13) SPARK #23 PACKED WITH GREAT READING

     Issue #23 of The Spark!, the journal of Marxist theory and discussion, presents several articles on the history of the Communist Party of Canada, which celebrated its 90th anniversary during 2011.

     Especially for those who are new to the communist movement in this country, the articles provide a fascinating insight into the rich and varied contributions of the CPC. But even those who already know much of this record will enjoy reading this issue.

     "On the beginnings of the Communist Party of Canada," is by Tim Buck, general secretary of the CPC from 1929 to 1962, from the first chapter of his book Lenin and Canada, published in 1970 by Progress Books. In this chapter, Buck traces the story of the radical working class movements of the early 20th century, the militant trade unions to socialist parties which proved a fertile ground for the emergence of the CPC in 1921. Far from an academic observer, Buck was a British-born socialist who threw himself into revolutionary politics when he arrived in Canada as a 19-year-old machinist in 1910. The following decade was a time of intense political and ideological turmoil as the divided Marxists in Canada moved towards a more profound Marxist-Leninist theoretical outlook, and a united communist party.

     Ontario Communist leader Elizabeth Rowley contributes a piece on the party's best-known member, Dr. Norman Bethune. Rowley looks at key periods of Bethune's life: early working class experiences, the horrors of war, his training as a skilled surgeon, campaigns for universal health care, and finally his decision to become a Communist and join the struggles in Spain and China for human liberation. The story has been told in books and films, but Rowley does an important service by clarifying some of the misconceptions spread by those who have distorted aspects of Bethune's life.

     The Communist Party is also about its grassroots members, the thousands of comrades who have spent 90 years building trade unions and people's movements under difficult conditions. One of those members is Shirley Hawley. Now retired, Hawley was a St. Catharines auto worker who was deeply involved in the CAW and labour struggles in the Niagara Peninsula region of Ontario. Interviewed by Asad Ali, Hawley tells her personal story: a single mother of three who got a job in a union plant, her eyes were opened up when she attended a conference on women's equality held in Moscow. Hawley became a powerful fighter for the interests of her fellow workers, and for the ideals of socialism.

     "From Pariahs to Patriots" examines the difficult struggles of Canadian Communists during the Second World War, when the party initially faced repression and concentration camps. The author is Chris Frazer, a labour history professor at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, and the former leader of the Young Communist League of Canada.

     Much more is packed into the 56 pages of The Spark! Readers can order a copy by mail, for $7 ($5 + $2 shipping), or subscribe at a reduced cost of $15 for three issues. Send cheques to: The Spark!, 290A Danforth Ave., Toronto, ON, M4K 1N6.

(The above article is from the May 16-31, 2012, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)