On Wednesday March 4, the constituency office of Finance Minister Joe Oliver was picketed as part of the beginning of a nationwide “Campaign Against the 4 Year Limit on Migrant Workers.”
Organised by the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change (MWAC), “a coalition that includes migrant workers, allies, workers’ centres, legal aid clinics, and unions,” protesters denounced a law dubbed the “4-and-4 rule,” which allows temporary foreign workers to stay in Canada for only four years before forcing them to leave for at least another four.
“Our message here is loud and clear: we want the Canadian government to hear our call and remove the 4-and-4 rule,” said Jesson Reyes, an organiser with Migrante Ontario, to the assembled crowd. “Harper, Harper, go away, foreign workers are here to stay!” chanted picketers in response.
Forming a picket line.
“Have you ever lived in a place for four years?” asked Tzazna Miranda, an MWAC activist. “You make friends. You find family. You find a community. You learn your rights, the law. You learn your job.”
“This law doesn’t make any sense,” she continued, “for employers, for workers, or for the economy. It means employers are forced to bring in new labourers every four years, to be retrained at great cost and who know less about their rights. For workers it’s unjust; it’s traumatising.”
The action took place as part of the beginning of the cross-country campaign against the 4-and-4 rule. In the week leading up, protests around the same issue took place in Hamilton, Guelph, Edmonton, Surrey, and the Okanagan Valley. Another rally is being planned for Toronto area residents on March 29.
“When this law comes into effect on April 1, 2015, we will see massive deportations of temporary foreign workers and caregivers across Canada,” Reyes told BASICS in an interview. “We believe that if you are good enough to work here, you’re good enough to stay.”
Many activists have expressed concern that enforcement of the 4-and-4 rule will only lead to a huge increase in undocumented people, as temporary workers may refuse to leave after their visas expire, either because of a lack of opportunities at home or in account of roots they have established in Canada.
The plight of undocumented labourers has gained a great deal of publicity in the United States, where millions work for starvation wages under brutal conditions, and where any attempt to unionise or militate for higher wages or better working conditions leads to crackdowns and deportations.
A similar system has long since begun to be constructed in Canada, with much less fanfare. The municipal government already estimates that up to 500,000 undocumented workers may live in Canada, about half of which probably live in Toronto.
“Almost all migrant workers who live and work in Canada support their families back home,” said Samay Cajas, an organiser from No One Is Illegal. “To lose status and the right to work is devastating for them and their families. To even arrive, many workers incur huge debts.”
Organisers had planned to deliver a person-sized painted STOP sign to the MP. However, the Honourable Mr. Oliver was evidently too embarrassed by the government’s policy to defend it: he refused to meet with protesters and closed his office for the day.
Probably just an unfortunate coincidence.
Unlike MPs, however, police officers were present in abundance. During the course of the protest at least four separate squad cars showed up in a parking lot directly across the street from the constituency office. Why the MP for Eglinton-Lawrence regards police as better public representatives of the government than himself remains, unfortunately, unclear.
Police gathering across the street to observe the peaceful protest. A fourth car was stationed about 20 metres to the west.
The March 29 action will take place at Citizenship and Immigration Canada Headquarters, (55 St. Clair E) at 2 p.m.
* * *
For more about the Campaign Against the 4 Year Limit on Migrant Workers, go to no4and4.tumblr.com
]]>Stop the violence and harassment!
Free event!
Thursday August 7th • 6pm • 40 Oak St. (@ the C.R.C. near Dundas and Parliament)
6pm – Community Meal • 6:30-7:30pm – Forum
7:30-8pm Social – Tea, Coffee & Desserts
The space is accessible, with accessible washrooms. Childminders will be available.
For more info contact: 416 551 7673 or [email protected]
Endorsed by: Network for the Elimination of Police Violence (NEPV), Rights Watch Network, International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement (InPDUM), Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), BASICS Community News Service, Toronto Police Accountability Coalition
]]>Location: 40 Oak St. (@ the C.R.C. near Dundas and Parliament)
Description:
No more cops! No more targeted policing!
Stop the violence and harassment!
Free event!
Thursday August 7th • 6pm • 40 Oak St. (@ the C.R.C. near Dundas and Parliament)
6pm – Community Meal • 6:30-7:30pm – Forum
7:30-8pm Social – Tea, Coffee & Desserts
The space is accessible, with accessible washrooms. Childminders will be available.
