ee : memeeorces eset ee Se

THESE STRIKES

ARE. RUINING THE ‘COUNTRY / THERE

OUGHT TO BE A LAW /

FEEL LIKE AN INCOME

INCREASE

BUY

TORONTO — Petro-Canada, the country’s government-owned oil entity, should be instructed to make direct purchasing agree- ments with Venezuelan and Mexi- can state companies, to free Canada from “blackmail by the multi-national corporations,”’ the Communist Party says.

This is one of four major prop- osals designed to protect Canada’s oil supplies, and. to shield Cana- dian consumers from the price- gouging of the likes of Exxon, stated Communist Party leader, William Kashtan on behalf of the Party’s Central Executive, Feb. 16.

In a statement blasting the mul- tinationals and theip Liberal and Tory defenders, the Communist Party levelled an attack on Exxon Corporation of the USA which recently decided to divert 25,000 barrels of oil daily from the so-

Alberta CP convention sets election strategy

End corporate control of Alberta

By J. FELIX

EDMONTON — Sixty dele- and observers met here

gates Feb. 10-11, for a special policy Communist

convention of the Party-Alberta. A comprehensive

” platform, for the March 14 pro-

vincial election and beyond, was the main subject of discussion.

As William Tuomi, provincial secretary ofthe Party, pointed out in his opening address, the regist- ration of the Party was a genuine victory. The main task now, he said, was to follow up the work of the petitioning by bringing the Communist program to Alber- tans.

The media and China’s aggression

Resolutions on industry, taxa- tion, oil and gas, municipalities, labor, the constitution, social pol- icy, agriculture, women and edu- cation were discussed in detail, culminating more than-a month’s debate in party clubs. The main thrust of the platform is the need to end both the domination of the U.S. oil monopolies over Alberta, and the rule of the reactionary Lougheed government. This was expressed in the election slogan put forward by the convention; ‘*End corporate control of Alber- ta. Strengthen progressive rep- resentation in the legislature. Vote Communist!”

The convention called for a new

made-in-Canada Constitution, recognizing the equality of the French and English Canadian na- tions, énding discrimination against the West and the Maritimes, and _ redefining federal-provincial rights.

As of Feb. 15, seven Commun- ist candidates had been an- nounced for the March election: William Tuomi, Edmonton High- lands; Joe Hill, Edmonton Strathcona; Kimball Cariou, Ed- monton Norwood; David Wallis, Calgary Buffalo; Adela Polancec, Calgary Bow; Mike Parker, Cal- gary McCall; and Bruce Potter, Calgary Forest Lawn.

Sr

called Canadian company, Impe- rial Oil, for use in Canada. Ex- xon’s stated readiness to divert only 8,000 to 9,000 barrels a day was still seen as a multi-national corporation’s slap in the face for Canadian sovereignty.

The Communist Party blamed the collusion of the oil monopolies and the Canadian government for the current crisis.

‘“‘The lack of an all-Canadian energy policy is made evident by the present acrimonious. debate between Minister of Energy Alis- tair Gillespie and Jack Armstrong of Imperial Oil over the decision of Exxon to curtail delivery of oil to Canada,’ the Communist statements says. It adds that available facts show that “the government and parliament have no power to make decisions in the national interests, not when it comes to dealing with the multi- national corporations.”

As in the case of the rip-off by corporations in Canada, the Communists assert, “‘the gov- ernment uses a powder puff

- against Exxon, thereby exposing

its virtual impotence. Mr. Chre- tien, Minister of Finance, placed it on the line when he told report- ers recently: ‘the government has little power to compel business to act responsibly’. This partial truth covers up a reality which Canadians must take not of — that the government, and the Conservatives, start and end with the proposition that ‘what is good for monopoly is good for the country’.

“It is because of this reality,”’ the statement declares, ‘“‘that Canada is faced with an energy crisis, an economic crisis, a con- stitutional crisis, and an erosion of its independence. Canadians are paying a heavy price because of multi-national control over the

MEXICO, COMMUNISTS SAY

Oil corporations deal Canadian sovereignty a slap in the face

-sidiary in Canada, the govern- ‘ment and parliament should in-

decisive sectors of the economy.” :

The statement charges that Conservative leader Clark wants to give the multi-nationals ‘‘even more control by disbanding Petro-Canada and handing it over to the multi-nationals!

“The present reality must be changed if Canada’s sovereignty and the vital interests of the Canadian people are to be pro- tected,’’ the Communist Party states. Among steps which must be taken, it says, are these:

e Instead of arguing with Exxon and Imperial Oil, its sub-

struct Petro-Canada to make pur- _ chasing agreements with the Venezuela and Mexican state companies.

e It should undertake to ex- tend the natural gas pipeline from Alberta right through to the Mari- times.

e It should freeze prices, in- deed roll them back and prevent Imperial Oil, Exxon. and other multi-nationals from amassing huge profits at the expense of the Canadian people. a

e Not least, instead of ration- ing oil, all sources of energy should be nationalized under democratic control. This is the | only guarantee of assuring sec- urity of supply for Canada and an > end to the blackmail by the multi-national corporations.

