from Keynote speech "Build the fightback for a People's Alternative" opening address to the 36h Convention of the CPC, by Miguel Figueroa

"The second and final point I wish to make refers to the
centrality of our theoretical and ideological work. Of
course, we have a clearly delineated theoretical
perspective and world-view – Marxism-Leninism – which
is reflected in our Party program, our strategy & tactics,
and our daily work as Communists. We all remember
Lenin’s famous dictum: “without revolutionary theory,
there can be no revolutionary movement”. But the
theoretical basis of our Party – and that of the Communist
movement internationally – can never be neglected or
taken for granted, for without its constant development
and application to ever-changing conditions, our
theoretical basis, and with it our movement itself, would
wither and perish.

"As important as this question always is, it could rightly
be argued that it is even more critical today, for it is
undeniable that as the class struggle intensifies, so too
does the ideological struggle – the ‘battle of ideas’ –
sharpen. It is hardly coincidental that it is precisely now,
when the crisis of capitalism is deepening, that we
witness an increased ideological offensive from our class
adversary in the form of a revival of anti-communism,
‘philosophical’ attacks on the concept of socialism, and
crude attempts to falsify or re-write the history of our
movement in Canada and around the world.

"And this ideological offensive is not restricted to
theoretical discourse; it has practical implications at all
levels of political life – from the erection of monuments
to the “victims of totalitarian communism” in Ottawa
(with the direct involvement of Jason Keeney and the
Prime Minister’s office), to the attempted banning of
the YCL and now the Communist Party of Bohemia and
Moravia in the Czech Republic, to the Zionist death
threats against comrade Mohammad Barakeh, Chair of
Hadash and leader of the Communist Party of Israel, to
the murders of Communist militants in India and
Colombia, etc. etc.

"Therefore, the deepening of our own theoretical and
ideological grounding and our active engagement in the
ideological struggle against the enemies of socialism and
those who strive to ‘revise’, reform’ or otherwise
denude Marxism-Leninism of its revolutionary content,
is especially vital at this time.

"In this context, I want to take this opportunity to
acknowledge and welcome the co-authors of the
outstanding book Socialism Betrayed, Roger Keeran and
Thomas Kenny, to our Convention. We have invited cde.
Roger to address our convention during tomorrow’s
session along the theme “the counterrevolutionary
overthrow of socialism, and its lessons and relevance
for today”. I’m sure you will not want to miss this
presentation.

Thank you for your attention.