For more info contact: 416 551 7673 or [email protected]
Endorsed by: Network for the Elimination of Police Violence (NEPV), Rights Watch Network, International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement (InPDUM), Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), BASICS Community News Service, Toronto Police Accountability Coalition
Start Time: 18:00
Date: 2014-08-07
Location: 180 Shaw Street, Lower Level
Link out: Click here
Description: Street Voices is a group of youth artists that live in the shelter or community housing system. As a group we feel that we have to overcome many barriers because of our circumstances. We feel that if underground and marginalized youth artists unite, our voices will strengthen and our opportunities will multiply. Street Voices will create a print and online quarterly magazine that we will generate authentic artwork and stories presented through video, music and print work, coming from youth in the shelter system and those living on the margins, to reach a mass audience and promote social change.
Street Voices Magazine will be launching Wednesday June 11th at the Sketch Showcase. The event will be 6-9 pm, the address is 180 Shaw St. The closest major intersection is Queen and Shaw. Make sure you come out and get a copy of the magazine.
Start Time: 18:00
Date: 2014-06-11
End Time: 21:00
Location: 53 Cummer Avenue, Toronto
Description: The Cordillera Day is a yearly commemoration of the historical struggle of the indigenous peoples of the Cordillera for the defense of their ancestral domain and their right to self- determination. It is also an occasion to strengthen the unity among the different indigenous groups of the Cordillera Region and build solidarity with other indigenous peoples, sectors and other nationalities for social justice, freedom and democracy. This occasion started in the Philippines on the 24th of April for 30 years now as an aftermath of the 1980 assassination of Macli-ing Dulag, a respected pangat (tribal chieftain) who bravely opposed the World Bank-supported Chico River Dam Project of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. This intensified the struggle of the Kalinga and Bontoc tribes for the defense of their land and resources.
In Toronto, the Cordillera Day is being hosted by the Binnadang-Migrante, an organization of indigenous migrants from the Cordillera Region in Northern Philippines which is advocating for the assertion of human rights as migrants and actively engaging in the struggle of the Cordillera indigenous peoples for self-determination and the Filipino people’s struggle for genuine freedom and democracy.
For inquiries and confirmation, please call any of the following:
Jenny Owatan:416-877-5725; Bridge Cosme Dang-ay:647-740-4175; Geralda Cobsilen: 647-898-7531; Marivic Kalagui:647-894-1270
Start Time: 6pm
Date: 2014-04-26
End Time: 10pm
On International Workers’ Day
Honour Our Communities, Fight Capitalism
Thursday, May 1, 2014
5:30pm – Meal and Rally @ Allen Gardens (Carlton and Sherbourne)
followed by a march
Organized by: Members of the May 1st Movement (BASICS, Migrante, Bayan, Two Row Society), No One Is Illegal, OCAP, and other allies.
]]>On March 13, 2014, the Committee in solidarity with those affected by Chevron in Ecuador organized a forum “Exposing the Dirty Hand of Chevron,” as a part of a wider awareness campaign.
Students of the University of Toronto exposing Chevron’s Dirty Hand. CAMILA URIBE-ROSALES, BASICS.
For the past 20 years Ecuadorian indigenous and peasant communities have been fighting a legal battle against the oil giant Chevron for what is the largest environmental oil-related crime of our time that has been left behind in the Ecuadorian rainforest. In 2012 Chevron was sentenced to pay damages of US$ 9.5 billion. However, the corporation no longer has any assets in Ecuador to be seized.
Therefore, in order to enforce the Ecuadorian judgment to indemnify and compensate the victims and survivors of the contamination left in Ecuador by Chevron, the Court of Appeal for Ontario ruled in December 2013 that Ecuadorian indigenous communities have the right to pursue all of Chevron’s assets in Canada.
Justice James MacPherson of the Court of Appeal for Ontario said that: “Chevron’s wish is granted. After all these years, the Ecuadorian plaintiffs deserve to have the recognition and enforcement of the Ecuadorian judgment heard on the merits in the appropriate jurisdiction. At this juncture, Ontario is that jurisdiction.”
Given that the legal battle against Chevron now continues here in Canada, several organizations and collectives in Toronto saw the need to create a Solidarity Network with the affected communities in Ecuador by Chevron.
