CONTENTS

1. CALLS TO ACTION
2. EVENTS
3. ARTICLES

Arms Embargo on Israel

Petition to the Government of Canada

Whereas:
– Israel’s war with Hamas killed almost 20,000 people in Gaza in the two months between October 7 and December 18, 2023, with about 70% of them women and children;
– The civilian casualty rate in this war is significantly higher than the average rate in all the conflicts around the world during the 20th century;
– In the occupied West Bank, 2023 has been the deadliest year on record since the UN began reporting in 2005, with at least 477 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire;
– The value of Canada’s arms trade with Israel has been accelerating in the last few years, and in 2022 Canada transferred over $20m in arms to Israel, the third-highest level on record, even adjusted for inflation;

We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to:
1. Impose a two-way embargo on arms between Canada and Israel;
2. Investigate whether Canadian weapons or weapons components have been used against Palestinian civilians in the occupied Palestinian territories, including during the current war on Gaza;
3. Review all military and security cooperation between Canada and Israel; and
4. Close loopholes that allow the unregulated and unreported transfer of military goods to Israel through the United States.

www.ourcommons.ca

Benjamin Moore: Get back to the bargaining table

USW Local 13571 members working at Benjamin Moore in Vaughan, Ont., have been on strike since Nov. 10, 2023. We need your help to get Benjamin Moore bosses back to the table to negotiate a fair contract!

usw.ca

The climate-nuclear nexus

When: January 11th, 1pm

Join climate security expert Sherri Goodman and nuclear security expert Jamie Kwong in conversation with Stimson Center non-resident fellow Theo Kalionzes to discuss how climate change is affecting nuclear policy. We will cover topics like how climate change acts as a “threat multiplier,” what policymakers think of this issue, and what we can do to mitigate impacts from new threats in a world of increasingly complicated climate reality.

zoom.us

Worker to Worker Solidarity

When: January 13th, 2pm

Join Labour for Palestine Canada for panel presentations and discussion with labour activists and organizers from Palestine, Europe, US and Canada on building a worker-led movement against Israel apartheid.

zoom.us | Global Day of Action

65th Anniversary Cuban Revolution

When: January 13th, 7pm (doors 6:30pm)
Where: USW Hall, 25 Cecil St
Admission: $20

Special guests – Live music – hot food – cash bar

Facebook poster

100 Days of Genocide

When: January 14th, 4pm
Where: Israeli Consulate, 2 Bloor St E

Urgent action – 100 Days of Genocide. When there is no justice, there will be no peace.

On this day specifically, the 100th day of the Israeli genocide in Gaza, we stand unified in amplifying our voices to demand Canada unequivocally confront its complicity! We demand recognition and acknowledgment for every Palestinian life taken by the Israeli occupation and we demand ongoing protection and sovereignty for Palestinians under siege.

Instagram poster | Twitter poster

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

Book launch: Black Boys Like Me

When: January 16th, doors open 6pm, start at 7pm
Where: Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas Street W

Another Story Bookshop and Penguin Canada present the Toronto launch for Matthew R Morris Black Boys Like Me: Confrontations with Race, Identity and Belonging.

Featuring a panel discussion with Shireen Ahmed, Nigel Barriffe and Eternity Martis. Moderated by Elamin Abdelmahmoud.

Spoken word by Jadyn Scott. Music by DJ Primetime.

eventbrite.ca

Book launch: Beryl: The Making of a Disability Activist

When: January 16th, 7pm

Join the virtual book launch of Beryl: The Making of a Disability Activist by Dustin Galer.

Beryl Potter devoted herself to bettering the lives of other people with disabilities and made a tremendous contribution to disability awareness from the 1970s to 1990s. In this unparalleled biography, Dustin Galer demonstrates how Beryl Potter cracked the code of the social system that oppressed her. By wading into the weeds of her complicated life before and after her accident, Galer leaves readers with a complex portrait of a woman who defied and challenged gender and disability norms of her time, paving the way for disability justice.

