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Written by Isa al-Jaza’iri and Emma Beaumont
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Tuesday, 18 May 2010 |
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The recent Quebec provincial budget represents a generalized attack against the working class and
an attempt to use the crisis as an excuse to wipe out the historic
social gains of the Quebec masses. The measures announced range from tuition
increases to the abolition of free healthcare. What is needed is a
response from the labour leaders; we cannot afford to allow these
attacks against our standards of living.
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Written by Camilo Cahis
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Monday, 03 May 2010 |
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The Ontario provincial budget that was recently tabled laid out a series
of cuts, aimed mainly at public sector workers. However, the budget
also makes clear that the Liberals are afraid of greater social unrest
that may result from heavier attacks. Many of the worst provisions that
had been speculated seem to have been put off to the future. In the
end, pressures from the capitalists are going to force the provincial
government to launch a full-on assault in order to restore the financial
equilibrium of the province.
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Written by Joel Bergman
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Friday, 16 April 2010 |
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This past February, Raymond Bachand,
Quebec's finance minister, announced that Quebec was in need of a
"cultural
revolution." The ministry released a report that calculated that Quebec
has one
of the most indebted economies in the industrialized world. Quebec's
$285.6-billion debt is equal to 94.6% of the province's GDP; only Japan,
Italy,
Greece, and Iceland have a larger debt-to-GDP ratio than Quebec. This
proposed
"cultural revolution" is an attempt to prepare Quebec workers and
students to
accept cuts to social spending on a level unseen in Quebec history.
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Written by Ted Sprague
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Friday, 09 April 2010 |
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One day after Quebec finance minister Raymond Bachand tabled the 2010
budget, some 12,000 people gathered at Square Phillips in Montreal to
show their opposition to the budget. At least 40 buses from all over
Quebec, some from as far away as Gaspé, arrived at the square. This
impressive show of strength, happened just two weeks after the massive
75,000 Common Front demonstration, is a sign of the militant mood
amongst Quebec workers against the bosses’ planned cuts and attacks.
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Written by Isa Al-Jaza'iri
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Tuesday, 06 April 2010 |
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Municipal elections were held across Quebec on 1st November 2009. The
results in Montreal are a further proof of the crisis of the bourgeois
parties which has already been exposed at the federal and provincial
level. The elections were plagued by accusations of corruption and mafia
ties amongst the two main parties, Union Montréal and Vision Montréal.
Projet Montréal, a fledgling left party, made historic gains. What is
needed now is for the party to transform itself into a labour party,
winning over the workers by making reforms that benefit workers, such as
free public transportation, their central slogan.
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Written by Dimitri Gallos
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Tuesday, 16 February 2010 |
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On 11th February at Dawson College in Montreal, the Dawson Socialist
Club organized a discussion on the economic crisis and its effect on
students. More than 20 students came out to hear Camilo Cahis, a member
of the Fightback editorial board, who spoke on the issue.
Although most students were from Dawson, there were also students from
McGill, Vanier College, and CEGEP de Maisonneuve who came out.
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Written by John Haggerty
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Wednesday, 10 February 2010 |
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This coming weekend sees the opening of the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. Despite the images of natural beauty and pleasant ‘middle class’ life
that will be broadcast to the world, Vancouver is a troubled
city and B.C. is a troubled province. Billions are being spent for a party that most of us are not being invited to. And, the federal Tories are using the Olympics to distract workers from the real ails that are assailing us.
