THE COMMITTEE OF PROGRESSIVE PAKISTANI-CANADIANS

The Committee of Progressive Pakistani-Canadians (the CPPC) is a non-profit organization of the Canadians of Pakistani origin who are committed to the values and ideals of socialist democracy, pluralism, and peace.

The CPPC is committed to:

The ideal of Canada and Pakistan as pluralistic, socialist democracies with strong structural and institutional guarantees for protection of all persons irrespective of their age, domicile, ethnicity, gender, language, political opinion, race, religious belief, sexual orientation, physical or mental handicaps and challenges, immigration or refugee status, and, Socio-economic status or class.

The CPPC believes in a non-violent struggle towards building and sustaining a Canada and a Pakistan characterized by:

1.         A federal constitutional framework with limited powers vested in the federal government, recognizing uniqueness and primacy of its constituent entities, enshrining the rights of the Aboriginal First Nations’ peoples and their sovereignty over their lands and resources, and that it is free from authoritarianism and militarism, ensuring separation of powers between the three independent branches of government: the Legislature, the Executive, and the Judiciary, with most powers, including resource management and taxation powers, vested in the constituent entities.

2.         Socialist democracy enshrining (a) health care, food, housing, minimum wage, and education at all levels as basic and inalienable human rights, and (b) safeguards against the increasing income gap between classes and social groups.

3.         Strong and proactive protections of eco-systems and environment.

4.         A strong public ownership of basic utilities including clean potable water, electricity, heating and cooking fuel; natural resources, pharmaceutical and financial industry. Until the goal of public ownership is realized enactment and enforcement of a stringent regulatory regime to protect people from price gouging as well as eco-systems from being destabilized.

6.         An end to militarism and militarization of national institutions that has invariably led to catastrophic outcomes for humanity. Hence, a foreign policy free of external domination and militarism. We believe that increased emphasis in Canada and Pakistan on the primacy of their respective militaries is undemocratic and ahistoric.

7.         We believe that Canada is a big part of the Western-imperial project, consequently our opposition to Canada’s participation in military alliances such as NATO, NORAD, or US-UK-France led wars of imperialism.

8.         We believe that it’s the tireless struggle of women suffragists, labour unions, student activists, ethnic organizers, farm-worker organizers, socialists, communists, progressive intellectuals and journalists that has built and strengthened liberty and pluralism. That coercion and violence in the monopoly control of national militaries and like institutions is antithetic to pluralism, freedom, and liberty.

The CPPC further recognizes that:

9.         Canadians of Pakistani origin are a part of the Canadian society. Hence the need for building fraternal relations with other entities engaged in an anti-imperial, anti-colonial, secular, and social democratic.

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