Te

tinued, “is taking place on the
background of a growing pro-
cess of disillusionment with the
Liberal government and more
particularly with Prime Minis-
ter Trudeau. Many of those who
voted for him on the assump-
tion that he will bring change,
now find that his policies are
calculated to defend. monopoly
interests, not those of the peo-
ple. The fact is that Prime Min-
ister Trudeau cannot defend
monopoly and pretend to be for
meaningful change at the same
time. An awareness of this will
sink into those temporarily
taken in by the image.”
Turning to the question of the
increased radicalization of the
Canadian people, Kashtan said,
“This is a process already deve-
loping and growing in scope as
seen in the ranks of the work-
ers, the rising tide of rebellious-
ness and militancy on the part
of students and will undoubt-
edly find reflection among far-
mers too before long.”

Asked about the delegates
expected at the Convention,
Kashtan told the Tribune that
there were about 150 anticipat-
ed. He added, ‘We are inviting
observers to attend from various
organizations. We have also
sent invitations to Communist
and Workers Parties in the so-

Banquet and Dance

April 5th 1969 7 p.m.

Lord Simcoe Hotel
University and King St.

Admission $5.00

Tickets available:

? i : <<"

Communist conventi

cialist and capitalist countries
to send delegates. We have
been in communication with the
government requesting that
visas be granted. At our last
convention the government re-
fused to grant visas to fraternal
delegates from the socialist
countries but they promised
then that the immigration laws
would be revised and by infer-
ence suggested that there would
be no roadblocks in the future.
We hope this will be the case

and are corresponding with the
government on this matter.”

Asked whether there would
be any major changes in policy
at the coming convention, the
Communist leader replied as fol-
lows:

“We have advanced the pro-
position that there is need for
a coalition of national, demo-
cratic, anti-monopoly, — anti-
imperialist forces in Canada in
a democratic alliance which
could challenge the power- of
monopoly. This proposition is
based upon the various forces
that are emerging in Canadian
political life and various move-
ments that are arising in Eng-
lish and French Canada.

“We recognize of course that
to achieve such a realignment
will require systematic effort
over a period of time and that
the conditions for such a demo-
cratic alliance will arise and be
stimulated by the growing move-
ments of people, the working
class in the first place.

“It is mass struggle on all
these various fronts that will
bring about such a shift in rela-
tionships.”

In reply to the question as to
whether he saw the NDP as
part of this proposed coalition,
he replied, ‘‘Yes, quite definite-
ly, a very important part of it

Twentieth Convention
Communist Party of Canada

‘the

Metro Toronto Communist Party, 24 Cecil St.
Bookworld, 72 Gerrard St. West
Canadian Tribune, 924 King St. West

*

and we work to bring about the
maximum of cooperation with
the NDP on all questions of
common concern that will help
to strengthen the forces of de-
mocracy and progress. Our re-
solution speaks of the need for
cooperation and competition
with the NDP: cooperation for
common aims, competition in
the sense of our party advanc-
ing socialist alternatives to the
present policies of monopoly
and its governments and work-
ing to win a growing body of
workers, students, intellectuals
and others to the position of
Marxism and socialism.”

“We do not see,” he con-
tinued, “our placing of this
question as a contradiction but
as an essential part of the pro-
cess of on the one hand helping
to break working people away
from the old line parties and on
the other hand strengthening
class and socialist understand-
ing among them. In fact, the
ability to bring about a demo-
cratic alliance will be deter-
mined by the strengthening of
unity of action of the working
class as the leading force in
society for social change.”

“This convention will place
considerable emphasis on the
need for revitalization of the
Communist Party,” Kashtan
added. “We see this as a long
term task without which no
serious change can take place
with respect to its impact on
Canadian political life. In line
with this, we emphasize the
need to affirm the revolutionary
character of the Communist
Party, its distnctive role and
the foundations on which it is
built. However, it should be
clear that a revolutionary party
and phrasemongering are not the
same thing.

“The events in Czechoslo-
vakia are compelling the Party
to study more basically the fun-
damentals of Marxism-Leninism
and its creative application to
Canadian conditions. This is an
essential part of the revitaliza-
tion of the party and the over-
coming of opportunist and revi-
sionist tendencies which weak-
en its class character.

“Of particular significance is
the need for strengthening the
Party's position in the working
class as the decisive element
for social change in Canada and
undertaking widespread public
debate with other currents who
downgrade the historical role of
the working class both from the
right and from the left.

“This is of particular import-
ance in relation to winning sup-
port of that growing body of
young people who are turning
away from capitalism in one
form or another and who due to
inexperience in the struggle
sometimes seek short cuts to
basic social change or develop-
ing forms of struggle which do
the opposite to what is intended.

“The revitalization of the
Party also relates to opposing
the dangerous policies of Mao-
ism with respect to the struggle
for peace, for democratic ad-
vance and for socialism and
against their splitting policy in
international Communist
movement.

“Not the least, the revitaliza-
tion of the Party is needed to
Strengthen its unity not in a
formal way but on the basis of
its Marxist-Leninist principles
so that it can play an increas-

ingly effective role in the life’

of the country.”

