6,000 rally and march for

peace and equality March 3

By KERRY McCUAIG TORONTO — An estimated 000 demonstrators made their Way through downtown streets,

arch 5, in celebration of Inter- hational Women’s Day (IWD). nee. crowd, ranging from babies a snugglies”’ to’ well-known aoe city planner Hans

umenfeld, carried placards call-

ing for equal pay, full employ- ment, access to abortions, and a ban on nuclear weapons testing in Canada. Directly behind the IWD banner leading the parade was a contingent of workers on strike for seven months at Mini-Skools, an Alabama-based day care chain.

The rally started at Convoca-

PHOTO — TOM MO

tion Hall at the University of To- ronto where main speaker Wiesla Kolasinka addressed a packed audience of 2,500 while another 3,000 milled around outside.

Pledging support to striking Quebec teachers, hit by harsh back-to-work legislation, Kolasinka ridiculed those who call women’s demands ‘outrageous’. “‘Is it so out- rageous,’’ she asked *‘to want a job, a job without wage controls

or demands for concession?”’

While a small anti-abortion group held a silent picket outside

for the setting up of abortion

Henry Morgentaler. Labelling the abortion law ‘‘a disgrace’, she said women also need the means to support their children through jobs, maternity leave and day- care.

There was enthused response from the audience throughout the speech but by far the most excited applause came for the call to ‘refuse the Cruise’’, referring to plans to test the missile in Alber- ta. ‘‘Nuclear war would end all our rights,’ Kolasinka said. “Instead of billions into the mili- tary we need expanded health

4< care, daycare and job creation.”

This is the first year that disarmament had been a major theme of the march and several peace groups took part in the ac- tivities.

While supporting rights for Canadian women a novel salute

the hall, inside Kolasinka called 3

clinics modelled after those : operating in Quebec under Dr. F

was given to women in other parts of the world. The crowd was di- vided into different global zones and they exchanged slogans with the moderator in an expression of solidarity.

Saturday was the sixth march organized by the March 8 Coali- tion, a broadly based coalition of women’s groups, trade unions, political organizations, peace groups and lesbians.

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In special greetings sent to all Saskatchewan women on Inter- national Women’s Day, Sas- katchewan Federation of Labour President Nadine Hunt said the SFL is ‘‘dedicated in our efforts to achieve women’s full equality, for the recognition of women as equals in all spheres of endea-

vour, be it economic, social or political.

“Women constitute a signi- ficant portion of the labor force and play a critical economic, cul- tural and social role in our coun- try. Despite these contributions, the role of women in history has been consistently overlooked or undervalued.

‘“‘We must organize with our brothers to achieve decent wages and working conditions, equal access to jobs, equal pay for work of equal value, child care, mater- nity leave, protection from tech- nological change, an end to sexual harassment in the workplace.

‘‘The trade union movement, united and strong will be the main source of strength in realizing these goals’’, she concluded.

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ol- § ~— Last week we took a brief look at the ~ Bees over ways to solve the current crisis.

ee curr : a 3 ‘That is, to solve it ina way which serves

10 ent cyclical crisis (business cycle). epee Sle Sad

and refreshed our memory as to the Major aspects of the general crisis of Capitalism (which is terminal). We warmed that as both the cyclical crisis and the general crisis deepen, as a result Of the interaction of one on the other, the Most aggressive imperialist circles in the USA, NATO and our own country are seeking a way out by confrontation, Cold war, and an anti-socialist campaign, Mcluding the threat of world nuclear war.

* * *

Quite recently we received a report Made by the general secretary of the Communist Party of Canada to an en- arged meeting of the Party’s Central

xecutive Committee. The report notes

at more and more voices are being Taised in top business circles drawing attention to the similarity of the 1929-32

situation is so serious that the prestigious New York Times warned that, “There is growing concern that one of the develop- ing nations burdened with foreign debt might default and trigger a world-wide monetary crisis.” 2

' Canada has been more severely af- fected by the crisis than most advanced

capitalist countries because of its depen-

dent and one-sided relationship with the USA, which the Canadian capitalist class is responsible for. Business investments and consumer demand in Canada are vir- tually non-existent. In fact, investments have been cut back in many sectors of the economy. The 6 & 5% program, and cuts in the indexation of pensions and family allowances severely aggravate the situation. —

On the other hand, while investments decline in Canada the export of Canadian capital to the USA and other countries continues to grow. This cannot help but lead to a deepening of what has turned out to be a ‘‘protracted’’ recession (read depression) and a serious decline in jobs, particularly in mantitACeurney:

Mass unemployment has become a

Marxism-Leninism Today

Alfred Dewhurst

permanent feature of Canadian life. Itisa way of life worsened by rationalization, the micro-chip revolution and general technological change in the interest of maximizing monopoly profits. How night the bishops were when they said ‘* Automation and computers are rapidly replacing human work by machines on the assembly lines and in administrative centres’.

At the present time there are approxi- mately 30 million jobless in the major capitalist countries. Of this number 12 million are to be found in the USA and 1.5 million in Canada. But these official figures, as far as Canada is concerned, do not tell the whole story. For, we have 485,000 people who have given up seek- ing work, and 400,000 underemployed. If these two categories are taken into ac- count Canada has 2,379,000 jobless, or an unemployed rate of 19.5%. In other words we have a grand total of 2,379,000 idle employable workers.

Stats-Canada to the contrary, there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

* * *

Top capitalist circles are struggling

name of the ‘‘national interest’. The Trudeau government favors an industrial strategy directed toward phasing out such industries as steel, auto and rubber because they are ‘‘dying industries’’. They are working to direct primary atten- tion and investments to ‘‘growth indus- tries’ such as communications. They are gung-ho fer the chip revolution which is meant to do away with jobs.

The Tories would end all state inter- vention in the economy and hand it over lock, stock and barrel to the vagaries of the market place. Donald MacDonald, who heads the Royal Commission on Economic Prospects and hopes to be Canada’s next prime minister, also wants to push high technology. The New Democratic Party appears to shy away from any solid proposals.

* * *

None of these approaches will be able to deal with the crisis, nor open the road to genuine recovery. It seems to us that what top corporate circles are working toward a new economic plateau from which to balance the country’s employ- ment books, job prospects and so on. It was not so long ago that 6% unemploy- ment was acceptable to the powers that be. Then it became 8%, then nine. Before the end of this year it could 12%. It’s called ‘‘cooking the books’’.

Next week: a program for jobs and wages.

do’ ‘tisis and the present crisis. It em- eight Phasizes that the spread of the crisis to the financial and credit sphere of the up df Capitalist world, the threat of bankrupt- wal) cles by corporations and banks, increas- Too), 8 political instability, growth of protec- il d onism — all of this, says the report, vic’ Points up the fact that we are in an inter- Rational crisis of capitalist economy, aves with a marked sharpening of the general in bi Crisis of capitalism. nisi ere is an increased danger, states g, he fro, report, of financial collapse arising om Om bankruptcies in Canada and in Other advanced countries and from the ie bY ‘solvency of a number of countries such kine 88 Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. The \d,

PACIFIC TRIBUNE— MARCH 18, 1983—Page 5

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