CONTENTS

1. CALLS TO ACTION
2. EVENTS
3. ARTICLES

Stop Economic Blockade of Cuba

The petition (e-3456) to the Government of Canada Against the U.S. Economic Blockade of Cuba and on Canada-Cuba Relations is now open for signatures.

The petition initiated by the Canadian Network On Cuba is sponsored by Niki Ashton, member of Canada’s parliament for the federal constituency of Churchill—Keewatinook Aski in the province of Manitoba.

English | French

Gathering the memories – An Oral History Project

The Toronto Workers’ History Project (TWHP) is launching a new project to gather the memories of the old-timers in Toronto’s labour movement. So much of the history of the struggles of the city’s workers is available only in the stories that these women and men can tell.

Who should be on the list to be interviewed? Anyone who made an important contribution to the struggles of working people in this city. They don’t have to have been president of their union. We want to cast the net widely.

Send us names and contact information, with ages and health condition of these people, along with some information on what they contributed to labour’s cause.

twhp.ca

Canada and the World /w Tyler Shipley

When: Wednesdays at 7:30pm, till August 25

Tyler Shipley is running a free, nine-week online course called “Canada in the World”, loosely following the structure of his book of the same title (which is naturally recommended but by no means necessary for your participation in the course). The first class is June 30, just in time to ruin Canada Day!

Anyone who would like to refresh or fill in some gaps in Canadian history is more than welcome to join. There are no assignments or grading, just a couple hours on Zoom every Wednesday evening.

July 14: The ‘Birth’ of a Nation
July 21: Flirting with Fascism
July 28: Korea, Vietnam and the Canadian Cold War

For those interested, send an email to tyshipley@hotmail.com.

Solidarity Picket

When: Thursday July 15th, 8am
Where: Tomlinson Systems Inc. (662 Shaver Road, Ancaster, ON)

Since July 3, members of USW 3905 have been locked out as National Rubber Technologies have demanded 63 concessions. Some of these concessions include severance and the many gains these workers have fought hard for and won.

The CEO of National Rubber Technologies is Terry Tomlinson, who is also the current owner of Tomlinson Systems Inc. Mr. Tomlinson is a rogue CEO who believes our members should be forced to work overtime. He has removed enhanced severance and discriminated against workers with disabilities, as he believes workers should be compensated above the regular wage increase only if they have had perfect attendance.

There will be a solidarity picket with USW 3905 members happening next Monday, July 19, at the plant at 35 Cawthra Ave, Toronto. Labour Council President Andria Babbington will be joining members in solidarity at this event.

twitter.com

Hidden in Plain Sight

When: July 18th, 3pm

Uncovering the Canada-Israel Weapons and Surveillance Trade

A few months ago, it was announced that the Canadian military would buy new drone surveillance technology manufactured in Israel and ‘battle-tested’ during Israel’s 2014 assault on Gaza, when 164 children were killed by drone strikes.

While the subsequent public outcry was well-warranted, this announcement was simply a rare peek into a massive – and very secretive – ongoing collaboration between Canada and Israel on their weapons and surveillance systems. This includes extensive investments by the Canadian Pension Fund in Israel’s weapons, Canadian companies manufacturing parts for Israel’s weapons systems, Canada and Israel conducting joint police and military exercises, and the two countries’ regular sharing of security information.

actionnetwork.org

Fighting Islamophobia, from London to Quebec

When: Monday July 19th, 7pm

The June 6 attack on a Muslim family in London, Ontario, was a shocking reminder that Islamophobia is a racist poison in Canadian society. English Canadian media laid some of the blame on Quebec’s Law 21, an Islamophobic law that bans religious symbols in many public sector positions, including teachers.

Though it hasn’t taken the same legislative shape in English Canada (despite repeated attempts to do so at the federal level and in Ontario), the demonization of Muslims and Islam is very much alive, both in Quebec and in the rest of Canada (ROC).

