1 year $15 0 N Bill me later () Donation 6§............ READ THE PAPER THAT FIGHTS FOR LABOR Pa 4 A a ae a a a a a a a a a a a PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JULY 15, 1983—Page 8 “These are the kinds of actions any elected government understands,”’ he said. The federation president emphasized that the government had launched an attack “against a broad sector of the population,”’ adding that the federation would actively seek to organize the people. “We will launch a fightback and we will be seeking the support of a great number of people.”’ Even before campaign plans were being ~ made trade unionists throughout the pro- vince had condemned the Socreds’ draco- nian legislation. : The 50,000-member B.C. Government Employees’ Union, which had called an emergency executive meeting to consider op- position charged that the proposed legisla- tion was ‘‘one of the worst attacks on human rights and freedoms ever mounted by a democratically elected government in the western world.”’ Action must come first | Continued from page 1 frozen but rolled back in order to provide |) a platform from which to launch arenew- ~ ed offensive in the private sector for wage concessions and wage cuts. Not surprisingly, Michael Walker greeted the budget “‘with exhilaration” and wrote with particular elation about the government’s legislation which would || open the way to dismissal without cause or public employees. Worse, he noted that it ‘‘may act. .- as a Canada-wide precedent of the kind of singlemindedness which Ronald Reagan displayed in dealing with the aif traffic controllers.” Indeed, the Socred budget was being watched closely all across the country. — For it is the prototype of the kind of legislation that every big business provili- cial government would like to se ~ enacted. More important, it is a prototype for | the policies Canadians can expect from | the federal Conservatives should they form the next federal government. And 4 there was an ominous echo of Bennett’s — rhetoric in Brian Mulroney’s speech on | nomination night in the Central Nova | riding 7 was not just another budget and another set of bills. It was a legislative What was tabled in the legislature July assault on fundamental rights and condi-_ tions launched by a government which — sees itself as the advance guard of the “new right’, a government which is following the lead of Thatcher and Reagan but going even beyond them the scope of its attack. It is a government which has unbridled |) contempt for democratic procedures. And it is a government which will only | be stopped by massive organized public opposition — by the same public whichis ~ the victim of its sweeping legislative at- tack. The B.C. Federation of Labor has call- ed a conference for this Friday which 1s unprecedented in its scope, bringing — together representatives from affiliated as well as non-affiliated unions to work - out a common strategy. The federation has also advanced the — idea of coalitions opposed to the’ government’s attack, including trade unions, church organizations, communl- — ty, tenants and students organizations — which together constitute the majority of the population. The Vancouver and District Labor Council’s unemployed ac- tion committee has already taken action on forming such a coalition. They are a powerful beginning. They lt should be expanded across the province — to include all groups who oppose this government’s measures including unionists, tenants, church organizations, | students, the Communist Party and the New Democratic Party, community groups and others. And if they -unite around a common program, they cal force this government to back off. First on that program must be action — demonstrations, rallies, meetings, lob- bies, organized and co-ordinated undef the leadership of the trade union move | ment and the broad forces working with it. Certainly no one demonstration or ral-_ ly will move this government. But al organized, united coalition or oppost tion, with a program of escalating action | — including job action — can demonstrate forcefully to the Socreds that their policies are repudiated by the | overwhelming majority in this province | and must be withdrawn. : Trade unionists, tenants, students, teachers, academics — all of those who have been victimized by this | government’s war — can make theif voices heard if they organize, mobilize — and move into action. And their message will be going not | just to Victoria — but to Ottawa and t0 — provincial capitals across the countly — where other governments are watching the outcome.