On the eve of the 29th Legislature

Need pressure to force issues

By WILLIAM STEWART Ontario Leader, Communist Party

TORONTO — The Fourth Ses- sion of the 29th Legislature of Ontario opens on Tuesday March 5 and on its eve, indications are that it will be stormy.

Taxes, transportation, regional government, municipal auton- omy, housing and anti-labor legislation, joined together with inflation and unemployment, face the Davis_ government with monumental problems which the speech from the throne can be expected .to skilfully evade ra- ther than solve.

Metro Toronto houseowners and renters were dismayed last week to'see predictions of a tax increase this year which could go as high as an astronomical $70 and no lower than $40 on the average home, which would pass itself along to renters.

At the same time Metro Chairman Paul Godfrey, whose propensity for shooting from the lip is quickly eroding his credi- bility, threatened Metro transit- users with a 25% increase in fares. :

This situation will confront most major municipalities when they face up to budgets this year. Assessment, the one means of transferring the load from homeowners to revenue produc- ing property, which previously rested with the municipalities, is now in the hands of the provin- cial governments, and municipa- lities are faced with the dilemma of either cutting services, which in many cases are already too limited, or hoisting the mill rate on homes.

Less Than Kind

Only the provincial and federal governments have the power to tax the big monopolies who are responsible for skyrocketing costs, and great pressure can be expected on Queen’s Park to cough up with the money needed to meet rising costs and prevent massive tax increases. :

To make matters more difficult for the already embattled Tories who seem to be staggering from one conflict of interest scandal to another, the Ontario Economic Council brought down five re- ports last week which were less than kind to the Davis adminis- tration.

Ontario is systematically un- dermining local government au- fonomy, said one report titled The Municipal Dynamic. This puts. the future of local govern- ment on “shaky foundations”. This report can be sure of heat- ing up the smoldering resent-

A leaflet entitled, “Stop the layoffs in the Auto Industry” issued by the Oshawa Club of the Communist Party of Canada has been distributed to auto workers throughout southwest- ern Ontario.

The leaflet charged that, “The U.S.-owned and controlled auto monopolies are taking advantage of the energy crisis to increase their massive profits at the ex- pense of the workers in the in- dustry. Huge layoffs are coupled with speedup and increased ex- ploitation of those who remain on the job.”

To stop the layoffs and in- creased exploitation, the leaflet said, ‘Immediate emergency

Ontario Premier Davis’ “new cabinet has to be seen as the preparations for the upcoming elections and an attempt to re- peat the sleight-of-hand which worked in the last elections. Six new members were added, five old ones dropped, among them some of the most reactionary and useless in the cabinet. Two new posts were added, bringing the cabinet up to 18 members.

ment existing around the prov- ince about the Tory high handed regional government policies and its incursion into almost all areas previously under control of local municipal councils and school- boards. But also in the area of art and culture the heavy hand of Queen’s Park is being felt ever stronger.

Confrontation Politics -

Another report knocks the government for dragging its heels on _ industrial pollution around the province... This -will undoubtedly bring the environ- mentalists into full throttle ac- tion at this session of the Legis- lature demanding action by the new Minister of Environmental

- Control.

A third significant report warns of “higher taxes, higher municipal debts, and drastically reduced services”. This report accuses the Ontario government of playing confrontation politics with Ottawa which stands in the way of an orderly approach to more Ottawa assistance to the province.

All. the reports stressed the need for improved federal-pro- vincial relations and spoke of the feeling of isolation and aliena- tion people felt from the social services provided by the prov- ince.

At the same time as these re- ports were being made public, Davis announced a major Cabi- net upheaval which saw six new members added to the Cabinet,

‘The auto layoffs must stop!’

legislation is needed by govern- ments at both the federal and provincial levels to guarantee jobs for Canadian auto workers. The layoffs must stop. The U.S. auto monopolies must be curbed by the imposition of legislative control over this vital Canadian manufacturing industry.

The leaflet also called for a safeguarding of the 1965 Canada- U.S. auto pact and an extension of the Pact to ensure growth of the industry in Canada, as well as for steps to bring about pub- lic democratic control of the Canadian auto industry.

The leaflet pointed to one of the weaknesses of the recently concluded negotiations where the

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 1974—-PAGE 6

five old Cabinet members drop- ped and two new posts added, bringing the Cabinet to 18 mem- bers plus the premier. Most Reactionary

Notable in the sackings were Dalton Bales, Attorney General, and Solicitor-General John Ya-

remko, both of whom had been

involved in conflict of interest deals recently. Yaremko, who was one of the most reactionary and useless members of the Cabi- net, made a profession of anti- Communism. He defeated A. A. McLeod, Labor-Progressive mem- ber for Bellwoods in 1957 on the basis of one of the most scurri- lous campaigns ever waged in Ontario. He was Legislative spokesman for ultra-nationalist right wing groupings in the city, along with Allan Grossman who missed the axe this time around and was switched to a new post of Provincial Secretary of Re- source Development.

