Dedication
of
the
Party
Memorial,
August
15,
1999
On August 15,
1999, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Canada
(Marxist-Leninist) held a ceremony at Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa
to dedicate a Party Memorial to honour the memory of Comrade Hardial
Bains, CPC(M-L)'s beloved Founder and Leader, and other Party comrades
who have passed away.
The
important occasion marked both the 60th anniversary of the birth
of Comrade Bains and the 10th anniversary of the historic Chertsey
gathering. On behalf of the Central Committee, the proceedings were led
by Comrade Sandra
L. Smith, First Secretary of the Central Committee and the Party's
National Leader. Members of
the Central Committee, regional secretaries and party activists from
across the country, family members and friends of the party attended
the ceremony. Representatives of fraternal parties and organizations
from Britain, Cuba, India, Ireland, Mexico, Trinidad and the United
States also joined CPC(M-L) on this occasion.
Prior
to the ceremony members of the Central Committee
paid respects to Comrade Bains and Comrades David Danielson, Tom
Boylan, Anne Boylan and Dave Hemingway whose names were added to
the Party Memorial at that time. They also paid respects to all the
other comrades who have passed away defending the Party and the cause
of communism and renewal in Canada, whose names were added to the
Memorial on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the founding of
CPC(M-L) in 2000 and every year since then.
Members of the families of Comrade Bains, Anne and Tom Boylan and Dave
Hemingway also visited the cemetery on the day prior to the memorial's
dedication to pay their respects.
At 11:30 am on August 15, the Dedication Ceremony began with an a
capella quartet performance of Our
Founder, Our Leader; a beautiful
rendition of the song which honours the revolutionary life of Comrade
Bains and his legacy which lives on in the Party he founded and led.
This was followed with the reading of the dedication in three
languages, English, French and Punjabi. Comrade Sandra then led
comrades who represent the Party organizations to which the five
comrades being honoured belonged, in mingling their ashes and
scattering
them over the memorial.
She
laid the wreath of the Central Committee, made up of
flowers the colours of the dawn, thus paying the respects of all the
members and supporters of CPC(M-L).
A floral
tribute was then paid by the representatives of the fraternal
organizations. They stood in respect in front of the Memorial while
Comrade Chris Coleman of the Central Committee of the Revolutionary
Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist) laid the bouquet of
flowers on behalf of the International Communist Movement. In this way,
CPC(M-L) was also able to honour two comrades from the RCPB(M-L), the
General Secretary of RCPB(M-L), Comrade John Buckle, killed in a plane
crash in Madrid on Novermber 27, 1983, and Comrade Cornelius Cardew,
killed in a hit and run accident under suspicious circumstances on
December 13, 1981, and all other comrades from the fraternal communist
parties whose contribution and memory we profoundly respect and cherish.
Representatives
of
several
mass
organizations
of
workers,
women
and national minority
communities then came forward to pay their respects. Comrade Barbara
Seed, Secretary of the People's Front, laid a bouquet of flowers on
their behalf.
After
this, representatives of the Communist Youth Union of Canada
(Marxist-Leninist) and organizations of the youth under its leadership
paid the respects of the youth. On their behalf Kim Roberge, President
of the Marxist-Leninist Party Club at the University of Ottawa, laid a
single red rose on the memorial.
The
participants then stood for a moment of silence,
following which they joined together to sing The Internationale. Then,
one by one and in groups, comrades and friends came forward to place
their own flowers on the Memorial. Six youth flanked the memorial as
the Honour Guard and the song Our
Founder, Our Leader was sung once
again.
Aside from the
floral tributes and flowers presented by individuals and collectives,
the Memorial was adorned by 60 red carnations, 10 yellow carnations and
more than 138 lily blossoms, representing the number of years since the
birth of Comrade Bains, the 10 years that have passed since the
Chertsey meeting, and the 138 days remaining before the Party enters
the new millenium on the basis of its nation-buiding Historic
Initiative.
The ceremony was a beautiful and moving revolutionary tribute to the
building of the New World. It was followed by a reception which
featured the showing of a video produced for the occasion. Entitled The
Party's Word Is Its Deed, Hardial Bains: A Portrait, the video
brought
out how, throughout his political life, Comrade Bains was an instrument
of building the Party which turns its words into deeds. It was highly
appreciated by the comrades, friends and family members in attendance
who stayed for a long time after, discussing with one another and
sharing this important occasion.
Those
present were deeply moved by the day's proceedings and expressed great
pride in the work of the Party to have such a beautiful and permanent
tribute to the memory of Comrade Hardial Bains and other Party comrades
who have passed away. During the late afternoon and into the early
evening, comrades and friends returned once again to the site of the
Party Memorial, where a Party photographer was on hand to take photos.
They took their time to admire the majestic beauty of the red granite
flag of modern communism that stands in memory of our comrades and
the deed of the Party, as a symbol of the profound appreciation of the
working class and people for their dedication to the cause of building
a new world.
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