CONTENTS
Fundraising Request
Dear donor,
Your generous support of the Centre for Social Justice in the past is deeply appreciated. Your contribution is of vital importance to the struggle for a peaceful world and social and ecological justice in Ontario and Canada. Unfortunately, the world is far from at peace, with a war in Ukraine passing 1000 days, horrific strife in the Middle East, a new Cold War, and a massive armaments buildup unfolding in East Asia between the US, Japan, and China. All this with new deployment of nuclear warheads and hypersonic missile systems of incomprehensible lethal power. The arms agreements we struggled for in the past are now abandoned.
This military conflict is paralleled by a rise in civic conflict in the form of hard right, often authoritarian, governments. Their growing political strength stretches across Europe, from France and Italy to Eastern Europe, but also in states across the global South, and most recently, with the return of Donald Trump to the White House in the US. Canada has not been insulated from these trends, with Danielle Smith, Scott Moe, and Doug Ford occupying provincial offices in Canada, and the Conservative Party now being led by Pierre Poilievre with his habits of mimicking Trumpism in the US. It is alarming to see the rise of the gross social inequalities we have commented on regularly as encouraging the acceptance of reactionary political movements. This is a crucial time for social justice education and organizing.
Over the last years, we have been helping build the Leo Panitch School for Socialist Education, in honour of long-time patron of the CSJ and a leading intellectual in Canada until his recent death. We’ve supported public forums, reading groups, and workshops on Union Organizing at Amazon.
We could not keep the Centre’s programs going without your financial support. The neoliberal austerity agenda is on the verge of taking another hard right turn in the post-pandemic fiscal setting and to free up funds for NATO and military spending. We need to join the growing protest movements against climate change and inequality and for democracy. It is imperative to find new routes to peace, meeting human needs, and alternative political agendas.
We want to thank all of you who have helped us fund our programming at the Centre for Social Justice. Without your support we could not continue to be such a key part of building a new politics in Ontario and Canada. Donations can be made online at www.socialjustice.org/donate, and please consider joining our monthly plan, and subscribe to our weekly social justice newsletter.
CALLS TO ACTION
Support CUPW in Negotiations with Canada Post
Canada Post is one of our most cherished public institutions. It connects people, communities and businesses across our many different regions in Canada.It provides tens of thousands of workers with good jobs and benefits. In turn, these jobs support families and the communities in which they live.
Right now, CUPW is in negotiations with Canada Post. We’re fighting to maintain good jobs and benefits, to provide decent and safe working conditions for our members. We are also pushing to expand services to help sustain our public post office, and to meet the modern needs of people and their communities.
Tell Canada Post CEO Doug Ettinger that you support CUPW in negotiations, that the post office cannot cut its way to growth, and that it must agree to solutions that benefit everyone – including workers.
cupw.ca
Recognize Palestinian Statehood now!
Palestine satisfies all the criteria for statehood according to the Montevideo Convention: it has a permanent population, a defined territory, a government and the ability to enter relations with other states. Over 140 countries have already recognized Palestine, with Spain, Ireland and Norway joining the chorus just recently. If Canada says it supports Palestinian self-determination, it should delay no longer, and recognize Palestine immediately!cjpme.org
EVENTS
No One Is Disposable
When: November 28th, 3pmRight-wing movements are capitalizing on people’s fears of a loss of dignity and livelihoods that has resulted from three decades of neoliberalism protecting the interests of capital in the advanced capitalist economies that rely on migration. In Canada, governments are pursuing a strategy of scapegoating migrant workers for our housing crisis and the cost of living crisis.
Migrant justice activist and scholar Mostafa Henaway will explore the massive expansion of precarious work under neoliberalism, and how migrant workers are challenging the conditions of their hyper-exploitation through struggles for worker rights and justice. The talk will also explore how the struggles of migrant workers are a central part of any genuine renewal of a labour movement that organizes and fights for the entire working class.
International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People
When: Friday, November 29th, 5pmWhere: Yonge & Dundas Square
It was Nov 29th, 1947 when the United Nations’ General Assembly adopted resolution 181, which came to be known as the “Partition Resolution.” 77 years later, Israel continues its brutal genocide in Gaza and escalation with bombings and attempted ground invasions in Lebanon.
We refuse to stay silent. It is our duty to build on the momentum of mass mobilization to grow even stronger and stand against Zionist aggression on Palestinians and allies. Join the Arab community, labour and student movements, healthcare workers, and solidarity organizations and unite in a call to action. They are calling on students to organize walk outs, workers to organize labor contingents at their workplace, and on everyone to come together to make it clear that the people stand with Palestine.
Canada and the Bomb
When: November 29th, 6pmWhere: Friends House, 60 Lowther Ave
As announced in October, this year’s Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese organization of atomic bomb survivors. Their recognition underscores the devastating impact of nuclear weapons and the urgency of disarmament efforts. In light of the ongoing geopolitical tensions, particularly the wars in the Middle East and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the threat of nuclear conflict is more pressing than ever.
icanw.org
Labour Arts Awards Gala
When: Friday November 29th, 6pm (Doors open 5:30pm)Where: United Steelworkers Hall, 25 Cecil St
Tickets: $30 unemployed/$60 employed
Join us at the 2024 Labour Arts Awards Gala event where we will come together with labour activists and artists and enjoy dinner, entertainment, a silent auction and more. Bring your friends, local members and family.
