The Marxist-Leninist group Workers’ Unity of Toronto has rallied to the Canadian Communist League (Marxist-Leninist). This is a very positive development for the revolutionary movement of our country.
It’s a step forward not simply from the point of view of the unity of Marxist-Leninists, but also from the point of the view of the struggle against localism, primitiveness and small group mentality.
For the first time in years, communists of the two nations of our country, of the two major cities of Canada, are united within the same Marxist-Leninist organization; united within an organization which has a correct political line, functions on democratic centralism and sets as its central task the struggle to prepare the conditions for creating a genuine communist party in Canada.
In the struggle for unity waged between the League and Workers’ Unity, we have learnt much. The self-criticism of Workers’ Unity reflects the contributions of the League to the development of Workers’ Unity political line and the support given to their criticism of right opportunism. But the League also learnt things from the comrades of Workers’ Unity. We broadened our horizons and, in addition, we have begun to understand the situation across the country. Among the particular questions raised by the Workers Unity comrades, we should underline the “situation of immigrant workers in Canada – a subject the League must study more profoundly in the future.
If the unity just reached between the League and Workers’ Unity took a certain amount of time, it’s because it’s a unity which comes out of struggle, the struggle against right opportunism. It’s because we started off first of all with the struggle around the essential questions of political line and only after tackled the question of organizational unity. It’s because that unity is based upon a profound self-criticism by the Workers’ Unity comrades; a self-criticism which they already began putting into practice in the final months of their group’s existence. They did this by first rectifying their political line and above all by undertaking the tasks of communist agitation-propaganda.
All this shows once again that it is possible to reach unity among Marxist-Leninists. We can overcome all obstacles if we base ourselves firmly upon the fundamental principles of Marxism, Leninism, Mao Tsetung Thought, if we wage a firm struggle against opportunism and if we apply the method of unity-criticism-unity.
The initiative to found the CCL(ML) was taken by three revolutionary groups in Montreal 7 months ago. Even if the League was first created in one city alone, from the beginning our organization set the task of establishing itself across the country to better wage the fight to create the party. The rallying of the group Workers’ Unity to the League as well as their self-criticism are additional proofs which confirm the correctness of the decision taken by the three founding groups to create the League.
As communists, our responsibility was the go forward and found the League on the basis of a correct ideological and political line. It’s wrong to say that it would have been better to wait until everyone was “ready” or that it would have been better to “consult” everyone. Those who understand must act!! We created the League and we have begun to steel it in the fire of class struggles. Yes, we’ve made mistakes and we’ve learn l a lot too. Above all, we’ve made great progress and already we can affirm that the League has made important contributions to the development of the Marxist-Leninist movement in Canada.
With the rallying of Workers’ Unity to the League, the Central Committee of the League will open a district in Toronto. We will begin the work of agitation and propaganda in Toronto to rally the most advanced workers to communism.
On this occasion, the Central Committee of the Canadian Communist League (Marxist-Leninist) issues a call to all Marxist-Leninist groups, circles and collectives across the country. With the development of the class contradictions in our country and above all with the intensification of the rivalry between the two superpowers on an international scale and the growing threat of war, we must redouble our efforts to prepare the conditions for the creation of a genuine communist party in Canada.
All communist groups must assume the task of studying Marxism-Leninism, of taking positions on the major political questions we must face, and above all of beginning communist agitation and propaganda work with the goal of winning the most advanced workers to communism.
We hope that Marxists-Leninists in Canada will recognize the fundamental correctness of the League’s political line and rally to our ranks. We can then better struggle to unite the greatest number of Marxists-Leninists and create a single communist party in Canada. Only that party can lead the Canadian proletariat in accomplishing its historic mission of overthrowing the state power of the Canadian bourgeoisie establishing the dictatorship of the proletariat and building socialism.
There are thus many lessons to draw from the example of the group Workers’ Unity; it’s for this reason that we present here the self-criticisms it prepared at the time of rallying to the League.
June 1976