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ACROSS THE

Why: NATION

Rosy pictures draw rebuff

A woman who has worked with Indians for 16 years had some devastating words of criticism to direct toward work being done in that field. Mrs. H. E. Taylor of Punnichy, Saskatchewan, des- cribed the fourth annual conven- tion of the Indian-Eskimo Asso- ciation in Regina recently as a “sheer waste of time.”’

**4 good many of us came to this conference with hope in our hearts that something would be accomplished,’’ she said, ‘‘In- stead, a number of politicians

painted a rosy picture which gave the impression that a great deal is being done.

“‘Those of us engaged in work with Indians know this is not true,’’

Mrs. Taylor urged Indians and white people to gain a better understanding of each other,

The Indian - Eskimo Associa- tion draws its members from among Indians, Eskimos and Me- tis and whites in government, voluntary and church organiza- tions working among them.

UIC plays wage quiz game

The B.C. Federation of Labor’. convention, held last week in Van- couver, has taken issue with Unemployment Insurance Com- mission attempts to find traps to disqualify recipients of insur- ance benefits.

A new UIC questionaire de-' mands that applicants state (and sign) precisely what they will accept as a minimum wage. The Obvious intention is to interpret such a ‘minimum’ as in fact refusal to accept available jobs, making the applicant ‘‘un-

‘available’ for work, thus dis- qualifying benefits.

Besides the BCF, numerous ‘other labor bodies are vehement- ly protesting against these UIC tactics.

Recipients are being urged by various labor circles to answer ‘prevailing rate’? or ‘‘compar- able to my previous rate’’ or ‘«wages of afair employer’’ rath- er than spelling out the exact rate, Workers should also insist that the UIC interviewer sign the document,

Reaction blasted in ’Peg

Frantic over the continued suc- cess of Communists at the polls, in Winnipeg and the rising pro- test of the taxpayers against the heavy burden of taxation, the Yeactionary Civic Election Com- Mittee has launched a new attack On civic democracy,

A two-man delegation from the Labor Election Committee warn- €d the Winnipeg school board last week that so-called reforms Proposed by CEC Aldermen Danzker and Claydonto eliminate off-year elections would be the thin edge of the wedge which Would lead to tighter control of Municipal government by the big business interests,

Constantine Kostaniuk and Don

Currie appeared before school board opposing a motion intro- duced by the CEC to win school board support for the elimination of off-year elections,

“‘The CEC backroom boys are

asking for fewer men on council,

fewer elections so that they can streamline our city council and ‘school board, making them rub- ber stamps for the Chamber of Commerce, the real estate board and other big business inter- ests.’’ declared Currie.

The same motion is due to come up before city council at its regular meeting and the dele- gation will also appear before council to press its demand that the off-year election not be elimi- nated,

QSP convention takes stand

The Quebec Socialist Party emerged from a three day con- vention last weekend with am ani- festo calling for complete eco- Nomic and political freedom for French Canada. The manifesto Tecognized that Quebec was inthe hands of a few foreign capitalists and that a radical change must be made in this regard.

A resolution that French be the official language in Quebec Was unimously adopted by the 120 assembled delegates.

Much attention at the founding Convention was devoted to prob- lems of the crisis of Confed- €ration and to future relations Of the party with the NDP — @ subject that has been hotly de- bated since the QSP was first Conceived some months ago.

The convention ruled in favor

| Of maintaining a loose form of

tie with the federal NDP, but

insisted that QSP members could not belong to any other provincial political party. The move appear- ed. to be designed to allow mem- bers to belong to the QSP pro- vincially and the NDP federally.

GOOD VOTE

Norman Brudy, well known labor spokesman in Regina, received a total of 1,040 votes in the November 6 election in which he ran for alderman.

Commenting on the result, Bill Beeching, Saskatchewan leader of the Communist Party, said: ‘‘We consider this a good vote—an indica- tion that our work in this city is bearing fruit and that we should receive a still higher vote in next year’s munici- pal election.”’

Tragedy in Quebec schools

Several Roman Catholic school boards in Quebec have decided © close a number of schools in 81 area northwest of Quebec City, Reason given for the closure Was lack of funds, with wages Still owing to school teachers °r the months of September and October,

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One area has seen two schools shut down with a total of 466 pupils being turned out and 17 teachers losing their jobs. Another area, also involving two schools, will seee a further 430 young people turned away from school and 19 teachers thrown out of work.

