>From: "mart" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To international readers, perhaps unfamilliar with Canadian politics, >Canada is having a federal election on Nov. 27.2000 , to elect a new >parliament and a new government. This election comes at a critical time for >Canadians. >Politically, the extreme right wing and the religeos fundamentalists have >become united, behind Stockwell Day and the Canadian Alliaence party. The >governing Liberals, under Jean Chretein, have in response, moved their >unabashed "corporate" agenda, even further to the right. >Even the only slightly "left" New Democratic Party has totally abandoned >it's traditional working class base, and embracing Britain'sTony Blair's, >phoney "third way" line, now is only promising to moderate some of the worst >effects of the extreme right wing and corporate agenda on Canadian people. >The Communist Party, after years of struggle and rebuilding is fighting back >and offering a real alternative to Canadians . >Below is the official press release from the CPC and some highlights of it's >"people first" platform. >mart. > >-----Original Message----- >From: Communist Party of Canada <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Date: October 25, 2000 2:13 PM >Subject: CPC Launches Campaign - press release > > >October 23, 2000 > > >Communist Party Officially Launches Campaign; Unveils Platform > > >The Communist Party launched its election campaign today by announcing that >the Party will field more than 50 candidates in the November 27 general >elections and thereby regain its registered status which was stripped from >the CPC in 1993. >“We are very excited about our campaign,” CPC leader Miguel Figueroa said, >“not only because we will reestablish our credentials as an official federal >party – Canada’s third oldest – but also because our platform addresses the >vital concerns of working people in Canada at a crucial moment in the >country’s history.” >The CPC launched its campaign by unveiling the main themes of its platform, >which include measures: (1) to reverse privatization of Canada’s public >services and natural resources; (2) to combat poverty and raise the living >standards of working people; (3) to sharply increase taxes on transnational >corporations, the banks and wealthy individuals; and (4) to oppose the >corporate agenda of globalization, and the loss of Canadian sovereignty. >“There are real choices to be made in this election,” Mr. Figueroa said. >“But they are not between the Liberals and the Alliance, as those parties >and most political and media pundits would have Canadians believe.” >“On most key questions facing working people in this country, there is no >essential difference between the Liberals and their main contenders on the >right, the Canadian Alliance.” >“Both share the same pro-corporate ‘vision.’ Both support tax cuts for the >rich, at the expense of the social services like Medicare and public >education for the people. And both promote the policies of capitalist >globalization, and the subordination of Canada to the interests of U.S. >imperialism.” >“The real choice facing Canadians is between the corporate agenda advanced – >to greater or lesser degree – by all of the mainstream political parties on >the one hand, and those parties and policies that oppose neo-liberalism and >globalization and stand for putting ‘people before profits,’ on the other.” >The Communist Party will campaign in many key ridings across the country to >expose the bogus claims of the ruling Liberals as the “party of compassion,” >while warning Canadians about the even greater danger posed by the >ultra-right wing Alliance under Stockwell Day. The CPC will also put forward >its own “people’s alternative” program as a basis for the ongoing >fightback – both inside and outside Parliament – against the policies of Big >Business and its governments. >“Our Party faces an uphill battle in this campaign precisely because we are >a small party which, like other smaller, alternative parties, is routinely >ignored by the mass media and cut out of the mainstream political debate,” >the Communist Party leader said. >“But despite these difficulties, we are confident that many thousands of >Canadians – especially workers, the unemployed, women, aboriginal peoples, >new Canadians, and youth and students – will be attracted by our policy >alternatives.” >“We invite all democratic and progressive-minded Canadians to consider our >‘people’s alternative’ and to vote for Communist candidates on November >27th.” > > >= 30 = > > >Note to the Media: > >The Communist Party will field over 50 candidates in the coming election, >compared to only eight candidates in 1993, and 13 in 1997. The CPC will >nominate 11 candidates in British Colombia, 3 in Alberta, one in >Saskatchewan, 7 in Manitoba, 18 in Ontario, 12 in Quebec, and one in Nova >Scotia. > >Communists will run in several high-profile ridings, including Jean Chrétien >’s home riding of St. Maurice, LaSalle (Finance Minister Paul Martin), York >Centre (Defense Minister Art Eggleton), and Vancouver Centre (Hedy Fry, >Minister Responsible for the Status of Women). > >A full list of CPC candidates and ridings is available to the media upon >request. > >CPC leader Miguel Figueroa will also be touring across Canada over the >coming weeks. Details of the leader’s tour will be circulated shortly. > >Journalists and reporters covering the federal election are asked to contact >the Central Campaign Committee of the CPC for more information, to arrange >interviews, etc. > >***************** > >Highlights from the Communist Party Platform: > >A People’s Alternative for Canada! > > >Defend and expand health & social programs >Reverse federal cuts in transfer payments for health, education and social >welfare, and preserve Canada-wide standards. No to privatization – block >Alberta’s Bill 11 and other provincial attacks on Medicare. Rescind the Drug >Patent Act (which guarantees mega-profits for the big pharmaceuticals, and >high costs for health care), and introduce universal Pharmacare and >Denticare. Immediately establish an accessible, affordable and non-profit >childcare and infant care program across Canada – no more delays! Stop the >war against the poor, such as “workfare” and welfare cutbacks. Spend at >least 1% of the federal budget on social and non-profit housing. Stop the >“war on drugs”; treat addiction as a medical