etro Toronto Communist Party meets to

WacRONTO—Delegates to the
a Toronto convention of the
| .munist Party in a two-day
sion April 26-27 examined
Party’s work and addressed
emselves to the key question
Making the Party a more
€ctive force in Toronto, en-
Cing its influence and
€ngthening the working class
democratic movement, thus
‘vating the struggle for a
lalist Canada.”
Action Resolutions
Ction resolutions opposing
€ pending hydro rate increase,
Ing for government action
ainst the rising profile of
tta-right activity, in support of
es for tenants’ rights and
n.. controls, backing steps
“Ward a student-faculty-staff
on front against the ef-
fe of education cutbacks and
Olvement of the Party in the
tes going on over Metro
Tucture of government were
Ssed. ;
a convention greeted the
Ories of the people of Indo-
to a and Portugal and called

ange Priot independence. It de-
Sag no renewal of NORAD
‘tosthn = it “a dangerous and
| Stly hang-over of the cold
| War.”
| eq Pecial importance was plac-
a 9n the success of the upcom-
Oe OFL demonstration at
ee s Park May 21 and the
\j eon pledged to “rally the
ines adest support behind this
| “fect and timely initiative.”
Bart his report, Communist
| .*tty Metro chairman John Biz-
| the told the delegates, “During
© Past two years our Party
“and Undertaken many campaigns
“hay Participated in many that
| og © been initiated by a variety
M4 eaited front movements . . .
S€ efforts show the Party to
| cha an active participant in
Mere "8. the course of events in
B bas “ Toronto — and not a
f flares spectator of history un-
Bbc, ng. In fact the Party has
ow eal an important factor in in-
oo} cNcing events . . .” This was
0 oo in reports of Party mem-
oft) ee growth of 15% over the
Kel it year.
|... Provincial Elections
00 Bete provincial elections and
” the Preparations for them are
© most important campaigns

Trib By JOHN WEIR

Ree Moscow Correspondent
nt Eo cOw — Beautiful spring
HDs her is promised for May

Sig of human society. Ban-
tt and decorations are vying
8 Ny, blossoms and. greenery.

ings papers daily report new

Ustrial
nee and planting in full
civ Bane. Over much of the Soviet
a! all the corners of the
ro delegations from Com-
fa and Workers parties,
‘© union and progressi 2
Eanizations progressive or:
Ages of Asia, Africa and Latin
coe a are converging on Mos-
2 take part with the Soviet

vt People in the celebration of May

ay and of th
of e 3@th anniversary
9. victory. over fascism on’ May,

ek Moctinig in Baghdad last week
Stic, ee of the World Federa-
| Trade Unions adopted a

Y, the holiday celebrating the’

records and spring.

Liberation move-.

we have before us,” Bizzell said.
The convention applauded the.
14 Communist condidates nom-
inated so far who will raise the
urgent issues constained in the
Party’s electoral platform. The
report outlined monopoly’s at-
tack on every aspect of people’s
‘lives and described the growing
fight-back by labor, by a multi-
tude of ‘citizen’s groups. “As the

economic crisis of monopoly .

deepens, as more people are
drawn into the consequences of
unemployment and skyrocket-
ing inflation, so are anti-capital-
ist. ideas spawned and nurtur-
ed,” the report said,

Growing Racist Attacks

A section also dealt with the
growing incidence of racist at-
tacks in Metro Toronto, includ-
ing on the Party’s headquarters,
and called for the development
of “a powerful coalition of.
working-class and democratic
forces to combat every aspect of
racism. The. government's Green
Paper on Immigration was term:
ed “a thinly-disguised call to
racist elements to stir up hatred
among the people in Canada.”

_ Considerable attention was
paid to rapidly-developing civic
politics and new examples of
civic alliances being established
and the need for ever greater
participation by communists in
the complex civic scene. In all
its work the convention centred
out the vital need for the labor

-. movement’s direct involvement

in all people’s movements.

“The Party’s presence is at
ledst a part of this process, ‘but
involvement of the trade-union
movement. and the winning of
community groups for an vanti-
monopoly program, and where
necessary, the building of pro-
gressive electoral movements,
offers the only lasting assur-
ance that the ‘reform-group’ on
council will be broadened and
move in the direction of a new
alliance at City Hall capable of
uprooting developer control and
striking out in a new direction,”
the report states. It spent con-
siderable time defining and dis-
cussing the industrial concen-
tration policy of the Party and
heard reports from Communists
active in their trade unions, on
positive experiences in building

Balance shifts towards peace and socialism

| resolution of the 30th anniver-
sary of victory over fascism,

The monstrous attempt by
nazi fascism to establish world
domination, the resolution
reads, was frustrated above all
thanks to the decisive contribu-
tion of the army and peoples of
the Soviet Union who sustained
the gravest losses and bore the
main brunt of the war.

Balance of Forces

The broad front of anti-fas-
cist struggle and the contribu-
tion to the struggle of the peo-
ples’ resistance movements in
occupied countries, unmatched
for their heroism, will go down
in history as striking evidence of
the unity of the peoples in joint
struggle against aggression, for
the triumph of freedom and
peace.

Noting that the balance of
forces has shifted sharply in
favor of the cause of peace.
democracy, progress and social-
ism, the resolution warns that
the aggressive nature of impe-

Build its influence and work

the Party among industrial
workers.
Strengthening the role of the

press, the work of the Party in

‘the struggle of women for

equality, the Party’s ideological
work and other important mat-
ters were a part of the lively
debates. A Metro Committee of
13 was elected to carry forward
the convention’s policies.

