Emergency program urgently needed to tackle crisis

In view of the critical situation in Canada’s economy
and the lives of her people, arising from the system’s
crisis, the Communist Party of Canada is calling upon
the prime minister to reconvene parliament to work out
an emergency program to meet the crisis. In this letter

| to Prime Minister Trudeau, dated Sept. 8, William
Kashtan, leader of the Communist Party, outlines his
party’s recommendations for dealing with the present
» serious economic, social and political position facing
Canada and Canadians.
q eee
We, like most Canadians, are deeply concerned
» about the state of the economy, continued high in-
» flation, high unemployment, a stagnant economy.
Day after day the press reports layoffs or the closing
© down of plants.
| In light of the critical situation it is our view that
parliament ought to be called together to hammer out
an emergency program to deal with the deepening
F economic crisis.
2 It should be apparent to everyone that the eco-
» nomic policies followed by the government, based as
it was and is, on monetarism and restraint have led
} nowhere except to recession. One would be correct in
drawing the conclusion that the point of the exercise
= wasto bring on a recession with the hope it will lead to
© a decline in inflation.
_§  Boueyism in Canada, Thatcherism in Great Britain,
» Reaganomics in the USA, all have failed to overcome
| the crisis.
Dependence on U.S. Disastrous
We are mindful of the fact that Canada’s economic
dependency on the USA, coupled with Reaganomics,
has had disastrous results for Canada. We cannot
| agree that the way out of the crisis is to nestle closer to
| the USA, throw overboard the National Energy Pro-
gram (NEP) and the Foreign Investment Review
Agency (FIRA), and throw wide Canada’s door to

| become a raw material source for the USA. There are -

no prospects for Canada in that. There are prospects

| for Canada in developing manufacturing, strengthen-

§ ing its economic base and developing trade with the
_ world on a mutually satisfactory basis.

At the same time we do not go along with the view

that nothing can be done until a recovery in the USA.
First of all such a recovery may still be far away.
Secondly the USA is a declining force in the world and
what it could do in the past it cannot do today. Indeed
many of the difficulties we face, the tensions inter-
nationally and the threats of nuclear war, emanate
from the efforts of U.S. imperialism to shore up its
empire in a world that is moving away from it.

This is all the more reason for Canada to dévelop its
own independent policies — economic, political and
military, and with respect to foreign policy.

6 & 5 Won’t Cope

Just as Canada should not wait for a recovery in the

USA before taking action, neither should it be put ina ‘

position where a 6 & 5% wage restraint program is
advanced to cope with inflation and achieve recovery.

The 6 and 5 will not cope with inflation; it will
undermine purchasing power and thereby narrow the
home market. It will accentuate crisis phenomena in
the Canadian economy. The fact that Canadians, how
many many is difficult to ascertain, have indicated

support for this action, should not be misunderstood.
What they want is action to overcome the crisis and
Put Canada Back to Work. Some think the 6 & 5 will
do the trick, but this is like a drowning man grasping at
a straw.

Canada needs a different kind of program. It needs
a program to put Canadians back to work. For this we
need to change priorities. Both inflation and un-
employment must be fought. Without attacking both,
it will be impossible to change the situation. Within
this framework we urge the government to undertake
an investment program directed to stimulate afford-
able housing for Canadians, reforestration, environ-
mental protection; the amending of the unemploy-
ment insurance act so that all those laid off receive
unemployment insurance for the entire duration of
unemployment; that hours of work be reduced with
no reduction in take-home pay, that pensions be dras-
tically increased.

Canadianization

We urge as well that the first beginnings of
Canadianization undertaken by the government be
extended to ensure that natural resources are de-
veloped in ways which will lead to the building of
secondary industry; that the multi-national corpora-
tions and U.S. branch plants be placed under public
control. Without these levers neither the government
nor parliament will be able, assuming they have the
desire, to work out policies in the interests of Canada.

The deepening crisis in the capitalist world shows
that neither ‘‘free enterprise’’ nor the market system
is the solution, but part of the problem. Their interest
is profit, not the interests of the country and the
people: State intervention is therefore essential to
begin the process of overcoming the crisis, but it
must be state intervention not for the purpose of
give-aways to the transnationals and monopoly; it
must be state intervention which places the interest of
the people first.

It is with this in mind, and aware of the seriousness
of the economic situation that the Communist Party of
Canada urges that parliament be convened and that an
emergency program be undertaken to Put Canada
Back to Work.

SERS

Health issue
brings lawsuits

By KATHRYN GRACE
BAIE VERTE, Nfid. — The

_ talking about expropriating the

_ government of Newfoundland is

Baie Verte Asbestos Mines,
owned the U.S. company, Johns
Manville.

Johns Manville has gone inio
receivership because of the great
number of lawsuits filed against
the company in the U.S. Sixteen

thousand workers are claiming
that their health was ruined be-
cause Johns Manville took insuf-
_ ficient safety measures in its as-
bestos mining operations.

Another 32,000 lawsuits against

-Johns Manville were expected,
but now that the company has
_ gone into receivership, they have
been stopped cold. in
_ The Baie Verte miners came %
_ into the public eye because of 3
=

<

_ their history-making strike in
1978. This strike was of tremen- }
_ dous importance to the labor ©
-movement as a whole because it F
may well have been the first
successful strike based entirely
on health issues.

Martin Saunders, who, as head

of the Baie Verte Steelworkers

local, led that strike, said on a

_ television newscast recently that
it is now possible that some of the
Baie Verte miners whose health
was destroyed by asbestos before
the new health measures were
won, may now be able to sue
Johns Manville also. That is, ifthe
company ever emerges from

receivership.
PACIFIC TRIBUNE—SEPTEMBER 17, 1982— “Paget

EELS for Peace

| Cyclists for Peace arriving in Toronto, Sept. 5, after an all- Ne 4c in bc ee
| weather 4,500 km ride (2,800 miles) from Comox, B.C., speaking western leg of the trip along with countless “escorts” along the
| out for peace and disarmament along the route. A hastily called way. “We got a positive reception everywhere,” said Bob
| reception greeted the group at North York's Ja inter- C Rel enna aes the Soi
| section where Alderman Pat O'Neill congratulated them on gress across the country for their assistance of all kinds. _

} their peace effort. Seen among the crowd are Bob The group arrived on the rainy run from Thunder Bay

§ O'Neill, Stan Dalton, Dave ee tee Mark O'Neill.

a AE SE Ye A IRE SSE Se wi Seah Pe gOS PES fa RT

ORES