Weighty issues to keep in mind other than the weather. Davis is hoping to ride into power for his fourth term.

on leadership ability. The opposition Liberals with 34

With 33 have both said they will zero in on the economy.

tion of the Ontario legislature to make it pro Canadian,

Queen’s Park.’ =e

He sees this new legislature comprised of “workers, Working people and democratic forces, including Com- munists.”’ ;

Doig charged that the Tory party has delivered the province over to U.S. control. ‘“‘Over 50% of Canadian manufacturing is centred here and its overall character is that of a branch plant economy.” ;

The result of this U.S. control, said Doig, has been plant closures and mass layoffs. There have been ‘vicious attacks on social services on one hand, while on the other, hand-outs to the corporations, paid for out of the pockets of the people.”’

The decision of the Tories to base their whole cam- paign on the leadership of Davis, “‘To reduce it to a ' Matter of personality is another conclusive sign that the _ Tory party doesn’t have any policies to advance in the

interest of working people.”’

Primary will be whether or not the 38 year reign ofthe jy Conservative Party will be ended. Premier William |

The Conservatives are five seats short of a majority which Davis hopes to win by basing his entire campaign

Seats in the legislature and the New Democratic Party |

Mel Doig, Ontario leader of the Communist Party, in | an interview with the Tribune said his party will be Calling for the election of an entirely new kind of legis- | lature. They are calling on ‘‘workers, working people, i people of whatever party to unite to change the composi- |

pro Ontario, in order to defeat the pro American policy and its spokesmen who have so long been entrenched in

MEL DOIG... the Communist Party is calling on workers, working people, people of whatever party to unite to change the composition of the Ontario legislature to make it pro Canadian.

As an example, Doig noted the audience Davis chose when announcing his $1.5-billion economic plan, ‘*that audience consisted of ‘blue chip’ corporations and monopolies. He did not dare to pretend that an audience

Pro Canadian legislature

When Ontarians go to the polls in their first winter | election since 1911 this March 19, they will have several —

of working people would have been sympathetic to this plan.”

Doig accused the minority Tory government of pursu- ing the most ‘‘brutal’’ anti-organized labor, anti-strike policies and tactics particularly during their past term. ‘‘Now the Tories are seeking a majority to have an even freer hand, if possible, to drive politics in Ontario even further to the nght.”’

In addition to working for the election of a legislature comprised of representatives who will fight against U.S. domination of Ontario politics and the economy, .the Communist Party is advancing an economic strategy for full employment based on ‘‘nationalization under demo- cratic control of energy and natural resources, creation of secondary industry that will in tum create jobs and government take-over under democratic control of all shut down plants. This is the alternative economic strat- egy that will curb the power of U.S. multi-nationals in Ontario,” said Doig.

Recognizing the key role Ontario must play in a new constitution the Party is calling for a “*new made-in- Canada constitution based on recognition of self-deter- mination of our two nations; the French Canadian nation in Quebec and English-speaking Canada, united in a voluntary partnership based on equality.’’ Doig said this new constituion must also give “‘full recognition to the rights of the Indian people.”

He had harsh words for Davis’s support for patriation of the British North America Act, calling it ‘‘another form of the Tory’s historic policy of maintaining the. status quo, because that is what patriation of the BNA Act really means.”

He voiced strong criticism of the present legislature’s support for “‘U.S. policies of cold war and escalation of the arms race.’’ Doig said a new legislature must give “unqualified backing’’ to an independent Canadian for- eign policy, peace, détente and disarmament. 6

REAGAN CRANKS UP WAR MACHINE

1 By TOM MORRIS

) _ President Reagan’s first press 4 Conference began to clear up _ Where his administration is head- gy 08. Signs were there before —his / Campaign promises to ‘‘get ‘| tough”’ with the Soviets, cut fed- €tal social spending anda series of if MOves to curtail civil rights at s home.

t Other indications also came , SWiftly after inauguration day: Reagan began appointing people to his cabinet with far right ideas, Men sharing his mentality and

as Secretary of State; Raymond NOvan as Labor Secretary; Secretary of the Treasury, 4 chald Reagan; Secretary of De- P fence Caspar Weinberger, and " Others. a ; wpe These appointees lost little , "me in spelling out what’s to fome. Haig spoke of a new big ’ Stick backed by a stronger milit- 4 aty. Weinberger demanded big-

Ser arms spending, the B-1 f Mber and*the neutron bomb. p Agriculture Secretary Block told _, Teporters the U.S. will use food as & Political weapon to reward 7 nds and punish enemies. ;

} * * A But it was Reagan’s first press ‘ Conference which startled every-

}” ONe by its strident tone and the a Rew Set of foreign policy guide- MES it set down.. | Reagan (and Haig earlier) an- sp jnineed the U.S. will replace its _ Shg-standing ‘‘human_ rights’ af, ampaign with one giving unto it- , Self the task of identifying

ate all and reacting accord-

y.

