Miguel Figueroa

For the Puerto Rican swimmer, see Miguel Figueroa (swimmer).
Miguel Figueroa

Figueroa in 2012.
Leader of the Communist Party of Canada
In office
1992–2015
Preceded by George Hewison
Succeeded by Elizabeth Rowley
Personal details
Born (1952-08-29)August 29, 1952
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Political party Communist Party of Canada
Residence Toronto
Occupation Politician

Miguel Figueroa (born July 29, 1952) was the Leader of the Communist Party of Canada from 1992 until 2015. He is known for the landmark Figueroa case, which redefined the role of small parties and Canadian Parliamentary democracy, as well as his role re-establishing the Communist Party of Canada in the post-Soviet era.[1]

Early political career

Figueroa was born in Montreal. He attended Dawson College in Montreal, and was a student activist with the National Union of Students joining its staff, in 1977, as a national field organizer.[1]

Figueroa joined the Communist Party in 1977 and held many positions within the Party. In 1978, he became the party’s Greater Vancouver organizer,[1] working with people such as city councilors Harry Rankin and Bruce Yorke as well as Party activist across the region. He also helped organize demonstrations which brought scores of thousands onto the streets, marching for nuclear disarmament.

From 1986 to 1992 Figueroa was the Party’s Atlantic region leader,[1] and was based in based in Halifax, traveling across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland in an old jalopy through fair weather or foul storms. During this time, Figueroa chaired an organizing committee that signed up 800 part-time seasonal professors and teaching assistants at Dalhousie University, ultimately leading to membership in the Canadian Union of Public Employees. He was also active in various mass movements like peace and disarmament, international solidarity, and trade union organizing.

Leadership of the Communist Party of Canada

The dissolution of the Soviet Union produced sharply different assessments within the CPC. Under the leadership of general secretary George Hewison (1988–92), the leadership of the CPC and a segment of its general membership proposed abandoning Marxism-Leninism as the basis of the Party's revolutionary perspective. They ultimately moved to liquidate the Party itself, seeking to replace it with a left, social democratic entity.

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 voted to abandon Marxism-Leninism. An orthodox minority, led by Elizabeth Rowley, Figueroa and former leader William Kashtan, resisted this effort. In August 1991, evidence was revealed of the plans of the leadership to liquidate the party and seize its assets. The Hewison group reacted by expelling 14 leading members of those in opposition, suspending the Ontario Provincial Committee, and introducing 'loyalty oaths' which had to be signed by all members. As a result, they took the Communist Party to court. An out-of-court settlement resulted in the Hewison leadership relinquishing the name "Communist Party of Canada", while taking most of the old party's assets to 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 by reaffirming the CPC as a Marxist-Leninist organization. Since most 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, India, Brazil, China, Vietnam, South Africa, Cuba, Venezuela and the United States. He was regularly present at the 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 is scheduled to be held May 21-23 in Toronto. The Convention will feature a tribute to Miguel Figueroa as a highlight of the weekend’s agenda.

Figueroa v. Canada

The new party, with only a few hundred members, was much smaller than the old one and had lost a number of assets, including the party's headquarters at 24 Cecil Street in Toronto. The CPC was not in a position to run fifty candidates in the 1993 federal election, the number required to maintain official party status because of recent changes to Canada's Elections Act. As a result, the newly relaunched CPC was deregistered by Elections Canada, and its remaining assets were seized by the government. A prolonged legal battle, Figueroa v. Canada ensued, resulting in a Supreme Court of Canada ruling in 2003 that overturned a provision in the Elections Act requiring fifty candidates for official party status (the number had been increased by an act of parliament in the intervening years). Earlier in the legal battle, the party had its deregistration overturned and its seized assets restored.

Personal life

Figueroa currently lives in Toronto and has a school-aged daughter. In his spare time he enjoys camping, relaxing with friends and playing pool.

Canadian federal elections since 2000

Figueroa has run in five Canadian general elections and at least two provincial elections:

Electoral record

Canadian federal election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes%∆%
LiberalMario Silva 20,172 51.87 +1.18
New DemocraticGord Perks 12,681 32.61 -1.52
ConservativeTheresa Rodrigues 4,202 10.80 +1.50
GreenMark O'Brien 1,440 3.70 -0.48
CommunistMiguel Figueroa 172 0.44 +0.03
Canadian ActionWendy Forrest 122 0.31 +0.02
Marxist–LeninistSarah Thompson 103 0.26 +0.02
Total valid votes 38,892100.00
Total rejected ballots 2400.61-0.22
Turnout 39,13260.61+7.72
Elections Canada, Riding of Davenport, Electoral District 35015.
2004 federal election: Beaches—East York
Party Candidate Votes % Expenditures
  Liberal (x)Maria Minna 22,494 47.93 $70,615.94
  New Democratic Party Peter Tabuns 15,156 32.29 $55,897.43
  Conservative Nick Nikopoulos 6,603 14.07 $21,870.38
GreenPeter Davison 2,127 4.53 $231.75
  Marijuana Daniel Dufresne 365 0.78 $0.00
  Ind. (Global Party) Edward Slota 80 0.17 $408.47
  Communist Miguel Figueroa 62 0.13 $490.30
  Marxist-Leninist Roger Carter 46 0.10 $15.53
Total valid votes 46,933 100.00
Total rejected ballots 204
Turnout 47,137 64.02
1993 federal election: Parkdale—High Park
Party Candidate Votes %
  Liberal (x)Jesse Flis 22,358 54.36
  Reform Lee Primeau 6,647 16.16
  Progressive Conservative Don Baker 5,668 13.78
  New Democratic Party David Miller 3,855 9.37
  National Stephen A. Biega 1,320 3.21
GreenRichard Roy 430 1.05
  Natural Law Wanda Beaver 371 0.90
  Libertarian Haig Baronikian 264 0.64
  Ind. (Communist) Miguel Figueroa 105 0.26
  Abolitionist Thomas Earl Pennington 60 0.15
  Marxist-Leninist André Vachon 53 0.13
Total valid votes 41,131 100.00
Rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 416
Turnout 41,547 66.37

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Communist Party elects first woman leader". Communist Party of Canada. Communist Party of Canada. Retrieved 16 February 2016.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, May 02, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.