}

Labor launches

FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 1965
VOL. 26, NO. 4

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Churchill’s ‘finest hour’

in anti-Hitler alliance

At the end of a brief illness,
the death ofSir Winston Churchill
last Sunday marks the passing
of the last of the world’s “Big
Three” in the war against Hitler
fascism,

In Britain’s “darkest hour” of
1940 in that devastating war, as
war-time Prime Minister, Win-
ston Churchill more than any
other man, gave inspiration,
courage and high morale to his
hard-pressed people, In his 60
years in British politics, that was
indeed his “finest hour.”

At the end of the war Churchill
again renewed his life-long op-
position to “our valiant Soviet
ally,” by designing and launch-
ing the “cold war” in his Fulton,
Mo, address on March 5, 1946,

While tributes to his memory
are pouring in from every coun~
try, state funeral services willbe
held in. London on January 30.

SPEAKS IN CITY SUNDAY

Endicott to head peace
delegation to Victoria

A first hand report on Viet
Nam will be given by Dr. James
Endicott at a public meeting Sun-
day next, January 31 at 8 p.m.
in the Stry Hall, 125 East 8th
Avenue,

Dr. Endicott has just returned
from an extensive tour which
took him to six countries, in-

DR. JAMES ENDICOTT

cluding North Vietnam. In Nov-
ember he was chairman of the
World Conference for Peace and
International Cooperation in New
Delhi, which was attended by
Prime Minister Shastri of India.

At 2 p.m, January 31 he will
attend the Annual Meeting of the
B.C. Peace Council in the Pender
Auditorium and on the following
day, February: 1, he will leada
delegation to Victoria to inter-
view members ofthe Legislature,
and present a brief to the Cab-
inet, While in Victoria, arrange-
ments have been made for him to
speak on the CHEK noon tele-
vision show,

All peace supporters are in-
vited to join the delegation. Those
wishing to participate are asked

‘to telephone the B.C. Peace Coun-

cil at 685-9958 between the hours
of 11 a.m, and 2 p.m, any day so
that travel andhotel reservations
can be made, Estimated cost is
$7.50 per person excluding
meals, The delegation will leave
Vancouver around 6 p,m, andre-
turn the following evening Febru-
ary 2,

XM

‘People’s heaith

ae)

MEDICARE FOR ALL VOTED —
DOWN BY SOCRED GOV'T

; Medicare now’ drive

must

come before profits’

Riding roughshod over opposition in the Legislature, and ignoring the
needs of the people of B.C. for a complete government-sponsored medicare
plan, the Social Credit majority this week turned back a want-of-confidence
motion which condemned the government's “‘tin cup medicare.’’ The motion
moved by New Democratic Party Leader Robert Strachan hit the government
for its failure to bring before the House a comprehensive medicare scheme.

Joining in the protest against
Premier W, A, C, Bennett’s
“mini -medicare,” B,C, Com-
munist Party Leader Nigel Mor-
gan said Tuesday, in a press
statement, that “the means test
medicare proposed by the gov-
ernment is entirely inadequate,”

He charged that Bennett’s
scheme “is obviously devised to
guarantee maximum financial re-
turns for the big insurance com-
panies and doctors, while giving
the least medical service to the
smallest number of people, ‘It’s
no surprise,” he added, “that
insurance company executives
and spokesmen for the medical
fraternity enthusiastically hailed
the plan.”

Morgan said Bennett had * cap-
itulated to the insurance com-
panies and doctors.This scheme,”
he added, “will partially subsi-
dize a very limited service
through existing insurance com-
panies for those in the income
level just above social welfare
standards, It represents a finan-
cial bonanza for insurance firms
and doctors who have had great
difficulty in tapping this income
group,”

Pointing out that the Hall Com-
mission report recommended a
comprehensive government
medicare plan and specifically
recommended against the kind
of approach the Bennett govern-

B.C. labor has launched an all-out
drive for a comprehensive medicare
plan now. See story on page 2 and
labor’s postcard to Premier Bennett on
page 3.

ment has proposed, Morgan drew
attention to similar limited
“means test” plans being intro-
duced in Tory Ontario and Social
Credit Alberta,

“What more effective way of
frustrating and delaying imple-
mentation of a comprehensive
health plan than those schemes
which deny complete coverage to
all?” asked Morgan,

NDP LEADER ROBERT STRACHAN. His
want-of-confidence motion on medi-
care was defeated in the House by a
32 to 19 vote. He urged a universal
health scheme now for B.C.

The similarity between the On-
tario government scheme, the
Alberta scheme and the one pro-
posed by Premier Bennett lays
bare a Tory-Socred plot to
severely restrict or scuttle a
national health plan by confront-
ing it with a body of provincial
legislation already in force,

The large financial interests
and medical circles who oppose
medicare see restrictive health
legislation in the provinces as a
major means of scuttling or cur-
tailing a comprehensive national
plan. =

Supporting the campaign
launched this week by organized
labor, Morgan said “It is not too
late to get what’s needed,” He
urged strong public pressure be
brought to bear on all MLA’s to
have the Legislature enact an
all - inclusive, comprehensive
plan,

“Adoption of such a plan,” he
said, “would set a national ex-
ample and make it possible for
B,C, to fit into a national scheme
when it comes.” He urged letters,
wires and delegations to MLA’s,

Immediately following the dis-
closure of the Socred govern-
ment’s plans, Vancouver Labor
Council secretary Paddy Neale
said; “This is just an endeavor
to stop a national medicare plan,

See MEDICARE, pg. 3