ee | eT a

-Communist Party convention

Debate is under way

What are some of the basic
questions the Communist Party

is discussing before its conven-
tion?

We’re trying to clarify our un-
derstanding of what is happen-
ing in this country in a period
of. very lively political develop-
ments — the big struggles de-
veloping in a much broader way
On the peace front, many labor
questions, including the struggle
against injunctions. The prob-
lem of the United States econo-
Mic and political domination of
Canada is obviously coming to
the fore in a sharp way. There
18 the continuing crisis of Con-
federation. All this demands
from us a great deal of creative
thinking, about how our party
Can contribute to and particip-
ate in these growing movements
and how, in the process, our
Party can extend its influence
and grow.

I should mention that we are

trying to do something different
In the convention. Instead of
aving discussion on one general
Fesolution we’re proposing that
€ convention be divided into
Panels so that delegates can
Participate more fully in work-
Ng out policy. We have five re-
Solutions: policy; the fight for
J€ party; ideological and educa-
tional work: youth work; and
abor against the monopolies.

. One of the questions coming
Into the discussion now is
Whether we are sufficiently
Showing, to our own members
and to progressive people gener-
‘ally, the relationship between
the struggles of today, on the
ronts I mentioned before, and
the achievement of socialism in
Rebtel For example, are we
elping people to see that the
Struggles for peace, for labor’s
Nights, for a new Canadian con-
stitution, for a general exten-
S1on of democracy, are part and
Parcel of the process by which
We visualize that people will
Move forward to socialism?

Are these things being discus-
Sed in the party?

Yes, In the current issue of
e bolnt, for example, there is
a article on this question. We
hee like to get more such ar-
“ €s because this subject needs
ig pect deal of thought. There

today a great interest in this
duestion of the relationship be-
aD the present struggles and

Cialism, especially among

young people.

Are there any notable changes
in the party since the last con-
vention?

Yes. On a sadder note, the
death of our former national
leader, Leslie Morris, created
many problems for us.

On the positive side I think
there is a growing participation
of Communists in the move-
ments of the people; this was
evident in recent large peace de-
monstrations. There has been a
certain improvement in our pub-
lic work. This was particularly

comes a key question. The reso-
lution on the fight for the
party makes the point that we
need to be prepared to learn
everything that can be learned
usefully from the modern tech-
niques of publicity used on this
continent. We need to streng-
then the corps of professional
journalists and publicists in the

party. |

Are any of the discussions
taking place in Communist par-
ties outside of Canada having
an effect on the way questions

hope the convention will give as
clear as possible an indication of
the main things the party should
be getting at at this time.

There are many questions
which need to be the subject, or
to some extent the subjects, of
quite lively debate, because

Marxism is a science and invol- -

ves a search for truth on the
basis of a scientific method. This
involves debate on questions.

You have mentioned democ-
racy. What are some other ques-
tions being debated?

The Communist Party's convention will take place in Toronto from
May 21-24. Tribune reporter Stan Lynn interviewed Nelson Clarke, na-
tional organizer of the party, to get an idea of- the questions before the
convention. Clarke concluded with an invitation to Tribune readers to get
into the debate. They can get free copies of Viewpoint, which carries all
resolutions, by writing to Nelson Clarke at 24 Cecil St., Toronto 2B.

to be noted in the well-attended
report-back meetings of the
Communist Party delegation to
Vietnam. Large meetings were
addressed by Tim Buck in many
parts of the country. There were
lively and well-attended meet-
ings addressed by Rae Murphy
on university campuses across
the -country, including in the
Maritimes. Maurice Rush, a
member of the delegation, had
very good meetings in British
Columbia.

On the other hand we would
also have to say, and this is of
great concern to us, that we
haven’t succeeded in bringing
about any particular change in
the size of membership of the
party or in readership of the
Communist press.

I understand there may be
some discussion on press and
publicity work?

