VANCOUVER

On Nov. 17, Vancouver voters will have the unprecedented opportunity to tell their federal government what they think of the agreement allowing the U.S. military the right to test cruise missiles in Canadian air-

The outcome of the plebiscite is of critical -

importance, say its backers, including Ald. Bruce Yorke and area peace activists.

The plebiscite, which follows dozens of peace-related initiatives from council’s pro- gressive majority — including the 1982 plebiscite on disarmament negotiations which was approved by 80 per cent of the voters — comes ata time of growing public ‘sentiment for peace and disarmament.

Yorke, of the labor-backed civic alliance, the Committee of Progressive Electors (COPE), was the mover of the motion to hold the plebiscite. It passed, with the sup- port of the other COPE aldermen, inde-

1

pendent Bill Yee and Mayor Mike Harcourt in a 6-5 vote.

It will be distributed to voters along with their ballots for school and park board and city council and will read: “Are you in favor of Vancouver city council asking the federal government to exercise its option under the bilateral agreement with the United States government to cancel any further testing of the cruise missile in this country?”

In an effort to ensure a large turnout and a strong “yes” majority, the Lower Main- land’s large umbrella peace group, End the Arms Race, is running several activities to publicize the referendum.

Two mass distributions of a special leaflet on the plebiscite — the first was last Saturday — are bringing to Vancouver citizens the facts about the cruise and the importance of cancelling the tests. The second distribution takes place Nov. 10,

One look at the Civic Non-Partisan Association’s recently released program would make it appear that the right-wing alliance had been busy photocopying pages from the Committee of Progres- sive Electors’ policy statement, COPE aldermanic candidates said Oct. 24.

But the NPA’s record — and that of their Social Credit counterparts — is far different from the vague promises con- tained in the NPA document. And that record is the basis on which Vancouver voters should cast their ballots, the can- didates asserted. _

Aldermen Bruce Eriksen, Bruce Yorke, Libby]. Davies and ‘Harry | ¢ Rankin, along with school trustee Wes Knapp and Solid- arity staff member Jean Swanson stressed to repor- ters at a city hall press conference COPE’s policy of maintaining. civic workers’ jobs, city services and afforda- ble housing. : :

The session followed by a day the release of the NPA’s program. A sketchy document of three pages, it drew press attention because of its key promises that NPA aldermen would oppose plans to fund the huge debt incurred by the ALRT rapid transit project through property taxes.

That, and other policy positions which seek to further the NPA’s image as a moderate political force, drew fire from the COPE candidates.

Swanson noted it was the NPA’s mayoral candidate, Bill Vander Zalm, who as Socred Cabinet minister respon- sible for transit forced the Greater Van- couver Regional District to take on the costly megaproject, over their objections and desire for a conventional light rapid transit system.

“Now his candidates for aldermen are saying they'll try to clean up the mess he’s created. A question to ask is, will an NPA council have the guts to stick up for Vancouver residents if it means crossing their friends in Victoria?” she asked.

(Vancouver residents already pay for transit through surcharges on hydro and

ine. The minister responsible for transit, Grace McCarthy, has said the Socred government plans to levy special taxes on property to finance ALRT,

JEAN SWANSON

New platform of NPA ‘clashes with record’

- the removal of regional districts’ plan-

_ment Fund, and by a small increase in

which, true to its critics’ projections, is now estimated to cost taxpayers well over $1 billion.)

In its policy document the NPA makes a few statements on housing, cal- ling for increased housing in the down- town core and stating that an NPA council would see that “pressures for higher densities” do not disturb tradi- tionally single-family neighborhoods.

But Rankin cited Vander Zalm’s “total opposition to all forms of low-rent and co-operative housing,” and noted

ning functions by the Socred govern- ment, which found “not one proponent” among the GVRD directors.

Rankin also hit the NPA for the firing of then equal opportunities director She- lagh Day when the NPA had a majority on council. Even while the right-wing group appears to accept the concept, “they’ve fought it all the way down the line,” he charged.

During the past two city budgets the NPA, along with the aldermen from The Electors Action Movement, voted against financial measures that kept intact city services and preserved the jobs of 300 city staff. “It’s not that they were concerned about the money. It’s just against their philosophy — they’d privatize the fire department if they had the chance,” he said.

Council balanced the budget in 1983 and 1984 by taking the interest accrued from the city’s lush Property Endow-

the tax rate. At the time the NPA called it . fiscal irresponsibility, but NPA alderman George Puil “was all for taking money from the fund to pay for the Cambie Bridge,” Rankin noted.

“We're the envy of every council across this country,” said Yorke, noting the balanced budgets and the city’s AAA credit rating. He also referred to COPE’s call for financial autonomy for munici- palities, with guaranteed shares of liquor, gasoline and income taxes, which would allow a tax system “based on the ability to pay.”

‘Why should the people of Vancouver believe the NPA policy document when their actions have been to the contrary? COPE has always gone out to the com- munity for input on its policies,” said Davies.

Said Eriksen: “If you elect a full NPA council, you’ré electing a full Social Credit council. The only people they’ll consult with is the provincial cabinet in Victoria.”

2 e PACIFIC TRIBUNE, OCTOBER 31, 1984

Cruise vote crucial,says COPE

beginning at 10 a.m. at the EAR office in the Fairview Baptist Church.

