Communist Party of Canada moving Socialism onto the Agenda

By Judi McLeod —— Bio and Archives April 6, 2013

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“Socialism won’t come on a plate. But for the price of a plate, you can help us get it onto the agenda!” So declares the Communist Party of Canada (CPC), kicking off its 37th Convention Banquet in Toronto today. “Delegates from Nova Scotia to Vancouver Island are gathering in Toronto for the 37th Central Convention of the Communist Party of Canada. About 50 delegates and alternates elected over the past several weeks at provincial membership meetings will debate a wide range of policy issues, focusing on the struggle to block the right-wing, pro-corporate polices of the Harper Conservative government, and to win a “People’s Alternative” to the neoliberal agenda sweeping the capitalist countries,” according to a CPC media release.

The Canadian Communists work to put Socialism onto the agenda just as polls are showing that Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party--known in some circles as ‘The Natural Governing Party’ would win a majority over Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper in the next election. So gung-ho are they to get back to Natural Governing Party status, On April 14, Justin Trudeau will be acclaimed Leader of the Liberal Party. Politically, Canada is following the same footpath as the United States of America. In the US, Socialism/Marxism is already on the agenda through President Barack Obama. The Liberal Party in Canada mirrors the U.S. Liberals. Both Canadian and American Liberals are in step with their respective Communist Parties, with the Communists even openly endorsing the Obama regime.

Though they don’t clarify their similar platforms for unsuspecting voters, there is little difference between the Liberals and the New Democrat Party (NDP) in Canada. Detractors of the Liberal/NDP coalition who, with the Parti Quebecois made two recent attempts to bring down the Stephen Harper government, call Liberals “the NDP in pinstriped suits”. America’s last two presidential elections were won by cult of personality. Should Justin Trudeau win the next election, it would be through cult of personality. Any and all of his platforms come second to his main claim to fame: Justin Trudeau is the son of former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau (1968-’79-1980-’84), the prime minister whose legacy left Canadians with no private property rights. According to the latest polls, Justin Trudeau’s cakewalk to Liberal leadership is not coming from Canada’s celebrity loving youth, but finds its winning core support from older Canadians, with the Liberals taking 45% of the 55-64 age bracket and a whopping 47% of the 65+ vote under his leadership. (Poll information from National Post). Canadians, who make Bob Rae, who left the NDP as interim leader of the Liberals, can’t get enough of the man who once brought the Province of Ontario to its knees as its first socialist premier. The “most popular leader in the country” with a +12 favourable rating, leaves Harper with an unbelievably low -30 favourable rating (approval rating minus disapproval). Trudeau the younger’s rise was made possible in part by unpopular NDP leader Thomas Mulcair’s miserable +2 rating. The storied rise of the NDP in Canadian politics, who, in spite of the 80 years since the founding of the CCF (Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (Farmers, Labourers, Socialists) has never formed a federal government, in 2011 rose to the ranks of the official opposition. The Communist Party of Canada has been sidelined by voters for roughly the same time period in the same fashion. This has been the result of votes for the CPC under the leadership of Montreal-born Miguel Figueroa, who got his start as a student activist with the National Union of Students joining its staff as national organizer, before joining the Communist Party in 1977: Figueroa has run in five Canadian general elections and at least two provincial elections:

• British Columbia general election, 1979: Figueroa ran in the two-member riding of Vancouver Centre, and finished eighth in a field of eight candidates with 237 votes. Gary Lauk and Emery Barnes of the New Democratic Party of British Columbia won.
• Canadian federal election, 1984: Figueroa ran in the riding of Vancouver East, and finished last with 259 votes. Margaret Mitchell of the New Democratic Party won.
• Canadian federal election, 1988: Figueroa ran in the riding of Halifax, and finished 5th in a field of 7 candidates with 151 votes. Mary Clancy of the Liberal Party of Canada won.
• Canadian federal election, 1993: Figueroa ran as an independent in the riding of Parkdale—High Park, and finished 9th out of a field of 11 with 105 votes. Jesse Flis of the Liberals won.
• Ontario general election, 1995: Figueroa ran in the riding of Beaches—Woodbine, and finished 5th in a field of six candidates with 169 votes. Frances Lankin of the New Democratic Party of Ontario won.
• Canadian federal election, 1997: Figueroa ran as an independent in the riding of Davenport, and finished 7th in a field of 8 with 194 votes. Charles Caccia of the Liberals won.
• Canadian federal election, 2000: Figueroa ran in the riding of Toronto—Danforth, and finished 9th in a field of 10 with 129 votes. Dennis Mills of the Liberals won.
• Canadian federal election, 2004: Figueroa ran in the riding of East York-Beaches in Toronto, and finished 7th in a field of 8 with 62 votes. Maria Minna of the Liberals won.

Figueroa, if nothing else, is persistent. Meanwhile, the one difference separating the Communist Party of Canada and the Liberal/NDP is that the CPC does not try to hide what it is.