March 31, 2006 - No. 46

36th Anniversary of CPC(M-L)

Call to Take Up the Practical Political Tasks
Set for This Period

Comrade Sandra L. Smith, National Leader of CPC(M-L), addresses 36th anniversary celebration in Toronto -- March 25, 2006

On the occasion of the 36th anniversary of the the founding of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist), the Central Committee sends warmest revolutionary greetings to all members, supporters, friends and all those working to open society's path to progress. CPC(M-L) calls on Canadian workers, women, youth, national and other minorities and all progressive and democratic forces to join the Party's Historic Initiative by setting practical political tasks so that the working class makes concrete gains to constitute itself as the nation and vest sovereignty in the people.

By putting forward practical politics, CPC(M-L) is organizing the workers, women and youth to take up concrete issues in order to advance the working class movement. The notion put forward by various political parties that the time is not ripe for practical politics leaves the working class vulnerable to wish lists while the assaults against them and society increase. So long as practical politics are not taken up, then all energies are spent justifying the wish lists put forward in the name of the working class.

CPC(M-L) is celebrating its 36th anniversary with a program of concrete work which takes up the political tasks set for this period.

36th Anniversary Celebration in Toronto

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) hosted a celebration in Toronto March 25 to mark the 36th anniversary of the Party's founding. The entire evening was marked by the determination of the Party and progressive forces to step up the work to organize the workers and people on the basis of practical politics to resist the assault on society and open a path for its progress.

Pierre Chénier, Secretary of CPC(M-L)'s Workers' Centre and MC for the evening, welcomed everyone and introduced various personalities attending the event. Participants greeted with great enthusiasm Sandra L. Smith, National Leader of CPC(M-L); Laureano Cardoso, Toronto Consul General of the Republic of Cuba; and Kathleen Chandler, General Secretary of the U.S. Marxist-Leninist Organization. Vigorous applause greeted the presence of workers from steel, auto, the post office, transportation, printing, food processing, the public sector and young workers from different sectors of the economy, as well as various leaders of the workers' movement.

Representatives of Toronto's Filipino, Korean, Latin American and Black communities joined the celebration as part of the broad representation of peoples of national minority origin who are active in opposing state-organized racist attacks and defending the rights of all.

Large contingents from the Party's Quebec Regional Committee and the Communist Youth Union of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) also participated, along with Party activists from many cities in Ontario and representatives from Alberta and British Columbia.

The celebration began with a performance of The Dawn, a song dedicated to the anti-fascist fighters of the Spanish Civil War. Participants paid respects to all those who have fallen victim to the crimes against humanity committed by the imperialists, as well as to CPC(M-L)'s founder and leader Comrade Hardial Bains and all the Party comrades, communists and anti-fascist fighters who dedicated their lives to building a new world without exploitation of persons by persons.

Comrade Sandra welcomed the participants on behalf of the Central Committee and highlighted some of the main concerns of the Party at this time. "As you know, we intended to hold the Party's 8th Congress last December. But as the federal election was called, we decided to field candidates and postpone the Congress. The new date for the Congress will be announced in due course. In the meantime the Party is engaging its members and supporters in a program of assessing where things stand in the world and what can be done to reverse the tide of retrogression and resolve the crisis in favour of the working class and people of our own country and of the world."

Addressing the program of the Harper government and need to organize the working class on the basis of practical politics, Comrade Sandra pointed out that every effort is being made to push retrogression onto the working class. The aim is to eliminate any prospects of developing its independent leading role, even when it fights to defend its interests against the anti-social offensive.

"Today, who is undermining the resistance struggle of the working class?" she asked. She pointed out that it is elements who have their eyes fixed on the structures and superstructures of the bourgeois reality and try to convince the workers to trust them. They want to be given a chance to prove themselves in government and state agencies and promise to run the capitalist system better if only they are provided with the opportunity, she said. She pointed out that even though what they do with the opportunity is there for all to see, diversion and disinformation are used so that the workers cannot draw warranted conclusions and organize themselves.

