CONTENTS
CALLS TO ACTION
Call for a National Day of Mourning
Survivors of residential schools and their families carry the burden of this tragedy and it is due time that Canada as a whole also share this burden . These deaths impact every person in this land and so it’s important that we all come together to mourn. That’s why we are asking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Minister Marc Miller, and Minister Carolyn Bennett to call for a National Day of Mourning.The legacy and history of residential schools is lived each day by mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers of the loved ones lost. All Canadians should take time to reflect on this dark chapter in history and extend a hand of support, understanding and love to all those that need it at this time.
change.org
EVENTS
Fossil Fuel Treaty: a Bold Feminist Climate Solution for Peace
When: Thursday, April 21st, 11amJoin us with leaders of the feminist peace movement to elevate the alternative values which have always been intrinsic to human survival: solidarity, equality, care and compassion, community. Now we can build on these with a new legal norm: a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.
fossilfueltreaty.org
Half Earth Socialism
When: Thursday Apr 21st, 12noonAnimal Liberation Currents and Verso Books, in cooperation with Canadian Dimension, present the book launch for Half Earth Socialism.
In their new book, Troy Vettese and Drew Pendergras have asked “the hard questions about politics in an age of ecological collapse: How does socialist democracy work? What does a truly environmentally stable society look like? How could an eco-socialist coalition take power?”
eventbrite.com
Live: Ben Burgis
When: April 21st, 7pmWhere: Duke of York Pub, 39 Prince Arthur Ave
The case for the enduring relevance of the incarnation of Hitchens is made in Christopher Hitchens: What He Got Right, How He Went Wrong, and Why He Still Matters. The author, Ben Burgis, is a columnist for Jacobin magazine and host of “Give Them an Argument”, a politics show on YouTube.
twitter.com
#BetterMedicare
When: April 21st, 7pmFor our next #BetterMedicare Webinar we will be talking about expanding access to health care to people who are currently uninsured or without status.
This pandemic has shown us that our communities are only as healthy as every community member. Despite this fact, many people living in Canada are uninsured – including migrant workers, international students, those without status, rejected refugee claimants and others.
zoom.us
Earth Day Online Workshop for kids
When: Friday April 22nd, 12:30pmRelay Education presents a workshop on the conservation of energy and renewable energy sources with a focus on wind and solar power. Students will learn about uses of electricity, over-consumption and its impact on biodiversity.
relayeducation.com
Ben Burgis live at RU
When: April 22nd, 6:30pmWhere: Ryerson University, 350 Victoria St., Podium Building 250
Ben Burgis discusses philosophical liberalism and Marxism followed by an extensive discussion and Q&A with Matt McManus and Victor Bruzzone.
Ben Burgis is the author of Christopher Hitchens: What He Got Right, How He Went Wrong, and Why He Still Matters.
eventbrite.com
Election Flyering
When: April 23, May 6, May 7.Join parents and education workers distributing flyers in different neighbourhoods. Share with voters what public education needs from the next provincial government, so our kids get the schools they deserve!
Please fill out this form to sign up and volunteer.
Earth Defenders in Latin America and Canada
When: Saturday April 23rd, 4:30pmAn inspiring conversation with women water defenders from across the Americas:
– Sleydo’ (Molly Wickham) of the Gidmit’en Clan in Wet’suwet’en territory, British Columbia, Canada
– Patricia Gualinga of the Kíchwa Indigenous People of Sarayaku and the Amazonian Women Collective in Ecuador
– Afro-Colombian defender Yuvelis Morales of the Committee for the Defence of Water, Life and Land in Puerto Wilches, Colombia
Hosted by Amnesty International | zoom.us
Sandy and Nora’s anti-war roundtable
When: April 23rd, 8:30pmAs Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its third month, join Sandy and Nora for a special roundtable discussion about building a movement against war and imperialism. Guests include Rachel Small and Krisna Saravanamuttu.
zoom.us
Lessons from the Holocaust
When: April 26th, 6:30pmAs we approach Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day 2022, we need to listen to a range of lessons from the remaining survivors and commemorate not only the perished but also those saved by the remarkable courage of others.
Born to Jewish parents in Paris in 1941, Suzanne Berliner Weiss was given up by her parents and hidden from the Nazis on a farm in rural France. Her mother died in the Auschwitz concentration camp.
zoom.us
Worker and Union Solidarity with China: Why and How?
When: April 26th, 7pmCanada-China Focus Presents a webinar with Kent Wong, Director, UCLA Labor Center, founding president, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance.
Solidarity exchanges between trade unions in China, Canada and US were put on hold by COVID. At the same time, economic and geo-political conflicts between nations have created new challenges to workers and unions. This webinar explores the value of worker-to-worker relationships despite those conflicts — indeed, made more important in a climate of anti-Asian racism and protectionism.
zoom.us
#Rally4ODSP
When: April 28th, 11amWhere: Queen’s Park
We’ve partnered w/ @ODCoalition and @djnontario to hold our 2nd #Rally4ODSP @ Queen’s Park on Apr 28th, to draw attention and demand an increase to woefully inadequate SA rates which have REMAINED FROZEN since 2018!
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Rally for Decent Work
When: May 1stWe all deserve better. We deserve to have decent wages, adequate hours and safe working conditions. We deserve affordable housing, proper health care and education, all the services we rely on. Every single one of us deserves enough income to live on, whether we are working or in-between jobs; whether we are injured or disabled; whether we are retired or just starting out; whether we are sick or on parental leave. It’s our future, our fight — let’s make it happen.
justice4workers.org
ARTICLES
Ford Ramping Up Privatization of Ontario Healthcare System
By Doreen NicollIn Ontario, the real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita hit its historic high in 2019. According to Randy Robinson, Ontario Director for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, there is more money in the province than when Ontario created Medicare, built the 400 series highways or set up the community college system. Robinson says, “Ontario’s economic foundation is strong and yet, we continue to spend far less on public services than other provinces do.”
Source: The Bullet No. 2598
Labor Anti-War Resolution
On April 12, the Western Massachusetts Area Labor Federation AFL-CIO joined a growing number of labor organizations in passing a resolution calling for the withdrawal of all Russian forces from Ukraine and the resolution of the conflict through intensive diplomatic negotiations that respect Ukrainian sovereignty. Diplomacy, not war and military power, is the only way to promote security and prosperity for working people in Ukraine, in Russia, in the US, and around the world. We call on President Biden and Congress to forego our long and destructive history of a militarized foreign policy and instead engage in robust diplomacy and de-escalation efforts.Source: The Bullet No. 2599
Amazon Workers Form a Union
By Jordan House and Paul Christopher GrayAmazon workers in Staten Island have achieved something the company has been fighting for years to prevent: a union. The breakthrough at Amazon’s JFK8 facility is being hailed as the “most important labour victory in the United States since the 1930s.” That it was won by the independent Amazon Labor Union (ALU) is all the more significant, in light of the failures of larger and better-resourced unions like the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in Alberta, and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) in Alabama.
Source: The Bullet No. 2600
Social Sources of Political Polarization in Russia
Two authors from the 2022 Socialist Register offer a compelling account of rising urban-rural and core-periphery polarization in Russia under the authoritarian nationalism of Vladimir Putin. Until recently, Putin was able to rely on the apathetic indifference of the people and general appeals to social stability to maintain unchallenged power.Source: LeftStreamed