FRIDAY, MAY 12, 1950

At Canadian Peace Congress

The Dean of Canterbury (top) addresses the great peace rally
of 12,000 people at Toronto’s Maple Leat Gardens, and (center)
Rev. LG. Perkins and Mrs. Jane Litel wait at Scarborough ceno-
taph to receive the peace torch carried in relays from Montreal
to Toronto. Dr. James .G. Endicott (below) gives his report to
the opening session of the Canadian Peace Congt:ess.

Board turns down

Steel bid at Trail

Labor Relations Board rejection of Steel’s bid for certification at Trail, on the grounds that
the USW had failed to show proof of a majority in the smelter, was hailed by B.C. labor this week
as a victory not only for the legitimate union, Mine-Mill, but for every trade union in the province

which opposes raiding tactics.
At Trail, Al King, president
of local 480, Mine-Mill, said:

“Now that the Steel fraud has
been shown up for what it was,

we urge all workers not only

in Trail, but throughout Cana-
da, to reject these union split-

ters and rally unitedly behind a

program of fighting for wages
and better conditions.”

It was the Steel union which
sought an LRB ruling in the first
place. Mine-Mill, steadily regain-
ing strength after the first short
period of confusion caused by the
Steel splitters, was winning the
battle for membership in the smel-
ter and preparing to fight for
wage increases and better work-
ing conditions in the new con-
tract “even if the Steel raiders

)

are snarling and snapping at our
heels.”

Rejection of Steel’s phony ap-
plication for certification is resul-
ting in greater unity of Trail
smelterworkers behind Mine-Mill
in current negotiations with Con-
solidated.

“What has been done in Trail
by the workers here”, said Al
King, “can be done by workers
elsewhere, who are threatened
with the loss of union democracy
and faced with company union-
ism, no matter how it may be
disguised. The power-mad lead-
ers of the CCL and the CIO must
learn to respect the wishes of the
rank and file workers for a policy
ef genuine trade unionism.”

Smarting from their worst de-
feat in years, CCL rightwing
leaders used their majority in
Vancouver Labor Council to ram
through a “demand for an inves-
tigation at government level into
the LRB’s autocratic and dicta-
torial decisions.” But ears burn-
@d when delegate George Brown
(Boilermakers), denounced the
Steel raid as “skullduggery and
the dirtiest story in the trade
union movement for many years.”

Many Steel members ‘feel the

Same way about their leaders’
knavery. A rank-and-file Steel
Workers’ Committee issued a

leaflet this week condemning the
Millard-Mahoney-Baskin ,machine’
attempt to raid Mine-Mill.

Gov't statements conceal
attacks on liberties - LPP

Present policy of the Liberal party is not to place a formal ban on the Labor-Progressive party
the same~ end by seeking to limit and suppress the right of Cana-
dians to express socialist opinions through new legislation, a statement issued by the national executive
committee of the LPP charged this week.

but te accomplish

Full
read:

text of the statement

The House of Commons by a
rescunding majority, has defea-
ted George Drew’s vicious am-
endment to enact a fascist-type
law designed to suppress the
rising struggles of the Canadian
people for peace, democratic li-
berties and economic reforms.
This is a victory for all Cana-
dians who cherish democracy, a
defeat for the most reactionary
political figure in parliament,
George Drew, and for the mono-
polists who are coining record
profits out of the cold war.

The fine traditions of A. E.
Smith and the mighty people’s
movement he led in the Thirties
which repealed hated Section 98
and sent ‘Iron Heel’ R. B. Ben-
nett to oblivion, endure and grow
Stronger. Masses of Canadians
— trade unionists, CCF’ers and
liberals—understood that Drew’s
formula, “suppression of Commu-
nist and similar activities,” is a
dagger aimed, not only at the
Labor - Progressive party but.at
everyone _who challenges and
fights the policies of reaction and
monopoly.