issue, not a criminal act. > >Jobs with decent pay >Legislate a 32-hour work week with no loss in take-home pay; ban compulsory >overtime, and raise minimum annual paid vacations to four (4) weeks. Lower >the voluntary pension age to 60, and substantially increase pensions. Extend >benefits to part-time, home-based and contract workers. Raise the federal >minimum wage to $10.50/hour. Stop Ottawa’s theft of the EI fund; set EI >benefits at 80% of previous earnings to all unemployed workers. Develop >environmentally-sound primary industries and manufacturing; rebuild social >programs and Canada’s decaying municipal infrastructure. > >Stop Corporate Globalization – Defend Canadian sovereignty >Curb the power of transnational corporations; Cancel NAFTA and pull Canada >out of all corporate-driven trade and investment negotiations, such as the >FTAA, the WTO and the GATS. Develop mutually beneficial trade agreements >that protect the environment and respect Canadian economic, social and >cultural sovereignty. Ban water exports. Restrict capital flight and job >loss with currency exchange controls and strong plant closure laws. Block >foreign takeovers. Put the banking and insurance system under public >ownership and democratic control. Reverse the privatization of Air Canada, >PetroCanada and CN Rail. Restore funding for the CBC, the arts and Canadian >culture. > >Tax the greedy, not the needy >Legislate progressive tax reform based on ability to pay – no ‘flat’ tax! >Scrap the regressive GST. Raise taxes on the wealthy and eliminate taxes on >incomes below $30,000; apply taxes to 100% of capital gains, and increase >other taxes on big corporations and banks. Close tax loopholes, collect >deferred corporate taxes, and tax the speculators through introduction of >the “Tobin tax”. Impose a special “windfall profit tax” on large oil and >other resource companies. Establish wealth and estate taxes. > >Democratic constitutional reform – >Convene a Constituent Assembly >Resolve the crisis of Confederation and build Canadian unity on a new basis. >Elect a democratic Constituent Assembly to draft a new constitution, based >on an equal and voluntary partnership of the First Nations, Quebec, and >English-speaking Canada. Recognize Quebec’s national right of >self-determination, and the inherent rights of Aboriginal peoples to >self-government and just settlement of all outstanding land claims, based on >proposals of the 1996 Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. > >Full equality for women >Close the wage gap – full pay and employment equity for all working women. >Protect women’s reproductive rights; provide publicly funded, accessible, >quality abortion services in every province, and guarantee their security. >Ensure over-the-counter availability of RU-486 (the “morning after” pill). >Stop violence against women. Restore adequate funding for NAC and other >women’s groups, crisis centres, and transition houses. Endorse the demands >of the World March of Women to end poverty and violence against women. > >A future for youth: education and jobs >Increase federal support for education at all levels. Roll back and then >eliminate tuition fees for post-secondary education, and stop the >privatization and corporatization of our schools, colleges and universities. >Shift from loans to grants for student assistance. Expand youth access to >training and apprenticeship programs. Create decent-paying jobs and improved >services for youth, not more prisons and ‘boot camps.’ > >Fight racism and discrimination >Strengthen employment equity programs for people of colour, Aboriginal >peoples, and people with disabilities. Scrap the “head tax” on new >immigrants. End discrimination against lesbians, gays, bisexuals and >transgendered persons; guarantee the marriage and adoption rights of all >Canadians, regardless of sexual orientation. Promote the rights of people >with disabilities for equal access to all social, medical and educational >facilities and services. Strengthen and enforce laws against hate propaganda >(including on the internet), hate crimes and neo-fascist groups, and >prosecute war criminals living in Canada. > >Protect & expand democratic rights >Eliminate Election Act barriers against smaller political parties, and >provide fair media access for all parties and candidates. Enact a new >electoral system to combine election of individual MPs with proportional >representation, and the right to recall MPs. Defend the right to dissent – >stop government spying and police attacks against protesters and progressive >organizations. Strengthen civilian control over the armed forces and police. > >A Bill of Rights for labour >Enshrine the constitutional right of all workers to organize, bargain >collectively, picket, strike and take collective political action. Ban >strike-breaking and scabbing. Strengthen labour laws and employment >standards; block anti-labour “right-to-work” laws. > >Save the environment >Put the environment ahead of corporate profit. Impose stronger penalties on >polluters. Make Canada a world leader in reduction of ozone-depleting gases >and hydrocarbons. Phase out nuclear power, and reduce reliance on fossil >fuel consumption; expand energy saving programs and alternative power >sources. Stop destructive forestry practices, such as clear-cutting. Require >labelling on genetically-modified food products. Create jobs through >protection and cleanup of the environment. Increase research on the >long-term effects of human economic activity. > >Peace, disarmament and global justice >End Canadian participation in US/NATO military aggression. Reject the >mis-named policy of ‘humanitarian interventionism” – respect the UN Charter >and international law. Slash the military budget by 50%; convert military to >civilian jobs. Pull Canada out of NATO and NORAD. End economic sanctions >against Iraq. Support negotiations for the abolition of weapons of mass >destruction and arms exports. Support fair and mutually beneficial >international trade. Strengthen friendship and trade with Cuba and other >socialist countries. > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi _______________________________________________________ Kominform list for general information. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Anti-Imperialism list for anti-imperialist news. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________________
