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| Theoretical and Discussion Bulletin of the
Communist Party of Canada |
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The Spark!
The
latest issue of The Spark! theoretical journal, is now on sale for $5 at Communist Party offices (see p. 8) or People’s Co-op Books, 1391 Commercial Drive, Vancouver.
Articles
include
- “Introduction to a General Theory of Culture” (Barry Lord);
- “Political & Economic Realities Behind Colombian Labour Relations” (Sacouman, Moore & Brittain);
- “Treaty Process & Indian Nationalism” (Ray Bobb);
- “Lenin: Heritage of the Socialist Market Economy” (C.J. Atkins);
- “Nature of the State Under Bush & Harper” (Stephen Von Sychowski);
- plus reviews, editorials, and more.
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People's
Voice deadlines:
MAY 1-15
Thursday, April 16
MAY 16-31
Thursday, May 7
Send submissions
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People's
Voice finds many "Global Class Struggle" reports at the "Labour Start"
website, http://www.labourstart.org. We urge our readers to
check it out!
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(Contents)
(Home)
1) WHAT ARE WE FIGHTING FOR?
(The following
article is from the
April 16-30, 2009, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist
newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited.
Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for
U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35
CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133
Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)
By Kimball Cariou
The latest revelations from
Afghanistan have triggered a hypocritical response from the Harper
Tories - a reaction that would be astonishing if it was not so utterly
predictable.
The anger
concerns a new law
adopted by the Afghan parliament, regarding the status of the country's
minority Shia Muslim population. Parts of the legislation impose a
controversial version of Islamic sharia law on women from this 15% of
the population, basically categorizing them as second-class citizens
with less power than men in terms of property rights, family status,
and sexual relations.
Shock
erupted from the
Harperites when this news was revealed in the House of Commons by NDP
MP Dawn Black. With their NATO allies, the Canadian government demanded
that this law be rescinded, and the Karzai regime has obediently
promised to "reconsider."
Why this
reaction from Mr.
Harper? Because the Tories are deeply committed to equality for women?
No, because the law shatters the central myth created by imperialism to
cloak its real motives for the occupation of Afghanistan.
For over
eight years, the U.S.
and its allies have claimed that NATO troops are fighting for women's
rights. The absurdity of this argument is easily exposed by just a few
facts: women's rights are forcibly repressed in other countries which
are allies of U.S. imperialism, such as Saudi Arabia; U.S. funds and
weapons were a crucial factor in the defeat of the People's Democratic
Party which governed Afghanistan during the 1980s, and which extended
full equality to women; the current Karzai government in Kabul depends
heavily on bitterly anti-women fundamentalist forces which overthrew
the former progressive government; women's rights have made little
progress in Afghanistan since the imperialist occupation began in 2001,
other than a few small pockets in urban centres; the most outspoken
defender of women's rights in the Afghan parliament, Malalai Joya, was
expelled for her courageous stand and is forced to live outside the
country after constant death threats.
These facts
are well known to
Canadian politicians, but the Harper Tories in particular simply ignore
such inconvenient realities. Unfortunately, most of the corporate media
in Canada takes the same approach, preferring to rely on the coverage
of "embedded" journalists who pen glowing accounts of the bravery and
pure hearts of our boys and girls in uniform.
The truth is
that Canadian
troops are killing and dying in Afghanistan, not to improve the lives
of women, but to advance the global interests of U.S. imperialism.
Increasingly, Canadians are realizing that this war is not only
unjustified, it is utterly unsuccessful.
Despite the
constant "back foot"
refrain ("They're on their back foot, and we need to keep them there" ‑
US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, Sept. 29, 2004; "[The
Taliban] have been set on their back foot recently" ‑ Canadian General
Rick Hillier, Sept. 29, 2006; "[T]he Taliban are on their back foot
with the recent arrival of aggressively on‑the‑offence U.S. Marines" ‑
Rosie DiManno, Toronto Star,
May 19, 2008; "The Taliban are very much
on the backfoot" - British Brigadier Gordon Messenger, June 1, 2008;
etc. etc.), support for the "insurgents" and for a negotiated end to
the conflict are growing as the Afghan population wearies of western
occupation. Thousands of civilians have been killed in NATO raids over
the past eight years, and the numbers are on the rise.
The costs of
this war are far
higher for the Afghan people than for Canada, but it hurts our country
as well. As Crawford Kilian reported in The www.Tyee.ca
site recently,
"Canada's price for fighting in Afghanistan has not yet been fully paid
‑ or even known. Liberal and Conservative governments have avoided
reporting the cost of the war. But Carleton University researcher David
Perry estimates that as of March 2009, Afghanistan has cost us $4.78
billion. By 2012, he says, the war will have cost us $7.55 billion."
Even more shocking, Perry concludes after a comparison with U.S.
estimates on the cost of veterans' care that "the lifetime care for
41,000 Canadian Afghanistan veterans could cost around $11.5 billion."
So what's
the "upside" for
imperialism in this expensive slaughter? As one analyst recently
observed, "Afghanistan has become a permanent training ground and
firing range for providing the US and its NATO allies and candidate
members opportunities to test out new weapons systems, wage 21st
Century counterinsurgency operations and integrate so‑called niche
deployment military units from over 42 nations to achieve weapons and
warfighting interoperability."
And the
Russia Novosti website
featured this observation: "Central Asian states think the U.S. started
the Afghan war to change the regional regimes into local analogues of
Georgia's Saakashvili and Ukraine's Yushchenko, and that it began with
Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Iran, China and Russia think the war
could be Washington's attempt to reduce their influence in Central Asia
to zero."
What are we
fighting for? Certainly not for the women of Afghanistan.
(PV Editor Kimball Cariou is a founding
member of Vancouver's StopWar coalition.)
2) CHRYSLER EXTORTS
CANADIAN AUTOWORKERS
(The following article
is from the
April 16-30, 2009, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist
newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited.
Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for
U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35
CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133
Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)
By Liz Rowley,
leader, CPC (Ontario)
The deal
signed by the CAW and
General Motors to save Canadian jobs and plants was a bitter pill for
autoworkers who paved the way for private sector wages and working
conditions in Canada for decades, leading the way in union militancy
and struggle.
In 1945, it
was Canadian
autoworkers who organized and won the fight for union recognition at
Ford in Windsor. They broke away from the UAW in 1985 over concessions
and anti‑democratic, back-door deal‑making.
So the
concessions forced on the
CAW since the Auto Pact was struck down in 2001 (opening up the floor
beneath the union) have been grudgingly accepted, as the union
struggled to find its feet.
Big mistakes
were part of the
price the union paid, like the Magna agreement that allowed the CAW
access to Frank Stronach's non‑unionized parts plants, conditional on
giving up the right to strike and the right to union committees on the
shop floor.
Now, the CAW
and Canadian
autoworkers are being told they must gut their own agreements or face
losing the auto assembly plants and jobs that were legally and
contractually protected by the Auto Pact for almost 40 years.
After the
World Trade
Organization - an institution that speaks for the transnational
corporations - struck down the Auto Pact, auto assembly and parts
production in Canada were suddenly unprotected, and became completely
subject to made‑in‑the‑US corporate decisions and interests. The fact
that auto assembly and parts production in Ontario is at the very heart
of manufacturing in Canada today, producing 7.5 spinoff jobs for every
direct job, is treated as inconsequential.
The
governments in Ottawa and
Queen's Park respond that auto assembly and manufacturing are "out of
date" sunset industries. Everything is left to the market.
Until four
months ago, that is,
when the Big Three all demanded fat bailouts. Now, the Big Three have
added the demand that the government enforce wage, benefit, pension and
job cuts to the bailout packages.
What's not
yet visible are the
other foreign carmakers in Canada. As soon as the trap is sprung on
unionized autoworkers, cuts to wages, benefits, pensions, and jobs will
follow immediately in the non‑unionized Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, and
other car plants in southern Ontario, along with corporate bailouts.
This is a given, and there are already noises to indicate what's coming.
More
generally, what happens in
GM, Chrysler and Ford will set the pattern for cuts across the country.
In other words, it can get worse. The floor will collapse under the
entire labour movement and the working class as a whole unless the CAW
and the CLC draw the line in the sand over negotiations at Chrysler,
Ford, and GM.