In the main the Cabinet switch has to be regarded as prepara- tions for the upcoming Ontario elections and an attempt by Davis to repeat the slight-of- hand which worked in the last election. In that case Premier Robarts, who was also in deep trouble, stepped down and Davis was selected leader at the Tory convention. A Detroit public re- lations team then convinced On- tario voters that there was a new man, a new team, and new policies at Queen’s Park. It has

taken a little more than two”

years to abuse that illusion. Clear Alternatives

All’ of which, we repeat, sets the stage for a session which will be the percursor of the next On- tario elections. For the working people of Ontario however, one thing is sure. If there is to be anything meaningful coming from this session for them it will only happen if they make it happen.

This means mass pressure on the legislature, as in the example set by Ontario teachers last De- -cember, plus a sharp projection of clear alternative policies by the NDP inside the house.

For the Communist Party, and the Ontario trade union move- ment and other special interest groups it means focusing great attention on the present session of the Legislature and transform- ing it from a closed circuit opera- tion to a meaningful public forum where the real issues con- fronting the people of this prov- ince can be forced out into the

* open and debated before the

people.

union failed to press for and win more wages, shorter hours and an end to the killing speedup. As an answer to these shortcom- ings, the leaflet put forward a demand “to re-open the contracts to deal with the questions of shorter hours, protection for short term employees under the terms of Supplementary Unem- ployment Benefits (SUB) and overtime. There are precedents for such re-openers and in any

case drastic conditions require.

drastic actions by the union leadership.”

The leaflet concluded by point- ing to monopoly capitalism as the cause of the crisis and de- manded that it pay for the crisis.

Mowat on Solzhenitsy

In the huffing and puffing by Canadian writers over the “fate” of Alexander Solzhenitsyn, one sane voice has emerged from the frenzy. This belong to author Farley Mowat, who has spent considerable time in the Soviet Union.

In reply to types such as Pierre Berton and Charles Templeton, who have jumped on the pro- Solzhenitsyn bandwagon with a vengeance, Mowat writes (To- ronto Star, Feb. 23):

« _ . Surely it is now obvious that the hysteria about Solzhenit- syn’s actual arrest was indeed blown out of proportion. Instead of being killed, or sent'to Si- beria, as both Solzhenitsyn and his supporters in the West in- sisted would be his fate, he was exiled to West Germany and is now in Switzerland.

“Anyone who has read Solzhe- nitsyn’s work, particularly his early verse play The Victor’s Feast, knows he is not interest- ed in reforming the Soviet sys- tem — he wants it destroyed and replaced by a system such as ours. :

action against him by ignorl

“That is his business; but pretend he is a patriotic refo er of the Soviet system is, to us one of Berton’s own phrases, hog wash. That Solzhenitsyn sou martyrdom with all the strengt of his being is so apparent tha it does not need additional com: ment.” ; .

Berton and Templeton had 4 tacked Mowat for his first state ment after Solzhenitsyn’s arrest At that time Mowat said tha “the arrest was complete blown out of proportion,” and cried “the considerable hysteria: over the event. ~ 5

Solzhenitsyn, Mowat said ther was “deliberately attempting © force” the Soviet Union to tas

summonses and is “dedicated the destruction of the Soviet s¥* tem.” ae

He said Solzhenitsyn was “M0 a great author” but rather — good adequate one.” His fam Mowat stated, comes from hi opposition to the socialist Be tem, not from his writing, there was “political reasoning behind the awarding of Nobel Prize.

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Firms seek injunction

to silence

TORONTO — Two Toronto companies, Toronto Refiners and Smelters Ltd. and Canada Metal Co. Ltd., are seeking injunctions against three members of the Toronto Board of Health. The in- junctions are to prevent the board members from dealing with any business involving the metal companies!

The metal companies involved in the court actions refine and reclaim lead products. The pro- cess of reclamation, according to community workers and health Officials, can cause serious injury to workers who work in the plant and to residents who live in the area of the plants. The in-

jury derives, they say, from in- |

ordinate amounts of lead par- ticles in the air, which, when in- haled, can cause lead poisoning of the blood. The injunctions sought against the health board members by _ the companies, are part of a series of legal steps that the companies have taken to silence their critics. In the past month the company also had injunctions issued against the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the Toronto Globe and Mail to prevent them from commenting on the anything to do with the lead poisoning issue. An hour- long program of investigative re-

lead critics

porting on the CBC’s «As It pens”, which was to the issue of lead poisoning stopped in the middle 5 broadcast when an injul was served on it.

While the flurry of Te injunctions continue tO Pe of the provincial courts, | 1 vincial ministry respon ai investigating incidents 0 trial poisoning — the ment of Health — has ye ticeably silent. And no | been able to get an injur against the companies a their activities, which i? tors allege, poison the aif

As the companies cOMy spew the accused pollute’ the air, their lawyers an manded an apology Mail! CBC and the Globe and the Outerbridge, lawyer for ©, panies, seems to assume 7 need only “keep them about injunctions and 9 lead pollution and 4 will be all right,” bees long as the judges co! ress issue injunctions to sup will companies’ critics, stare confine the die court battles and avoi bt of how many children ing permanent damage

pollution.

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