Three Facts on Remarks Made By the Central Leader About the Crisis in the Communist Party - Letter to the Central, Audit, and Appeals Committees

 June 30, 2022

To members of the CPC Central, Appeals, and Audit Committees:

Re: Three Facts on Remarks Made By the Central Leader About the Crisis in the Communist Party

I am writing to outline three facts that are relevant to remarks I understand our Central Leader has recently made about the crisis in our Party:

1) Sexual assault definition

Even according to the capitalist courts and police sexual assault is unwanted sexual touching even without any coercion or force:

https://educaloi.qc.ca/en/capsules/what-is-sexual-assault/

The crime of sexual assault

In Canada, sexual assault is when one of the partners doesn’t consent (doesn’t agree to) sexual touching.

Sexual touching includes kissing, fondling, and having sex.

Legal definition of sexual consent

Consent to sexual touching means clearly showing that you agree, through your words or actions, to a sexual activity. According to this definition, a person who says or does nothing hasn’t agreed to a sexual activity.

Please note: sexual assault does not have to involve force.

Do the capitalist courts and police have a more progressive understanding of what sexual assault is than the Communist Party?

2) Party democracy and election of the Central Executive Committee

The Central Executive Committee is elected by and responsible to the Central Committee, not the Central Convention. The Central Committee can remove and change the membership of the Central Executive at any time, this is not a violation of Party democracy. The membership of the Central Executive is not a Convention decision, rather the membership of the Central Committee is.

So it is not factionalism to advocate for the CEC to step down, as the CEC membership is not a political line of the Central Convention, but subject to change by the Central Committee at any time.

(There is an interesting historical incident which confirms that the Central Executive is a creature of the Central Committee. Molotov et al. learned this the hard way in 1957, for those who are interested in episodes from the history of the Communist movement.)

3) Brief chronology of sexual harassment policy proposals

The idea of developing a sexual harassment policy is being treated as a novel development, simply a good idea to consider. However it has a long history of being proposed and ignored in our Party despite warnings of the consequences. Just a few of the many instances where it has been advocated before and ignored:

i) In 2009 I had pointed out to CPC and YCL members that we didn't have a sexual harassment policy and raised the issue that we need one. This was published in the Fall 2009 issue of Rebel Youth as “Understanding Racism, Sexism, and Heterosexism” under one of the pen names I use in the Party, and later became the YCL-LJC's “Statement on Diversity”, viz:

“Do the capitalists have a better sexual harassment policy than we do? Would we initiate disciplinary charges against someone for racist sexist homophobic remarks?”

ii) In 2015 in my meeting with the CEC about sexual harassment allegations against then Central Organizer Johan Boyden I had advocated developing a sexual harassment policy and procedures and getting assistance from experts, even if they were outside the Party.

CEC member Jane Bouey said she was “furious” at me for saying this as she has expertise in this area. But if this was so then why weren't the basic facts gathered from the two complainants interviewed by her, which is a basic requirement of a sexual harassment investigation?

CEC member and then Central Leader Miguel Figueroa had said there was no need for a sexual harassment policy or special procedures because the Constitution covered all of this.

In the subsequent Central Committee meeting I was criticized for advocating we get expertise from outside the Party (though I said even if we needed to go outside the Party) by CEC member Liz Rowley.

iii) In 2016, in Discussion Bulletin #5 for the 38^th Central Convention, six Party members proposed developing an anti-harassment policy as well as several other measures, including ombudspeople (rather than reporting violations to the Central Executive, which is a problem if the violators themselves are members of the Central Executive!) and anti-oppression training:

text of the proposal:

Develop a harassment policy

Submitted by [name redacted], [name redacted], [name redacted], [name redacted], [name redacted], [name redacted]

Add new paragraph after Para. 212:

The incoming Central Committee will prioritize the following tasks:

- Develop a harassment policy and procedure that will be enforced at every level of the party and at every Party sponsored event.

