February 20, 1976
To all Canadian Revolution Supporters:
On January 24, 1976, following several months of debate around developing political unity in Canadian Revolution, during which their proposals were consistently rejected by the majority of the CR group, the . . . members of the Bolshevik Tendency in CR . . . voluntarily withdrew as members of the group. They ceased to be members on the basis of: (1) withdrawal from participation in Journal production; and (2) non-payment of monthly dues; these points previously being agreed to by group members (including BT members) as basic conditions of membership.
At the time of their withdrawal, which they said was a result of “the consolidation of opportunism in the Journal”, the BT stated that they still supported the concept of CR and would return to the group when “some collective members had rejected opportunism and a basis for struggle again existed”.
Subsequently, it was discovered that PRIOR to the January 24th meeting, BT members had stolen ... copies of issue no. 4 of CR from the printers, which they “justified” by claiming the copies were theirs by right of their proportional strength in the group. (The group’s position has always been that members are entitled to one free copy only of each issue, the rest sold to finance the Journal.)
Further, they have since been distributing their stolen copies, some of which they have been selling. When asked to return the group these Journals, or payment therefor, plus pay outstanding dues and funds collected through bookstore distribution of previous issues, they flatly refused.
The CR group unanimously condemns their counter-revolutionary actions as intended to sabotage Canadian Revolution organizationally and financially. They remained in the group only long enough to have the publication of their article “Nationhood or Genocide: The Struggle of the Native People Against Canadian and American Imperialism” subsidized by the Marxist-Leninists throughout Canada who support CR, then stole... copies which they are distributing on their own behalf.
We call on all supporters of Canadian Revolution to reject any contact this group or individual members attempt to make with them claiming to represent CR, and for any persons who receive free copies of issue No. 4 from them to please return them to us or send us payment.
We will have further comment to make on this question in issue No. 5 of CR.
Canadian Revolution