56th Anniversary of the Founding of the
Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist)

On the occasion of the 56th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist), a Red Salute to all its members, supporters, friends and fellow-travelers. We pay deepest respects to Comrade Hardial Bains who led us to found the Party on March 31, 1970 and to all those who contributed to building it and have passed away.

Today, the Party is resolutely building a mass communist party which brings the modern democratic personality of all individuals and the society as a whole into being. This is the path of democratic renewal and nation-building Comrade Bains presented in the early nineties once it was clear that the national and international situation showed that nobody could continue to act in the old way. The Party identified the urgent need to establish new forms of governance based on mass democracy and modern definitions, not the illegitimate and no longer credible representative democracy. A key aspect of our work is the mobilization of the people to renew the electoral process so that cartel parties cannot be brought to power on the basis of the first-past-the post method of counting votes. On the contrary, our work contributes to the creation of a system which vests sovereignty in the people, not the King of England to which everyone must swear allegiance.

Today, we pay attention to what the ensemble of relations between humans and humans and humans and nature increasingly reveals which is the necessity for an anti-war government under the control of the working class and people.

Hardial Bains
Founder and Leader of CPC(M-L)

" ... a society such as ours is based on large-scale production in which tens of thousands of people work together to produce all the material blessings which we all enjoy. Is it not a pity that a society which entrusts these tens of thousands of working people with the production of material blessings, reduces their participation in the process of governing to one of exercising their right to vote?" Comrade Bains said when he spoke to the Royal Commission on Electoral Reform and Party Financing in September 1990, the last time that Canada's ruling elite dared to have a public inquiry into the matter of how the electoral system works to disempower the people.

Comrade Bains warned that if the people continue to remain outside of the decision-making process, the disillusionment and lack of confidence in the system of government would only grow. He warned that in the absence of renewal, once retrogression sets in, the conditions of life for the people within Canada and on the world scale would become worse, dangerous, unsustainable. This is the counter-revolution taking place today in which the vestiges of a rule of law from the past have been discarded. Corruption, fraud, extreme violence and use of force are used because governance has been usurped by those with power and privilege who rule using prerogative powers of the King in constitutional monarchies such as Canada, or presidents in what are called constitutional republics.

Since the mid-eighties when CPC(M-L) analyzed that no force could continue to act in the old way because the democratic institutions were no longer fit for purpose, the Party formulated alternatives including how to modernize the political process in a manner which empowers the people. In the current very dangerous situation ruling elites are creating to unleash a worldwide conflagration, the necessity is to create an anti-war government. An anti-war government must empower the people to take Canada out of NATO and NORAD and make Canada a zone for peace by abrogating all secret treaties and repudiating all international alliances and partnerships aimed at securing supranational private interests.

CPC(M-L) repudiates all attempts to embroil the peoples of the world in aligning behind the U.S. imperialists and big powers by claiming there is a third way, such as the deceptive concept of middlepowerhood that Canada's prime minister has dredged from the annals of 15th century Europe. That period, characterized by major geopolitical shifts and the rapid adoption of gunpowder technology, bridged the late Middle Ages with the Renaissance and it in no way provides a guide for what is required today. On the contrary, such bogus concepts are pushed in a desperate bid to make huge amounts of money for the world's financial oligarchs. Canada is one of the countries which is succumbing to U.S. gangster-style threats and military bullying in that country's bid to make weaker countries cower and open their economies to U.S. takeover and submit to U.S. dictate. No self-respecting country can agree with this.

CPC(M-L) opposes all attempts by the U.S. imperialists, Canada and other countries which belong to NATO and the Genocide 7, to smash all state structures which fetter their police powers so that they can act with impunity. A trial of strength with decadent reactionary ruling elites has begun in all the countries where the working class and peoples are audaciously, steadfastly, courageously resisting the counter-revolutionary agenda of the oligarchs.

