(Forwarded) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jacques Beaudoin" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > * THE RED FLAG * (Electronic Version) > > For building a new Revolutionary Communist Party in Canada > Vol. 4, No. 2 (26) - October-November 2000 > > > LET'S BOYCOTT THE ELECTIONS! > > With the coming elections and in front of those bourgeois politicians who > are enemy brothers but share the same old ideas, we must find the way to > claim firmly that we are not made of same stuff. > > We must say, as loud as we can: make the casting yourselves for your own > play, but don't count on us to do so! Choose from yourselves who will be > the winner; attribute every quality to him if you want; disguise > yourselves, sell yourselves (isn't it your profession?); put your dead > weight on the retired list if necessary; place your walk-on people wherever > you want and decide yourselves how much of them you need; from our side, we > are busy in doing something better: we are building the proletarian > opposition, coming from the workers, the youth, the poor. And this is so > far from your old ridiculous and dusty parliamentary government! > > Class opposition is nowhere but in revolutionary action and outside from > parliaments! Above all it can not be by sitting in one or two poor seats, > between those Chretien, Day, Duceppe, Clark and MacDonough, who share by > five their stereotyped parts, written in advance... on an empty stage. > > The Canadian parliament, and therefore, the go-in and go-out election > process, can not act as a truly democracy anymore. It is now a caricature, > a plate. Capitalist money is operating the parliament, which acts as the > board of directors for the different groups among the bourgeoisie. Truth > and justice has been lying in this old golden grave for a long time. > > Even by themselves, and everyday in the newspapers, the bourgeois > politicians and their supporters blame each other of being cynical, > opportunist, of lying and manipulating people, etc. Over the last six > months, we can easily find dozens of examples, where political parties and > the big papers are exposing ones' opportunism, the others' dishonesty, > always being in the adversary camp, obviously. > > Some former members of the Bloc Quebecois now join the Alliance: we hear > some people claim "Opportunism!". When some Tories or New-Democrat MPs > suddenly become Liberal MPs, we hear others: "Cynicism! Manoeuvres!" Paul > Martin announces on a mini-budget that he will low income taxes: > "Opportunism! Vote-rigging!", etc. > > We have so many examples! It is so easy to see how false and liar they are! > We just have to add every fact we read everyday, to catch it. But despite > all those examples, when we dare to state that elections--such as the > November 27 one's--and this tricky parliamentary game are only a delusion > and a misrepresentation which do not merit participating, then, we would be > committing an outrage against democracy? Come on! > > Despite what some people may say, elections are not THE DEMOCRACY in a > country like Canada, which is one of the stronghold of world capitalism, > standing in the imperialist leading group. Elections and parliaments are > used for both the immediate and long term interests of the rich and the > capitalists. By giving through names and figures in the parliament, a > material and physical identity to political power that seems (here is the > illusion) to be detached from the ruling class, they use elections to give > a "neutral" light to their bourgeois domination. Otherwise and without this > walk-on parliament, it would be too obvious, that the political power is in > the hands of the capitalists. > > If there would not be a Chretien, Day, Bouchard or Harris being in the > capitalists' service, and without having this wide bureaucratic apparatus > that they coordinate in the name of the executive power that they hold in > their hands, we would see in broad daylight the domination of the > bourgeoisie and where it takes root: through finance capital, in the banks, > in factories and companies, through the power of communication giants and > big distribution networks, etc. By creating such so-called "democratic" > characters as the political parties with their different stars and leaders, > the ruling class above all uses the elections as an opaque curtain to mask > its true political power. Therefore, we must rend the curtain! > > Through elections, the bourgeoisie shows her will for a "powerful State". > Lenin was right to say that for the bourgeoisie, one State can be strong > only if, thanks to the power of its government apparatus, he can drive the > masses wherever the bourgeois leaders wants them to be. In mid-70s, when > Pierre Elliot Trudeau established control on prices and wages at the > expense of the working class and after having claimed that he was opposed > to that measure during the former election campaign against Robert > Stanfield's Tories, he was doing nothing but... to throw the masses > wherever the bourgeois leaders wants them to be. And remember Chretien > saying with all his demagogic passion, that he