EDITORIAL

Rejecting rightist ideas

_As we drew near the close of 1981 a
team of researchers at York University in
Toronto, reached the conclusion
through a survey that Canadians are not
moving to the right politically.

The finding supports the view often
expressed by the Communist Party of
Canada, over the past several years.

“Theories of shifts to the right, of the
-mood of neo-conservatism, are based on
guesswork,” the York surveyors said
after questioning 3,000 people. “The
Canadian people have a deep commit-
ment to liberal policies.”

By “liberal policies” is meant for
example, agreement by 90% to “the right
of women to equal pay for work of equal
value.” The survey concluded that “the
right is a vocal minority.”

The responses to a survey can only be
as reliable and representative as the
questions asked, sat the degree to which

the class mix reflects that of society. With

a workforce of 10 million plus their
families and a large body of retirees, in a
24-million population, one might expect
€ven more pointed responses to ques-
tions bearing on today’s hard realities.

This can be said because there are

other indications that working people,
far from moving to the right, are stand-
ing up against right-wing policies, in
government, in the board rooms and in
the trade union movement. The mam-
moth demonstration on Parliament Hill
on November 21 is an example. The ef-
fective pressure by trade unionists to
force union leadership to take militant
positions is another.

Life itself militates against workers
moving to the right. As they fight against
racism, against slashing of their own liv-
ing standards, against costly neo-colonial
and military adventures, they come up
against the Reagan hangers-on in big
business parties in Canada, against the
corporation bosses, against right-wing
misleaders in the labor movement. Even
this does not guarantee that sections of
the labor movement will never be taken:
in by imprialism’s propaganda barrage

_aimed at stifilng the international unity

of workers. ;

The York survey did not specify work-
ers, nor is the fight against right-wing
policies limited to workers. It takes in a
broad democratic movement. And the
unity of these forces can defeat efforts to
push politics to the right in Canada.

- Colluding against Poland

Those who are rushing to the assis-
tance of the counter-revolutionaries of
Poland should be sure they can answer
for the alliances they are forming. They
Should.explain how they unsnarl the
propaganda tangle churning out of
Washington and the emigre dens of the
extreme right.

By joining with this crew, New Dem-
Ocratic Party leader Ed Broadbent and
Canadian Labor Congress president
Dennis McDermott, for example, are
Jumping on a bandwagon fuelled for
months by the combined forces of the
CIA, the U.S. State Department and the
Pentagon/NATO brass.

Their lieutenants in Canada are
known. They include nazi collaborators
who failed to wipe out socialism as Hit-
ler’s allies. Never till now have they bee

trade-union” supporters. What worker
wants to be’ sucked into this kind of al-
liance?

U.S. activities in the world are no sec-
ret. The Reagan clique is trying by threat
and bullying, by bolstering every rotten
Tegime, and attacking everything social-
ist or even liberal, to make the USA the
military and political master of the
world. Aid to counter-revolution in Po-
land is part of the game.

Imperialism’s all-out effort to tear Po-
land out of the socialist community, to

re-establish capitalism, and to move a
nuclearized NATO onto the . Soviet
doorstep is the plan foolishly supported
by some people purporting to speak
for Canadian and even Polish workers.

Real concern for the Polish people is
shown in the flood of aid from the
governments and peoples of socialist
countries, who are also pledged to
guarantee Poland’s socialist system.
Reagan, on the other hand shows his
concern by cutting off food shipments.
Prime Minister Trudeau showed more
humanitarianism and political_reality in
his assurance of continued Canadian as-
sistance.

As for spokesmen of labor and the
NDP, they should look at the seriousness
of teaming up with Polish counter-revo-
lution and its outside directors, aiding
efforts to destablize Poland in hopes of
destroying socialism.

As was pointed out by Canadian
Communist Party leader William
Kashtan in a Dec. 20 speech: “We can’t
separate events in Poland from the over-
all international struggle for peace and
detente, and from imperialism’s aim of
eroding and undermining detente.”

That statement of fact, and the rami-

fications of what it says, need to sink in -

with those who glibly parrot the propa-
ganda of counter-revolution.

_ Speak out on Golan grab

The U.S. and Israeli governments will
undoubtedly patch up the spectacular
quarrel to which they have treated the

_ public. They need each other. And they
don’t really disagree on goals, just on
uming.

Their media squabble is not-the im-
Portant thing. What is important is that
Mm view of the United Nations Security
Council’s unanimous vote, Dec. 17, de-
Manding that Israel rescind its annexa-

tion of Syria’s Golan Heights, the
spokespersons of our country are called
upon to get tough on this issue.

When the Security Council meets on
Jan. 5 to consider “appropriate measur-
es” for coping with the Israeli aggression
Canada’s position should be in the inter-
ests of peace in the Middle East, of the
rights of Israel’s Arab neighbors, and not
merely an echo of the White House.

Flashbacks

25 years ago... 50 years ago...

AN OPEN CALL
FOR SUBVERSION

Millions of dollars should be
set aside to establish and equip
ethnic military groups to serve
with NATO, Charles Kerston, a
White House consultant on
psychological warfare told a To-
ronto audience. The proposal is
to divert a major part of the
$100-million now spent by the
U.S. on subversion and prop-
aganda against socialist coun-
tries.

Immediately following the
meeting 15 ethnic groups of
what is called the Mutual Co-
Operation League, headed by
emigre fascist elements, heard a
call for military intervention in
Eastern Europe. “This is the
moment for an all-out war
against Russia,” said the presi-
dent of the Bulgarian National
Front. “The time is ripe for the
free world to strike commun-

”

ism,

Tribune,
December 24, 1956

BUCK RUNNING

FOR CONTROLLER

TORONTO — Tim Buck has
been nominated for Controller
of the City of Toronto, Harry
Guralnik as Alderman for Ward
four and John Boychuk as
Alderman for Ward five by the
Workers’ United Front Election
Committee.

At the nomination meeting
for controllers, where it is the
usual custom to give election
speeches, Buck made a success-
ful declaration of policy, receiv-
ing applause even from the
gathering of notables and ward
healers present.

His speech was in sharp con-
trast to the village pump
charlatanism of Simpson, but
the daily press, while reporting
the speeches of the respectables
in detail, accorded Buck from
two-to three lines. Despite ter-
rorized owners, election head-
quarters have been found at
308 Spadina.

The Worker,
December 26, 1931

Profiteer of the week

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC to its close ac-
quaintances) had a neat trick for the year ended Oct. 31. First it
tucked away $310,185,022 in after-tax profit, while muttering some-
thing about interest rates being good. That was about a 39%
increase over a year earlier at $192,056,363. But guess what? It did
it while closing 100 branches! |
Figures used are from the company’s financial statements.

Editor — SEAN GRIFFIN
Business and Circulation Manager — PAT O’CONNOR

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PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JAN. 8, 1982—Page 3