No. 1
January 2025
2025
Let Everyone Take Their Place in This Historic Combat by Leaving the Old Behind
• CPC(M-L)'s Historic Nation-Building
Project
January
1, 2025
30th Anniversary of CPC(M-L)'s Historic Initiative
CPC(M-L)'s Historic Nation-Building Project
Hardial Bains launches CPC(M-L)'s
Historic Initiative in the National Capital region, January 1,1995.
On January 1, 1995, on behalf of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist), Party Leader Hardial Bains launched CPC(M-L)'s Historic Initiative. This initiative brings together all the different threads of the movements for change which are developing across the country within the present national and international conditions, to divert them towards opening the path for the progress of society.
CPC(M-L)'s nation-building project, like no other, as required by the times, was established to develop the human factor/social consciousness so that a modern democratic personality emerges on the soil of Canada. This personality is the embodiment of the people's striving for empowerment so that they can control the decisions which affect their lives and turn things around in their favour.
By human factor is meant the recognition that all people have rights by virtue of being human and on account of their concrete objective reality. Recognizing this as an approach to carrying out any initiative is the basis for social progress.
By social consciousness is meant the recognition that society must harmonize and reconcile the interests of its individual members with their collectives, and the individual and collective interests with the general interests of society itself.
By human factor/social consciousness is meant that human sensuous and material action that is directed towards fully controlling the direction of society and its relationship with nature so as to humanize the natural and social environment to benefit society and all its members.
Present Canadian society is constituted so as to put individual freedom in first place by recognizing the sanctity of private property as the basis on which the relations between people are established. Such a society has sidelined the human factor/social consciousness, the human sensuous and material action which can harmonize the interests of the individuals with those of their collectives and the interests of the individuals and their collectives with the general interests of society. In sum, what has been marginalized is that which is directed towards the full control of society and its relationship with nature in favour of the people. The aim is to preserve the status quo and ensure that the door for the progress of the society is kept shut.
By historic is meant that consideration which is based on a broad view of the entire development from time immemorial to the present, in general, and by settling scores with Covenant Thesis which gave rise to the European nation-state and its liberal democratic institutions subsequently imposed as the ultimate model of democracy all countries must implement. Settling scores with the old conscience of society takes into account all the forces engendered in the present day development and the gravitation inherent in them. It places fidelity to the ensemble of human relations and what they reveal in first place. This is not just the abyss in which humankind has been jettisoned and all the powers of destruction which are swirling around creating mayhem, but the face of the New which can be seen as humanity strives for its own empowerment.
By initiative is meant putting the human factor/social consciousness at the centre stage of all developments within the framework of concrete plans of action designed to achieve the successes required at any time.
By Historic Initiative is meant that action by the working class which will place the human factor/social consciousness at the centre stage of all development with a far-reaching impact on the direction of society, capable of determining its entire future form and content.
By pursuing this Historic Initiative and working out concrete plans of action, CPC(M-L) is responding to historic necessity. It is a plan by CPC(M-L) to ensure that human sensuous and material action is put at centre stage, controlling the direction of the society and its relationship with nature so as to benefit society and all its members. In other words, CPC(M-L) is calling on the working class to transcend the narrow aims imposed on it and society by a corrupt ruling elite and open the door to the progress of society.
By opening the door to the progress of society is meant the creation of all the factors which will lead to social emancipation by ending the exploitation of persons by persons. This requires an immediate conscious move on the part of the working class to set the direction of the economy, establish a modern constitutional foundation for Canada and carry out democratic renewal which opens the door to the progress of society.
By progress in this case is meant the creation of a society which cares and provides for all people and their collectives by virtue of their being human, a society in which the claims of all people are recognized according to their concrete objective reality. A conscious, rational and humane society is a requirement of history at this stage in the development of human civilization. Bringing it into being is the main content and thrust of the Historic Initiative until such a time as its aim is accomplished.
By Plan of Action is specifically meant the period of insistence in which the working class must put the human factor/social consciousness at the centre stage of the developments. No other aim must have priority for the working class during this period. A plan of action is adopted to consolidate the working class consciousness that it must fulfill its historic role as the emancipator of humankind. It must do so not just for its own sake but for the sake of the liberation of entire humanity, which is the condition for its own emancipation and vice versa.
This Historic Initiative is the continuation of the initiative of the people of the Renaissance and of the Age of Enlightenment, the Age of Reason, at which point human beings and their sensuous material life were put at the centre of human enterprise in all fields, culminating with the birth of the modern European nation-state and the ascent of the bourgeoisie, on one hand, and its nemesis, the working class, on the other. This gave rise to the system of governance based on definitions and institutions which defended private ownership of the means of production and civil liberties on this basis. With the release of the Manifesto of the Communist Party, Karl Marx and Frederick Engels further revolutionized the thinking on this question and put the working class at the centre stage of history.
The liberal democratic institutions and form of representation no longer perform the function they were established to accomplish. One of the aims of the institutions was to sort out differences between the ruling factions and between the ruling class and the people without resorting to violence. The institutions and elections which bring cartel parties to power no longer no longer achieve this. The Public Authority which in the past was guided by a duty to uphold the public good and limit the police powers of the state, has been abandoned. Today, the authority of the state is taken over by unbounded narrow private interests which pay the rich, loot and plunder. They have integrated Canada into the U.S. economy which is hitched to war production and the destruction of anything which stands in the way of the narrow private interests of the oligopolies, their coalitions and cartels.
