COMMUNIST PARTY LEADERSHIP LOOKS AT CHALLENGES FOR WORKING CLASS IN 2008

(The following article is from the January 1-15, 2008 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133 Herkimer St. Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.

Special to PV

The political whirl often slows down in December, but not this year. The eyes of the world were on Venezuela and Russia on December 2, and then on Bali, where the UN Climate Change Conference kicked off the next day. Here in Canada, the big news included Karlheinz Schreiber's scandal testimony in Ottawa, and the Dec. 7-8 CAW Council meeting in Toronto, where the union leadership's controversial deal with Magna was endorsed despite some sharp opposition during a day-long debate.

     Meanwhile, over the Dec. 8-9 weekend, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Canada held its second meeting of 2007. The CC members also took part in a celebration of the 90th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution of 1917 at the Toronto Steelworkers' hall.

     The Central Committee meeting began with a report on the global and domestic situation, presented by party leader Miguel Figueroa. The report noted important recent working class struggles, such as the widespread strike movements in France and Egypt, and the successful campaign to defeat Australia's right-wing prime minister, John Howard.

     These events, Figueroa pointed out, take place in the context of serious rumblings within the U.S. domestic economy, with implications for the rest of the world.

     "The liquidity crisis which broke out into the open in August was initially characterized as a localized phenomenon based in the U.S. domestic mortgage market," Figueroa recalled. Since then, losses from the resulting credit contractions have been estimated at up to $500 billion, and the number of U.S. homes in foreclosure has climbed rapidly. The U.S. dollar continues to lose its dominant status, and "a crisis and recession on some scale is now virtually unavoidable."

     Turning to the Middle East, Figueroa warned that the latest peace talks are unlikely to succeed unless the conditions for a just and enduring peace in the region are satisfied, including the withdrawal of Israel from all occupied territories, the removal of Israel's "apartheid wall" and its settlements in the West Bank and Gaza; the release of Palestinian political prisoners and the right of return for those displaced since 1948; the return of East Jerusalem or a joint "open city" administration; and other measures to allow a viable, genuinely independent and sovereign Palestine.

     Calling for more active solidarity with the Palestinian people, Figueroa emphasized that "We must demand that the sharp pro-Israel turn in Canadian foreign policy be reversed."

     Regarding the political turmoil in Pakistan, Figueroa said the Communist Party supports the demands of progressive forces in that country for the full restoration of democratic rights and genuinely free elections.

     Figueroa outlined the complex situation in Russia, where Putin's United Russia party manipulated the Dec. 2 election to secure over 64% of the vote and 315 seats in the Duma; the Communist Party of the Russian Federation finished second with 11.6% of total votes.

     The Putin regime, Figueroa said, "primarily represents the dominant sections of the Russian bourgeoisie which amassed its fortunes through the plunder of the people's wealth following the overthrow of socialism." The government, he continued, "on one hand actively seeks inclusion within imperialist circles, while at the same time opposes what it rightly senses are U.S. hegemonic intentions towards Russia."

     Figueroa called the narrow defeat of Venezuela's constitutional amendments on Dec. 2 a setback for the Bolivarian Revolution, but hardly the "fatal wound" claimed by US imperialism. The constitutional package had included a wide range of progressive measures, such as free universal education, a 36-hour work week, and greater status for community-based "people's power" bodies and "workers councils."

     The outcome, he said, "confirms the analysis of the Communist Party of Venezuela," which gave strong support to the "Yes" campaign while cautioning that some of the proposals were poorly formulated. In the PCV's view, the Bolivarian Revolution is presently in a primarily democratic and anti-imperialist stage.

     Turning to domestic issues, Figueroa warned that Canada will be heavily impacted by any generalized crisis in the U.S. economy, "especially in the manufacturing sector which is already reeling from de-industrialization over the past several years." Almost 300,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost since 2002.