Any law that legitimizes human rights violations can help fuel acts of hate. And any legal struggle against such a law can potentially help build popular resistance to the forces that led to it.

Speakers:
Sibel Ataogul is cofounder of Québec’s Association des juristes progressistes, president of the Canadian Association of Labour Lawyers and a founding member of Québec Solidaire.
Chantal Sundaram is a member of Québec solidaire, the author of “Islamophobia and Capitalism” and a leading member of the International Socialists.

zoom.us

Health Worker Media Training

When: July 20th, 6pm

We know that leveraging our voice as health workers has been an important contribution to the decent work movement.

On Tuesday, July 20, at 6:00pm EST, the Decent Work & Health Network will be hosting a Health Worker Media Training session.

This will be a space where health workers can learn from each other about best strategies when advocating for our patients in the media.

decentworkandhealth.org

Canvass Training:Transform the TTC

When: Tuesday July 20th, 6pm

The TTC is creating a new fare plan. On September 15th, the TTC Board will be debating the future of TTC. Get involved with our outreach at bus stops and subway stations. You can also join our fair policy campaign! In this training, you will find out:

– how to organize an outreach in your neighbourhood,
– make new connections in your community,
– best practices and resources available.

ttcriders.ca

Warehouse Workers Review Nomadland

Warehouse workers give their review of Nomadland, winner of the Oscar for Best Picture. A group of former employees at the Dollarama warehouse discuss the grueling realities of the new Amazon model of capitalism. They draw on the experiences to reflect on the similarities of their work in a large scale distribution centre to that portrayed of those working at the Amazon fulfillment centres in the film. While the film may place Amazon in the background as a natural landscape the workers discuss the subtle realities portrayed in the film, the early hours, the isolation, the solidarity, and the need for change.

Source: LeftStreamed

How Israel’s Hasbara Went Belly-up in the Face of Global Protest

By Nizar K. Visram

For 11 days in May of this year, the world watched in horror as Israel’s missile onslaught on the civilians of Gaza went into full swing. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this latest barrage on the strip resulted in the killing of 278, including 66 children, 39 women, and 17 elderly people, and the wounding 9,000. Nearly 17,000 residential and commercial units were smashed, displacing over 90,000 people.

Source: The Bullet No. 2413

Iranian Workers Unite in Huge Protest

By Yassamine Mather

A strike that started amongst one section of oil workers in southern Iran has spread to all oil exploration, refinery, and petrochemical plants in the country and is gaining widespread support from other workers too. Throughout the 20th century, Iranian oil workers have played an important political role in the struggles of the Iranian people, demanding not only the nationalization of oil production in the 1950s, but also, participating in action against the Shah’s corrupt regime. The nationwide oil strike before the February 1979 uprising played a significant role in its overthrow.

Source: The Bullet No. 2414

Haiti: From Neo-Colonialism to Neoliberal Brutality

By Yanis Iqbal

The 1697 Treaty of Ryswick legalized French control over the western third of the island of Hispaniola – a Spanish asset – under the name of Saint-Domingue. The colony proved to be a valuable spigot of wealth. In 1789, Saint-Domingue supplied two-thirds of the overseas trade of France and was the greatest individual market for the European slave trade. It was a greater source of income for its owners than the whole of Britain’s thirteen North American colonies combined.

Source: The Bullet No. 2415

Healthcare, Technology, and Socialized Medicine

Unlike earlier experiences, with Covid-19 we see an emergence of the whole world as a stage where the drama unfolds. This is, of course, due to the technological shrinkage of time and space in our age – now, microbes take flight. But the spectacular similitude of crises and responses at this level demonstrates how social structures, ideologies, and social values have converged globally. The rhetoric of war and the institution of quarantine, where everyone is a warrior, a victim, and a suspect at the same time, have mobilized individuals and communities to act out rituals that affirm bellum omnium contra omnes (the war of all against all), the foundation of capitalism.

Source: LeftStreamed