Asked whether the Conven-
tion would discuss the upcom-
ing world meetings of Commu-

on will chart course

nist and Workers Parties sched-
uled to take place in May, Kash-
tan said there would be a state-
ment presented: to the conven-
tion on this question. He added,
“At this moment there is a
meeting of the working and pre-
paratory committees taking
place to finalize the materials
in preparation for the confer-
ence. We have sent Norman
Freed to attend this meeting.
“The Convention will have a
statement stressing our views
on the overriding necessity of
unity of the Communist and
Workers Parties of the world as
the basis and upon which to un-
dertake an all-out offensive
against imperialism, particularly
American imperialism. Our Party
has worked for such unity and
for the convening of the inter-
national meeting and we are
sure the preparations now un-

derway will result in a fruitful

conference being held. We are
firm upholders of proletarian in-
ternationalism and see no con-
tradiction between patriotism
and internationalism. Indeed
each one strengthens the other
and this we are sure will be the
position taken by the 20th Con-
vention of our Party.

“There will be no difficulties
because of differences amongst

.some parties over the events in

Czechoslovakia. The purpose of
the international meeting is to
unite in the struggle against im-
perialism and to set aside ques-
tions on which there may be
differences of views or estima-
tions of this or that event. Our
Party has taken a position on
the Czechoslovakian events.
Other parties haye taken posi-
tions at variance with ours. We
do not hold that these differen-
ces should stand in the way of
the conference or the tasks be-
fore it. I think that the position
of the majority of parties who

will participate in the confer
ence will be the same. ‘

“The conference will not be
taking up ideological questions
although we believe that to but
tress the unity of the Commy,
nist and Workers Parties of the
world there is need for seek
ways to arrive at conclusions op
a number of rather importan;
ideological questions. We
that at some other time it may
be possible to do this.

“We have proposed that a
this conference since it is op
the eve of the 100th Anniversa.
ry of Lenin's birth that there be
a presentation made on Lenin's
contribution to the advance.
ment of scientific socialism, We
believe it particularly fitting to
do so when Leninism is being
attacked from various quarters
and not least by those who
pretend to support Lenin's views
—both from an opportunist reyj-
sionist position and from a dog.
matic leftist position.”

Finally, the Communist leader
told the Tribune that he “be.
lieved this convention will mark
an important turn for the party
which is compelled to work in
a very complex situation.”

“Our enemies,” he _ said,
“claim that we are not relevent
to the times and yet despite that
they are compelled to attack us
constantly because in fact Marx-
ism and socialism is relevant to
Canada and to the solution of
its problems. It is capitalism
that is not relevant to the full
satisfaction of the needs of the
Canadian people and more and
more Canadians will see this in
the coming period.

“That is why we are conf
dent that despite temporary dif-
ficulties the 20th Convention of
party will live up to its respon-
sibilities to its class and to the
struggle for peace, democracy
and socialism.”

Manitoba elects delegates

Panel discussions on a Pro-
gram for Economic Develop-
ment of Manitoba, Strengthen-
ing Marxist-Leninist Ideology,
and Building the Party and the
Press highlighted the 18th Prov-
incial Convention of the Mani-
toba section of the Commiunist
Party, held in Winnipeg March
Ist and 2nd. The convention was
marked by a high level of en-
thusiasm and participation by
the 61 delegates and observers.
It reflected the increase in party
membership and _ heightened
public activity registered in 1968.

In his keynote address prov-
incial leader, W. C. Ross, called
upon the party to prepare for a
possible provincial election in
1969. ‘'The set-backs suffered by
the Liberals in the recent four
provincial by-elections which led
to the resignation of their lead-
er and disorientation in their
ranks, pose the question of a
people’s democratic alternative
to the reactionary Tory admin-
istration,” he pointed out. “The
Communist Party has a vital
role to play in developing an
anti-monopoly program around
which the labor, farm, student
and progressive movements can
unite in mass political action to
put an end to the sell-out of our
province to the foreign mono-
polies. In those constituencies
where party organizations exist
and where it will be possible to
mount a campaign our party will
nominate its own candidates to
advance our independent pro-
gram,”

On the occasion of the ap-

proaching 50th anniversary of
the Winnipeg General Strike, the
convention paid tribute to the
militant labor pioneers of 1919
who won the right to collective
bargaining for the workers of
Western Canada. In other reso-
lutions the delegates called for
a provincial-municipal confer-
ence on the crisis in municipal
financing; registered opposition
to the projected plan of the
provincial government to cen:
tralize control of education in
its hands; urged that payment
for the medicare plan which is
to start on April Ist come from
general revenues instead of
through a uniform high prem-
ium of $9.80 per family imposed
by the provincial government
which would cost a worker earn-
ing the minimum wage the same
amount as that paid by the mil-
lionaire cabinet minister from)
Winnipeg, James  RichardsoM
called for the withdrawal of
Canada from NATO and an end
to this country’s complicity 9
the U.S. war of aggression
Vietnam.

Greetings were brought by
W. C. Beeching, Saskatchewan
provincial leader of the Commu
nist Party and by C. Lentom
from the North-West Ontario”
Regional Committee of the Com
munist Party. William Kashtam
leader of the Communist Partly
also addressed the delegates. —

The convention elected a new.
provincial committee, delegates”
to the coming 20th convention
and returned W. C, Ross as #
Manitoba provincia] leader.