We publish an appeal from our comrades of Fightback, the Canadian section of the IMT. Fightback has gone from strength to strength over the past several years, and is now taking the important step of setting up a new office in Montreal! This will require the necessary funds: please donate to help build the forces of Marxism in Canada!
We first began our work in Quebec more than 10 years ago and launched our French-language journal La Riposte socialiste shortly afterwards in 2009. Since this time we have made impressive gains, with the past year being particularly remarkable. We hired our first francophone full-time organizer in Montreal in early 2017. We also had our most successful Marxist Winter School in Montreal this past February with more than 220 people participating, making it the biggest Marxist meeting in the country. There were people present from Canada, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Mexico, all gathered to discuss the revolutionary ideas of Karl Marx. In the rest of the country we obtained our very own printing press for our office in Toronto and had our most successful congress last year with over 110 participants. Over the past couple of years, Fightback has since ballooned in size, becoming the biggest, best-organized Marxist group in Canada.
It is not by accident that the Marxists of Fightback are growing. While Canada is not embroiled in an economic or political crisis, the world situation is having its effects on the consciousness of a growing number of workers and youth in the country. Most notably, youth are radicalizing more than ever and are looking for an alternative to the capitalist system.
Tapping into this radicalization, Socialist Fightback Students has spread to college and university campuses all over the country, and has become a pole of attraction for students seeking revolutionary ideas. We launched Socialist Fightback Students last year to create a Canada-wide banner to unite Marxist students from coast to coast. Tirelessly working to bring Marxist ideas to movements of workers and youth has allowed us to become the only Marxist organization with a significant presence in both English Canada and Quebec, bridging the national divide.
Socialist Fightback Students has spread to campuses all over the country, and has become a pole of attraction for students seeking revolutionary ideas / Image: Fightback
Our growth has placed us in a fantastic situation to spread Marxist ideas across the country. With this perspective in mind, the acquisition of an office in Montreal will be of great help to coordinate and professionalize our work fighting against capitalism in Quebec, where the class struggle has been running hot in the past few years.
The experience of our Toronto-based activists has allowed us to understand concretely the benefits of having an office. There are certainly important practical aspects, such as having a space to hold educational and organizational meetings and having a central place for the distribution of our newspaper and Marxist literature. But the benefits of an office go beyond just the practical aspects. This will be a genuine rallying point for Marxist activists and workers and youth looking for an alternative to the misery of capitalism.
That being said, fighting the system does not spare us from having to operate within the limits imposed on us by the system. This means that there are significant costs. In addition to the cost of rent, we must pay for hydro, Internet, and a phone line. In addition, to make our office operational, we will need desks, tables, chairs, bookshelves, filing cabinets, computer hardware, and other necessary equipment.
In the true spirit of collective proletarian fundraising, we are asking for our supporters to contribute to this cause! We ask you to please contribute to this financial appeal to make the renting of our Montreal office a sustainable reality. A monthly contribution of $5, $10, $50 or even $100 will go a long way in helping us to pay rent and bills. Every bit counts!
You can sign up with Paypal or credit card at our websites by clicking this link. Or you can to set up an automatic bank withdrawal you may also send a void cheque to our address (366 Danforth Ave., Suite 201, Toronto, ON M4K 1N8), or contact us at fightback@marxist.ca or (416-461-0304).
All donations are welcome! We will also accept donated office furniture, computer hardware or office supplies! Donate to help make this a reality!
Help us take another step forward in the struggle for socialism!