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 —