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Written by Camilo Cahis
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Friday, 22 January 2010 |
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In a move that would put Dr. Seuss’ Grinch to shame, the Ontario government gave Ontario workers a nasty surprise for the Christmas holidays—the renewed threat of mass privatization of public services across the province. When Dalton McGuinty and the Liberals were first elected in 2003, McGuinty promised that the bad old days of attacks and privatization that characterized Mike Harris’ “Common Sense Revolution” were finally over. For years, we have been warning that when push came to shove, McGuinty would be ready to shed his “Mr. Nice” image and reveal the Liberals’ true class interests. The capitalist crisis has given him this opportunity. |
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Written by Joel Bergman
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Tuesday, 12 January 2010 |
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For decades politics in Quebec has been dominated by the national question. Ever since the failed Common Front general strike of 1972, the formerly petty bourgeois, and now bourgeois, Parti Quebecois has claimed leadership of the struggle against national oppression and used it to blur the class differences in Quebec society. It is with this in mind that, as Marxists, we were excited with the formation of Quebec solidaire--a party that could move towards the establishment of a real party of the Quebec working class for the first time in history. Joel Bergman of the International Marxist Tendency in Quebec reports from the QS congress in November. |
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Written by Kevin Bell
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Tuesday, 05 January 2010 |
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With the combination of growing anger over the Olympic Games and rapidly increasing pressure from the economic crisis, workers, students, and youth could be facing massive struggles in the new year. Combined with a new provincial budget being introduced in March 2010 that will likely slash public spending, workers in many different unions will also be faced with a new round of collective bargaining. Caught between a rock and a hard place, working people may be forced to fight back in a massive way; indeed, a collision that could throw the entire province into struggle against the Liberal government seems likely for 2010. |
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Written by Joel Bergman
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Tuesday, 15 December 2009 |
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Unlike the rest of North America, the Quebec working class was able to win the right to free education in the 1960s. The CEGEP system was created by mass mobilizations of the labour unions. The unions demanded education and training be made accessible to their children and they won this from the government and the system. This social gain is something that needs to be defended against all attacks from the capitalists who seek to profit from the education system. |
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Written by Ted Sprague
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Friday, 04 December 2009 |
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After the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, governments around the world have been quick to announce that the recession is over and that a recovery is on the horizon. Even though Quebec was not hit as hard as some other areas, workers there still have felt the squeeze. After accumulating record deficits, the Quebec Liberals are looking to hammer Quebec workers and make them pay for the bosses' crisis. The formation of a new Common Front is the first step toward a workers' fightback in Quebec. |
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Written by Kevin Bell
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Friday, 04 December 2009 |
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Fightback supporters in Vancouver recently organized a discussion on the workers struggle in Iraq. Akram Nadir, international representative of the Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq spoke for about half an hour about the situation facing workers in Iraq and internationally. |
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Written by John Haggerty
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Tuesday, 13 October 2009 |
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With each year that passes under Liberal rule, another several layers of bricks are added to the financial wall separating working class youth from British Columbia’s colleges and universities. As part of a recently released three year fiscal plan, the B.C. government announced the stunning projection that by 2011 it will receive more revenue from tuition fees ($1.11 billion) than from corporate income taxes ($1.04 billion). This report confirms the government’s plan to further deepen a trend that has seen colleges and universities become increasingly inaccessible to working class students. |
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Written by La Riposte (Quebec) editorial board
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Friday, 11 September 2009 |
 This past summer, the Marxists in Quebec launched their French paper, La Riposte. La Riposte is a paper that speaks for all sections of the working class in Quebec; Fightback is proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the supporters of the International Marxist Tendency In Quebec in our struggle against the capitalist Canadian federal state. With the launch of their new website, www.marxiste.qc.ca, we're sure that we are now one step closer to a socialist Quebec, a socialist Canada, and a socialist world. |
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Written by International Marxist Tendency (Québec)
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Thursday, 30 July 2009 |
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The “electoral fraud” in Iran’s presidential election has triggered a movement of a magnitude not seen since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Not only have millions of people poured onto the streets but they have also showed a strong defiance to the once much-feared oppressive apparatus of the Islamic Republic. On 18th July, members of the International Marxist Tendency in Quebec, organized the first public meeting on Iran in Montreal with two prominent guest speakers: Amir Khadir, the first member Quebec solidaire (QS) elected to the Quebec National Assemby, and Arash Azizi, an Iranian journalist currently living in Toronto. |
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Written by Mike Palecek
