CONTENTS
CALLS TO ACTION
No Deal, No AGO
Over 400 Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) workers are on strike against contracting out and for better hours, liveable wages, and a future at the gallery. Our livelihoods should matter, not just the bottom line.We keep the gallery lights on. We keep the doors open. We keep the art moving. And on March 26, we shut it down.
Stand with workers on strike at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) – pledge to not cross their picket line! Take action now to add your name in solidarity, pledging to:
NOT renew your AGO membership;
NOT donate to the gallery;
NOT enter the gallery;
NOT attend gallery events; and
NOT cross the picket line
opseu.org/NoDealNoAGO
EVENTS
Screen “The Klabona Keepers” for free
When: April 8 to 22For Earth Day 2024 (April 22), Story Money Impact is helping anyone in Canada to organize their own screening of this powerful film about Indigenous resistance. Simply register using the form below — you can organize a personal viewing, a staff screening, or a public facing event.
storymoneyimpact.com
Fossil Fools Day
When: April 11th, 10amWhere: 644 Dixon Rd
Stand in solidarity with Indigenous Land Defenders resisting projects funded by @RBC.
you.leadnow.ca | Twitter poster
Book launch: Democratizing the Corporation
When: April 11th, 12pmDemocratizing the Corporation: The Bicameral Firm and Beyond.
tinyurl.com/RUPBookLaunch
Bookclub: Left of Karl Marx
When: April 11th, 6pmWhere: Different Booklist, 777 Bathurst St
A Dutty Boukman Book Club’s next session will take place on April 11th where we will review the book Left of Karl Marx: The Political Life of Black Communist Claudia Jones.
Jones was born in Belmont, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad in 1915. As a result of the post-war cocoa price crash, when she was eight years old, she moved to Harlem, New York. Her mother died five years later and her father eventually found worked to support the family.
Claudia became very active in the campaigns to defend the Black community and involved herself in local politics, as well as joining the British Communist party. She founded and edited The West Indian Gazette, which was a strong vehicle for her ongoing campaign for equal opportunities for black people. She was embraced by the Afro Caribbean community in London, and became one of the most charismatic Black leaders of her day.
Instagram Poster
Unfinished Revolutions
When: April 12-14Where: William Doo Auditorium, 45 Willcocks St
Unfinished Revolutions is an international gathering, a public forum and an intellectual and political space to deliberate the unsettled questions of revolutions, revolts, rebellions, and resistance in our contemporary world.
forms.office.com
Panel: Power
When: April 13th, 10amWhere: TMU, 55 Dundas St W
Onsite Gallery’s “power” exhibition offers artworks that challenge dominant colonial, capitalist and state capitalist worldviews. Hear from some of these Toronto-based artists and the exhibition curator, who use their eloquent sculpture, drawing, painting, installation, and video and curatorial practices to inspire and reflect ways of being that reposition the meaning of power to be grounded in respect, cooperation, and emotional intelligence.
Moderated by Ana Serrano, President & Vice Chancellor, OCAD University, featuring Rocky Dobey, Khadijah Morley, Ekow Nimako, Lisa Deanne Smith and Fiona Smyth.
Facebook poster | democracyxchange.org
Seedy Saturday
When: Saturday April 13th, 12pmWhere: 230 College St, 5th flr
The Toronto Seed Library & OPIRG Toronto are sow excited to announce that we are hosting (what we hope will bee!!) the first annual… UNIVERSITY-SPADINA SEEDY SATURDAY!
Free seeds, workshops, and food will be provided. If you have seeds, please bring some for the seed exchange.
Facebook poster
Gaza Square
When: Every Sunday, 11am to 1pmWhere: 371 Wallace Ave
We’ll be at Gaza square once again this Sunday morning with hot chocolate and coffee, buttons and posters, lawn signs and colourful chalk! Come say hi and meet your fellow neighbours/organizers as we make our presence known and continue to build safety in our community!
Instagram poster
Junk Independence Day
When: April 14th, 2pmWhere: 1677 St Clair Ave W
Got some old electronics hiding away at home? Looking for a source of spare parts for a project? Junk Independence Days where people bring in and swap old electronics and e-waste.
Typical / past items included: iPods / Mp3 Players / camcorders; Computers, laptops and parts; Printers / Scanners; Stereo amps, speakers.
hacklab.to
Weekly Phone-zap for Palestine
When: Mondays at 12pmWeek after week, we’re keeping the momentum going with our Monday lunchtime zaps.
Our collective action is making waves, but we need to ensure our elected officials continue to feel the pressure until real change happens.
