British Columbia

en

_CP targets Tories’ policies as 50 candidates nominated

_ Calling the Nov. 21 vote “the most Important election since Confederation,” Communist Party leader George Hewison Pledged to challenge the “‘pro-U.S., neo- Conservative policies” of the Tory govern- Ment as the CP kicked off its election coal at a press conference in Toronto

“The Tory vision for Canada is one Which means economic, political and mil- _ Mary integration with the U.S.,” Hewison told reporters. “Canada cannot afford four More years of Tory rule.”

€wison’s news conference was called as

the CP began final nominations of its 50

Candidates, expected to be wound up

quickly following the long-awaited election

announcement from Prime Minister Brian ulroney Oct. 1. :

Although he had adamantly refused Tepeated demands that he put the Canada-

S. trade deal to a vote, Mulroney acted quickly to set an election date once the pub- IC Opinion polls began showing the Tories Tunning consistently ahead of the opposi- tion parties.

As he emerged from the Governor- General’s residence Saturday, he told repor- “ts: “We are at a point where the differences between our political parties Tequire the judgment and decision of Cana- ae The differences are clear and substan- _ AS expected, the Canada-U.S. deal Mmediately became a central issue in the election campaign.

And that trade deal epitomizes what the

Ory government stands for, Hewison €mphasized.

“The so-called ‘free trade agreement’ Tepresents the program of the Tories and the Business Council on National Issues for 4 further intensification of the attack on _ Working people,” he said. “It means the loss of Canada’s sovereignty, the loss of Cana-

4's right to make independent political and “conomic decision, it means ecological dis- aster and it means tying Canada to Ronald

€agan’s Star Wars policy.”

Hewison said the party would “spare no effort” in working with other groups to save

nada and defeat the Tories.

€ called for a “new government” dedi- “ated to improving living standards for

Nadians, expanding trade with other Countries and dedicated to cleaning up the nVironment.

“We need an new government commit- €d to an independent foreign policy for Peace ... and committed to social justice ae the expansion of social programs,” he

And when the country is discussing the

a

Audience stands to sing O Ca

policies of political parties, the Communist Party’s program offers a distinct alternative, the CP leader emphasized.

That policy, summarized as “sover- eignty, survival and social justice” will focus on expanding public ownership to develop Canadian industry and create jobs; widen- ing Canada’s trade links with the socialist and developing countries; and establishing an independent foreign policy based on multilateral disarmament, nuclear-weapons free zones and an end to weapons testing on Canadian soil.

On social justice, the CP will be cam- paigning for a broadening of social pro- grams, including improvements in welfare and unemployment insurance as well as new child care initiatives.

The Communist Party will be fielding some 50 candidates across the country, the number required to ensure registered party status under federal legislation. Hewison will be running in Davenport, one of several key ridings in the huge Metro Toronto area.

In this province, the party is expected to run 12 candidates in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and the Interior.

So far, 10 have been nominated, with meetings set early next week for North Van- couver, where teacher and community acti- vist Betty Griffin is seeking the nomination; and Richmond, where fishermen Homer Stevens is slated to carry the party’s banner in the vote.

The party expects to be running with six men and six women in B.C., said B.C. cam- paign manager Fred Wilson.

Free trade

Continued from page 1 ers, but assured the audience that it is not too late to stop the deal, Orchard said on the Vancouver leg of national tour that has turned out hundreds to hear the warning about the threat to Canada’s continued existence as a country. .

In his 1% hour, speech Orchard related key points in historical Canada-US. rela- tions to show that the American political leaders adopted the tariff-free trade course of action after several attempts at military takeover — beginning with the American Revolutionary War — failed.

Two federal elections, in 1891 and again in 1911, saw the overwhelming defeat of the political party that advocated “reciprocity” agreements with the United States, he

related. A Former Reagan administration ambas-

“All of our candidates are people who are ~

active and well-known in their communities and our party will be putting forward very distinct policies,” he said.

In addition to Griffin and Stevens, the CP candidates nominated are:

Vancouver-Quadra: Fishermen’s Union benefits officer Bert Ogden will be running in the seat currently held by Liberal leader John Turner. It has been altered considera- bly asa result of electoral boundary changes last year which also eliminated the riding of Vancouver-Kingsway.