In March,
the fight for
Employment Insurance got off to a good start in Hamilton, but as the
CAW's Peggy Nash and Local 1005 USW President Rolf Gerstenberger said
there, what we want is the jobs. A jobless economy can't sustain EI or
universal social programs.
In other
words, this fight has
to move from the defensive to the offensive. It has to get political,
and it has to mobilize both labour and communities in mass militant
action in the streets and in workplaces.
Peggy Nash
said it right: the
trade union movement has to take up the fight to improve the real
conditions of low‑paid workers, so there are no divisions between
well-paid unionized workers and impoverished, unorganized and often
young workers. She might have added, some of whom are being organized
by employers and reactionaries right now to attack unionized workers.
Paul Moist
had it right when he
said that there must be no divisions between public and private sector
workers and unions. That means the CAW should get back into the OFL, to
help win this fight in Ontario, where it will be won or lost.
Hassan
Youssuff had it right
when he said that attacks on pay equity, on women, and on workers of
colour, are an attack on labour which must be fought by a united labour
movement.
What's
required now is for the
CLC to follow up with a fightback that goes beyond EI, a plan to fight
for jobs and a whole agenda that protects workers and their families
across Canada. A plan that pulls all sectors together to force back the
corporate agenda, defeat the wage and job cuts, create jobs, build
affordable housing, protect and expand social programs, support
Medicare and education, and so on.
The 1996-97
Days of Action in
Ontario stand as a solid testament to the power of the people,
mobilized, united, in action on the streets, in communities and in
workplaces, to take on reactionary governments and their corporate
agendas.
In Quebec,
labour is mobilizing
in a Common Front to oppose and defeat the corporate attack. In France,
Greece, Ireland, and elsewhere, labour is mobilizing and confronting
corporations and right wing governments.
In Ontario
and English-speaking
Canada, a similar battle plan and call to action is urgent. The
campaign to Fix EI is a good start. Let it be the first step to
mobilize, organize and unite Canadian working people for the fight of
our lives.
3) CAW ENTERS DANGEROUS WATERS
(The following article
is from the
April 16-30, 2009, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist
newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited.
Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for
U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35
CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133
Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)
By Sam Hammond
When wages
are driven down, the
cost of running the capitalist state shifts from the corporate sector
to the wage sector, the cost of social services is loaded onto wage
workers, and transportation and infrastructure are shifted to direct
user fees, what is the result? Destruction of the domestic market,
creating a self-propelled downward spiral of unemployment and
impoverishment. After they accumulate impossible debt, working people
can purchase only a dwindling fraction of what they produce.
The
super-profits accumulated
from this social plunder are concentrated in pure investment
speculation, the casino economy, deregulated and free to gamble with
the social being of millions. What is the result?
Well, just
take a good look
around. The classical cyclical contradiction of capitalism, triggered
and accelerated by the neo‑liberal agenda, in its most acute form
during its last imperialist stage, racing toward...?
This
question itself raises the
spectre of a socialist alternative, enough to make every imperialist
state pour billions into military and police to deal with the impending
social unrest (and with its rivals). This of course aggravates the
crisis, as the billions of dollars wasted on militarism empty the
public purses even more.
The cycle of
boom and bust is
not just a graph, highs and lows on paper. It is fundamentally a
process of over-accumulation and relative over-production from the
super-exploitation of labour and resources. Conversion of real value
into speculative finance eventually cannibalizes and destroys the means
of production, and creates large pools of impoverished unemployed
workers to pressure those still employed to accept wage cuts, driving
down the cost of labour for the next round of recovery. In the past,
these crises have often led to war, the destruction of industrial
cities and the slaughter of millions. This is not a horizontal cycle,
but an upward spiral that gains momentum, becoming more destructive and
creating more acute crashes closer together as it races toward negation.
Since the
industrial revolution,
the working class has struggled to develop its own defence mechanisms
on this treadmill. The struggles of the last couple of centuries are
legendary, and include the development of the conscious revolutionary
forces, the first socialist revolution, the national liberation
movements, the trade unions and the peace and environmental movements.
Cause and effect, attack and counterattack. The working masses, the
non-capitalist world population, have been far from passive, but there
are definitely moments of adjustment. If the imperialists have to pause
and re‑build, so does the working class. That brings front and centre
the huge problems the trade union movement is facing presently.
It is in the
interests of all
working people to resist as strongly as possible the capitalist aim of
rebuilding at our expense, using our lives as commodities of cheap
labour power, denied by impoverishment the ability to consume what we
produce. That is their dream; it cannot be ours. Within these
unforgiving parameters we must decide our tactics, plan our defences
and protect our homes and families. The debate fosters the divergent
working class trends of compliance and resistance. Should we support
the existing order and seek rebirth within a rapacious and more
exploitive imperialism? Or should we fight for a fundamental change,
get off the treadmill and then destroy it?
Faced with
these alternatives,
some previous working class representatives supported their own
national capitalists in the slaughterhouse of 20th century wars that
claimed over 100 million lives. That collaboration did not lead to
liberation; it led here, to the present crisis of unemployment, war,
hunger, disease and environmental destruction. The treadmill tilts ever
steeper and accelerates. Are those who comply and co‑operate really
leaders? Or are they captives of an ideology that sees no other life,
no other existence, just a social perspective of despair and
subservience tied to the sinking ship of imperialism.
This is not
a personal gripe,
but rather an objective look through the lenses of need and historical
experience. It is through these lenses that the present concessionary
partnering of CAW President Ken Lewenza should be examined.
There is no
doubt whatsoever
that the CAW and its leadership are under extreme pressure. It may seem
unfair to load the immediate future of labour onto these existing
pressures.
But reality
is hard. The
suggestion is that we are all in this together, that we must offer
concessions to save "our" auto industry, that we should look at
creative ways (like a Canadian VEBA) to handle "legacy" costs and enter
into pension and other negotiations with the government, without one
concrete demand. This is dangerous and will rebound throughout the
working class far beyond the CAW and the auto industry.
The VEBA
(Voluntary Employees
Beneficiary Association) is a "defined contribution" health,
supplemental benefit, severance and pension program, a U.S. phenomenon
currently not legal in Canada. The invitation to put this on the table
is irresponsible at the least, leaving workers at the mercy of
financial speculators whose aim is to privatize services and squeeze
profit. It changes legacy costs into fixed costs, and relieves the
corporations and government of all social responsibility to the workers
who have spent their lives creating profits and building society.
To ask the
most right-wing,
anti‑worker, pro-corporate government in Canadian history to enter into
negotiations on this subject is nothing short of amazing. To do this
while claiming to be protecting "legacy costs" is so transparent that
readers can draw their own conclusions.
In his April
1 speech to the
Economic Club of Toronto where he took up the banners of the auto
industry and introduced the VEBA concept, Ken Lewenza did not make a
big pitch for the need for increase EI benefits and accessibility,
pumping money into working families or equity issues. He said, more
than once, that the billions given and requested by auto were not a
bailout but a loan. He did not demand that the workers' concessions be
in the form of a repayable loan. But why not?
Unfortunately the CAW is
introducing and inviting concepts that will reverberate throughout
labour and be imposed on the unorganized at the corporate whim. The
unorganized will not rush to the standards of labour as a result. Why
should they? Alienating one's own class while serving the interests of
another poses a serious threat to the future of the labour movement. A
union born in the struggle against concessions, the CAW showed that an
independent working class program was the best way forward, the best
defence. Hopefully there will be debate and analyses throughout labour
on these issues. There is too much at stake to stay silent.
4) RACIST RAIDS FUEL DIVISIONS
(The following article
is from the
April 16-30, 2009, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist
newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited.
Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for
U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35
CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133
Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)
People's Voice Editorial
The ruling class attempt to scapegoat
migrants for the economic crisis is clearly behind the latest workplace
raids in Ontario. No One Is Illegal reports that over one hundred
migrant and non‑status workers have been picked up in large‑scale
workplace enforcement actions, mainly in the Greater Toronto Area
district. The mainstream media has said little about this operation.