With no concern for the consequences of their actions so long as the rich get richer, control the state, its decisions, ministries, agencies, social organizations and elections, the liberal democratic institutions and representational democracy no longer serve to sort out differences in the ranks of the owners of private property and to control the movements of the working class and people for their rights. Today these forms have passed away and the private interests of the oligarchs accept no limitations. In the absence of an argument to justify the takeover of the state by its police powers and of a rule which exists above the people, the working class and people have no choice but to uphold their right to speak and organize and pursue their own aims and interests.
The main content of the Historic Initiative is thus to establish an Authority which accords with the Conditions by enabling the people to exercise control over their lives.
CPC(M-L)'s Historic Initiative Promotes a Very Definite
Framework
of Nation-Building
By nation-building is meant fulfilling the need to lay down a modern constitution, change the direction of the economy, carry out democratic renewal of the political process and organize the entire affairs of society in a manner which reconciles individual interests with the interests of their collectives and harmonizes the individual and collective interests with the general interests of society. Internationally, it means establishing peace by repudiating the use of violence to sort out differences and disputes between countries, guaranteeing their sovereignty and non-interference in their internal affairs and developing trade and other relations on the basis of mutual benefit.
Just as the period of the Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment affirmed the man of property, and the 20th century socialist revolution and socialist construction affirmed the rights of the working class and other working people, the present period must affirm the rights of all people by virtue of their being human and of their collectives by virtue of their objective reality. The affirmation of all individuals and all their collectives requires that all exploitation of persons by persons be ended.
By affirmation is meant the act of recognizing that all individuals and their collectives are free to lay the claims on society which belong to them by virtue of their being human and on account of their objective reality. Affirmation is that state of being of all individuals and collectives that accepts no limitation to its own development. It is an act of bringing forth that which is most human in the present society and building a modern society as a guarantee to its unfettered development.
The 20th century went down in the chronicles of human development as a century in which the working class was placed at the centre stage of development. The concrete expression of that success is the outlook of the working class, the theory of Contemporary Marxist-Leninist Thought, and all the attributes of a truly humane society without any exploitation of persons by persons. What is needed now is to go from success to victory, an irreversible development from which there is no turning back.
By success is meant the recognition of the victory of socialist revolution and socialist construction, the concrete objective reality of a new system which has not disappeared. The period of retrogression and reaction which has set in notwithstanding, it is to fully appreciate that there has been an advance and a success and that this concrete objective reality is demanding that the human factor/social consciousness transform this success into victory.
By victory is meant the stage at which people will have taken up the centre stage of all developments by virtue of their being human and on account of their concrete reality. This is the condition for a truly modern democratic personality to emerge and forge modern forms of governance which block retrogression by virtue of vesting decision-making power and accountability in the people. To accomplish this there is a need to develop the human factor/social consciousness, the human sensuous and material action which ensures that people are placed at the centre stage of history by virtue of their being human and on account of their objective reality.
Analyzing the developments since the 1984-85 turning point of history on the basis of facts, CPC(M-L) has concluded that this is a particular period, characterized by the old forms having passed away and the new forms not yet having been brought into being. There is not a single country on earth where people are not affected by neo-liberalism and its pay-the-rich insistence, with its attendant ills of corruption, anarchy, occupations, wars of destruction and extreme violence including genocide. People have claims on society based on the recognition that they are born to society and society is duty-bound to look after them.
By society is meant the modern condition of human organization. In Canada, the entire process of production is social while the ownership of the means of production is private, blocking the vast majority of the people, who have no other way to make their living except by depending on society, from having a say in setting the direction of the economy and other matters of concern. The working people are striving to eliminate the block to the progress of society. CPC(M-L)'s Historic Initiative is dedicated to the elaboration of what is required to eliminate this block.
On this anniversary, the Central Committee of CPC(M-L) salutes all its cadre, members and supporters who have dedicated their lives to turning historic success into historic victory on the basis of its Historic Initiative.
Best Wishes in the New Year for the Success of this Work!
1970-2025
55th
Anniversary of CPC(M-L)
Party-Building in 2025
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 2024, upholding the unity of purpose of the support for the Palestinian Resistance has been a major part of this work.
In 2025, 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. Quality, in the objective sense, can be transformed into quantity, and an increase in quantity can give rise to a qualitative change. Which one to favour and at what time is an ongoing concern of the people.
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. Only if a quality exists can it be transformed in 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 can grow only if all 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, 2024, on the occasion of the anniversary of the mass Party press and mass non-Party press and the decision taken in 1985 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 offensive which is destroying the social fabric of society and endangering the natural environment and by working to make Canada a zone for peace. 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.
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 put the human factor/social consciousness in first place.
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) cannot be guaranteed if the quality 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.
Better Fewer, But Better means, in the final analysis, choosing people who implement and assist in implementing the plan. CPC(M-L) creates, on this basis, 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 new year 2025 begins, a positive climate exists for advance, and all efforts must be made to consolidate it.
Under conditions when degeneration and retrogression are being pushed and promoted, the slogan Better Fewer, But Better is a principle. 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 is given pride of place, the entire CPC(M-L) and its work are energized. The Party becomes visibly stronger, as does all its work along with the activists who carry it out.
What is required at this time in terms of party-building is to pay utmost attention to quality. Any wavering or indifference on this question leads to the liquidation of the work of CPC(M-L).
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." They think 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. In terms of numbers, for CPC(M-L) the word mass does not mean "more." It is a quality brought into being on the basis of the work of those who engage their peers to empower themselves. This is what CPC(M-L) means when it adheres to the principle Better Fewer, But Better.
This period of retreat of revolution provides an excellent opportunity to stick to the principle Better Fewer, But Better as one of the ways to get rid of the dross, the waverers and the saboteurs. Better Fewer, But Better also ensures that CPC(M-L) remains the highest form of organization of the class, the vanguard of the class and its general staff.
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Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca