COMMUNISTS PREPARE FOR 23rd CONVENTION

Period of intense activity

TORONTO — With three weeks to go before the opening of the 23rd Convention of the Com- munist Party of Canada, prepara- tions for the convention are now in full swing.

Throughout Canada, Com- munists are taking part in lively discussions and debates, focussing on the main themes of the draft resolution issued by the Central Executive Committee of the Com- munist Party. Rampant inflation, soaring unemployment, increased taxation on working people, gov- ernment crises, cabinet shuffies, the CLC’s Day of Protest, and peace and detente are all subjects of the pre-convention discussion.

In addition to the discussions now being held in Party meetings, the Communist Party members are also contributing to a special bulletin, which in its first issue presented the draft resolution and following issues present articles by Communists which deal with aspects of the draft resolution.

Following the discussions in both meetings and in the bulletin, Party members will be meeting in a series of special provincial con- ventions ‘at which delegates will be eltcted to the 23rd Convention in Toronto on October 9, 10 and 11.

In an interview with the Cana- dian Tribune, Richard Orlandini, the Central Organizer of the

Communist Party said, ‘The

\preparations for the convention

and the convention itself are ex- citing times for us as Com- munists. It is a period of intense activity during which the political scene in Canada and internation- ally is analyzed in detail. Ideas for Communist solutions to the prob- lems faced by the Canadian work-

_ing people are put forward and

this creates lively and sometimes heated debate within the Party organizations.

‘*The Party membership across the country has shown great en- thusiasm in the preparations for the convention, but it will be the convention which is the focal point of all this activity.’’ Orlan- dini said, ‘‘Ini addition to continu- ing the debate, the delegates to the Convention will vote on the main resolution, elect a Party leadership in the form of a new Central Committee and discuss and vote on special resolutions which will be brought before the convention.

Of particular interest among the special resolutions which will be presented to the 23rd.conven- tion are a resolution dealing witha communist ‘approach to culture and cultural activities, another for a mass sports program for the Canadian people and still another dealing with the Communist Par- ty’s approach to and support of the October 14 Day of Protest cal-

led by the Canadian Labor Congress.”

The central organizer also noted several other anticipated highlights of the convention. ‘“We have invited fraternal delegates to our convention from other Com- munist and Worker’s parties. Th- ese fraternal delegates, in addi- tion to being able to view the en- tire proceedings of our conven- tion will also be presenting greet- ings to our convention which will broaden the delegates under- standing of the political situation in the country which the fraternal delegate represents.”’

‘‘There is also, of course, a so- cial side to any convention and

the Communist Party’s conven- _

tion is no exception. There will be a banquet and dance Saturday evening, the opening day of the convention. A group of young musicians from British Columbia, called ‘Bargain at Half the Price’ will be providing entertainment for the delegates and their guests at a concert of popular folk and

‘rock music and during the inter-

missions in the Convention

_proceedings.”’

All in all, Orlandini said, ‘‘the convention of the Communist Party will be an important event only for Communists but for all Canadian progressive minded and working people. The enthusiasm shown in the preparations assure the success of what will be a lively and productive convention.”

Brampton labor backs Oct. .14

BRAMPTON — The director of-Political Education for the On- tario Federation of Labor called on 100 local union leaders to ‘*show Premier Bill Davis what workers in his own riding think of his policies as well as those of Mr.

Trudeau which coincide on.

wage-controls by shutting down every plant on Oct. 14”

Paul Forder, the OFL staffer responsible for coordinating the Canadian Labor Congress cam- paign against Bill C-73-and the AIB, was speaking to a meeting of Brampton and District union executives here Sept. 15, to for-

mulate labor’s plans in the area

for participation in labor’s Na- tional Day of Protest.

While wages are being rolled back continuously, Forder told the local unionists, the large. cor- porations continue to make re- cord breaking profits..

Citing greedy Bell Canada as an -

example, he noted that over the past five years, and six rate in- creases later, the giant monopoly had. raked in $1,018,819,000 in profits.

In addition Forder noted that Bell was allowed to get away without paying over $700 million in back taxes while the corpora- tion publicly boasted that the

“1 get the best tickets.”

‘It’s a nice job’ — PM

While all of us are being told to tighten our belts, live a bit more modestly, here’s what . Prime Minister Trudeau said to a group of grade 6 students in Halifax%on Sept. 22 when asked if he liked his job:

“Weill, it’s an interesting job,” he replied. “I! always get the best tickets at the hockey match or at the Grey Cup matches and if | wantto go toan opera or the threatre | can gen- erally get good seats.

