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)