During their initial meeting, held on January 16, 2014, they gathered to denounce the pollution that Chevron left in Ecuador and the serious impact this has had on the health of the indigenous and peasants living in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Participants also expressed their support in the struggle of the Ecuadorian government of President Rafael Correa to win a measure of justice in the courts and media against the powerful U.S. Corporation.
“How can it be possible that Chevron, colluding with a private arbitration centre, wants to make the Ecuadorian government responsible for paying the judgment of US$9.5 billion to the affected communities?” asked Janis Mills, a Canadian academic and activist.
In an effort to create awareness in Canada around this issue, the committee has organized various screenings, events and information series.
Nicole Oliver, who participated at one of these events, noted that “The battle against oil corporations is also happening here in Canada. For example, theUnist’ot’en are currently battling against Chevron and other companies in resistance to the Pacific Trails’ Pipeline in northern B.C. over unceded Wet’suwet’en territory.” Oliver also stressed that “we think that peoples from Canada and Ecuador have similar problems, in many cases, facing the same threats, such as corporations and Canadian companies, that put profit first over the common good. In this context we think that affected communities can learn and support each other beyond borders.”
Brendan Morrison, Canadian lawyer representing the victims of Chevron in Canada. CAMILA URIBE-ROSALES, BASICS.
On March 13th, 2014 a forum was held at the University of Toronto with Brendan Morrison, Canadian lawyer representing the victims of Chevron in Canada, and Santiago Escobar, a human rights activist who has exposed and denounced the crimes of Chevron in the courts of both Ecuador and North America.
The forum began with the screening of a documentary on the crimes of Chevron, describing the hard evidence being used to legally challenge and sue the U.S. corporation for its chemical pollution. The screening described how Chevron’s pollution was the source of the rising epidemic of cancer and other health-related issues appearing for the first time throughout the Ecuadorian rain forest.
Brendan Morrison gave an overview of the legal battle during which he quoted Chevron’s spokesman’s declaration that the oil corporation “will fight [any legal challenge] until hell freezes over” and then “fight it out on the ice”.
“Chevron keeps refusing to accept responsibility for the environmental damage caused in the Ecuadorian Amazon, which as a result has generated high levels of cancer, abortions and various health problems among people living in areas contaminated by Chevron. It is time for this corporation to take responsibility,” said Toronto activist, Megan Kinch.
Santiago Escobar showed further fraud with proof of payments made by Chevron to Borja Diego Sanchez (known as “Chevron’s dirty tricks guy”) describing the collusion between the two. According to documents from Chevron, which emerged during Borja’s deposition in the U.S., Borja received over two million dollars in support to create propaganda for Chevron; ranging from use and payment of Chevron’s attorneys; a salary of ten thousand dollars; funding for his travels, among other various expenses.
Santiago Escobar a Human Rights activist who has denounced the crimes of Chevron. CAMILA URIBE-ROSALES, BASICS.
“Chevron’s dirty tricks guy” first became known in September 2009, when Chevron used some videos he produced in which among other things, he created the impression that the judge proceeding the legal case of the affected communities against Chevron was being bribed. Chevron used these videos to accuse the government of Ecuador of inventing a false legal case for political reasons.
The forum came to an end with a photo exhibition documenting environmental damage caused by Chevron. All the participants created hand prints with black paint on canvas as a symbolic protest against Chevrons’ poisoning of the Ecuadorian Amazon.
On March 18th, at the University of Toronto, the Youth Communist League organized a Forum on Ecuador vs. Chevron, and Report-back from the World Festival of Youth and Students that was held last December 2013 in Quito, Ecuador.
Currently, several organizations and alliances in Canada are backing the Indigenous plaintiffs in Ecuador, including the Canadian and Quebec sections of the International League of People’s Struggles; the Hugo Chavez People’s Defense Front; La Red de Amigos de la Revolución Ciudadana; Hispanic Centre of York and Barrio Nuevo.
The Committee in Solidarity with those Affected by Chevron in Ecuador is comprised of people committed to social and environmental justice. If you want to join the cause, write to: [email protected] or follow them on : www.facebook.com/chevronsdirtyhand – https://twitter.com/chevronsdirty
International #antichevron Day! #May21. Endorse the Chevron’s Dirty Hand campaign today by emailing [email protected]!!!
Students of the University of Toronto exposing Chevron’s Dirty Hand. CAMILA URIBE-ROSALES, BASICS.