‘*tThe Imperial Oil decision, in which it places its tie-in with Exxon above the real national in- terests of Canada, demonstrates for everyone who can see and read, that it is more than time to have laws adopted by parliament to compel such corporations to respect the laws of Canada,”’ the Communist Party statement con- cludes.

John Fraser, correspondent in Peking for the Globe and Mail, writes in a recent dispatch: ** During a month's visit to Vie- tnam I was lied to on so many stupid and © inconsequential matters by senior government people that it became almost ajoke, especially when the truth could be so easily ascertained by simple observa- tion.”

a * *

This malicious assertion is made with- out one bit of evidence to back it up. It is ‘made up on the assumption that he was there and his readers weren't. Thus he feels free to make such a scandalous charge without fear of contradiction.

What motive did the G & M’s man in Peking have in mind other than sheer mischievousness when he concocted this particular dispatch? We think his intent was to implant in the minds of his readers that senior government people in Viet- nam are inveterate liars. He was practic- ing a sort of subliminal advertising.

* on *

What Fraser is really up to becomes more clear when in the same dispatch he asserts that in China: *‘I have never been directly lied to, at least as far as I could prove.’’ So here we have it. Vietnamese leaders, whose country is being sub- jected to a brutal savage invasion cannot tell the truth, while the reactionary Pek- PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MARCH 9, 1979—Page 8

Marxism-Leninism in Today’s Worid

ing invaders are honest citizens whose word can be taken as gospel truth. This claptrap by John Fraser throws into sharp focus the role the Canadian media is playing in this most dangerous moment of world-history. It is a role aimed at confusing and immobilizing public opinion, rather than enlightening and mobilizing that opinion to put an end

to this ghastly threat to world peace. * * *

Day after day the media drums into our minds that the Chinese leaders are only out to ‘‘punish’’ the Vietnamese. That they want to ‘‘negotiate their dif- ferences’ with the Vietnamese. The media repeats this lie day in and day out as if it was a truly genuine offer of the Maoist leaders of China.

But what the media does not tell the public is that the so-called punitive ac- tion taken by the Chinese leaders against Vietnam is nothing but outright expan- sionism aimed at redrawing borders at the expense of Vietnam for the enrich- ment of China. This adventure in map- drawing and blood-letting got the green light in Washington during Deng Xiaop- ing’s visit to the USA.

* * *

The media has yet to tell the Canadian public that in the five year period (1974- 1975) there were 2,158 recorded cases of border violations by Chinese forces against Vietnam. During the period 1975-1977 Chinese ships and boats made 1500 illegal entries into Vietnam territo- rial waters. In 1974 Chinese troops at- tacked and occupied the Vietnamese Parcel islands. In January and the first two weeks of February of this year there were 230 cases of violation of Viet- namese territory by Chinese forces.

And all the while the Maoist leaders kept up the pretense of negotiations with the Vietnamese side. But, negotiations with a loaded gun pointed at the head of the Vietnamese. Now they want to re- sume negotiations while their guns thun- der out death and destruction on Viet- nam territory. What the Chinese reac- tionary leaders are really demanding is the complete capitulation of the Viet- namese. So much for the ‘‘honest intent”’ of Peking Maoist leaders.

ke cc olts® a

Not content with the mass of misin- formation flowing from the pens of Western ‘‘analysts’’, ‘‘Bankok moni- tors’’ and other unnamed ‘‘experts’’, the

~ peoples.

media is now working the ‘‘Soviet menace’’. It has discovered that the Soviet Union is responsible for the whole bloody business! It is the Soviet Union, say these Western ‘‘experts’’ that is the real ‘‘aggressor’’. They aver that the Soviet Union ‘‘manipulated’”’ the Viet- namese to con the Chinese leaders into invading Vietnam so that it (the Soviet Union) can hurl its troop, poised on the Chinese border, onto Chinese soil. In such manner does the media try to whitewash the Chinese invaders of Viet- nam.

The media hierarchy, in league with Maoist and U.S. imperialist reaction (all blinded by their commonly-held anti- Soviet phobia), are intent on fanning the flames of world war. These gentry are playing with fire and with the lives of millions upon millions of the world’s

* * *

This is not the road for the ordinary people to take. There is a much better road. The road of peace based on peace- ful coexistence of states with differing social systems. A big step on that road can be made by compelling China to get out of Vietnam and then to begin negotia- tions in good faith for a peaceful settle- ment.