CONTENTS
CALLS TO ACTION
Silencing of Decolonial Voices at the AGO
To the AGO Staff, Board of Directors, and Trustees:For nearly two months, I have watched in horror at the mass killing and displacement of Palestinians, the complicity of the Canadian government and institutions, and the widespread censuring of critical voices of conscience across the country.
Today, I write to you in outrage at the sudden “departure” of Wanda Nanibush, the inaugural and only curator of Indigenous Art at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). Artists and cultural workers who have voiced solidarity with Palestine have faced draconian attempts at silencing, and the AGO’s silent removal of Nanibush following pressure from Israeli apologists implicates the Gallery in this troubling pattern. I call on the AGO to remember its institutional commitment to “dismantl[e] institutional discrimination, racism and oppression” and to foster an “inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible” environment.
actionnetwork.org
Canada should add its voice to South Africa’s
Join Gabor Mate, Rawi Hage, Roger Waters, Libby Davies, Michael Lynk, Richard Falk, Avi Lewis and over a 1,000 others along with 150+ organizations including CUPE Ontario, the BC Civil Liberties Association, Law Union of Ontario, in calling on Trudeau to back South Africa’s case against Israel’s genocideThe South African government recently requested that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) make an urgent order declaring Israel in breach of its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention. This is an important non-violent effort to curtail the destruction of Gaza, which has seen 23 000 killed, 2 million displaced and half a million threatened by famine.
actionnetwork.org
EVENTS
Hunger Strike for Gaza
January 17 Update (Day 27)# of hunger strikes completed: 189
# of upcoming hunger strikes: 291
TOTAL HUNGER STRIKES: 480
Canadians are hunger striking for an arms embargo on Israel
The Canadian government has called for a ceasefire in Gaza, but continues to supply weapons to Israel.
Canadians are on a rotating hunger strike. This means that every single day, numerous Canadians from coast to coast will be on a hunger strike.
gazastarving.com
#BetterMedicare Webinar: Dental Care in Canada
When: January 18th, 7pmCanadian Doctors for Medicare collaborates with the Coalition for Dental Care to engage in an in-depth conversation about the Canadian Dental Care Plan.
We’re delighted to introduce our distinguished panelists for this conversation: Dr. Paul Allison, Joan Rush, and Dr. Hasan Sheikh. Our moderator guiding us through the discussion will be Brandon Doucet from the Coalition of Dental Care.
zoom.us
Palestine Prohibited
When: January 19th, 2pmFaculty for Palestine National Webinar: Palestine Prohibited
Moderators: Susan Ferguson (Wilfrid Laurier University) & Greg Bird (Wilfrid Laurier University)
Speakers:
– Muhannad Ayyash (Mount Royal University)
– Chandni Desai (University of Toronto)
– Dyala Hamzah (Université de Montréal)
– Joshua Sealy-Harrington (Toronto Metropolitan University)
– Anna Zalik (York University)
– Jasmin Zine (Wilfrid Laurier University)
zoom.us
Book launch: Crisis and Contagion
When: January 19th, 6pmWhere: Another Story Bookshop, 315 Roncesvalles Ave
Join the in-person discussion of Crisis and Contagion: Conversations on Capitalism and Covid-19, edited by Ian McKay.
Crisis and Contagion: Conversations on Capitalism and Covid-19 is a selection of interviews with some of the world’s leading leftist thinkers, who propose that to understand the impact of Covid-19, we have to understand the conflictual history of capitalism – and to ward off future pandemics, we need to start building a post-capitalist alternative to the disease-generating and highly unequal global neoliberal order. With special guest and book contributor Nora Loreto.
Register on Eventbrite.
Confronting Systemic Racism
When: Saturday, January 20th, 5pmWhere: Royal Canadian Legion Branch, 9 Dawes Rd
SAWIS is organizing a community roundtable discussion to identify the impacts of systemic racism on the lives of racialized immigrant community women, and the necessity and possibilities for change.
During this roundtable community women leaders will share information on local, provincial, and national anti-racist discourses and on existing anti-racist organizations and initiatives that aligne with community-identified need/possibilities for change.
South Asian Women’s and Immigrants Services.
Stop the Genocide
When: Sunday January 21st, 1pmWhere: Bay and Front St
Cesefire Now – Lift the Siege on Gaza
Join our anti-genocide march on January 21st at 1 pm, Front & Bay Intersection. Unite against Israel’s 100+ day Gaza genocide. Demand a permanent ceasefire, an end to Canadian complicity in war crimes, political prisoners’ freedom, & an end to the brutal Zionist occupation.
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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
Beyond Apartheid
When: January 22nd, 6pmWhere: William Doo Auditorium, 45 Wilcocks St
Speakers:
– Mohammad Fadel, UofT Faculty of Law
– Ariel Katz, UofT Faculty of Law
– Majid Al-Shihabi, UofT Dept of Geography + Planning
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How Do We Get to Peace?
When: Tuesday, January 23rd, 12pmDr. Gabor Maté in conversation with Rabbi David Wolpe
Please join us on January 23rd on Zoom to hear Dr. Gabor Maté and Rabbi David Wolpe discuss the ongoing crisis in Palestine/Israel. Discussion moderated by Rahel Bayar, Esq.
