Earth Day 2023

All Out to Humanize the Natural and Social Environment!

– Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) –

Party contingent at Montreal Earth Day rally, April 22, 2023.

 On the occasion of Earth Day 2023, the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) salutes the youth and working people of this country and the peoples all over the world who are organizing to restrict and deprive the monopolies and oligopolies and governments in their service of their ability to pollute, destroy, wage wars, exploit, criminalize and deprive the people of their right to a say over all matters which affect their lives. They trample the sovereign rights of all countries, engage in nation-wrecking and activities which destroy the social and natural environment and also deprive the Indigenous Peoples of treaty and hereditary rights.

CPC(M-L) recognizes the gravity of the situation facing humankind as a result of the climate crisis. Canadians, Quebeckers and the Indigenous Peoples are held hostage by a cartel party system which brings governments to power which serve narrow private interests and cause serious harm to the natural and social environment. Taking care of Mother Earth is a priority; opposing government pay-the-rich schemes is a necessity. It is the striving for empowerment of working people from all walks of life which is life-giving. The natural and social environment cannot be humanized without opposing the stranglehold of the oligopolies over government decision-making and their rule which is causing so much harm around the world.

CPC(M-L) denounces the ruling elite for marketing self-serving plans in the name of "greening the economy. The party also denounces attempts at dividing the people by presenting demands to preserve the natural environment as against job creation which pits one section of the people against another on the basis of which side they defend. It is a fact that technical and scientific innovations demand new infrastructures and processes of production. However, the schemes the government is financing are not discussed with the people and their aim is profits, not job creation. On the contrary, the new normal is to force the approval of projects before anything is known about them. Police powers are used to impose them in the name of national security, prosperity and meeting crucial goals to curb pollution and create jobs. The degradation of the land, water and sea levels continues as does the harm to flora and fauna and humankind.

Governments continue their relentless promotion and defence of companies whose pursuit of private profit endangers the workers and the public and dispossesses the Indigenous peoples while causing grave harm to Mother Earth. Despite lofty proclamations, they continue to expropriate Indigenous peoples, trample on their land and attempt to silence the thousands of Canadians and Quebeckers opposing specific projects such as the Trans Mountain Pipeline and the Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline construction, deforestation, deregulation of railways, new industrial battery storage projects and many others which will bring harm to the natural environment.

Earth Day demonstration of 60,000 in London, England, April 22, 2023.

As an example of the serious concerns which are emerging following 20 years of hype for pay-the-rich schemes for the construction and use of industrial wind-farms as a form of "green energy" and "job creation," the experience of those living near these industrial projects show significant negative consequences. These projects generate acoustic waves and vibrations in the infrasound range. Effects such as emotional/psychological disorders and sleep disturbances/failures, headaches, fatigue, decreased concentration and impact on quality of life are caused by local presence of wind energy facilities. There is also evidence emerging of contamination of water wells following the construction of industrial wind turbines. Besides the construction of access roads, underground trenches for wires and foundations, a matter of concern with their construction is the use of pile driving, where rods are slammed into the ground to great depths over long periods of time causing vibration and dislodging material. Over time this can cause harm to underground water sources. This includes by blocking the flow of water which existed previously while in some places water quality has revealed discolouration, odour, taste and sediment issues as well as "contaminants of concern" identified by sampling, including lead, arsenic and total coliform levels.

The creation of alternative forms of energy which do not involve fossil fuels are necessary but are themselves often very polluting. Such things can be brought under control but the support for the approach of making a quick buck on the latest invention or acquiring government subsidies in the billions of dollars is opportunist and harmful. New technologies are here to stay. How they are used and for what purpose is a matter which must be brought under the control of the people, not benefit narrow private interests which have taken over government decision-making.

On Earth Day April 22, the peoples of the world come together to demand proper attention be paid to Mother Earth and denounce the reality that their concerns are not being met. The more environmental disasters occur, the more disinformation pours from the official circles in the United States, Britain, Canada, the European countries and others which represent the global elite. They attempt to give the impression they are taking measures to bring the climate crisis under control while in fact increasing the number of damaging pay-the-rich schemes and other self-serving practices, all the while spouting the high ideal of "greening the economy."

People are striving to stay the hand of the elites and hold them to account to overcome the disasters taking place as a result of the climate crisis and related problems. Pernicious practices of the ruling elite such as fracking, clear cutting, detrimental mining methods, contamination of rivers, lakes and oceans, the privatization of water, fraudulent environmental assessments or their complete elimination to "fast-track" projects and dispossession of the rightful holders and stewards of the land and wars of aggression and occupations must end!

On Earth Day Uphold the Dignity of Labour!

On Earth Day it is important to uphold the dignity of labour. Mother Earth and the work of working people transforming its bounty into means to live and thrive as human beings are the two pillars of all social wealth. Modern society cannot be built without consciously upholding the dignity of labour as well as protecting Mother Earth. The two go hand-in-hand as it is empowered working people who have an interest and are capable defenders of the earth. It is by affirming the rights of working people and Indigenous Peoples while protecting Mother Earth that society can progress in the 21st century on a modern basis.

