Do Canadian CEOs need more tax breaks? (The following article is from the June 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) We've heard a lot  during recent years - including in the current election campaign - about the "necessity" of cutting taxes for wealthy shareholders and bosses. Only by giving the rich "more incentives, the argument goes, can we hope to encourage them to invest their profits here in Canada. It.s a bogus argument. Since the dawn of capitalism, the rich and powerful have scoured the planet seeking the greatest possible return on their investment, regardless of where they happen to reside or pay taxes. When working class voters evaluate voting options, they should know some hard facts about the growing gap between the ultra-rich and the rest of us. An April 30, 2004, article by Janet McFarland in Report on Business should be required reading for anyone who wants to know more about this reality. Here are some "nuggets" from this fascinating story: In total, including stock option gains, Canadian CEOs earned an average of about $3.2 million last year, up from $2.9 million in 2002. The average Canadian worker's annual wage, by comparison, is about $36,200. Despite rising CEO pay in Canada, U.S. corporate leaders are still paid far more, averaging about $7.1 million (U.S.) for 2003, according to Fortune Magazine. Canada's top chief executive officers saw their pay climb in 2003 as stock prices and profits rebounded, a Report on Business survey of executive compensation shows. Annual bonuses soar an average of 30 per cent, the ROB review found, while base salaries were up a more modest 6.3 per cent on average. Including all forms of compensation, such as gains from exercising stock options, CEOs took home an average of about 8.3 per cent more in 2003 than in 2002. The rise in 2003 compensation continues a long-term trend of steady increases in CEO pay, and comes at a time when major shareholders are becoming more active in urging companies to scale back what they consider excesses and link CEO pay to performance. But with Canada's benchmark S&P/TSX index up 24 per cent in 2003, and with profits of those major companies climbing an average of 107 per cent that year, there is not much surprise on Bay Street that compensation would also rise - especially annual bonuses... The ROB review looked at compensation at 186 of the 223 firms that comprise the S&P/TSX index. The other 37 companies have not yet reported their executive compensation data for 2003 - including such major companies as Nortel Networks Corp., Rogers Communications Inc. and Goldcorp Inc. Although Goldcorp hasn't yet disclosed its compensation numbers for 2003, it announced in December that CEO Robert McEwen had exercised 5.525 million options. According to Mr. McEwen's securities filings, he made a gain of about $88.5 million on the transaction, vaulting him to the top of the compensation charts for 2003. Biovail Corp. is another notable company that has not yet reported its 2003 compensation. Eugene Melnyk led Canada's CEO compensation list for 2002 and 2001, earning $66.3 million (Canadian) and $122 million in those years respectively. (Melnyk is paid in U.S. dollars, but all compensation in the study is converted to Canadian dollars for comparison purposes.) Among the companies that have reported compensation so far, the leader for 2003 is Magna International Inc. founder and chairman Frank Stronach, who took home a total of $54 million last year, thanks to a huge consulting fee he is paid to advise the firm's European units. The highest-paid CEO was Robert Gratton of Power Financial Corp., who earned a total of $52.4 million in 2003, largely the result of stock option gains. Indeed, it's already clear that Gratton is likely to be at the top of the compensation list next year as well. In January and February this year, he exercised stock options for a gain of $170 million, which will surely place him in the top ranks for 2004. While Gratton's gains were extraordinary, the ROB survey found that CEOs on average had much better years in 2003, especially on their short-term, annual compensation. Bonuses were up an average of 30 per cent, drawn higher by large bonus gains for some CEOs at some major companies. But even the median increase in bonuses - which measures the experience of the CEO in the middle of the pack - was 19.5 per cent last year. Total salary and bonus compensation reported in 2003 was up an average of 17 per cent, while the median increase was 10.5 per cent. (To ensure they are comparable, the statistics include only those CEOs who were in their jobs for all of 2002 and 2003.)_ Meanwhile, gains from long-term forms of compensation - such as stock options and share units - did not climb as much as salaries and bonuses in 2003. Despite stronger stock markets in 2003, there was only a modest increase in CEOs' gains from exercising stock options. For CEOs who exercised options last year, the median gain was $1.98 million, compared with $1.71 million for the same CEOs in 2002. However, for the second year in a row, grants of new stock options fell, reflecting the growing unpopularity of excessive stock option use. The number of options granted to CEOs was down 21 per cent in 2003. For those CEOs who got options in 2003, the average size of the grant was 216,000 options. The same group of CEOs got an average of 238,000 new options in 2002. Large institutional shareholders have been pushing firms to reduce their use of stock options. But a major impetus for the decline is a new accounting rule that requires companies to record the cost of stock options as a business expense. Instead, compensation experts say, options are being replaced at many companies with grants of shares or share units. Share units are similar to shares, and track the movement of the company's stock. But the ROB survey shows that the trend of using shares and share units to replace stock options is not catching on at many companies in the S&P/TSX index. Just 20 per cent of CEOs got shares or share units in 2003, while 56 per cent still got stock options. In 2002, 16 per cent of the same CEOs got share units and 59 per cent got stock options. Those CEOs who received restricted or deferred share units last year saw the median size of their grant or payout rise to $755,625 in 2003 from $637,500 for the same CEOs in 2002. While firms are giving out fewer stock options, they are not always replacing them with share units. Share units are still largely confined to the top tier of major companies, and mid-sized companies are still continuing to largely rely on stock options for executive compensation because they are simpler plans to structure, operate and explain to employees. To some extent, cash bonuses may have risen in 2003 because some companies are offsetting reduced stock options with cash - not share units. Brian Gibson, senior vice-president of the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board, which has lobbied companies to cut back excessive use of stock options, said the work on compensation reform is far from complete. He said many companies have cut back their option use and turned to other forms of stock compensation instead. But many others have yet to make meaningful reforms. "We're heading in the right direction, but we're certainly not there yet," Mr. Gibson said. "You're seeing the more progressive companies use the opportunity to re-evaluate how they do things. And the better ones are coming up with [share] plans that should stand the test of time, and as best as possible align everybody's interests. But there's still a lot of abuse of options." Canada's highest-paid executives in 2003, including bonuses and stock option gains: $53.6 million: Frank Stronach, Chairman, Magna International Inc. $52.4 million: Robert Gratton, CEO, Power Financial Corp. $25 million: Laurent Beaudoin, Chairman, Bombardier Inc. $21.8 million: Frank Weise, CEO, Cott Corp. $19.8 million: Manfred Gingl, Executive Vice-Chair, Magna International $18.9 million: Siefried Wolf, Executive Vice-Chair, Magna International $18.8 million: Daniel O'Neill, CEO, Molson Inc. $15.9 million: Philip Orsino, CEO, Masonite International Corp. $14.5 million: Randall Oliphant, former CEO, Barrick Gold Corp. $13.9 million: John Hunkin, CEO, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (Amounts in Canadian dollars.) (Back) (Home) Election Fact Sheet #2 (The following article is from the June 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) Researcher Natalie Gidora has compiled a fascinating set of info sheets for use in the June 28 election campaign. Here are a few of the startling facts and figures she has found on the websites of people's movements seeking to raise awareness of key issues in this election. Wage Gap * In the early 1900s base salaries for women were set lower than men's; it was only in the early 1970s that the lower minimum wage for women was done away with in Canada. * In 2003 women