While the rest of the left is losing its head and moping about the dramatic events provoked by the crisis of capitalism, we communists are moving forward resolutely. We are preparing, methodically but with a sense of urgency, for the inevitable revolutionary events to come.
This is how one might sum up the discussions at the second annual Congress of the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP), which took place in Toronto over the long weekend of May 17–19.
The aim of these discussions was to arm the 379 or so participants, including a hundred delegates representing a hundred party cells across the country, with a common understanding of the major upheavals the world is going through, and to guide our work in the year ahead.
We’ve entered an epoch of wars, trade wars, mass movements and political earthquakes. This was the subject of the World Perspectives discussion, introduced by Fred Weston of the International Secretariat of the Revolutionary Communist International.
As he explained, the election of Donald Trump has seriously accelerated the crisis of capitalism, crystallizing processes that existed beneath the surface.
As the global economy sinks into prolonged instability and stagnation, conflicts between imperialist powers, particularly China and the United States, are sharpening.
Meanwhile, the inability of the capitalist ruling class to provide decent living conditions for the masses is fuelling a simmering anger against the liberal establishment and its institutions, notably parliament, the courts and the police.
But the “left” parties are totally unable to capitalize on this anger. They have totally abandoned any pretense of fighting against the capitalist system, and are rightly associated with the hated liberal status quo. This explains why the so-called “anti-establishment” right-wing demagogues like Trump, and like Le Pen in France and Nigel Farage in the UK, are gaining in popularity—not, as the “left” says, that the masses are attracted by fascism.
Canada is no exception to this process of political upheaval. This is what Joel Bergman, from the RCP’s Executive Committee, explained in his presentation introducing the discussion on Canadian Perspectives.
Trump’s election even gave the Liberal Party a second lease on life, bringing banker Mark Carney—the very embodiment of the hated establishment—to power. Although right-wing populist Poilievre failed to dislodge the Liberals, the anger responsible for Poilievre’s popularity is far from gone.
As for the “left”—supposedly represented by the NDP and Québec solidaire—it is unable to capture the rebellious mood, clinging to the coattails of the liberal establishment and the hated institutions of the capitalist status quo. The NDP has been wiped out in the election and reduced to only a few seats.
But Carney is taking power in an impossible situation. He is caught between a rock and a hard place: leading a minority government, grappling with a productivity crisis, a housing crisis, and a huge public debt.
He came to power promising his supporters in the banks and boards of directors that he would restore public finances. This will be done by putting the burden of the crisis onto the shoulders of working people. Meanwhile, the trade war with the U.S. is driving companies to move their operations south of the border or lay off workers.
Whatever Carney does, Canada’s image as a quiet, boring land will take a heavy blow in the years ahead.
All of this sets the stage for an accelerated transformation of the consciousness of the masses.
As several participants pointed out, one country after another—Serbia, Greece, Lebanon, Kenya, France, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Chile, Colombia, etc.—have been shaken by mass unrest over the past 15 years. Sooner or later, Canada will join this club of countries plunged into protracted instability.
But in all these countries, these popular movements failed to bring about serious change. In the absence of a mass revolutionary party with a clear socialist program, capable of guiding these movements to victory, they all ended in disappointment.
The conclusion is clear: the field is totally empty on the left. Armed with these perspectives, the RCP congress discussed the urgency of building such a party, and how to get there.
As Julien Arseneau of the RCP’s Executive Committee explained during the session on building the party, we need to work methodically, without losing our heads.
Our forces are growing, which enabled us, for example, to lead the Student Strike for Palestine campaign last fall. We’ve also made great strides in consolidating and professionalizing our forces since the last congress. We expanded our presence across Canada. And we’ve professionalized the newspaper, finance, technical team and publishing house.
These are incredible conquests. But we still have a lot of work to do. We are still only at the beginning. Our task is to recruit the most serious workers and students, win them over to communism, educate them in Marxist ideas and the methods and traditions of Bolshevism, and send them out to win other people over to communism.
To achieve this, as discussed in the session on “How Marxists are Formed”, political and theoretical education must be at the center of our work. Only in this way can we train the future cadres—the future officers—of the revolution.
All participants clearly assimilated this lesson: book sales over the weekend rose from $13,000 last year to $20,000 this year.
At a time when the rest of the revolutionary left is panicking in the face of what it imagines to be a reactionary situation—and wasting all its energies on short-sighted adventures—the mood of the congress was “sober enthusiasm”. Participants left with an iron determination to build the party that will lead the working class to power.
Putting their money where their mouth is, the comrades led a fundraising session on Saturday evening that allowed us to surpass our financial goal of $450,000 in one-off donations for the year 2025.
More than ever, the bankruptcy of the capitalist system is visible to everyone who opens their eyes. But this rotten system will not fall of its own accord. What’s needed is a conscious effort to forge the sword that will deliver the killing blow.
The RCP has undertaken this task. We call all workers and young people ready to devote their lives to this crucial effort—join us.