would withdraw GST, and rend > the Free-Trade Agreement if the Canadians would bring him to power in '93? > Well, see by yourself... once elected, as the others, he drove the masses > wherever the bourgeois leaders wanted them to be. > > In Canada today, the working class must have nothing to expect from this > election process, that stinks of dishonesty and tricky manoeuvres. The > Liberal government has been fast in inviting us to join the struggle > against the "right-wing" (read against Stockwell Day). But what was its own > policy as a ruling government for seven years, if not a right-wing policy? > > He strangled the unemployed (currently more than 1 million peoples in the > country); he cut in the transfer payments for healthcare. All those > policies have been used only to enrich the bourgeoisie and to help her in > order to maintain its place in the world market. > > In Canada under the Liberals, 52% of the recent immigrants are living under > the low income cut-off; this is also the case for 37.6% of visible minority > persons; 55.6% of Natives; 62% of non-permanent residents (refugees, > foreign workers, etc.). In Canada under Jean Chretien's government, one > person out of four among labour force earn less than $10 per hour, which > make Canada one of the leading countries in the championships for "low paid > workers". Another 25% of all workers earn between $10 and $15 per hour. And > objectively, never mind what the government may say, they remain poor > workers. In Canada today, we also count 2,100,000 people on welfare, who > receive miserable benefits. > > As for all those workers and unemployed people; as for the youth in the > poor areas, the working families and the retired workers, the "Big battle" > of the Liberal Party against the Canadian Alliance is only absolute > poppycock. If there is something true in this advertising campaign, it is > rather the fact that the right-wing is fighting against the right-wing, > some traitors now messing with capitalism are fighting against other > traitors, some bourgeois politicians fight with other bourgeois > politicians. And the final result is never far from "driving the masses > wherever bourgeois leaders--big capitalists--want them to be". > > What really counts in those phony parliaments, is that the politicians no > matter their party, bring one policy that will be realistic for the > bourgeoisie. Now that explains why a party like the NDP, even though being > so useless, faded and insignificant, can be part of this noble > parliamentary family: because it considers itself as a realistic > alternative within capitalism. > > If we give ourselves a plan of action in order to struggle for the coming > years, and through the building of a revolutionary party, and of working > and mass organizations that we won't sell to capitalists, we will > accomplish so much more and we will be much better armed than by clinging > to the clothes of bourgeois politicians, from any party. If we do so, we > will only get crumbs from the capitalists' cake, when their feast will > start again after the elections. > > The five parties that sit today in the House of Commons together will spend > more than $30 millions only to move from one seat to another, in a > parliament where politics will remain the same. Only a revolutionary > movement from the masses will be able to break this policy of exploiting > workers and enriching capitalists. > > Workers, let's boycott the November 27 elections! > Let's develop revolutionary action from the proletariat all across Canada! > Let's build a new revolutionary communist party! > Come at the Revolutionary Communist Conference on November 25-26! > > > November 25-26: > LET'S PARTICIPATE TO THE REVOLUTIONARY COMMUNIST CONFERENCE! > > As the politicians from the bourgeois parties will do their final electoral > show, communist workers and other revolutionary-minded people will gather > on November 25 & 26 in Montreal in order to discuss the relevance of > creating a new communist party in Canada. > > Participants to the Revolutionary Communist Conference organized by The Red > Flag, Socialisme Maintenant! magazine and the Action Socialiste group will > discuss very important proposals for the Canadian proletariat. They will > analyze the current political, economical and social situation and will > develop a Draft Programme for uniting the revolutionary proletarians who > want to fight for a genuine change. This programme will give the > foundations of one revolutionary communist party that will lead the > struggle for socialism. > > For too long, the workers in Canada suffer from not having such a party. > Bourgeois parties like the NDP and the PQ in Quebec have succeeded to > control and lead workers organizations (unions and community groups) and > moreover to drive the movement in order to be sure that it will not be a > threat to the bourgeoisie. > > The participants to the Revolutionary Communist Conference will take a > completely different stand than the one from the small parties supposedly > "more to the Left". Those parties who refuse to fight for socialism and to > wage the revolutionary struggle--such as the