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N.D.P. convention report

Cont'd from pg. 1

this convention was the emerg- ence of a large grouping of dele- gates calling itself the ‘‘NDP Socialist Caucus’’. In a leaflet distributed to the delegates it gave as the reason for its es- tablishment that ‘‘many old CCF’ers felt concern not only for the future of our socialist philosophy but also for the sec- urity of the socialist.’’

It defined its conception of So- cialism as follows: * ‘*Rssentially we offer the pro- position that welfare programs, while good in themselves, are no ‘solution to the major problems which confront us today; neither can they be adequately support- ed by any form of planned econo- my based on managed capitalism, Our duty as socialists is to urge social ownership of the natural resources and means of pro- duction as the only practical eco- nomic basis upon which to build

- a new society.”’

It declared that it would work “to promote these and associat- ed ideas within the NDP.”’

The Socialist Caucus estab- lished an information booth in the hotel lobby and its members and supporters wore red rib- bons as a distinguishing mark, Slogans on its posters called for **Socialist Policy, Party Democ- racy, Labor Farmer Political Unity.”

: Members of the Socialist Cau- cus included MLA’s, party of- ficials at the constituency and club level, rank and file delegates and trade union delegates, It re- ceived strong support from con- stituencies such as Burnaby and North Vancouver.

* * *

Most of the criticism at the convention of Robert Strachan and the ‘‘soft-sell’’ policies pur- sued in the provincial elections came from the Socialist Caucus.

It favored more militant policies, -

including support for labor strikes and pjcket lines, partici- pation in peace marches, the take-over of basic industries and, the restoration of our natural resources to the people through government ownership and con- trol.

Candidates for party office supported by the Caucus included. Jerry LeBourdais for president, Hugh Clifford for 1st vice presi- dent, Cedric Cox for 2nd vice president, William Hartley, MLA, for third vice president and Dave Stupich, MLA, fortrea- surer, All were defeated as were the Caucus nominees forthe pro- vincial executive. In most cases its members polled one ee of the votes,

Boos and applause greeted NDP Provincial leader RobertStrach- an when he labelled as ‘‘the reactionares of the New Demo- cratic Party’? those who wanted the NDP to ‘return to their concept of socialism.”’

His remarks were largely an attack on the critics of the ‘‘ soft sell’? policies which the NDP leadership had pursued in the provincial elections, policies which had come under sharpcri- ticism both inside and outside the party.

How to assess the electio:: results and what policies to fol- low in the future became the

president; Walter Young, 2nd vice-president. and Grant McNeil, third vice-president. Provincial treasurer is Fred Vulliamy.

Robert Strachan was re- ‘elected provincial leader.

Elected to the 10 member pro- vincial executive after three bal- lots were Tom Berger, Mrs. M. Hobbs, T, Gargrave, C. Lyitle, E. P, O’Neal, C. Michael, C. P. Neale, J, Pederson, F. Snow- sell and G, Mitchell.

* * *

_ **We are living in a century of sociai revolution.’’ NDP Lead- er’ T. C, Douglas told the con- vention. He declared, ‘‘an age

‘A LABOR VIEW OF THE NDP ELECTION CAMPAIGN. The above

cartoon by ‘‘Ranger”’ appeared in the current issue of ‘‘Western

Pulp and Paper Worker.”

subject of hot debate by the 322 delegates during the two days. The NDP leadership won out but with at least a third of the convention delegates in solid op- position. _

The provincial leader rejected any suggestion that incorrect policies had been responsible for party setbacks. *‘We enunciate a policy,’’ he asserted, ‘*that put the emphasis on constructive id- eas and not just simple denigra- tion of our opponents — but vic- tory escaped us.

*‘To say that at election time there does not seem to be too much difference between us and

other parties does not prove we are wrong. It proves we are right and that the other parties know we are right.’’

* * * Officers elected at the conven-

tion were Jack MacKenzie, presi- dent; Alex MacDonald, first vice-

+ hae é

' November 22, 1963—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 7

of turmoil, with an old order

dying and a new era Struggling

to be born.

“*People are throwing off the last remanants of colonialism and imperialism, the last vestives of a society based on the exploita- tion of man by man.’”’ __ :

Turning to Canadian affairs, he ridiculed the idea of ‘‘our so-called affluent society,’’

“‘The reason we have several parties in Canada’, he said, ‘‘is because hundreds‘ of thousands of people have lost faith in the old parties. A social revolution

is apparent all over Canada,

‘‘Our economy is not growing fast enough to provide jobs for people displaced by automation. as well as for thousands leaving school every year.

**The government — lacks the courage to put into operation even the milk and water proposals of its 60 days of decision,”’