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Thursday, 16 July 2009 |
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A tax revolt is brewing in British Columbia but not the kind of tax revolt you are thinking, where the population decides they are not willing to pay taxes to a government that doesn’t represent them. No, this is a tax revolt of a different type: a tax revolt of the big corporations. These corporations leech their profits from the resources and hard work of the people of this province and now they have decided they aren’t even willing to pay their share to maintain the infrastructure necessary to do that. These parasites have shown in the past that they have no respect for the basic living standards of their own workers, let alone of the wider community. Now with their economic system in crisis, they are demanding even more. |
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Written by International Marxist Tendency in Quebec
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Saturday, 11 July 2009 |
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Quebec solidaire held its 4th congress in Sherbrooke the 19th, 20th and 21st of June. Members of the International Marxist Tendency braved the two-hour trip to take part in this democratic gathering. In a historic step forward for the IMT in Quebec, the tendency is now officially recognized as a collective within QS. |
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Written by Fightback (Vancouver)
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Tuesday, 07 July 2009 |
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The BC NDP offered little to go out and vote for in the last election. As a result, voters stayed home and Gordon Campbell and the Liberals took power. Again. Where was the voice of BC's working and marginalized people? Where was the party that represented our interests? As we begin another four years of cuts and service reductions, it's time for our voice to be heard. |
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Written by Dimitri Gallos (Tendance Marxiste Internationale au Québec)
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Friday, 19 June 2009 |
 Le 5 juin 2009, les marxistes québécois ont lancé une nouvelle publication, La Riposte. Le lancement du journal a eu lieu à l'UQAM (Université du Québec à Montréal), là ou il y a quelques mois à peine, les professeurs étaient en grève. Près de 30 000 étudiants de l’UQAM avaient alors enclenché une grève en solidarité avec leurs professeurs. Une quarantaine de personnes ont assisté à l'événement de lancement du journal. Les panélistes comprenaient Isa Al-Jaza’iri du comité éditorial de La Riposte, Camilo Cahis du comité éditorial de Fightback, le journal des marxistes canadiens, et finalement Jorge Martin du Secrétariat international de la TMI. (English version follows) |
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Written by Mike Palecek
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Friday, 22 May 2009 |
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Gordon Campbell, one of the most hated premiers in British Columbia’s history, has won a third term in office. His government is surrounded by the BC Rail scandal. He was actually caught and convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol in his first term. His attacks against the public sector have repeatedly brought the province to the brink of a general strike. He has frozen the minimum wage for eight years and sold off BC’s rivers to the highest bidder. Under Campbell’s government, BC Ferries have slashed services and jacked up prices. He closed 300 schools and did nothing while BC’s child poverty rate slipped to the worst in the country. The economy is in free-fall and tens of thousands of workers have lost their jobs under his watch. Clearly, Gordon Campbell cannot be given credit for his election victory. No; the responsibility for this defeat lies squarely on the shoulders of the leadership of the BC NDP. |
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Written by Joel Bergman
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Tuesday, 19 May 2009 |
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Here, Joel Bergman of the La Riposte editorial board presents the view of the Quebec Marxists on the National question. He outlines that there is a huge difference between the “sovereignty” of the workers and the sovereignty of the bosses and the PQ leadership. |
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Written by Mike Palecek
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Friday, 08 May 2009 |
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With the BC election campaign kicking into high gear, the NDP again finds itself behind in the polls. BC is being hit hard by the economic crisis with over 22,000 jobs lost in the last month alone. Gordon Campbell is one of the most hated leaders in BC history and his approval rating sits at just 34%; but amazingly, NDP leader Carole James’ rating is even lower at 29%. Something is clearly wrong here. |
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Written by Kevin Bell and Fairfax Culpepper
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Thursday, 02 April 2009 |
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On Saturday, April 4 2009, thousands of people from communities across BC will come together to demand immediate government action to end homelessness, build social housing, protect rental housing and raise welfare and minimum wage rates. Fightback will be joining this rally to demand "Homes For All" and a socialist solution to the housing crisis. |
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Written by Camilo Cahis
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Friday, 06 March 2009 |
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The economic crisis is hitting Canadians hard, and particularly workers in Ontario. Up until now, the workers facing the brunt of the cuts have been in the private sector. However, this is all set to change with the upcoming Ontario provincial budget where Premier Dalton McGuinty is set to unleash a full-scale attack on public sector workers. In the midst of this, the Ontario NDP is holding their leadership convention. This is an excellent opportunity for the party to rejuvenate itself and become the political voice for the workers’ fight back in Ontario. |
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Written by Miriam Martin
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Monday, 19 January 2009 |
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After years of lies about the 2010 Winter Olympics and the prosperity they will bring to the city, province, and country, it’s no surprise that workers are a bit perplexed by the way things are really panning out. Despite promises of economic windfall, the games were wildly unpopular from the very beginning of the bidding process. Now, in the face of world economic crisis and a teetering housing market, the Olympics are projected to be almost $1 billion over budget. |
