Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
January 31, 2011
Re: Letter to Editor of Focus On Socialism by Christopher Black
Christopher Black wrote:
‐‐‐‐‐Original Message‐‐‐‐‐
From: Christopher Black
Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 8:00 AM
To: Canadians for Peace & Socialism
Subject: Re: FOS: e‐Bulletin No. 24
Dear Mr. Currie
"Parties for profit" includes the NDP clearly. Why don't you say so.
"Parties of the working class". There is only one‐ the Communist Party but you refuse to mention the
CPC? WHY?
Christopher Black
Dear Christopher
Thank you for your comments and questions. They are pointed and clear and require a
thorough reply. If you have further comments or questions please send them forward.
By the nature of your questions and comments you impose a requirement on CPS that
seems to be unique. You demand that CPS be held to account for what it does not say in one
item dealing with one issue, the electoral tactic necessary to defeat the Harper Government,
while according to yourself the option of not commenting on what we do say about that
issue.
You of course have that option. It is clear to me that you are more interested in knowing our
attitude to the CPC and the NDP but have no interest in discussing what our bulletin has to
say about the actions necessary to defeat Harper.
It will be my purpose to answer the questions you are interested in and stand ready to hear
your opinions should you wish to express them about what the CPS is primarily interested in
and the reason we circulated our first federal election bulletin, the need for a majority of
Canadians for Peace & Socialism z Box 168 z Slocan BC z V0G 2C0 z 250 355 2669 z editor@FocusOnSocialism.ca
www.FocusOnSocialism.ca
Canadian voters to unite and administer a crushing electoral defeat in the forthcoming
federal election to the right wing minority Conservative Government of Prime Minister
Harper.
As to your comments and questions:
I am attaching a URL of an article prominently displayed on the home page of our website
www.focusonsocialism.ca that CPS addressed to the Communist Party of Canada prior to its
last 36th Central Convention. I have excerpted the following quote for the purposes of this
discussion and if you wish you may read the entire article on line. It was one of many articles
over the years where CPS and I personally have stated our standpoint on the class character
of the Communist Party of Canada.
Here is what CPS said prior to the last convention of the CPC.
“The MPR (Main Political Resolution DC) throughout, correctly accords to the working
class the central role in leading Canada forward to economic and political independence,
peace and socialism. That profound truth alone elevates the role of the Communist
Party above all other political forces for progress that are active in the body politic of
our country. All other political parties represent, in one way or another, the class
interests of wealth and privilege, all with a direct interest in perpetuating state
monopoly capitalism. The Communist Party alone of all of the political parties
recognizes and accepts the inevitability of the revolutionary overthrow of the capitalist
system and its replacement by the historically imminent and necessary system of
socialism.” 1
The CPS characterization of the NDP as a social democratic reformist party representing an
array of reformist forces that upholds the profit system in Canada has also been repeatedly
stated by CPS in many writings and articles and public statements. Below is just one of
innumerable statements of CPS regarding the NDP.
“Left tendencies are the basis for promoting left‐centre unity to defeat right wing
extremism. Such ideas find little support in the top leadership of the NDP or the Liberal
Party. That is not a reason for rank and file workers and militant labour leaders not to
consider them. The top leadership of the NDP and the Liberal Party does not give
consistent or reliable support to the agenda of organized labour. We have to fight with
1
http://www.focusonsocialism.ca/random.asp?ID=266
Canadians for Peace & Socialism z Box 168 z Slocan BC z V0G 2C0 z 250 355 2669 z editor@FocusOnSocialism.ca
www.FocusOnSocialism.ca
them to get their attention. It is their purpose to blur class lines and it is our purpose to
clearly define them. At one time it was popular on the left to speak of two parties
upholding the profit system. Today all parties uphold the profit system except the
Communist Party. That is a reality that should not be obscured from workers but must
not be used as an argument against advocating left‐centre unity.” 2
If you are interested our website has an archives section where a wide variety of op‐ed,
theoretical work and political statements including our critical evaluation of the policies and
actions of all political parties in Canada can be found with little effort. 3
You object to the fact that we did not include your views of what you believe the CPC and
NDP to be, in our first federal election bulletin. We state quite clearly in the first paragraph
of our federal election bulletin that it is the first in what we intend to be a series of
commentary leading up to the next federal election. CPS did the same thing in the last
federal election. CPS election bulletins published in the last federal election are also available
on our website. 4
Why you would assume that what was said in our first bulletin, was the last word on all
matters including the questions that interest you, have not been explained in your email. I
would be interested in knowing what the basis for that assumption.
