rabble.ca - News for the rest of us

A visit to the 'ground zero' of the Great Lakes

Making Waves — Fri, 25 May 2012 21:29:40 +0000

Yesterday afternoon National Chairperson Maude Barlow, Regional Organizer Mark Calzavara, London Chapter activists Gary Brown and Don McLeod and I arrived in Sarnia for our fifth stop of the Great Lakes Need Great Friends tour. We spent the afternoon seeing a part of Sarnia that the typical tourist doesn't see. Ron Plain, an activist from the Aamjiwnaang First Nation, lead the five of us on a ‘toxic tour' of Sarnia which is also known as Chemical Valley. Our first stop was the Shell compound, a massive cluster of facilities spanning blocks and blocks.

Eroding tax fairness in B.C. demands tax reform

PolicyNote — Fri, 25 May 2012 19:31:03 +0000

(with Marc Lee and Iglika Ivanova)

Most British Columbians would agree that everyone should pay their fair share of taxes. And most assume that the wealthy pay more, not only in straight dollars, but also a higher tax rate as a share of their income.

So most would probably be shocked to learn that, in reality, that is no longer how our provincial tax system works.

Night march magic: Quebec people's movement takes over the streets

rabble staff — Fri, 25 May 2012 18:05:19 +0000

It is well past midnight and I have been marching non-stop for the past four hours. There are literally tens of thousands of people marching throughout Montreal tonight!

The march I participated in started in one neighbourhood in Montreal, the Plateau, with a couple of dozen people at the corner of Mt-Royal and De Lorimier at 8pm. Within half an hour we were a thousand strong as people came out streaming from their homes, from restaurant terraces and coffee shops banging on pots and pans.

A conversation with the Conversationalist

Adam Bemma — Fri, 25 May 2012 17:28:40 +0000

A conversation with the globe-trotting conversationalist, Daniel Baylis, by the #CityTalk travel enthusiasts on CKUT FM Friday Morning After.

Toronto rallies in solidarity with Quebec students

rabble staff — Fri, 25 May 2012 16:13:58 +0000

Toronto rallies in solidarity with Quebec students and against Bill 78, as part of a day of action marking 100 days of the student strike.

Introducing SlutTALK: Conversations on language and sexual violence

derrick — Fri, 25 May 2012 15:40:07 +0000

As a English student, I've often been inclined to defend the value of discussion as means of political and social change. Yet the numerous protests and uprisings that have swept the globe in the past year - from the Arab Spring, to Occupy Wall Street, to the current student strike in Québec - all seem to have powerfully illustrated that in many ways, the time for talking is over.

When governments and institutions do not respond to the needs of the people, we take to the streets. Slutwalk is no exception to this phenomenon.

rabble.ca weekly blog round-up!

rabble staff — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:53:19 +0000

It’s been an important week for Quebec student protesters, and we had lots of coverage in our blogs section! Ethan Cox discusses a poll which was released Tuesday with encouraging results for protesting students, and on Thursday he argues again that if you go by the numbers, students are winning.

'Professional agitators' or defenders of democracy?

derrick — Fri, 25 May 2012 13:40:38 +0000

The 100th Calgary Stampede: real men don't kill horses for fun

djclimenhaga — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:48:00 +0000

There's no doubt about it: chuckwagon races are as exciting as hell. There's also no getting around the fact they’re cruel to horses.

With the 100th anniversary of the Calgary Stampede almost upon us -- the "Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth" marks its centennial on July 6 -- it's time once again to turn our attention a popular event that uses pointless cruelty for entertainment.

For, sure as shootin', a horse will die in a Stampede chuckwagon race this year, as horses die pointlessly every year for the entertainment of the humans who pack the Stampede grounds to witness the thundering excitement of the races.

Council of Canadians support for legal challenges 'stirring up strife' according to Conservatives

Council-of-Canadians — Thu, 24 May 2012 23:52:51 +0000

The Conservative Party of Canada’s lawyers yesterday filed a second motion to dismiss the legal challenges of individual citizens seeking to overturn federal election results in seven ridings -- this time because it alleges the Council of Canadians’ support for the cases is “improper.”

The more than 750-page “omnibus” motion is nearly twice the size of the “budget” implementation act, Bill C-38, which seems concise by comparison at only 420 pages.

Hill Dispatches: Finley's new EI rules - 'We want McDonald's to hire Canadians, not foreigners'

karl nerenberg — Thu, 24 May 2012 23:02:27 +0000

OTTAWA - Human Resources Minister Diane Finley's language was designed to be reassuring and moderate.

Canada is facing "unprecedented skills shortages," she told a Thursday news conference, and the government wants to help the unemployed to "find jobs and keep them."

Employment Insurance (EI) is this country's single largest "labour market program," she emphasized, and the government only wants to make it work better - for those out of work, for employers and, as usual, for "the economy."

