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KATHRYN scum-um, 9 °
KATHRYN sermon by
George Barry and JOhn Cairns The 1980 Federal Election
sees, for the First time,
a candidate running in ‘
Prince Edward Island for
the Marxist-Ieninist Party
of Canada. The candidate
is Kathryn Schmidt of a
_ - — -
party. The movement which led to the beginning of our party began as a discuSsion group called "The Inter- nationalists" on the
U.B.C. Campus, and it was led by a Mr. Bains.
Q: What about the basic “idea of change through
All the problems of Canada, unemployment,
I inflation, the deficit, and the oppression of women, regional disparity, all of them are the , result of the rotten capitalist system and the constant drive for maximum profits.
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Charlottetown, and not long ago she explained her party and many of its stands on the issues to a §_u;n_ reporter. ,
Q: Exactly what is the Marxist—Ieninist Party? Miss Schmidt: The real name of our party is
the Communist Party of Canada, Marxist-Ieninist. Now the first ccmmmist party was formed in Canada in 1921. It was basically a correct Marxist—leninist party until the 1940's, when it began to revise and give up the basic ideas of Marxist and Ieninism, until today it is a sold out party serving the foreign imperialists and the native rich. Because of this betrayal, the Canadian working people found it necessary to reform the communist
revolution? It seems strange that any truly ccmtmn’iist party could operate within our demo- cratic structure without kind of selling out? Mis Schmidt: Well, I'll
finish this history first
and then go on. "The Internationalists" grew. In 1968 they became a national Marxist—Ieninist organization and in 1970 formed the Communist Party of Canada Marxist-Leninist.
We have not given up the basic principle of Marxism ,that change through the capitalist firstem is going to‘require a violent revolution. This is one thing the old CcmmuniSt Party did give up, and this is why we cannot support , them anymore. .
It may look funny fllat we are participating in the elections, but first of
KATHRYN SCHMIDT IN ACTION: DURING THE POLITICAL
DEBATE ON CAMPUS LAST WEEK.
a11,this 'is just one part of our overall activity.
We participate in the elections in order to,
take our program to the people of Canada and in order to build pockets of > support. ,We have no illusions that the rich will ever allow us to bezelected in a majority. . .
g The eventual revolution will not be violent» because“
“we want violence or because
we like violence, If there , was a peaceful way to end this rotten system, we would be very happy to take that way, but there is no peaceful way because the rich will use all means at their disposal to protect their position. As the people more and more stand up to the rich, the more the rich will fall back on their police and their armed forces to suppress the people. _. In Charlottetown here you have the constant harassment of the young people who have only the streets ‘to gather on. They gather on the streets to be with their friends, and the police go around , constantly harassing them. Q: How might you deal with the problem of rising tuition: for students? ' Miss Schmidt: When the , people of Canada take power led by the Marxist— Leninists, education will be provided free, of charge and will be available for everyone. The education willbe secular and it will be tied closely with pro- ductive labor. ' In the meantime, students must appose these tuition fee increases. We must unite together and build our own self defenCe organization in the face of these tuition fee in— creases, other fee increases and the educational cutbaciks which are resulting *in pro— gram cutbacks. This, -I 've been quite active in. Lately a number of students have , came forward to say that they want to oppdse tuition fee increases, and we are getting together with these students 7 to begin work on this even
' before the elections are over,
because hf we wait_until the fees are announced, it is too late. We have to begin the opposition mm and any students interested in helping should feel free to" contact me. ‘ v
Q: The Maritime “Provinces - Higher Education Commission recently announced their plan for a funding increase
' and it is the state that
would have to be decided
opposing fee increases is
"they're not going to think that way. ‘
THE UPEl SU'Nfi‘Thursdayi Fewer; 7i 1980‘i gage 8'
to universities of 8.1%. How do you feel about that?
.Miss Schmidt: 8.1% doesn't
even keep up with inflation. This decrease in funding is because, due to the
. econamic crisis ,
capitalists don't need as many trained people as _they needed in'the late 1960's, early 1970's. Secondly, education is no longer as profitable for the capitali- sts as it was, and as a re— sult, the Canadian state is shifting money out of education and into more profitable area like ' resource extraction and. military spending. ' We- think students must rely on their own strength to oppose fee increases. 'Iri previous years the :Student Union has gotten ltied up in making pre— sentations to the MPHEC to convince it to defend the student's interests. The Mg is that the MPHEC is a state agency,
is reducing our financing. We students have to defend our own interests, although we can unite with workers who are also hit by the campaign of the rich to make the people pay for the crisis. .
The specific tactics we might take, of course,
by all the students involved. I can't decide for the students What taCtic to take, but we could take the tactic of refusing to pay the increase or that of demonstration. The primary thing about
not to go begging tosthe State, "Please don't raise the fees" or "Please think about us", because
Q: What must Students do to ensure they have summer jobs? .
Miss Schmidt: Students must , fight for jobs. Like all other unemployed in Canada: they must fight and demand work. ' If ‘the State cannot provide us with work, then, it should support us. It 15 not OUr'fault that there is . unemployment in Canada. It is not our system that is causing it.- It is the system of the rich, and it is their constant drive for maXJm' um. profit that
is causing unemployment.
A serious student who Wants to continue his education! but is unableto find [work in the Summer, should,
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