Communist Party Central Committee meets

TORONTO — There is a new situation in Canada,
“complex and difficult, but ina certain sense better for
our party, because it’s a period in which illusions are
being broken down and compelling working people to
face up to the realities of what the ugly face of capitalism

. With these words Communist Party leader William
Kashtan summarized and closed three and a half days of
discussion Dec. 14-17 by the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of Canada which focussed on the Draft
Policy Resolution for the CP’s 26th Convention. This
document, which following discussion and amendment
was unanimously adopted by the Central Committee, is

the basis for pre-Convention discussion leading up to the

Convention in April 1985. :
The central question posed in the document — which
is also the central question today facing humankind — is

the question of peace or war. The reason for this, as

Kashtan pointed out, “‘is that social progress and all

other questions will be ultimately determined by

whether or not there is peace.”

Two things are very Obvious: One is that the Mulroney
government is working in close cooperation with the
United States on economic and foreign policies. And the
Reagan administration’s foreign policy is the policy of
imperialism, which the draft document pinpoints as, the
source of the war danger. sec

The other is that among the Canadian people, as the
document points out, there is a clear sentiment for
peace, for a nuclear weapons freeze, and for an end to
the arms race, as can be seen from the many municipal
referendums coast-to-coast across Canada, as well as
the many peace movements that have emerged.

Build unity for peace

This raises the question, posed in the draft resolution,
and posed specifically by Kashtan in his introduction to
the discussion — ‘‘whether possibilities exist now for
developing an all-Canada peace coalition that would
unite all the various peace forces throughout the
country....”

In other words, the question is that of ‘‘fighting for the
greatest unity of everyone that can be united against the
threat of nuclear war’’. But, as Kashtan pointed out,

basic here, ‘is to advance the struggle in such a way as to
~ be able to ... maintain the unity of all broad forces, and

help to deepen understanding on the source of the war

ss danger.”’ For Communists the task is to develop this

struggle in a direction that will help to strengthen the

entire peace movement.

The second question dealt with in the draft resolution .
is that, as Kashtan said, “‘the election of a Tory majority
creates a new situation in Canada’.

: Tories create new situation

Although the Liberals were not anti-monopoly, they

pursued a different position from that of the current
Mulroney government, which as Kashtan pointed out,
“‘represents a different group of monopoly interests that
veer towards the United States and see the only hope for

- Canada in lining up with the United States economically,

politically, militarily, culturally and every other way.”

This marks, said Kashtan, “‘a 180 degree turn towards ~

the United States, and a 180 degree turn towards the
corporations. “I think we can afford to say that the
Conservative Party today has become the American
party in Canada; that the Tory party today has become
the party of the corporations in Canada, to carry through
their aims and objectives’’.
Continentalism or independence
Everything Mulroney has done so far, in economic
and foreign policy, show, as Kashtan said, ‘there are
two roads for Canada — the road that Mulroney and
company want, of continentalism, of integration, of a
common market, of turning Canada into a source of raw
materials for the United States — for American imperial-
- ism — free trade which would result in the loss of Cana-
dian independence and sovereignty; or the road which
our draft proposes, the road of Canadian independence,

an independent economic policy based on nationaliza-

tion, the development of resources for manufacturing,

an independent foreign policy, a democratic Canadian
culture, tied together with a policy of fullemployment’’.

The foreign and economic policies that Mulroney is

_ supporting will lead to a growing and sharpening struggle

_ for an independent foreign policy for Canada, and most

important, a growing contradiction between capital and
labor. And the Communist Party, Kashtan said, “has to

be in the centre of this debate, as part of the preparations

for our Convention, and in terms of the development of .
our policy.

Fightback beginning
A fightback is beginning, and labor is increasingly at
the center of that fightback, as seen from events in
British Columbia and elsewhere. Other new develop-
ments are taking place — the Canadian Labor Congress

6 PACIFIC TRIBUNE, JANUARY 9, 1985

_ Fightback against Tory policies begins

decision to undertake a more serious drive to reduce
hours of work; and the decision of the United Auto
Workers of Canada to move towards independence.

Complete independence for the UAW, said Kashtan
‘would mark another historically sharp turn by the
working class, and puts the organized labor movement,
the working class ... in a position where it comes for-
ward in a limited form, but nevertheless in its own way,
as that force fighting for independence for Canada.

‘“And as we have said for years now, the battle is for
the working class to take the leadership of that fight, that
battle for Canadian independence. Because it’s not
monopoly that is going to lead it; it will be the working
class with its programs and objectives.”

In terms of these developments, the special role and
contribution of the Communist Party to the fightback has
to be pinpointed. “‘Our aim, as we say’, Kashtan

KASHTAN: “ We have a big job, we can do it...”

The Central Committee hereby calls the 26th Con-
vention of the Communist Party of Canada to be held
April 5, 6, 7 and 8th, 1985 in Toronto.