Changes to EI will put downward pressure on already stagnant wages

Progressive Economics Forum — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:27:03 +0000

Changes to the EI rules announced by the government today are not rooted in any lengthy policy rationale. But Minister Finley and and the media release spoke to the need to "strengthen work incentives." This conjures up images of unemployed workers sitting around and spurning job offers amidst growing labour and skills shortages.

Escalator to the bottom: Quebec students refuse the ride

Christopher_Majka — Thu, 24 May 2012 20:06:20 +0000

With mammoth student protests in Montreal on May 22 (The Globe and Mail reported up to 250,000; CTV news reported 400,000), smaller protests in other parts of Quebec, and sympathetic marches in centers such as Calgary, Halifax, Toronto, Vancouver, New York and Paris, the attention of Canadians -- and many across the globe -- are turning to Quebec.

Open Media launches viral video against online surveillance bill

OpenMedia.ca — Thu, 24 May 2012 19:42:56 +0000

OpenMedia.ca has launched a citizen-made online video educating Canadians about the true cost of the government's online spying legislation C-30 and the threat it poses to personal privacy.

If passed, Bill C-30 will force Canadians to pay for a range of authorities to invasively access their private data, at any time, without a warrant.

Afghans and U.S. war veterans unite to protest NATO: 'End this inhumane war now'

rabble staff — Thu, 24 May 2012 18:37:28 +0000

Gen. John Allen, commander, U.S. Forces Afghanistan, spoke Wednesday at the Pentagon, four stars on each shoulder, his chest bedecked with medals. Allen said the NATO summit in Chicago, which left him feeling "heartened," "was a powerful signal of international support for the Afghan-led process of reconciliation."

Unlike Allen, many decorated U.S. military veterans left the streets of Chicago after the NATO summit without their medals. They marched on the paramilitarized convention center where the generals and heads of state had gathered and threw their medals at the high fence surrounding the summit. They were joined by women from Afghans for Peace, and an American mother whose son killed himself after his second deployment to Iraq.

Spread the red square everywhere: Why solidarity with Quebec students is crucial

derrick — Thu, 24 May 2012 18:03:10 +0000

The Charest government has turned to repression to try to break the largest and longest student strike in Quebec history. Students had already endured heavy-handed policing, including hundreds of arrests and brutal attacks by riot cops on campuses and in the streets.

Globalizing resistance: Marxism conference this weekend in Toronto

derrick — Thu, 24 May 2012 17:16:07 +0000

This time last year, the effects of the Arab Spring had already inspired millions of people around the world to think about the possibility of revolution - and the role that they themselves could play in creating a better world.

While political pundits and right-wing leaders argued that the revolutions would never last (and that they had no connection to what was going on over here), activists had other ideas.

Occupy shines light on capitalism's inequality

Taking on Thomas Friedman, New York Times Imperial Messenger

alex — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:11:16 +0000

Thomas Friedman is the New York Times' three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning foreign affairs columnist, known for his sustained cheerleading of the Iraq war and his faithful service on behalf of the corporate elite.

In this excerpt from The Imperial Messenger: Thomas Friedman at Work, Belén Fernández discusses various aspects of Friedmanomics, such as his detection in 2010 of the need for a "Root Canal Politics" to compensate for the global financial recession and the profligacy of the baby boomer generation-defined simultaneously as the offspring of "The Greatest Generation" and the offspring of "the Tooth Fairy."

Activist Communiqué: Ottawa students occupy the offices of the University of Ottawa

Krystalline Kraus — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:30:03 +0000

Ottawa students occupy the Offices of the University of Ottawa

Reports on the scene from the Toronto Media Co-op state that unionized staff from the University of Ottawa were sent home today with pay.

For an on-site interview, please see: Interview (5 mins) from inside University of Ottawa administrative offices barricade.

I will keep updating this story as news rolls in.

Here is the press release.

Offices of the University of Ottawa barricaded by its students

OTTAWA, ON,

24 May 2012

Enbridge gets 'mic checked' at Line 9 public hearings

derrick — Thu, 24 May 2012 14:15:07 +0000

Public hearings in London, Ontario for Enbridge's proposed reversal of the Line 9 pipeline had barely begun Wednesday when more than a dozen protesters, including members of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, quickly shut down the proceedings.

Within moments of the disruption, the National Energy Board (NEB) panel and the representatives from Enbridge exited the room through the Hilton London staff doors.

Using the people's mic tactic, the demonstrators challenged the hearings for "failing to consider the impacts of tar sands expansion and all the treaties being breached by this proposed pipeline reversal."

