Anniversaries of Party and Mass Party Press

53rd Anniversary of the Party Press

August 26 marked the 53rd anniversary of the press of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist). This press is a powerful weapon in the hands of the working class to organize itself in defence of its own interests. This year on September 1, we also mark the decision taken in 1985 that no force could continue to act in the old way and subsequent establishment of the mass Party press and mass non-Party press, two kinds of journalism indispensable for the building of the working class movement for its own emancipation.

We are proud to celebrate the 38th anniversary of this decision with several important achievements in the strengthening of that press in the conditions of turning point when old forms are no longer functioning and new forms are yet to be brought into being. The role of the mass Party press and non-Party press in these conditions to cut through state-organized disinformation and defeat its aim of disorganizing the Party and the class merits first rate attention so as to strengthen it in the coming period.

Based on a profound appreciation of the Party’s experience, the Central Committee has been holding meetings with the workers and youth who have joined the work to strengthen the press, to discuss the significance of analyzing unfolding events and involve them in setting guidelines to further strengthen the Party press. Those who have joined this work are drawing warranted conclusions to guide their work in the coming period.

The work to strengthen the mass Party press at this time and engage people in discussions on the significance of unfolding events are key components of the work CPC(M-L) has undertaken during this period of retreat of revolution in which anarchy has been raised to authority. While the vicious neo-liberal anti-social offensive has introduced anarchy and violence everywhere, slowly but steadily contingents of workers are finding their own place by speaking out against what is unacceptable and laying the claims which they must to open society’s path to progress in a manner that favours the people.

The ruling class is using its positions of power and privilege to escalate the anti-social offensive. This will not go well for the working class and people but it will not go well for the ruling class either which is sinking into ever greater disrepute, disgrace, corruption, civil war scenarios at home and imperialist wars abroad. The working class is positioning itself to engage the rulers in a trial of strength by taking the path of empowering itself. It has the Party and the Party press at its disposal.

The rulers control all forms of media at this time, both print and audio-visual as well as artificial intelligence. Besides being highly monopolized, this state of affairs is retrogressive, harmful to one and all. The remedy is for the working people and youth to get together to inform themselves in a manner that enables them to establish their own vantage point from where they can orient themselves and provide themselves with solutions which serve their interests. As the Party says, The world as is has no takers. The world as it should be has billions of makers. It is the people who make history by setting their own aims and working out the tactics and forms of organization to achieve them.

The Party press shows that the working class has its own voice under these conditions and this voice must be expanded and made louder. The bourgeoisie does not want the working class to have its own voice and it does not want its vanguard, CPC(M-L), to exist as the organized expression of the working class aim to constitute the nation and vest sovereignty in the people. In this respect, CPC(M-L) has overcome many obstacles the bourgeoisie has put in its path in the past, and continues to do so today. It does not permit the voice of the working class to be silenced. It does not permit its reality to be distorted because the rulers only present the backward narrow aims of private interests who consider the workers disposable and incapable of organizing themselves to plays a decisive role to open society’s path to progress.

Speaking in 1990 when the Party commissioned a new printing press, CPC(M-L) leader Hardial Bains pointed out that the mass Party and non-Party press have the key advantage over the bourgeois press because both are forward-looking, working to open the path for the progress of society. “For this reason, this press has a future just as the working class has a future and so does its vanguard,” Hardial pointed out.

“As CPC(M-L) carries out its work to establish groups of writers and disseminators, the mass Party press is consolidated and it becomes invincible. CPC(M-L) is directing all its efforts to ensure that the groups of writers and disseminators are established and strengthened,” Hardial emphasized.