This year’s event is in memory of the late artist Carole Condé (June 27, 1940 – July 19, 2024), one of Mayworks’s founders who was dedicated to building an art practice centered around revolutionary social change.
mayworks.ca | eventbrite.ca
Film screening: Untouchable
When: November 30th, 2:15pmInternationally acclaimed comedian Manjeet Sarkar has captivated audiences for seven years with his bold humour. Known for his solo show “Untouchable,” he has completed five national tours across India, performed at the United Nations, and is now on a world tour. As the first comedian from the Dalit community to achieve widespread recognition, Manjeet has broken through centuries of caste oppression with his work.
foxtheatre.ca
Letter to My Tribe
When: November 30th, 5pm and 8pmWhere: Redwood Theatre, 1300 Gerrard St. E
Tickets: $15
A video essay by b.h. Yael. Presented by IJV Toronto and East End Acts for PALESTINE.
theredwoodtheatre.com
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
Weekly Phone-zap for Palestine
When: Mondays at 12:30pmWeek 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
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
Censorship in Newsrooms
When: Monday, December 2nd, 7pmWhere: It’s Ok* Studios, 468 Queen Street W
A conversation with reporters in Toronto about censorship in newsrooms around Palestine and Gaza.
Many of us have been alarmed by the censorship occurring in our newsrooms around reporting on the horrors out of Gaza. Reporters who push back against this often face professional consequences – and it seems to be more often women and women of colour who are willing to speak up.
Another Story Bookshop and the West End Phoenix are hosting a conversation at It’s Ok* Studios with Toronto reporters to discuss their experiences.
eventbrite.ca
No Work for Genocide
When: December 4th, 11amMore than a year into Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, and its more recent escalation in Lebanon and the wider Middle East, we have learned that there is no international law, no so-called international community that can stop its violence. We cannot rely on the ruling classes in the West, who are deeply implicated in Israel’s settler colonial project, nor the ruling classes in the Middle East and the rest of the world, who continue to support it in deeds if not in words. The only power we have to support the heroic resistance of the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples is the power we have in our hands as workers.
zoom.us
Jane Street Bus Lane
When: December 4th, 6pmWhere: EarlyON Centre, Jane Finch Mall
Join JFAAP for a community meeting about the Jane Street Bus Lane and how how we can achieve a faster, more reliable transit for 40,000+ riders daily on the busiest route in Toronto.
Facebook | Instagram
Auction 4 Palestine
When: Wednesday, December 4th, 7pmWhere: Tranzac Club, 292 Brunswick Ave
Join Auction4 Palestine for an evening of art, fundraising and collective care at an art auction in support of the Toronto Community Justice Fund. Because we take care of us.
In Toronto and across the country, we are witnessing a surge in police violence and repression intended to silence and subdue those who are organizing, speaking out, and taking action in solidarity with Palestinian liberation. Let’s celebrate the power of art as resistance, and support the movement to stop the genocide, end the occupation and see a free Palestine.
eventbrite.com
Canada Health Act Interpretation Letter
When: December 5th, 8pmJoin us as we discuss primary care in Canada and the significance of the Canada Health Act interpretation letter.
Our goal is to secure comprehensive public coverage for virtual care and nurse practitioner clinics, taking meaningful strides toward addressing primary care challenges and reducing health care wait times. This policy issue is critical for the future of Medicare.
With over 6.5 million Canadians lacking access to a family doctor, virtual care and nurse practitioner clinics have become valuable additions to primary care services.
zoom.us
Fighting to Win
When: January 6 to March 31 (Mondays 6pm)Where: Carrot Common (near Chester station)
No course fees; donations gratefully accepted.
Facilitated by John Clarke, former organizer with the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP)
Drawing on the examples provided by a wide range of struggles, the course will look at how working class and popular struggles have won important victories. It will also consider, however, the strategies that have been used by those in power to contain and demobilize social resistance. Finally, it will explore the approaches that are needed today to fight back effectively in these volatile and uncertain times.
Space in this course is limited, registration required.
ARTICLES
The Truth About the ’37 Oshawa GM Strike
Author Tony Leah reveals what actually took place at the Oshawa GM plant in 1937 through the voices and actions of rank-and-file workers and shop-floor activists that have been covered up for decades. We need to study the lessons of the ’37 strike; it can provide a guidepost for workers today who are striving to revive a fighting labour movement that can win.Source: LeftStreamed
Developers Are In Charge Of Toronto’s Housing Policies
By John ClarkeToronto’s communities are being deeply impacted by a terrible lack of decent housing that people can afford to live in. This situation is the product of decades in which governments at every level have allowed housing to be provided according to the profit-driven interests of developers, speculators, investors, bankers and corporate landlords. The days when social housing played a major role in meeting the needs of communities are long gone and upscale redevelopment has done its destructive work.
Source: The Bullet No. 3059
Expanding the Possible: A Climate Change Strategy from Below?
By Alexandria ShanerLess than one week after a self-proclaimed dictator, climate change denier, and big oil-funded billionaire (among other equally impressive accolades) took the single most powerful political office in the world, it seems like a horrible time to release a book about the Green New Deal (GND). Thinking back to 2018, not so long ago in time but perhaps much longer in space, to when the Green New Deal was launched into public attention as a bold proposal for transformative national legislation, is frankly, beyond depressing. Loss, grief and rage compete with numbness and shock, easily overwhelming any effort to fathom where we were then, and where we find ourselves now.
Source: The Bullet No. 3060
The Sri Lankan Left’s Long Road to Power
By Devaka Gunawardena and Ahilan KadirgamarThe victory of the National People’s Power (NPP) candidate, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in the Sri Lankan presidential election represented a major shift in the South Asian state’s political trajectory. Dissanayake’s upset was soon followed by parliamentary elections in which his coalition won two thirds of the seats, an unprecedented feat since the system of proportional representation was established in the late 1980s. For the first time since the 1970s, a left-wing party is not only participating in a government coalition, but leading it.
Source: The Bullet No. 3061