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Written by Issa Al-Jaza'iri
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Wednesday, 10 December 2008 |
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Despite the new majority Liberal government in Quebec, the defeat of the chauvinist ADQ and the victory of Amir Khadir of Quebec Solidaire are important wins for the working class. Solidaire must now use this platform to wage a fightback againt the inevitable atacks from the Liberals and capitalists in Quebec. |
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Written by TMI Québec
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Tuesday, 18 November 2008 |
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Le premier ministre Jean Charest a lancé des élections pour le 8 décembre contre la grogne de certains des chefs libéraux, qui sont inquiets que ça pourrait être un gros pari pour leur parti. La réalité est que Charest n’a pas d’autre choix. Retarder ces élections davantage aurait eu comme effet de créer de pires conditions pour le parti au pouvoir. L'économie du Québec ne peut pas défier la pesanteur. Nous avons débrayé une falaise avec le reste du monde, et Charest veut avoir des élections avant que nous réalisions collectivement ce qui est passé. |
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Written by IMT Quebec
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Tuesday, 18 November 2008 |
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Premier Jean Charest has pushed through an election for Dec. 8th, against the grumbling of some of the leading Liberals, who are worried this could be a big gamble. He may have no choice, delaying the vote would likely create the worst conditions possible for the ruling party. Québec’s economy cannot defy gravity. We have walked off a cliff along with the rest of the world, and Charest hopes to have a quick election before we collectively look down and realize what’s happened. |
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Written by Lorenzo Fiorito in Montreal
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Monday, 08 September 2008 |
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Last month we reported on the murder of an 18-year old Latino in Montreal by the police which provoked an angry reaction among the immigrant communities. Here we provide an analysis which gives background information outlining the social and economic conditions that have led to this situation. |
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Written by Lorenzo Fiorito in Montréal
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Tuesday, 19 August 2008 |
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For a week now, Montreal has been boiling with rage. The unprovoked murder of 18-year-old Freddy Villanueva, by agents of the Montreal Police Service, catalyzed an explosion that has been building for years. Within hours of Sunday’s killing, residents of the victim’s neighbourhood responded with a spontaneous march against the “assassin police.” Police attacks on the peaceful demonstrators sparked a riot - in which businesses were looted, cars and streets were doused in propane and set ablaze, and a police officer took a bullet in the leg. |
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Written by Fairfax Culpepper in Vancouver
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Thursday, 10 July 2008 |
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Workers in British Columbia have seen their pulp, paper, and lumber mills closing at an alarming rate, leaving thousands jobless and facing an uncertain future. Whole communities have been devastated as large forestry companies such as Interfor and Canfor pull out operations and ship jobs overseas where labour is cheaper. |
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Written by International Marxist Tendency (Montreal)
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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On May 29th there were approximately 45 people present at the Simon Bolivar Cultural Centre in Montreal to attend a round-table discussion with Celia Hart and Jorge Martin. This event was organized by the International Marxist Tendency and was entitled "Permanent Revolution and Trotsky's ideas in Venezuela and Cuba." Cuban Trotskyist Celia Hart and also Jorge Martin, a leading member of the IMT and the Hands Off Venezuela campaign international secretary, led the discussion. |
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Written by Fightback - www.marxist.ca
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Tuesday, 29 April 2008 |
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14 students at UofT, including Fightback supporters, have been arrested on false charges for fighting for free education. The charges include assaulting a police officer and forcible confinement, which could lead to serious jail time. The students have been released on strict bail conditions, which include not associating with each other outside of court and classes and not protesting anywhere on the University of Toronto Campus. These conditions clearly violate the Charter rights of the accused. The University is trying to crush this movement under repression before it takes off. Solidarity action is needed now! |
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Written by Camilo Cahis
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Monday, 28 April 2008 |
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Chief Donny Morris and five other council members from Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) have been convicted with contempt for attempting to block uranium exploration by Platinex, a major mining company based in Toronto. This attack on working class natives is occurring in the run-up to the May 29th Native Day of Action. Last year, the event against native poverty roused road and rail blockades as well as large demonstrations – but this year the KI arrests are acting as a lightning rod to channel even more action around the country. |
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Written by Fightback - www.marxist.ca
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Thursday, 17 April 2008 |
For over a month, there has been a serious mobilization of students at the University of Toronto campus against a series of fee increases. On March 20th, campus police violently broke up a peaceful sit-in at Simcoe Hall, injuring several students. Now they are threatening the student protesters with discipline and maybe even expulsion. Fightback calls on our readers, allies and supporters to send letters of condemnation to the President of the University of Toronto, David Naylor.
