The coming federal election on October 19,
2015 has revealed a new dynamic in the political
process in Canada, which is the result of the
political campaigning of the electoral political
parties, left and right. It has also revealed the
political characteristic of the current era of
politics in Canada. In a nutshell, it exposes the
low level of energy and enthusiasm of all major
five political parties (including BQ), as well as
a lack of interest of the general population, and
especially young people, to participate in the
electoral process. The balance and relationship
of social and political forces in Canada has
remained the same: the continuation of the
crisis of working class leadership; low level of
class struggle and lack of major resistance to
ruling class attacks; relative stability of capitalist
class and a weak left, who is becoming more
and more Status Quo Left (SQL). However,
the deepening world-wide capitalist crises, the
imperialist wars and occupations, the Cold War
II initiated by the US and other imperialists,
have all created a favourable situation for the
coming radicalization and struggles in Canada
and in the world. For us working class, poor and
oppressed people, regardless of the outcome of
this election, the lessons will be the same. We
have to build an independent campaign for our
own rights and interests outside of the current
Canadian political establishment, right or left.
Today in Canada we do not see any electoral
political party on the left representing a clear
independent revolutionary working class
program. Thus, our political support for far-
left political parties is a critical support. With
a concrete and objective approach, we realize
that while they are short of having a clear
independent working class program, it is also
true that their programs and electoral platforms
are far ahead of reformist parties on the left and
worthy of working class support.
We do not promote or encourage working and
oppressed people to participate in the federal
or provincial elections as if this is their way of
fighting for their rights or their path to political
power, contrary to what ruling class parties
and even, unfortunately, some political parties
on the left are suggesting. However, we do not
boycott the elections either! These elections
regardless of working class input are happening
all the time, they come and go. Capitalist
elections and
parliamentarism
are the way of
capitalist democracy and the political process to
consolidate the power of the capitalist ruling class
and their corporate base. Capitalist democracy is
an ideology, government, state and culture. We
do not promote them, but we do participate in
bourgeois elections when they occur, however,
tactically not strategically. Why? Because these
elections are an opportunity for the working
class to exercise its right to participate in the
political process in order to gain confidence and
leadership. However, not in order to accept the
capitalist political framework and consequently
develop illusions, but to objectively and
subjectively develop an understanding of the
limitations and inadequacies of bourgeois
democracy for working and poor people, the
mass majority.
The current federal election reveals many
important and vital political issues/lessons for
working and poor people:
First,
the growing, although slow, radicalization
of working, poor and oppressed people in Canada
is the result of both a growing dissatisfaction
and resentment towards the capitalist ruling
class and Harper Conservative government.
Ignoring Indigenous rights issues, participation
in wars and occupations abroad, as well as, the
continued attacks on the standard of living of
people in Canada through limiting human and
democratic rights as well as by implementing
more and more austerity measures which
further depresses income, market and economy
in Canada. Thus, the coming period will be
marked by an intensification of class battles and
conflicts.
Second,
confusion and lack of transparency
within the electoral left, such as using terms like
“Canadian values”, has certainly ignored and
distorted the fact that “values” are a class-based
notion; they are not “nation” or “Canada” based.
Third,
The issue of an “independent foreign
policy” for Canada is also confusing and
misleading because the question is, independent
from whom? To begin with, Canada’s ruling class
is independent and pursues its own imperialist
interests. All imperialists do the same, although
there are convergences and divergences between
them! In working class language “independent
foreign policy” can mean only one thing:
Internationalism! In other words, to be for
the unity of all working and oppressed people
around the world. In imperialist countries like
Canada, the only way working and poor people
can truly exercise their “independent foreign
policy” is when they are in power.
Fourth,
“Canadian sovereignty” is another issue
that is in part similar to point number three,
and also implies erroneously that the Canadian
imperialist ruling class is not independent from
the US ruling class and its foreign policy and
pictures their collaboration as the subordination
of Canada. Fundamentally, calling for the
sovereignty of an imperialist country is promoting
bourgeois nationalism. In an era of imperialist
decay, this is extremely dangerous to the interests
of working people under imperialist attack
around the world as well as oppressed nations in
Canada such as Indigenous nations and Quebec.
The context and political aim of demanding
“Canadian sovereignty” is chauvinistic. This
demand not only undermines the international
solidarity of working and poor people but is
also against the real unity of oppressed people in
Canada.
Having stated the above, we believe certain
candidates in different ridings could make a
difference from the point of view of community
and ethnic representation, specific oppressed
layers of society, direct labour representation
or particular local struggles, concrete political
disputes, racism, sexism, homophobia,
xenophobia, youth rights, etc. Nonetheless,
where the choice is between reactionaries such
as the Conservatives and progressives such as
the NDP, we recommend the latter. As well,
where the choice is based on participation of
the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada (MLPC)
and the Communist Party of Canada (CPC), we
recommend the candidates of these parties with
priority to the MLPC.
Within our framework explained above,
Fire This Time presents an example of three
recommendations of candidates to vote for
in British Columbia whom we believe could
genuinely make a difference at the local and/or
federal level.
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