First Published: Canadian Revolution, No. 2, August-September 1975
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Malcolm and Paul Saba
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Dear Canadian Revolution People,
I have received the first issue of the journal with enthusiasm. Although Canadian Marxist-Leninists are far from unified on fundamental questions, it is an important step forward that these questions are being raised for debate on a national scale. In Vancouver the journal has already convinced us of the need to do more in-depth analysis, and hopefully it has provided similar inspiration to comrades across the country.
I would like to offer two general criticisms of the contributions to the first issue. The first deals with the need to clarify who we are and of whom we are speaking, and the second is the use of quotes in articles.
It would be helpful, particularly for those of us not living in Toronto, to be given some idea of the source of an article. For example, “Workers Unity” – who are they? what has their practice been? do they have a small membership or a very broad base? While it is not necessary to sign your name to an article, there is no need to keep comrades from knowing the extent of your activities.
This question arises again, in a more important form, within the article “Why Building the Party is the Principle Task”. It is clear within the article that the writers have particular organizations in mind when they are dealing with economism. As the development in Vancouver has been substantially different in this regard, it would clarify their position if the practice of these economists were more specifically identified. To give an example, there are several references to the “sacrifices” made in taking a working class job. P. 10: “To absolve themselves of liberal guilt feelings, they sacrifice their petit-bourgeois life to go among the working class”. Although many comrades in Vancouver have gone “among the working class” and see this as important in their political development, the sacrificial element is not a major characteristic for the simple reasons that the wages are substantially higher for such work out here and, as well, there are fewer opportunities to find equally remunerative employment elsewhere. Would Perri and Stover see this in the same economist light, or are their criticisms dealing with specific activities and specific platforms being presented? (This is not an attempt to say that no form of economism exists in Vancouver. If this were my contention I would not request clarification.)
My second suggestion is that people attempt to use less quotes in their articles. It can be difficult to know if quotes are taken in our out of context when used in putting forward a position. Also, I think it would aid our development if we searched in the realities of the Canadian situation, rather than between the volumes of Marx and Lenin for verification that our theses on Canada are valid. The scientific groundwork they laid are tools to be used in analyzing Canada and the world today, not a recipe for revolution to be used as “proof” that our positions are correct. This criticism can only be interpreted as “revisionist” if it is taken to mean an abandonment of a Marxist-Leninist framework. Far from that, I am suggesting that we do as Lenin and Mao did – use a firm understanding of dialectical materialism to look at the world around us and build our analysis and strategy.
Thank you for the space. I am looking forward to the second issue.
J.C.
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Comrades,
la Cellule Ouvriere Revolutionnaire (COR) greets with enthusiasm the recent publication of the first issue of Canadian Revolution. This is an important event for the young Marxist-Leninist movement in Canada and we warmly applaud your initiative.
Given the embryonic state of the new Communist movement in Canada and the great dispersion of its forces, Canadian Revolution can help satisfy a basic need at the present stage of party-building: the need for a broad forum where Canadian Marxist-Leninists from east to west, can debate the “burning issues” which confront them, and wage the ideological struggle essential for political unity. In this way, Canadian Revolution can make a considerable contribution to the organisational unity of genuine communists throughout the country.
In Quebec, the Marxist-Leninist movement has advanced noticibly over the past few years. We feel that Communists in Quebec have much to add to the Canada-wide debate towards the unification of revolutionnaires into a single organisation and finally, into one proletarian vanguard party. At the same time, there is no doubt that Quebec Marxist-Leninists have much to learn from comrades in all parts of Canada. However, this process of mutual revolutionnary education implies a greater amount of energy devoted to translation work, on the part of both English and French speaking Marxist-Leninists.
Once again, Canadian Revolution has our firm and militant support. We support all endeavours which will further the unity of Marxist-Leninists in Canada, unity for the organisation and the Party; unity for the victory of Socialist Revolution in Canada. Long live Marxism-Leninism! Long live the unity of Marxist-Leninists! Forward towards the creation of a Canadian Marxist-Leninist organisation and the forging of a Communist Party in Canada! Long live the proletarian revolution!
Communist Salutations, La Cellule Ouvriere Revolutionnaire
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Dear Canadian Revolution:
The upcoming issue of Solidaire, English-Language magazine published by revolutionaries in Quebec, presents the integral translation of “Serve the People”, a summation of work in a large Montreal factory by a Marxist-Leninist group.
The summing-up of political work is one of the essential tasks that must be developed in Marxist-Leninist groups, collectives or organizations. It allows us to clarify the positive and negative lessons learned from the practice in question and thus allows us to rectify and consolidate our approach, both in terms of our political line, and its application.
The summing-up consists of comparing the orientation (both general and particular; the line, analysis, strategy and tactics) which guided a specific and limited political activity or series of political activities in a given period, with the concrete application of this orientation among the masses. In this process we can see how well we were able to transmit our orientation to the masses, and to what extent they have adopted it, made it their own, and have tested it in their own practice. It is the means by which we can verify whether our plans, projects, objectives and propositions were correct or incorrect.
“Serve the People” is the summing-up by a Montreal Marxist-Leninist group of their practice in a large factory. Basing themselves on Marxism-Leninism, which itself is the theoretical summation of 150 years of revolutionary struggle, they analyse concretely their political practice in this factory and the various errors that were made, both right and “left”, and how these errors were related to the political context of the revolutionary movement in Montreal.
