CONTENTS

1. CALLS TO ACTION
2. EVENTS
3. ARTICLES

Petition for Canada to demand a ceasefire

Petition to the Prime Minister

Whereas:
– Canada demand an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Palestine conflict;
– Canada ask that Israel lift the blockade of the Gaza Strip and authorize the creation of a humanitarian corridor and an emergency humanitarian intervention;
– Canada ask that Israel meet its commitments under the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law;
– Canada meet its international commitment to promote and defend human rights;
– Canada take any other measure necessary to protect civilians, both Israelis and Palestinians, and help foster a climate conducive to building a lasting peace.

We, the undersigned, Citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the House of Commons in Parliament assembled to require the Prime Minister to take the necessary measures to address the Israel-Palestine conflict.

petitions.ourcommons.ca

Help Us Build the Movement for Decent Work

The Ontario Employment Education & Research Centre (OEERC) and the Worker’ Action Centre are hosting their 11th annual Workers’ Bowl (in-person) on Saturday, November 18, 2023!

All funds raised at the Workers’ Bowl go directly to the OEERC Education and Leadership Fund for Workers in Precarious Employment. The fund supports leadership development and educational projects, executed in collaboration with the Workers’ Action Centre (WAC).

workersbowl.ca | workersactioncentre.org

Your Power at Work

When: Sunday November 5th, 1pm (also Nov 19)
Where: CSI, 192 Spadina Ave

Underpaid? Overworked? Unsafe on the job? Do you hate your job and want it to be better?

You have power at work.

This fall, learn the basics of labour organizing over 4 sessions with Climate Justice Toronto and People’s Labour Project. We’ll discuss – and practice – how to talk to your co-workers about workplace issues, plan a union drive, and take on management to win better wages and the dignified working conditions that everyone deserves.

actionnetwork.org

Split Screens: Israeli Filmmakers Confront Colonialism

When: November 5th and 12th, 2:00 pm (matinee screenings)
Where: OCAD University, Auditorium (room 190), 100 McCaul St
Register for free here.

United Jewish People’s Order, in collaboration with OCAD Art and Social Change and Cinema Politica, proudly presents this first-of-its-kind mini-festival. This series features award-winning, provocative works by Israeli filmmakers, exploring multiple aspects of group denial and inaction in the face of chronic colonialism.

Each screening will include discussions and panels with activists and experts, exploring issues from the films.

7+7: Beit Zatoun Revival

When: Friday November 10th, 8pm (doors open 7:30 for meet+greet)
Where: Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church, 427 Bloor St W

7 is a magic number. Come end of November, Beit Zatoun has been closed for 7 years, the same number of years it was open. In that short period Beit Zatoun became a legend. Hosting over 1000 events it was the place to be in Toronto for engaging discussion, thinking and people. Never a better time for the Beit Zatoun community to come together to visit the past and more importantly to look into the future of solidarity work in Toronto. The present is calling!

eventbrite.ca

Ceasefire Now!

When: November 12th, 1pm
Where: Nathan Philips Square

Twenty years ago, a mass movement kept Canada out of the war in Iraq. We need another mass movement to stop genocide and end Israel’s war on Gaza. Let’s hit the streets for the #CeasefireNow pan-Canadian day of action on Sunday, November 12.

Roundtable on Public Healthcare in Ontario

When: November 13th, 12noon

Moderated by the Ontario Health Coalition, this public round table will feature Liberal leadership candidates.

Candidates will respond to questions about their commitments and plans for Ontario’s hospitals, home and community care, long-term care, public health, EMS and primary healthcare.

zoom.us

Canadian Foreign Policy Hour with Yves Engler

When: Mondays at 6pm

Join author Yves Engler on Mondays for a weekly news roundup and interactive discussion about Canada’s role abroad. This weekly session will delve into the latest developments on subjects ranging from military affairs and Canada’s role in Ukraine to its contribution to Palestinian dispossession, and the exploitation of African resources. Join Yves for a critical take on Canada’s foreign policy. Questions, comments, and criticisms are all welcome.

zoom.us

Subversive Comics and Writings of Ernest Riebe

When: November 14th, 7pm
Where: Workers Arts and Heritage Centre, 51 Stuart St., Hamilton

Before the Golden Age of comic books there was Mr. Block: a bumbling, boss-loving, anti-union blockhead, brought to life by subversive cartoonist Ernest Riebe. A labour activist and member of the Industrial Workers of the World, Riebe’s iconic, union-hating anti-hero satirized conservative workers’ faith in the capitalist system exploiting them.

Join us for an in-person book talk for Mr Block: The Subversive Comics and Writings of Ernest Riebe by the Graphic History Collective, at the Workers Arts and Heritage Museum in Hamilton. This wickedly funny anthology is a treasure trove of radical 20th-century art and an essential addition to the bookshelves of comics lovers, historians, and labour activists alike.

btlbooks.com | www.eventbrite.ca

Beyond the Neoliberal Queer

When: November 16th, 1pm
Where: Mackintosh-Corry Hall, room D214, Queen’s University, Kingston

Pre-Launch event for the 3rd Edition of The Regulation of Desire: Queer Histories, Queer Struggles.

Twitter poster

Threats to Academic Freedom from Without and Within

When: November 16th, 6pm
Where: Moot Court (J250), Faculty of Law, University of Toronto

Please join us for the 2nd Annual CensureUofT Lecture on November 16, 2023, which will be given by Kenneth Roth, Former Executive Director of Human Rights Watch and Visiting Professor at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.

Academic freedom is an endangered concept. There have always been external antagonists from among governments, corporations, or donors, but today many threats also come from within universities. Having himself experienced academic retaliation for his criticism of the Israeli government, Kenneth Roth, the former long-time director of Human Rights Watch, will describe some of the steps needed to reinforce academic freedom.

register

Stop the War on Gaza, Ceasefire Now

Palestinian trade unions released an urgent call for international trade unions to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and take action to halt the arms trade to Israel. The call comes amidst a genocidal bombing campaign on the 2 million people of Gaza that has followed on Hamas’ October 7 counter-offensive to the occupation into Israel. Israel has since been preparing for a full ground invasion into the territory, while launching thousands of bombs completely devastating the infrastructure and killing thousands. Israel has also stepped up its arming of settlers in the West Bank and backing them up with deployments of the IDF in a further effort at ethnic-cleansing of Palestinian villages.

Source: The Bullet No. 2898

Artists for a Ceasefire Now, Stop the Genocide in Gaza

We, the undersigned artists, academics, and cultural workers, pledge our support for the Palestinian people in the face of over 75 years of Israeli apartheid, settler colonialism, military occupation, and ethnic cleansing. We understand that the events of this week did not occur in a vacuum. For two decades, Israel has held Palestinians in Gaza under siege, in an open-air prison, subjecting them to brutal massacres and weapons testing; depriving them of basic goods, food, clean water, medicine, and medical supplies.

Source: The Bullet No. 2899

War Crimes and Gaza in Ruins: Israel’s Victory Without a Future

By Tommaso Francesco

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, from his first ambiguous statements to those on Saturday, tells us what we can expect now: “It was a dark day,” he said, speaking to the nation about the October 7 Hamas attack. “This was a terrible failure. It’ll be thoroughly investigated, I promise. Not one stone will be left unturned. … After the war, everyone will have to give answers to hard questions. That includes me. Right now, my task is to save the country.” He reiterated: “Every Hamas member is a dead man.”

Source: The Bullet No. 2900

Healthcare Funding Crisis

By Ontario Health Coalition

On November 2, the Ford government will release its fall economic statement. This briefing note is intended to give context with which to assess the claims of the government. As we write, Ontario is in the worst healthcare crisis in memory. The most urgent services in local public hospitals are facing repeated and unprecedented closures, including maternity and emergency departments. Intensive care units are desperately understaffed, putting patients at risk. Tens of thousands wait for long-term care.

Source: The Bullet No. 2901

The Case for Protecting the Tongass National Forest

By Reynard Loki

Spanning 16.7 million acres that stretch across most of southeast Alaska (west of the Canadian border), the Tongass National Forest is the largest national forest in the United States by far and part of the world’s largest temperate rainforest. Humans barely inhabit it: about the size of West Virginia, the Tongass has around 70,000 residents spread across 32 communities. A vast coastal terrain replete with ancient trees and waterways, the Tongass is a haven of biodiversity, providing critical habitat for around 400 species, including black bears, brown bears, wolves, bald eagles, Sitka black-tailed deer, trout, and five species of Pacific salmon.

Source: The Bullet No. 2902