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Communist
Party CC meeting puts heat on Tories
(The
following article is from
the July 1-31,
2007
issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles
can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in
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Special to PV
Meeting in
Toronto over the June
23-24 weekend, the new Central Committee of the Communist Party of
Canada focused its attention on signs of increased working class action
across the country, and the need to defeat the favoured party of big
business - the Harper Conservatives. The meeting also set plans for
building the Communist Party during the second half of 2007, on top of
some encouraging growth in the first six months of the year.
Elected in
February at the
party's 35th convention, the 25-member CC includes members from Nova
Scotia to the west coast. Reflecting the party's working class outlook
and base, eleven of the 25 are labour activists, holding a range of
leadership positions in their unions. Nine CC members are women, and
several are involved in movements working for LGBT equality rights. Two
CC members are Aboriginal, and five are from Quebec. As the Communist
Party's highest body between conventions, the body meets twice-yearly.
The meeting
kicked off with a
report on the current global and domestic political situation. Party
leader Miguel Figueroa gave an overview of the dangerous developments
in Central Asia and the Middle East, as US imperialism and its allies
continue to stoke tensions, from the "hot wars" in Afghanistan and
Iraq, to the occupation of Palestine and the threats of aggression
against Iran. Looking at the Canadian scene, Figueroa noted the
contradictions in the current "booming" economy, which generates vast
wealth while destroying industrial jobs and expanding poverty.
Figueroa's
opening remarks were
followed by a wide-ranging discussion on the state of the labour
movement and other democratic struggles across Canada. In virtually
every part of the country, CC members noted a growing mood of public
resentment as the gulf between rich and poor widens, and as corporate
profiteering means stepped-up attacks on wages and working conditions.
There are growing examples of workers challenging the corporate
assault, such as the two strikes by railway workers this year.
On the other
hand, the CC noted,
the ruling class is using every possible tactic to suppress and weaken
working class militancy, from its control of the mass media, to
legislative and police attacks against strikes. Another major factor
holding back many struggles is the refusal or inability of some leaders
in the trade union movement to mobilize a more powerful resistance.
Many strikes and other actions have taken place with strong support
from grassroots union members and mid-level labour activists, but in
most cases, these struggles have remained somewhat isolated.
In this
situation, other aspects
of the fightback against the right-wing agenda have come to the
forefront, notably the widespread demands to get Canadian troops out of
Afghanistan, and the powerful upsurge by Aboriginal peoples. The
Communist Party has urged full support for actions taking place on and
around June 29, the National Day of Action called by the Assembly of
First Nations in response to government foot-dragging on land claims
and the shameful levels of poverty on and off reserves.
During
their first 18 months in
office, the Tories have carried out parts of their right-wing agenda,
but lacking a majority, they have been compelled to compromise or delay
other initiatives. Trying to turn this to his electoral advantage, PM
Harper has soft-pedalled unpopular reactionary policies and kept a gag
order on outspoken far-right MPs. But the big business agenda is
advancing rapidly, such as around military spending and the North
American integration project, which will receive another boost at the
US-Canada-Mexico summit at Montebello in August. The Tories are also
using ministerial authority to implement policies such as gutting the
Canadian Wheat Board, doing an end run around Parliament and public
opinion. On Afghanistan, the Tories have used divisions in the
opposition to their advantage, leaving room to extend the occupation
past the current deadline of February 2009.
For all these
reasons, the
Central Committee voted to launch a special campaign to "Drive out the
Harper Tories." The two-phase campaign will begin over the summer, with
the wide use of stickers, poster and buttons designed to raise
awareness of the Tory menace and to showcase progressive alternatives
proposed by the Communist Party. Starting in September, the campaign
will shift into pickets of Tory MP offices and other public actions,
and a series of public forums.
Special
reports on some key
current issues were discussed by the CC, including support for the
National Day of Action, and plans for protests against the North
American summit. The CC also condemned the June 21 racist attack
against the Kitigan Zibi Cultural Centre (north of Ottawa), and agreed
to initiate celebrations marking the 90th anniversary of the October
Socialist Revolution this fall.
Plans were
elaborated for a 2007
Party Building Campaign tied into the "Drive out the Tories" actions.
Already this year, dozens of new members have joined the CPC across the
country, a Communist club has been formed in Windsor for the first time
since the 1970s, and paid subscriptions to People's Voice
have grown by ten percent. Sam Hammond, the chair of the party's
Central Trade Union Commission, outlined detailed proposals for
strengthening communist work in the labour movement over the next
several months. The meeting also heard a report on the recent
re-founding convention of the Young Communist League, presented by YCL
general secretary Johan Boyden, the youngest member of the CC.
Upon
adjournment, several CC
members headed to the airport, leading the first official Communist
Party of Canada delegation to Cuba in several years (see report in our
next issue). Others joined with YCLers to take part in the Toronto
Pride Day parade; the contingent drew loud cheers with their
rainbow/peace flag and "smoke `out' the Harper Tories" stickers handed
out along the route.