Gackec labor iioves to eattod

struggle following election

By SAM WALSH

President of the Communist

: Party of Quebec

MONTREAL — Quebec work-
ers and progressives need not be
discouraged by the results of the
April 29 election and the events
immediately following it. To the
contrary. Pare

The sham victory of the Que-
bec Liberals with its artificial
majority cannot hide the reality.
By the breakup of the National
Union party, the Quebec work-
ing class has made a_ forward
stride in beginning to detach it-
self from the two parties of the
big bourgeoisie.

In its long history, it has thus
turned a new page to become a
class for itself. Not, unfortunate-
ly, by the most direct route, that
is by the formation of a mass
political party of the working
people as proposed by the Com-
munist Party of Quebec, but in-
directly by giving its support, a
large part of its votes, to the
petty bourgeois, reformist, “in-
dépendantiste” party, the Parti
Québecois.

What have you to say now,
brother Henri Gagnon and the
other apostles of “gompersism’’?
Jean Marchand, when he was

president of the Confederation .

of National Unions, said it is
amoral to form a political party
of the working class—but he is
now in the cabinet of the Liber-
al government in Ottawa. And
j you, the Gompers. of today who,
‘a few weeks before the start of
the elections, declared that the
working people are not ready for
a federated mass party of the
workers, that they are captives
of the parties of the big bour-
geoisie, you are not going to re-
main very long in the leadership
of the labor movement if you
persist in limiting the struggle of
the workng class to an exercise
of pressure on the party in
power. oS
The fact the Quebec working
class is very much readier for
mass action independent of the
bourgeoisie was shown clearly
and movingly two days after the
elections in the glorious May 1
demonstration organized by the
common front of the three trade
union centres (CNTU, the Que-
_ bec Federation of Labor and the
Quebec Teachers Corporation).
Thousands of workers marching

Brezhnev on US. war

in the streets of Montreal,
shoulder to shoulder with work-
ers around the world on the oc-
casion of the international holi-
day of workers- That’s some-
thing! That they demand the
settlement of strikes, and the
100,000 jobs promised by the
new prime minister Bourassa,

that’s the way! That Chartrand

and the Montreal CNTU prom-
ise that the common front of
May first is going to present
candidates in the next munici-
pal elections, that’s a step in
the right direction. That the con-
struction workers, affiliated to
the QFL and the CNTU, rival
cannibals until now, undertake

‘a joint general strike on May 5

in defiance of the corporatist
Bill 290, these are very positive
facts.
That the students at McGill
University respond in large num-
bers to the call of the McGill
Students’ Society to demonstrate
in front of the American consu-
late against the latest genocidal
crime of the U.S.A. in Cambodia
and the assassination of four
protesting students at Kent
State University, shows there is
a base there also for creating
the political force absolutely nec-
essary for Quebec if it is to get
out of the morass into which St.
James Street is sucking it with
its political parties.
Finally, the electoral cam-
paign of the Communist. Party
of Quebec in support of its can-
didate, Claire DaSylva-Demers,
although it did not draw a large
number of votes, demonstrated
nonetheless that the - working
class can advance a unity pro-
gram for the resolution of the
economic and political crises,
for the defense of the right of
national self-determination and
of equality of the French-Canad-
ian nation at the sarhe time ce-
menting the unity of the working
people of both nations, This cam-
paign also demonstrated that
the party is capable of organiz-

ing a real campaign, with its

tens of young and older mem-

bers devoted to their party and

to their class.

Take care, Mr. Bourassa and
your St. James Street pals! On
the morrow of your victory for-
ces are gathering for your de-
feat. We are proud to be among”
them. (Combat)

“End in shameful defeat’

PRAGUE (TASS) — Leonid
Breznev: said that the armed at-
tack by the U.S.A. on Cambodia
would end in shameful defeat
for the American aggressors.

Speaking at a session cele-
brating the 25th anniversary of
V-Day here, the general secre-
tary of the CPSU Central Com-
mittee said:

“In recent days one more in-
dependent and sovereign state—
Cambodia—has fallen victim to
an armed attack on the part of
the United States of America. A
number of populated localities in
the Democratic Republic of Viet-
nam were again subjected to bar-
baric bombings. Thus, through
the fault of the imperialists the
flames of war have engulfed the
whole of Indochina today. These
bandit-like actions reveal the
true face of American imperial-
ism which is unceremoniously
tearing up any international
agreements and trampling under-
foot the sovereignty of smaller
countries, in an attempt to de-
prive them of freedom and inde-
pendence and to hamper their

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, MAY 15, 1970—Page 6 -

social progress.

