“What does the Revolutionary Communist Party of Canada do?” As the PCR-RCP expands into new regions and cities, and gets involved in more struggles, this is a question that we hear fairly often. While the answer may seem obvious enough, we have to remember that, despite the moderate successes we’ve enjoyed, the PCR-RCP and the revolutionary movement in Canada is still quite small and in an early stage. Also underlying this question is a second one, namely, “what is it about the PCR-RCP’s practice that sets the PCR-RCP apart from the other self-proclaimed revolutionary organizations?” With this in mind, asking what exactly we do is a perfectly reasonable question, and one that we will answer here. 1

This list is not comprehensive, and is disproportionately focused on more recent initiatives, but should nonetheless provide an idea of what sort of work that we do. Many of the initiatives outlined here have been organized through or in conjunction with PCR-RCP initiated mass organizations; that has been indicated where relevant.

During election periods we organize a boycott campaign, in an attempt to turn the passive boycott already taking place among workers into an active boycott. We have organized active boycotts during the federal elections in 2011 and 2015, the Québec provincial elections in 2007, 2008, 2012, and 2014, and the Ontario provincial election in 2014.

Every year we help to organize militant anti-capitalist May Day demonstrations in the cities in which we operate. In Montréal this is particularly difficult, as the police heavily repress any anti-capitalist public activities. We consider our ability to demonstrate under repressive conditions to be a success. In 2015, there were PCR-RCP contingents in: Québec City, Montréal, Gatineau, Ottawa, and Toronto. The anti-capitalist demo in Montréal this year was composed of over 2,000 people.

In Québec City, we have organized a series of conferences in unison with some Wendake and Oka Indigenous activists to reflect upon the legacy of the Oka Crisis.

During the G20 in Toronto in 2010 we organized a red contingent around the slogan of “Attack the fence!”

In our previous incarnation we organized militant contingents at the 2001 Summit of the Americas in Québec City, and in 2007 at the Security and Prosperity Partnership summit in Montebello.

In Québec we operate or help to operate a series of book stores. This includes the Maison Norman Bethune in Montreal and L’Étincelle in Québec City. Party supporters are also involved with the Côté Gauche bookstore in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield.

We publish a network of local newsletters across the regions in which we are active, titled The Partisan . The Partisan exists to update the masses on the developments of the revolutionary movement in Canada, as well as to comment on the pressing issues of the day.

. exists to update the masses on the developments of the revolutionary movement in Canada, as well as to comment on the pressing issues of the day. We publish a magazine, The Red Flag , four times per year. The Red Flag is intended to be a medium in which party members, supporters, mass-members, sympathizers, and fellow travellers will have their work printed and disseminated as a small part of developing a broad cultural counter-hegemony in which we, and other parallel movements, can operate.

, four times per year. is intended to be a medium in which party members, supporters, mass-members, sympathizers, and fellow travellers will have their work printed and disseminated as a small part of developing a broad cultural counter-hegemony in which we, and other parallel movements, can operate. We publish a theoretical journal, Arsenal , in order to advance the theoretical aspects of building revolution in Canada.

, in order to advance the theoretical aspects of building revolution in Canada. We have organized solidarity demonstrations with the revolution in Rojava, and against Turkey’s intervention against a united Kurdistan.

Our section in Toronto organized a Joint Strike Committee during the CUPE 3902 and CUPE 3903 strikes (educational workers at the University of Toronto and York respectively), intending to undercut the union bureaucracy which was leading the struggles to a loss. The Joint Strike Committee, which later became the Education Workers Action Committee, planned an historic long march in support of the strikers, from York to UofT, which attracted over 1,000 marchers and was instrumental in winning the strike at York. EWAC then went on to have several members elected to the CUPE 3903 executive, on an openly anti-capitalist and militant platform.

In London, we are currently working on an anti-racist initiative among immigrant and racialized neighbourhoods. While this is in the stage of social-investigation, we will be holding an Anti-Racist Public Forum in September in order to hear about the masses’ experiences of racism, and figure out how to best serve them.