***STOP PRESS: MANY STUDENTS BEING CHARGED BY THE POLICE! DETAILS TO FOLLOW*** |
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Written by Ted Sprague
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Thursday, 27 March 2008 |
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In the midst of the oil-sand-fuelled economic boom in Alberta, people across the province are facing what could be the worst housing crisis in its history. The rapidly developing oil industry has caused a migration of people from across the provinces into Alberta and has put a tremendous pressure on the housing and rental market. The profit motive has been incapable of meeting the demands of working class people. We need universal affordable public housing now. |
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Written by Fightback www.marxist.ca
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Thursday, 28 February 2008 |
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On Tuesday, February 12, two prominent members of the Communist Party of Canada and Anti Racist Action were the target of an attack by suspected Neo-Nazis in Calgary. Fightback unreservedly condemns these cowardly acts and calls for working class unity against such attacks. |
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Written by Fehr Marouf -- IMT (Quebec)
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Wednesday, 20 February 2008 |
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From November 14-16, 2007, more than 60,000 students across Quebec joined ASSÉ, the radical student union in the province, in 3-day strike. As the movement for free education develops in Quebec, Marxists work to build an anglophone wing of the movement - and bring class issues to the forefront. |
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Written by Camilo Cahis in Toronto
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Friday, 12 October 2007 |
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The Ontario Liberals under Dalton McGuinty have been handed another majority government, similar in scope to their victory in 2003. The Liberals captured 71 seats, compared to 26 for the Conservatives and only 10 for the NDP – virtually the same numbers that existed before the election campaign. Although on the surface it may look like Dalton & Co. have done a fantastic job for the past four years to deserve a victory of this scope, you get a different story when you dig a little deeper. |
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Written by MAWO
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Saturday, 15 September 2007 |
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Near midnight on Thursday September 13, 2007 Alison Bodine, political organizer and social justice activist was arrested by RCMP and Citizenship & Immigration Canada. Alison, a US-citizen, was arrested when she attempted to cross the border at Peace-Arch border crossing, traveling from Canada into the United States. She was handcuffed, detained, and her passport taken away from her, with no information given about the basis for her arrest, or the charges that she was facing. |
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Written by Camilo Cahis in Toronto
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Friday, 31 August 2007 |
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Four years ago, Dalton McGuinty’s urged Ontarians to “Choose Change.” After nearly a decade of some of the most vicious attacks upon the working class in Canadian history, Ontario workers were promised “class peace” and a new government that would nurture them. Four years later, the picture has changed very little. In fact, for thousands of Ontario workers, the picture today is much bleaker than even in the dreaded Mike Harris years. |
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Written by Ted Sprague & Gabriel Cardenas in Edmonton
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Friday, 17 August 2007 |
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Amidst the much celebrated economic boom in Alberta, more and more people are faced with the dire problem of not having affordable housing. Dramatic rent increases and the rise in the cost of living have pushed many Albertans to the brink of poverty. |
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Written by Lorenzo Fiorito and Fehr Marouf in Montreal
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Wednesday, 04 July 2007 |
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Everyone recognizes that Quebec has changed. With the last election, the Parti Québecois and the Liberals have both fallen from grace - and rather unceremoniously at that. The Action Démocratique du Québec (ADQ) saw a meteoric rise, which led them from the fringe to within seven seats of forming government. The slim Liberal lead now ensures governmental paralysis. But the last election was only a symptom of discontent, expressed in a distorted manner for reasons which will become clear. |
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Written by Miriam Martin in Vancouver
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Friday, 29 June 2007 |
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Miner’s Memorial Day took place this past weekend on Vancouver Island to celebrate the memory of Ginger Goodwin and the struggles of the miners. A good contingent of youth were present to take part in meetings and discussions. |
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Written by Mike Palecek
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Tuesday, 22 May 2007 |
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Healthcare is once again under attack. The politicians have deliberately starved our healthcare system of funds. They have created a crisis in order to gain public support for private healthcare, but so far it hasn’t worked. The vast majority of Canadians are still strongly opposed to for-profit healthcare. Now, a private clinic has opened its doors in Vancouver in blatant violation of the law, but the governments will not shut it down. |
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Written by Alex Grant
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Thursday, 12 April 2007 |
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The recent elections in Québec represent a tidal shift in the political landscape. For a generation the debate has been polarized between the federalist Liberals and the sovereigntist Parti Québécois (PQ). Voters expressed their dissatisfaction with the old parties and the old debate by electing the right-populist Action democratique du Québec (ADQ) into 2nd place, thus assuring a minority government. The class question has cut across the national question, but unfortunately from the right. Only the working class, both on the streets and by forming a mass workers’ party, can defeat the attacks sure to come from the Liberals and ADQ. |