- Ensure there is an ombudsperson at every party conference or convention who will be responsible for investigating and recommending action for violations of the harassment policy

- Develop guidelines on how to address issues of harassment that may occur during party club meetings, conferences, or conventions.

- Develop an anti-racism and antioppression training and designate comrades who can deliver this training at all levels of the party

iv) In 2017 the Ontario Provincial Executive started to prepare a plan for anti-harassment and anti-oppression training, but this was never done as far as I understand:

Initial query from then Ontario Leader Dave McKee:

Dave McKee CPC (Ontario) <[email redacted]>

To:[name redacted],Saleh Waziruddin,[name redacted]

Fri, Jul 14, 2017 at 3:55 p.m.

Dear comrades,

I am emailing you as chairs of the Anti-racism, Education and Gender Equity commissions. I am also sending a hard copy letter to [name redacted], as chair of the Pride commission.

The Provincial Executive Committee is beginning to prepare a plan for anti-harassment and anti-oppression training among Ontario comrades, and we would like your input into what topics need to be covered. We would also like your recommendations for good resources or background materials. 

The PEC would like to discuss this at its August 4 meeting, so if you have a chance to send some suggestions before then it would be very helpful.

Thanks very much.

Comradely,

Dave McKee
Leader, Communist Party of Canada (Ontario)
290A Danforth Avenue
Toronto, ON  M4K 1N6
416-469-2446
www.communistpartyontario.ca

Excerpt of reply from myself:

Saleh Waziruddin <salehw@yahoo.com>

To:[name redacted],Dave McKee CPC (Ontario)

Cc:[name redacted]

Tue, Sept 19, 2017 at 1:47 p.m.

Hi,

[snip]

1) there is an urgent need for the training, I don't agree with comments that we are not doing this because of a problem.  I only know what I find out about circumstantially, and if that is the tip of the tip of an iceberg then there is a kind of epidemic (I see it wherever I turn) in terms of social media posts, misconduct, people feeling unwelcome, etc.  I think it's important to communicate the need to members, without being alarmist.  The problem has already caused some damage but it will cause even more.

[snip]

Reply from Dave McKee, the last I heard about this proposal:

Dave McKee CPC (Ontario) <[e-mail redacted]>

To:Saleh Waziruddin

Mon, Oct 2, 2017 at 2:18 p.m.

Hi - thanks for this. I meant to reply earlier, but got sidetracked. I initially felt we shouldn't focus the training on the internal problems, because there is so much unevenness among clubs, but some recent discussions have placed me more in line with what you propose in #1. We are going to discuss the training at the PEC this evening, and then I'll send all the chairs an update.

Talk soon,

Dave McKee
Leader, Communist Party of Canada (Ontario)
290A Danforth Avenue
Toronto, ON  M4K 1N6
416-469-2446
www.communistpartyontario.ca

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S. Saleh Waziruddin

St. Catharines, Ontario (Eric Blair Club)

Emergency Resolution on the Crisis in the Communist Party of Canada - Eric Blair Club, St. Catharines/Niagara, Ontario

 

Emergency Resolution on the Crisis in the Communist Party of Canada

Eric Blair Club, St. Catharines/Niagara – Ontario

June 26, 2022 – Emergency Club Meeting

WHEREAS certain members of the Communist Party of Canada have engaged in factionalism and have used very vile, violent, abusive, and malicious language towards Party members including the Central Executive Committee; and

WHEREAS nevertheless the Central Executive Committee did not follow the Constitution in informing the Parkdale Club of disciplinary action against their member, Central Organizer Jay Watts III, and, along with Ivan Byard, failed to enforce this disciplinary measure; and

WHEREAS the Central Executive Committee and Ivan Byard have been shown to have mishandled allegations of sexual harassment and failed to protect vulnerable people from predation, which has rightfully upset many Party members, damaged the revolutionary morale of the Party, and discredited and embarrassed the Party to the working class; and