We took the lead in organizing against the creation of the first North American chapter of PEGIDA, an Islamophobic fascist organization. Alongside the Proletarian Feminist Front, Muslim Women Activists, Women of Diverse Origins Collective, Anti-Fascist Action Montreal, and the MER-RSM, we successfully stopped PEGIDA from demonstrating and built lasting links among North African immigrant communities. We took the lead in organizing this demonstration; it numbered over 1,000 people.

We took part in the People’s Commission on Political Repression, outlining the repressive acts the state has committed against the PCR-RCP.

We have been involved in various anti-colonial solidarity and land defence actions in Gatineau, including around repairs to Jacques-Cartier Street in Pointe-Gatineau, and against the development of islands in the Ottawa River.

We participated in the People’s Social Forum in Ottawa, with a book launch for Josh Moufawad-Paul’s The Communist Necessity .

. We were active in the campaign to stop the deportation of Iranian activist Djaber Kalibi.

We were active in the Justice for Deepan campaign, to stop the Canadian state from stripping Deepan Budlakoti’s citizenship.

We are active in building anti-capitalist alternatives to the mainstream Pride activities in Ottawa and Toronto.

We participated in the struggle against gutting EI.

We helped to organize demonstrations against Bill C-24, which created multiple tiers of citizenship, in Surrey and Vancouver.

We initiated the Proletarian Feminist Front in multiple cities, and are currently synthesizing revolutionary proletarian feminism.

We were very active in the struggle against Québec’s proposed Charter of Values.

The PCR-RCP initiated activity among Loblaws workers in Ottawa, who were being sold out to their bosses by the UFCW.

We have organized Canadian Revolutionary Conferences in Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver, in order to bring revolutionaries together and build unity in the revolutionary movement in Canada.

We initiated the Revolutionary Student Movement (MER-RSM), which has now grown to be the largest left-wing youth organization in Canada. As of September 2015, it will have 20 chapters across seven provinces.

We organize numerous study groups, presentations, and schools to spread revolutionary communist ideas among the masses.

With the MER-RSM, we have:

Organized “serve-the-people” programs in Montréal with the MER-RSM, including free food and clothing for working class neighbourhoods.

Supported the MER-RSM’s call for a pan-Canadian day of action on March 24, 2015, against austerity and in solidarity with the Spring 2015 movement in Quebec. The day of action mobilized 11,000 students in 15 cities across Canada, and included the most successful demonstration in Montréal during the Spring 2015 strike.

Opposed the presence of RCMP recruitment on campuses in Sudbury and Toronto.

Alongside the MER-RSM, we were able to win General Assemblies at the University of Ottawa.

With Transitional Year Program Preservation Alliance, we campaigned against the closure of the TYP at the University of Toronto. This initiative was a moderate success.

Organized a rally in solidarity with the uprising in Baltimore in Montréal.

At Algonquin College, we successfully campaigned for Algonquin College students to have a universal transit pass.

We work with numerous PIRGs across Ontario alongside the MER-RSM, including the PIRG at uOttawa which has MER-RSM supporters as a majority on its board of directors.

With the Proletarian Feminist Fronts, we have:

In Ottawa we successfully ended the National March for Life. The March for Life, which every year compels thousands of Catholic high school students to march against access to abortion, was forced to return to Parliament Hill early.

We participated in and organized various International Women’s Day activities and demonstrations across Canada.

Opposed and successfully shut down, with the help of the MER-RSM, the public activities of the anti-women “Men’s Rights Activists” in Toronto, Ottawa, and Montréal.

With the International Campaign Against the War on the People of India (ICAWPI), we have:

Organized demonstrations in Toronto and Vancouver protesting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit in Canada.

Organized solidarity demonstrations with the People’s War in India, led by the Communist Party of India (Maoist), and against the anti-people Operation Green Hunt.

While this is not exhaustive (we are active in numerous other struggles and mass organizations), it should give you an idea of what the PCR-RCP does. If you think this type of work is necessary, and want to help advance the revolutionary movement in Canada, we encourage you to get in touch with your local PCR-RCP branch or email info@pcr-rcp.ca.