long sway of British imperialist Canada: the Communist viewpoint E are privileged here tonight to take part ina unique and historic ceremony —the launching of the sales of the first full-length book by Tim Buck. Perhaps the preach- ers have hit upon a good method of introducing a talk like this; . in any case, I want to use a text from the 1925 writings of Joseph Stalin; “What do the proletarians in the West need in order to con- quer? Above al, faith in their own powers, the. consciousness that the working class can get along without the bourgeoise, that the working class is competent, not‘ only to destroy the old but likewise to build the new, to build up socialism.” This book, Canada: The Com- munist Viewpoint, is designed to- instill in the working class—and first and foremost in the van- guard—“faith in their own pow- ers.” The book is a polemic, a rea- soned and powerful assault upon the capitalist “explainers’” and ideologists, the professors and writers who defend the practice and jungle morality of capitalism. Thus, it follows in the great tra- dition of all Communist theoreti- cians, who wrote for socialism by destroying, word by word and page by page, with reasoned argu- ment and enlightening fact, the defenses of capitalism by the op- position. ) This is not just a question of literary style. This is style mar- ried to content—at once a style in its own right and yet a part of revolutionary content. Over this question of form and content _ there is raging a windy argument _in the dismal world of capitalist literature—an argument which _ reflects its inner crisis. Let honest writers learn from Tim Buck; let them learn from the workers’ leader how to ‘retrieve from the corruption of modern bourgeoise literature in its crisis the method of the great democratic writers of the past and apply it to our own times. Chaptér One of Tim Buck’s book deals with “Canada’s Crisis _ of National Policy, wherein are _ described the “post-war realities” which face Canadians in contrast to the bright ambitions of the war- _ time years. : Ts it not true that in Canadian _ hearts this contradiction between what they hoped for in war time - and what they now get and are fearful of, is the motive force of present movements—in factories, _ unions, homes? Tim Buck starts from the facts. They are piled up, one on another, to show how the crisis which has overtaken Canada—part of the world crisis of imperialism — is the generator of bourgeois politic- al reaction, but also the generator of the growing radicalization of the masses. Policies grow out of © _ the real world; they are the reac- tion of men’s minds upon social realities. For the bourgeoisie, shrinking before the crisis of its _ system, such reactions take the shape of increasing tendencies to fascism and war; for the labor movement, such reactions are in- -evitably leading to new mass ae for democracy — apd Rs T coon capitalist system is es caunha up in the chronic imperial- _ ist contradictions in the world to- _ day; the decline of the British im- perialist system; the emergence of the U.S. as the strongest but _ very unstable imperialist power— at a time when the world of social- ism and democracy is rising to Sweep away all imperialism—in- _ hiding the new U.S. juggernaut _ which has come too late upon the scene to duplicate the generations- ‘rule, The effect of this change in world relations upon Canada, which is by economic ties, geog- raphy iand tradition profoundly influenced by British and U.S. de- velopments, is the supreme fact which workers have to grasp to- day. Tim Buck’s first chapter ana- lyses the impact of this change upon: the traditional lines of* in- dustry, trade and farming. Sec- tions devoted to “U.S. Dollar ‘Cri™ Sis and National Policy,” “The Betrayal of Our National Inde- pendence” arouse thought and lead to action. Is not that the real purpose of books? A purpose which has been twisted and sup- pressed by the bourgeois notion that reading either is something to put you to sleep in the evening or an escape from the real world? ‘The future of our country (and the tasks of today) are, to be sought in two places; firstly, in a study of the concrete history of Canada. in its specific develop- ment as a class society moving from the early colonialism to the present imperialist stage; second- ly in the Marxist-Leninist pro-- gram wherein is delineated the socialist future. “What the bourgeoise produces, above all, are its own gravedig- gers,” said Marx. How were the gravediggers—the modern work- ing class—produced in Canada? How did changing production re- lations bring about mass-produced commodities — the social forces that would break through the “in- tegument” and solve the major so- cial contradiction which strangles our country—the conflict between socialized labor and ithe private appropriation of the product? To put a question in proper form is half way towards answer- ing it rightly. Tim Buck approach- es Canada as an imperialist pow- er. Lenin’s five points of examin- ation as. to what constitutes im- perialism, when applied to Can- ada, results in Tim Buck’s form- ulation of the present stage of this country’s development: “Thus Canada has_ evolved from a group of isolated British colonies