September 20, 1999

Communist Party Rejects
Slanderous Accusations

Numerous reports, based on allegations made by a former KGB archivist, Vasili Mitrokhin, have appeared in the Canadian press and media in recent days. Mitrokhin claims, in the book The Sword and the Shield by Christopher Andrew, that the Soviet KGB had "links with the Communist Party of Canada, which helped the Soviets recruit spies and establish fake identities for international agents," and that "the Canadian Communist party was funded through cash payments from the Soviet embassy in Ottawa" ["KGB plans to sabotage Canada revealed," National Post, September 16, 1999].

In response to these allegations, the Central Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Canada released the following statement today:

The allegations made against our Party, contained in the book The Sword and the Shield: The Mitrokhin Archive by the British historian Christopher Andrew, are sensationalist propaganda intended to whip up old "cold war"-type hysteria, and to distort and slander our Party's proud history of struggle for working class and social advance, for peace, for Canadian sovereignty and independence and international working class solidarity. The allegations made in this book are based on Mitrokhin's hand-written notes. No hard evidence or documents have been presented to substantiate these absurd charges. And yet the mainstream corporate media have not raised any questions about their authenticity or accuracy.

The Communist Party of Canada categorically rejects the accusation that it has ever served as an Îagentâ or stooge for the former Soviet Union or any other foreign state. Our Party was founded by Canadians in 1921, and its leadership is democratically elected by and responsible to its members alone. Furthermore, the CPC has no interests separate and apart from those of the working class of Canada, from which it springs.

It is no secret that our Party maintained friendly relations with the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) throughout most of its history; that we regularly exchanged opinions and delegations; and that our Party refused to jump on the anti-Soviet 'bandwagon' during the Cold War years. Our relations with the CPSU were based on a shared political and ideological perspective (although there were sharp differences on occasion). But the CPC's organizational and political independence was never compromised. The allegations contained in the Mitrokhin "archive" are not new; they are a re-hash of charges leveled against our Party (and Communist parties in other capitalist countries) since the Cold War began in the late 1940s. Their purpose then was to isolate the CPC and weaken its influence among Canadian workers by suggesting that our Party and its members were somehow foreign, "un-Canadian" and in the service of external powers.

But why are these ancient slanders being resurrected now, almost a decade after the Soviet Union has ceased to exist? We suspect that the timing of these Îrevelationsâ has much to do with influencing the forthcoming Congressional elections in Russia. According to recent polls, President Yeltzin's approval ratings have slipped below 5%, while Communist and other left candidates in Russia, Ukraine, and elsewhere in the former Soviet Union, are expected to make substantial gains.

Meanwhile, socialist and anti-imperialist ideas – declared "dead" only a few years ago – are gaining ground around the world as the only viable alternative to the faltering, crisis-ridden system of global capitalism. Communist parties in most countries, including Canada, are rebuilding their ranks and increasing their influence and support among working people. When better to dust off old style anti-communist hysteria and fear-mongering?

Class-conscious workers will see through these veils of lies and innuendo which aim to obscure and belittle the history of our Party. The Communist Party of Canada, throughout its long history, has fought to defend and advance the economic and social interests and the democratic rights of the working class of this country. Communist Party members played a leading role in the organization of industrial unions and the fight for collective bargaining and other trade union rights for Canadian workers. Communists like Art Evans (the leader of the famous "On-to-Ottawa trek") organized the unemployed during the Great Depression and fought for social reforms such as UIC and public pensions. The famous Canadian Communist Norman Bethune was the first to fight for public, universal health care in Canada.

At the same time, Canadian Communists were in the front ranks of the struggle against fascism and war. The Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion, which fought on the side of democracy against the Franco fascists during the Spanish Civil War, was organized and led by the Communist Party. And throughout the post-war nuclear arms race, Communists were amongst the most active campaigners for peace and disarmament.

The CPC and its members were also in the forefront of the struggle for equal rights for women, including the fight for equal pay for work of equal value. We fought racism and discrimination, and upheld the rights of immigrant groups and visible minorities. And the CPC has always championed the struggle for Canadian sovereignty and independence.

This is the real history of our Party. It is a history which Canadian Communists are proud to defend, and a tradition of struggle which we continue to uphold.

Communist Party of Canada

290A Danforth Ave.

Toronto, ON   M4K 1N6

 

416-469-2446 (voice)

416-469-4063 (fax)

© 1999 Communist Party of Canada