AROUND THE WORLD
CANADA
Tories toppled in Ontario
Forty-two years of Conservative rule in Ontario (Canada's most populous province) ended on June 19 as the Liberal and New Democratic Party opposition combined forces in the Legislature to pass a vote of no-confidence.
The ouster of the Progressive Conservative government was a consequence of the surprising results of the May 2 Ontario provincial election that reduced the Tories to 52 seats, from 72 at dissolution.
The equally big business-dominated Liberal Party proved to be the major beneficiary of dissafection with the Tories, catapulting from 28 to 48 seats, and actually taking a larger share of the popular vote (38%) than did the Conservatives (37%).
The labour-based NDP climbed slightly to 25 seats (24% of the vote), up from 22 seats.
The deceptively dull and quiet election campaign took place against a backdrop of growing dissatisfaction with the Tory cutbacks, wage controls and poor environmental policies. The ascendency of a more-right-wing-than-usual Ontario Tory leader, Frank Miller, and the government's decision to fully fund the Catholic Separate School system, proved to be the undoing of the well-entrenched Tories.
The Liberal Party, still reeling from its stinging defeat at the federal level last September, ran an aggressive, issueoriented campaign that promised reform.
The NDP posed as the party of moderate change, focussing its criticism on the Conservatives and their new Leader, and letting the Liberals off the hook.
Support the
The Liberal-NDP move to dump the Tories enjoys wide popularity, especially among working people.
But the pact signed by Ontario NDP Leader Bob Rae on May 28, with Liberal Leader David Peterson, is fraught with dangers from the standpoint of labour.
The NDP is pledged to maintain the Liberal minority government in power for the next two years - no matter what. In exchange, according to the negotiated agreement, there is to be reform in such areas as: equal pay for en to extra creanio ny doctors, fast women, job creation for contract labour law, and tenants rights.
Unfortunately, most of the proposals are just vaguely worded promises of future legislation. No details. No timetable.
In fact, the new government's only firm commitment, its "top priority" is the extension of funding to separate schools, despite the fact that a majority of Ontarians oppose it.
And all legislation is "to be implemented within the framework of fiscal responsibility" — codewords for over a decade of cutbacks, wage controls, and concessions to big business.
When the new Ontario Liberal government implements such policies, as did the Trudeau Liberal regime in Ottawa, the NDP will take the flak from the labour movement, while the Liberals consolidate their electoral hold.
Perhaps in anticipation of this eventuality, there's now more and more discussion within the ONDP of a full-fledged coalition with the Liberal Party, complete with NDP Cabinet Ministers under a Liberal Premier. Fighters Fund
Contributions to International Viewpoint's fund for free subscriptions to fighters who cannot afford to pay have begun to come in from around the world. Readers in New Zealand sent in 500 francs, and other contributions have come from West Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Ireland, Canada, and Denmark. So, we now already have a bit of leeway for meeting the need for free subscriptions. But that is far from saying that we do not need any more contributions.
One of the signs of the time is that there are more and more victimised fighters who need the sort of coverage IV offers but cannot pay. We expect that there will be a steadily growing number of requests. So, the fighers fund will remain a permanent feature of our work. And there are a lot of countries that have not yet made it into our honor roll of contributors, including, strangely enough, those where the largest number of Is are circulated, the United States, Great Britain, and Sweden.
Please send checks and money orders to IV at the address on our masthead, accompanied by a note explaining that they are for the Fighters Fund. international Viewpoint 29 July 1985
This will require quite a selling job. Members of the NDP are deeply suspicious of both big business parties, and correctly cling to the idea of independent working class political action.
But the coalition promotion campaign is underway. Legislative caucus members have fanned out across the province to speak on this theme. The ONDP leadership, and some private sector union leaders hope that the idea will enjoy majority NDP membership support by the time the two year pact with the Liberals runs out.
In the meantime, rank and file, left wing NDP'ers are organizing to present an alternative view. BW.
BELGIUM
International anti-fascist meeting called
In September the AFF (Antwerp Anti-Fascist Front) is planning an international demonstration against racism and fascism under the title Projekt 1945-85, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the liberation of Antwerp at the end of the Second World War. This demonstration will take place on the week-end of September 6 and 7 on the same date as the traditional festival organised in the town.
The AFF is hoping to be able to welcome groups and individuals from anti-fascist and anti-racist movements in all the EEC countries. On Friday September 6 there will be a symposium on the struggle against racism and fascism in Western Europe. The following day will be given over to workshops on the following themes; education and fascism; racism and fascism; the media and fascism; attacks against democratic and trade union rights and fascism; lesbians, gays and fascism; the 'new right'; case histories. The day will end inar international anti-fascist rally.
The initiative of the Antwerp antifascist front will be useful for establishing links between the differen committees, groups and organisations in Western Europe who are active on the issues of fascism and racism. The readers of International Viewpoint are invited to assist in building for this initiative by publicising it among interested organisations in your area.
For further information contact: Anti Fascistisch Front, c/o Sanderusstraat 15, 2000 Antwerpen, Belgium. Tel. 03/ 237 60 43.
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MEXICO.