On April 2,
the Canada Border
Services Agency launched US-style raids in East Toronto, Leamington,
and Bradford/Simcoe County, arresting and handcuffing migrant workers,
placing them on GO buses, and eventually moving them to detention
centres. The Agency even followed workers to their homes in the GTA and
surrounding areas. In Leamington, eight agricultural workers were
arrested while travelling with a contractor to the farm where they
work. Over a dozen agricultural workers were arrested in East Toronto
on the Danforth, some from their homes.
The real
criminals in this
situation are the bosses who aim to reap higher profits by hiring
non-status workers. Instead of providing services for workers in need,
the Tory tactic is to waste taxpayer dollars on arresting and detaining
non-status workers. The Harper Tories, especially Immigration Minister
Jason Kenney, are determined to whip up racist and fascist hysteria
with such actions. This is the same government which launched major
workplace raids in June 2008, terrorizing migrant communities which are
simply trying to survive and support their families. Jason Kenney is
directing his racist venom against immigrants who are less than fully
fluent in English or French, or who lack so-called "Canadian values."
The response
to these attacks
must be stronger working class unity. The slogan, "in injury to one is
an injury to all" remains as true today as ever. The entire labour
movement and all democratic forces should join in condemning the CBSA
raids.
(The following article
is from the
April 16-30, 2009, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist
newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited.
Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for
U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35
CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133
Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)
People's Voice
Editorial
Even in these times of corporate
media empires, a few mainstream columnists manage to write
thought-provoking commentaries. One of these is Thomas Walkom, whose
March 28 piece in the Toronto Star
provided some insights into "the
lure of fascism."
Walkom notes
that "During the
Great Depression of the 1930s, two of the world's most `successful'
economies were those of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany." In both cases,
trade unions were crushed to block working class action for higher
wages. Hitler and Mussolini invested heavily in vast military buildups.
Those workers who weren't in concentration camps had jobs, unlike the
millions of unemployed in the capitalist democracies. The program of
the dictators drew the admiration of other capitalist leaders,
including Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King. Fascist parties had
large followings in many capitalist countries. As Walkom concludes, the
Great Depression showed that capitalism does not need democracy to be
successful - for the capitalists.
As the
economic crisis becomes
prolonged (as many predict), millions of working people will turn to
radical, socialist ideas. But the ruling class will use every possible
tactic to break working class resistance to their attack, including
efforts to promote the fascist "alternative". This approach includes
racist scapegoating of migrant workers and other minorities, wide media
access to far right demagogues like Rush Limbaugh, and orchestrated
campaigns to spread fear of crime.
In short,
there will be no
"automatic" turn to the left during this crisis. The dominant ideology
of any class-divided society is that of its ruling class, and our
capitalists will turn to fascism and war if necessary to preserve their
control. It will take a conscious, determined effort to win working
people for a revolutionary alternative, and the price to pay for
failure would be catastrophic.
6) KICK OUT THE CAMPBELL LIBERALS
(The following
article is from the
April 16-30, 2009, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist
newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited.
Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for
U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35
CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133
Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)
Vote
Communist! Fight for a better
world! Platform statement from the Communist Party of British Columbia
for the May 12 provincial election.
As economic
chaos brought on by
unchecked corporate greed sweeps the capitalist world, working people
in British Columbia face a crucial choice: retreat... or fight back,
like our sisters and brothers in other countries! We can start on May
12, by kicking out the Campbell Liberals and their anti‑people
policies. But this must become part of a much broader struggle to build
a powerful movement for a "People's Alternative" to corporate greed. It
won't be easy, but we need to win fundamental political and economic
change. Your vote for a Communist Party candidate is a vote for a
socialist future, our only hope for human survival!
The
complete failure of capitalism
Across the
world, policies like
those of the Campbell Liberals have worsened capitalism's cyclical
bust. Right-wing governments and big capital want to impose pay cuts
and attacks on labour rights. Mountains of taxpayer dollars are handed
to failed banks, while workers get peanuts. Billions of people suffer
from hunger and disease, while US imperialism and its allies waste a
trillion dollars every year on war and armaments. Here in Canada, the
Harper budget helps wealthy shareholders, but two‑thirds of jobless
workers can't collect the EI benefits we all pay for.
Like the
Harper Tories in
Ottawa, Gordon Campbell and his gang want to protect corporations. They
say the economic crisis is just a temporary problem for the so‑called
"greatest place on earth."
But for
workers, Aboriginal
people, women, seniors, renters, students, and many others, the reality
is very different. This government has shown contempt for workers by
unilaterally ripped up collective bargaining agreements.B.C. has the
highest child poverty in Canada, and an appalling $6 "training wage".
Almost 200,000 British Columbians are jobless as more plants and mills
shut down. Homelessness hits new records every year. Schools and day
cares are closing across the province. Rents and housing costs are
astronomical. Resource industries which sustained working people for
generations have been gutted, leaving environmental devastation for our
children. The Campbell government's attacks on women's equality have
been exposed by United Nations committees, and promises of a new deal
for Aboriginal peoples are repeatedly delayed or forgotten in the race
to exploit unceded indigenous territories.
In short,
the Campbell Liberals
have been a disaster for the great majority of British Columbians. The
Premier took office with a billion‑dollar tax break for top income
brackets, and massive layoffs for public employees. Ever since, his
policies have widened the gap between the rich and working people.
The collapse
and sellout of the
salmon fishery, the massive export of raw logs, and the decline of
energy prices have led to an enormous provincial deficit. Thousands
live on the street, while governments pour six billion dollars into the
Winter Olympics. Yet Campbell plans to stay the course: lower corporate
taxes, more cuts to social spending, and a drive to sell off more
public assets. Stick with us, they say, and things will soon get better.
This is a
lie. Realistic
economists warn that the global crisis may last for years. Nor will
British Columbians benefit from another dose of the pro‑business agenda
which helped spark the capitalist meltdown.
Needed:
emergency action
It's time to
say, "workers
didn't cause this crisis, and we won't pay for it!" Across the planet,
people are fighting back, in the streets and workplaces, and at the
polls. We call upon the organized labour movement to rally in defense
of the working class and to support progressive candidates who are
willing to fight on these issues.
In this
election, the Communist
Party of BC calls for emergency action by all levels of government to
protect working people:
‑ stop the exodus of manufacturing
jobs and secondary industry;
‑ expand EI to cover all workers for
the full duration of unemployment, with benefits at 90% of former
earnings;
‑ a moratorium on evictions, mortgage
foreclosures and utility cut‑offs due to unemployment;
‑ a shorter work week with no loss in
pay or cuts to public services;
‑ emergency action to improve the
social and economic conditions of Aboriginal peoples;
‑ massive public investment to
construct affordable social housing, rebuild municipal infrastructure,
and protect and conserve the environment;
‑ progressive tax reform based on
ability to pay;
‑ protect and extend public
healthcare, education and other social programs, including a universal,
quality, affordable childcare system.
The Communist Party urges fundamental changes on a Canada‑wide
scale:
‑ democratic nationalization of the
big banks, insurance and other financial institutions;
‑ public ownership energy and natural
resources, to provide the material basis for rebuilding Canadian
industry and the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs;
‑ withdrawal from NAFTA and the war
in Afghanistan.
THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF BC PROGRAM
Stop
the sellout ‑ expand public ownership
End contracting out of public
services and transportation. Hold a public inquiry into the corrupt
sale of BC Rail; restore public ownership and passenger service for
northern and central communities. Stop P3 projects in the health,
education and transportation sectors. Halt the "Run of the Rivers"
giveaway to private interests; restore BC Hydro's role as provider of
public energy. Cancel the Accenture contract and independent water
licenses; reintegrate BC Transmission Corporation back into BC Hydro.
Ban raw log exports and legislate the processing of timber locally for
export as lumber or value added products under public ownership and
control.
Support
the needy, not the greedy!
Reverse the tax cuts for the wealthy
and corporations. Raise social assistance rates by 50% and peg to
inflation. Build 5000 new low‑income and social housing units annually
and restore public support for co‑op and other non‑profit housing
alternatives. Impose strict rent controls; end the "geographic
increase" loophole and limit increases to inflation. Ban evictions for
the purpose of renovation.
