This meeting is historic for several reasons: first, because this is the first truly international meeting of Communist & Workers’ Parties since the crisis and overturning of socialism in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe to convene on part of the territory of the former USSR, of the “land of Lenin”. Second, because it falls on the 90th anniversary of “Great October”, the revolution which gave birth to the very first socialist state, and which transformed the balance of class forces and the overall content and direction of world events for most of the balance of the last century. And third, because it comes at a time of unprecedented dangers confronting humanity, and the stark choice facing it, one which may well determine the very survival of our species and indeed, of the planet itself. We join in expressing our deep appreciation to our host party, the Communist Party of Belarus, and to the CP of the Russian Federation for all their efforts to welcome us and facilitate this meeting.

As the anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution approaches, much is being said and written about its historical significance and its relevance today, both by the proponents of socialism, and by its enemies. Like many other parties here, our Party has issued is special statement to mark the 90th anniversary, so I will say here only the following – that as part of the resurgence of anti-communism, a familiar string of lies is once again being trotted out – that the socialist Revolution of 1917 was nothing more than a putsch with no mass base or character; that it was “premature”, and so on and so on – lies that must once again be exposed and refuted. The real, lasting significance of Great October is that it made a sharp break with thousands of years of class divided, exploitative societies and signalled the opening of the epoch of the transition from capitalism to socialism, a new type of society which would end exploitation, plunder and war, and construct a whole new kind of social relations based on cooperation, not competition, and based on social justice, not social, national or gender inequality and oppression. Whatever the mistakes or errors committed subsequently, nothing can detract from the glory and lasting importance of October, and no amount of historical ‘sanitizing’ or rewriting will ever erase that truth.

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Comrades, allow me to turn to present-day developments. As the systemic crisis of capitalism continues to deepen, and as ruling circles scramble to protect their class interests and preserve their hegemony over political life, their offensive against the working class and all working people, against the sovereignty of nations and states, and against the environment is intensifying everywhere.

In Canada, the new Conservative government of Stephen Harper, in office for less than two years, is moving rapidly to impose a radical right-wing agenda and to bring both foreign and domestic policy into lock-step with U.S. imperialism’s drive to world domination. They are moving to extend and expand Canada’s military role in the US/NATO occupation and war in Afghanistan. They are accelerating the drive to sell out Canadian sovereignty through what is politely called “deep integration” with the United States, under the auspices of the “Security and Prosperity Partnership” Agreement. They are conspiring with corporate interests to dismantle Canada’s public healthcare system and to privatize education, public pensions and other vital social services, while cutting taxes for the corporations and the wealthy. They are reneging on commitments under the Kyoto Treaty on the environment, and are exacerbating Canada’s longstanding constitutional crisis by pandering to narrow nationalism in Quebec in order to promote their anti-social agenda. And they are attacking labour and democratic, political and human rights, using the arguments of “global competitiveness” and “the war on terror” to justify their assaults.
                                                                                               
Of course, much more could be said about the anti-people offensive currently under way in our country, but you get the picture; while it has its own peculiarities, it is essentially the same reactionary offensive being played out in many other countries as well.

The paradox in this situation is that the Canadian people in the main oppose virtually every aspect of this right-wing agenda. The majority oppose the war in Afghanistan and Iraq, and oppose the threat of war against Iran and elsewhere. They oppose increasing militarization and defence spending. They want to keep healthcare, education and other services public and universally available. They oppose the sell-out of Canadian sovereignty, etc.

And yet, the people’s fightback against these policies is fragmented and sporadic at best, because social democracy and other reformist currents predominate in the leadership of the trade union movement and many of the other people’s movements – forces who still hope for a return to the good old days of the “social contract” between capital and labour, and are willing to accommodate themselves, and their members, to the increasing pressures and demands of the bosses and their governments, granting concession after concession in the vein hope of restoring social peace. They are afraid to struggle, and therefore refuse to mobilize the workers and other people’s forces and lead them into battle against this business/state offensive. And, unfortunately, the Communist and other left forces are too small and weak at the moment to prevent this retreat.

Take for instance, the recent agreement signed between the Canadian Autoworkers union, the largest private-sector union in Canada and one with a proud history of struggle, and the large auto parts company Magna International. The union has agreed – even without a fight – to an unprecedented number of concessions, including a “no strike” pledge forever! This is a monumental betrayal, one which sets a most dangerous precedent for all other workers and unions in our country. We fear that it will get worse before it gets better. This is why we feel that efforts to build up the size and political and ideological strength of our Party, and to expand its reach and influence – always a priority for any Communist Party – has assumed paramount importance for us today.

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Comrades, let me finally turn to some questions facing our Communist movement internationally. History teaches us, and current developments confirm for us, that as the cyclical and structural crisis of capitalism matures, and as the class struggle advances, the possibilities for revolutionary change increase. We are seeing such stirrings today particularly in Latin America and we extend our hands in solidarity to Socialist Cuba, the Bolivarian revolution in Venezuela, the insurgency in Colombia, and to all of the progressive and anti-imperialist forces who are gaining strength daily there, as we do to the Palestinian people and all peoples in struggle around the world.

We also know however, that as the systemic crisis of capitalism deepens, and as inter-imperialist contradictions intensify, so too grows the danger of fascism and war. Sadly, we are witness to both these phenomena in many countries and parts of the world today. The recent liquidity crisis which has surfaced in the US economy is, in our opinion, but the tip of the iceberg of a much larger economic crisis which will shake – in fact is already beginning to shake – the global economy as a whole. And of course we have seen the resurgence of ultra-right and neo-fascist movements in many countries in Europe and elsewhere.

Such conditions, in the context of swelling military arsenals and a looming environmental crisis of catastrophic proportions, constitute a threat to the very future of humanity. Increasingly, the choice today is not between socialism and barbarism, as Rosa Luxemburg once said, but rather between socialism and extinction. In such circumstances, it is absolutely imperative that the Communists make the struggles to defend labour and democratic rights, and the struggle against imperialist aggression and war the primary focus of our work.

It requires on our part a two-sided approach. On one hand, we must intensify the ‘battle of ideas’ on the ideological front, to combat anti-communism and resolutely defend and advocate socialism as the only viable alternative to capitalism and imperialism (and its crisis). And on the other hand, we must continue to forge every possible alliance we can to oppose aggression, to defend national sovereignty, and to prevent the imperialist assault on the democratic rights and the social and economic interests of the working class and the people. Obviously, this means working with political and social forces with whom we may have serious ideological differences and disputes on certain matters. We must not concede a centimetre of ideological ground or compromise our revolutionary world view, but neither must not we allow our firmness on principles to stand in the way of forging alliances and unity – no matter how temporary or vacillating – or slide into sectarian positions.

And finally, comrades, we must resolve to strengthen the cooperation and unity-in-action of our own movement internationally. We share the view expressed by some other parties here this weekend that while we value all that has been accomplished over the past decade or more to reconnect and rebuild our links through the auspices of these meetings, we cannot permit ourselves to be complacent or self-satisfied with the current level of interaction and cooperation. We should avoid getting wrapped in semantics and in rhetorical debates about whether or not the Communist International should be rebuilt, but we should commit to practical and concrete steps to ensure that our meetings are more purposeful and lead to real, collective and coordinated actions of the Communists internationally.

We are confident that the time has come to make such advances in the level of our cooperation and unity, notwithstanding the diversity of views which may exist on some questions. Let us move forward, comrades, boldly and in a thoughtful and respectful manner. We owe that much to the founders of our great movement – Marx, Engels ad Lenin, among others – and we owe it as well to the future of our peoples, to the future of humanity.

Thank you, comrades.