‘the report of the Central Execu-
to the Central Committee of the
Mmunist Party of Canada, Party
er Wm. Kashtan analyzed the re-
fils of the federal election, conclud-

: The election results did not express
“(shift to the right. At the same time

“ctionary policies. The Conservative
itty will obviously try to influence
Md exert pressures on the government
tthe adoption of measures inimical
‘the best interests of the working
Xople. By the same token, by virtue
ithe NDP balance of power position
“}Parliament the working class and
*mocratic movement can exert pres-
ites in another direction.
In a certain sense the. struggle be-
Ween Right and Left policies which
‘Wnd their expression in the course
the election campaign and whose
Nsults were inconclusive, will now be
~ “tinued in Parliament as well as out-
‘tite it, How well it is fought by the
‘Morking class and democratic forces
fill have an important effect on the
“Fsults of the next election.
‘| Not least the elections indicate a
‘Mocess of polarization, a process
hich is still at an early stage but
ich will continue corresponding —
lith a growing crisis of capitalist par-
lts and capitalist policies. These re-
the inability of state monopoly
Pitalism and its parties to satisfy the
fal needs of the people.

Communist campaign

| There is no doubt that the voice of
‘}he Communist Party came through
“Jud and clear in this campaign. Our
‘}gram which was well received
ought forward a clearly defined de-
‘Mocratic alternative to the policies of
‘tate monopoly capitalism. The bour-
is press could not ignore Our
tty’s position. We were able to
€ak through the blackout of the
Mass media and establish the fact that
ite Communist Party is a viable polir

~j4uch to say therefore that. the Party’s
lature grew in the course of this cam-
ign and that it came out of the cam-
gn with its authority enhanced ir-
“spective of its vote which was small
yet. :
/The Party's campaign and line
helped pring about the defeat of the
“Wore extreme right-wing candidates
ch as Kupiak, Zink and Roman and
ost brought about the defeat of Mr.
Aellyer and Judge Wagner, both of
Whom just scraped through by the skin
‘)°f their teeth. aa
| The Party’s campaign and electora
ine was Sector i the overall out-
j%me of the campaign. As our elec-
{Yon platform declared: “as against
‘those who want to shift politics to the
lRight, the Communist Party works to
‘Shift politics to the Left. It believes
ithe best result would be the defeat of
jthe Right and the election of a large
jPtogressive bloc to Parliament in
‘\Which Communists and NDPers would
Ylay a major part.” By and large this
{jective was achieved. There 1s no
doubt that the Party’s campaign and
Hectoral line helped in making NDP
Rains possible. Our Party can take
Pride in the fact that its campaign was
‘ important factor in blunting the
TRight-wing offensive. Had there been
“nity of action between the NDP and
the Communist Party, the reactionary:
Offensive could have been set back.

THE NEXT ROUND

The Party’s battle for working class
and democratic unity in this election
alongside the advancement of its own
program and candidates will have long-

term value.

NDP faces choice

Mr. Lewis, by and large, reduced
the fight against monopoly to one of
overcoming loopholes in taxation. It
was, of course, useful to expose these
loopholes. It was not in the interests
of the working class however,. to
whitewash the corporations and there-
by undermine the possibility of wag-
ing an effective and united struggle
against monopoly, directed to curbing
its power.

The workers from bitter experience
know that their fight is with the cor-
porations whom they are compelled to
struggle against daily. What they are
beginning to learn more and more is
that the struggle is not just with one
corporation but with state monopoly
capitalism which embodies the state

_ power of the corporations.

The line of the right wing is not ac-
cidental. It flows from their pursuit of
a policy of class collaboration, a poli-
cy designed to help state monopoly
capitalism resolve its contradictions
at the expense of the working people.
It is precisely such a policy of accom-
modation that opens the door to the
reactionary backlash which President
Archer of the OFL recently drew at-
tention to. The policy of class colla-
poration must be replaced by a work-
ing’class policy of unity based on poli-
cies of class struggle. Otherwise the
working class will be made to bear the
burden of state monopoly capitalist
economic and social policies for which
they are not responsible.

At this critical period the NDP has
two choices: It can take the anti-
monopoly road, uniting with all genu-

TURN
CANADA LEFT

| eee,

! These divisive and harmful policie
| fight for the right to nat
' Canadian nation, the adop
| equal voluntary partnership

The struggle for genuine Canadian indepe
; with the right to national self-determination
| Canadian nation. We need to warn against

| raci ionalism which the e ;
aE rte aia s must be countered by strengthening the

i | self-determination, equality |
Mon of a new Canadian Constitution based on the

of the French-Canadian and English-speaking

people in an independent, democratic,
measures of structural reform which would beg

1} economic and social inequality in Qu
| strengthening the unity of the working
forces on an all Canada scale.

ndence is organically linked up

and equality for the French-
the dangers of chauvinism and
lection results may accentuate.

lity for the French-

bi-national state, and by democratic
in to come to grips with national,
ebec. They need to be countered by
class and of the national democratic

ine forces of the Left, including the
Communist Party, to push politics to
the Left, or it can capitulate to the

of monopoly and contribute
to the forces which strive to push poli-
tics to the Right.