Rights
for workers
Raise the minimum wage to $16/hour,
indexed to the cost of living, and end the "training wage". Restore the
15% wage rollback imposed on health care workers. Legislate improved
working conditions and scheduling for forestry workers. Guarantee full
Labour Code protections for agricultural labourers and migrant workers.
Save
the environment
Stop removal of lands from the
Agricultural Land Reserve. Support genuine measures to shift from
fossil fuels to renewable energy. Scrap the Gateway Project in favour
of investments in public transit. Replace the appointed Translink board
with an elected, accountable, democratic body representing transit
users and the public. Institute a $1 single zone fare for the Lower
Mainland, and upgrade transit shelters and washrooms.
End
police violence
Act to halt police violence and
deaths in custody, and implement full public oversight of police
operations. Remove guns and Tasers from transit police. Cops who break
laws must be criminally charged.
Justice
for Aboriginal peoples and women
Legislate full recognition of
Aboriginal title to unceded territories. Put all necessary resources
into solving the cases of missing women across BC. Restore funding for
women's centres; reverse the attacks on women's equality reported by
the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination.
A
future for youth
Eliminate tuition, provide grants for
post‑scondary students. Expand apprenticeship programs. Fund public
education on a needs basis, including for all special needs and ESL
students; eliminate the FSA tests; complete seismic upgrades of all
schools by 2020. Lower the voting age to 16. Ban military recruiting in
schools.
Democracy,
not corporate rule
Stop funding massive Olympics cost
over‑runs, and end security force harassment of protests against the
Olympics. Scrap TILMA, the so‑called "Trade, Investment and Labour
Mobility Agreement." Support a democratic Mixed‑Member proportional
representation system (MMP) for BC, not the unsuitable STV proposal.
7) COMMUNIST CANDIDATE BREAKS GROUND IN
KOOTENAY WEST
(The following
article is from the
April 16-30, 2009, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist
newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited.
Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for
U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35
CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133
Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)
Three
candidates of the
Communist Party of BC, the registered provincial party of British
Columbia Communists, will be on the ballot on May 12. Party leader
George Gidora will run in Surrey-Newton, and retired health care worker
Peter Marcus is a second-time candidate in Vancouver-Mount Pleasant.
Our next issue will report on their campaigns.
Progressives
and working people
in the southern interior of British Columbia are rallying around the
campaign of a youth candidate in the May 12 BC election. Zach Crispin,
a student and young worker, will challenge the big business agenda of
the Campbell Liberals by carrying the red flag in the riding of
Kootenay West. He is the first Communist candidate in the area in
almost fifty years.
"The three
major issues in
Kootenay West are education, health care and jobs," Zach says. The
Kootenays, like many rural areas, have suffered from years of
devastating cutbacks and privatization of public services, first by the
New Democrats and greatly accelerated under the Campbell Liberals.
"More than
six public schools
have been shut down in this riding because of the actions of the
Liberal government, which also used undemocratic back-to-work
legislation against a B.C. teachers strike," says Zach. "Health care
has been constantly threatened by profiteers and P3 privatization.
There is only one major hospital in the riding, up to five hours
driving distance for some residents. We urgently need a massive
increase in public funding for not‑for‑profit community clinics to
adequately serve the people."
Zach's
candidacy comes at a
period of intense attack on Canadian jobs and public control of natural
resources. Kootenay West, home to the large Teck Cominco Smelter in
Trail as well as a pulp mill and forestry industry, has a proud history
of militant working class struggle. He will campaign for a new
direction, based on peoples' needs not corporate greed, as well as
protecting Canada's sovereignty, and manufacturing and industrial base.
The future
for industry in Trail
is uncertain. Earlier in 2009, Teck Cominco's stocks were reduced to
junk bond status. After a recovery on the market, the company announced
over 1,000 layoffs, including 400 miners in south-eastern BC.
Unemployment in the region has skyrocketed, up to officially around 8
percent and higher than the Canadian average.
"I have
spent much of my life
here in Trail, and I love the Kootenays," Zach says. "My family is from
here and I met my wife-to-be here at high school." Zach, who is 19 and
organizer of the Young Communist League in Trail, works part‑time at a
gas station. He is a first‑year student at Castlegar college and an
active member of the students' union, which works on youth and student
issues such as minimum wage and affordable housing
Zach's
campaign is also
advancing bold, new demands for young people, including universal,
accessible public childcare, lifting the minimum wage above the poverty
line to $16, eliminating the training wage, lowering the voting age to
16, establishing a system of grants not loans, and abolishing tuition
fees. He calls for a major increase in public funding to education, and
lifting the federal cap on Aboriginal student post-secondary funding.
Many of
these policies are in
place elsewhere: Newfoundland has frozen tuition fees, Ontario's
minimum wage is moving to $10, and Quebec has $7 a day child‑care.
While hardly enough (and BC can do better) this exposes the lie that
there is no alternative. Socialist Cuba, a much poorer country than
Canada, has free education and trains vast numbers of doctors from
around the world. Another key issue is peace. "I spent a year with the
Canadian Military Reserve, which allowed me to see the great error in
imperialist warfare and the backwards ideology of the Canadian Forces,"
says Zach. He calls to support the troops by bringing them home now
from the racist war in Afghanistan, and has spoken out for solidarity
with the Palestinian people.
"Working
class families, youth,
women, racialized communities, and the poor, will benefit immensely
from the election of Communists to the legislature," says the
candidate, noting that a vote for the Communists is a sharp break with
the current direction and a demand for fundamental change. "People here
need immediate measures to raise living standards and expand our
rights, including our right to democratic control of our land, jobs,
and economy, putting a stop to the corporate domination of our province
and opening the door to fight for a socialist Canada," says Zach. "This
is urgent, necessary, and possible."
8) WHY THE STV IS UNDEMOCRATIC
(The following
article is from the
April 16-30, 2009, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist
newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited.
Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for
U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35
CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133
Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)
Commentary by
Betty Griffin, North Vancouver
Voting in
favour of the Single
Transferable Vote (STV) in B.C.'s May election referendum will only
transfer one undemocratic voting system to an even more undemocratic,
convoluted system. That's why the many countries in the world, such as
France and Germany, that use a proportional system, avoid STV like the
plague. Any system that permits some voters to vote for up to seven
candidates while other citizens can only vote for two, should be
scrapped immediately as completely unfair, undemocratic and
unconstitutional. On that basis alone, STV should be defeated.
If further
proof is needed,
examine the whole voting process under STV which favours voting for the
political party rather than the person.
First, under
STV the number of
constituencies would shrink from 85 to just 20, creating vast
geographical areas for candidates to cover and favouring party
candidates rather than independents. And once elected, which MLA are
you to turn to for help? Which of the seven in Victoria, or which of
the two in Peace River?
Next, time
to vote, so let's
look at the ballot with 20, 30, or 40 names NOT in alphabetical order
that we are used to. Candidates are grouped by party, but their names
are rotated at random and the order of parties rotated at random also.
(This means my ballot probably doesn't look like your ballot, as names
and groups are "randomly" changed.) But they aren't in alphabetical
order so how do I find my little independent candidate? Never mind,
take your time and rank as many candidates as you wish in order of
preference, just make sure you have indicated your first preference or
your ballot is not valid.
Obviously
political parties in
their pre-election campaigns will urge voters to vote their party
candidates, not needing to name them as no one will remember their
names, and anyway, they aren't in alphabetical order.
Now we come
to the juicy part - counting the ballots - hope you're a mathematician!
To win, a
candidate must receive
a minimum number of votes - called a "quota". This quota is calculated
using the following equation: number of valid ballots in riding plus
one, divided by the number of MLAs in riding plus one.
If no
candidate has the "quota"
needed to be elected, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated
but his/her second preference votes are redistributed.
However, if
a candidate is
successful and has more votes than the "quota", these "surplus" votes
are redistributed to the remaining candidates at a calculated transfer
value - based on the next preference listed on each ballot. To
calculate the transfer value, divide the candidate's surplus votes by
the candidate's total votes, which results in only a fraction of a vote
to be transferred to the remaining candidates. (I didn't make this up -
it's taken right from the Citizens' Assembly Report.)
