HEN the 750 delegates attending the sixth con- vention of the Canadian Congress of Labor pack- ed their bags and left for home they could be sat- isfied that the resolutions they had passed and the de- bates in which they had par- ticipated had left a deep imprint upon the future of the great movement for which they had spoken. Hard-handed sons of toil, repre- senting over 400,000 industrial workers, their speeches reflected the great struggles taking place in Ganada and the birth of a stronger movement for labor’s place in the councils of the na- tion. They urged the need of forging ahead and giving inde- pendent leadership to the thou- sands still wnorganized in Can- ada. Practically every one of the important resolutions presented to them of the more than 200 which came before the convention were challenged to have “teeth put in them” and mass action undertaken in every commun- ity. The resolutions attacked the King government’s betrayal of its election postwar promises on such things as price controls; labor legislation; housing; the 40- hour-week and vacations with pay; old-age pensions; veterans’ rehabilitation and a host of so- cial reforms being sought by the Canadian people Fight clause 6 OM the very commencement of the convention, the whole ac- cumulation of grievances built up Over the last two years, during which time double-crossing bosses of big business have sought to split and diyide the labor move- ment and hold down its just de- mands, came to a head. First to come under fire was Clause 6 of the report of the Par- liamentary Committee on Indus- trial Relations upon which Order- in-Council 3689 is based. ‘This elause enables Labor Minister Mitchell “at the request of either party to an industrial dispute, and if he deems fit, either before or after a strike is in progress, to direct that a strike vote be tak- €n under government supervision, to determine the wishes of the men affected as to whether a strike will take place or other- wise.” In a powerful demonstration of unified strength, the delegates by - standing vote on the motion of Congress organizer Dan O’Brien and IWA President Harold Prit- chett voted that the resolution on Clause 6, introduced by Rub- ber Workers Union, 136, Toronto, be strengthened and the govern- PACIFIC TRIBUNE — PAGE 10 ment immediately informed that Jabor will not tolerate such dic- tatorial methods of interfering with union activity. Harold Pritchett, who recently led his woodworkers to victory on the west coast strike where a 15-cent wage increase was gained, © urged that the Congress of Trades and Labor Congress of Canada make a joint protest to the King government and that all unions immediately. organize their com- munities in a Dominion-wide campaign to abolish such legis- lation. The question of price controls came up and again the delegates assailed the policies which per- mitted price increases to Monop- olists and aid through police to smash strikes and keep wages down. Living standards N every resolution affecting the living standards and civil jiberties of the Canadian people the delegates voted as one. Tt was 2 clear cut answer to Drew, Duplessis, “10-Cent” Labor Minister Mitchell and the big monopolists heading the Cana- dian Manufacturers Association that labor was unified in its de- termination to compel govern- ments to grant proper labor leg- islation and social reforms and put a curb on the attempts to monopoly capitalism to crush the advance of the labor movement. Such labor leaders who have or- ganized thousands of new work- ers “into their unions as UE President GC. S. Jackson; Auto Workers leaders George Burt, Tom Mclean and Roy England; Woodworkers’ President Harold Pritchett and Darshan Singh; Miners’ leader Harvey Murphy; Leather Workers’ George Harris and Ross Russel; B. C. Shipwork- ers’ Gary Culhane; and many other union organizers and dele- gates made valuable contributions in the debates. Drawing from their own experiences on the pic- ket lines they outlined why the Congress must take urgent steps to organize entire communities around their demands upon the governments and the monopolists. But not all resolutions approved by the convention could be con- sidered as sufficiently strong. The resolution on peace failed to single out the imperialist coun- tries whose policies are leading to another war. Speaking to this resolution, Darshan Singh, TWA delegate from British Columbia who was born in India, said that “all allied troops should be with- drawn from all foreign lands ex- cept the former enemy countries. “Tf it is considered wrong by the so-called demoncracies for the Soviet Union to Keep her troops in Northern Iran why is it that they fail to raise their voices against the Anglo-Ameri- ean imperialists maintaining their armed forces in 40 countries in the world,’ he asked. He urged the resolution be strengthened. While there were some present who wanted a blanket approval — for everything the British Labor government does, delegates of all political opinions took exception to Britain’s imperialist policies and made clear that approval of the election of a Labor govern- ment did not mean approval of its foreign policy. However, there certainly was a marked differ- ence in the unanimity surround- ing resolutions dealing: with eco- nomie questions and the political steps to be taken to strengthen Canadian labor in political and international affairs. Political action T its Montreal 19438 convention the Congress had endorsed the CCF as “the political arm of labor” and many delegates came prepared on the basis of the ex- periences of being tied to the CCF as a political party to de- mand that this be changed: to ac- cepting the principle of non-par- tisan political action, and that the Congress be tied to no one po- litical party. The B.C. Federation of Labor representing 65,000 CCL. workers, supported by UE and CBRE locals, sent in resolutions demanding independent political action. These resolutions were com- pletely ignored by the resolutions committee and a substitute res- olution to replace them said: “That this convention of the Canadian Congress of Labor re- affirms the Political Action pro- gram of the Congress .. .” This meant that everything was as before and that the resolutions demanding non-partisan politi- cal action were to be ignored. In other words, the top-drawer lead- ers of the CCL had decided to ig- nore and by-pass, if they could, the resolutions or any debate on the merits or otherwise of the principles of non-partisan political action and continue to keep {the Congress in a CCE political straitjacket. Stepping to the microphone, lanky UE President C. S. Jack- 0,000 workers opposition to King’s policies By Alfred C. Campbell son touched off one of the stormiest debates ever known in labor circles. Said Jackson: “I oppose “the resolution ani ask the -resolu- tions committee to bring in a resolution ceflecting the wishes of the resolutions already pre- sented on independent political action.’ Jackson, followed by the leaders of the main indus- trial unions affiliated to the Congress, pointed out that the 29 points of political action by the’ Congress had never been lived up to, but instead the Political Action Committee be- cause of the Congress endorsa- tion of the CCF had become the instrument of the CCE to strangle and straitjacket the wide progressive political ac- tion that should have taken place in all economic campaigns and elections. With telling blows against such ~ narrow political policies, delegate followed delegate pleading that it was impossible te organize the unorganized of other politi- cal beliefs when the- Congress was tied to one political party. Harvey Murphy, miners’ . organ- izer from B.C., and other dele- gates stated that whenever the unions of any locality organized an independent candidate the CCF ran a candidate in opposi- tion. Robert Maddow, Leather Workers organizer from Quebec, pointed out that it was impos- sible to fully organize Quebec workers when they found that the Congress endorsed only one party. President Mosher, who en- dorses the CCF, had quite a time sélecting the speakers who he thought would best represent the CCE position and the going was tough. But he did manage to avoid seeing J. M. Toothill of his own union, the CBRE, who wanted to introduce an amendment calling upon the Congress to endorse no politi- eal party. He hurriedly called the vote after he had allowed all the CCF leaders to take the floor and in the most dishon- est fashion confuse the issue UTTAR ATT 2 and stampede the delegates into voting for a continuance cf en= dorsation which should repre sent-