DIVISION OBSTRUCTION TO LABOR MOVEMENT

CF-LPP unity key to advané.

(This is the second of two
articles by Leslie Morris, LPP
ational organizer, comment-
ing on the recently published
pamphlet, A Socialist Takes
Stock, by David Lewis, CCF
national chairman.)

Continued division and hos-
tility between the CCF and
LPP, the two parties of the
Canadian labor, obstructs the
advances Canadian labor is
now in a position to make.

It is on the issues of the day
that the divisions between the
CCF and the LPP can best be
reduced and eventually heal-
ed.

That is not to say that there

d more long-

are not deeper a
term questions
of policy to be
resolved. The
CCF has not
been construct-
ed as a Marx-
ist party—that
is, on the prin-:
ciple that the:
working class\
must win polit-'
ical power and§

state in

order to bring into being the

be in control of the

new socialist economic rela-
tionships based qn the public
ownership of the property of
the great monopoliesyThe LPP

upon this Marxist

is founded

principle. Both parties and
both viewpoints historically
arose out of Canadian and

world developments.

How the socialist transfor-
mation will be achieved must
become the concern of the
working class, for it is the so-
cial force at the head of the
people which can le ad the
country to socialism. Until it
embraces the ideas of social-
ism, socialism cannot be won.

Communist thinking on the
roads to this change has un-
dergone, is still undergoing, a
process of alteration.

The LPP program of 1954
projected the possibility, in the
new conditions in the post-war
world, of the peaceful trans-
formation to a socialist society
through parliamentary democ-
racy as it has evolved in Ca-
nada, and the LPP set itself
the aim of a people’s coalition
with other democratic parties
and groups, including the CCF,
in order to transform parlia-
ment into the will of the ma-
jority of the people — which
it iswnot now, because of the
power of the monopolies.

Both the matter of cooper-
ation on the issues of the day,
and long-term question of
socialist perspective and the
means to win socialism, stand
new light today because
new situation in

in &
there is a
the world.

Imperialism, of which Ca-
nada is a part, is declining in
strength and influence, and
new peaceful paths to social-
ism are opening up in many
countries, including our own.

The threat to Canadian in-
dependent existence arising
from U.S. monopolies is grow-
ing and is becoming the dom-
inant national issue, on which
the big Canadian-U.S. mon-
opolies take an anti-national
stand, and the people (in-
cluding sections of the capi-
talists) take more and more
a progressive stand for Ca-
nadian “independence.

The danger of war has re-
ceded because of the strength
of worldwide anti-war opin-
ion and the peaceful policy of
the socialist states.

War is no longer inevitable.

The post-war boom in the
U.S. and Canada, as David
I-ewis emphasizes, is tempor-
ary, and does not hold out any
long-term prospect of _ eco-
nomic security for the people.

The Canadian labor move-
ment. is stronger than it has
ever been and this strength
has been increased by the re-
cent merger of the two union
congresses.

Despite a superficial ap-
pearance of political stagnati-
on, thoughts of independent
lebor political action to pre-
serve the gains made by la-
bor and to oppose economic
recession, are growing among
the workers.

The two capitalist parties,
while they appear strong, in-
evitably face in coming years
a revival on a higher scale of
the great labor-farmer up-
surge of 1919-21, 1932-39 and
1943-47, and the post-war
militancy which was halted
by the cold war will revive
because cold war policies have
been defeated and the cold
war is ending. NATO is in a
mortal crisis.

It appears logical the CCF
will not make headway if it
does not take these events and
new prospects into account.
The same goes for the LPP.

In response to it the LPP is
commencing a thoroughgoing
self-critical re-examination of
its policies, .its structure and
some of its ideas, on the road

HOW IS THE BENNETT GOV'T. .
SELLING B.C. SHORT ?
for the inside story on the gas pipeline and,
forest management
TUNE IN
NIGEL MORGAN
TUES., AUG, 7, 6:35 P.M.

PRINCE GEORGE

STATION CKPG — 590 K.C.

to socialism in Canada, with
a view to strengthening all-
round its views and activities
in this new situation.

This re-examination is go-
ing on all over the world be-
cause of the work of the 20th
congress of the Communist
Party of the Soviet Union,
which opened up these ques-
tions which are now put by
swift world developments.

The attitudes of the Com-
munists to the CCF in the past
have not been always correct.
We fell victim to wrong ideas
such as that contained in the
words “social fascist,” or the
raistaken view that Right so-
ciel democracy was the group
ageinst which the main poli-
tical blows must be struck.
Name-calling has been custom-
ary on both sides — although
it must be said that it has
been fought against by Com-
munists in Canada for some
years now. The CCF would
help if it adopted a similar
view.

An examination of the re-
cord will show that, despite
the errors made by the LPP
and the Communist Party of
Canada before it — the idea
of unity, of the united front,
has been always present©in
the political thinking of the
left.

