16

THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

thewestern canadian!

34,000 copies

printed in this issue

lumber worker

Published once monthly as the official publication of the INTERNATIONAL WOODWORKERS OF AMERICA

Western Canadian Regional Council No

Affiliated with AFL-C1O-CLC

2859 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, B.C. Phone874-5261

Editor—Patrick S. Kerr

Business Manager—Wyman Trineer

Forwarded to every member of the IWA in Western Canada in accordance with convention decisions.
Subscription rate for non-members $2.00 per year.

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Be ss

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onsidera
been raised in labour circles

over Len Guy’s surprise resignation —

from the top post of the B.C. Federa-

tion of Labour. Guy cited personal-

reasons were responsible for the
decision and we believe this should
be accepted as fact.

Unfortunately, some people are
putting their own interpretation on
Guy’s resignation as an excuse to at-
tack certain labour leaders and the
New Democratic Party.

A prime example is a recent article
in the Pacific Tribune by Jack Phil-
lips. In his article Mr. Phillips puts
forward the suggestion that Guy re-
signed to avoid another confronta-
tion with what he describes as the
“right wing’ element in the Federa-
tion.

This is sheer nonsense on two
counts. What ever might be said of
Len Guy, no one can accuse him of
running away from a fight. And to
suggest that those opposed to Guy's
policies are “right wing” is com-
pletely ludicrous.

-IWA Regional President Jack
Munro and B.C. Government Em-
ployees Union General-Secretary
John Fryer headed up the opposition
to the Federation’s policies and no
one in their right mind would call
them “right wingers.”

In his attack on the New Demo-
cratic Party, Mr. Phillips again refers
to the “right wing” element, this
time in reference to the NDP leaders,
who he claims rejected Guy as an
executive officer of the Party.

This again is sheer nonsense.

ble speculation has

Guy was defeated for a position on
the Party’s executive council by a
secret vote of the delegates on the
floor of the convention.

‘Mr. Phillips has been around
politics far too long not to know
how the NDP conducts its conven-
tions and how little control the lead-
ership has over the delegates during
Party elections.

In lauding Guy for his staunch
support of the NDP, further on in the
article, Mr. Phillips appears to have
forgotten that if Guy was a strong
supporter of the NDP he also held an
almost blind hatred for Barrett and
his NDP government.

His constant criticism of the gov-
ernment while it was passing some
of the most advanced social and
labour legislation in North America,
played no small part, a number of
people believe, in leading to the
ultimate defeat of the government.

While all this is water under the
bridge we feel Mr. Phillips’ interpre-
tation (for a better word) of these
past events should not go unchal-
lenged.

With Guy out of the picture, the
opposing factions in the Federation
have an excellent opportunity to
solve their differences. Such a move
would be a great service to the
labour movement in B.C., especially
now that the advocates of “right to
work” laws are on the increase.

We suggest that people like Mr.
Phillips would be better advised to

work for a united Federation instead ©

of trying to fan further flames of dis-
content in that organization.

NEW SATELLITE TO
HELP B.C. FORESTS.

—

\

i
1
i

Ya told me to think before I tackled th’ job...so I’m
still at th’ thinkin’ stage!

K REVIEW

0)
ES

Ca.

Environment Minister Len
Marchand recently announced
the award of a $402,000 con-
tract to OVAAC 8 International
(Canada) Inc., of Toronto, for
the development of a satellite
image-analysis system for the
Canadian Forestry Service.
The New system will be install-
ed at the Pacific Forest Re-
search Centre in Victoria,
B.C., where scientists have
successfully demonstrated the
use of LANDSAT satellite data
for classifying forests, detect-
ing outbreaks of forest insects
and diseases, and updating in-
formation on wood supply and
- logging practices. .

“The new system” Mar-
chand said, “will provide a

regional capability to monitor
the environment, evaluate

environmental impacts, watch .

changing conditions of the
forests, wildlife habitat and
urban and rural development.
Information will be tied into an

integrated resource inventory _

and management system that
is being developed by the
Canadian Forestry Service to
improve the management of
Canada’s renewable re-
sources”’.

First priority for the new
system will be the environ-
mental assessment and moni-
toring of the Alcan Pipeline
and the provision of national
forestry statistics for British
Columbia and the Yukon Terri-
tory.

Toronto coroner’s office chief
clerk John Wagner says it’s too
early to give a definite
answer, the 14% increase in the
number of suicides in the city
last year could be the result of
poor economic fimes.

Wagner says unemploy-
ment and the number of uni-
versity graduates coming out
of school with no future
prospects could have caused
the suicide rate to jump.

While suicides among teen-
agers have decreased, the
biggest increases were for
people between 20 and 29, and
60 and 69.

“TORONTO (CPA) — While

e BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF 115 trade
union leaders, past and present, including
seven named to the Labour Hall of Honour;
and

e ‘*J.S. Woodsworth — Labour’s
Spokesman”, a biographical article.

Up from the Ranks puts a human face on Canadian
labour. Here are accounts of responsible, compassionate
citizens, many of whom could have achieved wealth and
social distinction had they devoted their energies and
talents to business or to ‘‘establishment”’ politics.

This 148-page book shows Canadian labour leaders to be
down-to-earth individuals, opposed to dictatorships in all
its forms. They are part of the Canadian tradition of
democratic, peaceful reform.

“This book will be most valuable in the labour movement
and even more useful to those of us who are held on the
sidelines and who do not have a programme to tell the
players”.
Desinond Morton, Associate Dean,
Erindale College, U. of T.
“|. merits a place on the desk of every international
union editor and the editors of all Canadian labour
publications..."
The Reporter, \nternational Labour Press
Association, Washington, D.C.
“This impressive collection represents a tremendous
task of research ... head and shoulders photo for every
biographical sketch... %
Roy LaBerge in Labour Gazette, November 1977

Single copies — $3.95 available from

e The Woodsworth Book Club, 111, Main Street,
Unionville, Ontario;

e The Ontario Federation of Labour,
Drive, Don Mills, Ontario M3C 1Y8

¢ orfrom your local literature department. -

15 Gervais

Edited by Morden Lazarus
Published with aid of grant trom New Horizons Program. Department of National
Health and Wellare

If you are a senior citizen
you may obtain a FREE copy of UP FROM THE RANKS by
sending SQ cents to cover cost of handling and mailing to:
Morden Lazarus, v/o Woodsworth New Horizons C'tee., Box
174, Station R, Toronto, Ontario M4G 3279

JUNE, 1978