2023 year marks the 175thanniversary of the Communist Manifesto. It is an historical document, both a product of its time, and one still relevant to ours. The Communist Manifesto, originally the Manifesto of the Communist Party, is a political pamphlet written by German…
In answer to the question “What is socialism?”,James P. Cannon, a pioneer of the revolutionary workers’ movement in North America, famously said: “Socialism is both a political program and a political movement to achieve it.” So, then what is Trotskyism?…
National oppression and racism are fundamental features of capitalist states in the world today. In few of them does the national question play such a central role as in Canada. This is most clearly demonstrated in the case of Quebec, where national resentment periodically erupts to take centre stage in political life. It is seen in the rising national consciousness and demands of Indigenous peoples in Canada and Quebec. French-speaking communities outside Quebec which have survived Anglo-assimilation, notably the Acadians in Atlantic Canada, also claim nationhood. And it applies, arguably, to Newfoundland, where a separate society existed for three hundred years before its incorporation, by a fraudulent set of referenda, into the Canadian state in 1949.
The Socialist Action 2022 International Education Conference was held on Saturday, June 4.
In answer to the question “What is socialism?”, James P. Cannon, a pioneer of the revolutionary workers’ movement in North America, famously said: “Socialism is both a political program and a political movement to achieve it.”
So, what then is Trotskyism? Simply put, Trotskyism is modern-day revolutionary socialism. My aim here is to summarize its main component parts.
Thursday, September 16 7 p.m. Eastern Time,Trotsky, Krupskaya and the Bolshevik Tradition, featuring Paul LeBlanc, historian at La Roche University in Pittsburgh, a labor and socialist activist who has written or edited more than 30 books on topics such as Leon Trotsky and Rosa Luxemburg, and…
Read More WEBCAST: Trotsky, Krupskaya and the Bolshevik Tradition
My purpose is to take on the doubters and the cynics, the middle-class thinkers, the academics, the petit bourgeois currents among students, young radicals, labour bureaucrats, and the NDP brass. None of them believe the Canadian working class can make a revolution and overthrow capitalism in Canada.
Our lives and our work in Socialist Action are based on the proposition that they are wrong. That is what I aim to show.
V.I. Lenin, and his famous book “What is to Be Done?”, are hated by the entire political establishment. Even scholars who consider themselves Marxists are uncomfortable with Lenin. Why? Because Lenin built a party that led a socialist revolution. He proved that workers could overthrow capitalism.
Thursday, April 22 4 p.m. PT, 7 p.m. EST, “James P. Cannon and the Foundations of Trotskyism” featuring Bryan Palmer, Emeritus Professor of History at Trent University, Ontario, and author of “James P. Cannon and the Origins of the American Revolutionary Left 1890-1928”. Host: Elizabeth Byce. Discussants: Jeff Mackler, national secretary, Socialist Action – USA.
Grace Carlson was the only female member of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) (predecessor organization of Socialist Action) to be convicted and sentenced under the notorious anti-communist Smith Act of 1940. She was sentenced to sixteen months in the Federal Correctional Facility For Women in Alderson, West Virginia. The trial and convictions of the 17 male leaders of the SWP is a well known part of Trotskyist history. All 18 leaders were convicted of allegedly trying to overthrow the U.S. government by force and violence on the eve of the U.S entrance into World War II . (See “Socialism On Trial” by James P. Cannon).
Thursday, April 15 4 p.m. PT, 7 p.m. EST, “Is China Socialist or Capitalist?” with leading anti-poverty activist John Clarke in Toronto. Host: Elizabeth Byce. Discussants: Professor Ken Hammond in New Mexico, USA. Watch here: https://youtu.be/yU5YGBuKvuc Enjoy Socialist Action Webcasts every week!You can…
Antonio Gramsci is one of the few Marxist historical figures who have consistently retained popularity in the halls of universities and academic journals over the last three decades. His influence is regularly cited in political, cultural, anthropological studies as an important theoretical authority. Activists on the left also credit Gramsci with having formulated innovative and useful theoretical concepts about political struggle and capitalism.
Thursday, March 18 4 p.m. PT, 7 p.m. EST, “The Sport and Prey of Capitalists: How the Rich Are Stealing Canada's Public Wealth” (published 2019) with author Linda McQuaig. Host: Elizabeth Byce. Discussants: John Orrett in Thornhill and Emily Steers…
Thursday, March 11 4 p.m. PT, 7 p.m. EST, “The Revolutionary Ideas of Antonio Gramsci”, led by Stephen Ellis, long time socialist and prominent human rights lawyer, with discussant Sara Swerdlyk, former sociology prof at Humber College. Watch Here: https://youtu.be/MWnxsD8QI3o…
Read More WEBCAST: The Revolutionary Ideas of Antonio Gramsci
Thursday, February 18 7 p.m. EST, 4 p.m. PT Mental Health on Campus, with Emily Steers in Guelph, Daniel Tarade and Alex Badila in Toronto and others. Watch here: https://youtu.be/1RIEEFR9czc Enjoy Socialist Action Webcasts every week!You can watch and listen…
by Barry Weisleder The question that forms the title of this article is perhaps one of the most frequently asked of me and leftist activists. Because I don’t want to torture readers with suspense, I’m going to let the cat…
Thursday, February 4 7 p.m. EST, 4 p.m. PT “How Socialists Resist Rightist Coups”, with author John Riddell in Toronto, and discussants Ann Montague, Socialist Action Oregon-USA, and Kurt Young, an SA Canada leader and a member of Sheet Metal…
The following greetings were presented by Elizabeth Byce, SA/LAS Canada to the annual convention of Socialist Action USA, which took place January 30, 31, 2021. Dear comrades of Socialist Action – USA, I bring you warmest revolutionary greetings from Socialist…
