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i gcuains union” and other

q ah Tection of economic and

. Orption by United States

Puestion: the only one to declare

Mar of Booe support for the crim- €8ression in Vietnam.

beets Some of the reasons why

_ 80vernment has been los- 069) a the last Provincial elec-

trom Boe increased its popu- TS from 14 ee 33.8 percent, and its ; ‘dings 0 16—winning most of

Stn am Lower Mainland and

ancouver area. That ad- P. was made with a Tr anti-monopoly ‘pro- “i donment of the “soft- “8 have Paces. Since then the ACS, an d Ost ‘five successive by- Y in the Most significantly lost Tovin

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Pk

Pay Oe. a q ronge lect

governments (includ- Taditionally had their

be underestimate the im- 7d 9, ~ S Unexpected N.D.P. win Raised Political trends in B.C. It

Ay ’eport Optimism of New Demo- Premie €rs. But it has also. pro- T Bennett with a powerful Some Big Business in- » back ; Y inclining towards the

into line.»

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iS » Dray; % vious!

" ¢ gitization has taken place Sues to the point where have = of a comeback provin- , leader So reduced that even RW abo” Dr. Pat McGeer, talks t a having the balance of : ere of the crisis in: Lib- May's an icGeer’s statement in are ic Ss: “That is the trouble.

t ry Waite people in the Lib- i W Ing for the next elec- ite The wee who are fighting FS they Conservatives have an- | Ndidaty will not run more than

oe former Liberals like hie°cepteg oT mayor, Bill Rathie, te, While ination as a Socred ‘« Cana iGermen Broome and ; a’s leading timber to con MacMillan, have ewitched Rovernme for reelection of the th Teg te ent. “All the fat cats Sir tice to Social Credit. for Me . S will get hit if the NDP Ader Sin Caribou’s colorful Old ctor, “Ma” Murray (82- ’ Ang ea of longtime Liberal hid sie Us for damshur”. tic, the ation is developing in B.C. 8 ang Possibilities exist for mo- ~~ UNiting a political force

|__|] armrest | | ||...

_€ strongest’political force °

Up-country rural votes |

Man-made port on the B.C. coast ©

capable of ousting the Bennett admin- istration and replacing it with one that would be more responsive to the needs of the working people of B.C. There is a real possibility of the August 27th election ending up without any one party having a majority.

Certainly no more serious mistake could be made than to take an NDP vic- tory for granted, as a number of lead- ing NDP spokesmen seem to do. There is no more justification for doing so to- day than in<1952 or 1937, when the people turned against the old line par- ties and the NDP’s predecessor, the CCF, narrowly missed becoming the

government. In spite of widespread dis-

satisfaction with the Socreds policies and the successive Sommers, Gagliardi, and new Commonwealth Trust scandals, it would be wrong to assume the Ben- net government is down for the count.

A big job has to be done if there is to be a change. This is particularly so in view of the notable right-turn in recent statements of leading NDP spokesmen. Statements by NDP leader Tom Berger

that “Nationalization will start and

end with the B.C. Telephone,” and his failure to come out consistently against the wholesale export of our natural re- sources, for repeal of the sales tax, and take a forthright position on repeal of Bill 33 is disheartening considerable numbers of radical and more class-con- scious working people.

Around the slogan “BENNETT MUST

GO” the Communist Party has already nominated four candidates, with addi-

_ tional constituencies still under con-

sideration. It has advanced a platform and will combine a forthright stand on immediate issues (resources, sales tax, Bill 33, education and people’s welfare) with the longer-term aim of social own- ership of the means of production which is necessary to achieve maximum benefits and lasting security for all. “The questions posed by the effects of automation and the growth of mono- poly, the development of nuclear ener- gy, the struggle for peace and the war on poverty, have all reached a level at which it is necessary to view in terms of longer-range, more fundamental solu- tions” the platform states.

Communists will join with those NDP members and supporters who are criti- cal of the right-wing; and who are de- manding in growing numbers a more determined, clear-cut anti-monopoly stand. How effectively this is done in the four weeks left until election day, may well be decisive in determining whether the majority of voters can be mobilized to oust the Bennett govern- ment and replace it with one more re- sponsive to the needs of the majority of

British Columbians.

Communist program for B.C.

@ Restore pubic control of all natural resources through democratically-controlied Crown Corporations that will put the people's interests first. Insist resources be processed and manufactured in B.C. to provide thousands of new job opportunities for our young people, and obtain a better return for the people from the rich resources which are their birthright.

Stop the giveaways. Strict control of raw material ex- ports. Repeal the Forest License legislation; develop a cop- per smelter and steel industry to help build a Canadian merchant marine. Bring U.S. and other foreign holdings under public ownership.

@ Introduce a new tax system based on "ability to pay." Make the rich oil and gas, wood, pulp and mineral indus- tries pay the people for their resources. For every ton of ore dug, every barrel of oil or gas taken and every tree cut make the government's cash register in Victoria ring. Intro- duce a graduated tax on resources, that will encourage B.C. processing and manufacturing. Tax capital gains and increase the provincial levy on large corporate and private incomes. Repeal the Sales Tax, cutting living and construc- tion costs by $176 millions.

@ Repeal the 1968 School Act amendments (Bill 86); elevate education to top priority, restore democratic local control to education, retool our schools; takeover the full cost of higher education, remove tuition fees from all uni- versities and colleges, and provide a stipend for student maintenance. Make’ adequate financial provisions for hos- pitals, low-cost housing, welfare and the capital costs of freeways and interurban transportation facilities.

@ Repeal Bill 33 and other restrictive anti-labor laws. Outlaw the use of injunctions in labor disputes. Introduce a Charter of Labor Rights, to guarantee freedom of asso- ciation; full collective bargaining for all (including gov- ernment employees, civil servants and teachers); the right to strike and picket, and give labor a full voice in planning and distributing the benefits of automation. Bring minimum wage and labor standards in line with today's realities, and i nae provisions for day-care for the children of working mothers.

@ Establish a Prices Review Board to stop price mani- pulation and profiteering. Cut the spread between farm and table by stopping fleecing of the farmer by "middle- men" in the course of processing and marketing. Halt U.S. dumping in B.C.,-and guarantee reasonable prices and markets for our farm products.

@ Work to bring about a realistic sharing of responsi- bilities between the various levels of government for financ- ing and planning our social ad economic development. Strong effective measures to end pollution of water, air

and food.

@ Establish a Development Fund to stimulate invest- ~ment in the public sector, and greater public control over development of our economy. Take the profit out of auto insurance, telephone and other utility services by bringing them under public ownership and democratic control.

@ End the discrimination, neglect and humiliation of our Native people. Full support for a new Canadian con- stitution to promote genuine equality between French and English speaking Canadians within a two-nation state. Work actively for a Canadian policy of peace. The B.C. Legislature should join the growing demand for an end to Ottawa's complicity in barbarous U.S. aggression in Viet- nam. It should demand Canada's withdrawal from NATO and NORAD and the diversion of senseless military expend- itures to solution of acute housing, health and educational

needs.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—AUGUST 8, 1969-—PAGE 5