Everything regarding the socialized economy must become public and exposed for all to see and evaluate. No oligarch or official can be allowed to hide behind a curtain of government enforced private control. The modern economy encompasses all peoples and Mother Earth as one sheet of steel and is everybody's business regardless of position. To achieve this, working people must persist in stating their concerns and demands as a first step to establishing a real hold on political and economic power. In this way they can bring to the fore the human factor/social consciousness and lead the movement to humanize the social and natural environment.

Health care workers' contingent in Earth Day demonstration, London, England, April 22, 2023.

To uphold the dignity of labour and Mother Earth means to bring social consciousness to the fore within the socialized economy and in political affairs. Activating the human factor/social consciousness to negate the anti-human factor/anti-consciousness is the order of the day. Only if working people themselves have a say and control over the production and distribution of the social product they create through their work can the serious problems facing Mother Earth and our societies be provided with solutions.

The economy and people can only thrive when the interests of Mother Earth and the rights of all are defended and neo-colonial and imperialist practices are ended. There is no Great Wall between developing the economy, ensuring a livelihood for all and humanizing the natural environment. On the contrary, without activating the human factor/social consciousness and ending the exploitation of persons by persons, humanizing the natural and social environment will not succeed.

On Earth Day Uphold the Hereditary Sovereign Rights of Indigenous Peoples!

The Indigenous Peoples are the stewards and protectors of Turtle Island and holders of hereditary sovereign rights. These rights cannot be over-ridden by what are called partnership agreements which maintain that "the Crown" has the final say in matters of concern. The Indigenous Peoples have never relinquished their sovereign rights. They are hereditary. They cannot be given, taken away or forfeited in any way no matter what deals are struck. Governments in Canada are obligated to engage with them on a nation-to-nation basis.

The Indigenous Peoples continue to bravely defend themselves and Mother Earth from the indignities of neo-colonial pillage and ruin. They and their allies demand a full stop to the practices which use the power of the state and force to expropriate them. They demand reparations for the damages they have suffered. A modern Canadian economy can only thrive within this overall recognition and perspective.

On Earth Day let everyone demand that governments enter into new arrangements that honour the Indigenous Peoples' sovereign rights to their ancestral lands.

On Earth Day Demand an End to War Production and
the Pentagon's War Machine!

A significant and necessary act on Earth Day is to denounce the U.S. Pentagon as the biggest polluter in the world. U.S./NATO-led wars of aggression and occupation and the U.S. war industry are based on the destruction of the productive forces and Mother Earth in order to dominate rivals. Earth Day can only be true to itself if it denounces the wastefulness and parasitism of the war industry. Canada pays billions for armaments for the U.S. proxy war in Ukraine but then says that paying public servants according to their conditions means that it will not be able to pay for the delivery of public services, for social programs, housing for all or even adequate shelters for abused women. It is fraud in order to hide that imperialist war goes hand-in-hand with attacks on the working people and destruction of the environment.

Dismantling the aggressive military alliance NATO and NORAD are required to stop the situation internationally whereby countries have to be on guard and devote their resources to war preparations, armaments and general defence, which in Canada's case are not for defence of Canada in the true sense but for threatening others. By dismantling NATO and NORAD and opposing the use of force and threats of force in international affairs, Canadians and Quebeckers can use resources so that humankind can flourish, rather than for the destruction of other peoples and societies which also destroys the natural environment.

Talk about "greening" the military with electrification or unmanned electric drones on land, sea and air, so that it can continue to dominate the world, albeit remotely or with less carbon emissions, must be rejected as a complete fraud and a grave danger to peace. Canada's participation in U.S. wars of aggression and regime change and the hypocrisy and fraud of NATO and UN missions carried out in the name of humanitarian aid, peace, freedom, democracy and discredited pretexts for war such as "responsibility to protect," "rules-based order" and "human rights" must all be opposed as threats to peace and the environment.

All governments of the ruling elite regardless of party affiliation, have shown in practice that they fully identify with the narrow stance of private interests of the rich and the demands of the war government in the United States and its understudy in Canada. To serve these private interests and in the same breath express concern for the environment is absurd.

March in Washington, DC on Earth Day 2023

On Earth Day, Raise the Demand for the Renewal of the Political Process!

Concern for environmental degradation and ruination of Mother Earth must be consciously directed and broadened into a movement to empower the working people, to put them in the forefront of all economic, political and social decision-making. The people must put themselves in the position of decision-makers and take control of the direction of the economy so that it can be organized in a manner that protects the environment and affirms the right to be of the peoples of the entire world. This is the way forward to actually humanize the social and natural environment. It can be done! It must be Done!

All Out to Humanize the Natural and Social Environment!