It is ironic
that the Citizens
Assembly final report was headed "Improving Democracy in BC",
considering our Liberal government's "gag law", stifling our right to
freedom of speech with the penalty being imprisonment for one year or
$10,000 fine, or both. (Note to readers: this law was struck down by
the courts on March 27.) To safeguard democracy we need to defeat not
only the STV, but most important of all, defeat the Campbell
government's dictatorial rule.
9) BC SCHOOL BOARDS
FACE NEW FUNDING SHORTFALLS
(The following
article is from the
April 16-30, 2009, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist
newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited.
Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for
U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35
CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133
Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)
PV Vancouver
Bureau
Last
November, a majority of
progressive school trustees was elected to the Vancouver School Board,
with a strong mandate to stand up for students and teachers. But the
deepening economic crisis and the effect of years of underfunding make
their task incredibly difficult.
Now, the VSB
is facing a $7.12
million shortfall for the 2009-10 school year. Trustees from the
Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) point to under‑funding,
especially the provincial Liberal government's failure to cover rising
costs. Using Ministry of Education figures, the BC Teachers Federation
estimates that the shortfall looming for school boards across BC will
total $74 million in 2009-10.
This pattern
goes back to the
mid-1990s, when the Harcourt NDP was in office, and it keeps adding up.
For the VSB, getting back to just 2001 funding levels would take well
over $40 million.
Other boards
are facing similar
problems. Since 2002, the financial crunch has led to the closure of
177 schools in British Columbia. Despite the Campbell Liberal rhetoric,
west coast schools are not receiving more funding than ever. In
2008-09, for example, the $122 million increase in total operating
grants fell short of the $137 million increase in labour settlement
costs, let alone other inflationary pressures.
However, the
Ministry of
Education will not accept deficit budgets. As a result, the Vancouver
Board is looking at proposals from management that will cut $7.12 from
the district's operating budget. While the Vision and COPE trustees who
form a 7-2 majority on the Board are working to minimize the impact in
classrooms, COPE trustee Jane Bouey says, "we are facing the danger of
dramatic cuts in services to children."
The
Vancouver Board is also
developing a "needs budget": a budget that demonstrates the level of
funding the VSB needs to more closely meet the diverse learning needs
of students. Bouey says the progressive trustees will continue to
advocate for adequate funding from the province, alongside parents,
teachers, students, and staff. She urges all supporters of public
schools to join this campaign, by contacting their local MLAs as well
as Premier Campbell, Finance Minister Colin Hansen, and Education
Minister Shirley Bond.
The first
public forum on the
Vancouver schools budget takes place April 14 at Mount Pleasant
Elementary School, 2300 Guelph Street. Members of the public can
arrange to speak, by calling 604‑713‑5080.
In a recent
news release, the
COPE trustees (Jane Bouey, Alan Wong and Al Blakey) stress that a
strong, united effort could still compel the provincial government to
stop the cuts. They point out that this is an election year in BC, so
the government may be vulnerable to public pressure. Most voters agree
that education funding is vital to the future of the province, as well
as an effective way to stimulate the economy.
Responding
to public concerns
about crime and safety issues, the trustees also note that "Engaging
students in safe, welcoming, inclusive learning environments is vital
in countering the alienation that can turn some youth to violence,
crime and a life on the streets. Public Education is essential to
building our civil society."
10) SCIENCE UNDER
FIRE ON EARTH DAY 2009
(The following
article is from the
April 16-30, 2009, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist
newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited.
Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for
U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35
CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133
Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)
By Kimball Cariou
As the
annual celebrations of
Earth Day (April 22) draw near, the science of climate change related
to human economic activity is once again under fire from sources linked
to the transnational energy monopolies.
One example
came in the British
Sunday Telegraph, which on March 29 printed a story by
Christopher
Booker, calling the rise of sea levels "the greatest lie ever told".
The article has been widely circulated as "proof" that climate change
is a "hoax."
Like so many
such "exposés of
traditional science," this article assigns the views of one
"contrarian" scientist the same weight as the collective judgement of
the vast majority. After all, the argument goes, why conclude that one
particular theory has greater validity than any other?
The same
tactic is often used to
"refute" evolution, by arguing that "intelligent design" presents an
equally valid explanation for natural phenomena. This is essentially a
cover for smuggling certain dogmatic forms of Christian fundamentalism
into school curricula.
Over a
century of research and
study has led the overwhelming majority of scientists - including most
who consider themselves religious believers - to agree that Darwin's
theory of natural selection explains the process of evolution of
species. The theory continues to take account of new findings, a
process which constitutes further development of Darwin's historic
advance in scientific thought, not rejection. Just because a few people
with university degrees advocate "intelligent design" - creationism -
does not mean that such views possess any scientific validity.
The Telegraph article is based
on the arguments of Nils-Axel Morner, whose views and credentials are
presented without question.
The author
describes Morner, a
Swedish geologist and physicist, as "one scientist who knows more about
sea levels than anyone else in the world." In Dr. Morner's view, sea
levels are not rising, which they should be if climate change includes
a rise in global temperatures. He is reported to be "formerly chairman
of the INQUA International Commission on Sea Level Change." INQUA is
the International Union for Quaternary Research, composed of scientists
who study the last 2.6 million years of the Earth's history.
Space does
not permit a complete
response to this article, but People's Voice readers are encouraged to
seek further information for comparison. Here are some fascinating
tidbits.
In addition
to "debunking"
climate change, Nils-Axel Morner is an enthusiast of dowsing and water
witching, and has expressed very unusual ideas about archaeology. He
has been interviewed by the Executive
Intelligence Review, a
publication of anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist Lyndon LaRouche. One
can easily find materials related to these matters by Googling Morner's
name.
Of course,
holding unusual
opinions on various subjects does not disqualify a scientist's views on
other topics, in this case sea levels and climate change. Nor does
association with the LaRouche movement.
However, Dr.
Morner is also an
"allied expert" with the Natural Resources Stewardship Project, a group
controlled by energy industry lobbyists. This link is far more
relevant, since the energy monopolies work relentlessly to "disprove"
the theory of a human factor in climate change, which threatens their
staggering profits. Any scientist on the payroll of such an industry
group has little credibility.
But what
about Dr. Morner's
INQUA credentials? Shouldn't his record as a highly qualified
researcher stand on its own merits?
Possibly.
But in this case,
Morner has no right to cloak himself with INQUA's reputation. For
example, in 2004 Morner misrepresented his professional position in a
presentation to the Russian Academy of Sciences. In response, INQUA
President John J. Clague wrote the following:
"It has come
to my attention
that Dr. Nils‑Axel Morner gave presentations at the seminar on climate
change organized by the Russian Academy of Sciences... Dr. Morner
attacked the science of climate change, while claiming that he is
President of the Commission on Sea Level Change of INQUA... Dr. Morner
has misrepresented his position with INQUA. Dr. Morner was President of
the Commission on Sea Level Change until July 2003, but the commission
was terminated at that time during a reorganization of the commission
structure of INQUA. Dr. Morner currently has no formal position in
INQUA, and I am distressed that he continues to represent himself in
his former capacity. Further, INQUA, which is an umbrella organization
for hundreds of researchers knowledgeable about past climate, does not
subscribe to Morner's position on climate change. Nearly all of these
researchers agree that humans are modifying Earth's climate, a position
diametrically opposed to Dr. Morner's point of view."
Anyone
interested in the
scientific community's views on climate change can check on the INQUA
position rather than simply believing Dr. Morner. For the record, here
is part of the conclusion of a recent INQUA statement on climate change:
"We urge all
nations to take
prompt action to reduce the human causes of climate change, adapt to
its impacts, and ensure that the issue is included in all relevant
national and international strategies.... We call on world leaders to
acknowledge that the threat of climate change is clear and increasing;
launch an international study to define scientifically informed targets
for atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations and their associated
emissions scenarios that will enable nations to avoid impacts deemed
unacceptable; develop and deploy clean energy technologies and
approaches to energy efficiency, and share this knowledge with all
other nations."
There's much
more information on
the INQUA website. This Earth Day, I hope readers will take a few
minutes to visit this site, or others such as
http://www.realclimate.org,
where credible scientists discuss climate
change. The future of our planet depends on urgent action - don't
ignore this crucial issue on the word of a few scientists on the Big
Energy payroll.