Col. Drew deliberately chos3
this moment to introduce his
amendment because the Canadian
people are responding- to a new
approach to save the world peace.
To slander them and to add
fuel to the war panic and hys-
teria, Drew sought to intimidate
all Canadians who above all
seek peace, the salvation of
their country from atomic war,
the banning of atomic weapons
and’ the declaration that the
first government to drop atomic
bombs will be a war criminal,

Drews amendment was design-
ed to bully all Canadians who
want peace into accepting the
cold war and the inevitability
of atomic war, by making it
appear that the advocacy of
peace based upon the peaceful
co-existence of the capitalist and
socialist sectors of the world, is
a. “subversive” doctrine. His
amendment was a sign of the
desperate heating-up of the cold
war; a danger signal to all Cana-
dian patriots. .

substantially

The debate on Drew’s amend-
ment was full of lessons, Fun-
damental is the lesson that demo-
cratic liberties cannot be ‘left to
the mercies of the Liberal, CCF
and Social Credit MP’s. Keenly
aware of the nation-wide and in-
ternational criticism of the Du-
plessis Padlock Law, and remem-
bering the united movement that
repealed Section 98, the Liberals,
CCF’ers and Social Creditors in
the House of Commons voted
Drew’s amendment down — but
they all agreed with his main
point: that the cold war should
be pushed ahead; that any Can-
adian who disagrees with cold
war policy of the Liberal-Tory-
CCF-Social Credit leaders is a
“traitor” and “anti-Christian.”

The speeches of St. Laurent,
Peason, Coldwell and Hansell
basically agreed with Drew's war-
mongering. Their disagreement
concerns the tactics of suppres-
sion,

Liberal policy was emphasized
by Prime Minister St. Laurent
when he said.:

“There are interesting experi-
ments being attempted at the
present time in Australia, South
Africa, Malaya, Panama and India,
We will be interested in seeing
what are the effective results of
that method. . . There are no
doubt some Canadians who think
that the strong hand, the Padlock
Law and such measures, are. the
appropriate methods to be adop-
ted. It may happen that they
are right.”

Alistair Stewart, MIP, of the
CCF, defended the amendment to
the Speech to the Throne submit-
ted by his leader, ‘Coldwell, which
goes in the same direction as
Drew’s.

The position of the Liberal
party is not to move for a new
Section 98, for the formal outlaw-
ing of the Labor-Progressive
party and people’s movements
that stand for “similar _ aims,”
but to introduce new legislation
that hypocritically will “allow’
Canadians to have the “right”
to hold socialist opinions but
which will further limit and sup-
press their right to express them.

We warn the labor movement—
CCF members and_ supporters
and trade unionists — not to
draw from the debate the con-
clusion that all is well with civil
rights. On the contrary, the
right of public criticism of pro-
war policies must be fought for
new even more energetically. .
The historic truth must be un-
derstood that an attack on the
Communists is the opening of
an attack on all opponents of
monopoly capital’s policy. Far
from weakening, political  re-
action is strengthening.

The U.S. witch-hunters un-
doubtedly have brought pressure
to bear on the Canadian politi-
cians.

The debate showed intolerance
with the working class press and
its outspoken opinions on the
future of our country. The Prime
Minister made it clear that pro-
vincial attorneys-general should
proceed with prosecutions when-
ever they consider it advisable.

The LPP makes it clear, again,
and for the record, that state-
ments in the debate that it
stands for force and _ violence
are lies. We stand for the rights
of Canadians, in their people’s
organizations and through their

majority will, to determine the
present and future course -of
this country, and _ insists upon

our right, under all circumstan-
ces, to propagate our views as
to the best way in which these
democratic rights can be. pre-
Served from the minority on-
Slaughts of the capitalist politi-

cians and representatives of
monopoly capital.
The people’s .movement for

peace gathers strength, for the
simple reason that the people
of the world, of all countries, do
not want war, The demand that
the government declare for ban-
ning atomic weapons, and to re-
gard as a war criminal the first
government to drop it, will not be
gainsaid! : :

The Canadian people will sign
the petition for these demands
—in hundreds of thousands.

On guard, Canadians, for your
rights! The people want and
will have peace and progress and
democracy, and nothing will stop
them achieving these grand aims.
They who speak up for peace,
for banning the atom-bomb, for
an end to the cold war, are the
real patriots!

Eternal vigilance

is the price
‘of liberty. :

PACIFIC TR IBUNE—MAY 12, 1950—PAGE 12