CONTENTS

1. CALLS TO ACTION
2. EVENTS
3. ARTICLES

Have your say in helping to end disability poverty

October 17th, 2023, was the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. People with disabilities continue to struggle to cover basic needs in the face of ongoing rising costs for food and housing. Disabled people in Canada make up over 40% of those living in poverty and over 50% of people depending on food banks.

To mark the day we are launching a cross-Canada project focused on outlining the priorities, values and recommendations of people with disabilities, especially those living in or near poverty, in order to shape the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB). This will help policy-makers and government officials understand the needs and perspectives of this population and be sure the CDB reflects those needs.

If you are a person with a disability OR the caregiver or family member of a disabled person who needs assistance to participate – access the online questionnaire.

Dr. Hassan Diab tells his story

When: October 19th, 1pm
Where: Carleton University, Tory Building, Room 360 (and zoom)

Dr. Hassan Diab will talk about how political realities in France resulted in a wrongful conviction. A trial in Paris in April 2023, that brought forward no evidence and relied on secret intelligence, declared Hassan guilty. He is at risk of being extradited a second time to France for a crime he did not commit.

justiceforhassandiab.org

Gaza and the Struggle for Palestine

When: October 19th, 1pm

In response to the events of October 7th, Israel has declared total war on Gaza and has vowed to cut its supply of food, electricity, and water, while bombing the Strip and killing entire families.

This webinar, featuring Noura Erakat, Mariam Barghouti, and Refaat Alareer, will discuss how to understand the current situation in Palestine, the 17-year siege of Gaza, and questions of resistance, colonialism, the role of Biden and US imperialism, and mass struggle.

eventbrite.com

The 1970s and Us

When; October 19th, 5pm
Where: UofT, Victoria College Chapel, 91 Charles St W

Michael Hardt, author of The Subversive Seventies.

eventbrite.ca | Facebook poster

Book talk: Escape to the City

When: October 19th, 7pm

A discussion with Viola Franziska Müller as she presents her new book, Escape to the City: Fugitive Slaves in the Antebellum Urban South.

zoom.us

Labor Action for Palestine

When: October 19th, 7:30pm

Union siblings, please join this urgent meeting to coordinate resources, strategy and action. We in U.S. labor cannot stand by while our taxdollars go toward genocide of an entire population.

Palestine needs labor’s hand in solidarity and that demands union leadership on the right side of history. Let us fight to stop the bloodshed by demanding an immediate ceasefire now!

zoom.us

Anti-Racism Training: Session 1

When: Friday October 20th, 1pm

This training series, developed and presented by Moms Against Racism, resulted from numerous requests from For Our Kids’ teams for more support and training on integrating anti-racist values and practices into their community organizing, including how to build more inclusive and diverse teams.

Sessions are open for all local team members and individual parents in the For Our Kids network. Participants are asked to attend all three trainings. Being part of a cohort of learners will help us support each other in applying what we learn across our teams and network in real time.

forourkids.ca

The Guatemalan Spring

When: October 20th, 7pm
Where: 720 Spadina Ave, Suite 202

Revolution Day in Guatemala takes place on October 20 every year. It commemorates a landmark moment in the country’s history; on this day in 1944, a democratic rebellion overthrew over ten years of oppressive rule under military dictator Jorge Ubico. The architects of the revolution? Students, teachers, and workers. They stood up and decided enough was enough. These brave protestors fought for liberty, their right to free speech and religion, and liberation from crippling fear and want. Revolution Day changed the scope of Guatemalan politics and society, paving the way for positive reform and human rights activism.

mailchi.mp

Film Screening: Silvicola

When: Saturday October 21st, 8:30pm
Where: Paradise Theatre, 1006c Bloor Street W

Set amongst the rugged forests and shorelines of the British Columbia, Silvicola is a tableau of the complex web of cultural and economic forces which compel and constrain modern forestry practices. Telling a story through the eyes of an eclectic mix of characters whose lives and livelihoods are intimately entangled with the forest, Silvicola employs sinuating vignettes and industrial soundscapes to explore the tensions and dilemmas between commodification and conservation.

cinemapolitica.org

Your Power at Work

When: Sunday October 22nd, 1pm (also Nov 5 and 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

WBW Launch

When: Sunday October 22nd, 2pm
Where: Dovercourt Park, Fire Pit

After a short hiatus, the Toronto WBW chapter is relaunching! Click here or on the poster below to RSVP for our chapter launch.

worldbeyondwar.org/toronto

Book launch: The Bund

When: October 22nd, 5pm

Meet the creators of The Bund: A Graphic History of Jewish Labour Resistance.

