June 15, 1950 – July 24, 2024

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With a heavy heart, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) informs you of the sad news that our Comrade Gary Zatzman passed away on July 24, 2024. Gary was a proud member of CPC(M-L) since the 1970s. He always took his place in the front lines of all struggles for social justice at home, against aggression and war abroad and, importantly, to advance the cause of the heroic Palestinian resistance.

Gary was born in Saint John, New Brunswick. From a young age he exhibited his love of words, music, his sharp intellect and profound curiosity about the natural and social world. In high school he starred in many Shakespearean plays and Gilbert and Sullivan productions. In University, a keen sense of social justice and a profound empathy for the oppressed imbued his insatiable thirst for knowledge and deep-seated desire to understand the world’s complexities. In the early 1970s, as a student activist Gary joined CPC(M-L). His intellectual integrity led him to embrace Marxism-Leninism and provide himself with a world outlook through which he worked to challenge and dismantle systems of oppression and exploitation.

Gary became a proficient journalist and researcher and distinguished himself through his work in support of the fishers in Atlantic Canada and his thorough analysis of the East Coast fisheries. Together with his close comrade and collaborator, Tony Seed, he assembled a voluminous and rigorous history and political economy of the fisheries in Atlantic Canada. In the process he became an expert on the law of the sea.

Gary stood as an independent candidate in Saint John in the federal election in 1988. In the early nineties he joined the work for the democratic renewal of the political process and a modern constitution and stood as the candidate of the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada in the riding of Halifax West in 1997. He often represented the Party’s program and line of march in numerous public fora and activities.

Over six decades, Gary was a stalwart in the Canadian peoples fight to end colonial injustice against the Indigenous Peoples and restore their hereditary rights. He joined the youth across the country against the racist Green Paper on immigration and attempts of the state to float racist and fascist groups and attack the rights of the people to free expression and their conscience. He is well-known for playing an important role in the anti-war movement in Halifax. He consistently opposed imperialist interventions and fought for the rights of those affected by war and conflict. He was a leading member of the No Harbour For War Collective, and frequently spoke in the anti-war rallies including the actions denouncing the Halifax International Security Forum, an annual gathering of warmongers and criminals held in Halifax since 2009.

His dedication to the Palestinian cause was a central pillar of his life. He stood in unwavering solidarity with Palestine, centered on restoring the national rights of the Palestinian people and enabling them to exercise their right to self-determination within their own territory. He worked tirelessly to raise awareness about the Palestinian Right of Return and the principles which underlie their heroic resistance to Zionist dispossession, occupation and genocide. He challenged the disinformation promoted by state media in Canada and defended those targeted by the state’s Islamophobia after 9/11. Gary’s efforts extended beyond mere advocacy; he actively participated in protests, organized educational events and collaborated with various organizations to amplify the Palestinian struggle. He was co-editor with Tony Seed of the Dossier on Palestine which provided all-sided information on the Palestinian cause and set the record straight about the crimes of the U.S./Zionist forces and Canada’s role in promoting the Zionist cause, including supporting the establishment of illegal settlements and the notorious Canada Park on the grounds of three Palestinian villages destroyed by the Zionists in 1967.

Gary was a prolific writer and speaker. He contributed numerous articles and essays to various publications, including TML and Nova Scotia’s much respected and much missed shunpiking magazine. He contributed to shedding light and bringing clarity to complex geopolitical issues. In his later years, Gary specialized in energy resource economics and worked as a researcher and teacher at Dalhousie University, writing and co-authoring several books on the subject.

Gary was also a wonderful singer. He joined his magnificent voice to the Party choir whenever he had the chance and his contributions on the cultural front will forever resonate with all who knew him.

On this occasion we also pay respects to his life partner and comrade Rhoda Shapiro, also a determined fighter for Palestinian rights. When to his great sorrow Rhoda became immobilized due to illness Gary stayed at her side to the end, exhibiting the compassion and dedication that imbued his being.

Gary’s steadfast dedication to justice, equality and intellectual integrity left an indelible mark on all who knew him and the lives he touched through his activism and writing. Gary’s analytical insights and encyclopedic knowledge are sadly missed, especially in today’s increasingly volatile situation, fraught with so many challenges for humanity.

The Party expresses its deepest sympathies to all the Party comrades in Halifax where Gary spent the last decades of his life, to his colleagues and all his friends and co-fighters in Nova Scotia, as well as to his family members and many many friends.

By decision of the Central Committee, the name of Gary Zatzman will be added to the Party Memorial in Beechwood Cemetery where all those who knew him can pay their respects at any time. A celebration of Gary’s life will be held in Halifax this fall.

Remembrances and messages can be sent to remembrances@cpcml.ca.