On the occasion of the Party's anniversary, CPC(M-L) also salutes the Canadian and Quebec working class and people, the Indigenous Peoples and the youth of our country who have their own wisdom when it comes to taking measures which express their opposition to brutal violation of their rights and the rights of all by the ruling elites. They are also well aware that the cartel parties with seats in the House of Commons and legislatures do not represent them and they must not be given free rein to engage in nation-wrecking and the destruction of the natural and social environments. The aim of the restructuring of the state in the name of nation-building is to privatize education, health care and social programs on an ever grander scale. It is to sell out our resources on an even faster grander scale. All decisions aimed at enlarging the profits of the narrow private interests they serve, whether through war production or phony measures said to "green the economy," are destroying the environment and social fabric and embroiling Canada in dangerous war preparations.

The self-serving, corrupt character of the cartel parties is such that when they present their programs which they claim will "save Canada," they openly say that to get themselves elected, they are out to "harness" the opposition of the people to what the U.S. is doing. Their own words and deeds show they are not in the least opposed to the destructive wars, use of extreme violence and acts of genocide the U.S. is committing. On the contrary, Canada's integration into U.S. trade, energy, transportation, communications and security corridors is such that Canada's ruling elites are positioning themselves to make sure they are not outmanoeuvred as they service U.S. demands.

'For CPC(M-L), Accountability Begins at Home. Those who in Canada rule by decree trample on the rights of the workers and people, privatize health care and education, damage the social and natural environment, refuse to provide affordable housing as a right, steal the resources of the Indigenous Peoples and permit every kind of abuse against them. Those people do not oppose Trump doing the same in the United States. They will not protect us any more than they protect the peoples of the world.

All over the country, the more the Carney government and governments at other levels enact measures which harm the people's interests, the more Canadians, Quebeckers, Indigenous Peoples, minorities, migrant workers, refugees along with youth and students are speaking out in their own name. We hail their persistence in terms of the protection of the natural and social environment and the rights of all on the questions of wages and working conditions in the factories, mines and mills and every sector of the economy. In the crucial health care, education and public sectors where the conditions are getting worse, the working people are fighting for a society which defends the rights of all.

We salute their work and struggles on all fronts. Whether it be on the environment, against war preparations, in support of the Palestinian people's right to be, or that of the Cuban people, Iranian people and peoples everywhere who identify who they are in the course of waging resistance struggles, fighting for their claims on society, for peace, freedom and democracy and the rights of all by virtue of being human.

On the occasion of its 56th anniversary, CPC(M-L) reiterates its pledge to go all out to support the peoples of Cuba, Haiti, Palestine, Iran, Lebanon and all the countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean as well as Oceania and the working class and people of Europe and the United States with whom the people in this country share weal and woe.

We are one humanity and we are all engaged in one struggle for a world of our own making.

Long Live the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist)!

Video: Red Salute to CPC(M-L)

Party-Building
1970-2026

A feature of the kind of party that the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) has created is that while it fully participates in the movements of the people for peace, justice, democratic renewal and the dignity of labour and of all the peoples who make up this vast land, it does so by always pursuing the central task of strengthening the Party's leadership on the basis of its method of maximum ideological and political mobilization, both inside the Party and in its work amongst the working class and people.

Mass democracy is the key to our successes in all the work the Party carries out – from the consolidation of the mass Party and mass non-Party press to our interventions in the mass movements of the working class and people on all crucial matters. In the recent period, upholding the unity of purpose of the support for the Palestinian Resistance has been a major part of this work.

In 2026, CPC(M-L) will continue to pay first-rate attention to Party-building, ensuring that the quality of the Party is further strengthened.

Whether to favour quality or quantity is an age-old human dilemma. An increase in quantity can give rise to a qualitative change and quality, in the objective sense, can be transformed into quantity. Which one to favour and at what time is an ongoing concern of the people, as is how one identifies the quality one seeks to bring into being.

Neither quality nor quantity remain the same. Time affects both. In other words, a quality which exists under certain circumstances may not remain under other circumstances. Quantity may decrease or increase, depending on circumstances as well. For CPC(M-L), the concern on matters related to quality is deep and ongoing. As the vanguard of the working class, CPC(M-L) has to fight for quality which it does by taking the measures required to create a modern democratic personality by activating the human factor/social consciousness and giving rise to modern definitions as required by this historical turning point. Only if a quality exists can it be transformed into quantity.

In this regard, CPC(M-L) is engaged in bringing a Mass Communist Party into being based on implementing the method of mass ideological and political mobilization. The Party engages Party members and the working people in taking the decisions which affect their lives and it is this engagement which gives rise to the modern democratic personality of both the Party and its members.

CPC(M-L) can grow, become stronger and increase in numbers as a political party only if its communist quality is defended. The Party flourishes when its organizations carry out their functions by implementing the method of mass ideological and political mobilization. Basic organizations, as one of the forms of Party organization established wherever there is work of the Party, are the organs of class struggle at that level. People join the work of CPC(M-L) through the basic organizations, which are also responsible for the training of new members. If a basic organization does not function by implementing the method of mass ideological and political mobilization, then both the quality and the quantity of the membership suffer.

On September 1, 1985 when the Party announced the measures being taken to create the mass party and mass non-party press and it determined that no force could continue to act in the old way, the Central Committee of the Party called on all Party organizations to not permit the lowering of the level of discussion within the polity. Besides raising the level of the Party's ideological and political work, this included giving a new kick start to the constant work of the basic organizations taking concrete measures to refresh their links with members, sympathizers and all those interested in lending a hand to the work of political renewal.

This is a matter of fighting for the rights of all by opposing the neo-liberal anti-social restructuring of the state which, besides other things, is destroying the social fabric of society and endangering the natural environment. Specific attention must be paid to making sure the ruling elite are not able to occupy the political vacuum by imposing more police powers. The rulers themselves create this vacuum as a result of their own internecine warfare and inability to provide solutions to any problems the society faces. The Party must make sure the working people and youth are involved further to make way for renewal and to make Canada a Zone for Peace. Crucial to success is the work to collectively set the task in each area and oversee its implementation. It requires paying attention to forms of organization which activate the human factor/social consciousness.

In the trial of strength with the bourgeoisie over the question of its very existence, CPC(M-L) pays first-rate attention to its mass quality. For CPC(M-L) mass is not "more." It is not a quantity but a quality, the mass democratic quality of participating in arriving at collective decisions and implementing them, reviewing the results and drawing warranted conclusions in the form of guides to action.

There is always pressure to increase the numbers of Party members at the cost of quality. Many people come and go but the mass character of CPC(M-L), its modern democratic personality, cannot be guaranteed if the quality of collective work and taking up individual responsibility for it by setting its agenda and overseeing implementation is given up.

The question of the Party's quality is directly linked with the question of its class composition. It is often said that the modern proletariat is the most thoroughgoing revolutionary class. Why has the modern proletariat always been described in this way? Because objectively, the modern proletariat cannot emancipate itself without overthrowing all forms of exploitation. Other sections of society, such as the petty bourgeoisie and the middle strata, are revolutionary only to a certain extent. They fight the capitalist system primarily to improve their lot within it. They threaten to overthrow it only when they fail to get what they want within the system. In the final analysis, the working class can only emancipate itself by replacing the capitalist system with a system which puts human beings at the centre of its concerns, and this is why it is the most thoroughgoing revolutionary class.

The most important criterion to determine the quality of a communist is whether the person wages class struggle or not. This depends on his or her class background and on whether the person is enlightened and broad-minded, modest and ready to practice criticism and self-criticism. Criticism and self-criticism refers to evaluating the work carried out and establishing the ways to improve it, correct mistakes and move forward. It is not a matter of self-flagellation or personalizing behaviour as the anti-communist stereotype would have people believe.