On the other hand it has
not been present in CCF poli-
cies, and is not present to this
day. In fact; officially the
CCF position on this point is
very harsh and rigid.

In the new situation it can
be said that the CCF will not
make headway if it does not
re-examine positively its at-
titude to cooperation with
cther progressive groups, in-
cluding the LPP, because to
spurn unity will hold back
the labor movement from ad-
vances it would make if unity
were achieved or if even CCF
attitudes were modified.

Whenever the labor move-
ment has ‘made
among the public, some meas-
ures of cooperation between
the CCF and LPP — even if
it was “unofficial” — was
present. Z

* * x
These remarks are an argu-

ment for a new look at the-

possibilities for cooperation
between” the CCF and the
LPP. Cooperation is a two-
sided street. It won’t be reach-
ed overnight.
Recrimination,
ing, impatience,
arrogance, incorrect views
that the people may make
history but they do it only on
the advice of leaders or lead-
ing parties (here the lessons
of the cult of the personality
and its harmful role in labor
movement are of importance
not only to Communists—who
first brought it out into the
open, but to all socialist-
minded Canadians and _ to
trade unionists and farm
group members) and _ other
manifestations of hostility by
LPP’ers and CCF’ers if the

name-call-
conceit and

headway ~

debate on the present and the
future is to unfold to its max-
imum, and if obstacles to la-
bor advances are to be remov-
ed. a:
Matters of principle need
not be shoved out of sight in
this debate. No one has the
complete answer, in all its de-
tails, as to how the Canadian
working class and the people

will win to socialism in Ca-
nada.
But theoretical debate

should not be an obstacle to
cooperation and unity on the
issues of the day. In fact, basic
socialist theory can only be
in public movements

tested

Tad adigctert forthe
BCom mktee OF hie
Progressive: Party
e¥;) 2952.

Lk cess

* This is the cover design

for the earlier LPP pro-
gram, issued in 1952. The
1954 program is now under
study by an LPP commission

* which wilfFrecommend changes

to the LPP national conven-
tion next year.

ane mass political actions,
education only through living
experience.

Given general agreement
that Canadian society has to
be changed to provide greater
democracy and security for
the Canadian people and that
this can be done only by
bringing the monopolies into
the control of the Canadian
people: given general agree-
ment that only the democrat-

,ic will of the majority of the

Canadian people can bring
cbout this echange; given
agreement that the parlia-
mentary path to socialism in
Canada is possible—and there
ig a large measure of agree-
ment on these between David
Lewis’ views as set: forward
in his new pamphlet and the
LPP program — there is no
sensible reason why cooper-
ation should not develop on
the issues of the day.
x * x

What are some of the iss-.
ues of the day on which co-
operation can evolve?

@ The national democrat-
ic issue of Canadian indepen-
dence and freedom from eco-
nomic, cultural and political
dictation by the U.S.

@ The economic and social
needs of Canadians, such as
health insurance, public low-

August 3, 1956 —

cost housing, ‘increas!
age pensions, a youth pir
aid to agriculture to !
farm income, etc. €

@ Peace and disati™
and the banning of M9!
weapon tests.

threat of depressi0
maintain living
such as the extension
de on equal terms W 1
Egypt, People’s C.
Soviet Union, Latin ®©
to develop our own ?
dustries and those ®
countries; the gran
credits with no string® %,
ed, the development ®
nadian basic Ca
through the proc
more of our raw ?
in Canada. ;
@ Public ownerst
natural gas pipelines ®
distribution of natural
@ A bill of rights. —
@ Restoration of
premacy of parliame™
Throughout the W
cause of peace, dels
and socialism is wintM ic
and sweeping victories
Canada must and
more active participant
new epoch. 1s
It is of the highest Ue
ance that the new an
Canadian trade unio
ment and the farmé

into political actiom
chances of this are }”
ing.

The historic high,
were 1919-21, the ”
when the battle fot 3
ployment insurance

organization of the ™
duction industries ,
CCF’ers and Communi
early forties, whe?
gains were made in

latures and _ factotl
when again unity was
air.
Healing the divisi0
tween CCF and LPP.
enormously stimulate 7
labor political action.
sist. in the division

‘hold back this proces*

Surely now, W
strength of labor an
farmers is greater and
al consciousness
growing, when peacé
road to socialism #
mocracy are firmer @”
er, it is to the advan
it is indispensable,
tainment of the socl#
pirations of CCF’ers
operation between |
working class partl@
and LPP, should bé
for and attained. all

The LPP will do :
power to raise the |
of cooperation and a
the municipal elecHO a
fall, in the cominé
elections and in
and farm movements”
open up discussion®
where labor and the
are going and what
done to guarantee 4)
ous and: peaceful #™
our country.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE —