> >Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed > >PEOPLE’S VOICE ON-LINE > >ARTICLES FROM THE COMMUNIST PRESS IN CANADA > >(The selected articles below are from the December 1-31/2000 issue of >People’s Voice, Canada’s leading communist newspaper. Articles can be >reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: >$25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers -- $25 US per year; >other overseas readers -- $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People’s >Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) > >_______________________________________________________ > > >In this Issue: > >1/ CORPORATIONS LIKE LIBERAL WIN, SAYS FIGUEROA >2/ “FRENZIED” CAMPAIGNS BRINGS GAINS FOR CPC >3/ Editorial: OTTAWA’S GREENHOUSE GAS BETRAYAL >4/ Editorial: ECONOMIC STORM WARNINGS >5/ TAKEN AWAY: UI CUTS HIT COMMUNITIES ACROSS CANADA >6/ PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE NEARLY ELECTED TRUSTEE IN ST. CATHARINES >7/ STUDENT ISSUES ARE ALSO WORKING CLASS ISSUES >8/ ANOTHER REASON FOR STUDENT DEBT LOAD... >9/ NEW COMPLAINT AGAINST RACIST VANCOUVER COPS > >________________________________________________________ > > >1/ CORPORATIONS LIKE LIBERAL WIN, SAYS FIGUEROA > >PV Ontario Bureau > >The Nov. 27 election stopped the bid by the far-right Canadian Alliance >(CA) to extend its electoral base beyond Western Canada, according to >Miguel Figueroa, leader of the Communist Party. > >The ruling Liberals actually increased their majority in Parliament, taking >more seats in Quebec and the Atlantic provinces. The CA made some small >gains and retained their status as official Opposition, but failed to break >the Liberal hold on Ontario, winning only two of the 103 seats in that >province. > >Both the Tories under Joe Clark and the New Democrats, led by Alexa >McDonough, suffered losses, and barely managed to keep their parliamentary >party status. The Bloc Quebecois also dropped a number of ridings to the >Liberals. > >“The results clearly show that the Canadian people in the main rejected the >right-wing policies advanced by Stockwell Day and the CA, and blocked their >advance the only way they could -- by voting Liberal,” Figueroa said on >Nov. 28. > >“The efforts of Day and the Alliance to peddle increased tax cuts and a >get-tough law and order agenda completely fell flat with most Canadians. >Their thoroughly reactionary economic and social policies -- which the >Alliance had tried to conceal from public view -- were in large measure >exposed during the campaign.” > >Alliance policies in favour of privatizing the Medicare system, dismantling >the Old Age Security pensions for seniors, and removing Aboriginal rights >were widely criticized, as were the fundamentalist, anti-feminist, >homophobic and racist positions of Day and other leading CA members. > >“The Liberals were the primary beneficiaries of the anti-Alliance tide, but >they hardly merited the people’s support,” said Figueroa. “In fact, the >posturing of the Chrétien Liberals as the only force capable of defending >public health care and the rest of the social safety net from right-wing >attack, was a cheap lie. > >“The Chrétien government has done more over the past seven years to erode >and privatize public services, to cut taxes for the corporations and the >wealthy, and to subordinate Canada more completely to U.S. economic and >military control than any other government in Canadian history. > >“The fact that so many Canadians felt compelled to vote Liberal is an >indictment of the `first-past-the-post’ electoral system. We need to build >a broad grassroots campaign for a system of proportional representation, or >mixed-PR/constituency-based voting.” > >Figueroa noted that corporate interests are generally pleased with the >Liberals’ re-election, although they would have preferred a stronger >showing for the Alliance, and possibly even a minority government which >could be pressured to move more aggressively to introduce right-wing, >pro-corporate policies. > >“Big business will likely now pressure Chrétien into retiring, so that he >might be replaced as Prime Minister by Paul Martin, an even more obedient >flunkey of Bay Street.” > >The losses suffered by the NDP resulted by two main factors, according to >the CPC leader. “First, there was the impact of polarization, which drove >millions of working class and progressive voters to the Liberals to block >any Right advance. > >“Closely related to the first factor was the failure of the NDP leadership >to put forward a clear left-wing alternative which could have galvanized >working class enthusiasm and support. As a result, workers could see no >appreciable difference between the Liberals and the increasingly >right-leaning NDP. > >“The attempt during the final moments of the NDP’s campaign to sharpen its >anti-corporate message was welcome, but it was too little, too late.” > >The CPC’s own campaign marked a big victory for the Party, Figueroa said. >“Considering all of the obstacles we faced -- our own lack of resources, >the minimal exposure given to us and the other smaller parties by the >corporate-owned media, and the deeply flawed electoral system -- the >Party’s campaign was remarkably successful. > >“The most important victory was the fielding of 52 candidates which led to >our reinstatement as a registered federal party. This puts the party’s name >back on the ballot, and allows us to issue tax receipts to our supporters. >It also reestablishes a certain sense of political legitimacy in the eyes >of working people, which was diminished in 1993 when our status was removed. > >“The Party’s campaign also reached many more hundreds of thousands of >Canadians with our `People’s Alternative’. Our website alone has reached >almost 100,000 hits, and party offices are swamped with information >requests and applications to join, mostly from young people. > >“Overall, there is a better reception to our ideas and policies. This >reflects a new trend among voters disillusioned with the policies and >actions of the mainstream parties, and anxious to take a closer look at the >alternative parties. The Green Party in particular made some important >advances during this campaign. This is a welcome development.” > >Closer cooperation among smaller parties -- especially those advancing left >and progressive positions -- is both possible and necessary, and should be >further explored, Figueroa said. > >The Communist Party’s Central Committee will meet on Dec. 8-10 to assess >the elections and the resulting political situation in the country. The CC >will also review the Party’s campaign, and gear up for the CPC’s Central >Convention to be held next February. A full report on these deliberations >will be carried in the next issue. > >2/ “FRENZIED” CAMPAIGN BRINGS GAINS FOR CPC > >IN CAMPAIGNS BEST described as frenzied, Communists across the country >spent the election in all-candidates meetings, debating issues such as >medicare, jobs, services, sovereignty, immigration and foreign policy >against right-wing candidates ranging from the Canadian Alliance and the >Liberals, to the small-fry Christian Heritage Party. > >After many debates, voters told CP candidates “we like you -- you speak for >us.... but we’re not voting for you!” Battling the “wasted vote syndrome,” >Communists fought hard to convince voters to “vote for yourself -- vote >Communist,” and succeeded in convincing many of the need for proportional >representation and electoral reform. But the support at the door, and on >the floor, didn't translate into support at the ballot box, not surprising >in such a polarized election. > >Overall, the Communist Party received some 9,000 votes across Canada; the >average of 175 per candidate matches other federal elections over the past >two decades. Among other smaller parties, the Green Party averaged about >940 votes per candidate, the Canadian Action Party about 385, and the >Marxist-Leninist Party about 150. > >The leading Communist vote-winners include Darrell Rankin, with 570 in >Winnipeg North Centre, and Bob Aubin with 560 in the Quebec riding of >Joliette, where he has a long history of community activism. > >What is new coming out of this election is the resolve by the smaller >left-of-centre parties to change the situation. The small parties’ leaders >debate, held a week before the vote, resulted in a general determination >that the time has arrived to take common action. Details will be published >as the plan is unveiled. > >While Canadians parked their votes with parties they disliked less than the >guys they were voting against, many were logging on to the CPC website >(www.communist-party.ca). Since the election call, the site has received >40,000 hits, resulting in hundreds of requests for information, and >applications to join. > >One of the party’s central objectives -- to recruit and build -- is being >met beyond expectations. Some of the growth is in the far north, where no >CP organizer has visited for many years. > >“We’d be delighted to establish a club in Nunavut,” said