Source:  Le Devoir, Montreal.  Wednesday, 28 November 1962.

Un Creditist, a Liberal and an NPD’er
happen to agree : “Throw Gordon Out”.  Le Devoir, 28 November 1962

A Creditist, a Liberal and an NPD’er
happen to agree:  “Throw Gordon Out”.

OTTAWA (DNC) — Three Members belonging to different parties yesterday called for the head of the president of the National Railway, Mr. Donald Gordon.

Mr. Gilles Grégoire, a Social Crediter from Lapointe, Alexis Caron, a Liberal from Hull and Arnold Peters, an NPD’er from Timiskaming [sic], all charged Mr. Gordon with incompetence and demanded his resignation.

Mr. Grégoire even proposed an amendment to the interim budget of the Canadian Transport Commission, calling for the resignation of the president of the National Railways.

It was Mr. Peter who started the chase by denouncing the Canadian National train service in northern Ontario.

He said that Mr. Gordon should return to his occupation of banker and cease to administer a railway.  I believe, he said, that it is time to rid ourselves of Gordon.

Mr. Alexis Caron said that it is unfair to allow the Canadian National to compete with the private trucking business and he added that “the president of the National Railway is incompetent to occupy the post he currently holds.  Rather than vote him credits, we should vote to get rid of him and find a man capable of administering the National Railways”.  He referred to the insults proffered by Mr. Gordon to the French Canadians.  “I think,” he clarified, “we must tell Mr. Gordon we are tired of him and it is time he quit his post”.

The Social Credit Member from Lapointe was jubilant.

Mr. Grégoire said he is surprised to see the Liberals criticize Mr. Gordon this way, since it was the former [Liberal] Transport Minister, Mr. Lionel Chevrier, who had appointed him to this post.

He accused Mr. Gordon of having contributed to the scarcity of money when he occupied the post of director of the Bank of Canada from 1929 to 1939.  It was Mr. Gordon again who imposed sacrifices upon Canadians during the war when he was president [chairman?] of the Price Commission.

He was the evil genius who invented the little coupons to tell Canadians how much they could eat of butter, and sugar, what quantity to buy of gasoline, of tires, etc., etc.

After rendering service to the masters of finance, continued Mr. Grégoire, the Liberal party rewarded him by appointing him to the presidency of the national railways at a salary of $75,000 a year.

The three of us, added Mr. Grégoire, (he was referring to Messrs. Caron and Peters) can find a solution and rid ourselves of Mr. Gordon by demanding his resignation.

Mr. Chevrier, who had been implicated, made it clear that he had not put Mr. Gordon’s competency into quesetion.  Moreover, the current government maintained its confidence in Mr. Gordon, since it had twice appointed him president of the railways.

However, he finds the treatment inflicted on French Canadians unfair, who cannot accede to posts as vice-presidents of the National Railways.  He added that he is not ready to accept Mr. Gordon’s response to the points raised with him on the subject.

Gordon is Challenged

A Montreal accountant, Mr. Maurice Gaudry, challenged Mr. Donald Gordon to prove that French Canadians are incapable of occupying a key post at Canadian National.

In his telegram sent to the president of the National Railways of Canada, Mr. Gaudry said he was ready to assume a high-level function with Canadian National for six months, free of charge, to prove to Mr. Gordon that he is capable, as a French Canadian, of occupying a key post at CN.

Mr. Gaudry emphasizes that he is ready to accept this post even though in order to do so he must “lose substantial revenues”.

Mr. Gaudry is a member of the firm of Gaudry, Brosseau, Benoit and Roy, chartered accounts.

The SJBS of Montreal :  Gordon has shown his incompetence

The general board of the Saint John the Baptist Society of Montreal, La Conseil général de 1a Société Saint Jean Baptiste de Montréal, réuni en assemblée régulière, a pris connaissance ces jours derniers, des déclarations méprisantes de M Donald Gordon à l’endroit des Canadiens français. La Société est d’avis que M. Gordon s’est mal acquitté de ses responsabilités comme administrateur d’une entreprise publique puisqu il ne s’est pas soucié de voir à ce que les citoyens canadiens français soient représentés proportionnellement à leur nombre parmi les administrateurs d’une compagnie dont tous les contribuables ca¬nadiens sont également propriétaires.

 
______

Notes: In other words, the SSJB is accusing Gordon of incompetence because he has NOT broken the law on Fair Employment Practices by engaging in “affirmative action” known as positive discrimination in favor of QUOTAS by race, national origin or language, instead of by merit.

Notes: Add to this another accusation elsewhere, also the SSJB — I think Valleyfield — demanding his resignation because he personally did not “officially recognize” something or other; which legally, he has zero power to do; and constitutionally, anyone with legal power could not do it without impliedly amending Confederation into Upper and Lowere Canada writ large.