(The following article is from the August 1-31, 2007 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133 Herkimer St. Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)
By Stephen Von Sychowski
Increasing numbers of Canadians are coming to realize the overall negative impact of the tendency towards privatization. Everywhere can be seen lost jobs, profits leaving the country, attacks on unions, U.S. control of Canada's economy, and the loss of sovereignty and independence resulting from this ongoing anti-people, anti-Canada campaign.
But rarely when people speak out at events or demonstrations against privatization of water, Medicare, etc. do they call for its antithesis - the slogan of nationalization.
In most such cases, nationalization simply hasn't crossed their minds, or they don't believe it is possible. Many don't even know what it is. Such activists are our allies in the struggle. But there are also right-wing social democratic or labour "mis-leaders" who spread the belief that nationalization is undesirable, or even impossible.
For example, Ken Georgetti, President of the Canadian Labour Congress, and Director of Concert Properties, has been quoted saying that "It's just the old tired attitude that if you believe in labour or social democracy, you have to be against capital and profits."
Concert Properties is the largest developer of rental housing in Western Canada. It is also a member of the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships, Canada's largest lobby group for P3s, a form of privatization. It's no wonder that such individuals take an overly "cautious" approach and even suggest that we cannot "turn back the clock" on privatization. These mis?leaders aim to present a progressive face to garner the support of the people, while taking a reformist path that is ultimately acceptable to their bourgeois masters (or in some cases, for their own class as they are personally capitalists on their own merits).
Their argument is false, as proven time and time again in countries which assert their national sovereignty and/or build socialism. This is becoming more and more popular in Latin America, with the well known recent examples of Venezuela and Bolivia.
It is easier for many to fight when their back is against the wall, to go on the offensive when they are attacked through privatizations. But due to the relative weakness of progressive and revolutionary forces in our society, and the influence of ruling class ideology and right-wing social democracy, the working class and the people in Canada have rarely taken the offensive in recent history. In thinking about privatization, there is a disconnect between the problem and the solution.
Take Medicare: in the United States it is available to those who can afford it, or those lucky enough to have a health plan. Many have no protection. In Cuba, by contrast, every citizen is guaranteed full, free and health care which is vastly more comprehensive and accessible than in the United States. Here in Canada, which direction are we headed? Private clinics are springing up to replace the public system, which is being purposely run into the ground by the federal and provincial governments.
Then there's the question of the sellout and "privatization" of our natural resources to U.S. hands. What will Canada gain by handing over our water and raw logs? As logs are shipped away to be processed, our mills at home shut down, throwing thousands of Canadians out of work and making us further reliant on imports of manufactured products.
So why are we pursuing policies that enrich only foreign investors and a small minority at home? The ruling class is anti-Canada! The proof is all around us. The United States controls vast areas of our economy, chipping away at our sovereignty with the complicity of those in power who aim to continue reaping the benefits of their share in the exploitation of Canada's workers and military adventures abroad.
We cannot blame all our woes on U.S. domination, for our own home-grown capitalist class is helping to hasten the process and growing rich off the spoils. Their interests are one and the same; to increase their own profitability.
This means finding new sources of profit, new "markets", including all of our public services and natural resources. Their greed comes directly into conflict with the interests of the working class and the vast majority of Canadians. Capitalism can't be trusted to protect our jobs, services and resources. All workers, all youth, all patriotic Canadians must enter the struggle against these plans to wreck our country.
Communists have always fought for socialism, where the workers have real ownership and control of the economy. Under capitalism, state ownership puts the nationalized entity under the control of a government still dominated by the ruling class. Still, this reform is preferable to the alternative of full private ownership, providing benefits to the working class and the majority of the people by safeguarding social services, creating jobs and defending sovereignty. Even under capitalism, we must struggle for nationalization, for the highest possible level of public control extractable from the ruling class, while continuing to fight for socialism.
If privatization is the problem, then nationalization is the solution. Today the struggle takes a defensive character, trying only to halt new privatizations. The erosion of Canadian sovereignty can be slowed by resisting the moves of Harper and the ruling class as a whole to sell us out to U.S. imperialism. But sovereignty can only be ultimately safeguarded and re-built by ousting the anti-Canada Tories, fighting for, and winning, a People's Alternative for Canada and eventually, socialism.
We must start by raising the demand for the re-nationalization of privatized assets such as Petrocanada, Air Canada, and CN Rail, and for the public ownership and democratic control of key sectors such as energy, natural resources and banking. The fight against privatization and sell off of Canada's resources is at the frontlines of the struggle for sovereignty and independence. We should take this position with us wherever we go amongst those fighting against privatization. We have not only something to fight AGAINST; we also have something to fight FOR - nationalization and the restoration of our independence.