Socialism goads C. of C. to act

Operation Freedom has been launched!

For a long time now, the Union of Electors has been crying out to the public, through every means at its disposal, that there is a very real danger of Socialism taking very firm roots in this Dominion of ours.

We have attacked every manifestation of a Socialistic trend wherever and whenever it appeared. We have fought, and continue to fight, fluoridation of public water supplies.

We waged a vigorous campaign against the introduction of obligatory state hospital insurance.

We have bitterly criticized those political parties and those organisations which have made Socialistic principles the planks of their platforms.

But there were times when we felt we were a voice crying in the wilderness.

Hence, it is with no little satisfaction that we see the powerful Canadian Chamber of Commerce setting on foot a nation-wide program of education designed to arouse Canadians to the danger to which their cherished democratic institutions are facing from Communism, Socialism, apathy and indifference.

The reasons given in the press for this campaign – christened "Operation Freedom" - are: economic problems of Canada to be faced in a highly competitive world, the current threat of Socialism in the field of Canadian politics, the increased Communist attack inside Canada, and the apathy and indifference of Canadians to freedom and the evidence of a growing dependence on government.

Mr. W. S. Kirkpatrick, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, had this to say about such dangers:

"Now, more than ever, our system is under attack. At home, there is evidence of a growing dependence upon government and a weakening of resistance towards the encroachment of government into areas hitherto reserved for the enterprise and initiative of the individual.

"From abroad the poisonous doctrine of Communism is more openly than ever being urged upon Canadians."

We congratulate the Chamber of Commerce upon their good resolution, and we suggest that among the details of their program they include some means of encouraging people to a greater regard for the spiritual.

It may be that the Chamber of Commerce's alarm springs primarily from the fear of government encroachment upon the domain of private business. Well and good! Let the C. of C. take after the governments and politicians which endorse programs of nationalization.

But where was the voice of the C. of C. when governments all across Canada, at the prodding of the federal government, adopted the genuinely and out-and-out Socialistic legislation of government hospital insurance?

Let the C. of C. also take note that their can be no successful fight against Communism unless its forerunner, Socialism, is entirely eradicated from our way of living. And Socialism can only be eliminated when the individual has in hands the means of providing for this temporal needs, himself; when he himself is permitted to decide what health measures he is to take, how he is to educate his children; what work he will do, etc. In other words, a man to be free, and to be able to protect his individual freedom and, as a consequence, protect the democratic institutions of his country, must be free from the threat of want and the shadow of insecurity.

Want and insecurity are two weapons with which Socialism drives man into the slave pen. Banish these and there will be little danger of either Socialism or Communism taking root in our land. Give a man the means to provide for his want, with dignity benefitting the human individual, and there is little danger that government will invade the field reserved to individual initiative.

In other words, let the Chamber of Commerce get to the root of the problem, the problem which Social Crediters everywhere have been holding up to the world; let it begin its campaign by studying a few of the principles relating to the preservation of economic democracy.

In other words, let the Chamber of Commerce lend an ear to the voice of Social Credit. It is all very well to prepare for the distribution of vast quantities of literature exposing the maneuvers of Socialism and Communism, and exhorting the individual Canadian to awaken from his sleep and arm himself to defend his liberty.

But you must give him sharp weapons, suitable weapons, with which to fight the danger once he has been made aware of it.

We submit that Social Credit provides just such weapons.