in Canada make an average of 72 cents for every dollar earned by a man. * The poverty rate for women in general is 20%, for women of colour it's 37%, and for aboriginal women 43%. * Only 11% of women get into the top 20% of income earners, whereas 29% of men access upper incomes of $32,367 and beyond. * People of colour earn 30% less than whites, and white immigrants earn 22% more than immigrants of colour. * After much hard work by women's advocates, The Canadian Human Rights Act identifies unequal pay for work of equal value as discrimination against women and against workers in female- dominated jobs. We now have equal pay legislation federally and in most provinces, including Ontario. * Wages are even lower for older women, or for visible minority women. This gap has closed only 8% in the last 30 years. Military Spending * Canada's military spending is already very high by international comparisons. At more than $12.3 billion for 2002-2003, Canada is the sixth highest military spender within NATO, and the sixteenth highest in the world. * Current defence dollars are being wasted and mismanaged: $750 million wasted on used British submarines with a well-known history of design flaws, $174 million on a satellite communication system that was never used, $654 million for pilot training that was never taken, and generous raises for generals and admirals while privates suffered a wage freeze for eight years. * The views of citizens are generally overlooked, despite the fact that polling shows that Canadians overwhelmingly want scarce tax dollars to go social program like health care and education (72 per cent) - not defence (only 7 per cent). * At the end of 2001 only 219 soldiers - fewer than six per cent of deployed Canadian personnel - were participating in U.N. peace- keeping missions. Tuition Fees *. The steady decline of federal funding for post-secondary education over the last 20 years has resulted in provincial governments and university and college administrations replacing the lost funds by relying heavily on tuition fees and other user fees from students. * In 1990-1991 user fees accounted for an average of 18% of an institution's operating budget. The continual decline in government funding brought that average up to 32% in 1998-1999, and higher in some provinces. * From 1990-1991 to 2000-2001 average undergraduate tuition fees increased by 135%, more than six times faster than the rate of inflation. * The impact on student debt has been devastating. On average, students completing a four-year program will have $25,000 of debt, up 300% from 1990. * Researchers at the University of Guelph found that 40% fewer students from low-income families were attending after tuition fees rose. The conclusion: user fees act as a barrier to access. * In 1998, 35% of full-time students had a job, up from 32% in 1997, working an average of 14 hours/week. Their incomes have fallen significantly in the last 20 years. The average debt incurred in post-secondary education is $25,000. (Back) (Home) Communist Party enters Manitoba by-election race (The following article is from the June 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) PV Manitoba Bureau The Communist Party has nominated Cheryl-Anne Carr as a candidate in the Minto provincial by-election on June 22. The by-election was called after NDP MLA Mary Anne Mihychuck resigned to run for Mayor of Winnipeg. The Minto riding has some of the poorest areas of Winnipeg, and is home to many Aboriginal people and immigrants. Carr was the CPC's Minto candidate in the 2003 provincial election. The Communist Party will campaign hard to build support for People's Alternative policies and its candidate in Minto. The campaign will benefit from the work being done by Cheryl-Anne's daughter, Anna-Celestrya, who is the CPC's federal candidate in Winnipeg Centre, which covers much of the same area. At age 18, Anna-Celestrya is perhaps the youngest candidate in the june 28 federal election. According to Cheryl-Anne's "letter to the residents of Minto," "Voting Communist is not un-democratic or a lost vote. It's a sure fire way to put the fear of God into the other guys who have asked you to be patient, watched you go do your best and get kicked where it hurts for it, then threw you a few crumbs along the way to keep you down and keep you quiet. Don't take it any more. Let the big guys know you're not someone they can play with; a vote for the Communist Party is a vote for real change. "The voters of Winnipeg elected the first communist in North America in 1926. It didn't do anything except make Winnipeg a better place. "As long as people get underpaid, demeaned and poorly treated I'll just have to come ask for your vote. Holding hands and trying to feel good is not going to stop exploitation. We owe it to our children and their children to make the changes needed right now." To help the CPC campaigns federally and provincially, call 204-586- 7824. (Back) (Home) Standing for Palestine at the Walk with Israel (The following article is from the June 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) By Erica Lamacraft, Vancouver Sunday morning, May 16. The siege of Rafah "Operation Rainbow" is underway. Over the past 48 hours, Israeli occupying forces have destroyed 88 buildings in this Gaza Strip community, leaving 1064 people homeless; 11 Palestinian civilians have been killed and scores injured. I join 20 activists and concerned human beings in opposition to Vancouver's annual "Walk with Israel." This year's theme: Walk with Israel - Loud and Proud. The promise of free ice cream ("I scream for Israel") has not been effective in drawing out the crowds; there are perhaps 300 people at the rally outside Beth Israel Synagogue. Among the walkers are Stephen Owen, MP representing Vancouver Quadra and Minister of Public Works and Government Services; Ujjal Dosanjh, Liberal candidate for Vancouver South; and Charley King, NDP candidate for Port Moody-Westwood-Port Coquitlam. We set up across the street from the rally. We unfurl our banners ("End the Israeli Occupation Now") and raise our placards ("Tear down the wall," "I support Israeli Refuseniks," "I Love Israel but hate the occupation"). We had thought of offering popsicles for Palestinians, but under the circumstances didn't think it appropriate. We have decided upon a silent vigil - spokespersons will engage only with the media. It is not long before one angry young man strides over to call us Nazis and supporters of Hitler (I scream for Israel, indeed). He spits on the banner I'm holding before a Walk with Israel marshal convinces him to return to the other side of the street. Stephen, Ujjal, and Charley stand firmly with the rally. It is instructive to attend such an event, though silence is not easy to maintain. While clearly I was expecting to hear ideas I didn't agree with (I'm not standing here by accident, after all) the racism is shocking: Palestinians are "barbarians" and Arabs and Muslims, as evidenced by the removal of Israeli soldiers' body parts and the beheading of Nick Berg and Daniel Pearl, do not have the same appreciation for life that the rest of us do. Such respect for life is, we are told, "Israel's Achilles" Heel". Stephen Owen is welcomed to the stage, introduced as a member of Parliamentarians for Israel and given a warm round of applause for his role in having Hamas declared a terrorist organization. He brings greetings from the Canadian Government. He does not condemn the racism that preceded his introduction. He does not mention the siege of Rafah. Ujjal Dosanjh is not invited to speak. Nor is Charley King, though his website informs us: "It's a privilege to be attending this important event, and it has never been more important to show solidarity with the people of Israel in their struggle for a peaceful existence. [It] is vital that we stand together against anti-Semitism and all other acts of hatred." The International Christian Chamber of Commerce is represented at the podium. A reverend speaks, without irony, of building bridges not walls. The emcee and others on stage look nervous. Is Israeli state policy being criticized? No, it seems the reverend is simply unaware that the apartheid wall is controversial, perhaps unaware that there is a wall. He is speaking metaphorically, of reconciliation between the Christians and the Jews. Rabbi Philip Bregman of Temple Sholom is the only one to acknowledge us in his remarks. He agrees, he says, with our banners calling for an end to the occupation. His interpretation is somewhat different, however. It is the occupation of Palestinian minds, their abiding hatred of Jews, which must come to an end. As the rally begins its walk, Stephen, Ujjal, and Charley still in tow, I wonder who on the Canadian political scene is screaming for the people of Rafah? Who is walking with Palestine?  (This article appeared first in Seven Oaks online magazine.) (Back) (Home) Send a message for change (The following editorial is from the June 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) Although the Broadcasting Act remains undemocratically biased, small political parties such as the Communist Party still have access to several free-time broadcasts during federal elections. The backdrop for the Communist Party's broadcast in this campaign was the closed auto plant in Ste. Therese, Quebec, which is currently being demolished. The mountains of rubble were a fitting backdrop for the Party's message, which focuses on the impact of de-industrialization on workers in all parts of Canada. Here is the text of the broadcast: Scenes like this one at the closed GM plant in Ste. Therese, Quebec, are all too common today. Corporations are downsizing and shutting down production at an alarming rate, regardless of the impact on workers and local communities - all in order to maximize profits by super-exploiting workers in other, less developed countries. This must change! We need new policies to reverse de- industrialization and expand employment in this country. This means restricting the ability of corporations to "cut and run" by requiring them to show just cause, to give 2-year notice of mass layoff, and to increase severance pay and retraining for affected workers. This also means rejecting the globalization agenda of free trade, deregulation and privatization, getting out of NAFTA and the FTA, diversifying Canada's trade, and significantly increasing public support for universal healthcare, public education, pensions, social housing, and for a comprehensive, Canada-wide not-for-profit childcare program. We also need to increase the minimum wage to $12/hour and bring in a shorter, 32-hour work week with no loss in take-home pay. Such a New Direction is possible, provided we sharply increase taxes on wealth and big business - especially the oil companies and the banks who are raking in profits hand over fist - by removing corporate tax loopholes and by cutting military spending and getting out of NATO, NORAD and missile defence. In this election, Canadians need to deny both the Liberals, and the even more right-wing Conservatives, of a majority. Let's elect a large bloc of progressive MPs, including Communists, who stand for new policies that put people's needs, the protection of the environment, and the cause of peace and social justice - ahead of corporate greed. On June 28th, send a powerful message for fundamental change - one that will resonate all the way from Parliament Hill to Bay Street and to the Bush White House itself. (Back) (Home) VANA exposes "launch-on-warning" danger (The following article is from the June 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) PV Vancouver Bureau Veterans Against Nuclear Arms, one of the best-known Canada-wide peace organizations, has turned its attention to the ongoing threat from the Launch on Warning (LOW)/Launch Under Attack status of US and Russian strategic nuclear armed missiles. In a recent letter to the Canadian Network to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, VANA President David Morgan says "We consider this to be, not only the biggest nuclear weapons threat, but also the biggest and most immediate threat to human survival. This does not mean that we will be uninvolved in opposing the ballistic missile defense project, the proliferation of nuclear weapons or other aspects of the nuclear weapon threat. It does mean that the main focus of our declining energies will be on LOW." Morgan points out that the USA and Russia each have about 5,000 strategic nuclear weapons mounted on missiles. These missiles are on hair-trigger-alert and ready to launch-on-warning, right now. The total explosive power of these weapons is approximately 2,500 megatons; a nuclear winter could be brought on by the detonation of only 100 megatons. Bruce G. Blair, President of the Center for Defense Information, and a former missile launch officer, said on Dec. 5, 2003, that "Warning crews in "Cheyenne Mountain, Colo., are allowed only three minutes to judge whether initial attack indications from satellite and ground sensors are valid or false." He also warned that "all of the thousands of US and Russian launch- ready weapons only represent an accident waiting to happen and a temptation to terrorists to gain control over them." "The early warning and command systems on both sides are inherently susceptible to mistakes and technical malfunctions, and serious false alarms of incoming nuclear strikes have occurred on both sides since the official end of the Cold War," Blair has pointed out. "The nuclear hair-trigger constitutes a continuing danger of apocalyptic proportions." (Back) (Home) Paul Fromm: no enemies on the right: Anti-fascist resistance (The following article is from the June 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) by David Lethbridge In these times, when antifascist resistance is justifiably focused on the increasingly fascistic character of US imperialism it is easy to forget that neo-fascist organizations and demagogues continue to operate and to step up their activities. David Duke, former American Nazi Party activist, former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard, and current leader of the European-American Unity and Rights Organization (EURO), held a major international Leadership Conference in New Orleans over the Memorial Day weekend. The occasion was in celebration of Duke's recent release from prison on tax and mail fraud charges. Speakers included representatives of every significant tendency within the extreme right: neo-Nazis such as Erich Gliebe and Kevin Strom of the National Alliance, and Don Black of Stormfront; Holocaust-deniers such as Willis Carto and Germar Rudolf; and white supremacists such as Ed Fields, Sam Dixon, and Paul Fromm. Duke, who maintained that he had known Fromm "a long time," introduced him as "one of the best spokesmen for our cause in the world - and a great leader for our people." Fromm began his speech by praising the slave-holding Confederacy and referring to the US Civil War as a "Yankee war of aggression." "After the defeat of the Confederate cause," he said, "we (Canada) provided a shelter and a refuge to the President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis. We provided shelter to Confederate irregulars who had liberated some money from a bank in New York state." Fromm went on to claim that 1965 was a cursed year" because, as a result of "Zionist pressure," Canada opened its doors to "Third World" immigration and instituted its "evil twin"  - multiculturalism. According to Fromm, Sikhs are "a kind of nasty lot." He referred to an Islamic woman who wore the traditional chador as a "hag in a bag," and wished "we could ship the whole lot over to Afghanistan." Fromm's contempt extended to the March 21 annual observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which he repeatedly referred to as the "International Day for the Elimination of White People." Fromm's antisemitism was expressed in his reference to the "so- called Holocaust," his suggestion that the photographs of 1930s Nazi book burnings might be "doctored," his ludicrous implication that the Soviet revolution was instigated by Jews, and his fraudulent allegation that US imperialist aggression in Afghanistan and Iraq was controlled by Zionists, leading to his wildly applauded call, "no more foreign wars for Israel!" Finally, Fromm urged his American audience to adopt the policy and rallying cry he is "implementing in Canada - No Enemy on the Right." Certainly, Fromm himself appears to have no enemies on the right, only friends. Wherever neo-fascists meet, he is there. A mere glance at his proudly displayed Internet photo gallery shows Fromm's participation at numerous events with France's neo-fascist leader Le Pen, Russian neo-Nazi Zhirinovsky, German neo-Nazi Gunther Deckert, British Holocaust-denier David Irving, the pro- Confederate Council of Conservative Citizens, the Italian neo- fascist group Nuovo Nazionale Ordine, and many more. But despite the triumphal tone of the Duke conference, not every activity that Fromm engages in is crowned with success. Quite the contrary. The very recent attempt by the Alberta-based Western Canada For Us (WCFU) to build a white racist organization was smashed largely due to the combined efforts of members of the Communist Party, Anti-Racist Action, and other organizations. WCFU had originally advertised its presence on the neo-Nazi web pages of Stormfront where organizers were promoting the purchase of land to build a whites-only township to be called "Whiteville." WCFU planned a meeting near Red Deer, Alberta, but under pressure from Communists and other activists shifted the location to Edmonton. Speakers included leaders from BC White Pride, Ontario- based Canadian Heritage Alliance, and, of course, Paul Fromm. Despite the high profile speakers at WCFU's founding meeting, the organization was short-lived. Glen Bahr, WCFU's leader, crumbled after a disastrous appearance on a radio talk show and the subsequent abdication of the Manitoba leader, Jamie Murphy. As Alberta comrade, Jason Devine, put it, WCFU's demise was the result of "unity in action; many people across Canada, with differing views but united in their hatred of fascism, all took aim at WCFU and it has paid off." Poor Paul Fromm. One less white supremacist organization to not be an enemy of. (June 2004) (Back) (Home) An appeal to help win peace, jobs, democracy and sovereignty (The following article is from the June 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) Dear Friends:  I'm writing to ask for your help and financial support for the Communist Party's 35 fighting candidates who are campaigning to block the drive to the right by the Big Business parties, and for a new direction for Canada in 2004. Much hangs on the outcome of this election. If a Liberal or Tory majority is elected on June 28th, Canada will very quickly become completely and totally integrated into US imperialism's hemispheric block. Any semblance of national sovereignty and independence will be eradicated, and Canada will join the new free trade agreement, the FTAA (also known as NAFTA on steroids), participate in new US wars of aggression, and support NMD - the US weaponization of space. Not least, we will witness the complete privatization of Canada's universal health care system and social programs, universal quality public and post-secondary education, and a vast attack on labour, democratic, civil and human rights in this country. This is the direction that both the Liberals and the Tories are driving in this election: the Liberals to the hard right, and the Tories to the far right. Theirs is the neo-liberal agenda of more free trade, more privatization, more deregulation, and more tax cuts. But there is another choice in this election. Working people can vote to block this agenda, to deny the Liberals and Tories a majority government, and to demand a new direction for Canada of peace, jobs, democracy and sovereignty - a direction for Canada of peace, jobs, democracy and sovereignty - a direction that puts people's needs ahead of corporate greed. In this election, the Communist Party is fighting for a new government and new policies to put people before profits. We need a made-in-Canada foreign policy of peace and disarmament; a multilateral trade policy of fair trade, not "free" trade, an economic policy that will put the country back to work with a shorter, 32-hour work week with no loss in take-home pay, a national emergency program of social housing construction, restoration of the public sector, and immediate action to stop the de-industrialization of Canada. We need policies that will expand Canadian manufacturing and secondary industry, steel and auto, lumber, fish, and Canadian agriculture. We need a social policy that will restore social programs and expand Medicare, fund public and post-secondary education, and invest in a national childcare program now. We need a government that will respect and expand labour and democratic rights, human and civil rights, and will rescind the extraordinary and dangerous powers of the anti-terrorism laws, and the very restrictive and racist immigration and refugee laws. We need a government that will recognize the national rights of Quebec and Aboriginal Peoples to self-determination, that will rescind the Clarity Act, and that will work to build a new, equal and voluntary partnership in a new Canadian constitution. In Canada now, a titanic struggle is underway between those powerful national and international corporate interests that are behind the drive to the right; and on the other side, those forces resisting the drive to the right, led by the labour and democratic movements - the trade unions, the people's organizations, the anti- capitalist globalization movement, the environmental movement, the movements working night and day to save Medicare and public education, the student movement, seniors movements, and many others. Communists are a part of this struggle, building the fightback, pushing hard for unity in action, and advocating progressive policies and alternatives in the struggle for a different future. This election can mark a significant step forward in the struggle to turf out the right, and move towards the election of a government committed to a People's Agenda of peace, jobs, democracy and sovereignty by denying the Liberals and Tories a majority government, and by electing a large progressive block of Mps including Communists. This outcome would make the new government vulnerable and force it to seek the support of the progressive parties and the public to secure passage of significant legislation and budgets. For real change however, a strong left and progressive block must be seen and heard in Parliament. The election of Communists in the House once again would change the face of politics in Canada. The election of just one Communist to Parliament would bring a forceful and uncompromising voice for working people's resistance and for a People's Agenda for Canada, and a strong voice for the broadest unity of political and social forces in defence of those same working class interests. In this election, every vote counts. It's time working people made their votes count for something. Supporting the Communist Party campaign for a new direction - for peace, jobs, democracy and sovereignty, is the most powerful vote that can be cast June 28th. Every vote for the Communist Party sends a message that corporate power is being fundamentally challenged. That another world is possible. Please help us to send that message. Every dollar you give publishes a leaflet, prints a placard, funds an advertisement, gets a candidate to a public debate. Our goal is to raise $65,000 to support our 35 fighting candidates. Every dollar counts! No contribution is too small! Your contributions are 75% tax creditable up to $400. For example, a $400 donation would cost only $100 using federal tax credits on your income tax. Thank you for your generous support!  Yours in Struggle! Miguel Figueroa Leader CPC Put People Before Profit Vote COMMUNIST (Back) (Home) Women's rights a key campaign issue (The following article is from the June 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) From the Communist Party of Canada's election website For decades, women in Canada and around the world have struggled to win the vote, reproductive choice, trade unions, legal protections against violence, homophobia and racism, and social programs to provide a measure of equality. Today all these gains are threatened by profit-hungry corporations, fundamentalist groups, and right-wing governments. On a global scale, women face rising unemployment, ecological crises and regional conflicts. Many of the political and economic leaders who impose neoliberal policies also seek to strengthen the institutions of patriarchy, widen social inequalities and divide working people. US imperialism and its allies are the worst enemies of women's rights, under the guise of their phony "war on terrorism." Paul Martin and Stephen Harper are friendly with George W. Bush, who has lined up with patriarchal religious forces against women's rights. Bush has reinstated the "Global Gag Rule," which condemns women and girls to unsafe abortions and even death by denying funding to health care providers which provide information on abortion to their patients. Here in Canada, the corporate agenda includes attacks on childcare and parental leave, and vicious cuts to social services. The shift towards "home care" for the sick and elderly aims to force women to leave their jobs to care for relatives. The BC government's pay cuts for health care workers (mainly women) and the Charest government's attack on Quebec's $5/day child care system, are among the latest assaults on social rights. Violence against women remains widespread, yet funding is being eliminated for women's shelters and rape crisis centres. Women's organizations have been virtually destroyed by funding cuts. The very concept of feminism is ridiculed by right-wing forces, and the self-confidence and achievements of many young women are twisted by the mass media to spread the lie that "male inequality" is the "new reality." The backlash against women's rights is much deeper than religious or anti-woman bigotry, or even vicious corporations and politicians. The underlying problem is the economic system based on private ownership of most wealth: capitalism. Only capitalists benefit from the systematic oppression of women and minority groups. The transnational corporations super-exploit women as workers, reaping extra profits by paying them lower wages. Women of colour and Aboriginal women face even higher unemployment rates and lower incomes. Millions of women are caught in part-time and temporary jobs, low-wage ghettos in the service industry, or home-based jobs difficult to organize into