It is generally acknowledged that public groups such as ours have the right to choose how
they address questions of politics. While I thank you for your view as to what you believe our
first bulletin should have addressed, I believe it is reasonable to assert that such a view is a
matter of opinion and not one of principle.
We did not include in our first bulletin a full spectrum description of all parties and
concentrated our fire on the Conservatives as a deliberate choice of emphasis that we
believe in the circumstances is correct. To not provide a full spectrum analysis of all political
parties in the first introductory federal election bulletin can be objected to as the wrong
choice but I repeat not to do so is a matter of journalistic opinion, not a violation of political
principle.
2
http://www.focusonsocialism.ca/random.asp?ID=94
3
http://www.focusonsocialism.ca/archives.asp
4
http://www.focusonsocialism.ca/content.asp?ID=4
Canadians for Peace & Socialism z Box 168 z Slocan BC z V0G 2C0 z 250 355 2669 z editor@FocusOnSocialism.ca
www.FocusOnSocialism.ca
If CPS is to be required to state our formal political characterization of all political parties as
a preamble to all of our public statements on any matter of politics affecting the Canadian
people that same standard must also be applied to the Communist Party of Canada and for
that matter if we are to be considered consistently democratic to all political parties. No
political party or group that I am aware of has such a standard template preceding all of
their public commentary and neither does CPS.
On the fundamental question of how to characterize political parties that is a matter of
principle. CPS accepts Lenin’s thesis that every political party represents some class and
class interest. That is why it is wrong in principle to state that there is only one party of the
working class. There can be more than one party in a given country that speaks for the
working class and there are many examples of that fact today.
In Britain, Russia, Brazil, Spain, Italy, France, Chile and many other countries there are two
and sometimes more than two Communist and worker’s parties asserting they are a party of
the working class and some of them as you do, assert they are the only party of the working
class.
How does one judge whether a particular Communist or worker’s party is the only party of
the working class? Not even the International Communist and Workers Parties (IWCP)
presume to tell workers what Communist party in their country is the only party of the
working class. The proceedings of the International meetings of the International
Communist and Worker’s parties are published on www.solidnet.org for everyone to see
and judge and there we find that where there is more than one Communist party in a single
country, they are accorded the privilege of stating their views. CPS believes that at this time
in the history of the Communist movement that is not only the best approach it is the only
approach that can lead to unity of the communist forces in each country. We are for the
opportunity of all genuine working class parties and groups, and we include ours, to have
the right to express their views and to have those views judged by all workers.
At the time of the formation of communist parties following the Bolshevik Revolution the
Communist International laid out 20 principles and criteria that a party seeking admission to
the International must subscribe to. The Communist Party of Canada was one of those
parties and as it approaches its 90th anniversary it declares that it continues to this day to
uphold that original criteria.
Canadians for Peace & Socialism z Box 168 z Slocan BC z V0G 2C0 z 250 355 2669 z editor@FocusOnSocialism.ca
www.FocusOnSocialism.ca
Under the impact of the counter‐revolutionary overthrow of the Soviet Union and the
European system of socialist states in 1989‐90, a tragic set‐back for the international
working class, splits occurred in Communist parties, including the CPC, with one trend
moving towards revisionist accommodation with social reformism and the other asserting
its Leninist character and others falling somewhere in between, exhibiting both revisionist
and revolutionary tendencies.
CPS believes that while that process is not over in all parties, our international movement
has come a long way since 1989‐90 and the Leninist tendency in the ICWP is winning
everywhere.
I mention this because this phenomenon in the present period of history of more than one
Communist party claiming to be the only party of the working class in a particular country is
a reality and will continue for some time until the basis for unity is achieved in both theory
and practice. It is the standpoint of CPS that unity will be achieved as the Leninist trends
everywhere win out decisively in all Communist parties.
