7

_CPC CENTRAL COMMITTEE

The way we work from now
until election day will deter-
mine the success of our efforts.
Much will depend on our Party
and the left and the role they
play in campaigning for the ob-
jective of anew majority. Cen-
tral to this aim is the indepen-
dent campaigning of the Party

before the election and during the
election campaign around its own
candidates. Here is where the united
front and the independent role of the
Party meet.

We should bear in mind that our
policy of electoral alliances and
independent campaigning are part of
our political strategy which is aimed
to bring about a shift of political
power to the working class and other
democratic forces. If the democratic
forces can unite in and outside of
parliament, a new majority to the left

Changes in USSR

of the Tories could be achieved, the
neo-conservative thrust stopped and
the Tories defeated. This outcome

could open the door for changing the

balance of forces and improve condi-
tions for the continuing fight for a
shift towards democratic and social
advance.

Our task is to popularize this con-
cept and relate it to the coming elec-
tions. We should call for wide open
dialogue in the labor and democratic
movements on what would be the
best outcome of the election.

Among the new questions before
us are the changes shaping up in the
Soviet Union. The January 1987 CC
meeting of the CPSU gave great
attention to openness and the further
extension of socialist democracy. It
attracted world-wide attention, not
least among working people every-
where. It also attracted the attention

of governments. Some of them hope
the changes opened up in the Soviet
Union will lead to liberalization and
an erosion of the foundations of
socialism. Others believe it mirrors a
crisis of socialism and of Marxism-
Leninism. These elements prefer to
close their eyes to what is really tak-
ing place — a strengthening and re-
finement of socialism, a further
strengthening and extension of
democracy so as to meet the chal-
lenge of the scientific and technolog-
ical revolution and use it for the ful-
fillment of the aim of doubling the
production potential of the Soviet
Union by the year 2000. The compet-
ition between socialism and
capitalism has been given a new im-
petus. It now more than ever em-
braces the issues of human rights, of
democratization, of the ability of
socialism to satisfy the needs of the

people and the increasing inability of
capitalism to do likewise.

The image projected by im-
perialism of the ‘‘Soviet threat’’ is
breaking down with every new
peace initiative by the Soviet Union.
On the other hand, the refusal by
U.S. imperialism and its NATO al-
lies to end the nuclear arms race is
making clearer to masses of people
where the source of the war danger
lies.

The measures taken by the Soviet
Union are giving socialism a new im-
age, an image of dynamism, open-
ness and development. These
changes will have an increasingly
significant impact on the thinking of
working people everywhere, par-
ticularly among socialist-minded
Canadians who see socialism as a
viable alternative to a crisis-ridden
capitalism. Their numbers will grow
in the days ahead.

Our Party has a major task to
play here, to popularize the
changes taking place in the So-
viet Union and in other social-
ist countries and its image as an
open, dynamic and developing
society, and show that social-
ism, peace and democracy go
together.

As part of this, we should under-
take a dialogue with NDPers, left
trade unionists and socialist-minded
workers on the issue of socialism,
and link it to the discussion on the
new edition of the draft of the Road to
Socialism.

As we move closer to the celebra-
tion of the 70th anniversary of the
Great October Socialist Revolution,

Socialism = democracy

what stands out is not only the con-
sistent struggle for peace the USSR
has engaged in since 1917, but with
the coming of the nuclear and space
age, its outstanding battle to rid the
world of nuclear weapons, to win a
world of peace and non-violence.
What stands out as well is its
pioneering role in bringing an end to
exploitation, of ending unemploy-
ment, ethnic oppression, poverty,
and illiteracy. It is socialism that
made it possible for the USSR to
develop into one of the world’s lead-
ers. By effort and example, it has
shown the world there is another
way forward for humankind.

The contrasts between a crisis-
ridden capitalism and, despite dif-

ficulties and errors, an ever-growing
socialism, will have an increasing
impact on the people, including the
people of our country.

This 70th anniversary thus has
special meaning, and should serve as
a means of strengthening the battle
for peace, for advancing the struggle
for democracy and for social prog-
ress. Socialism has shown over its 70
years of existence that it means
peace, democracy, openness and
development.

This is also the time to evaluate, as
our program The Road to Socialism in
Canada is doing, the road forward to
socialism in our country, based on its
specific conditions, on the general
laws of social development, on a

Marxist-Leninist analysis of the new
international and national realities.

