Our Politics

WHAT WSTAND FOR 


The New Socialists (NS) is a network of socialists active in community, labour and campus organizing. We seek to develop the politics of socialism from below based on radical democracy and the overcoming of all forms of oppression. For us, socialist liberation is a project of social transformation designed to end class exploitation and the oppressions of race, gender, sexuality and ability everywhere. Genuine socialism is also a movement to create an ecologically sustainable world based on global justice.

To develop both the power and consciousness necessary to challenge capitalism, we need militant and democratic movements fighting to defend past gains and win new ones. Winning reforms within the capitalist system can help improve people’s lives and strengthen our capacities. In that spirit we support grassroots movements that challenge poverty, injustice, oppression and inequality. But, as vital as these struggles are, it is not possible to reform the inequality and oppression out of capitalism. The system as a whole must be completely and radically transformed.

 

SOCIALIST RENEWAL: DIVERSITY WITHIN UNITY


Socialist politics must be renewed for the 21st century. We can learn much from the past, but ready-set solutions to many of our challenges in changing the world today will not be found in the radical traditions of the past. It is especially important for socialists today to learn from the rich history of struggles led by indigenous peoples, women, queers, people of colour and other oppressed groups.

The NS works in solidarity with many social justice groups and with other anti-capitalist forces within the Canadian state and internationally. While uniting around common principles, we encourage a diverse range of views within our network, recognizing that diversity can enrich socialist politics. We believe socialist groups must be based upon lively democratic discussion and a commitment to learning from different movements and traditions. We reject versions of socialism and ways of organizing that are undemocratic and authoritarian.

 

LIBERATION POLITICS: SOLIDARITY AGAINST OPPRESSIONS


We are committed to anti-oppression politics. We believe the struggle for socialism cannot be separate from struggles against racism, sexism, heterosexism and other forms of sexual oppression, and the oppression of people with disabilities. This means supporting the liberation movements of all oppressed people and building solidarity between struggles against different forms of oppression. It also means being aware of our own actions and constantly striving to challenge oppression in the organizing we do. We work in solidarity with people who are organizing independently, fighting for dignity, power and self-determination.

We maintain that Canada is a settler-colonial state founded on the dispossession and oppression of indigenous peoples. We support indigenous movements for land, self-determination, justice and dignity. Solidarity with indigenous demands for sovereignty is an essential principle of our action. As internationalists, we also oppose the imperialist domination of the world by a few rich countries, including Canada. We support movements for national self-determination internationally as well as within Canada, such as the right of the Quebec people to independence. Furthermore, in a world of environmental crises, we champion movements to protect the planet from capitalism. We are committed to principles of ecological justice and sustainability.

 

BUILDING A NEW LEFT


We need a New Left to build support for a systemic alternative to capitalism and its regimes of multiple oppression. A New Left needs a vibrant infrastructure of dissent—organizations, unions, independent media, social forums and assemblies—all contributing to a radical culture and anti-capitalist and anti-oppression activism and organizing.

The New Socialists hope to contribute to the emergence of such a New Left by way of activism, solidarity, movement-building and political education.

 

GET INVOLVED


To get involved with the NS, you can do the following:

 

 

 

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