WHEREAS, as demonstrated in our member Saleh Waziruddin's June 23, 2022 letter to the Central Committee, there is a documented history of willful suppression of allegations of wrong-doing and retaliation by the Central Executive Committee; and

WHEREAS earlier Central Executive Committee members Liz Rowley and Drew Garvie themselves said our member Saleh Waziruddin should not run for an Executive position despite having the support of 94% of the Convention because it could send the wrong message and upset even one member;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Eric Blair Club condemns the vile, violent, abusive, and malicious activity in the recorded June 20^th “Twitter Space” linked from the Central Committee's June 25, 2022 letter, and the factional activity described in the letter; and

THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Eric Blair Club believes that Central Executive Committee members and Ivan Byard should immediately step down from all positions of responsibility in the Party and not run for or accept any leadership positions for at least two years, as in line with the standards CEC members Liz Rowley and Drew Garvie themselves advocated earlier for our member Saleh Waziruddin regarding not running for a position despite the support of the Convention because of the negative message it would send and/or it would upset even one Party member; and

THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that as the Constitution's Section Five provides for summary expulsion without appeal when there is unmistakable evidence that a Party member is an undercover agent or provocateur, the Central Committee elected at the upcoming 40^th Central Convention should explore extending this section to cover sexual predators who also cause extensive damage to the cause of socialism in Canada and the organization of the Communist Party.

Speech at Anti-NATO Rally, Hamilton, as Part of Canada-Wide Day of Action

Speech at Anti-NATO Rally, Hamilton, as Part of Canada-Wide Day of Action

Saleh Waziruddin, St. Catharines (not delivered in person)

Thank you for inviting me to speak here, I come from St. Catharines in Niagara.

Through NATO and imperialism in general we are at the edge of yet another world war. Just before the previous two world wars many people thought the massive outbreak of senseless slaughter was impossible, but it happened before they realized it.

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, an organization founded by Albert Einstein and Robert Oppenheimer, head of the Manhattan Project, who keep track of how close we are to mutual annihilation with a doomsday clock, say we are “100 seconds to midnight”, and “the doorstep of doom is no place to loiter.”

World War II was far worse than World War I, and World War III promises to be even worse yet. If we are to do our part we need to get Canada out of NATO, out of the tangle of imperialist alliances that have hurtled us into war before and will do again.

The parliamentary budget officer, Yves Giroux, forecasts Canada's military budget will increase by nearly $15 billion in the next four years, in part to catch up to the reckless pledge to NATO to waste 2% of the GDP on instruments of death and destruction. We need to get our municipal, provincial, and federal representatives to demand this be rolled back so we can spend instead on our basic social needs in this time of inflation and pandemic.

I want to alert you that shamefully from Niagara there is a motion circulating to Ontario municipalities for elected officials to “voluntary” sanction themselves from Russia, even if they had never intended to travel to Russia in their life. This is a meaningless dramatic performance which does no good for anyone and only needlessly escalates the environment for more war. I urge everyone to oppose this resolution when it gets to your municipal government, work with everyone you can find to stop this heightening of dangerous tensions.

It's also important to work with the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians (AUUC), a progressive organization with a long history in Canada, including in Welland in Niagara. The AUUC is calling for a comprehensive ceasefire, saying “War is the basest form of political contention. It is a breakdown of the fraternal unity of peoples.”

It is very important to keep demonstrating against NATO and war, and to bring more and more people in even though there is a lot of pressure on us to be silent and concede to militarism and yet more war.

'It's chilling': Black community frustrated following racially motivated incidents in St. Catharines (Niagara This Week and St. Catharines Standard)

(https://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/local-st-catharines/life/2022/06/22/it-s-chilling-black-community-frustrated-following-racially-motivated-incidents-in-st-catharines.html)

'It's chilling': Black community frustrated following racially motivated incidents in St. Catharines

In one weekend, Harriet Tubman Public School and the Caribbean Eatery were vandalized with racist and homophobic slurs

Set St. Catharines as My Local news

By Abby Green

Wed., June 22, 2022

By Abby Green

Wed., June 22, 2022timer4 min. read

Trecia McLennon said the very public nature of a string of recent anti-Black vandalism incidents is what gets to her.