‘Hydro hikes

Continued from page 5

sion. These exhorbitant, totally
unjustifiable and usurious inter-
est rates in what the Ontario
Hydro management seeks to re-

cover through higher rates,
which in turn wéighs most hea-
vily on domestic and municipal
customers. The beneficiaries of
this policy are monopoly capital
and its financial manipulators.

In the opinion of the Com-
munist Party, the management
and structure of this public en-
terprise should be examined
from the viewpoint of the need
to strengthen public participa-
tion and democratic control. The
way. to do this is not to remove
control cf Ontario Hydro from
the Legislature; which would be
the case if Hydro becomes a so-
called Crown Corporation; but
to strengthen the democratic
participation in its control and
administration by giving the
elected representatives of the
people at large, as well as
municipalities, trade unions,
farm organizations and smaller
business a greater say in policy
matters.

With this in mind, the Ontario
Committee of the Communist
Party proposes a public Inquiry
Commission be established to
hear submissions on structure,
forms of democratic control and
administrative policies with res-
pect to Ontario Hydro, and to
make recommendations with a
view to strengthen democratic
control based upon present pub-
lic ownership.

World labor greets May Day

rialism has not changed and it
carries a constant threat of war.

‘The WFTU. calls on all trade
unionists and workers of the
world to close ranks and
strengthen trade union unity to
the utmost, not to relax vigil-
ance, to step up the struggle for
consolidation of the gains of
peaceful co-existence, to set up
struggle for the liquidation of
the existing hotbeds of war,
fascism, colonialism and radical-
ism, to help developing coun-
tries achieve genuine political
and economic independence,
and to increase the struggle in
defence of the interests of the

workers in the situation of crisis ~

of the capitalist system and for

a democratic alternative to the ~

power of the monopolies.

It is with the banners of in-
ternational solidarity flying high
and confidence in victory over
the forces opposing detente at
full strength that the people of
the socialist camp celebrate
May Day.

| | TT

Home, in Cyprus.

Part of crowd at Toronto rally, April 19, supporting Cypriot
women demanding the right to return to their homes. Next
week: A Canadian eye-witness report on the Women's Walk

Mandate for socialism

Continued from page 5

tional federated trade union
body is supported by the coun-
try’s 1,500,000 workers over the
Socialist idea of different na-
tional trade unions, and it has
constantly supported the pro-
gram of the Armed Forces Move-
ment.

The Communists received the
majority of their votes from in-
dustrial workers and peasants
in the south of Portugal. In the
Alentejo region, an agricultural
area in the south, votes were 50-
50 for the Communist and So-
cialist Parties. The same was true
for industrial and port cities such
as Beja and Setubal.

The Socialist and Popular De-
mocratic parties tallied most of
the votes in the north of the
country, which is conservative
and Roman Catholic dominated.
They also received the anti-com-
munist votes of the upper and
middle classes who favor bour-
geois democracy as opposed to
socialism. There was one major
right-wing party in the running,
but its lack of mass support gave
it little voice during the cam-

paigning. E 3

Electoral Inexperience
The Armed Forces Movement’s
major concern during the elec-
tion was the total inexperience
of the vast majority of Portu-
guese in the process of free elec-
tions. (Some 380,000 cast blank

ballots as the AFM recommend-
ed for those in doubt, who still
wanted to support the revolu-
tion.) ,

With more than 10 parties to
choose from, and “socialism” be-
ing the catch-word of even the
bourgoeis parties, the ordinary
citizen who lacks the experience
of electoral struggle was baffled
by the seeming unanimity of
views:

To differentiate between each
party’s version of “socialism,”
and between who is actually
working in the interests and
needs of the country or who is
just juggling words, takes more
electoral and political experience
than the Portuguese people have
acquired in their year of free-
dom.

As the peaceful revolution
continues, the work of the three
major Portuguese parties among
the people and the policies they
put forth in the Constituent As-
sembly will soon reveal to the

“country their basic differences.
-The Armed Forces Movement

will retain their central position
through a three to five year tran-
siticnal period as policy makers
for the road that Portugal’ will
take toward socialism. And the
people will be shortly called
upon to continue the revolution-
ary process as the government
prepares for October elections
to form a legislative assembly.

Support for May 21 grows

Continued from page 5

this city’s ambulance attendants
by the Ministry of Health, the
Metro Toronto government and
the Management Board of Cabi-
net.”

The provincial government
has proposed the amalgamation
of the ambulance services in
Metro Toronto which would in
effect place the 158 ambulance
attendants, now under the CSAO
jurisdiction, into the hands of
the Canadian Union of Public
Employees. ;

Substantial Loss

While that move should pose
no real difficulties (the. unions
are discussing the matter jointly)
the problem comes with the
government’s terms. The pro-
vincial government wants the
present CSAO ambulance atten-
dants to resign and then be re-
hired by Metro. But the resign-
ing and rehiring would mean the
loss of all seniority and fringe
benefits won under their present
contract. The workers would also
suffer a substantial loss of hour-
ly pay because there is presently
an 80¢ per hour differential be-
tween the CSAO rates and the

_ CUPE rates, so the move would,
in effect mean a cutback in pay.
And finally, both unions know
that a blacklist has been creat-

ed and up to 20 of the workers
would not be rehired by the
new service.

“It’s an election year,” Nor-
man said, “and the provincial
government would like - nothing
better than to see one union
pitted against. another. But we
aren’t going to allow that to hap-
pen. Our fight is with the gov-
ernment and we plan on doing.
all we can to prevent a cutback
in workers’ wages and fringe
‘benefits simply because they —
might be transfered to another
government’s: jurisdiction.”

QOvears

| WORKING FOR
WORLD PEACE

,PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, MAY 2, 1975—Page 9