Revolutionary Communist Party (Canada)
The Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP), formerly known as Socialist Fightback, is a political party in Canada, founded officially during its congress on May 20, 2024[1]. The party is associated with marxism, and advocates for the overthrow of capitalism in Canada and throughout the world.
The Revolutionary Communist Party is the Canadian section of the Revolutionary Communist International.
Revolutionary Communist Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | May 20, 2024 |
| Newspaper | Communist Revolution |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Far-left |
| International affiliation | Revolutionary Communist International |
| Colors | Red |
| Website | |
| www | |
History
[edit]From the 2000s to 2023, the organization is composed of a group of activists organizing around the publication Socialist Fightback. In addition to publishing this paper, the group organizes marxist discussion circles on campuses throughout the country[2][3][4], participates in demonstrations and workers struggles, and organises larger public events to discuss marxist ideas, notably the Montreal Marxist Winter School[5]. In 2024, in the context of a reorientation of its international, the organization decides to rename its paper to Communist Revolution and to launch a new party, the Revolutionary Communist Party. According to its members, this change was motivated by a surge in popularity for communist ideas, particularly among the youth[6], and a disappointment towards other existing left parties, such as the New Democratic Party and Québec solidaire[7].
Ideology
[edit]The Revolutionary Communist Party claims to represent the ideas of revolutionary marxism, in particular the ideas of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Trotsky. It advocates for the seizure of power of the working class through a communist revolution, in order to nationalize the biggest corporations and implement a democratic and socialist economic plan[8].
The organization's strategy is to build a mass revolutionary political party, based on the model of the russian bolshevik party, which led the October revolution of 1917 and laid the basis for the creation of the Soviet Union[9].
Inside the communist movement, the organization as well as its international are associated with trotskyism[10], in particular the tendency associated with the british trotskyist Ted Grant. Trotskyism is a current that aims to distinguish itself from the various communist parties that were in power in the Soviet Union or China, for example, notably through its positions on the questions of internationalism and worker's democracy[11].
Program
[edit]The party's program includes the following points :
- Expropriation of the 200 biggest canadian corporations and he democratic planning of the economy
- Complete nationalization of the banking sector
- Free and universal healthcare (including dental care, optometry, abortion, and mental health care)
- A 30 hours work week
- A national minimum wage of two thirds the average wage
- A retirement age of 55
- Rents capped at 10% of wages
- Cancelling of all student debts and free education
- Expansion of the education system with the construction of new universities and public schools
- Free and universal child care
- Implementation of a network of publicly-run dining halls and laundry services
- Abolition of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and of all barriers to immigration and asylum
- Voluntary union of the canadian, québécois and indigenous peoples on a socialist basis, recognizing the right to self-determination
The program also underlines the necessity of expanding these measures on an international scale, through the creation of a socialist world federation.
Activity
[edit]
The RCP is composed of cells, i.e. groups of activists in a region that meet on a regular basis to discuss marxist ideas and plan activities with the goal of recruiting new members[12].
These activities include street paper sales, public conferences, and demonstrations.
Literature and podcast
The party publishes its paper, Communist Revolution, on a monthly basis. It runs a publishing house in english, Camilo Cahis Marxist Publishing House, and another one in french, Raison en révolte, which publish, among other things, reissues of classic marxist texts[13]. The party also produces a podcast, the Revolutionary Communist Podcast, on platforms like Spotify and Youtube[14].
Marxist schools
Every year, the party organizes marxist schools throughout Canada. These events are public rallies where multiple presenters from Canada and abroad give talks on marxist theory. The most significative is the Montreal Marxist Winter School, which had 600 participants for its 2024 edition[7].
Campaigns
The party sometimes organizes campaigns to intervene in the labor and student movement. For example, in 2024, in the context of the international student movement demanding the divestment of universities from Israel, the party launched a campaign to agitate for the idea of a student strike for Palestine across Canada[15]. The idea was then taken up by some student unions in Quebec, which led to a two-day student strike of more 82 000 students[16].
References
[edit]- ^ "RCP founding congress: The communists have arrived! | Communist Revolution". www.marxist.ca. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
- ^ "Socialist Fightback Club - Students' Society of McGill University". ssmu.ca. Retrieved 2024-12-06.
- ^ "Socialist Fightback Students – Graduate Students Association of McMaster University". Retrieved 2024-12-20.
- ^ "Join a club | Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association Clubs". clubs.wusa.ca. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
- ^ "In case you missed it: Montreal Marxist Winter School 2023 | Communist Revolution". www.marxist.ca. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
- ^ "Perspectives on Capitalism and Socialism: Polling Results from Canada, the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom | Fraser Institute". www.fraserinstitute.org. 2023-02-23. Retrieved 2024-12-06.
- ^ a b "Des centaines de personnes pour le lancement d'un parti communiste". noovo.info. 27 February 2024.
- ^ "What the RCP fights for | Communist Revolution". www.marxist.ca. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
- ^ "Why we are Leninists | Communist Revolution". www.marxist.ca. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
- ^ Nouvelliste, Éric Faucher, Le (2024-05-05). "Des communistes actifs à Trois-Rivières?". Le Nouvelliste (in French). Retrieved 2024-12-13.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Bolshevism vs. Stalinism | Communist Revolution". www.marxist.ca. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
- ^ "How to build communist cells | Communist Revolution". www.marxist.ca. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
- ^ "Books". marxist-ca. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
- ^ "Spotify". open.spotify.com. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
- ^ "Student strike for Palestine campaign gains momentum! | Communist Revolution". www.marxist.ca. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
- ^ Beaulieu-Kratchanov, Léa (2024-11-20). "Plus de 82 000 étudiant·es en grève pour la libération de la Palestine". Pivot (in French). Retrieved 2024-12-14.
External sources
[edit]- Socialist Fightback Hosts Discussion to Promote Socialist Ideas and Political Education (The Link, January 25, 2020)
- Socialist Fightback expresses confidence in student solidarity for free education (McGill Daily, March 29, 2018)
- Socialist Fightback Edmonton: A club against capitalism (The Gateway, November 5, 2017)
- Socialist Fightback Students are pushing for student strike at Ryerson (The Eyeopener, August 30, 2019)
- L’opération séduction du Parti communiste révolutionnaire (Montréal Campus, April 11, 2024)
- Quand les jeunes se tournent vers le communisme (Pivot, May 1st 2024)
- Rêver au socialisme en 2023 (Montréal Campus, June 20, 2023)
- Des centaines de personnes pour le lancement d'un parti communiste (Noovo Info, February 27, 2024)
- La Riposte voit rouge (Le Délit, October 19, 2022)
- Des communistes actifs à Trois-Rivières? (Le Nouvelliste, May 5, 2024)