CP organizer Liz >Rowley. “Maybe it’s time we made a visit! The Internet has helped the CPC >to cope with long distances and with a media blackout that has tried to >keep us invisible for decades. The times demand a different political >direction than is being offered by the mainstream parties. That is the >reason for the enormous run on our website, mainly by young people.” > >The Communist candidates made an important impact on left politics, ending >the period since 1988 when the CPC had to spend its energy fending off >internal and external attacks. The party was able to put up candidates in >almost every part of the country, including an impressive twelve in Quebec, >and seven in Manitoba. > >Quebec Communists scored high on the visibility scale by draping several >constituencies in posters with full length photos of Communist lawyer Bill >Sloan, pictured at a demonstration. > >A whole range of smiling Communists -- women, workers, professionals -- >dotted downtown streets in Montreal, while in Joliette local newspapers >carried ads encouraging voters to “Vote Communist -- Vote Bob Aubin!” on >election day. > >In Nova Scotia, former boxer and local activist Jake McDonald campaigned in >his rural riding of Kings-Hants, using posters that featured Che Guevara >and Cape Breton’s Communist mine leader J.B. McLachlan, whose motto “Vote >for Yourself! Vote Communist!” caught the imagination of people throughout >the region. > >In Calgary, CP candidate Jason Devine had to fight a stubborn Returning >Officer to get nominated, and then looked for all-candidate meetings that >never appeared. Finally, his campaign committee organized their own >all-candidates meeting, where Devine (not surprisingly!) stole the show. > >In Sudbury, Daryl Shandro took on the fight for workers’ jobs, conditions, >and labour rights, walking the picket lines with Mine Mill members, into >their fourth month on strike against Noranda. > >In Kitchener, Marty Suter made poverty a key issue in his campaign, working >closely with the anti-poverty movement. An anti-war activist, Suter has a >strong track record in the KW area, opposing the NATO bombing of >Yugoslavia, and fighting for an independent Canadian foreign policy. > >As in 1997, People’s Voice columnist David Lethbridge (Okanagan-Shuswap) >was the leading Communist in B.C., with 348 votes. Lethbridge is well-known >in the Okanagan region for his defence of equality rights and opposition to >local ultra-right groups. > >The eleven Communist candidates in B.C. campaigned hard against the >far-right agenda of the Canadian Alliance, which picked up two seats from >the Liberals and one from the NDP in the province. > >In Manitoba, voters were very interested in the CPC’s message, and CPC >candidates were often the last to leave election forums. “I was amazed by >the interest and enthusiasm for our campaign,” said candidate Paul Sidon. > >The Manitoba campaign was carried out in freezing weather, door to door, at >plant gates and at bus stops. > >The party’s highest percentage result across Canada came in Winnipeg North >Centre, at 2.3% of the vote. “This is a historic riding for the Communist >Party, and one with a proud history of working class struggles,” said CPC >Manitoba leader Darrell Rankin. “We will work even harder to block the >right in Manitoba, and advance a People’s Alternative.” > >BrandonSouris candidate Lisa Gallagher attacked the corporate agenda at >several forums on the farm crisis, and attended a farmers’ road slowdown on >the TransCanada highway. > >3/ Editorial: OTTAWA’S GREENHOUSE GAS BETRAYAL > >THE BONDAGE OF Canadian governments to US-based transnational capital has >rarely been exposed so clearly as during the November conference on >reducing greenhouse gas emissions in The Hague. As expected, the United >States -- the biggest producer of carbon dioxide -- stood firm against >world-wide pressures for real measures to cut emissions. But as >environmental groups stressed, Ottawa played the despicable role of >Washington’s chief ally, blocking any agreement for progress on this >crucial problem. > >The reality of global warming is now accepted by virtually all scientists. >Phenomena such as the melting of Arctic permafrost and the drastic decline >of coral reefs has clinched this debate for nearly everyone except Canadian >Alliance hacks and other right-wingers blinkered by their “free market” >ideology. > >It is also beyond debate that emissions of carbon dioxide, from fossil >fuel-based vehicles and other sources, is a leading cause of global >warming. Unless the world acts soon to implement the 1997 Kyoto Protocols, >several vital years will have been lost. The International Energy Agency, >for example, says that world emissions of carbon dioxide will rise 60 >percent from 1997 to 2010. > >The most alarming excuse for inaction raised at The Hague conference was >the “carbon sink” argument. Since North America is home to large forests >which soak up greenhouse gases, the argument goes, Canada and the US should >be exempt from commitments to reduce emissions. This argument completely >avoids the fact that since our highly-developed capitalist economies are >directly responsible for much of the problem, we have a major >responsibility to find solutions. > >Instead, the revolting Lloyd Axworthy (how does this man retain any shadow >of his long-past “progressive” reputation?) and other Liberal politicians >keep repeating the lines written for them by the big oil and gas >transnationals. Together with the big auto monopolies, these corporations >are the major roadblock to any real action. Of course, these corporations >are also the biggest financial contributors to the Liberals and the >Canadian Alliance. For the sake of their struggle to control Parliament, >these two parties are willing to let an impending environmental disaster >roll right over our planet. Should that happen, the Canadian people will >never forgive such a monumental betrayal. We need to do everything possible >to make sure that popular anger forces the new federal government to change >its stance now, not after it’s too late. > >4/ Editorial: ECONOMIC STORM WARNINGS > >DURING THE November election, most political parties acted as though the >present “economic boom” (featuring over one million unemployed!) will >continue indefinitely. But our economic system doesn't work that way. Since >its beginnings, capitalism has repeatedly gone through the cycle of boom, >collapse, depression and recovery. There are increasing signs that the >collapse phase of the cycle may be near. > >For example, the Canadian Auto Workers is warning workers in Windsor >against any false sense of financial security. Many CAW members in the auto >industry could take a nose dive into debt as they face overtime reductions >and losing their Saturday shift. After years of six and seven day weeks, >with plenty of overtime, says CAW Local 444 President Ken Lewenza, many >younger workers thought there would never be a downturn. > >In that region alone, about $120 million is generated annually in extra >wages by overtime and weekend work. If workers pull in their belts, the >city’s retail sector will be hit hard. > >Bankruptcies are on the rise in Windsor, another warning that things may >soon get much worse. In 1999, 456 Windsorites declared bankruptcy, owing >collective debts of $29.4 million. During the first ten months of 2000, >those figures jumped to 453 individual bankruptcies, with total debt values >of $27.4 million. > >Other danger signs are also flashing, such as the rise in living costs >caused by high energy prices, the end of falling unemployment rates, and >the crash in stock market prices. Crisis-free capitalism? Karl Marx was >right -- that can never happen! > >5/ TAKEN AWAY: UI CUTS HIT COMMUNITIES ACROSS CANADA > >PV Vancouver Bureau > >AS PART OF its campaign to restore unemployment insurance to workers, the >Canadian Labour Congress has conducted a major survey of the impact of >changes to the UI system over the last decade. Results of this research are >posted on the CLC’s website, <www.clc-ctc.ca>. > >For the first time, working people can now see the net losses to their >communities and provinces as a result of the Employment Insurance rule >changes. The study details in each local area who is receiving insurance >and who is not. To achieve this, in 1998 the CLC had to purchase from >Statistics Canada eight years of UI claimant statistics by age and sex for >each EI region. > >Without statistics for each of Canada’s 54 EI regions, it is almost >impossible to understand the consequences of the rule changes in relation >to the local labour market conditions and labour force. > >The EI region is absolutely central to the application of program rules. >The unemployment rate in the EI region determines the hours and weeks >needed to qualify and how long a claimant receives benefits. > >The current unemployment insurance rules are so out of sync with today’s >labour market that a worker’s age, gender and community of residence >determine eligibility for benefits. > >In other words, three levels of discrimination are a consequence of the >current EI rules. Moreover, the changes in UI rules over the last decade >have resulted in a massive transfer of money from the communities where the >unemployed live to the federal government’s general revenue. The unemployed >and their communities have thus financed Ottawa’s budget surpluses and the >ensuing tax cuts. > >The Canadian Labour Congress has written each Member of Parliament and >asked them to support labour’s proposals for modernizing unemployment >insurance. Every MP has also been given unemployment insurance statistics >on the impact of the EI changes in their local area. > >Here are some highlights of the CLC’s study: > >The changes adopted since the Liberals’ election in 1993, have cut one >million unemployed workers a year from insurance coverage. A decade ago >most were covered. > >UI “reform” has had a disproportionate and very negative impact on women. >The fall in coverage for women in many of the regions has been twice -- >even three and four times -- as great as it is for men. > >The impact on workers vary widely from region to region -- even for those >regions in the same province. In Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta the >fall in coverage for men and women has been approximately at the same rate. >Elsewhere in the country only Ottawa has a similar pattern. > >The largest yearly dollar loss for EI regions are in the regions centred in >the country’s largest cities. > >Toronto: $985 million a year (almost equivalent to all of Atlantic Canada); >Montreal -- $830 million a year; Vancouver -- $342 million; Calgary -- $210 >million. > >The portion of the unemployed receiving insurance in most big city EI >regions is below 30%. The lowest coverage rate is 19% in Regina and Ottawa. > >Here are the annual dollar losses for each province, adding up to a total >of $7,090 across Canada: >Newfoundland & Labrador: $462 million >Prince Edward Island: $62 million >Nova Scotia: $276 million >New Brunswick: $275 million >Quebec: $1,937 million >Ontario: $2,256 million >Manitoba: $206 million >Saskatchewan: $185 million >Alberta: $661 million >British Columbia: $753 million >Yukon, NWT, Nunavut: $17 million > >6/ PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE NEARLY ELECTED TRUSTEE IN ST. CATHARINES > >By Shirley Hawley > >IN THE NOV. 13 Ontario municipal elections, I was a candidate for public >school board trustee for the District School Board Niagara. This DSBN >covers the entire city of St. Catharines and the municipality of >Niagara-on-the-Lake, a very large area where only four trustees are elected. > >This was my first campaign for public office, and I was the first candidate >to file for nomination on Sept. 6. We held a fundraiser on Sept. 24, and >proceeded to campaign door to door, winning a very positive response. My >number one issue was to defend public education, and my platform was >pro-teacher, pro-student and to reverse the Tory Cuts. > >Since only three of the incumbents had filed their nominations at this >time, there was still no election. > >I tried to campaign at all nine secondary schools in the area, but a memo >was issued to bar me from school property before I could hit the last two >schools. My grandchildren circulated my literature at some of the >elementary schools. > >Our campaign team put out 20,000-plus pamphlets door to door, unheard of >for a trustee in many years. With the support of the Ontario Secondary >School Teachers Federation, our campaign team distributed 450 lawn signs. > >This very strong and visible campaign became a threat to Tory agenda. The >day before nominations were closed, the fourth incumbent filed his >nomination, so now we had an election. > >I was endorsed by Elizabeth Hill, Trustee for the York Board of Education; >Sandy O’Dell, Welland City Councillor; CAW Local 199; CAW Local 199 >Retiree’s Chapter; CAW Local 199 Women’s Committee; CAW Local 676; St. >Catharines and District Labour Council; Ontario Secondary Schools Teachers >Federation; and World Wise Global Education Center. > >I didn’t win, but the results were still positive. I received 16.08% of the >vote, compared to 22.85% for the top elected trustee. My 10,355 votes were >just 1,704 short of being elected, in itself a victory. The campaign has >left me so encouraged that I am eagerly anticipating the next election. > > _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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