“Capitalism is war.” This was one of the essential ideas explained by comrade Nicolas Dionne during the opening conference of the Quebec Communist School. Everywhere we see wars and genocide, skyrocketing inflation, inequality, oppression… Faced with this crisis, enormous anger is brewing among the population.
And yet the reformist left in Quebec and throughout the world cannot channel that anger to change things. This is why it is urgent to build a party capable of providing a revolutionary solution. It is with this in mind that around 60 members and supporters of the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) from across the province gathered on August 10 and 11 for the first edition of the Quebec Communist School. This is a great success considering that communist forces were barely present in Quebec two years ago.
Participants came from the four corners of Quebec: Montreal, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières, Chicoutimi, Métis-sur-Mer, Longueuil and Rimouski! The school even attracted the attention of trash radio, in the form of Maxime Lacasse from Quebec City’s Radio X who “infiltrated” … this completely public event. After seeing our confidence in the prospect of a revolution, Maxime left at full speed.
But confidence isn’t everything; if we want to transform the world, we must understand it. This is why the school addressed the foundations of communist ideas. In addition to the introductory presentation, “Why We Are Communists,” we held discussions on Marxist economics by Vincent Beaudoin of the Revolutionary Communist Podcast; and on the German Revolution of 1918-1919 by Samuel Bourque. This revolution, which tragically failed, is particularly rich in lessons; it reveals in particular that communists must educate themselves and organize themselves into a party in advance of the outbreak of the revolution.
Communists must also broaden their horizons to all aspects of human experience. This is why the comrades discussed art and revolution, a session introduced by Quebec party activist François-Xavier Lavallée. Today, the culture served to the masses only has artistic value accidentally—its real function is to bring in money. It is imperative to overthrow the capitalists, with their narrow financial interests, in order to liberate art and humanity in general.
But how, exactly, can we overthrow them? This is what Montreal RCP activist Hélène Bissonnette spoke about in the closing session, entitled “How to build the forces of communism in Quebec?”. This broad presentation touched on the need for all comrades to devote the necessary energy to the rigorous study of Marxist ideas, and to resist pressures from all sides pushing us to dilute our ideas. At the same time, she emphasized the need for communists to learn to present their ideas in an understandable and accessible way. It is by learning this art that we will make communist ideas a real force.
The comrades are now galvanized. Across the country, RCP activists are preparing to mobilize for a student strike for Palestine. In Quebec, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières and everywhere else, we are calling on anyone who wants to fight to put an end to the horrible genocide in Gaza: Unite to strike!
This and future campaigns are just steps in the ongoing fight to cleanse the world of exploitation and oppression. The old mole of revolution is burrowing underneath the surface in Quebec. It won’t be too long before it emerges into daylight.