Vancouver-East: Communist Party org- anizer and former unemployment advocate Kim Zander.

New Westminster-Burnaby: Teacher and former Burnaby school trustee Elsie Dean will be running in this riding, currently held by retiring NDP MP Pauline Jewett.

Mission-Coquitlam: Carpenter and Young Communist League leader Reg Wal- ters.

Surrey-White Rock: Surrey community worker and peace activist Viola Swann.

Saanich-The Islands: Former IWA dele- gate and community activist Ernie Knott.

Comox-Alberni: Alberni farmer and environmental activist Gary Swann.

Nanaimo: Bookstore manager Deborah MacDonald.

North-Island-Powell River: Former labour council president and community activist Nick Chernoff.

Kamloops: Library worker and union activist Val Carey.

Hewison tour set Oct. 26

Communist Party leader George Hewison is scheduled to begin.a cam- paign tour of British Columbia witha rally in Victoria Oct. 26.

Locations and exact times had not been confirmed at press time but pub- lic meetings have been tentatively set for the following dates:

- Oct. 27 — Nanaimo. Oct. 28 — Port Alberni. Oct. 29 — Campbell River. Oct. 30 — Gibson’s. Oct. 31 — Surrey. Noy. 1 — Vancouver. Nov. 2 — Maple Ridge. Nov. 3 — Kamloops.

deal ‘can be defeated’

sador to Canada Paul Robinson openly pushed for a free trade deal until his super- iors told him to back off and let Canadians promote the option instead, Orchard noted.

From that point, the agreement has been actively promoted by organizations such as the Canadian Manufacturers Association and the Canadian Petroleum Association — which, with their U.S. branch plant members dominating “‘are about as Cana- dian as the Green Bay Packers,” he said.

The strategy of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney’s Conservatives has been to keep Canadians ignorant of the deal — so much so that about 77 per cent admit they don’t understand it, Orchard observed.

He noted that secret 1985 documents obtained by The Toronto Star from the Prime Minister’s Office stated, “It is likely that the higher the profile the issue attains, the lower the degree of public approval will bes

The article, distributed by the Citizens Concerned About Free Trade, quotes the document as advising, “The strategy should rely less on educating the general public than on getting across the message that the trade initiative is a good idea. In other words, a selling job.”

Orchard observed that the advice summed up the Mulroney government’s method of promoting the Free Trade Agreement.

At other times, the Tory strategy has been to accuse free trade opponents of being “fascists” and of “telling the big lie” in attempts to intimidate potential opposition, he said.

Orchard related incidents such as Hurtig finding a U.S. secret service agent in his hotel room in Ottawa during a Council of Canadians meeting, and of his own arrest in Saskatoon by police who detained him in an

unmarked car and accused him of being a troublemaker about free trade.

Orchard listed the dangers of the pact, including unhindered U.S. investment, and the loss to Canadian agriculture, the energy industry, banking and commerce, and the service, data processing and film industries. He pointed out that, Tory claims to the contrary, the Free Trade Pact will allow U.S. access to Canada’s water resources and the takeover of health and education by US. private health corporations, and will end Canada’s system of social service benef- Its.

He noted that 85 per cent of Canada’s unemployed have full medical and unem- ployment benefits, while 75 per cent of job- less Americans have none of these things.

“It won't be the U.S. coming up to our standards (with the Free Trade Agreement), it'll be us coming down to theirs,” Orchard warned. 7

If the Conservatives are re-elected and the pact is implemented, Canada will have as much difficulty getting out of itas Hawaii would have terminating the arrangement that made the once-sovereign nation as U.S. state, he warned.

During the opening of the Concerned Citizens public office in Vancouver on Tuesday — it has several in other cities — Orchard was critical of the opposition par- ties for not doing enough to warn Canadians about the free trade deal.

He told the audience that although the pro-free trade forces have considerable finances and power, Canadians can still defeat the pact.

“On our side, we’ve got the facts, the truth and the people, and I'd rather be on our side any day,” Orchard declared.

“The biggest enemy Mulroney has are the facts about this agreement.”

Pacific Tribune, October 10, 1988 3