in North America to an imperialist state. Winning na- tional sovereignty as a result of growing strength, plus the eco- nomic and Political contradic- tions between Britain and the U.S., Canada was transformed from a country with a national economy and state policies char- ~ acterized by free capitalist com: petition, to a highly monopolis- tic economy, with state policies which reflect the merging of the policies and power of the © state with the interests and poli- cies of the finance-capitalist: oli- garchy; and the directors of the policies of_ finance-capital are seeking now to make Canada lit- erally a dependency of the Un- ited States.” (See page 86-7). e : No statement in this book is without its buttressing argument. We are given a wealth of mate-_ rial relating to monopoly con- trol, materials which are not un- ‘coordinated and scattered loosely as in bourgeois historical works, but organized and sifted so that the conclusions flow from them directly and clearly. Canada, developing from colony to imperialist power, possessing no colonies of its own but whose economy is of a classical finance- capitalist nature, once closely in- tegrated with British imperialism but now becoming a dependency of U.S. imperialism; with a ruling class whose drive for Profits and its accompaniment — war—brings : it into sharp collision with the interests of the “other nation” of the workers and farmers; whose fundamental economic contradic tions ery aloud for the full social- ist solution—this is the graphic picture drawn in the first three chapters, Making the sharp formulation that “monopoly capitalism is im: perialism, anti - democratic in Canada today, anti-Canadian in its unity with Wali Street, char- acterized above all by its search ior domination and ty aims which, unless checked by popu- lar democratic action, can only lead to continued and ever more devastating war.” (Pp. 87-88) Tim Buck examines the crisis of imperialism and the danger of World War '3. One cannot do that without de- scribing the rise of the new de- mocracies in the world. A whole section gives this material, from which emerges a picture of the “two camps” in the world: the camp of peace, socialism and de- mocracy, and the camp of war, fascism and tyranny. Here are massed the arguments which will arm the Party and the workers to repel the warmakers— to expose the class roots of their anti-Soviet, anti-Canadiah policy, to reveal the depths of the Tory miasma in which Colonel Drew wallows. “The Politics of Reaction and War” is the chapter which opens a study of “Interests and Parties in Canada’s Transition,” the tran- sition that the Canadian capital- ists are trying to force through _ from parliamentary democracy to fascism; and the transition at the other end of the class pole which the workers are ‘seeking to com- pel, from dependence upon capi- talist politics to working class politics. e Mere In Chapter 6 is presented, “A People’s National Policy.” as op- ' posed to the disasters projected by the moribund and historically outworn imperialists. Against the | policy of war, dependence on U.S. economy and increasing political reaction, Tim Buck puts forward a new national policy which is not presented as a utopian set of solutions picked out of the air, but as a set of practical political proposals which offers the\ basis for a mighty people’s movement against monopoly capital on all fronts. — What would such a policy con- tain? The key is given on Page 180: “The real interests of the nation are in the interests of the great mass of its people, their health, weliare, opportunity tor self-development, and their mater- ial security. Canadian economy has reached the stage of develop- ment at which the interests of the people—the real nation—must dis- place “profits” as the determining ' consideration in shaping our na- tional economic policies.” This is the alternative policy to the Abbott Plan and Marshall , Plan—the planned development of cur economy, world trade and ex- panded production, to build the manufacturing industries and halt cur dependence on U.S. industry. From such a stimulated economy working in the national interest flows the second proposal (P. 182): “The aim and purpose of national economic activity should be the wellbeing and economic security of every Canadian, instead of, as now, to maintain the rate of profit for investors.” This is not advanced as a re- formist “solution.” Tim Buck says (P, 187): “The Labor-Progressive Party advocates unity of all pro- gressive Canadians in consistent political struggle to carry through ®% program such as is outlined. above. Such united action could win important reforms and would demonstrate the tremendous possi- bilities that lie ahead of us, pro- vided only that we make the fun- damental changes necessary to prevent economic disaster, politi- eal reaction and a new imperalist war. But we will not, we cannot, independent achieve the age of abundance for all, except by Wrens the profit system.” O = From a “People’s National Pol- icy” the book moves into the final chapter: “The Guide to Work- ing-Class Victory.” which easily could stand alone as a succinct, powerful treatment of the basic elements of the Marxist-Leninist ideology. It commences