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JEWIS!^ WESTERN BULLETIN
Editor's view
A. J. Arnold
On the Jewish delegation to the Prime Minister
IT was particularly gratifying to note the forthright and positive manner in which the delegation of Canadian Jewish Congress and the joint Congress-Zionist delegation on the Middle East met with Prime Minister Diefenbakera few weeks ago. This marked the first occasion oh which the representatives of the Jewish communify of Canada have met with the new government.
It was also a departure from previous meetings of this kind since on this occasion the date of the meeting with the Prime Minister was ahnounc'ed weeks in advance and press releases issued both by Canadian Jewish Congress and the United Zionist Council on the very same day.
By sending a delegation to meet the government in this way with due and proper publicity both before and immediately after the visit, Canadian Jewish Congress is acting to a much greater degree in ccnscnance with its position as the official spokesman of the Jewish community of Canada. Announcing the date of the meeting well in advance provides an opportunity for discussion in the Jewish press and
thecomiQunity at large of the points that might be taken up with the government on such an occasion and the immediate publicity given to the contents of the briefs presented provides a further opportunity for discussion as to the value of the points raised.
We would like to comment here on several of the points discussed in the Congress brief, including the'question of a Canadian Bill of Rights, the problem, of imrriigration and the proposal in regard to the National Housing Act.
On the question of a Bill of Rights, the arguments present*ed were for the most part very sound, it was also most aj^ropriate to state that as a preliminary step in the direction of adopting a Bill of Rights, the government should undertake a proposal advanced by Prime Minister Diefenbaker while he was a private member of the House of'Commons. This was his suggestion that the Supreme Coiirt of Canada should be asked for an opinion in regard to the extent of federal or provincial "jurisdiction over the ^^reservation of fundamental freedoms and the constitutional rights of the individual.
Wants to remind every business ond profession-o! mon that good planning con save him money ond protect his estdte from loss by shrinkoge. Why not find out about it? There is no obliga-
tion^
Coiitact Him At
Better imnugrcltioil planning essential
ipv EALING with immigration, the Congress brief 1^ asked special permission for the entry of all relatives of Canadian residents from Egypt and-from Poland. The brief also asked amendment of Canada's immigration regulations to facilitate the entry of refugees as a special class.
It; was also indicated that Congress, together with the Jewish Immigrant Aid Society, would soon ask for a direct meeting with the Minister of Citizenship and Incimigratipn to discuss problems of concern to the Jewish community in particular detail.
The subject of immigration remains a particularly difficult one for Canada. It is to be hoped that \yhen the meeting with the Minister of Immigration is held, that the representatives of the Jewish community will advance some concrete proposes with regard to the immigration problem as a whole. PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY >
One of > the major aspects of the immigration, situation is the attitude of established Canadians towards the newcomers. According to a recent survey of public opinion in British Columbia conducted by the B.C. Research Consultants, three out of .every five people said that we are accepting new Canadians too quickly. Some people ppposed 'handouts to foreigners" while others resent the fact that immigrants are "taking all the good jobs" or "working for less money than Canadian^" Most of the criticism, however, was not levelled at the immigrants but at the Immigration Department based on the view that Canada's economy cannot absorb immigrants as fast as they are arriving. The survey also reported that even among the 28 per cent who thought riiat the immigration was about right, many would like to see a bietter planned and more orderly program. /
With the great increase in immigration that we have seen in Canada this year, it would be almost impossible not to have an accompanying giowth of anti-foreign prejudice, as well as greater criticism of the immigration program. To try and meet this criticism, the new government has more or less arbitrarily made a rather sharp curtailment in the flow of immigrants. This move has also been criticized for being too sudden and for leaving thousands of refugees in the lurch who had been expecting to coihe to Canada.
PERMANENT ADVISORY COMMTITEE WOULD HELP
It is clear from these various developments that public opinion in Canada is beginning to support much more strongly the idea of a more carefully planned immigration program. In this coimection, we are reminded of the fact that earlier this year the • Canadian Labor Congress asked the government to establish a regular advisory committee on immigration problems composed of representatives of labor, management, government and social agencies. This would seem to be the most reasonable and practical proposal to which Canadian Jewish Congress might surely lend its support. * '
Acting jointly with the Jewish Immigrant Aid Society, Canadian Jewish Congress has already had the experience of fulfilling the tole of a volunteer social agency in working with the government to handle the Hungarian refugee emergency situation. After working on that particular project under the difficult and emergency sftiTktion which developed so suddenly, it must surely be apparent that even such emergency problems could be handled much more easily if tliere were a standing advisory committee composed of all sections of the community directly concerned with immigration. DISCRIMINATION ON RACIAL GROUNDS STILL A PROBLEM
Another aspect of the immigration problem still waiting to be settled and one which is also being dis-
cussed more widely is the continued application of discriminator}' policies in practice fegainst certain ethnic groups, even if these are not always spelled out in^e regulations. ' '^^
On this point, the only definite statement we have heard so far from the'new government came a few weeks ago from the Minister of National Defence, Mr. Pearkes, who was reported to have stated at a press conference in Montreal that the Progressive Conservative Party is opposed to all racial discrimination against Canadian citizens or persons already admitted to Canada. He added, however; "before adihitting a flood of hnmigrante, I think that we have the right to estalillsh controls and to refuse to accept too many Asiatics qr Africans."
The reporter who questioned Mr. Pearkes on this point stated that he had been present at a closed meeting of -the Progressive. Conseryatiye Party in Ottawa last year when Mr. Pearkes and Works Minister Howard Green had opposed a non-discrimination immigration resolution on the grounds that B.C. would be flooded by Asiatics.