old Communist Party, the > "CPCML" and the Trotskyists--will nervously prepare the addition of the few > dozens of votes that they will obtain on November 27 (thinking stupidly > that by doing so, they will challenge the bourgeois power and win a little > place within the system), > > We won't try by building a new party to find the best way to organize the > capitalist system so it will become more acceptable to the workers. We > won't spread illusions about the possibility to really improve our > situation without getting rid of this rotten system. > > We need a revolutionary communist party that will be a proletarian one, > devoted to the revolutionary struggle. It will defend nothing but the > interests of the exploited workers, of all those proletarians who have > nothing to lose but their chains and especially those who want to fight in > order to break them. > > Such a Party won't claim to speak or to act under the name of the masses or > instead of them. Based on the revolutionary science of the > proletariat--what we call Marxism-Leninism-Maoism--, the Party will act > knowing that it is the broad masses who make history, and moreover the > revolution. It will try first of all to mobilize them and to have them > participate in revolutionary action, that is the protracted fight against > the bourgeois power and with no compromise, in order to crush the Canadian > State and to build a completely new society where those who are now at the > bottom and who have nothing to say will take the lead and exercise their > dictatorship. > > Revolutionaries from across the country are now preparing themselves for > the November 25-26 Conference. If you want to join them, please contact us > soon by writing at C.P. 1004, Succ. C, Montreal (Quebec) H2L 4V2 (e-mail: > [EMAIL PROTECTED]) or by leaving a message on our voice mail at (514) > 854-4890 (Montreal) or 1 888 724-3685+551-3422 (across Canada). > > > Association ouvriere d'education > DISCUSSION & ORGANIZING MEETINGS > > The Association ouvriere d'education joins in the mobilization drive for > the Revolutionary Communist Conference to be held in Montreal on November > 25-26. We invite workers and revolutionary people to meet every Friday > nights at 7:30 P.M. in order to discuss about communism and the history of > the revolutionary struggles. Those meetings provide an exceptional > opportunity to share ideas and experiences by ourselves, without the > censorship that the bourgeois ideology imposes to us. > > October 27: The Marxist-Leninist Movement from the Seventies in Canada > > November 3: A Criticism of Anarchosyndicalism > > November 10: The Spanish War, 1936-1939 > > November 17: Italy: "Leaden Years" or Revolutionary Years? > > November 24: Poetry: Maiakovski, Tretiakov, Aragon/Front rouge > > These meetings take place at 2125, rue de La Salle, in Montreal (near the > Pie IX metro station) at 7:30 P.M. (Introducing lectures are made in French > altough participants can obviously use both English and French to take part > in the discussion.) > > > 10 CENTS FOR MINIMUM WAGE... > $1.5 BILLION FOR MOSEL VITELIC ! > > On October 12, the Quebec government decided to increase by 10 cents the > minimum wage in this province, thus raising it to $7.00 by hour. With this > ridiculous increase, the PQ government showed once more that it does not > want to put any pressure on all those companies which make huge profits by > hiring workers at minimum wage. The organizers of the Women's World March > said with reason that they were outraged by this decision. However, this > gesture of Bouchard and the PQ was highly predictable. In 1999, the PQ had > frozen the minimum wage. And in February of this year, a few days before > the Sommet du Quebec et de la Jeunesse, Lucien Bouchard refused once again > to increase the minimum wage. He then used the hypocritical reasoning--that > is the one of the Conseil du Patronat and of all the big bosses--pretending > that the bad effects of a minimum wage increase (i.e. a possible raise of > unemployment) would be more significant than its good ones. It was a manner > of saying to the youth and to all the poor workers that if they want to > have a job, they will have to accept the worst conditions! > > Between the Quebec Youth Summit and the Women's World March, it would have > been necessary to attack the government much more firmly than what have > been done. Instead of hesitating and making one think that there was a > genuine dialogue between the poor and the government--and this is precisely > what the organizers of the Women's World Mach have done during all those > months--, it would have been rather necessary to cut all the bridges with > this rotten government and to rely only on the powerful and resolute > struggle of the workers. > > That would have been especially important as the PQ continues to act as the > true banker of the capitalists. Thus, via one of its favorite agencies--the > Societe Generale de Financement (the SGF, which is led by Claude Blanchet, > the former CEO of the QFL's Fonds de Solidarite)--, the PQ worked to tie up > a pretty gift of $1.5 billion (maybe even $2 billion) to Mosel Vitelic > bosses