[What Is A Canadian?

This is census year, and

it turns out that we are un-

able to count ourselves. Or at least, that we cannot do it
without heated argument over what it is we are counting.
Sparking the controversy was the government’s decision
last February to add the designation “Canadian’ ’to the
list of possible answers to the census-taker’s question as

to national origin.

Past census  did- not ~* list;
“Canadian” as - an origin. (In}
1951 it was allowed as an an-
swer, but not included in the!
published result as given in;
th the Canada Year Book.) Its;
inclusion now appears to be a’
concession to the growing na-
tional consciousness.

Why this ‘should raise aj}
storm of controversy,

boycott the census,
complicated history can = ex-
plain. Unlike Italy, France,
Canada is not a “nation-state’’:
the Canadian
two nations, not one; one of
the two, the French-Canadian,
as longer established and more
thomogeneous than the — other
*Wnelish-speaking Canadian”
@ne; and numerous nationality
@roups ‘are present, forming a
fifth of the total population.
The protest ‘to’ Ottawa of
nine French-Canadian organiz-
ations (from New Brunswick
and Ontario as well as Que-

delega-|
tions to Ottawa and threats to)
only our)

state embraces}

| warring in the bosom of a sin-
| gle state—a struggle not of
| principles, but of races’’(!).

As. -things stand, ‘“‘Cana-
| dian” is now accepted as an
| origin, but not French-Cana-
dian. The latter: is listed
| simply as ‘“‘French’’, under the
general heading “Other Euro-
| pean”—or, if the answer is
given as “Canadian,” then the
French-Canadian identity dis-
appears. It is this last point
that is at the root of the pro-
tests. Unless the census gives a
picture of the national compo-
sition of the population as it
jis, it falsifies reality — scien-
tifically and politically.

It should be noted that in
French Canada a “Canadien’’
is generally understood to be
a French-Canadian, whereas
English-speaking Canadians are
“Anglais”; the adjective ‘“Ca-
nadien”’, however, also means
“Canadian” in the sense of re-
‘lating to, or of Canada. A
book published not long’ ago in

ec) and a number of national-
greup organizations was aimed}

against what they consider to!

Ge an Anglo-Canadian assimil-|
ationist threat. The term “Ca:

nadian’’, they argued, may cor-}-

rectly describe a person’s citi-
zenship (or permanent resi-
@ence, one might add) but not
ethnic origin.

To make confusion worse,
what the Dominion Bureau of
Statistics . traditionally com-
piled were so-called “racial or-
igins’”: French, Irish, . Ukrain-
jan, etc., each being described
as a “race.” This unscientific
nonsensicality is gradually be-
ing’ abandoned. But lacking
@ny real understanding of the
national question, Ottawa ad-
vances from one confusion to
another.

Our confusions are of a ven-
erable vintage: Lord Durham
im 1839 reported that-in Cana-
da he had “found two nations

Hard Time Dance
Planned Feb. 18

On Sat. evening, Feb. 18; at
the Ukrainian Labor Temple,
805. E. Pender St., Vancouver,
a capacity crowd is_ expected
to participate ina “HARD
THEMES SUPPER &. DANCE”.

The event is being sponsor-
ed by the Rusalka Female
“Choir and the Lysenko Male
Chorus of the A.U.U.C.

Admission is-only $1.25 per
person for the entire evening,
ineluding the supper. Pro-
eeeds are for the “Ukrainian
Canadian.”

Quebec was. entitled “Cana-
dians et Canadiens’’.)

To even begin» to unravel
the confusion, the following
would seem to be needed:

® Banish misuse of the term
“racial” in referring to ori-
gins- that-are in fact national.

@® Face up to the fact of
Canada as a two-nation, state:
recognize “French-Canadian”
as gq national origin; in En-
glish-speaking . Canada accept
“Canadian” as describing ori-
gin; wherever continuing cul-
tural tradition or language
calls it, list nationality-groups
—Italian-Canadian, Irish-Cana-

dian, etc.

* * *

Since the foregoing was
written, Ottawa has changed
the census question. The des-
ignation “Canadian” is pro-
vided for under the heading of
Citizenship. It is withdrawn
from the list of questions on
origin. This goes back to the
former ‘arrangement, whereby
one is supposed to trace des-
cent on the father’s side (why
not mother’s?) for as many
generations as needed to arrive
at a European or other non-
North American nationality—
except for Indian or Eskimo.
The denial of a Canadian or
French-Canadian national ori-
gin is thus reaffirmed.