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Frustrated, angry and exhausted.

These are words used by some in St. Catharines' Black community after a recent uptick in racially motivated incidents.

St. Catharines resident and Brock University’s director of EDI Culture and Education Trecia McLennon said the very public nature of these incidents is what gets to her.

“You want to just kind of have it roll off your back, right?” she said. “But then, on the other hand, the frequency and the very public nature of it, clearly going after Black and LGBTQ and marginalized communities … honestly, it's chilling.”

McLennon said Brock has been offering counselling to people following the May shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo that killed 10 Black people and injured three others.

Officials say the shooter in Buffalo, an 18-year-old white male, researched the local demographics prior to the attack. They say he went out with hopes of killing as many black people as possible.

More locally, on the weekend of June 11, Harriet Tubman Public School, the Caribbean Eatery and a number of vehicles were covered with graffiti that contained racial and homophobic slurs.

Niagara Regional Police described it as “hate vandalism”, and have released images of the suspects.

Saleh Waziruddin, a board member of the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association, agreed that these are examples of the worsening situation in the city.

“I think there’s a danger that this kind of environment, where there’s hate speech and hate signs, it’s a precursor to physical violence,” he said.

Natasha Bell, founder of BlackOwned905, said the recent attacks made her angry, but she’s not totally surprised.

“Racism in this region is so rampant and it often just gets swept under the rug. It happens everywhere in our school systems, workplaces and with our next-door neighbours,” she said. “People don’t think it’s a major problem because it’s not being called out or taken as seriously as it should be. People are only seeing what is reported.”

Bell said she often doesn’t feel safe.

“I do not feel safe in this community as a woman of colour, knowing that people are so freely committing these crimes, knowing that there are little to no consequences,” she said. “I’ve lived in this region for 36 years, and I’ve experienced racism since I was a child. The only thing now is it’s being recorded and spread over the internet.”

Rochelle Bush is a trustee and historian at the Salem Chapel British Methodist Episcopal Church on Geneva Street, where Tubman once attended.

She was disheartened by this second attack on the iconic activist, after the statue of Tubman that stood in the courtyard of the church was pushed off of its pedestal and broken in October.

Bush, who has lived in St. Catharines her whole life, expressed similar fears to both McLennon and Bell.

“When I drive, I don't look at white people, especially white males,” she said. “It's not that I can't look them in the eye or I lack the courage, you just don't know who they are or what they're going to do. So I stopped doing that because I've had it where I've been driving down the street and you look at a white male and they’ll either stick their tongue out or they'll give you that frown or they'll do something nasty.”

She agreed that it feels as if the situation is getting worse.

“Before, people were able to play it off as a joke,” she said. “Like the chicken wing jokes or the watermelon jokes. There was always laughter behind it. Those are the subtle ones. Now, today, it's just straight up overt racism.”

McLennon, who is chair of the city’s Inclusion and Equity Committee, said we need to ensure there are wraparound supports and services for the victims.

“Encouraging people to support those businesses and encouraging folks to support other Black businesses and ensuring, for example, the stuff that happened at Harriet Tubman, that those students and those teachers and those staff members have access to supports to make sure that they're OK and have reinforcements to make sure that their sense of community isn't shattered,” she said.

She said it’s also important to have a co-ordinated community response.

“That means (involving) organizations like municipalities, universities, hospitals, along with some of the umbrella social service organizations that serve historically marginalized communities,” she said. “It's like when you have a crisis communication plan and then when something happens, you're not running around trying to build the plane as you fly it, but you distribute everything so that the community can help in trying to identify and hold accountable the perpetrators of these types of crimes.”

