“As you were’

onday’s general election was not altogether a “need-

less” or “‘useless’’ election, as it has often been des- cribed. True, it was unquestionably an expensive one, costing the people of Canada well over $10-million from the public treasury for the opportunity of decisively re- jecting Prime Minister Pearson’s demand for a “strong Liberal majority”? government.

That phoney pretext for calling a general election was decisively rejected. With a few minor changes the Pearson “minority” government remains almost exactly as was at the time of dissolution. In essence it was a vote of “‘non confidence” in the specious arguments put for- ward by the Liberals for “majority” government. It gives Prime Minister Pearson and his Liberals a ““mandate”— to get on with the business of the country; to make the government and five-party Parliament function in the in- terests of Canada, nothing more.

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It also nails the Pearson “threat” during the cam- paign, that if he and his Liberal Party didn’t get the “majority” they wanted and specifically called an elec- tion to get, that “another election” would soon follow.

The electorate made clear by their vote that if Pear- son and his Liberals cannot make a “‘minority” -govern- ment work, other opposition parties in the House can, without resort to another needless election.

The substantial gains made by the NDP in addition- al seats, plus a rising popular vote, provides added assur- ance that the urgent needs of the people, medicare, pen-

sions, development of natural resources, for and in the in- |

terests of Canada, etc., will be in the forefront. These and other pressing issues, side-tracked and delayed by Liberal “majority” subterfuges, will be on the agenda when the 28th Parliament of Canada meets—backed by Monday’s popular vote — to “get on with the business of the country.”

There is no doubt that the results of Monday’s vote, “very disappointing” to Prime Minister Pearson, was equally “disappointing” to Washington, the prime pro- moter and financier of a hoped-for “Liberal majority” in Ottawa to facilitate U.S. domination in Canadian affairs.

é

Fe ede Hie a eae eae

TING {London Free Fress)

“Just slip it under>the door.”

Fight or go under

n the B.C, Federation of Labor campaign to fight ex-parte injunctions now extensively used by em-

~ national unity ‘and the widest inter- _national understanding and apprecia-

' Be that as it may, the Canadian people delivered the orders-of-the day for the 28th Parliament of Canada; “As You Were—Forward, March.”

Tom

McEWEN

D uring the next couple of weeks ormore Canadians may expect a heavy spate of wordage from the ‘experts’, **analysts’’, ‘forecasters’? and what-have-you on last Monday’s election results,

Since we’re doing this column a good four days ahead of the election, we won’t climb onto this Wisenheimer merry-go- round just yet to advise our fellow-citizens on what we’ve got, how we could have got some- thing better—or worse, Nor shall we fall victim to the political sour-pusses who will cynically declare with an air of finality that in elections ‘‘the people always get what they deserve,”

If we accept an old Marxian viewpoint that ‘‘parliamentary democracy is the system that allows the oppressed, every few years, the opportunity of decid- ing what particular representa- tives of the oppressing class should represent them in parlia-

ment,’’ then we may, without any undue ‘‘reverence’”’ throw a mini- mum of 90-percent of the pre- election ‘promises’? made by these representatives out of the window and accept the end re- sult of the election as merelythe beginning of another round in the unending struggle for peace and progress, When the people in their majority grasp that idea, instead of grasping at phantom

election ‘‘promises’’, the next.

**round’’ is already won,

One thing we can therefore be dead sure of, regardless of Mon- day’s verdict—the fight must go on, stronger and more united than ever before, Monday’s ver=- dict only underscored its urgency and intensity.

In the aftermath of manyofour ‘democratic’ elections, which more often than not tends to look and feel like the‘ morning after’’, there is always enough grim

ployers to cripple or break strikes, a fundamental issue is at stake: the inalienable right of working men and women through the media of their unions, to strike and picket.