unions. Some male workers think they benefit from this pattern, but their wages and working conditions are also dragged down by the oppression of female co-workers. As well as forming almost half the paid workforce in Canada, women still do the bulk of domestic labour. This double burden is a key form of oppression of women under capitalism. The Communist Party of Canada believes that the entire working class movement must step up the struggle to defend and expand women's rights. We must all combat the sexist, racist, homophobic, anti-immigrant and militarist views promoted by the corporate media and culture. Despite recent setbacks caused largely by government cutbacks, women's organizations remain a vital force in the battles for pay equity, affirmative action, fully paid parental leave, reproductive choice, universally accessible child care, social assistance, and housing for all. These daily struggles must be integrated into a long-term strategy, opening the way towards a socialist Canada, where the principal means of producing and distributing wealth will be the common property of all, and the exploitation of labour will be abolished. War, poverty, insecurity and discrimination will be ended. Socialism will finally realize a new society based on solidarity, equality and emancipation. During this election, and year-round, the Communist Party of Canada demands a wide range of measures to advance the cause of full equality for women:  * Close the wage gap: legislate full pay and employment equality for women. * Provide safe, public, accessible abortion clinics in every province and territory. * Ensure full funding for quality, public healthcare, education and social welfare systems. * Establish universally accessible, quality, non-profit childcare with Canada-wide standards. * Protect women's rights to EI maternity coverage; expand parental benefits to 52 weeks. * Reinstate and expand core funding for women's equality seeking organizations, including NAC; full funding for grassroots, feminist services to deal with violence against women. * Expand job creation programs, especially for disadvantaged young women. * Allocate 1% of the federal budget to the creation of social, affordable and subsidized housing. * Extend all public benefits, including marriage rights, to same- sex couples; end discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people. (Back) (Home) FARC's forty years of struggle for peace, sovereignty and social justice (The following article is from the June 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) Statement from the Secretariat of the Central General Staff, Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP), Mountains of Colombia, May 20, 2004 Forty years ago in Marquetalia, Tolima Department, 16,000 soldiers began their offensive against 48 campesinos who, forced by that circumstance, took up arms in order to defend themselves against the aggression, giving rise to the appearance of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that today having become the People's Army, stand out as the real popular alternative for power. Since that May 27, 1964, we of the FARC-EP have never stopped fighting even for a moment with the greatest revolutionary resolve and optimism in defence of the most profound interests of our people and in the first place, in the pursuit of political solutions to the military confrontation and the social inequalities that feed its development. Precisely 20 years ago, in La Uribe, Department of El Meta, we began a Ceasefire and Truce process that should have culminated in the signing of a Treaty of Stable and Lasting Peace. This could not come about due to that myopic and unreal vision of the Oligarchy that aims for the end of the confrontation with the revolutionary insurgency without making possible basic changes to the economic and social structure of the country, substantial modifications in the political rules of the game or to the conception of the role of the State in relation to society. In spite of this, it was a transcendent process that opened new horizons for the possibilities of reaching accords by essentially political and non-violent means. How are we to overcome the consequences of the oligarchy's strategy that over the last 58 years unleashed a bloody orgy that with bullets swept away the political opposition, the labour union and popular leadership of the various communities and thousands of compatriots who simply manifested their dissatisfaction with the Regime's decisions? Political intolerance and hatred has been sown from the highest official circles; as the current President says, "he who is not with me is against me!" With the accusation that labels as "subversive," "communist" or "terrorist" anyone who opposes the official policy, more than 90% of Colombians have run the risk of being murdered, disappeared or tortured, or having their land and possessions taken from them, through direct action of the uniformed or non-uniformed armed forces, or the paramilitary armed forces, which bring terror to the population in the name of the "legitimately" constituted institutions. For this reason the number of compatriots displaced to the urban belts of misery and even abroad is constantly growing. These outrages that have been the daily bread of Colombians from 1946 to today, have the aim of generating an environment free of opposition in order to impose comfortably the economic and social measures benefiting the most powerful transnational corporations, a small group of rich Colombians and the corrupt individuals who pocket the public monies. Thanks to the oligarchy, the country is being tied to the FTAA, which will benefit U.S. capital and a few nationals but will bring misery to millions of compatriots. Thanks to the cattlemen of FEDEGAN, the fertile lands are being ever more concentrated in few hands, while the despoiling and displacement of poor campesinos goes on. Thanks to the rich of Colombia, healthcare and education are no longer a State obligation, becoming instead the murky business activities of private capital. Telecommunications, in the past years the patrimony of all Colombians, have been broken up and thrown into voracious competition against powerful transnationals that are pressing for their privatization. This process is similar to that of ECOPETROL, where they would liquidate the enterprise that is the collective property of all Colombians and give away the wealth of our subsoil to the big international petroleum companies. The privatization process also covers the public service enterprises whereby the electricity, water and garbage charges are being left in the hands of private speculative capital. They have done the same to the national highway system and public transport. They have threatened us with further economic reforms to reduce the retirement pensions of the poorest and to apply the Value Added Tax to items of basic necessity and increase its rate, so the rich just pay the same taxes as the poor. To top it all off, they have increased the privileges of the military caste, as if they did not already have enough with the deals provided to them by their war. As a means to guarantee the imposition of all this neo-liberal policy, they are strengthening the State's military machinery: war legislation, war budget; the treatment of social dissent as an act of war; the mass communications media acting to the tune of Armed Forces department 5; judicial police functions for the military meaning total impunity because we are at war; the justice department and supreme court under orders of the executive and the generals; the national congress eating from the hand of the President and he and the parliamentarians, arm in arm with paramilitarism, putting on a farce in Tierralta; and all working to form the new Uribista party, while they go on dividing up the business of the State, the ministries, the embassies, and organize the new re-electionist electoral campaign. Forty years ago it was the time of the Doctrine of National Security, the State of Siege and of the LASO Plan, conceived, designed, financed and directed by the U.S. Pentagon, since, as the whole world knows, the gringos have always liked to incite wars, that is, those far from their home territory, and today they are using the imminence of death by "terrorism" as the pretext to suppress the opposition. Today if the time of "Democratic Security,": the Anti-Terrorist Statute and Plan Colombia that was conceived and designed in English, financed and directed by the Pentagon and the U.S. State Department. In other words, it is the same dog with a different leash. Except that to our misfortune, a great deal of the blood of Colombians has been shed in these last 40 years. Yesterday there were 16,000 soldiers against Marquetalia and today there are 20,000 participating in the "Patriotas" operation against the region of the Yaro, and more than 130,000 fighting against the FARC in the rest of the country. Years