In this vein, the Central Committee of CPC(M-L) calls on its cadre across the country to discuss the work required to increase the participation of the workers in providing information about their working and living conditions and in reading and distributing the Party’s newspapers and audio-visual productions. The immediate aim is to defeat all attempts to silence workers in the industrial sectors of the economy, mining, construction, forestry, agriculture and transportation by silencing and misrepresenting their concerns and criminalizing them. At this time, concerted efforts must also be made to support those in the fields of education and the health care sectors which are seriously under funded and understaffed. Workers in social services are also under great pressure because of the ever larger numbers of people suffering for lack of jobs, food and housing at this crucial time when the bourgeoisie seeks to control everything to its own advantage.

With regard to the mass Party press, the immediate task is to strengthen all the links necessary to smash the atmosphere of powerlessness and impending doom by involving people in discussion which permits them to see themselves at the centre of providing a way forward. This is crucial at a time anarchy has been raised to authority, all vestiges of a public authority are under attack and no reshuffling of the constitutional order which no longer functions can make it work. The conditions demand modern definition, and forms which serve the need of the people for their own empowerment. The Central Committee of CPC(M-L) calls on everyone to pay attention to working with the advanced sections of the class and the youth and to providing themselves with the wherewithal they require to extend consciousness and organization to the broad sections of the class.

In keeping with the theoretical and ideological considerations which gave rise to the formation of Groups of Writers and Disseminators, this work to strengthen the Party press and expand discussion must be based on the strength of the class itself. There is no shortcut or bypass to get around the fact that the working class must be the instrument of its own emancipation and the need for the Party, as the most advanced section of the class, to spearhead the work of educating the educators so as to provide the ability, consciousness and organization which the times demand. The Party relies on the Groups of Writers and Disseminators to strengthen the mass Party press and it is taking practical measures to strengthen this work.

It is incumbent on the communists, class conscious workers and all progressive and democratic forces to step up this work in order to make sure they succeed in turning things around at this time in favour of the working people, not the rich.

Since the Party paid first-rate attention to developing the mass Party press and non-Party press in 1985, it gave rise to a form of journalism which serves the need for enlightenment and social consciousness. It has carried out broad and ongoing work to give rise to a media that can serve the needs of the working class and broad masses of the people to orient themselves, establish a foothold and find a way forward.

Party activists constitute themselves as Groups of Writers and Disseminators to take up fields of writing and related activities such as reporting on the working class movement; investigating and reporting on the conditions of the working class, both in general and in different sectors of the economy. Meanwhile, the Party leadership has paid specific attention to making sure that concrete arrangements are put in place which strengthen the Party publications in digital and audio-visual forms. It has paid continuous attention to strengthening its Workers’ Centre and youth organizations which present the positions of the working class and the Party on all the issues of importance in both national and international areas of concern.

At a time the ruling circles are pushing society backwards, the achievements of the Party in the field of journalism are an important great accomplishment. Measures which develop advanced positions to the maximum make a decisive difference in the developments taking place. Both the mass Party press and non-Party press have critical roles to play.

So too, discussions whose partisanship is to the movement for enlightenment and for the progress of society are crucial. In this regard, their content and the editorial policies discussed at various levels reflect the concerns of the people. In a manner of speaking, they set the agenda for society by determining which issues are pertinent and which are not which leads to by eliminating or rejecting all those things which are diversionary and irrelevant.

The partisanship of the mass Party press is to the working class and the leading role of the working class over the entire society. It is dedicated to providing the class with the consciousness and organization commensurate with its revolutionary position in society. The movement for enlightenment can really thrive only with the working class taking its place and providing all those who are concerned and discontented with the existing situation with the advanced fighting positions. This means, by setting the agenda for the working class and its allies to create a modern society based on a modern democratic constitutional order as required by the times which are fraught with dangers.

CPC(M-L) takes this opportunity to congratulate all those who have contributed to the strengthening and consolidation of the Party press and non-Party press. Let us use this anniversary to take up measures which provide it with support and expand it at this time when it is crucial to further develop the independent politics of the working class. Let the working class use its voice and organizing power to mobilize the broad masses of the people to answer the historic call for democratic renewal.

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