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(These editorials are from the March 16-31/2000 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.)
SUPPORT FARMERS, NOT RAIL BARONS
With few seats to lose on the Prairies, the Chretien Liberals remain determined to do as little as possible to help western farmers facing a serious income crisis. But like most previous federal governments, the Liberals are always ready to shovel money at the big railways.
It took an enormous farm action campaign to pressure Ottawa and the provinces to cough up $400 million in emergency aid; even that amount is far less than warranted by the farm income crisis, and of course it comes with too many strings attached to help many families heading into bankruptcy.
Now the federal cabinet says it will help save farmers $150 million per year, by changing their 1995 legislation allowing railways to keep 100% of grain transportation productivity gains. By letting the CNR and CPR increase freight rates charged to farmers every year, even while transport costs were going down, the Liberals in effect allowed the railway monopolies to gouge ever-increasing amounts of cash out of the pockets of farmers. In 1996, the difference came to an extra $120 million for the railways, rising to $192 million last year.
This windfall is a major reason for the combined 1999 profits of $867 million for the two railways, more than the realized net farm income of all the 140,000 farm families on the prairies.
As the National Farmers Union points out, the proposed changes don't even make up for the scale of this legalized theft. Just as bad, if the new legislation also gives railways a free hand to close more branchlines, farmers will be hit with higher trucking costs, eating up those modest freight reductions.
Food production is both a vital industry for Canada, and the economic and social basis for the survival of hundreds of communities. Protection of the family farm on the prairies should be the priority, not protection of greedy agri-business corporations!
EARLY TEST FOR PREMIER DOSANJH
Infuriated by the prospect of waiting another year to get Gordon Campbell into office in Victoria, right-wing business forces on the west coast are mounting a drive to block Premier Ujjal Dosanjh's cabinet from fulfilling important promises the new premier made during his leadership campaign.
For the corporations, the "litmus test" for Dosanjh will be his government's labour policy. Business lobby groups are already demanding that the premier forget his campaign pledges to bring in stronger union successorship rules and to make employer-instigated decertification drives more difficult. These forces are also fighting to block any more minimum wage increases, and to stop the proposal to reverse the Clark government's scandalous employment standards exemptions for the high-tech sector.
Premier Dosanjh won the leadership with the support of many unions in British Columbia, in part because he agreed to take action on several of these issues. He also indicated his support for increased social assistance rates, although in a very general way.
Glen Clark came to power after making similar promises, only to cave in to business pressure very quickly on the key issues. The labour movement and other people's forces need to avoid a similar debacle, by fighting the corporate think-tanks and lobby groups tooth and nail, and by demanding accountability from the Dosanjh government. If the new premier is allowed to follow through on his other campaign theme - his promise to cooperate with the business community - the NDP's support will collapse and the Liberals will certainly win the next election. This is no time to sit back and watch the right-wing corporate forces dictate the agenda in BC!
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