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U.S. agents seized aid in Canada bound for

Nicaragua — page 9 —

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COPE rally marks election gains

Victorious Harry Rankin, returned after a two-yea humour-laced speech at Committee of Progressive Weinstein (I) and Libby Davies (r), along wit

Victories for civic progressives.

Vancouver progressives fought a civic Campaign during the last three months in Circumstances that were hardly the best. And in the face of that, the fact that the abour and community supported civic forces doubled their plurality can only be Considered a victory.

Libby Davies, re-elected handily to a fourth term on city council representing the Committee of Progressive Electors, Put it succinctly: “We live in a province that is run by the right wing, we have a Night-wing city council and yet we have Made a comeback, and I think we should

© really proud of that.” cheering audience greeted those Temarks as supporters gathered to mark a

oi nt gain by COPE and its electoral allies, ae New Demag: ane COPE election night, Nov. 19. ee it had become clear that COPE had three representatives on council: the voters had re-elected Davies and Bruce Eriksen, and returned 20-year veteran Harry Rankin after a two-year absence. They also elected Pauline Weinstein, former trustee and board chairman, to the Vancouver school board to replace retir- ing COPE trustee Phil Rankin. And for good measure, they elected first-time can- didate Anne Beer of the Civic New Demo- crats. a The return of commissioner Pat Wilson to the parks board ended the two-year

ar absence to Vancouver city council raises smiles and laughter with a Electors’ rally Nov. 19. Flanked by successful candidates Pauline h Pat Wilson and Bruce Eriksen, Rankin said the electoral gains herald future

total domination of the seven-seat body, and put COPE representation back on all three local governments.

And while Jean Swanson lost to Gor- don Campbell in his re-election bid for mayor, the long-time community and anti-poverty activist was hailed for raising issues that forced last-minute policy changes by Campbell’s developer backed Civic Non-Partisan Association.

Several factors worked against the pro- gressives regaining the ground they lost in the 1986 election, in which the NPA, backed by a millions-dollar campaign from big business, swept city council, and parks and school boards.

see COPE page 2

November 28, 1988 50°

Vol. 51, No. 44

eep up the pressure against trade deal, urges AFL president

No mandate in Tory vote

The Alberta Federation of Labour has called upon the leaders of the Liberal and New Democratic parties to continue the fight against the Mulroney-Reagan free trade deal with the “greatest of determina- tion and energy.”

AFL President Dave Werlin made the statement Nov. 23, the same day Liberal leader John Turner and the New Demo- crats’ Ed Broadbent said they would not block the deal’s passage when Parliament opens on Dec. 12.

Werlin said he was making the appeal “on behalf of hundreds of thousands of Canadians who worked day and night through the long election campaign against the free trade deal and the neo-conservative agenda it represents.

“These people are fighting for Canadian sovereignty, jobs and a decent standard of living for working people, for the preserva- tion of our social services network, our cul- ture and our Canadian way of life,” he said.

Broadbent and Turner must not turn their backs on these Canadians and “meekly” accept what they correctly identi-

see KEEP page 6

The campaign after Nov. 21

The 1988 federal election will not only be remembered for its outcome, but even more because it marks a new stage in Canada’s political process.

Never before have Canadians endured such a barrage of corporate propaganda selling the trade deal. All stops were pulled: employees were lec-

Editorial

tured in office lunch rooms, letters appeared in pay envelopes, pro-free trade materials arrived at millions of homes in government mail, tens of millions were spent in advertising and a storm of polls was unleashed, some- times three in a single day.

So completely was the media cap- tured, that only two or three daily newspapers in the entire country opposed the trade deal. Much of the television coverage was little more than thinly-disguised pro-free trade

see CAMPAIGN page 4

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