11) PEACE CONGRESS
DEMANDS "CANADA OUT OF NATO"
(The following
article is from the
April 16-30, 2009, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist
newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited.
Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for
U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35
CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133
Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)
Excerpts from a
statement by the
Canadian Peace Congress on April 4, the 60th anniversary of the
formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Since its
inception, NATO has
been an aggressive military alliance whose purpose is to be the
self‑appointed enforcement officer for the strategic and economic
interests of Western capitalist states. The alliance started out as an
anti‑Soviet institution of the Cold War, taking in countries in North
America and Europe and dominated by the military‑industrial complex of
the United States. The end of the Cold War meant the vaporization of
its mission to "contain communism" and NATO itself should have
disappeared. Instead, the military alliance has expanded, both in
membership and scope, and drawn more countries into its role of
controlling and directing the resources of the world toward the benefit
of capitalist countries and particularly U.S. capitalism.
This shift
in NATO's role is
exemplified by its aggression against Yugoslavia. After several years
of harassment and interference, NATO began bombing Yugoslavia in 1999,
under the pretense of humanitarian intervention but with the very clear
objective of breaking up the last socialist‑oriented country in Europe
and forceably reorienting it toward a neoliberal, capitalist economic
model. In the middle of the bombing campaign, NATO chiefs gathered for
a gala celebration of the alliance's 50th anniversary and to announce
NATO's "new strategic concept", which extended its scope beyond the
North Atlantic arena and allowed it to militarily attack anywhere in
the world on "humanitarian" grounds. The war against Yugoslavia
revealed much of NATO's "humanitarian" vision - the bombing campaign
was savage, unilateral and criminal, and it resulted in a destroyed
infrastructure and thousands of dead or displaced civilians.
NATO's
ongoing war against
Afghanistan is the current "theatre of operations" for the new
strategic concept, and it clearly exposes the intent of U.S.
imperialism and its NATO and EU allies to perpetuate in the 21st
century the cycle of wars of aggression, militarization and economic
crisis that characterized the 20th century. Afghanistan represents two
significant and troublesome "firsts" for the alliance: it is the first
time NATO has undertaken a mission outside of the North Atlantic arena,
and it was the first time that the alliance's "mutual defence" clause
had been invoked. Both of these developments were nothing less than
desperate attempts to secure a role for NATO in the world.
Specifically, NATO and its core membership of Western imperialist
states have used the war in Afghanistan to secure a foothold in the
resource‑rich areas of Asia, controlling strategic pipeline routes and
encircling China and Russia.
Shamefully,
successive Canadian
governments - both Liberal and Conservative - have supported and
facilitated NATO's new role. Canada participated in the wars against
Yugoslavia and Afghanistan, and Minister of National Defence John
McCallum facilitated the transfer of command of the Afghanistan mission
from the United Nations to NATO...
Canada's
participation in NATO
and its complicity with the alliance's policy of aggression and
domination is not only a threat to world peace, but is an increasingly
dangerous and self-destructive policy for Canada. Canada's membership
in NATO requires an abdication of Canadian sovereignty in the areas of
military and foreign policy, and it necessarily means that a growing
amount of domestic legislation is subject to the policies of the
military alliance. For example, through NATO membership Canada is
committed to helping to pay for the maintenance of NATO's nuclear
armaments around the world and to developing and contributing to NATO's
nuclear policy; this impacts directly on Canadian government policies
toward resource and industrial development in Canada.
NATO's
strategic view of the
Middle East, and the role that the state of Israel plays in that
vision, has undoubtedly been a factor in the dramatic changes in
Canada's foreign policy toward Palestine, which is now nothing more
than embarrassing parroting of U.S. policy. Furthermore, NATO's current
exercises and buildup in the oil‑rich areas of Africa will no doubt
place pressure on the Canadian government to circumvent the democratic
process as it frames its foreign policy toward this area. Canada's
withdrawal from NATO is a necessary first step to securing an
independent foreign policy of peace, disarmament and international
cooperation for Canada. This has been the policy of the Canadian Peace
Congress since 1949.
Wherever
NATO intervenes in the
world, it commits and encourages flagrant violations of basic
principles of international law and the founding Charter of the United
Nations. As a global military alliance, its very formation contravened
the provisions of the Charter of the newly‑formed United Nations; in
the six decades since, NATO has sought to undermine the U.N.'s mission
to bring peace to the world. NATO's longstanding policy of
first‑strike, or pre‑emptive attack, and its maintenance of its right
to use nuclear weapons are both outright violations of the precepts of
the United Nations.
Clearly, the
time has come for a
massive movement of people calling for the dissolution of NATO and all
military alliances, and replacing it with instruments that facilitate
equal and genuinely cooperative relations between states, based on
respect for sovereignty and self‑determination. On the occasion of the
60th anniversary of NATO, the Canadian Peace Congress calls for such a
mobilization and launches its own campaign for Canada to withdraw from
NATO. It is up to the people in NATO countries to stop the drive to war
- the military‑industrial complex of the United States and its allies
around the world must be stopped.
A new,
progressive, democratic
world order is possible. As a first step, the Canadian Peace Congress
encourages all peace‑supporting people in Canada to mark the 60th
anniversary of NATO's formation by taking action to force Canada's
immediate, unilateral withdrawal from NATO.
12) "THE PEOPLE'S VOTES
COUNTED"
(The following
article is from the
April 16-30, 2009, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist
newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited.
Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for
U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35
CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133
Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)
A youth observer
reports from El Salvador - PV Ontario Bureau
Latin
America took another bold
and democratic step forward on March 15 with El Salvador's election of
Mauricio Funes of the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN).
The historic election broke the twenty‑year grip of the right‑wing and
pro‑American Alianza Republicana Nacionalista (ARENA) party.
ARENA's rule
since the end of El
Salvador's civil war has seen the mass impoverishment of El
Salvadorians, the loss of their currency to the US dollar, and corrupt
elections.
But this
time, as Tanya Portillo
told People's Voice, the public pressure was too strong to silence.
Portillo, a young Salvadorian Canadian who has grown up in Guelph,
travelled to El Salvador along with countless people from around the
world to act as a neutral international election observer.
Voter fraud
is very common in El
Salvador's elections and has been used to deny the FMLN victory before,
Portillo explained. "ARENA knew the FMLN would win this election. I
think if ARENA had come out and said again that FMLN didn't win, the
people were ready to fight for the elections, for the accurate results,
and go to the streets," she said. "ARENA would rather the FMLN be in
charge than people rising against their government. And they would
rather lose with the FMLN on a short number than a massive number."
Portillo's
story began with a
long plane flight down to the capital, San Salvador, where FUNDASPAD,
the NGO coordinating 2009 Presidential election observers, is based.
She was joined by several members of her family as well as youth and
student activists from Guelph.
"We arrived
March 9th, and did
intensive training, including how the elections work, a history of El
Salvador leading back 500 years, a history of the FMLN, meetings with
that party as well as the right‑wing ARENA."
Portillo was
struck by the arrogance of the ARENA leaders.
"What they
said was outrageous -
poverty did not exist, Salvadorians are lazy, that's why they leave.
They started to list all the companies they owned, saying that most of
their workers are from Honduras, because Salvadorians are too lazy to
work. They actually believed there was nothing wrong, when we could see
children living in the streets. The country does not even its own
currency but instead `gringo' dollars. You can't be neutral here, but I
had to bite my tongue."
On election
day the observers
split up into groups. By 4 am they had arrived at the polls, checking
under the tables, inside election boxes, making sure everything was in
place. Around 6:30 am the people at each table had the right to vote
first. There were already line ups of people outside. Doors opened at 7
am and the station would remain very busy until it closed at 5 pm.
Corruption
is rampant throughout
El Salvador's electoral system, Portillo said. Although voters have
their fingers marked with ink, there are ways to remove it, like
rubbing against a hard ceramic surface. Portillo saw one person vote
twice. She also learnt about ARENA busing in people from Nicaragua and
Honduras.
