Leadership of the Communist Party of Canada
The dissolution of the Soviet Union produced sharply different assessments within the CPC.
The protracted ideological,political,organizational and legal battle created much confusion and disorientation within the ranks of the Party,and paralysed both its independent and united front work for over two years. Ultimately,the Hewison-led majority in the party's Central Committee and Central 28th Convention voted to abandon Marxism-Leninism. An orthodox minority,led by Elizabeth Rowley,Figueroa and former leader William Kashtan,resisted this effort. As the inner-party conflict intensified,the Hewison leadership expelled Rowley and 10 other leading opponents of the reformist orientation being imposed,and the moves to liquidate the party entirely. In August 1991,Rowley and the other expelled members took the Communist Party to court. An out-of-court settlement resulted in the Hewison leadership relinquishing the name "Communist Party of Canada",and in return split the party's assets with the Hewison group under the umbrella of the Cecil-Ross Society,a publishing and educational foundation previously associated with the party.
A convention was held in December 1992 in which delegates declared themselves to be the continuation of the Communist Party (thus the meeting was titled the 30th CPC Convention). Delegates rejected the changes instituted by Hewison and reaffirmed the CPC as a Marxist-Leninist organization. Since half of the old party's assets were now the property of the Hewison-led Cecil Ross Society,the CPC convention decided to launch a new newspaper,the People's Voice,to replace the Canadian Tribune and Pacific Tribune.
Elected leader in December 1992 at the 30th Party Convention,Figueroa was re-elected to that office until his resignation in January 2016,for health reasons. Over his 23-year term,Figueroa led the party through eight federal election campaigns,touring and speaking across the country. [1] As part of a new collective leadership,he worked to help achieve what the Party considers the clarification of its revolutionary orientation as well as its ideological identity based on Marxism-Leninism. In particular,Figueroa participated in the elaboration of the Party's new political program,Canada’s Future is Socialism!,a process which began in the mid-1990s and culminated in the adoption of the final version at the 33rd Central Convention in February 2001.
His leadership also saw the consolidation and rebuilding of the Communist Party across the country —helping to launch People’s Voice and,later,Clarté,as well as The Spark!,the CPC's theoretical and discussion journal. The Party re-established several clubs and committees,including the Party's Quebec component the Communist Party of Quebec,as well as the youth organization known as the Young Communist League. The Party continues to play a role in many labour,peace,environmental,aboriginal,women's,student,immigrant and other people's movements.
Figueroa chaired the international commission of the Party and represented the CPC around the world,including Greece,Portugal,India,China,Vietnam,South Africa,Cuba,Venezuela and the United States. He was regularly present at the International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties [1] where,on behalf of the Party,he advocated for efforts to build greater cooperation,political cohesion,and unity of action among Communist and Workers’parties to deal with the growing dangers of imperialism and urgent problems of peace,solidarity and protection of the global environment.
The 38th Central Convention of the CPC was held May 21–23,2016 in Toronto. The Convention included a tribute to Miguel Figueroa for his lengthy service as party leader;it also elected Elizabeth Rowley as the new national leader. Figueroa was elected to the new 23-member Central Committee.
Recent History
In October 2016,Figueroa was invited to join the Executive of the Canadian Peace Congress,and was subsequently appointed "interim President" in early 2017. He organized several speaking tours with Eva Bartlett and Canadian author Stephen Gowans in the winter and spring of 2017,and undertook a Canada-wide tour in the fall of 2017,which covered 13 cities across the country. He also represented the Peace Congress in solidarity missions to Venezuela and Syria during that year. In 2018 he participated in a hemispheric conference of peace organizations held in Moca,Dominican Republic in September,and the Executive Meeting of the World Peace Council in Damascus,Syria in October.
In November 2018,the Peace Congress convened a country-wide Convention in Toronto,at which time Figueroa was elected President,leading an 11-member Executive Committee elected at the Convention.