     While official unemployment rates remain low and commodity exports are rising, he said, the composite index of ten leading economic indicators has been falling since early 2007, hinting at difficult times ahead. Most of the increased employment is in the form of low-wage, temporary and part time-work, and the gap between the rich on the one hand, and working class and poor Canadians, is accelerating quickly.

     Figueroa noted that the phenomenal growth of the energy sector in western Canada will have "a highly significant long-term impact" on the regions affected, the economy of the country, and on the natural environment. This subject will be the focus of a special report for the next CC meeting, likely in the spring of 2008.

     Looking at the federal scene, Figueroa said that "much has changed since October" and that "the swagger amongst the Harper inner circle has gone." The Schreiber/Mulroney scandal, together with the abysmal Tory record on the environment, the failing military mission in Afghanistan, and "reports of spreading poverty, manufacturing job loss and collapsing urban infrastructure, while corporate profits are surging, have all contributed to putting the Tories back on the defensive."

     Figueroa's report slammed the rising expressions of racism and xenophobia across the country, including the manufactured uproar of "veiled voting" and the "reasonable accommodation" debate in Quebec, which has become a forum for bigots.

     A key section of the CC report, covering the situation in the labour movement, was presented by Sam Hammond, chair of the party's Central Trade Union Commission. (See page 6 for excerpts.) This section characterized the deal signed by the CAW leadership with Magna Corp. as "a deal that gives up the right to strike and replaces the independent partisan tradition of adversarial worker representation of worker control, with a corporate partnership based on efficiency, productivity and mutual dedication to the corporate agenda."

     Hammond's report welcomed the current debates in the labour movement, and the increased visibility of the left-oriented Action Caucus at the recent Ontario Federation of Labour convention. Urging Communist and left trade unionists to develop substance and program around alternative strategies for labour, Hammond noted that the 2008 negotiations between the CAW and the Big Three automakers will be a crucial test for working class unity in the all-out fight against concessions.

     The main report closed with an overview of the year's work to build the Communist Party, including a rise in on-line applications to join the CPC, and the establishment of several new party clubs. Figueroa stressed that "the Party's growth and development must be seen as the most essential task" in advancing the class and democratic struggles. He reported on plans to launch a membership drive, to raise the circulation of the party press and to renovate its website, and to prepare for the federal election widely expected in 2008. The party's public campaign to "Drive Out the Harper Tories" will carry on into 2008, with new materials to be issued in January.

     Over the following two days, the 25-member Central Committee held intensive discussions on the report, particularly the international situation and developments in the labour movement. The report was adopted unanimously, reflecting the high level of party unity around key issues facing the working class and people's movements.

     Another key report to the CC focused on youth work and the growing activities of the Young Communist League, presented by YCL leader Johan Boyden. The party's 2007 central convention placed a high priority on efforts to help build the YCL, which continues to recruit and form new clubs across Canada. Boyden reported that YCL members are playing an increasing role in movements of students and young workers, such as campaigns to raise the minimum wage, and the recent militant struggle of Quebec students against higher tuition fees.

     A series of special resolutions was adopted by the CC, including a call to defeat Bill C-3 and to rescind "security certificates" and all so-called "anti-terror" legislation; a statement condemning the recent outbreaks of anti-immigrant and racist expressions; a demand for a fair trial for Aboriginal activist John Graham, who was recently extradited to the U.S. on trumped-up murder charges; and a letter to the Manitoba Métis Federation, expressing the CPC's solidarity against the recent court ruling which denied the Métis land claim in the Winnipeg area.

     Another resolution urged all Communist Party clubs and members to mobilize for the March 15 protests marking the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led war against Iraq. The resolution stressed the urgency of building labour participation in the campaign against Canada's military role in the Afghanistan occupation, and called for a large Canadian contingent to the World Peace Conference taking place this April in Caracas, Venezuela.

Found at: http://www.peoplesvoice.ca/articleprint09/COMMUNIST_PARTY_LEADERSHIP_LOOKS_AT_CHALLENGES_FOR_WORKING_CLASS_IN_2008.html

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