“The expansion of U.S. ag-
gression will no doubt meet with
the resolute rebuff of the peoples
of Indochina on whose side are
all fighters against imperialism,
forces of peace, democracy and
socialism all over the world. And
there cannot be any doubt that
the fresh crime of the American
aggressors will bring them no
less inglorious and shameful re-
sults than the dirty war against
the Vietnamese people.”

THE RECORD

In the last 5,500 years, there
have been 14,531 wars, for an
average of 3.18 wars a year. In
the last 20 years, the frequency
has increased to 5.2 a year.

During World War I, 95 percent
of the fatal casualties were mem-
bers of the armed forces. In
World War Il, 56 percent were
from the armed forces. In the
Korean: war, 88 percent of the
fatal casualties were civilians. To
date in Vietnam, 91 percent of
the dead have been civilians.
Excalibur

Que. YCL calls

youth to unite

MONTREAL — In aa sstate-
ment on Cambodia and the
Kent student martyrs, the na-
tional committee of the Young
Communist League of Quebec
declares:

“Student and working youth,
who have an ever greater role
to play in the political future of
Quebec, should demonstrate
their solidarity with the young
Americans who are struggling

under conditions even more dif-'

ficult than ours.against the at-
rocity of the Nixon regime. In
this regard, we wholeheartedly
Salute the splendid gesture ‘of
the McGill University students
who, profoundly reflecting the
sorrow inflicted on them by the
assassination of the four young
Americans, placed four symbo-
lic coffins at the entrance to the
U.S. consulate in Montreal.
“Not only because American
policy has serious effects on the
social life of the. Quebec popu-
lation, but also because it pro-
vokes and endangers all of man-
kind, the national committee of

-the YCL of Quebec, addressing

all progressive organizations,
the trade union movement, stu-
dents’ associations, the Cath-
olic Working Youth, all move-
ments of progressive youth and
all democratic forces, calls on
them to make known publicly

‘their dismay in the faee of such

a situation and their disagree-
ment with the policies of com-
plicity of the Trudeau and Bou-
rassa governments, that only

serve to feed the dangerous.

smouldering embers of the
Second World War which have
never been entirely put out.”

The demonstration led by the
Women’s Committee of UAW
Local 222 in Oshawa, of over

250 women on April 28 in
Queen’s Park gave an impetus
to the struggle to end discrimi-
nation against women—on the
job, in the home and in society.
They voiced their support ‘of
Bill 36—a private member’s bill
—to amend Ontario’s Human
Rights Code by including the
word “sex” in the code’s sec-
tion eliminating discrimination.

Job discrimination against
women workers, the Canadian
Tribune was told by three ex-
ecutive members of the Wo-
men’s Committee of Local 222,
resulted in the establishment
two years ago of the commit-
tee. At that time, women with
seniority as far back as 1962
had been laid off while General
Motors and auto parts plants in
Oshawa were still hiring male
workers.

“In GM,” the women told us,
“there are still two separate
seniority lists—male and female.
And two separate job ratings,
with lower rates for women
workers.” Mrs. Genevieve Ey-
man, Local 222 Women’s Com-
mittee president, explained, “It
was this that led us to form our
committee, to fight for equal
seniority recognition and equal
contracts.”

Working women’s ca

forcetully

Myra Wolfgang, Secretary-
Treasurer of Local 705, Hotel
and Restaurant Employees
Union in the United States, in an
article published in the Daily
World refers to the fact that
there has been a demand from
some circles for the repeal of
protective legislation for wo-
men in the United States. She
is shocked by the fact that these
efforts have come from some
women’s organizations in the
mistaken belief that equality
for women must simply be
equated with identity of treat-
ment afforded men. Such decla-
rations have come from the Na-
tional Organization of Women
(NOW), the Women’s Interna-
tional Conspiracy from Hell
(WICH), the Women’s Libera-
tion Front, and, regrettably, the
Women’s Department of the
UAW.