While the statutory laws of Canada recognize that hard-won right, the Courts in ever-increasing numbers, ignore and violate it by their wholesale granting of “re- straining” injunctions. Automation, geared to court in- junctions, can destroy democratic trade unionism. That’s what makes the BCFL campaign to fight injunctions “top priority” for every union man and woman.

need to be done to help it face up to the pressing issues of the moment, which strangely enough, no small number of the elected and non-elected shied away from on the hustings, * * OK

The November ‘Newsletter’? from the ‘‘U,S, Assistant Secre- tary of Defense’’, Washington, D.C. informs us that the U.S, ‘¢Military Assistance Program’? (MAP) ‘‘is supporting and en- couraging civic action projects in more than 25 countries throughout the world,’’

humor left around to facilitate a fairly speedy recovery,

For instance.the tons of print- er’s ink and human lung power expended to convince the people that ‘‘Canada Needs Percy Fink’”’ is enormous, It just seemed (be- fore the election) that unless Canada elected ‘‘ Percy Fink’’ the country would go straight to the dogs.

Yet when the electors make their periodic pilgrimage to the voting box, it becomes readily apparent that Canada neither needed nor wanted ‘‘ Percy Fink”? in any capacity whatsoever, And’ in this most recent election the old-line partisan ‘‘Percy Finks”’ were as numerous as bedbugs in a mission flophouse,

MAP, we are told embody those in which the military forces of a nation undertake activities which contribute to the economic and social development, and

There is also a touch of ironi- cal comedy in the fact that when the surplus of ‘*Percy Finks’’

Worth Quoting

There are more than 1,000 cand dates in this federal election. Of th number, less than one percent ha any real knowledge of the Indian people, let alone any real interest in them, other than their votes. And no! ¢ single one of them is an Indian.

No matter who forms the govern: ment after November 8, Indians will continue fo suffer and remain on ti bottom of the totem pole. an

—Guy Williams, President, Native Brotherhood of B.C., in NATIV VOICE, Oct., 1965.

)

Sincere pacifists and honest criti of the President's policy (in Vietnam, would serve their cause and count best by shunning all support of . demonstrations, sit-ins and lie which, in effect, aid the Commun aggressors. It is the first responsibility of every American... to foster our

tion of our country’s Vietnam poli

—AFL-CIO Executive Council state- ments, AFL-CIO NEWS, Oct. 30/65.

Come to think of it, there are $0 many similarities between the commer cials of finance companies and funeral parlors that it just makes us wonder the same public relations firm might write for copy for both “enterprises » i;

—Bob Ward in UE NEWS, Oct. 11/65.

The unity of working people in the - ‘struggle for the construction of a new — social system is more important than the unanimity of their views concern: ing life beyond the grave.

—“‘Catholicism in a Socialist State”

CEYLON TRIBUNE, July 31/65.

When the labor movement of the United States makes up its mind that the war in Vietnam, and the few jobs and extra income it brings in has n° future in it for the workers of country, such a position probabl could end the war in Vietnam. could even end our futile role of but

ting into every country’s affairs @ tying to be the world’s cop.

~—ILGWU President Bridges in TH! DISPATCHER, Oct. 15/65.

strengthen the ties between the military and civilian communi ties,’’ :

The laudable ‘objectives’ cited by ‘‘Newsletter’’ in a num ber of Latin American countrié and in South Korea and Thailand don’t just square with the facts of life, particularly when one re members that the U.S, went into Vietnam on its own ‘invitation to work in the capacity of 2 ‘fadvisor’’? for economic 2! social development, and woul! up as the killers of the Vietna” mese people,

Like ourselves, we imagine thé people of other countries would prefer to have their “civic proj” ects’’ carried on without ‘*bene” fit’? of MAP,

if a ia qth

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have been thus ‘‘democratically’’ disposed of, the bulk of the goodies they ‘‘promised’’ to shower upon Canada go into limbo with them— with no great sense of loss tothe electors—or for that matter to the ‘‘Percy Finks’? who made them,

Next week we’ll probably be able to take a closer look at

_ Editor — TOM McEWEN Associate Editor — Circulation Manager — JERRY SHACK Published weekly at Ford Bldg., Mezzanine No. 3, 193 E. Hastings St. : Phone 685-5288 Subscription Rates: Canada, $5.0U one year; $2.75 for six months. North and South Americo and Commonwealth countries, $6.00 one year. All other countries, $7. one year. Authorized as second class mail by the:Port Office Department, -Ottawa, and for payment of postage in cash. mk

MAURICE RUSH

Monday’s results and what will