Facebook | register
Women Speak Out for Peace
When: January 23rd, 12pmSince the end of the last century with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the disappearance of the Soviet Union, NATO is on the move. Its “out of area” military operation in Afghanistan in 2011, lasted for 20 years. Since 1994 the African counties Algeria, Egypt, Mauretania, Morocco and Tunisia are together with Israel and Jordan in the NATO partnership program Mediterranean Dialog (MD) NATO. Thus began a “Global NATO,” project to use the NATO military alliance beyond its own charter obligations from the South China Sea to the Caribbean Sea forwarded to Australia.
masspeaceaction.org
Let It Be a Tale
When: January 23rd, 7pmWhere: Another Story Bookshop, 315 Roncesvalles Ave
Join us for an evening to remember Refaat Alareer: writer, editor and poet from Gaza. He was killed on December 7th, 2023 in Gaza.
The event will feature readings from his poem “If I Die” in different languages, including English, Arabic, French, Yiddish, Farsi, Spanish, Italian, Tamil and more, as well as reflections on his importance. Speakers include Roula Said, Suvendrini Lena, Lara Arabian, Yousef Kadoura, Sam Khalilieh, Parya Heravi, Elena Basile, Kathy Wazana, Shayle Kilroy, Kyo Maclear, Ali Kazimi and others.
Co-sponsored by Jews Say No to Genocide | Facebook event
Understanding Palestine: Critical Insights and a Way Forward
When: Wednesday, January 24th, 6pmWhere: Brock University
At this event, we will have the opportunity to better understand what’s happening in Palestine in the last 75 years. The speakers will present critical perspectives on the ongoing unprecedented development in the region, and highlight the Canadian and other western governments’ complicity with the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe. As a labour union, we make the case for the necessity to stand in solidarity with Palestinians, and support those who speak up against the genocide.
docs.google.com
Mayor Chow, Where Are You?
When: January 25th, 1pmWhere: Toronto City Hall
The developer, KingSett Capital, has informed us that, rather than proceed with plans to build a luxury condo in Toronto’s Downtown East, it is prepared to sell the site to the city.
Mayor Chow has not responded to requests for her to make her intentions clear. In fact, she has doggedly refused to acknowledge our existence.
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The Fascist Threat and What it Means for Working Class Politics
When: February 9th, 7pmWhere: 310 Danforth Ave
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
ARTICLES
Canadian CEO pay breaks all records
Canada’s 100 highest-paid CEOs again broke every compensation record on the books in 2022, according to a new report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).In Canada’s New Gilded Age: CEO Pay in 2022, CCPA Senior Economist David Macdonald shows that those 100 CEOs, who are overwhelmingly male, got paid a whopping average of $14.9 million in 2022. This amount surpasses their previously record-breaking pay of $14.3 million in 2021 and sets a new all-time high in our data series.
They now make 246 times more than the average worker wage in Canada, besting even their previous high of 243 times the average worker wage in 2021.
Source: CCPA
The Gaza Crisis: A Modest Proposal for Immediate Relief
By Judith DeutschThis modest proposal is not a satire after Jonathan Swift’s 18th century satirical essay “A Modest Proposal” in which he suggested that the British solve the Irish overpopulation problem by eating Irish children. My proposal is about feasible and immediate ways to stop Israel from massacring its colonized people, killing on average a Palestinian child every fifteen minutes and an adult every ten minutes. The most recent estimate by the Euro-Med Monitor is that Israel has killed 29,000 Palestinians in two months (plus unknown numbers buried under rubble, plus uncounted numbers who die due to horrendous health conditions). Many will ridicule my proposals as utterly politically naïve.
Source: The Bullet No. 2933
Beyond Solidarity Statements, Palestinian Unions Call for Escalated Action
By Trade Unions for Energy DemocracyUnions defend the right to energy and quality public services. Today [Dec 15] marks the 70th day of Israel imposing a complete siege on Gaza, cutting access to food, water, fuel, and electricity to its 2.3 million residents. Around 22,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israel and 85% of the population has been forced from their homes. For 75 years, the occupation of Palestine has systematically violated the right to essential public services.
Source: The Bullet No. 2934
Strategy, the Movement and Power: Debating Labour and Community Organizing
By Kurt StandTwo recent books, Labor Power and Strategy and Power Concedes Nothing, speak to the urgency of our times – the sense of danger, the sense of possibility, the need to grasp the moment. The fact that these are each collective efforts with multiple authors providing perspectives based on different realms of engagement is a reminder that only by drawing broadly from all streams of activism will we be able to defeat the fascist danger which threatens us all, be able to overcome the fragmentation and destruction which capitalism in its neoliberal phase is imposing on working people, on society at large. Yet the two books reflect strikingly different frameworks as the following quotes make clear.
Source: The Bullet No. 2935
ICJ hearings: South Africa’s Case for Israel’s Genocide in Gaza
Watch the full proceedings of the first day at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) hearing for South Africa’s genocide claim against Israel in Gaza.Source: LeftStreamed