so that they will establish their plant in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue. > > When there is a matter about giving 10 or 15 cents to the poor workers, > Bouchard worries about the perverse effects of such a measure. But when it > is necessary for him to give billions of dollars to the capitalists, he > does not have the same scruples any more. So what is more perverse, to tell > the truth? Those ten cents, or the capitalist system itself? > > > THE QFL, ON HER KNEES IN FRONT OF THE BIG COMPANIES! > > The companies are preparing meticulously the coming reform of the Labour > Code. We can expect then that they will easily overtake the big Quebec > trade-unions, who clamour for such a reform since many years, but are doing > it with neither fighting spirit, nor mobilization. > > From the Conseil du Patronat to the Boards of trade, they all want to > reinforce once again the legal constraints within the Labour Code. With a > little help from the CNTU and the QFL over the years in order to implement > long-term labour contracts, the bosses now want to make it more official by > writing in the Code, the 10-year labor contracts, including very first > collective agreement. By signing 10-year labour contracts, the capitalists > are looking for industrial peace. In that way, they ensure that the > workers' movement in the factory will almost disappear, since everything > from now on would run through union bureaucracy, and by collaborating with > the company. > > The QFL has shown tremendous hypocrisy on that matter. For example, last > September 5, during a parliamentary commission about removing the ceiling > on the term of the collective agreements, the bosses' representatives > continued to claim for stability, industrial peace and long-term labour > contracts. In response to that, Henri Masse, a "great" working leader as > President of the QFL, did react as firmly as we could expect: "At this > moment, we prefer to study thoroughly the matter before telling whatever > about it." How come he can say such a thing, since this issue is very > well-known ? Then Masse said that he wanted "to gather more fine > informations" about the consequences of removing such a ceiling. He finally > stated that the QFL "was not encouraging" labour contracts of more than > 5-year term. > > That was September 5. However for many weeks, the QFL was negotiating a > plan in order to facilitate the sale of the Wayagamack factory to the > Kruger paper manufacturer. Kruger formulated many demands, and among > others, they wanted industrial peace for 10 years. On September 7, Claude > Gagnon from the QFL and the CEP agreed, on behalf of the QFL unions, to > meet the company's demands. "In that way, the buyer will hear the message > that we are willing to make business with him." > > Is it possible to grovel to someone more than that type of unionism? > Despite all their precautions (which were not very "fine" in the case of > Masse), the unions find their place in this bureaucratic and administrative > structure that will result from the long-term contracts to come, in open > collaboration and with union funds. > > The Labour Code--which is a constraint limiting the freedom of > action--along with 5, 6 or 10-year contracts (19 years at the Alcan plan), > union funds and open collaboration, are showing quite well that workers' > movement and trade-union movement do not mean the same thing. The second > one can sometimes substitute for the first, and above all, he can take it > easy without all those unwanted strikes, to rather shake hands and "make > business" with the companies. > > But from our part, the workers' movement is far more important than the > trade-union movement. Because movement also means to move, and not to sit > during 10 years with the boss! > > They want to gag us with long-term agreements! > Labour Code means Capital Code! > Let's fight against class collaboration! > > > SUPPORT THE REBELLION OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE! > > Since the end of September, Arab Israelis, followed by those in the West > Bank and Gaza Strip, have launched a powerful offensive against their > oppressors. They are also waging vigorous struggles against the steady > incursion of settlers on their territories as well as the military > occupation of their homeland. This uprising, spearheaded each day by tens > of thousands of people, and actively bolstered by the masses of workers, > unemployed, peasants, etc., has went on for the most part uninterrupted > despite numerous efforts of diplomacy held in Paris, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt > and several other capitals, concerned in taming the rebellion, not in > justice. > > The "Peace process", which commenced with the Oslo Agreement in 1993 > (ratified by Washington after several months of secret talks held in > Norway), served to put an end to the first Intifada which had lasted more > than 6 years. The Israeli army was unable to subdue the people's > stone-throwing rebellion. The Intifada was a much bigger challenge to > occupation and the colonization than the diplomatic covert manoeuverings of > Arafat or