William Kashtan (Cinco De Mayo)

William "Red Bill" Kashtan (1909-1993) was a Canadian communist leader who served as Party Chairman of the Communist Party of Canada from 1964, when his predecessor Leslie Morris died, until 1988, when he resigned after a coup by moderate Turnerites. Kashtan opposed the leniency of both the Trudeau and Turner governments with anti-Communists in Canada and was a staunch ally of General Secretaries Tommy Douglas and David Lewis. Kashtan was the "Last Hardliner" in Canada and died in prison in 1993 for human rights violations.