With special guests Judy Rebick, Donna Thomson, Geoffrey Reaume, Michael Gottheil.

Register here.

Book launch: Harvesting Freedom: The Life of a Migrant Worker in Canada

When: January 16th, 7pm

Join this free online event with Author/Activist Gabriel Allahdua as he discusses his memoir Harvesting Freedom: The Life of a Migrant Worker in Canada.

Gabriel Allahdua left St. Lucia after a hurricane destroyed his farm in 2010. In 2012, he became one of the many temporary foreign workers coming to Canada through the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program. He left the program in 2015 to become a permanent resident in Canada.

Gabriel is now an organizer with Justicia for Migrant Workers and an outreach worker with The Neighbourhood Organization. He has become a voice for migrant workers and an advocate for their regularization.

mailchi.mp

TTCriders online training

When: Tuesday January 16th, 7pm

City Councillors will soon be voting on Toronto’s budget for 2024. Your voice is needed to convince City Councillors to start funding construction of a replacement busway for the Scarborough RT and to show Councillors that transit riders want a more reliable and affordable TTC.

google.com | Twitter poster

Palestine Through The Lens Of International Law

When: January 17th, 5pm
Where: 15 King’s College Circle

Michael Lynk is Professor Emeritus of Law, Western University, London, Ontario, where he has taught international and Canadian human rights law, labour law, and constitutional law. Between 2016 and 2022, he served as the United Nations Special Rapporteur for the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, delivering regular reports to the UN General Assembly and the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

eventbrite.ca | zoom.us

The influence of U.S. politics in Canada

When: Jan 17th, 7:30pm

It’s an election year in the United States. This month on our Off the Hill panel, our guests dive into the explosive world of U.S. politics and discuss the many ways our neighbours south of the border influence Canada.

This month, we’re joined by Member of Parliament for Timmins-James Bay, Charlie Angus; senior researcher at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Stuart Trew; poet and activist El Jones; and rabble’s parliamentary reporter, Karl Nerenberg. Co-hosted by Robin Browne and Libby Davies.

zoom.us

The Fascist Threat and What it Means for Working Class Politics

When: February 9th, 7pm
Where: CSI, 720 Bathurst St

Amidst unfolding environmental disaster, ongoing genocide, and a lack of faith in public institutions, fascist and anti-democratic movements continue to gain political ground, both at home and abroad. How can working class movements respond to these fundamental threats? How can we build a real alternative that can challenge the dominant politics of division and distrust?

To speak to this pressing topic, The Leo Panitch School for Socialist Education is thrilled to host Adolph Reed Jr. for his re-scheduled special guest lecture, THE FASCIST THREAT: What it Means for Working Class Politics.

tickettailor.com

On Palestinian and Other Resistance In Times of Catastrophe

A lecture from Andreas Malm on the situation in Gaza. Hosted by Teach Ins for Palestine, and Stockholm Academics for Palestine. Recorded in Stockholm, 7th December 2023.

Source: LeftStreamed

Essential Services in Quebec and the ‘crystal ball’ by François Legault

By Yvan Perrier

In the present labour dispute in the public and semi-public sectors, the issue of essential services has unquestionably resurfaced in the news. There was also the famous statement by Premier of Quebec François Legault announcing the return to class of Quebec students on Monday, December 18, 2023. Let’s take a look back at these two key issues raised in the last week. Some people seem to dream of a well-ordered society, free of social conflict. Unfortunately, such a society does not exist.

Source: The Bullet No. 2931

International Coalition Forms To Demand End To Genocide In Palestine

On December 30, the newly-formed International Coalition to Stop Genocide in Palestine convened around the urgent need for nations to invoke the Genocide Convention as a way to end the State of Israel’s devastating bombing campaign and additional war crimes being committed in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. That effort advanced on December 29 when South Africa submitted a well-documented case against Israel to the International Court of Justice.

Source: The Bullet No. 2932