And on Nov. 7, in the Robson Square Media Centre, Vancouverites hav a chance to hear Maj.-Gen. Leonard Johnson, the recently retired comandant of the national Defence College who made waves last month when he opposed cruise tests.

“We think the referendum is extremely important — the (federal) government hasn’t responded to the general referen- dums on disarmament (which have passed in more than 100 Canadian municipalties during the last two years). This one is far more specific,” said Gary Marchant, a vice- president of End the Arms Race.

Voters heading to the polls this fall aren’t likely to be overly concerned with, or aware of, the details surrounding the cruise missile. That the cruise is part of the Pentagon’s “counter-force” strategy of launching a first-strike, based on the fallacious notion that a “limited” nuclear war can be fought and won, is still not generally known.

What supporters of the referendum hope _

to tell citizens is the fact that the weapon is part of the U.S. arsenal. It has nothing to do with NATO commitments, despite the falsehood spread by the federal government

_ and military apologists.

Chiefly, what the “tyes” side is counting on is the public’s growing opposition to the

testing of nuclear weapons of any kind, a! their desire, expressed through referenduf and massive peace marches, for Canada continue in its non-nuclear weapons role

Yorke pointed out that the signs for successful referendum are there. May Mike Harcourt has made the plebiscite, a! council’s general record on peace issues, major plank in his re-election bid. Mea while, Ald. May Brown — one of the rigt wingers who voted against the plebis¢ — has pledged to support the “yes” vote

On the national scene, Liberal spoke man and former cabinet minister LIo} Axworthy has said his party, which sign the cruise testing agreement when it was government, will be re-examining the issv And even the Progressive Conservatl government, whose external affairs min

_ ter, Joe-Clark, received the Peace Petiti¢

Caravan when it arrivedin Ottawa, h shown it is aware of the public pressure f disarmament.

Locally, opinion surveys which appear in the West Ender and East Ender new papers showed a strong majority of tho questioned supporting the “yes” vot Yorke added.

The TV station CKVU has scheduled series of debates on the plebiscite, in which COPE representative will participate.

Gov't must acknowledgé public desire for peace

. There is a very good reason why a refer- endum should be held on the testing of U.S. cruise missiles in Canada in the Nov. 17 civic election. That reason is that Ottawa just isn’t listening to public opinion.

A public opinion poll taken some time ago showed that the majority of Canadians opposed the testing of the cruise missile. Furthermore, a public opinion poll taken during the last federal election showed that a huge majority of Canadians — 85 per cent want a freeze on nuclear weapons.

Yet the Mulroney government is ignoring the views of the Canadian people and is going ahead with plans to increase Cana- da’s military spending, to test the cruise, and to tie us still closer to the U.S. war machine.

The cruise missile is designed to attack, not defend. It is not a NATO weapon; it is strictly a U.S. weapon imposed on Canada by the Reagan administration with the con- nivance of Ottawa.

Canada’s membership in NATO does not oblige our country to test any type of

nuclear weapon, U.S. or otherwise. Some —

NATO countries even refuse to allow any U.S. nuclear weapons to be stationed on their soil, realizing that such weapons make

them a front-line target in a war over which |

they have no control.

City council is aking all voters this simple question: “Are you in favor of Vancouver city council asking the federal government to exercise its option under the bilateral agreement with the United States govern- ment to cancel any further testing of cruise missiles in this country?”

COPE urges you to vote “yes” in this referendum. A “yes” vote is a vote for

peace.

endum on disarmament (with well over 70 per cent voting in favor) the NPA went along with it. But now that Bill Vander Zalm and the Social Credit cabinet have taken over the NPA, its aldermen have had a change of heart. Now they oppose a refer- endum on the cruise missile.

The campaign against a referendum and in favor of the testing of cruise missiles in Canada is, of course, led by its mayoralty aspirant, Vander Zalm. As usual, he shoots from the lip, long before his brain is in gear.

Two years ago when the city held a refer- _

His opening salvo was to declare that! was out to rid city hall of the “‘commie¢s that the referendum was “illegal,” and th the present city council is “anti-Americal

Since Vander Zalm seems to consid everyone to the left of him politically communist, he must be a very lonely ma My experience with red-baiting (calli your opponents communists) in civic po ics has convinced me that it’s just an attem to raise emotional non-issues by people W: have no programs of their own to offer electorate. ;

I have heard red-baiting defined as dl refuge of scoundrels; my experience been that it is at least the refuge of peOP who have something to hide, even if it only their own ignorance.

How did Vander Zalm conclude that th year’s referendum is illegal? He says 50” lawyer told him so! But lawyers don’t m law and don’t decide what is legal or ille#

That is the duty of our courts. The co! have not ruled the referendum illegal © pite the wishes of people like Vander 4” We still prize our democratic rights. _

Because we have had one referendum ¢ peace already and are having another # year, Vander Zalm says we are 3 American. That, of course, is utter no sense, unless you believe that Amet! want nuclear war.

We don’t believe that. We believe th Americans want peace. To refuse endorse any and every insane act carried © by the Reagan administration is not bel anti-American. To vote against cruis¢ ® siles is being pro-Canada, not * American. é

Our duty as Canadians is to do what

believe is best for Canada, not to curry fav

_ with whatever U.S. administration hapP”

to be in office.