April 14, 2004

Communists ready for federal campaign

THE COMMUNIST PARTY of Canada is putting the finishing touches on its campaign planning for the federal election which many expect this spring. Over 50 CPC candidates will be on the ballot, and the party will reach more voters than ever with an expanded website and other tactics.

Meeting on the April 3?4 weekend in Toronto, the CPC's 26-member Central Committee completed work on an election platform focusing on policies to meet people's needs, instead of serving the profit interests of the big corporations.
The platform calls for a wide range of measures to protect Canadian sovereignty, to reverse de?industrialization and job losses, and to expand vital social programs. The Communists will also campaign for an independent foreign policy for peace and global disarmament, radical measures to protect the environment, and a wide range of policies to promote broader democracy and social equality. Full details of the platform will be released by mid-April, starting on the CPC website, www.communist-party.ca, in both French and English.

The Central Committee also adopted a statement on the political situation in the country, emphasizing that under Paul Martin, the federal Liberals have shifted dramatically to the right, leaving little to distinguish them from Steven Harper's Conservatives. The CPC will appeal to voters to reject both right-wing parties, and to elect a large bloc of progressive MPs, including Communists, who are prepared to cooperate with people's movements to advance the interests of working people.

The Party's election plan includes distribution of 170,000 copies of a special four-page version of the platform containing photos and biographies of candidates, special leaflets for the "Youth Vote Canada" parallel election being conducted in high schools, a professionally-made free-time political broadcast, ads in many local and community newspapers, lawn signs, and flyers in Punjabi, Spanish and other languages.

Communist Party leader Miguel Figueroa will travel across the country, taking the party's message to most ridings where the CPC will be on the ballot. Tour dates, and the time and location of public forums, will be announced immediately after the writ is dropped.

"This will be the biggest political outreach campaign by our Party since the 1980s," says Figueroa, who will be a candidate in the Toronto riding of Beaches-East York. "Our victory against discriminatory sections of the Canada Elections Act, and the influx of a large number of young people into our Party and the Young Communist League, put us in a much stronger position. The Communist Party will have a real impact on the policy debates wherever we have candidates, and we will come out of this campaign with many more members. We look forward to hitting the streets with our message. In fact many of our candidates and supporters are already meeting voters and collecting signatures on our nomination papers."
A mail appeal for volunteers and donations will go out to thousands of potential supporters as soon as the campaign begins. Contributors to the CPC receive federal tax receipts, starting at 75% of the first $200.

One frequent question for the CPC concerns the impact of last year's Supreme Court ruling on the Election Act. That decision forced Parliament to adopt changes lowering the number of candidates needed by a party to maintain registered status, from fifty to just one candidate. Unfortunately, Elections Canada will not be able to implement the regulations and procedures necessary to act on this change in time for a spring election, forcing small parties to nominate 50 candidates yet again. If the vote is delayed until the fall, the new regulations would be in effect.

For more information on the Communist Party campaign, call 416-469-2446.

© 2002 Communist Party of Canada