Yes, this area needs attention.
Once we recognize the possibili-
ties of the party doing more
public campaigning, and that
Communists are more and more
able io participate in the strug-
gles of the people and in the big
public debates that are going on,
then the question of how this is
followed up by wider circulation
of the Communist press and how

the whole party can put its em-
phasis on the strengthening and

development of the press be-

are looked at and discussed
here?

We are certainly interested in
following these discussions. In
nearly all the advanced capitalist
countries Communist parties are
trying very hard to rethink a
number of ideas in respect to
the way the struggle for social-
ism will develop. There is a big
emphasis — of course this goes
back to the time of Lenin and of
Marx—on the relationship of the
struggle for the extension of
democracy to the fight for social-
ism. Many Communist parties
are actively engaged in these
kinds of discussions; they are
faced with the same problems
we face. This also involves the
shape of socialism—how it will
be organized in Canada, the par-
ticular conditions and traditions
of our country, how matters of
art and literature will be dealt
with, for example. The resolu-
tion. on ideological work in the
current issue of Viewpoint lists
a number of such questions that
need to be examined by our

party. :

Are you suggesting that some
questions will come out of this
convention as open questions to
be pursued further?

I am sure a number of ques-
tions will need to be further
pursued and discussed after this
convention. At the same time I

The question of how you view
the relationship of the big Cana-
dian monopolies to the big Ame-
rican monopolies and how you
express a fight which is against
the Canadian monopolies and at
the same time for Canadian in-
dependence against the Ameri-
can monopolies is the. subject of
debate. The policy: resolution
sets out the views of the na-
tional executive; but I think this
subject needs more study and
debate. We need a combination
of study, research and debate on
the economy — the extent to

_ which the economic problems of

North American capitalism may
be building up to crisis propor-
tions. Along with this we need
to, become more familiar with
methods the ruling class uses—
in terms of Keynesian econo-
mics, etc.—which have to some
degree modified the operations
of the economy cycle in the last
period.

Another question which is the
subject of some debate and some
unclarity and which should be
the object of more study is the
composition of the working class
today and the extent to which
the working class has now come
to embrace much wider sections

{

a somewhat narrow approach to
what constitutes the working
class today.

Is there any tendency to sug-
gest the role of the working
class in bringing about socialism
is less important now than be-
fore? g

I haven’t heard an expression
of this sort that would take
away from the significance: of
the working class in finally set-
tling matters, as it were. I think
it is understood, and should be,
that some sections of the popu-
lation may move on certain ques-
tions before the main sections
of the working class move on
them; but that doesn’t say the
working class is not going to
move on these questions. On the
peace struggle there has been
considerable activity among stu-
dents and intellectuals—many of
whom, by the way, can be con-
sidered to be part of the working
class on the basis of the wider
definition I spoke of. But: it is
worth noting there is a growing
development of working-class
participation in the struggle for
peace and this is essential for
victory.

Would you say that, outside —

of the Communist Party, among
people in motion on social is-
sues, there is an underestimation

of the role of the working class’

in bringing about social change?

There probably is. On the
other hand you find among many
a growing understanding of the
role of the working class, for
instance among the New Left
centred around university cam-
puses, This understanding is
helped by some of the discussion
in the theoretical organ of the
Communist Party in the United
States, which points out that
while some sections of this
movement are withdrawing into
tighter communities, others are
growing increasingly conscious
of the necessity for broadening
the alliance with the working
class, of its playing a key role.

Would you say the Communist
Party has been helpful in deve-

‘loping an understanding of the

of the population than before— ~

the numerical decline of the
middle strata of the population.
I think there is some tendency
in our party to fail to see the
significance of this and to have

April 22, 1966—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 5

role of the working class?

Yes, I think this is one of the
contributions we have made and

must make better. It must be

coupled with an understanding
of the breadth of the alliance of
all democratic forces which can
be and is being forged against.
the big monopolies. I think both

sides are important; but the role ~

of the working class within that
alliance is one thing I think we
bring out particularly clearly.

i
ce
|

fi 5

si inl icin

iil Saath

Oe Sere

F
=
x