In order to liberate women,
it .is necessary to determine
what women want to be liberat-
ed from, she says:

-“My.comments are addressed
to the problems of working
women as they exist,’, she
writes: “As everyone knows,
women are faced with. the
double standard, which they re-
-sent and want outlawed. This
situation permits a man to be
paid from 25 to 50 percent more
for doing the same job as a
woman. ee

“Women need equal pay for
equal work laws extended to
the 25 states that do not now
have them, and they want’ them
enforced! ae

“Women face discrimination
in -hiring in violation of state
and federal laws, and want an
end to the disproportionate con-
centration of women in the un-

She cited the case of the Dup-
late plant which has recently
moved its windshield depart-
ment from Oshawa to Hawkes-
bury. Duplate has told women
workers in that department the
company would not accept to
transfer women, and .perman-
ently cancelled out the jobs of
30 of them. .

The auto local’s Women’s :
Committee decided to take their
fight first to their union. Men
who originally withheld their
support are now in full sympa-
thy with the auto women work-
ers’ fight to end discrimination.
Approached by the women,
Oshawa NDP-MPP Cliff Pilkey
undertook to submit his private
member’s Bill 36 to the On-
tario legislature.

The call of the Oshawa union
women to demonstrate at
Queen’s Park on April 28 for
equality of the sexes was an-
swered by 300 women. Mem-.
bers of the Voice of Women,
of New Feminist and Women’s
Liberation movements, joined
with women workers from auto,
steel and electrical union locals
from several southern Ontario
cities and towns. >

Plans were announced for a
still larger demonstration on
May 25 when Bill 36 comes up
for its second reading.

_full pay while on maternity

their

- sional

ro

presented

derpaid and menial jobs.
“Women want the opportut
ity to work at any occupal’ :
that their talents permit them
to fill and at hours that are ~
patible with their function’ ©
wives and mothers. ° )
“The majority of (womel|
are not members of an [
Those who are, seldom have!
protection of contractual Pl
bition against overtime. ”—
out legislation limiting hou!’
work, there is a return t0.
‘cessive, compulsory overtim
The work day is becom
longer, not shorter! :

“Women must deal with 4]
culture which insists that ||
‘woman’s work is in the hom? |
while the economy forces the (
out of the home and into
work force. a

“In order to preserve womal |
physical strength and ee
being, the hours on the he
job must be limited to le) °
enough time to perform ~~ ]
duties of the second job. f

“Little is being done to ©% ) (
the burden of homemaking. ie |
lack of day-care centres for | 4
dren of workers is scandal0™’ | ¢
The lack of maternity prol® | ,

!
]
t
(

tions and benefits is appallitk
According to the Internatio |
Labor Organization a stan@* | ¢
of 12 weeks authorized mate |
nity leave. applies in over the |
countries, not including ~
U.S.A. In many of these ce
tries women continue to recé!

BE

leave. What is needed today |
more protective legislatiom ~ |
women, not less! ae .
“The historical ' objectiv® aa)
the labor movement has vid
to win shorter hours, hig
pay and better working cont
tions for its members sO jo? |
all workers might fully deve)
potential. The wot
worker asks no more than th al
“However, the multiple ron
that women fill in society as
for dealing with their prope
in a special way. One of th de |
ways would be for state i
rations to actively fight
tempts to repeal legislation, is |
signed to protect women. ted |
is where the male-domina ig :
labor movement has /4 vet
short. Today, more than ©)
before,- labor must for its “he |
security and survival, taP the
strength that resides iM 1
growing number of wore
workers. If women had the 7 |
sure time which men take_ id
granted, women workers, WO%,
become more knowledgeable ns
economic matters, join unr
and participate more actively 5
the work of the labor m?
ment. a

“Under those conditions ie
and women could fight toBer 4
the problems that affect eV? —
body in the population. —

“Surely the first thing worn
want to be liberated from t%,)
is the dread of becoming _ 1.
grieving mother of a dead ny
dier or the lonely wife of 2™ |
hero. " !

“The labor movement Hv ;
direct its energies to the Pi
lems of working women, Of?
ized and unorganized — and of
swer the unusual activitie
the ‘professional’ women's
ganizations. The spotlight 9 ast
tention must be moved tO es
some light on the non-p!?)
majority of wl
women in our work force.

y?

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