No 'free, prior and informed consent' for Enbridge

Charest's 'Special Law' resulting in some of largest mass arrests in Canada's history

derrick — Thu, 24 May 2012 14:03:06 +0000

Zwozdesky's in, Kowalski's out and all’s right with the Tory universe

djclimenhaga — Thu, 24 May 2012 10:46:58 +0000

This compliment may come out sounding a little more backhanded than intended, but the Alberta Legislature could have done a lot worse than choose someone like Gene Zwozdesky to wear the Speaker’s three-cornered hat, as its MLAs did yesterday.

This concludes the principal business of this otherwise silly six-day legislative session: naming a replacement for former speaker Ken Kowalski, who is no longer a member of the House and whose influence, rest assured Premier Alison Redford long ago concluded, needed to end forthwith.

Escalating migrant and refugee repression in Canada - Panel

migrant matters — Thu, 24 May 2012 07:03:16 +0000

The panel of the May Day potluck, which has been celebrated in Guelph, Ontario for four years now, illuminates the experiences of working-class migrants and immigrants in relation to Canada's continually failing immigration and labour legislation. Guest speakers at this year's celebration include: Juan, Melissa Paciulan, Lizzie Neale and Teresa Edge.

Juan works as a migrant farm worker in Waterloo, Ontario. He talks about his experience living and working under Canada's Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program.

400,000+ in the streets? Quebec's students are winning...

Ethan Cox — Thu, 24 May 2012 04:34:48 +0000

Tuesday started out looking like a bad day for a protest. A constant drizzle fell on Montreal's streets throughout the morning, turning my shoes into a soggy mess before I even reached the demo. In the wake of Loi 78 many expected a record turnout to celebrate the student strike's 100th day, and rage against the infringements of our civil liberties contained in the "Special Law," but with the rain I wasn't so sure.

I should have known my fellow Quebecois are made of sterner stuff! Rather than a wet dud, Tuesday turned out to be the largest demonstration in Canadian history. A moment in time I'm sure I will be telling my grandchildren about one day.

I am a feminist and I am also a human being

The F Word Collective — Wed, 23 May 2012 23:17:42 +0000

I’m not sure if it came from Naomi Wolf’s critique of ‘victim feminism’ or if it’s simply another painful part of the backlash, designed as an attempt to further weaken and silence women’s voices and experiences, but somewhere in there we’ve managed to develop an understanding that to be feminist means you must be flawless.

Great Lakes Need Great Friends tour kicks off its second week!

Making Waves — Wed, 23 May 2012 20:47:21 +0000

Last night, the Council of Canadians kicked off the second week of its 8-city tour. Almost 100 people gathered at Queen's University in Kingston for the fourth stop of the tour. Betty Carr-Braint from the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte began the event with a welcoming which set the tone for an inspiring and moving evening.

Mark Mattson, President of Lake Ontario Waterkeepers, was the first speaker and gave an engaging speech about the claw back of environmental reviews and regulations over the last several decades. The most recent example is the gutting of the Fisheries Act in Bill C-38. He stressed the need for audience members to take protection of the Great Lakes into their hands and make governments and corporations truly accountable to them.

Nova Scotia NDP's tax cuts lead to austerity budgeting

derrick — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:38:47 +0000

The NDP government of Nova Scotia inherited a structural deficit when they came to power in 2009. The only way out of that was substantial social spending cuts, or raising taxes. To their credit, at the time, the Dexter government chose to do both rather than the unvarnished neoliberal route of pure slashing.

History lessons: Resource management means reclaiming our environmental and fiscal futures

Brian Topp — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:09:12 +0000

Just about at the same time that people in the province of Quebec decided, in overwhelming majority, that decisive action was required by their provincial government to protect the French language, people in western Canada decided that equally decisive action was required by their provincial governments to ensure control of their own natural resources.

The federal government of the day (led by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau) more-or-less accepted the Quebec National Assembly's right to address the language issue. But the same government waged a battle of sumo-like proportions to try to wrestle control over oil, potash, uranium and other resources from western Canadian provinces.

Which didn't go over very well.

Why pay for Globe and Mail online? Support free community media instead

rabble staff — Wed, 23 May 2012 15:07:55 +0000

"The Globe and Mail is moving to charge readers for its online content, following a trend established by the New York Times and other major publications." Steve Ladurantaye - Globe and Mail, May 10, 2012

The headline says it all - "Globe to charge readers for online content." This news is not really that surprising. It is true of course that producing media and presenting news to the world costs money - a lot of money. Corporate media is going the way of fees and media is getting increasingly owned by a handful of corporations.

Solidarity in the streets: An interview with Judith Butler

derrick — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:57:29 +0000

Award-winning author and prolific feminist scholar Judith Butler will be speaking tomorrow night at the Vogue Theatre in Vancouver. Dr. Butler will be presenting a talk entitled 'A Politics of the Street' in which she will examine the different forms of public resistance, protests and their implications for contemporary politics.

The event, which is being presented by The Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies as part of their public forums for converging minds to explore freely, sold out 1100 tickets in just three hours.

Media and the new student movements