back, the imminent liquidation of the "bandit" focos was announced, then the imminent end of "communist subversion," and today the imminence of the death of "terrorism." Just as 40 years ago in the declaration of the guerrillas of Marquetalia, we can state: "This is why in this war, troops, planes, top generals and U.S. specialists are taking part against us. This is why the tactic of economic blockade, of extermination encirclement, of attacks by air and land, and lastly, of bacteriological war, is being used against us. This is why the government and Yankee imperialism are using hundreds of millions of pesos and dollars in this war against us. This is why the State intelligence and security services bribe and corrupt consciences, kill, pursue and jail the Colombian people who take up the struggle in solidarity with us, victims of a cruel and inhuman war of extermination." It is because the causes that have given life to this intense conflict are essentially the same ones from 40 years ago, today complemented with the shameful Extradition Treaty and with the discussions and approvals in the U.S. congress of more of their military contingents for our territory to humiliate the country as is now happening in Iraq, all of this fostered by the fascistic and megalomaniac conception that characterizes Alvaro Uribe as much as it does his mentor, George W. Bush. Upon completing 40 years of struggle, we call upon all Colombians who love co-existence to work to build a new government that puts in first place the political solution of the national crisis and the recovery of our wounded national sovereignty; we call upon them to continue strengthening the clandestine struggle for the social and political demands of our people with the Bolivarian Movement for the New Colombia; we invite them to carry on the fight for the exchange of the prisoners of war for which we maintain the greatest readiness. We invite the whole revolutionary guerrilla movement, the forces of the left and the democratic and progressive popular movement to work for unity against the fascist monster advancing across Colombia, to stand in solidarity with the struggles of the workers defending their rights, to work for continental unity against the aggressions of U.S. imperialism, for solidarity with Cuba and Venezuela and for the right to free self-determination of the peoples. With admiration and affection we remember all the comrades who have laid down their lives in the struggle, headed by Commandants Jacobo Arenas and Efraon Guzman. We salute the prisoners of war and the political prisoners who, in the Regime's jails, face with dignity the infamies with which it tries to break them. Before all of them and before the people, we confirm our unshakable commitment, our firm decision to struggle and our profound faith in the triumph of the Bolivarian cause of the FARC-EP. For more informatioon on the struggle for peace and justice in Colombia, check out the New Colombia News Agency website, http://www.anncol.org (Back) (Home) Unions stop Korean energy privatization (The following article is from the June 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) June 3 - A south Korean commission composed of government, academics and labour activists has rejected a plan for national energy privatization in its recent final report. The president of South Korea is expected to accept the conclusions, putting an end to deregulation of the country's energy sector. The Korean National Electrical Workers Union spearheaded a massive campaign to stop privatization. Earlier this year a delegation from the union visited Canada, meeting with CUPE to learn from the experience of the Ontario campaign to protect public power. That visit proved to be a "critical turning point" in the campaign, said union spokesperson Yong Choi. As public support fuelled mass rallies, public hearings and workshops, the government agreed to set up a commission to study issues involved in the privatization plan. "Some say it may become a model in Korean society for dealing with social conflict," says Choi. "It is a historic moment. For the first time in our history, government policy was defeated by a non-government organization. We won!" (Back) (Home) Unions in 54 countries condemn U.S. blockade (The following article is from the June 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) Trade unions from 54 countries have expressed their support for Cuba and condemned the measures announced by the U.S. government aimed at intensifying the economic blockade of the island. The news was announced during the 92nd Conference of the International Labor Organization, which began on May 31 at the Palace of Nations in Geneva, with more than 3,000 delegates from 170 countries attending. Hassan Sumonu, secretary general of the United Organization of African Unions, presented Pedro Ross Leal, secretary general of the Central Organization of Cuban Trade Unions, with a letter expressing the above signed by trade union leaders from those countries and qualifying the blockade as criminal. (Back) (Home) Congress-led Indian government heeds Communist views (The following article is from the June 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) By B. Prasant, PV correspondent in India The Common Minimum Programme of India's new Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government reflects important demands made by the Communist Party of India (Marxist). This is a big triumph for the toiling masses of the country. Let us take a close look at the CPI(M)'s outlook on the initial draft of a Common Minimum Programme (CMP) submitted by the Congress to its allies and supporters. Given the increased strength of the Left parties in the new Lok Sabha, especially the CPI(M)'s 44 seats, their response was important for the new government. The CPI(M) stressed that a specific assurance of the strengthening of secularism should be incorporated in the CMP. At the very beginning of the document, the CMP should have stated that all state-run bodies, including educational and cultural institutions, must be made free from communal influence. The state must be vigilant in preventing all attempts to foster and practise communalism. The CPI(M) wants the CMP to advance land reforms, such as steps by the union (central) government to ensure that provincial governments implement the land ceiling act, and distribute ceiling surplus land among the rural poor and the landless. Rural self- government institutions must be strengthened and extended with the participation of the provincial governments. Over and above a Reservations Act, the new government must also adopt an Act to deal firmly with family violence. The right to utilisation of the forest land by the tribal folks must find a place in the CMP. The union government must make a clear statement that no profitable and viable public sector undertakings and core sector industries are privatised. There is no need to emphasise "cooperation" between the private and the state sector. The CPI(M) opposes privatisation of the service sector, and calls for a revision of the anti-people Electricity Act 2003 in consultation with the provincial governments. The CPI(M) hold that until legislation ensuring the right to employment is in place, the union government must continue the food-for-work programme, and this must find a mention in the CMP. The public distribution system all over the country should be immediately augmented. The CMP must also speak about recovering illegal wealth for purposes of development, and identify the areas for fixing new taxes. Centre--state relations must be adjusted to allow the states more resources and faster development. The CPI(M) expresses reservations about the formation of new and small states based on linguistic chauvinism. The massive erosion of rivers must be stopped and adequate measures initiated by the union government, and this issue must be included in the CMP. The CPI(M) objects to assurances about adherence to agreements signed with the WTO, which must be opened up for discussion to ensure that decisions are taken to secure the national interest. The CPI(M) is against any automated "hire-and-fire" policy. The section in the CMP that provides management with opportunities in this direction must be dropped. All changes in labour laws must be made with the participation of trade unions. The counter-democratic Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) must be withdrawn, and the right to strike must be recognised. On foreign policy, the CPI(M) sees a marked difference between the election manifesto of the Congress and the CMP draft. The CMP must note that India will follow an independent, non-aligned policy. It must work for a multi-polar world, establishing closer ties with Russia, China, Latin American and European nations, and especially with important developing countries such as Brazil and South Africa. India must revise the present west Asian policy, rebuild relationships with