S NEWS ITEM: T. C. Douglas MP, energy critic for the NDP, called on Ottawa Monday to withhold the $2-a-barrel oil price increase due July 1 because of “blackmail” by the oil companies. COPE’s annual parley records major gains ‘‘We have come of age,’” COPE’s Harry Rankin told the 200 COPE members at last Sunday’s general meeting. ‘‘In every area — in the school board, in the parks board and on council — we have grasped the initiative and we are leading.”’ Rankin’s message summed up the meeting called to consolidate the gains of the organization. A large part of COPE’s gains have come through the establish- ment of area committees based on city neighborhoods that in time should develop into wards, in a ward-based electoral system. The meeting heard reports from functioning area committees in Kitsilano, the West End, Down- town Eastside, Grandview, Hastings Sunrise and Vancouver South. In addition to the area com- mittees, COPE’s school board and parks board committees reported on their extensive activities, most notably the school board com- mittee’s campaign against Bill 33 and the very successful conference concerning ‘‘Racism and the School.” Another committee was struck at the COPE meeting, this one to focus attention on the False Creek deal and to map out a campaign to stop the CPR development. The result of the increased ac- tivity is anincreased membership, president Bruce Yorke reported. COPE. membership now stands well over 500. Both Rankin and Yorke called on the organization to build the area committees throughout the. city. “We can establish a ward system whether council wants it or not,” Rankin said. “If we establish 14 functioning committees, we will have the beginnings of a ward system in which the people of each community will have a say. over what happens in their com- munity.”’ By ALD. HARRY RANKIN When mayor Jack Volrich came back from the recent national conference of mayors (of which he was elected president), helaunched a petition campaign on the issue of Quebec separatism. It’s called ‘‘Declaration of Togetherness”’ and reads as follows: “Canada must remain a united nation. “‘We, the undersigned people of British Columbia, do hereby declare that together with all of Canada, we will endeavor to solve the problems that confront us so that our country shall not be split apart.” _Isigned the petition, even though I Mealize that it was a political ploy onthe part of the mayor, and even though the petition is an innocuous motherhood type of statement that contributes nothing to a solution. I signed it because I too want to see Canada remain united. But signing a resolution af- firming the need for Canadian unity isn’t going to keep Canada united. Unless some concrete solutions are found our country is heading for disaster. fortunately our mayor lacks either the political wisdom to come up with any solutions, or prefers for political reasons not to commit himself to any specific solution because all solutions are con- troversial, and of course our mayor doesn’t want to hurt his political image by commiting himself to anything controversial. The heart of the problem is that no government of Canada has ever faced up to the fact that Quebec is not just another province. French Canadians in Quebeé constitute a nation, not just another ethnic minority. French Canadians in Quebec have all the attributes of a nation, as defined by the social sciences — they area people witha long history of over 300 years on Un- Volrich ‘together’ plea seen as ‘political ploy’ the banks of the St. Lawrence, they . occupy a common territory share a common economy, have kept their own language, culture and’way of life. Furthermore, they. recognize themselves as a nation, even if most English Canadians do not yet fully understand this. The French Canadian nation is a fact of contemporary political life in Canada that must be understood and dealt with, unless it is, all at- tempts to solve the present crisis will result in failure. Secondly, the history of Canada demonstrates clearly, and French Canadians are highly incensed over this fact, that the people of Quebec have always been denied national equality, have been kept in a state of inferiority with social standards far below those of the rest of Canada. French Canadians in Quebec want to run their own affairs, be masters in their own house. In other words, they want the same thing that nations all over the world have struggled and fought for — the right to self deter- mination. They are determined to achieve it and achieve it they will, sooner or later. If history demonstrates anything, it is that a nation’s struggle for recognition and self-determination cannot forever be denied. So the central question is — are -they to achieve self determination within or without Canada. One decidedly negative result of separation would be that it would divide French Canadians and English Canadians, French Canadian workers and English Canadian workers, in their struggle against the real source of both our troubles — the control that multi-nationals have over our economy and our political life today. I think that self determination for French Canada can and must be found within a united Canada. But this can only be done if we get rid of the old and antiquated BNA — Act of horse and buggy days and replace it with a new, made-in- Canada, up to date constitutio that is based on the political” equality between the two nations — within a single state, and leave the. French Canadians free to run their own lives as they see fit. & What is called for now, is ae constitutional conference com-— posed of an equal number of delegates from both English and « French Canada _ to begin negotiating a new pact of Con federation. And such a conference should be preeeded by and ac- companied by the widest public discussion in both English and French Canada over the best path e ahead for all of us. I further believe that when we discard the BNA Act and draw up a new’ constitution, special provisions must be made to overcome the present inequalities in taxing powers as between the provinces, cities and federal government, special provisions for the native peoples, special measures to overcome regional disparities, and special provisions to-control the big multi-nationals and raise social standards all over Canada. I am happy to see that the trad : union movement is tackling this problem and pointing the way. The 130,000 member United Auto Workers has_ called for negotiations ‘‘on’an equal basis tO — determine: the new relationship between the two founding peoples — of our country.’’. The United Steelworkers have, taken a similar position emphasizing that, ‘‘the ties of solidarity between French and English speaking workers throughout our country must © continue to grow.”’ Canada and the new Soviet constitution By MAURICE RUSH anada and the Soviet Union have one thing in common these days: they’re both discussing constitutional issues. But there the similarity ends. As everyone knows, Canada is in the midst of a