Labour Fightback activists have played a pivotal role in organizing what may become the largest online rally across the country, May Day Rally 2021, on May 1 at 1PM EDT. The event has garnered more than 60 endorsers, including large labour organizations like the Ontario Federation of Labour, which represents one million workers; the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, representing 130,000; Amalgamated Transit Workers Local 113,representing 12,000 in Toronto; the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, representing 55,000 across the country; and several other union locals, regional labour councils, socialist groups and community groups in Ontario. Speakers include Federal NDP MP Niki Ashton, Sharoni Mitra of CUPE 3906 (who recently released a statement calling for strike action against Ford’s government, and supporting rank and file workers in opposition to right wing leaders), Fightback, Indigenous land defender Skyler Williams, and Doctor Naheed Dosani (an outspoken physician against the Ford government’s deadly policies during the pandemic). 

The pandemic has exposed the real divisions in Canadian society. Canadian politicians and the representatives of capital have repeatedly said that “we are all in this together.” The truth is, we are certainly all in this, but definitely not all together. Workers have borne the brunt of COVID infections and deaths because of the inaction of the bosses and of the government when it comes to ensuring safe work, and their refusal to close non-essential workplaces. Workers are forced into “essential” manufacturing, warehousing, service sector, and transport work, with insufficient personal protective equipment and social distancing, in turn increasing infection. Despite the inaction of the bosses during the pandemic, 80-90 per cent of government handouts have gone to the capitalists. As reported by the Toronto Star, between $700-800 billion has been given as gifts to corporations by the federal government. This amount does not include the wage subsidies that have been handed to corporations to line their pockets with dividends and bonus payouts. Amid the despair caused by the global pandemic, Canadian billionaires have seen their wealth skyrocket with the direct support of provincial and federal governments. Again, this shows that we are not all in this together. These pandemic profiteers should not receive a penny of taxpayer money but instead should be nationalized for the benefit of society.

Join the May Day Rally on May 1 at 1pm EDT to support demands for:

 No Bailouts for the Bosses, Nationalize the Pandemic Profiteers

 Fight Capitalism, Fight for Socialism 

 Workers of the World and Oppressed Peoples Unite

The event is expected to draw in thousands of viewers and participants. A full list of speakers can be found below. 

Click here to follow @CanadaMarxists on Facebook, where we will be livestreaming from the Labour May Day Committee page. 

Enter the Rally Zoom meeting here: tinyurl.com/56bbk86a

Speakers:

1. 1492 Land Back Lane – Skyler Williams

2. Health Providers Against Poverty – Dr. Naheed Dosani

3. NDP MP – Niki Ashton

4. Fightback – Marco La Grotta

5. OFL President – Patty Coates

6. Socialist Action – Julius Arscott

7. CUPE 3906 President – Sharoni Mitra + Shirleen

8. FoodShare – Paul Taylor

9. Worker-Communist Party of Iran – Mohsen Ebrahimi

10. Worker-Communist Party of Iran (Hekmatist) – Fakhri Javaheri

11. ATU 113 – Jason Watts

12. OPSEU – JP Hornick

13. Worker-Communist Party of Kurdistan – Aras

14. Left-Worker-Communist Party of Iraq – Samir

15. John Clarke

16. Durham Region Labour Council – Tiffany Balducci

17. Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran – Soheila Dalvand

18. Radio Payam Canada – Amir

19. Hamilton & District Labour Council – Anthony Marco

20. New Brunswick NDP, Socialist Caucus  – Chris Thompson

21. Vancouver Socialist Unity Assembly – Yvonne Hanson

22. Communist Workers Circle – Tynan Liebert