Instagram poster | Register at zoom
When: April 15thDisability with Possibility: Highlights from Shape the CDB
When: Monday April 15th, 12pmJoin us on zoom to learn about key findings from our Shape the CDB project. Top 3 reasons to attend:
– Learn about what people with disabilities have to say about the Canada Disability Benefit.
– Spread the word about the Canada Disability Benefit and what it means for people with disabilities.
– Stay in the loop! Learn how to get involved and make a difference.
hubspotpagebuilder.com
Canadian Foreign Policy Hour with Yves Engler
When: Mondays at 6pmJoin 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
Remembering the HOGG’S HOLLOW TUNNEL Tragedy
When: Tuesday April 16, 7pmOn March 17, 1960, five men working on a watermain under the Don River died when a fire broke out in the tunnel.
They were all recent immigrants from Italy, part of the huge of wave of Italians in the 1950s who had become crucial to the Toronto construction industry.
Like so many others, these men had been mistreated, underpaid, and exposed to extremely dangerous working conditions.
mailchi.mp
Parkdale High–Park For Palestine: People’s Forum
When: Wednesday, April 17th, 5:30pmJoin Parkdale-High Park for Palestine as we come together with our neighbours and community members in grief, love, and an unwavering commitment to liberation. Taking place on Palestinian Prisoners Day, the People’s Forum for Palestine is an opportunity for community members to learn, share, and make their voices heard.
The event will be held at a venue in the Parkdale-High Park neighbourhood, accessible by transit. Location details will be emailed to registrants 24 hours prior to the event.
Register here
Film Social: “Cradle Will Rock”
When: April 17th, 7pmWhere: Eyesore Cinema, 1176 Bloor St
The Leo Panitch School for Socialist Education and the Socialist Project presents “Cradle Will Rock” as the next movie shown in our ongoing FilmSocial series.
“Cradle Will Rock” is a 1999 historical drama, written, produced and directed by Tim Robbins. The film dramatizes the development of the 1937 musical “The Cradle Will Rock” by Marx Blitzstein and the events surrounding it. It explores the role of art, power, and politics in the 1930s against the backdrop of the labour movement struggle and the increased appeal of socialism.
tickettailor.com
CSI Cinema: “Unarmed Verses”
When: April 17th, 9pmWhere: CSI Annex, 720 Bathurst St
CSI and REEL CANADA are celebrating National Film Day on Wednesday, April 17 at CSI Annex with a screening of Unarmed Verses! This year’s film is in part a moving documentary shown to honour and remember its director. Charles Officer – actor, writer, filmmaker, and longstanding member of REEL CANADA’s Board of Directors – passed in December 2023 (Support Charles Officer’s family here). Officer lent his talents not only to his films, but also to Canadian cinema more broadly; the Globe and Mail described him as “a rare director who could traverse the different worlds of the Canadian screen sector with remarkable ease.”
tickettailor.com
Growing our Movements
When: April 18th, 7pmRegister now to join this conversation with three incredible social justice leaders, as we talk through some big questions:
– Why aren’t charity and philanthropy enough to overcome the interconnected crises of our time?
– How do we cultivate strong social movements, making powerful demands, led by the communities most impacted by oppression?
Whether you’ve been thinking about these questions for years already, or they feel brand new – this webinar is for you! We’re deeply honoured to be in conversation with Desmond Cole, Mostafa Henaway, and Sarah Jama. They bring incredibly rich and complementary perspectives to this discussion, and we really hope you’ll join us to be a part of it.
zoom.us
Book launch: The Fall and Rise of American Finance
When: Saturday, April 27th, 7pmWhere: CSI Annex, 720 Bathurst St
All are warmly invited to join us for the Toronto launch of this insightful and timely book. As global left and progressive forces search for ways to meaningfully confront the ever-evolving capitalism of today, works such as The Fall and Rise of American Finance are a vital tool in understanding the shifting economic landscape we face.
tickettailor.com
ARTICLES
The Geopolitics of Global Capitalism and Ukraine
By Andreas Bieler and Adam David MortonIn our latest essay in Socialist Register 2024 we deliver a contribution to understanding contemporary geopolitics without shying away from placing our concerns within an analysis of capitalism. Spotlighting contributions across the social sciences we demonstrate a common tendency to avoid any reference to capitalism as a totality. Instead, mainstream approaches commonly strive for an emphasis on a multiplicity of contingent social factors shaping geopolitics that results in mystifying economic development.
Source: The Bullet No. 2969
Public Sector Unions: Canada Must Suspend Arms Trade with Israel
As Israel continues its bombardment of Gaza, which has resulted in a devastating number of civilian deaths, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) are calling on the Canadian government to immediately suspend the trade of arms and military equipment with Israel. More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.Source: The Bullet No. 2970