Extract from “Statement of N.C. Minority”

Page 41:

Already the strategy and tactics as pursued by our comrades in the CCYM is beginning to break down. The Beverley unit, which our comrades organised, will most likely be expelled in the near future. But, although the majority of its members will follow our group, it may be expected that the bureaucracy will succeed in breaking off a number of members who will follow their opportunist line. Our comrades will thus have done a service to the bureaucracy by having recruited for it some new supporters.

A still more glaring example of the danger of this senseless policy is contained in the recent occurrences in York Township. In that district no C. C.Y.M. unit existed and one of our comrades (Ross Dawson) was directed by our fraction to attempt to organize such a unit in the expectation that it would be under our influence. Comrade Dawson proceeded to get some people together and after a while he succeeded in forming a group of some 16 young workers who agreed to constitute themselves as a branch of the C.C.Y.M. For tactical reasons, however, our comrade had to carefully conceal the fact that he is a Trotskyite or that he has any revolutionary leanings. However, because he is a brother of another Dawson, who is a prominent party member (which is enough ground for suspicion), the bureaucracy at once became alert and after calling young Dawson the carpet for cross-examination, they started to work within the group to isolate and undermine his influence. This met with complete . . . .

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. . . success. After the provincial E.C. refused to recognize the group as a branch of the C.C.Y.M. unless they would expel young Dawson, the group expelled its founder and organizer for the price of a charter from the opportunist bureaucracy. Here our comrade spent his time and effort to organise a group of young workers in order that the unscrupulous bureaucracy of the C.C.Y.M. might take it away from his influence and transform it into a reformist organisation. Thus our comrades are actually building the C.C.Y.M.—for Lazarus and his gang.

This tragi-comedy in York Township is indicative of what we can expect unless the inexcusable line followed by our comrades in the C.C.Y.M. is radically changed. If Ross Dawson had organised his group around a clear revolutionary program (as is the only way for a revolutionist to do), the C.C.Y.M. bureaucrats would not find it so easy to manoeuver him out and keep his group for themselves. However, since Dawson had to hide his identity and speak the same language, or a similar language, as the bureaucrats, he wiped out a1l political distinction between himself and the bureaucrats, and the question of who would triumph now depended only on who wou1d be more able to manoeuver and cheat. Natura1ly the bureaucracy was a sure winner.

The lesson of this incident must engrave itself in bold lines upon the minds of our comrades. The revolutionist does not claim to hold an advantage over the reformist bureaucracy in the sphere of scheming and manoevering. The strength of the revolutionist lies in his principles. His hope of success rests on the correctness of his program

(end of extract) (Ross Dowson was misspelled Ross Dawson in the original)

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