In Canada there is one party of the working class, the Communist Party of Canada. However
it is the working class that ultimately decides whether it will create other parties
representing its class interests. What should be the attitude of communists that work for
the unity of the working class when other parties appear claiming to speak for the working
class?
And more concretely what should the attitude of members of the CPC be when parties
appear claiming to speak for the working class that are not communist parties?
From what I can gain in the way of credible information by reading the People’s Voice there
is now in Quebec a new party Quebec Solidaire (QS) that has elected to the National
Assembly of Quebec a very eloquent voice for labour and democracy by the name of Amir
Khadir. From what we can read about this party and its leader, it is becoming, to the anger
and dismay of the PQ, the defacto labour and democratic opposition in the National
Assembly to the liberal big business government of Premier Jean Charest.
From reports emanating from Quebec the Parti Communiste du Quebec (PCQ) works in
close cooperation with QS and provides support to its struggle to unite labour and
democratic voters around a program it is in the process of elaborating. The communists I
can only presume are providing support to QS because among other things it appears to
Canadians for Peace & Socialism z Box 168 z Slocan BC z V0G 2C0 z 250 355 2669 z editor@FocusOnSocialism.ca
www.FocusOnSocialism.ca
have the support of many workers many of whom are activists in the CSN and the FTQ, the
two major labour federations in Quebec. 5
Perhaps you can tell me as reliable information is scarce; does the PCQ go to QS meetings
where the QS program is now being actively discussed in preparation for its adoption in
March 2011 and declare as you demand CPS must do: "Parties of the working class". There is
only one ‐ the Communist Party but you refuse to mention the PCQ? WHY?
I do not wish to render your argument foolish but I am sorry to say it is. To do as you suggest
would be a gross tactical mistake by the Communists of Quebec. To declare that it is a
requirement of principle that everywhere and under all circumstances communists must
state that the Communist Party of Canada is the only party of the working class is a
doctrinaire leftist error that Lenin dealt with definitively in his great work, “Left Wing
Communism – An Infantile Disorder.”
That incidentally is why CPS took the approach it did in our first bulletin, which evoked a
positive response. To have opened an appeal to a broad spectrum of left opinion, including
members of the NDP and organized labour and peace movement, calling for unity to defeat
the Harper Government and make the main point our statement a declaration that the
Communist Party of Canada is the only party of the working class, and the NDP a social
democratic reformist party upholds the profit system, would in our opinion have been a
foolish left sectarian mistake. CPS tries to avoid such mistakes and in our opinion so should
the CPC.
The next federal election and the campaign leading up to it, is the opportunity for the CPC to
build electoral unity, a tactical question, to defeat the Harper government, the strategic aim.
The 20 to 25 Communist candidates that will be nominated to run in the next federal election
must begin now, to advance the CPC program and work for electoral unity to defeat Harper
and apply correct tactical methods to achieve the strategic aim that has been spelled out in
the documents of the 36th Convention and in the last CC meeting of the CPC.
In the course of doing that, the CPC will not have to demand that it be recognized by
workers as the only party of the working class it will have the opportunity to be recognised
as such by workers for what it does to advance a program around which all workers can
unite at the polls to defeat Harper. The CPC cannot do that by proclaiming first, that it is the
only party of the working class and that the NDP upholds the profit system.
5
http://programme.quebecsolidaire.net/sinformer
Canadians for Peace & Socialism z Box 168 z Slocan BC z V0G 2C0 z 250 355 2669 z editor@FocusOnSocialism.ca
www.FocusOnSocialism.ca
CPS will in time have more to say about what we believe is a winning communist program
and electoral strategy and tactic for the defeat of the Harper Conservatives in the upcoming
federal election. It is an important question.
I thank you for your comments and questions and look forward to further discussions as we
publish more bulletins going forward to the next federal election.
In solidarity.
Sincerely
Don Currie, Editor Focus On Socialism
Canadians for Peace & Socialism z Box 168 z Slocan BC z V0G 2C0 z 250 355 2669 z editor@FocusOnSocialism.ca
www.FocusOnSocialism.ca