(The following article is from the June 1-15,  2010 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)

People's Voice Editorial

June 2010 will be a special month for the working class movement, as we look back to the heroic days of 1935, and forward to the challenges of the 21st century.

     This month will see commemorations of some critical episodes in Canadian labour history, notably the On to Ottawa Trek and the Battle of Ballantyne Pier. These and many other militant struggles laid the foundation for decades of working class movements. The resulting advances were many: unemployment insurance, pensions, organizing rights, equality gains, Medicare, and much more.

     But under capitalism, the class struggle never ceases, and the balance of forces is constantly shifting. For nearly three decades, all these gains have been relentlessly chipped away by big capital and its willing right-wing political partners, even including social democratic governments at times. Now, taking advantage of the economic crisis which broke out in 2008, the ruling class mantra of privatisation, contracting out, cuts to wages and pensions, slashing of social programs and equality, is taking an even more vicious character. Many of the leading actors in this capitalist assault will be in Canada for the G8 and G20 meetings this month.

     The role of the Canadian Labour Congress in helping to mobilize people's opposition during the G8/G20 is timely and welcome. But such opposition cannot be allowed to dissipate once the world leaders have returned home. We urge the CLC and its allies to take their cooperation an important step further, by convening a broad People's Summit to build the fightback around a unifying set of demands which will benefit working people, not big business. The lessons of 1935 are highly relevant for today: No struggle, no progress! Workers will not pay for the crisis caused by capitalism! United to demand a People's Recovery!