with a treatment of the great intellectual struggle in the present-day world, the conflict between bourgeois and’ working class ideology. It is a fact that theoretical treatment in the West of these profound ques- tions has lagged behind practical work, Engels explained this, not by any “national” peculiarities of Western people, but because in Britain the parasitic nature of the economy so influenced the work- ing class as to infect it with bour- geois ideas of “national superior- ity” to the extent that the fight for socialist theory was very diffi-. cult. That period is swiftly end- ing. In America the practical tasks of creating a vast new capi- talist civilization out of the wild- erness—the feverish tempo of economic growth — retarded the mastery of socialist theory. No doubt this materialist explanation of Engels also held good for Can- ada up to now. But we are now in the first stages of a rapid development of theory to explain and guide our practice, and the grinding and patient work that goes to make up socialist scholarship and creative writing lies at our doors. Tim Buck points out how the Work- ers’ Party in the early twenties, the Communist Party which it be- came in 1924, and now the LPP have been the repositories of the ‘Marxist growth in this country. A continuity is seen throughout the life of the Party, commencing with the 1922 program of the Workers Party which advocated a labor party, trade union unity and eco: nomic measures to fight the post- ‘war crisis, and ending with the present policies of the LPP which are similar—although on a far higher plane. Through this period, too, the fight against Berean was waged. “The historical movement going on under our very eyes” is a part of this chapter whose title is drawn from one of Lenin’s greatest works, “What Is to Be Done? World movements are here linked with those in Canada of a similar basic nature: the class struggles at each specific stage are out- , lined, together with the impact of world history on Canada and Can- ada’s effects on the world. The long, arduous road trod by work- ers to become conscious as a class of their historic role, and the ten- ets of Marxism - Leninism, are taught in this section as they always should be: as part of the “historical movement going on un- der our very eyes,” not as a set of dusty dogmas to be es to memory. ee. ‘ The fundamental conflict be- tween the right wing social demo- cratic “theory” of the CCF (which is codified opportunism) and the Marxist - Leninist materialist sci- ence which provides the LPP pro- gram, is described excellently. To really fight social democracy one must know how and why it is false, be “theory” as On all basie ¢ and politics: the nation, the few, war, ingen rialig LPP and the CCF prog opposed. The fight f iat ulti- mate single working rat party, which implies the masses of reformist- ers from the CCF leade trol over to a bes A review of Tim Buck’s book By LESLIE MORRIS will not be assisted, but only de- layed, by failure to fight on ques- tions of principle: There is no real but only a fancied contradiction between the battle against social democratic opportunism and the fight for unity in action with the CCF and reformist-minded mass-. es. Tim Buck has the faculty of be- ing that sort of proletarian leader | who can write about the very his- tory he has participated in fash- ioning. Many scribblers from the bourgeois world try to do that. It is quite fashionable now to write piffling and nontimportant ac-.. counts of the “I was there when .” kind. But the LPP leader was there and in most cases took a leading part in events, not from the com- fortable sidelines but in the thick of «the fight “when the arrows: flew like starlings in the dusk.” Tim Buck, the Canadian work- ingman, has written a book of history, economies, philosophy and practice. He is the forerunner of many more who will do likewise, but all of them will have occasion to refer to Canada: The Commun; ist Viewpoint: The working class Party is for-~ tunate to have this new weapon in. _its armory, But weapons can rust — in armories. Like commodities. their value is realized only wae they are used. Let the wide circulation of this. book once more disprove the capi-. talist lie that workers are not in- terested in books and ideas. Almost at the end of his book, Tim Buck writes: “The monopol-. ists will fight. They will strive to weaken labor at home—by union-. smashing, by red:baiting, by brib-— ing corrupt weaklings, by the use — of capitalist governments and courts. They will strive to coun- teract the growing dynamic in- Spiration of socialism abroad by threats of war. They will fail in the one as they will in the other. Their system has had its day, and its day is done, “As Lenin once wrote in com: mentary upon the character of our epoch: ‘We are living in a happy time, when the forecast of the great socialists is beginning to come true’.” ‘ { . \ @ Excerpts from a review made | at the Toronto Literature Insti- tute and Book Fair, when Tim ‘Buck's new book, Canada:. The Communist Viewpoint, first ap- — peared. Published by Progress Books, Toronto, the book is ob- tainable at the People’s Coopera- tive Bookstore, 339 West Pender — Street, Vancouver, at’ $1.00.