The 26th Convention takes place at a time when the
issue of war and peace is the principal issue facing
humankind; at a time when war and peace have be-
come a life-and-death matter; at a time when the
danger of nuclear war is both real and growing..

The responsibility for this situation rests squarely
with the Reagan Administration and its NATO allies
who are pushing the world to the edge of nuclear
holocaust. The main task today is to prevent imperial-
ism from unleashing a nuclear war. The only assur-
ance of peace is through a policy of peaceful co-
existence, of détente and disarmament based on
equality and equality of security.

The 26th Convention takes place in the period of
imperialism’s historic decline. It has lost forever its
power over the majority of humankind. ~

The 26th Convention takes place when more. and
more people are coming to see the stark contrast

stands for violence, aggression and war; for seizirig
markets and raw materials; for repression, erosion of
democracy, for growing misery of the peoples under
its sway.

Socialism stands for the preservation of world
peace, for the rights of peoples to national and social
liberation; for ever-improving standards of life,
education and culture. Socialism does not profit from
war. Indeed, socialism and peace are indivisible.

The 26th Convention takes place on the eve of the

~ world-wide celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the
historic defeat of Hitler fascism in which the USSR
played the decisive role among the partners in the
‘grand alliance.

The Convention takes place at a time when Canada
has entered a new period of increased economic and
political instability. The large majority won by the
Tories does not spell stability ...

In Quebec, the Levesque government presses har-

’ Communist Party, and Kashtan here called for a very ~

Call to 26th CPC Convention |

_At the same time, there is instability in government as

- powerful force which governments have to take into

between imperialism and socialism. Imperialism‘

_ Constitution as part of the pre-Convention discussion.

"conventions, andata specialnational convention of the Parti

pointed out, ‘‘is to seek to unite the working class and
democratic movements around en alternative policy,
help to deepen their class consciousness, and to raise ©
here the possibility of a people’s coalition’’.
Develop people’s coalition

Kashtan then posed the question of whether it is pos-
sible, around the questions of defending universality, the
fight for jobs, the attacks against education and health,
etc., ‘to develop people’s coalitions on a provincial —
scale, in some respect to repeat what has been done in
B.C. around Operation Solidarity, and to work towards
an all-Canada coalition, around these aims.

National rights of French Canada

The divisions in the Parti Québécois, the economic
problems and the changing situation in Québec indicate
what Kashtan called ‘‘a growing crisis, a crisis of the
policies that the Parti Québécois has been pushing for’’,a ©
move by the PQ towards a different position, basically —
‘*as we say in the resolution, towards a neo-conservative
nationalist orientation with a federal characteristic to
ite: 4
In this situation, the Parti Communiste du Québec, as —
always ‘‘now has the responsibility of raising the banner
in defence of the national rights of the French Canadian ~
people in the face of the betrayal and backtracking by —
those who claim to defend these rights’. 7

The final section of the draft document is that on the —

detailed and serious discussion to build a strong party. —
: He called for a ‘‘very lively, very active pre-Conven- ~
tion discussion’’ .. . so that we can really help to further —
deepen the thinking of the party on the main questions /
that are before us.”’ He pointed out that as part of this, —
the discussion has to be related to ‘‘the mass tasks we
face, so it isn’t just looking inward, but related to the
struggle of the working class, the working people, and
the impact we can make’. ;
Kashtan said that with good pre-Convention discus- ~
sion and work on all the many concrete questions, “this —
Convention will really register a turning point for our ~
party, help the party move forward in a new situation. —
‘““We have a big job’, he concluded, ‘‘and I think we —
can do it. And I think that this meeting of the Central —
Committee shows that we not only can do it; we will do ©
it

der on the working people in an effort to overcome the
economic crisis and its own severe budget difficulties.

splits widen in the Parti Québécois over its inability to
solve the national question.
Canada is entering a new phase of working class
and democratic struggle, in the face of double digit
unemployment, the threat of yet another recession, of
the threat of another surge in interest rates and in-
flation. The peace movement has burgeoned into a

account. People’s movements are growing in defence
of living standards and democratic rights. The trade
unions are facing sharp battles for higher wages and
better conditions, for shorter working hours and forthe
preservation and extension of trade union rights.

All these developments underscore the decisive-
ness ofa stronger, more influential, bigger party, YCL
and press all imbued with greater combativeness and
élan. This naturally means strengthened links with the
working class and fighting ever more effectively for
unity of the left and democratic forces in the fightback
against monopoly’s offensive. :

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To open the pre-Convention discussion within the Pafty,
materials providing the basis for discussion will appear ina
specialbulletin. During the discussion periodofatleastthree
months, there will be further bulletins in English and F. rench ~
carrying written contributions.

The Party membership is also asked to submit resolu-
tions for consideration by the Convention, along with pro-
posed amendments to the draft policy resolution and the _

Convention delegates will be elected by special provincial

Communiste du Québec..

__Atthe Party Convention itself, delegates will discuss and |
adopt the main policy resolution, elect the Party Central

Committee and Leader, and conduct all other pertinent
business. .

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