Discussion

What Kind of Party?

The conception of political parties as election machines is an archaic conception which no longer corresponds to the needs of the people. Canadians do not require "gatekeepers" to rule on their behalf; they are perfectly capable of exercising power themselves. If political parties are to remain relevant in the next century, they are going to have to re-invent themselves and redefine their role in society.

The Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) considers the role of a modern political party to be two-fold: to assist the people to gain and exercise political power; and to present a vision of society which represents the interests of its constituency. As a communist party, the constituency of CPC(M-L) is the working class and small producers. The vision of society which it presents is, therefore, one in which the entire society is organized to serve the needs of the working class and small producers; in other words, a socialist society.

As is the case with every other political party, CPC(M-L) must re-invent and redefine itself in order to meet the challenges of the future and to serve its role of facilitating the empowerment of the working class and people. It must bring both its internal and external arrangements and relationships into harmony with the needs of the times.

The purpose of this column is to develop discussion on the crucial issue of whether the working class and people need a political party of their own and, if so, what form such a political party must take if it is to be considered a modern political party. In future columns we will discuss modern definitions of democracy and human rights, and forms of political organization which correspond to those modern definitions. We welcome the opinions of our readers on these issues, as well.