There are hundreds of thousands of communists in Canada and Québec. Like the person reading this, they are boiling with rage at the injustices and decadence of capitalism. We should all be filled with a sense of urgency; we must find these people, and organize them into a force capable of overthrowing this rotten system.
This is the ambitious goal that the Revolutionary Communist Party has set itself. In the immediate term, this means we set ourselves the target of reaching 1,000 members.
Whether you’re new or not-so-new to communism, you need to be part of this recruitment effort. There’s no time to lose. Every minute we leave the bourgeoisie in power causes more damage to the planet and ruins more lives.
Here are a few tips to help you recruit:
Don’t wait. If someone writes to us, call them immediately, within the hour if possible, and during the discussion ask them if they want to join there and then, and make the arrangements over the phone. If you meet a Communist at a demonstration, same thing: ask them to join and make them fill the application form immediately. Some won’t say yes right there, in which case we can invite them to a first meeting before recruiting them. The most important thing is not to let the person’s interest evaporate. Strike while the iron is hot.
Nothing beats a verbal discussion. Try to talk to the potential recruit as soon as possible, in person if possible, on the phone otherwise. If someone writes to us, text or e-mail should be a last resort.
Enthusiasm inspires enthusiasm. When you meet a Communist, be direct and bold in your presentation of the party. Explain that we are the party that aims to seriously organize the hundreds of thousands of communists to overthrow capitalism in Canada and Quebec. We seek to build a fighting organization, nothing less, and we need them to help build it. A timid presentation of the party can only repel the best elements, who are looking to fight in a professional party.
Be bold. If someone calls themselves a communist and wants to join the RCP, recruit them. If there are disagreements on important issues, they will obviously need to be clarified. But they will become clearer, and the new Communist recruit will learn more quickly, within the party. We can’t put obstacles between the party and good Communists. It would be unacceptable to discourage or demoralize Communists who want to join us because we’re dragging our feet in recruiting them.
Get them involved right away. Give them stickers or posters to put up in their neighborhoods. Ask them to identify other Communists in their community to recruit to the Party. Giving new Communists you meet tasks and responsibilities straight away gives them an immediate sense of belonging to the party and makes them feel involved in the collective work.
There are Communists everywhere. There’s no bad place to find Communists to recruit. Be on the lookout for Communists all around you, find them, and recruit them! That’s how we recruited Lucas from Toronto. He explains: “One day an RCP comrade at the gym asked someone how many sets they had left. That someone happened to be my brother. They kept the conversation going, and I don’t know how it came up but my brother mentioned that I was a communist; the comrade immediately asked to speak to me. Later that evening I was at my first cell meeting.”
Be patient. There are also many enraged at the state of the world who may not yet call themselves a communist because they don’t know what it means to be one. But if they’re willing to learn, and want to help build the party, we should waste no time in getting them involved in our work. Prove the correctness of communism to them through practice.
Stand out. Put up posters all over your neighborhood. Speak out wherever you can. Be the Communist in your workplace, your circle of friends, and your family. For the Communists around you to join the party, they need to know we exist.
If each and every one of us takes an active part in recruitment work, and inspires their own recruits to recruit other Communists, the party’s growth will be exponential. History shows that a party of a few thousand can quickly explode into a major political force. We have no time to lose! Onwards to 1,000 members!