_ “People invite you to nice dinners and you have. good food. You have a big desk that you put your feet up on and a big car with a chauffeur to drive

you around — it’s a nice job.” y,

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—OCTOBER 1, 1976—Page 8

wage-cutting law had helped in-~ crease their profit.

The OFL representative re- ported on the growing support for the day of protest citing the deci- sion of the Metro Toronto Build- ing Trades Council Sept. 15. to shut down operations Oct. 14.

Also present at the meeting was CLC representative Ron Drew, who outlined plans by labor councils in Guelph, Cambridge, Kitchener-Waterloo, and London for the protest.

‘There is no doubt about it,’” Drew told the unionists, Oct. 14 will be a tremendous success.”

He said that the campaign was ‘*steadily mounting’’ and that the Congress was ‘‘most encouraged by the overwhelming. support which is being shown every- where.”’

Terry Gorman president of the Brampton and District Labor Council who also chaired the meeting outlined the council’s plans for a mass rally in the morn- ing of Oct. 14 with ‘‘music and fun as well as determined protest.”’

Val Bjarnason, Public Rela- tions Director of the Labor Coun- cil offered the services of the council to any unions which wanted assistance with publicly, leaflets ads and radio tapes.

A call by Bjarnason for volun- teers to “beef up”’ the council’s

mobilizing committee for the pro- -

test attracted nine representatives from area unions.

Bjarnason said the heavy turn out of trade unionists at the meet-

ing was ‘‘proof that Brampton |

areas workers are deadly serious about beating back the wage con-

trols by walking out on Oct. 14.”” é *

STRIKERS REFUSE SUICIDE OFFER

AMHERST, N.S. — Tired. of having subsidized the company’s inefficiency ‘through low - wages, four unions representing 400 striking workers of Enheat Ltd. here voted 90% in a secret ballot to continue their strike, Sept. 21.

The 11-week strike continues in the fact of a provincial inquiry’s report urging the workers not only to immediately return to work, but also to settle for less than the com- pany’s first offer.

Union Spokesmen said that the workers refused to be made scape-

goats for poor company manage- ment over the years.

MILL COLLAPSE UNEMPLOYS 135

ST. GEORGE, N.B. — With the layoff of the last senior pro-

duction employees Sept. 17, the

Lake Utopia Paper Ltd. mill has

‘been shut down for an indefinite

period, throwing about 135 em- ployees out of work.

The mill site is about two miles from here. The company was in receivership when it was taken over by the Irving group three years ago this March.

C.P. WIRE

GUILD FIGHTS

FOR CONTRACT OTTAWA — Unionized employ-

‘ ees of Canadian Press, Canada’s

wire service, Sept. 21 began their second . year working without a contract.

Negotiations between the Cana- dian Wire Service Guild and (Canadian Press broke down in July over the question of union security and have not resumed.

CP management has adopted a

hard line in favor of an open shop. ~ The Guild is asking for a modified

version of the Rand formula.

S

STRIKERS PICKET SCABBING BOSSES —

MERRITT, B.C. — Members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees’ placed a pickét line around the Lorne Mine Sept. 16, to protest the involvement of company officials in a strike | against the Logan Lake Village 12 © miles away.

Mine operations were dis- | rupted as production workers of United Steelworkers of America Local 7619 milled about the mine entrance rather than cross the | CUPE line for the first shifts.

CUPE spokesman Jim Kelly, said his union took action against t Lornex because management of- ficials helped the acting mayor te | get the village water pump re- . started Sept. 15.

;

BEER STRIKE ) OVER IN NELD. |

ST. JOHN’S, Nfid. — Seventy- ) nine employees of Molson’s New- foundland Brewery Ltd. returned — to work Sept. after voting to accept | a new wage and working agree- | | ment.

The workers, who had been on | strike since May 8, will receive | hourly wage increases ae ) from $1.25 to $1.73. Wages

a contract that expired last spring averaged $5.57 an hour.

4-YEAR SAWMILL STRIKE ENDS —

VANCOUVER — A sawmill | strike that had lasted more than four years ended Sept. 19 with a back-to-work vote by more than — 100 employees of the Hunting- Merrit sawmill. The strike lasted four years and one week. The mill closed Sept. 12, .1972 when 180 men went on strike. Their con- tract had expired June 15, 1972. At the erid of the strike, 42 men were still on strike pay, and 19 had reached retirement age.