Abstract "We want to make this nation one which truly belongs to all its people; we seek to create a society in which all individuals have the opportunity to realize their full potential?. These sentiments, although forming part of Canada's New Democratic Party's socialist mission statement, are considered to be a close reflection of the values and beliefs that are commonly associated with Communism. The paper shows that the NPD, however, take great pains to distance themselves from the label of "communist", leaving the Communist Party of Canada (CPC) to carry the official flag of Canadian communism. The paper shows that under the guidance of the CPC, the development of Communism in Canada, unlike in Russia and other traditionally communist strongholds, has developed less rapidly, adopted a less extreme agenda and, as a result, continues to exert an appreciable influence upon Canadian politics and society. By adapting to changing social and political conditions, communism in Canada has successfully outlived the roots of its ideology.
From the Paper "The demise of communism in the former Soviet Union, and other Eastern European states during the late 1980's resulted in a drastic reduction in public and political support for communist ideology throughout the world, including within Canada (History of CPC). However, despite this political setback, Canadian communism with its firm and well-established roots, successfully weathered the storm and, in recent years, has witnessed a renewed growth in popularity across Canada. One reason for this continued support for communism in Canada, as opposed to those countries in which it has all but perished, is the a wide range of popular issues that form their manifesto; including the fight against privatization, for shorter hours, for public ownership, the fight for jobs and the guarantee of basic labor rights in a new Canadian Constitution (Marshall, 1995)."