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Written by the Communist Party of Québec (PCQ)
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Thursday, 12 April 2007 |
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Fightback has translated the statement put out by the Communist Party of Québec (PCQ) on the recent Québec elections. (The original French document, along with Fightback's introduction, can be found here.) Although we do not 100% agree with everything that's said in the document, it does provide a valuable analysis of Québec politics and should be made available to English Canada. |
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Written by le Comité exécutif central du Parti communiste du Québec
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Friday, 23 March 2007 |
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Fightback has received the following article by the Communist Party of Québec (PCQ) on the upcoming Québec elections. We are translating it into English because, while we do not agree 100% with all of the formulations, it contains very interesting analysis that should be made available to activists in English Canada and around the world. |
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Written by Camilo Cahis
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Thursday, 14 September 2006 |
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Since the betrayal of the Ontario Days of Action in 1996-97, the movement in Ontario has been at one of its lowest levels. This is in contrast to the rest of Canada where most provinces are seeing some of the most militant labour actions since the 1970s. In both British Columbia and Québec, we have seen a burgeoning general strike movement while Newfoundland recently saw the largest strike in the province’s history. |
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Written by Fightback
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Wednesday, 26 July 2006 |
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Every year labour activists from across British Columbia descend on the town of Cumberland for Miner's Memorial Day. The annual event is held to commemorate the hundreds of workers who died in Cumberland's coal mines and murdered socialist Ginger Goodwin. Comrades from Fightback and the International Marxist Tendency are always present for the ceremony, but this year we played a much larger role. |
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Written by John Haggerty
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Friday, 07 July 2006 |
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British Columbia’s residents have always considered the BC Ferries system to be a natural extension of the provincial highway system. Over the decades, the province's ferry system has grown to one of the largest in the world. With 34 vessels, it services 21 million passengers and 8 million vehicles annually on 25 routes, many of which connect communities that would otherwise be completely isolated from the rest of the world. |
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Written by Mike Palecek
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Thursday, 06 July 2006 |
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Stop Press! As we go to print the BC Teachers’ Federation has just reached a settlement with the government. The deal appears to be a compromise with the teachers receiving a 16% wage increase over five years. Such a lengthy contract may not be the best deal for teachers, but whether or not it is ratified by the membership remains to be seen. The vote is not until September, so BCTF members will have an entire summer to consider it. Despite the recent developments, we think it is appropriate to print the original article as the general perspectives remain the same. |
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Written by Mike Palecek
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Wednesday, 05 July 2006 |
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On June 30, two workers were killed when a CN Rail car derailed on the former BC Rail line. Gordon Campbell’s privatization has been a complete failure. The rail line has been plagued with accidents ever since it was handed over to the private sector just under two years ago. |
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Written by Marhaen Soepratman
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Monday, 08 May 2006 |
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On May 4th 2006, Jorge Martin, Hands Off Venezuela International Campaign Secretary, spoke in Edmonton, Alberta as a part of his speaking tour in Canada and US. This event was jointly organized by the New Democratic Youth of Alberta (NDYA) and Fightback (www.marxist.ca). |
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Written by Camilo Cahis
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Thursday, 04 May 2006 |
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In the early morning of 21st April, officers from the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) attacked a housing development that had been taken over by Mohawk protestors, arresting at least 16. This is just the latest in a long series of attacks by the Canadian state against Native peoples who are tired of nearly five centuries of brutal oppression. |
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Written by Mike Palecek
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Thursday, 01 December 2005 |
There is perhaps no clearer example of the failures of privatization than the sell-off of British Columbia Railway. The BC Liberal government sparked public outrage when they broke their 2001 election promise and privatized BC Rail. Now, nearly a year and a half after the deal was sealed, BC Rail is in rough shape. The deal with Canadian National Railway is mired in scandal and the rail line is plagued with accidents. (by Mike Palecek)
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Written by Hands Off Venezuela Canada
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Thursday, 01 December 2005 |
Following some major successes in both Alberta and Ontario (including the recent endorsement by Canada’s largest regional trade union federation, the Ontario Federation of Labour), Hands Off Venezuela has begun making inroads in the British Columbia Labour Movement. The campaign was endorsed last week by both the North Okanagan Labour Council and the South Okanagan Boundary Labour Council. Both Councils made generous donations and committed to further support the campaign, by hosting a film screening in the case of the South Okanagan, and by taking the campaign back to their respective union locals in the North. (by Hands Off Venezuela Canada)