other Palestinian leaders. > > Nothing good came out of the so-called "peace negotiations". Roughly 25% of > the occupied territories were handed back to the Palestinian Authority. > This allowed of course the Palestinian police to "pacify" for awhile the > anger in the streets. Other than that, the negotiations were nothing but an > exercise in futility. > > Between the Oslo accords and the born again violence at the end of > September, more than 1,250 Palestinians were killed by Israeli soldiers or > settlers. The colonization policies of the right-wing Likoud Party as well > as those of Ehoud Barak (Labour) has altogether produced the hemming in of > almost all of the territories with little golden enclaves, fortified hither > tether with bunkers and near military installations heavily armed. The > oppression was not at all relaxed--on the contrary, its was strengthened. > And the workers and peasants are poorer than ever. > > From January to September, twice as many settlements were set up in the > occupied territories than throughout all of 1999 (1,067 compared to 545 in > 1999). The settlers pave "security roads" straight through Palestinian > farms. They take control of certain crops, water points and intimidate > whole communities by ostensibly bearing arms. > > In the Gaza Strip for example, where 1.5 million Palestinians live cramped > in a tiny area of 35 km long and 8 km wide, the settlers, who number only > 5,000, occupy 35% of the farmland. The Palestinian workers (35% of > unemployment) who must work in Israel are herded like cows in broad fenced > in passageways towards checkpoints. This border control begins every day as > early as 3:00 in the morning. Every aspect of social life, of human > relationships bares the imprint of this oppression. > > Currently, it is impossible to move in or out of the territories. The > people's rebellion is essentially right and it must triumph. No religious, > moral or political reason can warrant the continuation of Israeli > colonization. It is Palestinian's most fundamental right to demand the > dismantling of the settlements, the end of the military occupation and the > liberation of their territories. > > Canadian people clearly witnessed on television and in the papers that it > is the poor among the Palestinians who are clashing with a powerful and > impressively armed Israeli occupation army which has no right whatsoever to > act the way it is acting. In such circumstances, no peace plan should be > devised (peace for who, one may ask?). The only thing one can wish in such > circumstances is victory to the Palestinians. Their rebellion and their > uprising must triumph over oppression; it must overcome the trappings of > the sham peace negotiations orchestrated by the international community. > > This is why it is safe to say that the Arabic summit of October 21st in > Cairo has acted poorly in following an international community that has > introduced the idea of a peace keeping mission within the occupied > territories. It is quite dicey for Israel to press on with warfare. Its > allies are far from okaying any pursuit of military activity on their part. > Who will subdue the streets, like in 1993? > > As long as it continues, the political struggle should grow out of the > headway that comes from this new Intifada. The political struggle should > not be determined by the reactionary will to stop it! > > Support the rebellion in Palestine! > Let's fight for an immediate stop to the colonization of the occupied > territories! > Let's fight for the end of the military occupation, the repression and > oppression of the Palestinian people! > > > HOW TO REACH THE RED FLAG? > > Producing, distributing and postering The Red Flag are revolutionary tasks > carried by teams of Marxist-Leninist-Maoist activists. > > Our main objectives are to build a Revolutionary Communist Party and to > initiate and lead the mass armed struggle in order to destroy capitalism, > suppress the bourgeois State, institute a proletarian dictatorship and > along with a deep proletarian movement of Cultural Revolution, to go all > the way until the victory of communism. > > The Party and the revolutionary action it realize are the best place to be > active for all the revolutionaries. Join with The Red Flag. Be part of our > action program that is now: > > 1. To build revolutionary circles within the factories and in the > proletarian neighborhoods. > > 2. To publicize, support and organize revolutionary action of the masses > here and everywhere around the world. > > 3. To expand the understanding of the goals, the means and the "figure" of > the class struggle based on Marxism-Leninism-Maoism. > > The comrades who distribute The Red Flag are waiting for your ideas and > comments. You can also reach us by mail at the following address: > > P.O. Box 1004, Station C > Montreal (Quebec) Canada H2L 4V2 > Voice mail: (514) 854-4890 / 1 888 724-3685+551-3422 > > Mail subscriptions are $10 CAN for 10 Nos. ($15 CAN outside Canada - free > for all prisoners). > Free e-mail subscriptions also available (please send your request at > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>).