For the group concerned, the production and discussion of the summing-up was an important part of the process of developing their political line and unity and their understanding of the necessity of working towards the formation of the revolutionary party of the proletariat.
For other revolutionaries, “Serve the People” is doubly important. On the one hand it presents political lessons learned in the course of a specific practice whose importance is by no means limited to this particular group. On the other hand, it is an example of a summing-up of political parctice that attempts to correctly link theory and practice. “Serve the People”, while presenting a detailed and concrete picture of the practice, is always aware of the necessity to draw out the general political lessons from concrete political work and understands the central importance of political line and orientation in all of our work.
Solidaire c/o Libraire Progressiste 1867 Amherst Montreal 132
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Dear Friends at Canadian Revolution:
Congratulations on breaking ground in this desperately needed area – a meeting point for Canadian would-be revolutionaries.
As we witness one of the most historical events in the struggle for socialism – the delivery of the first major blow at the U.S. imperialism by the people of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos – we should be taking heart and planning, ever more carefully, our own strategies to bring socialism to our own people.
There are many tremendously valuable lessons to be learned from the consummate skill which succeeded in destroying our common enemy in that area of Indochina.
All the best Claire Culhane
Cach mang rnuon nam! (Long live the revolution)
P.S. It is a common, but very regrettable omission that the people of Laos were not included on your back cover salutation. Proportionately speaking, they actually suffered more intense and far longer devastation from U.S. savagery, and have rallied perhaps more quietly, but none the less as beatifully as the others. Yes?
Your criticism is quite correct, Claire. We regret the oversight and thank you for pointing it out.
The Editors
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Comrades:
The publishing of the journal Canadian Revolution at this moment is an initiative which will greatly contribute to the unification of the Marxist-Leninist movement in Canada. We have no doubt that the desire for unity exists among Canadian Marxist-Leninists . And, like yourselves, we firmly believe that this desire must be embodied in a permanent struggle for unity and a higher level of political and ideological line. This struggle will not achieve its objectives if Canadian Marxist-Leninists do not develop the practical aspect of organizing a large, permanent and open debate on all theoretical, strategic, tactical and organizational questions which confront us at this moment.
This, we think, is the main and fundamental purpose of Canadian Revolution, and we agree with you on this question. For example, the simple fact that isolated Marxist-Leninists in Canada have already written to you illustrates what we believe to be the historical purpose of your intiative.
But it would be idealist to think that a journal published by a collective united on a minimum platform will be a permanent and principal means of unity.
We think that Canadian Revolution has an historical function, as a first step towards open and wide struggle in developing correct ideological, political and organizational line, which is a necessary condition to unify in one organization all authentic Marxist-Leninists in Canada.
To speak of “historical function” and of “first step” indicates clearly the limits of Canadian Revolution as a means for unity. It is not our purpose here to speculate on the future of Canadian Revolution. Nobody at this moment can say exactly how it will develop, what path it will follow and what precise role it will play in the way of building Marxist-Leninist unity in Canada. Our conviction is that CR as a “first step” must lead to the emerging of a Marxist-Leninist centre, to the constitution of the central trend within the Canadian Marxist-Leninist movement.
How exactly this will be accomplished we cannot say at this moment; our knowledge of the Canadian Marxist-Leninist movement is not sufficiently developed for us to put forward a “plan” and a “method” which would respect the concrete situation of our movement. But this, we repeat, we do know: CR, as a “first step”, must be clearly conceived as a means to accomplish the second one, which is the building of a Marxist-Leninist centre in Canada. We firmly believe that this is an absolute necessity to achieve organizational unity of Canadian Marxist-Leninists.
Comrades, the main tactical objective of the Canadian Marxist-Leninist movement at this stage is the creation of an authentic Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist) in Canada.
To achieve this goal, we must clarify the way and means by which we will go forwards on this path. In the present situation, given the general dispersion and isolation of Marxist-Leninist forces, open and wide debate on strategic and tactical line, on theoretical and organization questions, on party building and unification of Marxist-Leninists must be systematically organized on a national scale.
CR is, at this moment, a significant initiative in the present phase of party building in Canada – which is, as no one can doubt, a primary phase. Be assured that EN LUTTE! is determined to organize its contribution to the unification of Canadian Marxist-Leninists. This contribution will be channeled through CR as a first step towards unity.
Long live Marxism-Leninism and Mao Tsetung Thought!
Long live the world socialist revolution!
Long live the dictatorship of the proletariat!
Long live the Canadian Marxist-Leninist movement!
EN LUTTE! June, 1975
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Comrades:
Greetings and warmest congratulations for the first issue of Canadian Revolution. It is a very big step forward and a long overdue one. I have yet to study the contents carefully but I am confident that there is enough in them to generate the kind of debate which is badly needed in Canada toward building a genuine Marxist-Leninist organization and party.
Coming from India, and being closely familiar with the Marxist-Leninist movement in that country, I find Canadian Revolution as particularly welcome a venture. I would very much like to see it widely distributed among the movement people in India. Due to the role of the Hindustani Ghaddar Party, people in India look at the CPC(M-L) as the only expression of the M-L movement in Canada, and this mistaken notion needs to be corrected.
In solidarity, H.S.