Sharon Rudahl, Michael Kluckner, and Paul Buhle introduce their new graphic history portraying the story of Jewish labor resistance in a free virtual book talk live on Zoom.

btlbooks.com

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

Ticking Time Bombs

When: Tuesday October 24th, 5pm
Where: University College (Main Building), 15 King’s College Circle

Cesar Jaramillo, Executive Director of Canada’s Project Ploughshares, is a prolific author and speaker on peace issues. He has addressed the UN General Assembly First Committee, the Conference on Disarmament, the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, as well as states parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and to the Arms Trade Treaty.

eventbrite.ca | zoom.us

Woman, Life, Freedom Anthology Fundraiser

When: Tuesday, October 24th, 7pm
Place: Main Hall, Tranzac Club, 292 Brunswick Ave
Admission: $35

Featured poets: Katerina Fretwell, Sahar Golshan, Mohineet Kaur Boparai, Sonja Greckol.

Featured Musician: Shahriyar Jamshidi.

+ Silent Auction of Artwork by Katerina Fretwell, Daniel Maluka, and more.

Facebook event

UAW President Shawn Fain updates negotiations #StandUpUAW

The United Auto Workers (UAW) began a targeted strike against the Detroit Three automakers (Ford, GM, Stellantis) on September 15. As of October 6, 2023, the UAW has made progress in negotiations, including 23% wage increase, getting COLA back to the 2007 formula, $20 raise for temps, shorter wage progression to full wages and more.

Source: LeftStreamed

Similar Challenges, Different Narratives: A Tale of Two Unions

By Herman Rosenfeld

The 2023 auto bargaining between the auto unions and the Detroit “Big 3” is shaking out to be different in a way that few of us could have imagined. The objective conditions favour an environment of working-class gains, with some countervailing factors. Job markets favour workers, despite a post-COVID inflationary period and high interest rates used to force neoliberal levels of inflation. Workers across the economies of both the US and Canada have been looking to make up for the huge losses resulting from previous concessions (since the early 2000s and inflation and the recent inflationary period).

Source: The Bullet No. 2886

Faculty in Canada Condemn the Israeli Invasion of Birzeit University

By Faculty for Palestine

Dear Lisa Stadelbauer, Ambassador of Canada to Israel,

We write on behalf of Faculty for Palestine (F4P) Canada to condemn the Israeli military’s invasion of Birzeit University (BZU) on September 24, 2023, one day after the start of the 2023-24 academic year. F4P includes over 600 faculty from over 40 universities and 15 colleges across Canada. We condemn in the strongest terms the forcible entrance of undercover Israeli special military forces and military vehicles that laid siege to the campus and arrested 8 Palestinian students on September 24th.

Source: The Bullet No. 2887

Class Leaders and Tipping Point for Advanced Capitalism

By D. W. Livingstone

We are living in the most dangerous time for the human species since our early origins. The massive numbers of wildfires destroying large swaths of Canada and elsewhere this summer are one sign among many that we are mere years away from irreversible environmental degradation. The Ukraine War reminds us that we are within a few minutes of nuclear winter. We are witnessing historic highs in the inequitable concentration of wealth and lows in popular confidence in elected governments. The capitalist system is driven by the obsessive need to turn every conceivable material good and service into profitable commodities regardless of longer-term sustainability of life. Even as we become concerned about more evident environmental threats to decent life, many pragmatically accept current commodity comforts while ignoring their connection with the corporate profit drive.

Source: The Bullet No. 2888

Two Statements on the War on Gaza and Canada

By Palestinian-Canadian Academics and Artists Network

Palestinians will not be erased. The Palestinian Canadian Academics and Artists Network (PCAAN) is appalled at the wholesale erasure of the shock and grief experienced by the Palestinian Canadian community at this time. The inalienable need for liberation, the right of self-determination, and the inviolable belonging of the Palestinian people to the land, as inscribed and reinstated in countless UN resolutions, have been negated by the Canadian establishment. In the face of over 75 years of apartheid, 56 years of occupation, and a 17-year blockade, this is mind-blowing.

Source: The Bullet No. 2889