"Anyone who has participated in the resistance movement knows it is easy to become engrossed in activism and lose sight of the direction of the movement. This amounts to not taking into account the role of the conscious factor and the leading position of the working class in changing society. It is tantamount to condemning the world to repetition because the quality remains the same. Routine and spontaneity negate thinking things through and working out how to act within the situation so as to favour the interests of the individuals, their collectives and society," she said.

"Anyone who received the MLPC New Year's card knows that this year we advanced the slogan: 'Workers Themselves Must Take Up Politics to Defend Their Interests.' In this regard the creation of organizations which analyse and unite the workers on the basis of action with analysis must be stepped up."

Pointing out that in this period of retreat and retrogression less is more, Comrade Sandra elaborated how the Party is paying greater attention to the organizing work in the working class. On this basis, she called on everyone to put full weight behind the actions of the workers in defence of their rights. She also called on workers to support the initiatives of the Workers' Centre and stressed the need for more journalists and funds to expand the workers' press.

Comrade Sandra also addressed the issue of organizing the youth, pointing out that what ideology the youth espouse is the most important question. "We are pleased to say that the youth are turning to Marxism-Leninism," she said. "This a key ingredient for the success of the struggle to create a new society and it cannot be left to spontaneity. Our Party works hard to make sure that the issue of which ideology the youth espouse is resolved in favour of Marxism-Leninism."

Since the forum held last December in Montreal where the youth launched a national inquiry into Canada's political system, they have gained experience on how this democracy works by participating in the federal election, Comrade Sandra pointed out. She highlighted various initiatives they are taking up this year, including a youth camp in August which will feature a week-long study session on the political system. They are also taking up various initiatives to expand the Party's technical base and the work to break the silence on the living and working conditions in Quebec and the various regions in Canada so as to end the marginalization of workers fighting for their rights. They will also join the workers in a friendly competition to sell and distribute Workers' Forum to accomplish the same aim.

Comrade Sandra pointed out: "The youth are a great force for social progress but they do not constitute a social class. If they are to succeed, they have to base their strivings for a bright future on the working class, and not only ask the workers directly for assistance but put themselves in the service of the needs of the working class movement for emancipation."

She also addressed the Party's work to strengthen the movement against state-organized racist attacks and the increasing fascization of all aspects of life. "In this regard, we express our greatest concern today regarding state-organized attacks against people of Muslim faith and Arab origin, immigrants, the First Nations and especially against the youth -- poor youth, Black youth, South Asian and Filipino youth, youth of other national minorities and the native youth." She said that this year great efforts will be made to strengthen the role of the Party and non-Party press to serve the struggle against state-organized racist and fascist violence. "We call on Canadian workers, including immigrant workers, to stand in the front ranks of the fight to renew the political process in Canada on the basis of the call: 'Together let us take a bold step in defence of the rights of all'," she said.

Further highlighting the Party's work to mobilize everyone in defence of democratic rights, Comrade Sandra pointed out: "This year we are also engaged in a program to raise the level of discussion on the fundamental issue of the attitude towards the state and building the united front of the people to mobilize everyone to wage a resolute struggle in defence of democratic rights. To blame the youth for the problems they are facing and foreign-born workers for the problems of society is criminal. CPC(M-L) is engaged in consultation amongst the people of Toronto to form a Committee for People's Democratic Rights as a genuine mass organization which works to end disinformation on issues referred to by the state as 'crime and violence' and fully inform the polity of the working and living conditions of the marginalized communities and their struggles. Our aim is to popularize and elaborate the kinds of actions which unite the people to solve problems, including the problems of political persecution, repression and state-organized attacks. Minority communities have been fighting heroically over the years and they need the support of what's called the mainstream."