* * *

P.S.: The Marxist definition
Of a nation: an_ historically
evolved, stable community of
‘people, based on a community
of language, territory, econom-
ic life and psychological make-
up manifested in a common
culture.

INSPIRED BY CUBAN REVOLUTION

Cardenas sparks parley of

Latin-

LAZARO CARDENAS
. . to the defence of Cuba

Jobless

Cont’d from pg. 1

on low income groups; (7) In-
creased social assistance rates;
(8) Demand that the provincial
government reinstate medical
care for social assistance re-
cipients.

“The march,’ according to
officials of the unemployed
group, “is to demonstrate to
the city council that we want
action on’ these demands, not
just a polite hearing.”

Since the last mass demon-
stration there have been pic-
ket’ lines thrown around the
office of Frank McMahon
asking him tor the 10,000 jobs
he promised in the last elec-
tion; around the Vancouver
Hotel on the occasion of Labor
Minister Starr’s speech to the
annual meeting of the Vancou-
ver Board of Trade, and at the
social assistance office this,
week demanding the reinstate-
ment of medical care for those
on social assistance.

In Kamloops, meanwhile,
250 workers jammed the Ma-
sonic Hall to set up an unem-
ployed council there. They
wired the senior governments
demanding immediate action
on behalf of the 2,000 jobless
in that area. At the conclusion
of the meeting, which elected
a committee to carry on the
work, the assembly picketed
the unemployment insurance
commission. ;

Reports from around. the,
province show a keen response
to the Jobless Lobby called for
March 6th in Victoria. More
than $2,000 has come in al-
ready and there is some feel-
ing that. the proposed 1,000
participants can greatly be ex-
ceeded.

This week, however, all
eyes are turned to Ottawa
where on February 2 the Ca-
nadian Labor Congress is des-

‘American peoples

A conference keyed to the slogan of “Latin America FE
for National Sovereignty, Economic Emancipation - and
Peace,” and drawing its inspiration from the Cuban revolu= ;

tion, is to be held early in March in Mexico City. =

Prime mover for the confer-
ence is former President Laz-
aro Cardenas and it is expect-
ed to bring together progres-
sive leaders from all of Latin
America.

“We believe the defence of
Cuba is the defence of all
Latin America,’ Cardenas was
quoted as saying in the Los
Angeles Spanish. language
daily, La Opinion. ‘“‘The Castro
revolution is .a most genuine
expression of the desire for
justice, liberty and peace:” *

Cardenas was president of
Mexico from 1934 to 1940,
limited to one term under the

Mexican “constitution.

During”

his administration’ the first exe.

propriation on a large scale of
foreign-owned enterprises, es-
pecially oil installations’ was
carried out. Succeeding admin
istrations have tended to be
come increasingly conserva*
tive. :

While a Latin American com

ference of solidarity with the”
Cuban revolution was held it”

Havana last April on- ‘the eve
of May Day, this one promises
to be a larger and more repre
sentative gathering, and as its
title indicates will be

Radiation direct cause
of cancer study shows

The appearance of cancer has a direct relationship to
the total amount of radiation sustained by an individual

These were the findings of
two Japanese statisticians, Drs.
Tomin Harada and Morihiro
Ishida.

In a_ report. released last
week this is what they found:

@ The rate of cancer among
surviving Japanese exposed to
the exploding atomic bomb in
1945 was higher than in those
who were not exposed.

@ The rate for Hiroshima

cending with a 1,000 strong
contingent to press the Federal
Government for emergency
xction on the unemployed sit
uation. This will be the first
mass labor lobby to descend on
the national capital for many

a year.

an

survivors’: who were within —

more -
comprehensive in its concerns ;

3,280 feet of the explosion’wad _
four times higher than for the 4

non-exposed.

@ For those who were svithe

in 4,920 feet
twice higher.

@ It is not a matter of radi
ation hastening the appearancé

the rate was

of cancer in persons but one O48 |

direct cause and effect. ~°

@ Japanese exposed to radit
ation had a significantly highs
er cancer rate even seven td
eight years afterward, than thé
non - exposed. This included
cancers of all description. It
also includes benign tumors.

® It has also been esta
lished that radiation can’ dit*

ectly cause leukemia.
et

Photo shows Giibans examining a section of the vU. S. rocket

which exploded over Cuba some weeks ago and which was

rebuilt from the fragments.

February 3, 1961—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 12

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