the Arab nations, and strengthen its support to Palestine. Meeting the union labour minister in a delegation, the left trade unions, led by the CITU and the AITUC, submitted a memorandum calling for an end to disinvestment and privatisation. They also call for quantitative restrictions on imports, and lifting the ban on hiring in state-sector units. The union memorandum stresses the necessity of ensuring an adequate daily wage for agricultural labourers. A bill must be drafted to legitimise trade unions which represent unorganised workers. The anti-labour "fixed-term employment" must be done away with, and the upper limit on bonuses paid to workers must be lifted. The rate of interest of small savings and the general and public provident fund (PF) must be raised to 12%. Above all, a net of social security must be put in place, and relief organised for the unemployed. The final form of the CMP gives a great deal of importance to these views. In one form or another, all the demands made by the CPI(M) have been included in the CMP. The Left parties welcomed these inclusions in a statement issued after the CMP was formally presented. There are grey areas which could lead to differences between the Left and the ruling coalition. The final CMP notes that the government is generally against disinvestment, but rather than being abolished, the disinvestment department is merged into the department of finance. It also talks about Foreign Institutional Investment in selected areas. Divergence exists over PF interest rates, although a new PF committee includes representatives of the CITU and AITUC. The CMP maintains that in the case of public sector undertakings (PSUs) with a monopoly over a particular field, competition would be introduced. If the PSU then fails to measure up, steps including privatisation may be considered, in consultation of the TU's. The CMP encourages the formation of a Telengana state out of the present southern province of Andhra Pradesh, probably because the Telengana Rastriya Samity party is an ally of the Congress. However, this runs against the Left view of opposing all steps towards the creation of small states. In its comment on foreign policy, the CMP implies that while an independent policy is to be followed, friendly relations with the US would be maintained and improved. In a separate statement, Prime Minister Singh has defended the tainted ministers in his cabinet as "innocent until charges are proved." On the whole, the CMP is an attempt at almost complete reversal of the priorities of the previous BJP-led regime. The following are among the basic points that make up the CMP:  * Rate of GDP aimed at 7-8% (from the present 5.71%) * Inchoate and indiscriminate disinvestment of PSU's to end * Special schemes to unearth black money * Tax rates to be "stabilized" * Electricity Act 2003 to be reviewed, but private players allowed in the power sector * Promise of a legislation for employment as a right * Food-for-work to continue * Foreign Institutional Investment to be encouraged only in superior technology, export, and employment-oriented sectors * Core sector of the economy not to be privatised * Education budget to be hiked to 6% of GDP * "Affirmative action" for tribal folk * Investment in agriculture to increase, and legislation for agricultural labour * The right to strike will not be taken away, and trade unions will be consulted on all major labour-related decisions * Automatic "hire-and-fire" policy to go * Women's reservation and an act against family violence to be introduced * An independent and non-aligned foreign policy to be pursued, with strengthening of support for the Palestinian people * "Saffronisation" of state institutions including education to be curtailed * Legislation to prevent and preempt communal violence * Creation of a Telengana state to be considered (Back) (Home) Lok Sabha to have Communist speaker (The following article is from the June 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) The 14th Lok Sabha (parliament) of independent India will have a Communist Speaker. The CPI(M) Polit Bureau has accepted an offer of this position made by the Congress party to Somnath Chatterjee, the CPI(M) leader in the Lok Sabha. The move does not contradict the Party's earlier decision not to join the central government. As Ganashakti Newspaper writes, "Parliamentary democracy has three wings - the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary. The government concerns itself with the executive functions of the State while the Speaker heads the legislative wing. The CPI(M) and the Left, by contesting elections, are already part of the legislature with its members being elected. Hence, the role of the Speaker can, in no way, be confused with that of the role and powers of the executive... The 14th Lok Sabha may well turn out to be the political battlefield between those who want to safeguard and advance the Indian Republic and those who want to subvert it. It is not only our elected representatives, but all Indian patriots, who will have to be prepared to engage in this battle." (Back) (Home) The harsh truth about free trade (The following article is from the June 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) Lessons from NAFTA: The High Cost of Free Trade, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, 133 pages, 2003, edited by Karen Hansen-Kuhn and Steve Hellinger Reviewed by Tim Pelzer Neo-conservatives promote "free trade" as a key component of economic development. To advance their case, they use the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement (CUFTA) as supposed "models." However, according to Lessons from NAFTA: The High Cost of Free Trade, NAFTA and CUFTA have been economic disasters. This well documented work persuasively argues that not only have these deals failed to meet the lofty goals of those who championed the agreements, but they have contributed to a falling standard of living. Proponents of NAFTA argued that it would lead to economic growth, more employment, greater productivity and higher wages for Mexicans, Americans and Canadians. According to Mexican researcher Alberto Picard, NAFTA has not led to a high growth economy nor development in Mexico. The huge trade surplus with the US, the large number of new jobs created, and recent economic diversification cannot be attributed to NAFTA, as its supporters allege. The trade surplus is largely due to increased petroleum, maquiladora exports and intra-firm trade among US companies. He also notes that Mexico has run trade surpluses in the past before NAFTA existed. Further, Mexico's large maquiladora manufacturing sector (which existed before NAFTA) is an "island", not much linked to the Mexican national economy. Firms import most components and raw materials, assemble them and then ship them to the US. The large volume of new investments that poured into the country was used mainly to buy existing businesses and enlarge the maquiladora sector. It has also led to lower levels of job creation in comparison to pre-NAFTA days, since many national suppliers went out of business after NAFTA. Real wages fell. Moreover, Picard states that NAFTA restricts the power of democratically elected governments to determine economic policy. For instance, under NAFTA governments cannot impose performance requirements in which manufacturers must use domestically produced components or favour nationally owned firms when contracts are dispensed. Rather than enhancing food security, Mexico now imports more food than it exports. Picard notes that Mexican farmers are unable to compete with more capital intensive, heavily subsidized US farmers. As a result, 2 million jobs have been lost in agriculture, leading to increased rural poverty, higher food costs and declining prices paid to producers. Despite the fact that direct foreign investment and exports grew, the nation experienced a lower rate of economic growth in comparison to pre-NAFTA periods. Picard also discusses free trade (FT) in a larger context. As he states, the Asian Tigers in South East Asia did not develop through free trade. In fact, they rejected neo-liberal free market development and opted for state measures to protect and nurture firms until they were able to compete on the world stage, a point that Picard fails to explore. This was also the case with the US, England, France and the other developed capitalist countries. He also states that FT has to be seen as yet another instrument by the developed countries to ensure that the third world adheres to neo- liberal economics. In the USA, according to David Ranney, NAFTA has led to massive job losses in the manufacturing sector and a shift of work towards the low paying service sector. Canada has experienced the same insidious effects under NAFTA and CUFTA. According to Ranney, John Foster and John Dhillon, 17% of jobs have disappeared in the manufacturing sector under FT, and new job growth has produced many low wage, part