NATIONAL YOUTH FESTIVAL”

by Kate 0' Connell

The Secmd All—Canada National Youth Festival was held in Toronto cn October 5th, 6th and 7th. The Festival was organ- ized by the Communist Youth Unim of Canada, (Marxist-Leninist)

(CYUC ‘(M-LH , the Canadian Worker's Association, and the Canadian Cultural Workers' Committee. Over 500 revolutimary youth attended the Festival. mile the majority were from Ontario and Quaaec, delegations of youth from across the country, in— cluding me delegatim from P.E.I., also attended the Festival.

Representatives of the revoluntionary youth of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania, the Labour Youth Union of Albania, also attended the Festival and were warmly

_ welcomed by the Canadian

Youth, along with represent-

, atives of the revolutionary 1

youth of Britain, Trinidad and Tdoago and the United States- The Festival in Tormto was a concrete manifestation of the strug— gle of the revolutionary

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THE ISLAND.

HEW/(KB? MPORIl/M "

75 QUEEN ST. JEN PERCENT STUDENT DISCOUNT

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WICKER FURNITURE, BASKETS, ‘BLINDs AND DRAPES, NOVA SCOTIA PINE FURNITURE, TINWARES, GLASS— WARE GIFT ITEMS, AND THE ONLY HEAD SHOP FOR

youth against both‘ the ~ \

Canadian monopoly capitali sm 0

and the U.‘S. imperialist domination of Canada. The festival was organized for the purpose of further mobilizing the youth to make the rich pay for the

' crisis .

Albania is a oomtry

'wheretheridihavebeen

made to pay. *It is the only genuine socialist country in the world. The future of the youth in Albania is bright. 'Ihere is no unemployment, in fact, there are more jobs than workers to fill them. There are no taxes, yet educatim and health care are provided free of dlarg. There is no inflation in Albania and the standard of living of the Albanian people is steadily in- creasing. All of this is because in Albania the

rich have been expropriated and the working people hold state power and run the country in their own interests. ‘

At the Second All—Canada National Youth Fastival the Canadian youth were able to sit dovm with the delegations frOm the labour youth Union of Albania and engage them in

(

OPEN DAILY EXCEPT SUNDAY 10:00 a.m. '— 6230 pm. FRIDAY 10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

lively discussion under the general topic, "The Youth of Albania in Perspective" . When asked what was the source of the happiness and the bright, future of the . youth of Albania, the Albanians replied that in Albania socialism and the dictatorShip‘of the proletariat had been _ established, and therefore there was no exploitaﬂcn of man by men.

‘ 'Ihe Albanians stated that their socialist ' society is a society of progress, and that it embodies the aspiratims of the youth and ensures all rights to them. The '

dictatorship of the prolet- ‘~

.ari'at ensures the broadest

democracy for all people, , especially the youth. Some of the rights ensured by the dictator-/ ship of the proletariat and socialism are: l. The right to work. a socialist economy is a planned economy there is no 1111- ' employment. Jobs are closely connected with the abilities of the people to work. Workers are paid according to the quality and quantity of their work. In Albania work is considered a right, a duty and an honor, because all work is a‘ 'contribuﬁcn to the building of socialist society. , 2. The right to rest. A wide network of rest houses, cultural centres, libraries, theatres, cinemas and sports centres have been, estab— lished across Albania

, where the youth can pass

their leisure in these centres the yOuth can be entertained with films or artistic productions, or the youth may participate in arts and crafts, sports, music and many other pursuits. The youth also, take an

. active part in building

these centres. ,

3. The right to education One out of every three _ people in Albania attends r school at one level or another. All education is provided free of / Education is ensured to everyone today in Albania where prior to the ' liberation of the country in 1944 80% of..the population was illiterate a and 90% of these were“ women. Furthermore, the

i educational system has

it ,.

THE U'PEI SUN, Oct. 18, 1979, page 12’” -

OCTOBER 5th, 6th, 7th.

been set 1;: to serve the people's interests. To meet this end it is made; up of learning, productive ldaour, and physical and military traimn' ' g.

'lhe Albanians were asked if drugs and alcohol were ’ a problem amng the youth of Albania. 'mey replied there-was no drug abuse at all, in Albania and while the Albaniais certainly _ drank and enjoyed alcohol, they have no problem with alcoholism They suggested that drugs and alodiol are used so much by the youth of Canada in anattempt to escape from their hqaeless situation. -

When asked about crime and the role of the police in Albania, the Albanians replied that there. are some in Albania but-

~tl'iatthesearelikea

bubble in the ocean. Sud'l crimes are carried out by remnants of the reactionary classes and some people I ' who are influenced by bourgeois revisionist *

_. ideology and who are not

politically mature. The Albanians , _, when a crime is committed, ,

’ although this is very .

rare, they analyze “it and find, out where it could have been prevented so that it won't be allowed

to happen‘again.

The Albanians at the end of the discussion explained that the character and workings of the labour Youth Unim of Albania, the other mass organizations of the PIA and the whole of socialist society are ~ geared towards the develop- ment of the "new man". (he

’ who sacrifices ones personal

interests for the homeland. Special attention is taken to‘ develop this attitude in the youth and the youth do not hesitate to ,embraoe this attitude.

The Canadian youth asked many many other questions, too many to repeat in the _ space allowed here. The Albanians answered the ' questions in great detail ' (more detail than we were able to go into here).

After the discussion was over the Canadian youth continued to discuss what had said.

" were Very impressed

and inspired and repeatedly expressed their determﬁn- aticn to intensify their work to make the rich pay and to establish a Workers

' and Small Farmers Govern—

ment in Canada.

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