Unfortunately, as can be seen in
the Vancouver municipal elections, it
still rejects the united front, even
flaunting the unions which give it sup-
port. Right-wing policy must be de-
feated; without this an effective, con-
sistent and united struggle against
monopoly cannot be waged.

Present period

This is obviously a period of inten-
sive manoeuvres, of sharp tensions
particularly between the Liberal and
Conservative parties. The relationship
of forces in Parliament with a Liberal
minority government and with the
NDP holding the balance of power,
gives certain openings to the working
class and democratic movement which
it should try to make use of. In line
with this possibility and in order to
prevent another snap election which
may prove disadvantageous to the
labor and democratic movement, a
policy of ‘conditional and critical sup-
port” should be given the government
providing it adopts a legislative pro-
gram in the interests of the people.

“Propose program
The Communist Party believes such
a program should include a policy of
full employment, the processing of our
natural resources in Canada based on

public ownership and the building of.

secondary industry, a crash program
of public works, guaranteed prices and
markets for farm products, a low
rental, low cost housing program, re-
duction of hours of work to 32 with no
reduction in take-home pay, increased
pensions and voluntary retirement at
60, reduced taxes for all those earning
up to $10,000, effective measures to
curb the price gougers and profiteers
in the food industry, in land, housing
and rents. :

The democratic and labor movement
must not leave it to the NDP group in
Parliament to press for such legisla-
tion. To rely on the NDP group to
fight for such a program without the
mass action of the working class and
democratic forces would not bring the
desired results. Gains will not be
achieved by parliamentary manoeu-

-yres but only through united mass
action.

There is nothing the Liberals and

Cee eer re. Caney tose)

Conservatives would like more than to
crush the NDP in their embrace, weak-
en them, create the conditions for ma-
jority government and turn to the
Right. :

Next election

It seems fairly obvious that an elec-
tion is likely within the year, that is,
at any time. We need to prepare for
it mow, ‘combining public mass cam-
paigning with the nomination of Party
candidates. Our aim should be to
double the number of candidates we
run,

In the coming election we should
bear in mind that both the Liberals
and the Conservatives will be attack-
ing the NDP as well as each other.
They must seriously weaken the NDP
and take away support from each
other as well as from Social Credit, if
either of these parties hopes to form
a majority government. :

If either party succeeds in that ob-
jective, and more particularly, if the
Conservative Party forms a majority
government, or a coalition perhaps
with Social Credit, there could be a
more definite shift to the Right and
more open attacks on the working
class and working people generally.

It is fairly clear what a Conservative
government would do — impose bans
on strikes in essential industries, in-
troduce some form of wage,and price
controls, and weaken the unemploy-
ment insurance benefits.

A Liberal majority may veer in th
same direction. :

Best alternative

The best alternative in the circum-
stances would be the return of a larg-
er progressive group. The larger the
group the less likely will there be the
election of an old-line majority gov-
ernment and a shift to the Right.

Bearing the above in mind the Cen-
tral Committee should consider whe-
ther the following slogans embody the
general line we should pursue in a
forthcoming election:

FOR A NEW DIRECTION — NEW
POLICIES FOR CANADA — DEFEAT
THE DRIVE TO THE RIGHT — ELECT
A LARGE PROGRESSIVE GROUP TO
PARLIAMENT, VOTE COMMUNIST!

Democratic coalition

Our present electoral tactic, like the
previous one, is: not only designed
for a specific election. It is bound up
with our overall and longer term ob-
jective, the ending of the rule of the
parties of monopoly by a new people’s
majority based on a democratic coali-
tion and the formation of an anti-
monopoly government. :

The strengthening of our Party, in-
cluding winning Communist represen-
tation in Parliament is an essential
part of the realization of such a demo-
cratic coalition. Indeed, there will be
no democratic coalition without a
strong Communist party and Com-
munist représentation in Parliament.
There will be no democratic coalition
without decisive left influence in the
trade union movement, the farm move-
ment and people’s organizations. Our
fight today in the Parliamentary arena
combined with our work in the non-
parliamentary field is part and parcel
of the forging of such a democratic
coalition. .

“public ownersh
= the Canadian

‘fight for it. The demand for Can
dian control and ownership must.
be linked to the demand to Put —
Canada Back tc Work. Moreover —

as we have emphasized before
the battle for genuine Canadian
independence and for a ;
autonomous and united trade —

union movement need to go to-
gether and be linked to the strug- —
gle for a democratic coalition —
headed by the working class, for
a@ new majority and a new govern:

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, DECEMBER ],)1972-2RAGEZ. x
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