Re: Quebec Independence

[Ryan Daum <rdaum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Sun, 22 Oct 1995, Louis N Proyect wrote:

> Ryan, terrific stuff on the Quebec question. By the way, what the Party
> of Democratic Socialism?
>
> Louis
>

the PDS is a regroupment effort composed mostly of members of the NDP/Q
(New Democratic Party Quebec) the Quebec wing of the national social
democratic party which split from the rest of the NDP a few years ago
when it adopted a policy in favour of self-determination.  Now most of
the remaining activists have formed a new party which is explicitly
socialist and not social democratic and explicitly in favour of a
socialist and independent Quebec mainly built on the popular movements.

The leader of the PDS is Paul Rose, a former FLQ member who was in jail
for several years for his part in the kidnapping of Pierre LaPorte during
the October crisis.  Many ex-members of various grouplets are part of the
organization.  One positive aspect of the PDS which makes it the kind of
regroupment effort that we support is that it allows various supporting
groups and tendencies to maintain a separate status while being part of
the group.  Our group, Gauche Socialiste is an active portion of the PDS
while still publishing its independent paper and maintaining membership
in the Fourth International.

It is not clear if the PDS is at this point growing very rapidly -- it is
however the major (or only?) player in an independent socialist campaign
for a Yes vote in the referendum.  Hopefully the group will grow beyond
its current size and the left will expand correspondingly...

______________________________________________________________________________
== Ryan Daum -- rdaum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx -- http://www.ualberta.ca/~rdaum ===
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--                 Defend Quebec's right to self-determination!             --
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