An omission on our part was fai-
lure to celebrate the 65th birthday of
our Party last year. Some fraternal
parties, however, were kind enough
to send us greetings on that occa-
sion.

This year for the 70th Anniversary
of the Great October Socialist Rev-
olution, plans should be worked out
early in every area where we have
Party clubs to undertake appropriate
celebrations. The centre should, in
consultation with the provincial
committees and the Parti commu-
niste du Quebec, look into the pos-
sibility of inviting Soviet artists and
lecturers to participate in these
events.

On the Party

Despite the efforts of mo-
nopoly and its governments to
isolate us, to misrepresent the
views of our Party, it has been
unsuccessful in so doing. Now
is a time for growth for our
Party and our press, and we
intend.to go all out in the effort
to achieve it. :

The ideological struggle is an 1m-
portant part of the struggle to build
the Party; indeed without such a
struggle which helps to clarify our
standpoint on the issues facing the
working class and people, there will
be only limited advances for us. One
of the areas in which the ideological
struggle must find expression Is in
regards to the position of right-wing
social democracy, whose basic
orientation is to cover up the ills of

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capitalism and help perpetuate it.

While striving for cooperation
with the NDP and its members on
the immediate issues of the day and
in the struggle for peace and Cana-
dian independence, we need also to
continue the ideological struggle
against right-wing social democracy
but without making it the main ques-
tion.

All of this emphasizes the need to
maintain a critical approach to the
NDP. Our efforts at achieving coop-
eration with the NDP should not lead
to creating illusions that the NDP
really favors fundamental change
and a genuine break with capitalism.
To do so leads to giving up the ideo-
logical and political struggle and
opening the door to social democra-

cy.

We need to improve our style of
work. Public mass campaigning
must become an everyday proce-
dure for the Party. It is not enough to
chart a general course. We need to
be concrete and convincing in our
answers regarding the needs of the
working people.

At this stage, the role of our Party
is to help build social and political
alliances and movements with an
eye to effecting the outcome of fed-
eral and provincial elections in a
progressive direction.

Decisive in everything we do is the
constant effort to build the Party, the
YCLand the press, to strengthen the
Party and press in every way, in the
factories, in the communities,
among women and youth, and not
least in the electoral battles. We

need to plan ahead here and set our
sights on areas where we might
break through over the next period
of time.

Next year will be Convention
year. It will be an important moment
in the life of our Party. It will also be
the Convention which adopts the
edited draft of our program. — The
Road to Socialism in Canada. Not
least, it may be the year of a federal
election. All these actions will call
for the maximum effort of our Party.
We need to combine all these ac-
tivities and efforts with what is cent-
ral today — the building of the Party
and the press. We must make an her-
culean effort on these two fronts,
basing ourselves on the changing
and more favourable political situa-
tion.

CP program discussion set for September

which is new in present-day conditions in order to chart the way forward toward a
peaceful, independent Canada free of exploitation and oppression, committee
members proposed some 170 amendments to the draft.

_The meeting also unanimously agreed the amended draft become the subject of
discussion by all party members starting this September.

iti i iti ial action resolutions were put

In addition to the main political report, four spect vere p

to the CPC Central Committee for discussion and were adopted: One dealing with

the attack on trade union rights appears on the following page. The others o- =
farm crisis and Canada’s refugee policy and one marking the Souees tag

anniversary of the October revolution will be reflected in future issues of the

Tribune. fe It was clear that the Central Committee discussion only began the of oa
the meeting am Kashtan who led a CPC : 2 ly he process 4

There was a full report given to 5 by igh the Comununist: Party. of analyzing the many complex questions facing Canadians today. But it was agreed |
delegation to China on the results of discussions that the key issues concern the future of life on earth and that a united struggle for |

S ite some existing differences on several
China with a recommendation that, despt Irie praposalivcks a

uestions, the two parties restore mutual relations. TOF re
marie by ae committee. Further materials on this important visit will

E fi issues. :
tifa eaing also packed in an intense discussion of the = ne
program of the Communist Party: The Road to Socialism in Eon rare cats
responsibility of collectively producing a document which accurately epicts

|
Canada’s sovereignty and independence is essential to the victory of the working |
class as well as to the democratic struggles of the people of our country. |

The discussion to start in September will draw on the right variety of experience
in active struggles in all areas of life. It promises to be an extremely interesting
process for all CPC members, indeed for all Canadians who are thinking about the
road to socialism in Canada.

RR

PACIFIC TRIBUNE, JUNE 3, 1987 e S3