Athens Meeting 18-20 November 2005, Contribution of CP of
Canada
-------------------------------------------------
From: SolidNet, Monday, November 28, 2005
http://www.communist-party.ca , mailto:inter@cpc-pcc.ca
==================================================

International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties
"Current Trends In Capitalism: Economic, Social And
Political Impact. The Communists' Alternative"
Athens, 18-20 November, 2005

Presentation of the Communist Party of Canada

Dear Comrades:

We believe the main direction of the current century
continues to be that of the transition from capitalism to
socialism. The appearance of the first socialist state, the
struggles and gains of the working class and its allies,
the achievements of socialism, the spread of revolutionary
ideology and the defeat of European fascism were monumental
accomplishments of the past century. The overthrow of the
USSR, the resiliency of imperialism and its
counter-offensive, which has intensified the struggle and
won imperialism a temporary advantage, does not alter the
fact that we are in transition to socialism even though we
have not yet regained the initiative.

We believe that the imperialist offensive which attempts to
force the nations of the world into a "submit, join"
program of imperialist domination is the main danger to
humanity. If not combated and eventually defeated,
imperialism will threaten the existence of humanity and the
natural environment necessary for sustaining human life.
The hegemonic plans of imperialism are carried out
politically through neoliberal policies and militarily
through acts of aggression committed by individual
imperialist states or by alliances that are transient and
reflect the competition between imperialist states in their
drive for world domination. The arms race today is
characterized by the development of hi-tech weapons of
terror to subdue resistance of the peoples and also to
prepare for inter-imperialist wars of supremacy. The most
powerful imperialist state, the U.S.A., continues to expand
its nuclear monopoly, threatening first-use and the
possible annihilation of humanity.

The agendas of the transnational and global corporations,
based primarily in the leading imperialist states, are
aggressively imposing their neo-liberal political programs
onto all sovereign states. The neoliberal agenda delivers
the people's wealth, social institutions, sovereignty,
culture and resources into the hands of the global
corporations whose "profit and plunder" agenda destroys the
quality of life, impoverishes the vast majority of working
people and creates famine, disease, desperation and state
repression. Neoliberalism seeks to destroy the sovereignty
of nations and their cultural-political ability to resist.
It seeks to put nations into conflict as a means of "divide
and control" and also as a means of internally
destabilizing multi-national states. It seeks to impose
"free trade" deals and other corporate globalization
schemes on all national economies, forcing them to
integrate into one imperialist cartel or another. It uses
economic sanctions and penetration by international
financial institutions like the IMF and the World Bank, as
well as overt military threats to bully states that resist
and insist on developing national programs that favour
their people and their sovereignty. The Cuban, Korean,
Venezuelan and other peoples daring to challenge the global
capitalist neoliberal agenda are coming under increasing
attack.

At the same time capitalism, in its imperialist stage, is
having difficulties coping with its intrinsic
contradictions, global "relative" over-production,
spiralling debt, impoverishment, shrinking markets, and the
intensification of inter-imperialist rivalries. The plunder
and impoverishment of the peoples in the third world and
the attacks on democracy and living standards in the
industrial states have given rise to resistance and
fightback movements that in turn require more and more
repressive laws and responses to control.

One of the features of this period may be a tendency, even
among some communists, to view phenomena in absolute terms
rather than as part of a dialectical process. There have
appeared, even in our movement, tendencies of adaptation
and assimilation, born of despondency and the inability to
foresee the defeat of the neoliberal agenda and ultimately
imperialism. This gives an extended life to reformism and
social democracy even though it is not able to provide the
ideological and practical leadership the working class
needs. At the same time, the resistance and fightback
movements have not matured to the point where
anti-imperialism has become their main feature and they
reach for revolutionary ideology.

This is expressed in the trade union movement, to greater
or lesser degree in different countries, as a turmoil, a
disorientation, dissatisfaction with leadership and yet, at
the same time, a fear of changing it. In Canada we have
been going through a period where the trade union
leadership weakens or sells out long before the workers
have exhausted their ability to fight. Despite this weak
and essentially collaborationist leadership however,
workers are increasingly prepared to fight. A major
victory, for instance, was won in October by a militant
strike of school teachers broadly supported by both public
and private sector workers who defied a government imposed
contract, court injunctions and the threatened seizure of
their union assets. Ultimately, the government was forced
to make a tactical retreat and negotiate a settlement.

The resistance to neoliberalism is growing universally.
Thousands upon thousands of workers are moving into direct
conflict with it, and even though the real class-political
enemy is not always fully understood or identified, class
consciousness is continuing to develop, the nature of the
capitalist state more clearly understood and the
international imperialist character of globalization and
neo-liberalism more fully exposed.

In this period of developing resistance, of fermentation,
of transition, of the inability of imperialism to impose
its full hegemony, the demand for revolutionary ideology
and its ability to connect the past with the future, and
provide practical leadership, becomes more important with
each passing day.

The need for the communist parties to demonstrate a unified
international presence in the struggle cannot be stressed
enough. If we advise the masses of people all over this
world that their struggle must mature into a united
anti-imperialist front, then can we demand anything less of
ourselves? We already have a common ideology, we already
have a general class position, and we already have a
legacy, having dealt numerous defeats to imperialism, and
having provided the ideology and leadership for the
proletariat to establish socialism in first one, and then a
number of states.

Whatever obstacles stand in the way of greater coordination
of the Communist and Workers parties must be overcome.
Whatever levels we have achieved over these past years must
be accelerated. Collectivity is one of the things that
define us; should we not see its expression in our
relations between parties as well as within them? The form
can be as broad and flexible as necessary; autonomy,
equality and non-interference can be guaranteed.

The failure to raise our presence to a higher level in the
international struggle will allow a political vacuum that
will be filled by reformist, collaborationist, anarchist or
fifth column imperialists. Can we allow this to happen?

The message I carry to you from my party is a message of
complete support for joint efforts directed at
strengthening coordination which are already underway,
thanks to the work of the Communist Party of Greece and
other parties. We strongly urge that this work be carried
forward with renewed determination.

Finally, we also wish to inform all parties that the World
Peace Forum 2006 will be held in Vancouver this coming June
23 28th. In conjunction with this important gathering,
our party will organize an international seminar focussing
on the political economy of militarism, aggression and war
in the world today, and the urgency of building an
international democratic, ant-imperialist front. We will be
circulating a special letter of invitation to all parties
shortly, and hope many will be able to participate next
June in Vancouver.

On behalf of the Communist Party of Canada, I thank you for
the opportunity to present our views to this gathering.

***************
Sam Hammond,
Member, Central Executive Committee
Communist Party of Canada