"Because
these people didn't
know the community, they painted the sidewalks a colour, like yellow,
to indicate were the station was. Any El Salvadorian would know where
to go - they don't need directions."
In another
incident, many ARENA
people, who were supposed to be stationed at polls inside the building
all day, suddenly disappeared for half an hour. "This was suspicious,"
Portillo said, since they could have returned to their home communities
to vote a second time.
She quickly
investigated and
found there were around thirty people missing. Since the organization
running the elections, the Tribunal Supreme Electoral (TSE), is largely
run by the right‑wing party (and was also absent for most of the day)
Portillo gave a list of names and voter IDs to a coordinator of the
observers' organization. "They called back an hour later and told us
that the people who had left had all voted at their municipalities."
At 5:00 the
polling station
closed. Vote counting began. By 6:00 the ARENA representatives, who had
been confidently sporting their Party's colours, started taking off
their shirts, hats, and vests. "After the votes were counted, they just
disappeared. It was just people wearing red, red flags, cars honking,
people crying - there was a sense of relief, knowing the FMLN had
finally won after 20 years."
"The TSE was
supposed to come
out on television and say the FMLN had officially won [but] they kept
saying it was very close. It wasn't until the third time they said the
FMLN had won, but worded to make it seem like it wasn't certain."
In the paper
the FMLN had 51 per
cent of the vote versus ARENA with 48 per cent. But with all the fraud
Portillo and other observers witnessed, she thinks this was not
accurate. "In the polling stations we observed, the FMLN won way more
than ARENA." In her station the FMLN won 29 of the voting tables and
ARENA took one. "In one city of Soyatango the ARENA did not win one
single table in any of the stations - the FMLN won them all."
At 8 pm
60,000 FMLN supporters
flooded into the streets to celebrate with music. "They were taking
over the capital with their happiness. People who had lived through the
war, after years of struggle and fighting felt their work had paid off.
It was really emotional seeing that. I knew what they were crying for,
hoping the country would improve."
Celebrations
continued until 5 am.
"I had never
witnessed elections
in that way - the election process was totally different. It was
amazing to actually witness the people's enthusiasm. My Mum had never
voted in El Salvador. The civil war broke out just before she was old
enough. My Dad had a gun pointed in his back when he went to vote. Now
the peoples' vote counted. It was very meaningful."
13) US-KOREA FREE TRADE DEAL SPARKS
CONTROVERSY
(The following
article is from the
April 16-30, 2009, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist
newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited.
Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for
U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35
CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133
Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)
By Sean Burton,
PV South Korea correspondent
In April
2007, South Korea and
the US reached a controversial free trade arrangement after fourteen
months of negotiations. Unions and other organizations representing
South Korean workers and farmers, supported by the local social
democrats, consider the deal a threat to South Korean jobs, and their
industries as a whole. Similar hostility was expressed last year in the
massive dispute over US beef imports, directly related to the South
Korean government's desire to improve its trade standing with the US.
This
particular agreement, the
KORUS FTA, would be the first between the US and a major East Asian
economy, and the largest overall since NAFTA was signed in 1992. This
is by far South Korea's largest free trade deal. All that remains is
for both countries to ratify the agreement.
South
Korea's government has
moved significantly to the right since April 2007, and is keen to
implement KORUS FTA. But the parliament has had to postpone the
ratification, fearing more large-scale anti‑government protests.
Meanwhile, disputes in the US Congress initially delayed the
ratification. With the onset of the global economic crisis and the
election of Barack Obama, further delays were inevitable. Still, a
report to Congress early in March stated that the government would no
longer delay the ratification of FTAs with Korea, Panama, and Colombia.
But the
future of the agreement
is uncertain. Ron Kirk, the U.S. trade representative‑designate, told
the U.S. Senate Finance Committee that the present agreement with Seoul
"simply isn't fair, and if we don't get that right we'll be prepared to
step away from that." The Obama administration has already begun taking
steps, however limited, to "protect American jobs." This FTA is likely
perceived as a potential threat to those policies. Even Obama himself
has said the deal is flawed.
Naturally,
Kirk's statements
have worried the leaders of South Korea. The first reaction from the
presidential office here was that Kirk simply couldn't represent the
official position of the U.S. government. The phrasing of that
announcement indicates a great deal of hurt, as though saying, "We have
been great friends for so long! How could you do this to us!?"
Supporters of the FTA claim that the deal shouldn't be abandoned "just
because a new administration has stepped in". That is a weak argument.
What is the point of a new administration if it does not reevaluate
widely despised policies of the preceding one?
The biggest
concern seems to be
the auto industry. Instead of talking about defending American jobs in
hard times, KORUS FTA supporters talk only about how U.S. auto
producers are "losing their competitive edge" against "better" Korean
manufacturers. In other words, jobs do not matter, only profitability.
If the companies aren't doing well, they say close up shop. A Chosun
Ilbo newspaper editorial also argued that a renegotiation could spark
more large protests akin to the beef import demonstrations last year.
And so it should! The "delicate" balance achieved in trade negotiations
does not change the fact that it's still a raw deal for South Koreans.
The Korea
Herald reported
recently that Kirk offered more "positive" statements regarding the
FTA. South Korean analysts claim that his earlier comments were a mere
"formality" to show his loyalty to Obama. The FTA, they say, is in
principle a good thing for the economy, but with a few "problems" to be
worked out in dialogue.
But where
are the voices of the
workers and farmers, the ones who will feel the impact of the deal? It
is one thing for a newspaper or a member of parliament to say that
certain groups in society strongly oppose the deal, but another to
actually hear from these people.
Acting in
the interests of big
money, the South Korean government does not care that public opinion is
largely against them, even if half a million people take to the streets
in protest; that's what the police force is for.
(The following article is from the
April 16-30, 2009, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist
newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited.
Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for
U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35
CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133
Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)
VICTORIA, B.C.
Annual Earth Walk -
Sat., April 25, starts 12 noon from provincial legislature. Visit the
People’s Voice table at the Info Fair in Centennial Square.
BURNABY, BC
Mother’s Day Pancake Breakfast - Sunday,
May 10, 10-1, 5435 Kincaid St., all you can eat $12 ($6 children),
organized by Burnaby Club CPC, proceeds to PV Fund Drive.
VANCOUVER, BC
Slingshot Hip Hop, with DAM, “defiant Palestinian rappers”, and other
performers - Friday, April
24, 7 pm, FABRIC (66 Water St.), 18+ w/ID, $20 advance at Rhizome or
Cafe Katmandu.
Myths for Profit,
documentary on Canada’s role in war industries -
Sat., April 25, 2 pm, Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour Ave., admission
$7.50. Also in White Rock, May 1, 7:30 pm, call 604-536-7535.
Left Film Night -
Sunday, April 26, 7 pm, Centre for Socialist Education, 706 Clark
Drive, Native Land, narrated by Paul Robeson, dramatization of
corporate attacks on US workers during the Depression. Call
604-255-2041 for details.
May Day -
Friday, May 1, 7 pm, hosted by May Day Committee, at the Maritime
Labour Centre, 1880 Triumph St. Speakers, music, refreshments, display
tables, all welcome, for info call Vancouver & District Labour
Council, 604-254-0703.
SURREY, BC
May Day Rally -
Sat., May 2, 2 pm, street rally at 120 St. & 72 Ave., by the Earl’s
Restaurant. Sponsored by Fraser Valley Peace Council, Lower Fraser Club
CPC, and others, call Harjit at 604-543-7179 for info.
SASKATOON, SK
Political discussion & beer, all welcome to join Saskatoon CPC
members - third Monday of
every month, in the tv room at Amigo’s, 632-10 St. East.
WINNIPEG, MB
Jewish Communists in Weimar and Nazi Germany, from Revolution to
Resistance and annual Warsaw Ghetto Memorial, Mon. - April 20, 7 pm, with Dr. Stefanie
Schuler-Springorum of Hamburg, 700 Jefferson Ave. All welcome.
Ukrainian Labour
Temple 90th anniversary banquet - Sat., Apr. 25, cocktails 5:30, dinner
6:30 pm. Tickets $40, phone Assoc. of United Ukrainian Canadians,
589-4397.