The creation of a modern democratic personality is the most important task of this period and this requires that the Party pay attention to the creation of its communist personality and the communist quality of its members.

How can a communist be created? A person can be educated about communism with formal education, but this does not make a communist. The greatest education comes from waging class struggle and implementing the plan set by CPC(M-L). It is a matter of deeds, not words. Practical ideas do not come out of ideas and books, but from participating in changing the conditions on the basis of a plan set collectively. Finding out what is going on and how to do things is a matter of participating in acts of finding out, not empty chatter.

CPC(M-L) adheres to the principle Better Fewer, But Better which, in essence, means choosing people who implement and assist in implementing a plan. On this basis, CPC(M-L) creates professional communists, local communists, communists engaged in the party apparatuses and those involved in assisting the communist work in various ways. There is really no room in CPC(M-L) for the sort of communist who merely agrees with decisions proposed by others and does not fight for their implementation.

When CPC(M-L) prepared to launch its Historic Initiative thirty years ago, all basic organizations had to organize their ranks for the implementation of the Five-Year Plan of Action it gave rise to at that time and the subsequent Plans of Action it adopts year after year. Regional committees were given the task of ensuring that this work was carried out, and that they reported to the CC about it in a timely fashion. With thirty years of experience implementing its Historic Initiative, this method of work has been extended by making sure programs are put in place which enable working people and youth to empower themselves by participating in the democratic renewal of the political process.

In this period of the retreat of revolution, there are many pressures to dislodge the work of the Party, especially on the decisive question of Better Fewer, But Better. The answer to these pressures is provided by implementing the Party's Historic Initiative.

Difficulties can be overcome if the path set by the Historic Initiative is taken. Conciliation with liberal hypocrisy is unacceptable, as is falling prey to anarchism and extremism. Under all conditions and circumstances, a flexible approach is taken tactically – an approach which unites people in action to realize a plan. The key thing is to fill the space where change takes place by activating the human factor/social consciousness. Everyone acting in their own name is fundamental to the mass democracy CPC(M-L) espouses.

CPC(M-L) has established its basic work in the midst of consolidating it on a planned basis. This work serves as the organizing and guiding force for all the work carried out by all organizations of the Party. As the Party celebrates the 56th anniversary of its founding, more and more people are seeking a way forward and turning to the communist party because it is the most organized force capable of providing the kind of leadership the working class and people require to achieve success under the dangerous conditions which exist at this time.

At a time the ruling class is pushing degeneration and retrogression in a flagrant way, the quality of a communist is decisive, and this quality cannot be enhanced without waging class struggle. The same applies to the quality of the work of all branches and other organizations of the Party.When attention is paid to quality and carrying out Highest Quality Work, On Time the entire CPC(M-L) and its work are energized. The Party becomes visibly stronger, as do the activists who carry it out.

What is required at this time in terms of party-building is to pay utmost attention to quality, to nurturing the modern democratic personality by activating the human factor/social consciousness and rejecting all reticence to taking the stands history is calling on all to take. All schools of opportunism put the issue of quality in second and third place. They work on the basis of the lowest common denominator under the hoax of appealing to what they call "the average person" by which they mean that only by appealing to the most backward can they get support for their cause.

CPC(M-L) appeals to the most advanced forces in the society – those who show what they stand for by making the claims on society which belong to them by right. These forces demand the highest quality society is able to provide, not the lowest. This period of counter-revolution calls on the Party and the class to nurture a mass democratic personality by elaborating modern definitions of democracy, sovereignty and relations between peoples internationally beyond the reordering of big powers and subordinate powers according to a conception of order based on suppressing the struggles of the peoples for their rights, rights which belong to them as peoples and by virtue of being human.

As CPC(M-L) celebrates its 56th anniversary, with pride it can say There IS Such a Party! On this basis, this Party moves on with confidence and purpose because its deeds are its word!