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 John Beeching is the Honorary Chair Canadians for Peace and Socialism. He is a veteran of WW2, and a former Chair of the Committee of Canadian Communists. Some years ago John wrote the following short piece on an impending federal election. We think it has relevance today.John is shown with his wife and life partner, Betty Beeching. Both have been life long fighters for peace and socialism. The have their own website.
Don Currie - Chair, CPS
Sometime, either in 2000 or 2001, Canadians will go to the polls to elect a new Federal Government. An election will also be held in B.C in the same time period.
Now is an opportune time to consider the present drive by Canada’s right wingers to unite to defeat the liberal government. Their goal is to impose their tax-cutting agenda on the Federal government and maximize already over-bloated profits.
One ploy is to strengthen provincial governments while weakening the central government. Such a move will not be to the benefit of the working class. However the result of this drive fits nicely into “globalization” and the global corporate agenda.
Child poverty, health care, affordable housing, employment, the ability to feed oneself, have all been negatively impacted by the new corporate agenda. Their demand for tax breaks and tax cuts combined with a demand to pay off the national debt (thus benefiting their corporate banking friends nationally and internationally), have reduced the government income and resulted in cut-backs. Nor have these measures stopped there, they have further demanded and succeeded in privatizing public sector enterprises.
The sad part is that their control of information to the public has brainwashed many workers into accepting their draconian measures, indeed to demand them! They have been hoodwinked into believing this will improve their lot and the lot of the poor.
The right wing agenda has been pushed to the point that there is a growing movement among Canadians to fight back. The battle in Seattle, in Washington and Ottawa marked a unity not achieved in the past. One of the most significant features of that unity was the large participation by young people. Government spokesmen like finance minister Paul Martin have publicly stated that there is a need to ensure there is public input into the decision making processes in organizations like the WTO.
While it would not be recommended to hold ones breath ‘till this happens, it is an indication that in the upcoming elections the working class needs to forcibly raise many issues that affect their lives. More, to have an impact on who gets elected. Our role as Communists will be important.
As Bill Beeching said in a letter to the Central Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Canada, September 2, 1987 but timely, “The historical tendency of Right Wing reformism to capitulate at crucial junctures in the class struggle is ever present in today’s politics. How the communists situate themselves in this debate and what solutions they propose for Canada and the working people is crucial.”
The growing unity of the right demands counter action if we are to avoid a headlong rush to some form of fascism. The time is ripe for a united front of the working class to defeat the right and communists must be a part of that unity!
As Bill Beeching said in a draft for discussion in the CCC, (sometime in the 1980’s)“Only a new political movement which embraces and gives voice to all those in society who are oppresses by monopoly can win the things people need to protect them in the future”
The CCC has several times raised the question of a united front in Focus. It requires a group that will as Bill said in the same draft,
“In the struggle for the rational development of the economy to raise the living standards of the people, the vast majority of the people — workers, farmers, teachers and professionals, women and youth, small businessmen — face the political task of bringing into existence a broad, democratic front — a coalition which will curb the dictatorial oppressive power of the monopolies and win gains for the working people, first of all a stable and enduring peace. It is impossible for the working class to make real gains based on curbing the power of monopoly and the financial oligarchy until it is joined by the farmers, professionals and small businessmen who are also experiencing serious problems caused by monopoly exploitation”
It requires a group with enough resources to counter the mighty propaganda machine of the monopolies; a group with enough resources to enable them to hold local, regional and national (possible international due to globalization) conferences to hammer out a people’s program. Of necessity such a program would have to be a ‘minimum’ program that all the diverse working class groups and their allies could agree to. The cornerstone of such a program would be to curb the present monopoly control that is eroding true democracy and in effect running the government of the various countries under imperialist control.”
John |