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ON NOV. 27, PUT PEOPLE BEFORE PROFITS! VOTE COMMUNIST!
Central Executive Committee: Communist Party of Canada
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THE ATTEMPT BY Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and the Liberals to cast the Nov. 27 election as a choice between "two sets of values" and "two visions of Canada" is a "cheap deception" to mislead Canadians about the real issues, Communist Party leader Miguel Figueroa said after the election writ was dropped
"On fundamental questions facing working people in this country, there are no essential differences between the federal Liberals and their main contenders on the right, the Canadian Alliance under Stockwell Day," Figueroa said.
"Both share the same pro?corporate, anti?working class vision. Both support tax cuts for the rich, at the expense of the social services like Medicare and public education. And both promote the policies of capitalist globalization, and the subordination of Canada to the interests of U.S. imperialism.
"Why then the talk of only two visions? Because Liberal strategists hope to polarize the campaign into a race between themselves and the CA, squeezing out both the Progressive Conservatives and the New Democratic Party, not to mention the smaller, alternative parties."
But there are some important distinctions between the two main parties of big business, the Communist Party leader noted
"One section of monopoly capitalists are relatively satisfied with the pro?corporate, neo?liberal policies of Chrétien and co. This group supports globalization policies in the main, but want to maintain some degree of national sovereignty and a relatively strong central government, to be held in reserve to protect their interests, if required.
"Another section of finance capital, primarily the petroleum and other resource?based interests, and foreign transnationals ? mostly U.S.?based - wants to speed up economic integration, privatization, deregulation and the destruction of the public sector. This group has shifted its support to Day and the Alliance, who would carry out this offensive under the cover of so?called `provincial rights.'
"Of the two, the Alliance represents the greatest danger to the rights and interests of working people, and to the sovereignty of the country. A government under Stockwell Day would also impose ultra?right social policies on Canadians, including their `law?and?order,' anti?immigrant and fundamentalist `family values' views.
"One way or another, the basic interests of finance capital ? both domestic and international ? will be protected whichever of these two parties emerges victorious on November 27," Figueroa added.
"There is a real choice facing Canadians in this election. It is between the corporate agenda advanced on one hand, to greater or lesser degree, by all of the main political parties ? including the bourgeois-nationalist Bloc Quebecois and the right social-democratic NDP ? and on the other, and parties and policies that oppose neo?liberalism and globalization.
"Our Party will advance such a fundamental alternative during this election. We will encourage working people to make a conscious break with the prevailing `free market' ideology and support policies which put people before profit.
"The Communist Party will field over 50 candidates in the coming election, iCommunists will run in several high?profile ridings, including Jean Chrétien's home riding of Saint Maurice, LaSalle (Finance Minister Paul Martin), York Centre (Defense Minister Art Eggleton), and Vancouver Centre (Hedy Fry, Secretary of State, Status of Women). Communists will also challenge a number of leading Alliance candidates.ncluding 11 in British Colombia, 3 in Alberta, one in Saskatchewan, 7 in Manitoba, 18 in Ontario, 12 in Quebec, and one in Nova Scotia.
"By running in over 50 ridings, we will regain our official party registration which was stripped from us in 1993," Figueroa said. "Even more important, we will take our analysis and People's Alternative to Canadians in many more parts of our country, at a crucial moment in the fightback against the corporate agenda of neoliberalism and globalization.
"Despite our small size and limited resources, we are confident that we can make a real impact with our campaign, despite the wall of silence thrown up by the mainstream corporate?owned press against the CPC and all of the smaller, alternative parties.
"We urge all of our members, friends and supporters, and all democratic and progressive?minded Canadians to help us in this extraordinary undertaking by supporting our campaign organizationally and financially, and by voting communist on November 27th!"
| Editor: | Kimball
Cariou |