6:30pm
Beit Zatoun
612 Markham St, Toronto
Since February 12th, when demonstrations against the Government of the
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela turned violent, Venezuela has been in
the spotlight of media around the World.
But what is really going on? Is the mainstream media telling the whole story?
Come to this open discussion, facilitated by progressive Venezuelan
and Latin American activist, to learn about what is really happening.
Organized by:
The Latin American and Caribbean Solidarity Network (LACSN), the Hands
Off Venezuela Campaign, the Hugo Chavez Peoples Defense Front
(HCPDF)
https://www.facebook.com/
]]>
Come and hear NUMSA’s General Secretary, Irvin Jim, on:
“New Working Class Leadership and Prospects for Socialist Politics in South Africa.”
7PM, Thursday, March 6, 2014
Steelworkers’ Hall, 25 Cecil Street, Toronto
The dramatic upsurge of popular grassroots protest in South Africa’s townships and rural areas in recent years has been well-termed as marking a virtual “rebellion of the poor” in that country. The working class itself has also been assertive there, prompting the African National Congress (ANC)-led state’s orchestration of an horrific massacre of dissident mine-workers at Marikana in 2012. Until recently, however, leading trade unions have themselves been cribbed and confined within the tri-partite governing coalition of the ANC, the South African Communist Party and COSATU, the country’s largest trade union central body. Now NUMSA — the country’s National Union of Metalworkers with over 340,000 members — has begun to break that mould, under the leadership of its General Secretary, Irvin Jim, a longstanding socialist militant in the union. At its Special National Congress in December it heralded a new socialist political direction for South Africa.
As Irvin Jim put it in a recent speech:
Our people are protesting because they have no water — that most basic of necessities. And the State… that very same state which failed to supply them with water… kills them for their protest. Underneath all of this is a harsh material fact. The South African economy has not fundamentally changed. The structure remains the same as it was under apartheid… the same dependence on exporting raw minerals, the same enslavement to the Minerals Energy Finance complex. Far from an increase in the manufacturing sector — the sector which can really produce jobs — we have a rapid process of deindustrialization. We are not gaining jobs, we are losing them. In 2004 there were 3.7 million unemployed people in our country. Last year that had risen to 4.1 million. More unemployed, not less.This will not stop until we fundamentally change direction. We, as a union, have understood that the ANC and SACP will not lead that change.
sponsored by:
Greater Toronto Workers’ Assembly,
Centre for Social Justice,
Socialist Project, and
BASICSnews.ca
One-day interactive Popular Education workshop on Venezuela and ALBA (Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas).
Politics + organization + solidarity + Latin food + Music
Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/events/486252911452139/
We celebrate the memory and legacy of Simon Bolivar, Mariategui, Ernesto CHE Guevara, Salvador Allende, Hugo Chavez and many more who represent peoples’ struggles and ideas from the global South.
We would like to invite you to join this dialogue through your participation in workshops that will include several components such as: presentations, exchange of experiences and debates, with the aim of learning from and implementing the revolutionary ideas from the Global South into a Quebec – Canadian context.
We will split into three groups to discuss:
1.- Peoples’ Media and Media strategies
2.- Peoples’ Power experiences in Venezuela and Canada
3.- Concrete actions for the period 2013-14
Each group will present their conclusions/mandates before the plenary in order to be approved as a mandate to be implemented by the Hugo Chavez People Defense Front across Canada.
Finally we will have a cultural event with theater, Latin musical performers and more!
Each city/delegation will report back to their members in order to engage new members and implement the mandates in their cities/territories.
Agenda and more datails will be sent in due course. ADMISSION IS FREE + FOOD AND SNACKS WILL BE PROVIDED – REGISTER NOW at venesolnet[at]gmail.com
Transport:
If you need or have transport and have spaces to fill, please let us know
Accommodation:
We have secure a special rate for the participants at the Residences Universite Montreal
Single room 45 $ CAD
Double room $55 CAD
Continental Breakfast $7,50 CAD + TAX
When: Sat, Jul 27, 2013, starting at 9:30 AM
Where: Sala Alfred – Lalibertè, UQAM
Direcciôn Pavillon Judith Jasmin
405 Rue Ste Catherine Est
Local J-M405
Niveau (Metro)
Metro Berri UQAM
Organized by: Hugo Chavez Peoples Defense Front Canada
http://venezuelasolidarity.ca/
https://twitter.com/hcpdf
https://www.facebook.com/HCPDF
