George Hewison
Encyclopedia
George Hewison is a former long-time member of the Communist Party of Canada
and trade union
ist. A second-generation member of the party, Hewison grew up selling the party press and joined the party at the age of 17. His father "Jack" Hewison, had immigrated to Canada from Scotland
and had been a founding member of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
but was disillusioned by the CCF during the Cold War
and joined the Labour-Progressive Party
(as the Communist Party was known) when CCF leaders supported a raid by Hal Banks and the Seafarers International Union
against Hewison's union, the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union in 1953.
Hewison succeeded William Kashtan
as general secretary
in 1988 at a time when the Communist
world was being convulsed by Mikhail Gorbachev
's reforms in the Soviet Union
. He was leader of the Canadian party when the USSR and the Soviet bloc collapsed. The Communist Party of Canada had long been uncritical supporters of Moscow and was severely disoriented by the collapse of Soviet Communism in Eastern Europe
. Hewison and other leaders of the party attempted to open a discussion about the causes for the collapse of the Soviet Union and the significance for Communists in Canada and internationally. He was challenged by a minority faction, led by previous leader William Kashtan
and future leader Miguel Figueroa
among others who accused him of "revisionism".
Hewison was unanimously re-elected leader at the party's next convention in 1992 which produced a new manifesto
called "Communists and the New Decade" (1990s). The minority faction, which had been defeated at the convention, continued to resist the direction the Hewison leadership was heading and finally forced the party and its elected leadership into court. An out-of-court settlement took place between the group around Hewison and those around the minority faction which coalesced around Figueroa, and others. In the meantime, hundreds of party activists disgusted with the paralytic debate between the factions, left the party. During the inner-party squabble, the membership plummeted from 1500 to 800. The out-of-court settlement mandating the splitting of the old party's assets, with the minority assuming the name "Communist Party of Canada", and the out-going leadership undertaking to leave the Communist Party.
The Canadian Tribune and the Cecil-Ross Society
(a society with strict injunctions on use of funds) were allotted to the group around Hewison who were to leave the party. Those funds were allocated according to the rules of the Societies Act. Prior to the split, the long-standing financial support from the Soviet Union to the Communist Party of Canada was discontinued. This had created a different crisis for the party in terms of its ability to finance a large staff, headquarters, maintain a print shop, a publishing house and two weekly newspapers (Canadian Tribune and Pacific Tribune). The leadership which left the party attempted to broaden the appeal for their press by including the broader left. For a variety of reasons, the New Times, which was meant to be a broad left
periodical, failed after several issues. The Cecil-Ross Society also attempted to publish another magazine, Ginger, but it failed after two issues.
Communist Party of Canada
The Communist Party of Canada is a communist political party in Canada. Although is it currently a minor or small political party without representation in the Federal Parliament or in provincial legislatures, historically the Party has elected representatives in Federal Parliament, Ontario...
and trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
ist. A second-generation member of the party, Hewison grew up selling the party press and joined the party at the age of 17. His father "Jack" Hewison, had immigrated to Canada from Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and had been a founding member of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation was a Canadian political party founded in 1932 in Calgary, Alberta, by a number of socialist, farm, co-operative and labour groups, and the League for Social Reconstruction...
but was disillusioned by the CCF during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and joined the Labour-Progressive Party
Labour-Progressive Party
For the Labour-Progressive Coalition Government in New Zealand see the Fifth Labour Government of New ZealandThe Labor-Progressive Party was the legal political organization of the Communist Party of Canada between 1943 and 1959....
(as the Communist Party was known) when CCF leaders supported a raid by Hal Banks and the Seafarers International Union
Seafarers International Union of North America
The Seafarers International Union or SIU is an organization of 12 autonomous labor unions of mariners, fishermen and boatmen working aboard vessels flagged in the United States or Canada. Michael Sacco has been its president since 1988. The organization has an estimated 35,498 members and is the...
against Hewison's union, the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union in 1953.
Hewison succeeded William Kashtan
William Kashtan
William Kashtan became general secretary of the Communist Party of Canada in January 1965, several months following the death of Leslie Morris. The delay in his assuming the position was due to the opposition of Tim Buck to his appointment....
as general secretary
General secretary
-International intergovernmental organizations:-International nongovernmental organizations:-Sports governing bodies:...
in 1988 at a time when the Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
world was being convulsed by Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
's reforms in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. He was leader of the Canadian party when the USSR and the Soviet bloc collapsed. The Communist Party of Canada had long been uncritical supporters of Moscow and was severely disoriented by the collapse of Soviet Communism in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
. Hewison and other leaders of the party attempted to open a discussion about the causes for the collapse of the Soviet Union and the significance for Communists in Canada and internationally. He was challenged by a minority faction, led by previous leader William Kashtan
William Kashtan
William Kashtan became general secretary of the Communist Party of Canada in January 1965, several months following the death of Leslie Morris. The delay in his assuming the position was due to the opposition of Tim Buck to his appointment....
and future leader Miguel Figueroa
Miguel Figueroa
Miguel Figueroa has been the leader of the Communist Party of Canada since 1992.- Early political career :Figueroa was born in Montreal, and has been a member of the CPC since 1977. He has held many positions within the CPC, including party organizer in Vancouver from 1978 to 1985, and leader of...
among others who accused him of "revisionism".
Hewison was unanimously re-elected leader at the party's next convention in 1992 which produced a new manifesto
Manifesto
A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature. Manifestos relating to religious belief are generally referred to as creeds. Manifestos may also be life stance-related.-Etymology:...
called "Communists and the New Decade" (1990s). The minority faction, which had been defeated at the convention, continued to resist the direction the Hewison leadership was heading and finally forced the party and its elected leadership into court. An out-of-court settlement took place between the group around Hewison and those around the minority faction which coalesced around Figueroa, and others. In the meantime, hundreds of party activists disgusted with the paralytic debate between the factions, left the party. During the inner-party squabble, the membership plummeted from 1500 to 800. The out-of-court settlement mandating the splitting of the old party's assets, with the minority assuming the name "Communist Party of Canada", and the out-going leadership undertaking to leave the Communist Party.
The Canadian Tribune and the Cecil-Ross Society
Cecil-Ross Society
The Cecil-Ross Society was a revisionist educational foundation operated by some former members of the Communist Party of Canada after they were forced to terminate their association with the party in 1992 in a political and legal dispute following the fall of the Soviet Union...
(a society with strict injunctions on use of funds) were allotted to the group around Hewison who were to leave the party. Those funds were allocated according to the rules of the Societies Act. Prior to the split, the long-standing financial support from the Soviet Union to the Communist Party of Canada was discontinued. This had created a different crisis for the party in terms of its ability to finance a large staff, headquarters, maintain a print shop, a publishing house and two weekly newspapers (Canadian Tribune and Pacific Tribune). The leadership which left the party attempted to broaden the appeal for their press by including the broader left. For a variety of reasons, the New Times, which was meant to be a broad left
Broad left
Broad Left is a coalition of left members, usually involving independents, members of the Labour Party, and members of organised revolutionary leftist movements within a trade union. Several groups are described by the term....
periodical, failed after several issues. The Cecil-Ross Society also attempted to publish another magazine, Ginger, but it failed after two issues.