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Written by Hands Off Venezuela Canada
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Thursday, 01 December 2005 |
The Ontario Federation of Labour, which represents over 700,000 workers, unanimously passed a resolution in support of Venezuela at its November 21st – 25th convention. This success is the culmination of several months of organizing activity by Hands Off Venezuela activists in Canada and is an important step forward for the Venezuela solidarity movement. (by Hands Off Venezuela Canada)
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Written by Rob Lyon
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Tuesday, 01 November 2005 |
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Led by former Québec premier Lucien Bouchard, a group of “prominent personalities” in Québec issued a manifesto titled Pour un Québec lucide (in English, For a clear-eyed vision of Québec). The document is a crude attempt on the part of the authors to insert themselves into the intellectual history of Québec. Attempting to draw upon Québec’s history and using some of the strongest symbols from its past, it is nothing more than a manifesto of the bourgeoisie for the 21st century. More than that, Pour un Québec lucide is a stark warning to the working class that things are about to change. (by Rob Lyon) |
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Written by Mike Palecek
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Tuesday, 01 November 2005 |
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As the dust settles around the British Columbia teachers' strike there is an uneasy calm hanging over the province. Two facts are immediately apparent - first, neither the government nor the labour movement were decisively defeated; and second, this was only a dress rehearsal for the bigger battle to come in the spring. |
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Written by Fightback editorial board
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Saturday, 01 October 2005 |
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In a matter of days, all of the contradictions that have been building over the last four years in British Columbia have come to the fore. Gordon Campbell's mis-named Liberals have spent their time in power attacking the working class - slashing social programs, closing schools and hospitals, ripping up collective agreements and sending tuition sky-rocketing. This has been met with several waves of unrest. The movement has passed through many different stages; the working class has learned from bitter experience. Now this battle is reaching new heights. The province stands on the brink of an all-out general strike. |
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Written by Fightback editorial board
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Saturday, 01 October 2005 |
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Yet again, the BC Liberal Government has removed the democratic right of employees to strike. From the UBC TA's, to the ferry workers and hospital employees, workers rights and public programs are coming under constant attack. Now the Liberals plan to use BC's teachers as their next layer of cannon fodder. On, October 7th, 42 000 public school teachers will illegally walk the line in defence of their right to collectively bargain, to go on strike and to save education for BC's youth. |
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Written by Alex Grant
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Saturday, 01 October 2005 |
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In the last five years, gas prices in Canada have soared from about 65-cents per litre to over $1.10. This price hike hits the working class hardest. While the right wing are trying to blame taxes for the increase, the majority of Canadians see that corporate super-profits are the real culprit. In a recent poll, 49% of Canadians (and 67% of Quebecers) support nationalizing the oil industry. As Marxists have contended, support for radical policies is far higher than generally realized. This issue could mobilize millions given the correct lead. (by Alex Grant) |
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Written by Miriam Martin
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Saturday, 01 October 2005 |
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For about a month, the Truckers' strike at the Port of Vancouver was front and centre in Canada's mainstream media - 'costing British Columbia's economy $75 million a day' ... 'guns fired on the line' ... 'government pressured to intervene' ... It should be no surprise that the story was dropped abruptly when it became clear that the truckers were going to win. The ruling class is correct to be afraid of the repercussions of word getting out about the truckers' victory. (September, 2005) |
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Written by Mike Palecek
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Tuesday, 17 May 2005 |
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Today is election-day in British Columbia and the BC New Democratic Party is trailing in the polls. After four years of right wing rule in British Columbia the province’s social services have been decimated. One third of the public sector has been laid off, hospitals and schools have been shut down and the minimum wage has been reduced by 20% for new workers. Gordon Campbell’s attacks have touched every sector of the working class, yet the NDP has failed to win the support of the majority of British Columbians. A series of compromises and betrayals from the leadership of the labour movement has led to a lull in the movement against the government. Only a year ago BC stood on the brink of a general strike, now all is quiet on the industrial front. This election should have been a cake walk for the NDP, but the drift to the right by the leadership has left workers uninspired. What a mess. (May, 2005) |
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Written by Fehr Marouf and Lorenzo Fiorito
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Sunday, 01 May 2005 |
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Québec is in crisis and has just witnessed the largest student strike in 30 years. What is needed now is an honest appraisal of the objective failures and successes of the strike, and a sober discussion of how to build from the current situation in preparation for future battles. (May, 2005) |
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Written by Camilo Cahis
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Tuesday, 01 March 2005 |
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Following the anti-war demonstration this past weekend, over a dozen people showed up at a downtown pub to launch the Hands off Venezuela campaign in Toronto. (March, 2005) |
