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