Policies such as Alexander Haig |

Commenting on Reagan’s col war speech, former U.S. ambas- sador to Moscow, Malcom Toon in- jects a note of sanity: “The Soviets are sitting on a tremendous nu- clear arsenal... we ought to have some mechanism for carrying out an acceptable dialogue on major issues...”

The president then added more: The U.S. now will adopt the “‘linkage’’ theory — tying one policy of the socialist world with negotiations on other questions. The Salt-2 treaty is a case in point. According to Washington, arms: limitation talks will henceforth be ‘linked’ to how the U.S. feels about Soviet support for national

liberation struggles (now called

“terrorist’’”). The same will apply to trade talks and a host of other bilateral and multilateral discus- sions.

Reagan spelled. out what he means by Soviet support for ‘terrorism’. with such exam-

_ ples as Soviet aid to the Palestine

Liberation Organization, to the Angolan liberation struggle, to the El Salvadorian liberation move- ment, etc.

His theory isn’t new. It’s based: on the mistaken and dangerous concept that national and social liberation struggles, which are marking this century, are ‘‘Soviet inspired’. It negates laws of so- cial development by which people fight against oppression as an ob- jective characteristic of human- kind. Under this theory, the American Revolution of 1776 would have been described as ter- rorism against existing order and any solidarity with it called ‘‘communist inspired.”

What is new and extremely dangerous is linking such crucial questions as arms control, nu- clear. weapons systems and détente with the notion that the difficulties of world imperialism brought on by the sweep of his- tory are a ‘Soviet plot’ against U.S. national security.

* * *

Responding to Reagan’s re- marks, the Soviet Union said that the struggle for national and social liberation is an objective reality and that neither the United States nor the USSR can prevent it. It reiterated Moscow’s _ long- standing policy of support for this progressive trend. It rejected Reagan’s blackmail and called for a realistic approach in Soviet- American relations. And it drew attention to the danger of an un- bridled new arms race which American policy-makers are de- manding.

The USSR, it is clear, will

never stop supporting national liberation struggles. It supports the people of El Salvador; the U.S. backs the killer junta. The USSR attacks apartheid in South Africa; Washington keeps it alive. The socialist world supports the PLO as the voice of the Pales- tinian people (so does the UN);

News Analysis

Reagan backs Israeli occupation .

and terror. Countless other examples come to mind — the socialist

world’s support for the Viet- namese people against U.S. ter- ror; extensive support for the Cuban Revolution on the one hand, armed attack and boycotts on the other; the support for the

Taking a slap at détente, U.S. Sec-

- retary of State Haig appoints the

White House to be the judge of “international terrorism”.

A dangerous shift in U.S. foreign policy

Popular Unity government of Chile versus the CIA-backed

overthrow of Allende and today’s

fascist Chilean junta.

When it comes to a record of support for genuine people’s struggles, the socialist world need not apologize, especially to

Washington which has led the ©

pack in creating and supporting dictatorships. ae ks ok This is a dangerous period in world affairs. And since Cana-

dians have no God-given special '

status when it comes to nuclear

war, we should be alarmed and . angry that External Affairs Min- |

ister McGuigan has_ publicly

committed us to U.S. policy —

changes.: . Speaking in Washington fol- lowing talks with Haig,

McGuigan could varely contain himself in his enthusiasm for this

renewed cold war line. Without.

discussion in parliament, or even

in Cabinet — without consulting

the country — McGuigan pledged

Canada’s allegiance to Reagan, ~

Haig: and Weinberger. Surely if Trudeau could threaten a country-wide referen-

dum on _patriation, Canadians

could be consulted on whether they choose to die to keep im- perialism and colonialism alive. If there ever was a time for a deep-going investigation into Canadian foreign policy it’s to- day. If there ever was a time to put forward alternatives, to steer this country on the path of détente and disarmament as part of an independent Canadian foreign policy, it’s now. :

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FEB. 13, 1981—Page 9

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