time jobs. The new jobs generated were half of the number created before FT. Wages have stagnated despite increases in productivity. Social spending was cut because government and business leaders argued that Canadian conditions had to be harmonized to US levels. Despite claims made by proponents, FT has not led to greater access to US markets. Canada remains subject to arbitrary US actions such as punitive duties on lumber and wheat exports. The authors are especially critical of NAFTA trade Tribunals in charge of resolving disputes. Not only do they have more authority than national courts and government bodies, these tribunals operate secretly and do not have to provide information to the public. Their decisions cannot be appealed. They permit companies to bypass local judicial and government bodies and sue governments for actions that reduce profits. The Mexican, US and Canadian governments have failed to revise these harmful investor state provisions. More disturbing, Mexico and the US have signed trade deals with other nations that have these same provisions. Lessons From NAFTA is an interesting and compelling critique. One defect is the failure of its several authors to define some of their economic terms, but despite this omission, the book is accessible to the average reader. (Lessons from NAFTA is available from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Suite 410, 75 Albert St., Ottawa, ON, K1P 5E7) (Back) (Home) A new look at 20th century McCarthyism Reds: McCarthyism in Twentieth Century America, by Ted Morgan. NY: Random House, ISBN 0-679-44399-1. 685 pages, $50 Can. (The following article is from the June 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) Reviewed by Steve Gilbert In Reds, Ted Morgan traces the history of McCarthyism and the Cold War back to the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. The story of Senator Joseph McCarthy's infamous career has, of course, been told many times. Morgan's book is original in that it chronicles the manifestations of anticommunism from their origin to the present, and cites new information, based on recently decoded wartime cable communications. The first attempts to undermine the Revolution occurred in 1918 when U.S. troops landed on Russian soil and battled Bolsheviks in an unsuccessful effort to effect "regime change." According to Morgan, the Soviets countered by financing and promoting espionage, and during World War II, by recruiting scientists and other US government employees who sympathized with the USSR and its struggle against Hitler Germany. Morgan documents the fact that McCarthyism as a political strategy existed long before Senator McCarthy became one of a series of politicians who exploited the fear of so-called "communist spies" for their own political advantage. These early anti-communists used tactics such as false accusations, illegal raids, seizure of documents, and paying for perjured testimony., This campaign was formalized in 1938 when Congress voted to create the House Special Committee on Un-American Activities. Under the chairmanship of Congressman Martin Dies, the Committee wielded considerable influence until it was eclipsed by McCarthy in the early '50s. Hundreds of witnesses were subpoenaed by the Dies Committee. As the result of threats and intimidation, many revealed the names of alleged communists and subversives. The first witness subpoenaed by Dies was AFL union leader John Frey, who named 238 full-time communist organizers and two hundred "front organizations" in which 52 party members held 325 directorates. A few months later the Dies Committee published the names of 563 government employees who were members of alleged front groups. In 1940, ex-communist John Leech gave the Dies Committee the names of 42 Hollywood celebrities who were allegedly Communist Party members. The list included James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, and Frederick March. All were subpoenaed and questioned by Dies, whose list of "communist spies" was growing rapidly. After the Hollywood hearings, Dies threatened to release the names of 300,000 "active fifth columnists" in government. But when the FBI asked him for the names of the alleged fifth columnists, Dies came up with a list of only 1,121 federal employees. Adding up the figures cited by Morgan, between 1938 and 1943 the Dies Committee collected the names of 307,237 alleged communists and other subversives. Six of the accused lost their jobs, and one - Communist Party USA Secretary Earl Browder - was convicted of making a false statement in his passport application. He was sentenced to four years in prison, but was pardoned by President Roosevelt. Except for Browder, no one on Dies's list was convicted of committing a crime. Many in government did not take Dies's accusations seriously. Roosevelt thought the communist threat "negligible." Attorney General Frank Murphy told Dies that he could do nothing without evidence that the law had been violated. And Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes wrote in his diary: "The Dies Committee has been running hog-wild lately and has become a danger of the first malgnitude... He has become an actual menace. Fundamentally he is after the New Deal. He keeps saying that soon he is going to give out names of prominent New Dealers connecting them with Communist activities." Truman saw the red scare as a political tool which the Republicans were using against him. In 1947 he wrote: "People are very much wrought up about the communist bugaboo, but I am of the opinion that the country is perfectly safe as far as communism is concerned." It was the Smith Act, rather than the Dies Committee, which did severe damage to the Communist Party USA. Signed into law by FDR in 1940, the Smith Act made it illegal to belong to a group which advocated the forcible overthrow of the US Government. In 1948 the FBI assembled a legal brief, based on the Smith Act, designed to establish the illegal status of the CPUSA. Indictments resulted in the prosecution and conviction of 93 leading Communists, including Eugene Dennis, Gus Hall and Robert Thompson. Morgan writes that these prosecutions bankrupted the Party and made it "powerless and isolated from the mainstream... By the time McCarthy came on the scene in 1950, the so-called communist threat was a mirage, but a mirage to be exploited by the blacklist agencies for profit, by the Republicans in Congress for political gain, and by the self-appointed super-patriots to vent and focus their muddled rage." In later chapters Morgan details McCarthy's antics in the Senate. Like Dies before him, McCarthy made outrageous claims but failed dismally when it came to identifying subversives. Morgan writes: "In spite of McCarthy's hectoring tactics, not a single witness who appeared before his subcommittee was imprisoned for perjury, contempt, espionage, or subversion." In his epilogue Morgan draws parallels between McCarthy's tactics and those of George Bush. He writes: "In the post 9/11 emergency, the McCarthyite strain in American political life reemerged with a vengeance - the politics of fear, the politics of insult, and the politics of deceit." Morgan sees McCarthy's ghost in Attorney General John Ashcroft, whose tactics of detention and deportation without due process are similar to those used by the US Government in its anticommunist operations. Reds is a huge and ambitious work. Readable and meticulously researched, it will be a valuable addition to the library of anyone concerned with current erosion of civil liberties and the drift toward fascism in the US and its allies. (Back) (Home) Che Brigade reminder (The following article is from the June 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) This is a reminder about the 12th Che Guevara Volunteer Work Brigade to Cuba. This is a very important project of friendship and solidarity, a unique opportunity to visit Cuba, meet and work alongside Cubans. Come and learn about Cuba, its Revolution, its socialist society and its resistance, especially at this time when the U.S. government policy against Cuba is becoming more aggressive and threatening! As we have done for 11 years, we spend three unforgettable and rich weeks volunteering our work and showing our solidarity to the Cuban people. This year, we will be in Cienfuegos the first two weeks in August before going to Matanzas for the third week. We will be doing construction/renovation work on a small clinic. Check our website, http://www.canadiannetworkoncuba.ca/brigade, to get more information on what a Brigade is and how to join online. From the website you can download the brigade brochure - please use it to help promote the brigade at events. Let me or Stephen Von Sychowski Stephen@cubafriendship.com know if you have any questions. We hope to hear from you soon. Please tell others about this opportunity. -Nino Pagliccia, Vancouver, BC (Back) (Home)

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