Comrade Sandra further stated that the significance of the Party's call for the establishment of an anti-war government cannot be underestimated. "An anti-war government is not a matter of demanding that on single issues -- such as missile defence or the occupation of Iraq, Haiti and other countries -- Canada not participate. CPC(M-L) considers that the program of the international financial oligarchy represented by governments at all levels is seriously increasing the danger of fascism and a war of worldwide proportions. The most important activity is to organize the working class and people in a manner which prepares them to face all eventualities and avert the dangers facing humanity at this time," she said.

"The developments across the country and internationally show that arbitrariness has been declared normal, greatly increasing the insecurity of life and the dangers which face the polity and the peoples everywhere. The aim CPC(M-L) has taken up is to organize the united front of the working class and people against arbitrariness and in defence of the rights of all. Similarly, the work to vest sovereignty in the people is a matter of organizing the people to deliberate on the affairs facing the polity and humankind so as to build up their capability to influence the course of events. Today, the issue of sovereignty squarely poses itself as either independence, as the expression of the will of the peoples, or as annexation, as the negation of the will of the peoples."

She announced that the Party is planning to participate in the next federal election by calling for the election of candidates on the basis of an anti-war platform. An integral part of the platform will be the need to establish trade on the basis of mutual benefit, not on the basis of inter-imperialist and inter-monopoly competition in which the workers are supposed to side with their "own monopolies."

"Our proletarian internationalism, which is known by the name of Lenin, begins at home," Comrade Sandra said. "We Marxist-Leninists organize at home and express our proletarian internationalism through our revolutionary practice and theory and our efforts to support the revolutionary movement throughout the world.

"Our internationalism has a class character, a partisanship for the working class that is the builder of the new society. The society must be new in every sense of the word. It must be new in the relations with others, in the sense that all peoples -- whether their nations are big or small, whether they constitute nation-states or not -- are equal. Their traditions, cultures and aspirations must have an equal place of honour. The development of what emerges as the best in all cultures will constitute the world's culture -- not on the basis of negating any culture but on the basis of the growth and development of all cultures.

"In this respect, the new culture will clash with the cruel policy of forcibly wiping out national cultures which today finds its expression in the extinction of entire nations. This gives rise to not only what is called cosmopolitanism, but to the so-called civilized values of the free-market economy, human rights and multi-party democracy which is the formula for civil wars and occupation, creating the serious danger of a cataclysmic world war."

In conclusion, Comrade Sandra called on everyone to take up the practical political tasks set for the period as a fitting contribution to the celebration of the 36 years of work and struggle of CPC(M-L) for the creation of a society fit for human beings. She ended with the slogans: "Long live CPC(M-L)! Vigorously support the resistance struggle of all the oppressed and fighting forces at home and abroad! Together let us take a bold stand in defence of the rights of all!"

During the evening, Comrade Sandra presented Comrade Kathleen Chandler of the USMLO with a poster on New Orleans which highlighted the outrage felt by humanity at the criminal treatment of the American people in the wake of hurricane Katrina. Comrade Kathleen expressed pride in the work being done in common by the USMLO and CPC(M-L). She further spoke about the courageous struggle of the American people and the work of the USMLO against the U.S. failed state.

Comrade Laureano Cardoso, Consul General at the Cuban Consulate in Toronto, also addressed the participants. To shouts of "Viva Cuba," he expressed his appreciation for the work of CPC(M-L) in support of Cuba. He talked about Cuba's assistance to and solidarity with peoples around the world, as well as the hypocrisy of the U.S. on issues such as human rights and terrorism which exposes its hostile intentions towards Cuba and other countries.

In the course of the evening, the youth held a raffle to support the printing and distribution of Granma International in Canada. The prize was a silk screen print calling for the freedom of the five Cuban patriots imprisoned in the U.S. for their efforts to prevent terrorists attacks against Cuba from U.S. soil.

During and after dinner, people went from table to table discussing and getting to know the representatives of the numerous organizations present, while political and folk songs from around the world were performed.

The evening was a celebration of a Party that has taken up the organizing work that is required to unite the working class and people in defence of their interests and solve the crisis of a decaying world in a way that favours the workers and people of Canada and worldwide.

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