COMMENT OF ]VEW MINISTER OF IMMIGRATION
As Tfar as we know, Davie Fulton, the Acting Minister of Citizenship and Immigratibn, has not made any statement on this particular point up to the present time. The Winnipeg Jewish Post reported last week, however, tl^at the nexy immijgration minister, speaking at, a recent meeting of ethnic paper editors, left the implication that ther6 might be planted agents among the Polish-Jewish immigrants. Mr. Fulton was questioned as to Canada's readiness to absorb some Polish Jewish unmigrants above arid beyond those eligible according to existing relative categories (that is the essence of the request made to the Prime Minister by Canadian Jewish Congress-With regard to both PoMih and JEgyptian Jews).
The gist of ,Mr. Fulton's reply, as indicated in the Post, \'/as to the effect that when Poland opens her doors to immigration of Jews, Canada naturally enough adopts a cautious attitude, because . . . if iron curtain countries finally alter policy and permit people to leave, there must be a reason . . .
Statements of this kind are enough to give us special cause for concern and the best way to answer them, insofar as the Jewish community is concerned, is for Cariadian Jewish Congress to take a firm position opposing the application of.any policy of racial discrimination in regard to immigration.
ANYON& WITH THE RIGHT ATTITUpE
It is well known that the Canadian immigration policies until now hav^ worked a special hardship against immigrants of Asiatic origin. The latest situation in this regard is that while some Asian born Canadians are allowed to bring over their families, others are refused permission without being told why. One change now being strongly demanded ^s that there should be no hidden immigration regulations. The Canadian Bar Association convention in Edmonton recently heard a demand that all immigration restrictions, or conversely, all conditions which must be fulfilled in order to obtain admittance, should be clearly written into the law.
At the same time, however, there is also a growing demand that all raicial restrictions in immigration should be removed. This trend has been indicated in a recent editorial in the Vancouver Sun which stated that'while we will always probably have special concessions for British immigrants, *Vhat we want here in Canada, WHEREVER THEY MAY COME FROM, are Canadians . . . and we can make a Canadian out of anybody who brings the right attitudes with him.''
When the leading British Columbia daily paper
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BVSIJBAIVCE COMPANY S. K. ,C0LE", CLU> Branch-AAcnager
Express 2924
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Uniteil Red Feather
yvai iSp ma pciwiii
Goal for Greater Vancouver Community Chest this year is $2,550,000, an mcrease of 12 per cent over the 1956 .objective and 26 percent more than was raised.
Citizens will be asked to "Lend a Hand—The United Way" when the 1957 ynited Red' Feather appeal kicks oU September 30.
Residential canvassers will knock on every door in Greater Vancouver starting October I to October 4.
Growth of the city is the reason for the increase in the Chest goal. Health ^ and. welfare, agencies; have new prbbleins. Since -1!950 the huiri-ber of offenders (under 21) sentenced to an adult institution has increased by 82 4)ercent. The number of children born to unmarried mothers is up 38 percent. Families receiving help from, family service agencies has increased 47 percent.
Fifty-nme health and welfare agencies now belong to tfie Community Chest.
For the months of July and Augr ust 14 executive personnel were loaned to the Chest by Vancouver busi-
comes out with such a statement, it should be realized that even in this province, the fear of being overrun by Asiatics is rapidly becoming a thing of the past.
ness firms. They called on top management in ipore than 1500 companies to assist in the organization ol ynite<l Red Feather chapter plans..
at UNESCO conference
Dr. Aser ROthstein was recently' named one of two delegates from the United States to th? UNESCO Inter-hatibni^ Gdnfesrnece jon the use of radio Bofopes. in scientific research which opened on September 8 m Paris and Continues until September
Dr. ■ Rothstein is Professor t)f Pharmacology' at the medical school of the University of Rochester. - Dr. , and Mrs. Rothstein i visited in Italy and Switzfetiaiid'durinfe-thei^8t^^^ weeks before going on to tJie meeting in Paris. Dr. Rothstein is the son of Mr. and Mrs. SanTRothstein.^
TeU fliem yon saw tihteir ad in the Jewish Western BniDefin.
JEWISH CALENDAR
* (Luoeh) 5718—1957
Rbsh Hashono, 1st Day .-------....Sopf. 26
Rosh Hosliond/Snd Day ...-----...Sept. 27
Yom kippur (Yiskor) ...—.. ..™.Oet. 5 Suceoth, 1st Pay .:............._.......Oet. 10
Suceoth, 2nd Day ......----------.....Oct. IV
Shemini Ataereth (Yblcor) .......Oct. 17
Simchath Torch—.--------.:......-.Oet. 18
All Holidays begin on the preceding, evening -
CONGREGATION SCHARA TZEDECK
High Holy Day Services
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on the foib^'ing dotes: SUNDAY, SEPT. 14 L - H 10 o.m. to 12 noon WEDNiESDAY^ SEPT. 18/7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p-sn.
tHE JEWISH WESTERN BULLETIN
Published Weekly Every Friday at 2675 Oak Street, Vancouver 9, B.C. ABRAHAM J. ARNOLD/Publisher end Editor BERTHA ARNOLD, Advertising and CirculoHon
'Officio! Organ of thlB Jewish Community Council of Vancouver'
MORRIS SALTZMAN, President S. B. SERVIN; PubllicoHsRS Cfiairmon . LOUIS ZIMMERMAN, Executive Director
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Candle-lighting Time Sabbath Eve., Sept. 13, 7^:11; Sept. 20, 7:00