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STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Following the vandalizing of the Caribbean Eatery and Harriet Tubman Public School in St. Catharines, reporter Abby Green wanted to check in with members of the Black community and see how they’re coping and the impact these incidents have had on them.

At least 13 'horrifying' vandalism incidents in Ontario's Niagara region under police investigation (CBC News)

(https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/racist-homophobic-vandalism-niagara-1.6489645)

Hamilton

At least 13 'horrifying' vandalism incidents in Ontario's Niagara region under police investigation

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Police seek 2 suspects after vandalism around school, on vehicles, at homes and a business

Bobby Hristova · CBC News · Posted: Jun 15, 2022 1:19 PM ET | Last Updated: June 15

Michael Andrade, 57, owner of Caribbean Eatery in St. Catharines, Ont., on Sunday saw a racist word spray painted on a car outside his restaurant, among a string of vandalism incidents in the area. This photo shows Andrade using a phone to show the two suspects in security footage from a nearby corner store. (Jessica Maxwell/CBC)

Michael Andrade was trying to get ready for church when he came face to face with racism.

The 57-year-old was inside his restaurant, Caribbean Eatery, not far from downtown St. Catharines.

"I got here Sunday, warming up some patties for the church … I looked in the back there and I saw this car with n----r written on it and I'm like, 'What's going on here?'" he told CBC Hamilton in an interview.

"I never experienced that. I've been here since 1986 … it took a little toll on me."

The vandalism he saw in the parking lot outside his restaurant is part of a string of racist and homophobic graffiti in the area that's being investigated by Niagara police.

The police were initially investigating vandalism at Harriet Tubman Public School just five minutes away, but have since found 13 incidents of hateful graffiti, including on:

• Six vehicles.
• Three homes.
• A business.
• Two school buses.

The vandals struck Saturday night around 10 p.m. ET, according to police and surveillance footage Andrade captured.

The cost of the damage is over $5,000, police say.

The first suspect is described as a man with a medium build wearing light-coloured pants, a light-coloured sweater, a baseball hat and black Nike shoes. Police also say he used his left hand.

The second suspect is described as a thin man wearing a striped hooded sweater, pants, light-coloured shoes and a flat brimmed baseball hat.

The bronze statue at Harriet Tubman Public School in St. Catharines was defaced with blue paint, some of which had already been cleaned off at the time this photo was taken Monday. (Jessica Maxwell/CBC)

Officers say the suspects likely walked on foot and were on George, Catherine, Albert, Henry and Louisa streets.

Police are asking for any video footage that could help identify the vandals.

Community condemns hateful vandalism

Saleh Waziruddin, a member of Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association's executive committee, lives near the area and said he's concerned about the "brazen" nature of the vandalism.

"It's horrifying … they're just walking around without any worry of being caught or anything like that. It needs to be shut down," he said.

"Moments away from where I'm sleeping … this kind of violence is going on. It makes you feel very unsafe."

Andrade said the racist graffiti hits even closer to home because his granddaughter is a student at Harriet Tubman Public School, and the mass shooting at Tops supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y., where 10 Black people were killed, was so recent.

 

"If these guys can ... take their time to do all this, what's next … it makes you think twice," Andrade said.

"We send men to the moon, we do all these things and still we can't get along … I don't understand why people can't see past colour."

• St. Catharines Harriet Tubman public school hit with racist and homophobic graffiti

Mayor Walter Sendzik said in a public statement that hate has no place in the city.

"The words used are charged with white supremacy thinking — the actions point to a poisonous way of thinking. When these despicable acts take place, we need to call it out forcefully and show support to those impacted by the hate-fuelled vandalism," he wrote.

Waziruddin said he has a message for the vandals.

"They better stop because people aren't going to take it and they better turn themselves in. Somebody knows who they are."

He also has a message for the community.

"We can't rest easy. We can't think this is not going to get worse."

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For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.