What Was Said and When We Said It!
CPS Election Analysis 2008 - Week 4
FOS Editorial Board

CPS Said on January 2006: Focus On Socialism Volume 25 Issue 1
Opportunity for the Left
The cold-war limited the Communist Party’s campaign, to resist US imperialist pressures and for Canadian Independence, to a relatively small audience within the working class. Today, that audience has grown immeasurably and made the Communist viewpoint more relevant and deserving of serious study by all of the forces concerned about Canada’s future.
Thirty-five years ago Tim Buck wrote the following:
Public discussion of the issue of independence and of its inseparable relationship to the struggle against the drive of the United States imperialism to war, brought forward the question: “ If Canadian capitalists prefer that Canada be absorbed by the United States via the path of integration of capitals, how can the economy of this country be maintained and developed further without United States capital?” In various forms that question is being asked all over Canada. The Communist Party proposes that the democratic answer is nationalization.” (our italics).
Today public opinion polls reveal that more than 60% of Canadians now favour public ownership of the oil and gas industry. The realization that the future development of Canada as an independent country now largely depends on regaining public control over all forms of energy development is beginning to dominate all serious public discourse. The left cannot ignore this fact. Its unique contribution, indeed its duty, is to resurrect and elevate the issue of nationalization to a matter of urgent necessity. It is the most powerful counter-punch that can be dealt to neo-liberalism.
Notwithstanding the constitutional barriersto a national energy policy, the outrage of the investors reaping mega profit, the threat of US retaliationincluding direct intervention, the following reality must be placed squarely to all Canadian workers and farmers and their families.
If the current ruinous exploitation of the Alberta Oil sands and natural gas resources continues, with its primary purpose the satisfaction of insatiable US demand for energy at the expense of Canada’s long term energy needs the end result can only be the ruin of Canadian industry, manufacturing and agriculture, resulting in permanent job loss and denying Canadian consumers affordable life sustaining energy needs.
On the other hand, if the Canadian people will take up the struggle to regain control of Canada’s rich energy resources and compel Government to develop these resources for the benefit of the planned economic up-building of the whole country, Canada will have both energy self-sufficiency and the capital required to replace our current dependency on foreign investment.
The Left Opportunity!
The left has an opportunity. There is a convergence of the objective political necessity for, and a growth of understanding of, a national democratic people’s alternative to NAFTA that upholds national dignity and provides for a path of planned development of the economy. The CPS believes the core issues of such an alternative are:
· Abrogation of FTA-NAFTA.
· Nationalization of energy and water resources
· Ending Canadian membership in NATO and NORAD and enacting an independent Canadian foreign policy of peace.

The sub-set of issues flowing from these central demands is already well developed in the programs of the Communist Party, patriotic groups, the organized labour and farm movements, the peace movement and the many excellent journals, writers and thinkers who work every day to keep us informed and armed with exposures, analysis and information for the struggle. What is needed is an agreement to unite and fight together for their implementation.