TORONTO, ON
Fiesta de la Victoria, celebrate the election of FMLN candidate
Mauricio Funes in El Salvador -
Sat., April 18, 7 pm, Steelworkers Hall, 25 Cecil St., for info:
647-261-0477.
International
Festival of Poetry of Resistance, in honour of the Cuban Five - April 24-30, opening gala 7 pm, Friday,
April 24, Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Ave. For program, visit http://www.poetryofresistance.ca.
Partisans of
Allah: Jihad in South Asia -
talk by author Ayesha Jalal on present-day jihadi groups, 7 pm, Friday,
May 15, Room 2-214, 252 Bloor West (OISE), $10. Sponsors: Canadian
Muslim Union, Ctee. of Progressive Pakistani-Canadians, Left Institute,
South Asian People’s Forum. Info: 416-536-6771, 416-284-4893.
$50,000
FUND DRIVE
May Day: a Time to Donate
(The
following
article is from the April 16-30, 2009, issue of People's Voice,
Canada's leading
communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is
credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income
rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25
US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business
Manager, 133 Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)
As we near May 1, the
international
day of workers, remember that the class struggle is conducted on
several important fronts: economic (primarily in the workplace between
bosses and workers), political (at the ballot box and beyond), and
ideological (the battle of ideas). For nearly two centuries, the labour
press has been an essential tool for progressive workers and their
allies in these struggles. Since our launch in 1993, People’s Voice has
carried on this proud tradition of the working class press. Your
donations are essential to help us keep playing this role!
Donations keep
rolling in for our
2009 Fund Drive, which is now getting close to the 30% mark. Ontario,
with $8153 raised, and Saskatchewan ($300 turned in) are virtually tied
for the lead, at about 37% of their respective targets. Alberta is now
at 24%, with $576 raised on their target, just ahead of British
Columbia, which has achieved 23%, or $4768. In total, we have raised
$14,177, or 28.4% of our goal.
Thanks to all who
have taken part in
recent PV events, such as the Vancouver East Club’s annual Spaghetti
Dinner, and the Davenport Club’s theatre fundraiser in Toronto.
Some important
events are coming up
in British Columbia. The annual Mother's Day Pancake Breakfast
organized by the Burnaby Club takes place on Sunday, May 10, 10 am-1
pm, at 5435 Kincaid St., Burnaby. And our 17th Annual PV Victory
Banquet is set for Saturday, June 20, at the Russian Hall, 600 Campbell
Ave. in Vancouver. Tickets will go on sale soon.
As you know, we are once again offering something in
return for your
generous solidarity. This year’s “PV Shopping Bag” includes the
following:
- a 12-month complimentary PV sub (keep it or give it
to a
friend);
- People’s Voice 2009 Calendar;
- People’s Voice “Karl Marx” Tshirt (tell us what
size);
- a surprise music CD - pick classical, oldies, or
folk.
Here’s
how it works. For a $100 donation, you will receive your choice of one
of these items. For each additional $100, you can choose another item
from our Shopping Bag. For a donation of $1000 or more, take the entire
Shopping Bag, and we will also give a lifetime subscription to you or a
friend.
Remember -
People’s Voice is your
newspaper, your voice in the information wars. Your contribution helps
us build it bigger and better!
Here's
my contribution to the PV Fund Drive!
Enclosed please find my donation of $_____
to the 2009 People's Voice Press Fund
Drive.
Name __________________________________
Address ________________________________
City/town ______________________________
Prov. ________ Postal Code _______________
Send to: People's Voice, 133 Herkimer St.,Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P
2H3
|
MAY DAY 2009
GREETING ADS
To mark May Day 2009, People's Voice will print
greetings from a wide range of labour and people's
organizations in our May 1-15 issue, which will be
distributed at events across Canada. The deadline for
camera-ready ads is April 19; if PV is preparing the
layout, the deadline is April 17. Please check with us
about the format if your ad is being sent electronically.
Ad rates (based on 5 column page):
Send greetings to People's Voice at:
706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, V5L 3J1
Fax (604)254-9803 E-mail: pvoice@telus.net
One column-inch.......................................$10
One column x 2 inches..............................$20
Two columns x 2 inches............................$35
Two columns x 3 inches............................$50
Two columns x 5 inches............................$75
Three columns x 4 inches....................... ..$90
Two columns x 7 inches...........................$100
Three columns x 7 inches........................$150
|
20) New Issue of Rebel
Youth on Sale
(The
following
article is from the April 16-30, 2009, issue of People's Voice,
Canada's leading
communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is
credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income
rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25
US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business
Manager, 133 Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)
People’s Voice is proud to announce that the latest issue of Rebel
Youth, the magazine of the Young Communist League of Canada, has just
rolled off the press. Printed by union labour, this issue features
unique content found in few other English-language publications of the
Canadian left, let alone youth and student publications - articles by
high school students about local fight-backs, discussion on the Quebec
elections, and an interview with Omar Khadr’s sister, Zaynab Khadr.
Several articles are in French.
As the main editorial says, issue number seven (counting back from when
the magazine began republishing in 2004) comes at an extraordinary
critical moment for the youth movement in Canada, and globally. We are
happy to reprint the editorial:
The economic crisis young workers and students are confronting today is
casting a dark shadow onto the future of our generation. The
crisis has been made worse by decades of social blood-letting -
cutbacks, privatization, and general impoverishment of our class. User fees, such as tuition fees, have
appeared like a like a plague of boils across the face of society.
This is outlined in articles like H. Abdul’s piece about the
privatization of education in Alberta, “Winnipeg’s Injustice System”
about police brutality in the North End by RY Manitoba, and Betsy
MacDonald’s story about violence against women. It is also reflected in
our accounts of aboriginal student resistance, as David Tymoshchuk’s
“Lift the Cap” discusses, and Jamie Campbell’s reporting on the high
school Drop Fees struggle. And with Zig Zag’s and Javier Davila’s
features (two articles we’re pleased to reprint with permission) the
capitalist state’s idea of a solution is exposed: money-wasting
corporate mega-projects - or joining the military.
Any glance at the news headlines says “welcome to rough times.” Some
may turn to “get rich quick” schemes like that which Primerica
corporation offers and Tony Marcy contrasts with a union drive. Still
more may be seduced by the most vile currents in Canadian society,
racist or homophobic ideology - see Jeff Tomlinson’s “Fighting Hate in
Durham.” What do we do about it?
In the final analysis, we think it comes down to fight or flight.
Flight? Well, we mean the idea that working people, youth and students
should just “suck it up.” Try to ride out the recession. It is one
thing to be forced to take concessions, but this outlook supports
adopting a line of concession. Mr. Jack Layton, leader of the New
Democratic Party, recently said it’s the “courage of the Canadian
people which makes our country strong” and that kind of courage
“workers will need to take a pay cut so your friends at the plant can
keep their job” (Toronto Star, Jan. 23). He courageously chose the
Toronto Board of Trade, an association of the foremost bodies of
monopolists, bankers and financiers in Canada, to deliver this message
to workers.
We think however that there is a demonstrated willingness by youth and
students to voice loud and noisy opposition to the direction we’re
headed. Take the massive Palestinian solidarity protests against
Zionist Israeli and Israeli Apartheid Week. This different approach is
also discussed with Chevy Philip’s article about youth joining the
Communist Party in Japan, the commentary on the BC election, and the
page two photograph from Greece. YCL General Secretary Johan Boyden’s
article on the economic crisis calls for a youth alliance that can
shift the power of big business by unifying all students and young
people who are suffering the consequences. “We didn’t make this crisis, and we’re not
going to pay for it!” should be our slogan.
No matter how great and ferocious our opposition from the capitalist
class, fight-back is the way forward. We can’t be tired now, as
campaigners, as youth activists, as the left and progressive movement.
In closing, we are very happy to present here an interview with the
sister of Omar Khadr, who has been misrepresented and vilified by the
capitalist media in Canada and internationally. There is considerable
optimism that Omar can come home because of the election of US
president Obama, about whom we present two opinions by S.J. Bracken and
T. Walkom for debate and discussion.
And, of course, our usual culture section continues with Soul, Hip Hop,
lots of Punk reviews - and even Bilal Awami's way to kill time with
music on your call-centre phone.