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Written by Manuel José Flores
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Saturday, 01 January 2005 |
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With the election of a 10th consecutive majority government of the Conservative Party in Alberta there is a tendency on the left to draw pessimistic conclusions. In order to have an accurate appraisal of the situation we need to view the elections in a dialectical manner. The results taken on their own, and interpreted in a mechanical way, one could easily come to the conclusion that there is no hope for the NDP in Alberta, let alone the acceptance of socialist ideas. We need to view elections as merely a snapshot of a living process - like a picture as opposed to a movie. There are more underlying processes at work in Albertan society, the results of which are only beginning to be seen in the political arena. (January, 2005) |
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Written by Mike Palecek
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Saturday, 01 January 2005 |
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After nearly four years of attacks by the Gordon Campbell Liberals, British Columbia workers are fighting back. With the NDP in a position to win May's provincial election, a major confrontation is set to take place between rank-and-file workers and the leaders of the NDP and labour movement. The task of the Marxists is to penetrate these organizations and sow them with ideas that can win. (January, 2005) |
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Written by Lorenzo Fiorito
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Friday, 01 October 2004 |
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“You need to get out of here now or these people will kill you.” This was the earnest and forceful advice given my friends and I about three minutes after we arrived at Montreal's Venezuelan consulate on August 15, referendum day in Venezuela. There were only three of us - my roommate Albert with his camera, Macdonald, a pro-Chavez activist, and I - waiting to be joined by a group of others who shared our views on events in Venezuela. Our intention was to demonstrate support for pro-Chavez voters, signs in hand. (September, 2004) |
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Written by Julian Benson
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Friday, 01 October 2004 |
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Peterborough, Ontario, a community of over 70,000 people and home of Trent University, was struck with hardship in early July. The city received a torrential down pour of over 20 centimetres of rain in less than 12 hours. The sewers and storm drains, ill-equipped for the flooding, quickly overflowed, leaving streets, businesses and over 31,000 homes flooded. Now as the resilient citizenry of Peterborough struggle to repair their broken community, they are faced with yet another dire and unforeseen hardship: a lack of financial aid. (September, 2004) |
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Written by Camilo Cahis
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Tuesday, 01 June 2004 |
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The Liberals in power in Ontario (Canada) have shown their real face, that of a rabidly anti-working class party out to defend the rich. When they came to power they promised all kinds of improvements for the workers, but once they had placed themselves firmly in office they did the opposite. Now the Ontario workers are ready to fight! (June, 2004) |
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Written by Lorenzo Fiorito and Miriam Martin
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Thursday, 01 May 2003 |
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The Québec election in April saw a dramatic about-face in government leadership. From the Parti Quebecois, advocates of separatism, control of the state was given to the Charest Liberals, the party most closely linked with the Canadian government and federalism. (May, 2003) |
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Written by Rob Lyon
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Thursday, 01 May 2003 |
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There are the rumblings of serious labour disputes all over the province of Alberta. The bitter 7 month long strike at the Shaw Conference centre late last year in Edmonton was a sign of things to come. The lines have been drawn. The Tories slashed wages and jobs in the infamous “Klein revolution” of the 1990’s, complete with downsizing, cut backs and wage rollbacks. The labour movement was caught completely off-guard. We were told that when the recession was over and the province was out of debt – wages and funding to social programs would be restored. This clearly didn’t happen. We just went through one of the biggest so-called booms ever– but even still profit levels were falling and the restoration of wages and funding didn’t take place. Now that we have hit the big brick wall of what could potentially be one of the biggest ‘recessions’, or financial collapses in human history, we see an all out assault by the Tories and their corporate friends against workers and students in this province. (May, 2003) |
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Written by Rob Lyon
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Thursday, 01 May 2003 |
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The presence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease in one cow in Alberta was the spark that exploded the economic crisis on the prairies. The banning of Canadian beef imports in 34 countries around the world has revealed a profound crisis in the economy of the prairies and has exposed some of the major problems in food production the world over. (May, 2003) |
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Written by Lorenzo Fiorito and Miriam Martin
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Thursday, 01 May 2003 |
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The Québec election in April saw a dramatic about-face in government leadership. From the Parti Quebecois, advocates of separatism, control of the state was given to the Charest Liberals, the party most closely linked with the Canadian government and federalism. (May, 2003) |
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Written by Lorenzo Fiorito
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Tuesday, 01 October 2002 |
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Being politically active has taken on a new price in Quebec. The situation surrounding the recent WTO protests exposed a frightening side of the state’s defense of capitalism and its institutions. (September, 2002) |
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