From March 21–22, the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Communist Party met amid a world in turmoil.
In the first three months of 2026 alone, we saw the kidnapping of Maduro, a political general strike in the U.S. against ICE, the eruption of the Epstein files, and now U.S.–Israeli imperialism waging war on Iran. It is clear that we are living through the most turbulent period in generations.
The purpose of our meeting was to begin preparations for the Third Congress of the Revolutionary Communist Party, the task of which will be to understand the trajectory of events and develop a plan to connect the ideas of communism to the changing consciousness of ordinary people.
Grasping the situation
That’s why the Central Committee began the weekend with a discussion on the perspectives for Canadian capitalism in the coming period. For Marxists, perspectives are an analysis of the inner logic of events. We use this to cut through the apparent chaos and anticipate the general outline of future events.
Joel Bergman of the RCP Executive Committee led off the discussion. He explained how, with the death of the old world order, the basis for Canada’s relative stability has been destroyed. This has brought all the existing contradictions of Canadian capitalism to the fore and created an existential crisis.
In the discussion, party leaders from all over the country delved into these faultlines in more detail, from the crisis of the Canadian economy, the debt crisis, to the conflict between Indigenous land rights and Carney’s development plans. It’s clear that everything that this country is supposed to represent—compromise, peacefulness, a “fairer” version of capitalism—is set to be destroyed.
But perspectives are not about dry analysis. Communists discuss perspectives to understand how these events will change the thinking of ordinary people. And it is precisely momentous events like the ones we’re seeing that cause tremendous shifts in consciousness.
Class struggle is on the agenda. We are already seeing this with the historic anti-austerity movement in Nova Scotia and historic strikes like the Alberta Teachers’ strike last fall, which almost triggered a general strike.
Perspectives for the student movement
The crisis of Canadian capitalism is having a particular effect on young people. Youth unemployment has skyrocketed to almost 20 per cent. And young people are now facing ruthless attacks from governments across the country, as capitalism in crisis demands austerity. This has found its reflection in a developing student movement.
This has already resulted in a one week student strike last week in Nova Scotia, which was one reason Nova Scotia premier Houston had to partially retreat from his proposed austerity.
In Ontario, cuts to student aid have also triggered a combative mood on the campuses. University of Waterloo students went on a one-day student strike on March 4. And McMaster students voted for a student strike at a general assembly of 900 students. On other campuses, there have been large walkouts against the cuts, and the idea of a student strike being discussed by wide layers of students on campus.
As Marco La Grotta of the RCP Executive Committee laid out, the attacks on the youth have only begun. Governments need more and more austerity, and the youth appear to be an easier target than the powerful public sector unions. And the youth have already been radicalized by decades of crisis and events like the genocide in Gaza. So whatever happens with the current Ontario and Nova Scotia movements, this is only the beginning of a revival of the youth movement in Canada.
Toward a party of 5,000
Marco explained that this presents immense opportunities for the forces of communism. To give just one example, at the March 4 rally against Doug Ford’s cuts to student grants, we sold 159 papers, met over 100 people interested in joining the RCP.
This is why the Central Committee put the task of building a powerful base of communist students on every campus in front of the party. With our comrades already conducting excellent communist work in the movement, the Central Committee believes this goal is well within reach.
Building a powerful base of radicalized youth is a key part of our overall plan to build a powerful communist party ready to play a leading role in the struggles to come. Julien Arseneau, who led off the discussion on organizational perspectives, outlined this plan.
As Julien explained, our party has consistently defended genuine Marxism and trained hundreds of comrades in these ideas over the years, which is the main reason why we were able to build a strong foundation over decades. However, we are still too small to be seen as a serious option by most people.
Therefore, Julien emphasized that we need to think big. What would a party of 5,000 allow us to do? We could be present every day on every major campus talking to students. We could be unavoidable in even big demonstrations and could wage larger campaigns. The RCP could become the party of the revolutionary youth.
With this visibility, the RCP will become a pole of attraction and be able to have a real influence on politics. A dynamic organization of thousands of young people would then begin to be seen as a serious option by the most radicalized workers. This would open the possibility of building a mass communist party with roots in the working class.
We have every opportunity to build a party of 5,000 in the next few years. There are thousands of radicalized youth open to communism. But as Julien highlighted, getting there requires that everyone who wants to fight capitalism joins the RCP, become trained in Marxism, and that every member takes ownership of the party.
Forward to congress!
In the coming month, every cell of the RCP will be studying and discussing two documents approved by the Central Committee: Canada and the new world order and a resolution on organizational perspectives.
We are also launching a new financial campaign with the goal of raising $240,000. This money will go to hiring two new people to help produce and circulate our monthly paper, Communist Revolution/Révolution communiste.
Then, hundreds of comrades from all over Canada and Quebec will convene in Toronto from May 16–18 for the Third Congress of the RCP. There, delegates will discuss, debate, and vote on documents on these questions.
Every cell puts scrupulous attention to this preparation so we can get the absolute maximum out of the congress. Every week, comrades closely study the document being discussed. The discussion begins with a high level presentation by a leading member of the cell. Then the other comrades help round out the understanding, ask questions, and debate proposed amendments.
Through this process, the entire party prepares to make the congress a milestone for the forces of communism in Canada. By hashing out all the most important questions relating to the political situation and our tasks in it, we ensure that every comrade truly understands what the party must achieve in the next year, and is armed with the ideas they need to make it happen.
In this way, we ensure that the entire party emerges with a clear unified vision, and that every attendee understands their place in the greatest struggle in history—the struggle for communism.
If you are a communist and looking to get active, this is a great time to see what the RCP is all about. Contact us today, and we will put you in touch with the closest cell of the party, so you can participate in the discussions and attend our Congress.
Forward to the Third Congress of the Revolutionary Communist Party!
