STRIKE! Workers Are Fighting Back Afghanistan, Imperialism and Canada

STRIKE! Afghanistan, Workers are imperialism fighting back and Canada pages 4-5 page 7

$2 | No 636 | September 2021 socialist.ca BALLOT BOX TO THE STREETS Use the election to build the resistance

Justin Trudeau - not a climate leader! Uproot the System: Build the climate strike September 24. See fridaysforfuture.org for info (photo by 350.org CC by 2.0)

he federal election is scheduled for campaign. ing as high as 80 percent. They are calculating (CEWS) has led to huge profits in the corpo- the 20th of September in Canada. It For most working people, the elections are that people would vote for continuity and rate world and more hardship for the working is an election that nobody particularly seen as a waste of time and money and there is would be fearful of other parties that represent class. They have rewarmed some of their Twants but Justin Trudeau had made the very little excitement. a shift from the moderate Liberal positions. previous campaign promises such as expand- calculation that it is the best time for him to But elections can be used strategically to But in the early going we are seeing that this is ing affordable child care and programs to secure a majority - while still riding high on build movements even when the platforms not true. Voters have seen wages stagnate and make housing more affordable. But their plans his pandemic record. of the main parties are bereft of any real new cost of living increase significantly during the will not help working people. Their policy, for That may backfire, as it did in Nova Scotia ideas and few expect the world to change for pandemic and they want change. They have example of credits for new home buyers will where the Conservatives were able to pick the better after the votes are counted. also watched the climate crisis become a daily result in higher housing costs. They will need apart the Liberal response to the pandemic and reality and the Libs have painted themselves to do better if they are to gain any seats and won a majority. Indeed, the polling is showing Platforms into a corner with the insistence on more pipe- secure their majority. that Trudeau may have miscalculated as his The Liberals are running on their record line development. numbers are dropping in the early stages of the during the pandemic, when Trudeau was poll- The Liberal policy of subsidizing wages continued on page 3 LEFT JAB by John Bell Ford fundraising Election diaries: Left Jab columnist John Bell looks at the two main parties in this election Big banks: the f**kup Episode 1– Tories: “We heard wonk and by: John Bell that had to be paid. Miele: I’m going to apologize. Ugly Canadians id you ever wish your There was a mistake made and I’m government would protect going to review this with my staff he Bank of Nova Scotia has ing to take hold, and as communities elsewhere, to keep the crisis out of you from scam phone and the 3rd party service provider we thought Wonka” posted a profit of $2.5 billion adapt to the most recent pandemic the public eye. Dcalls, emails or letters? It who drafted it. So… for just 3 months. That is al- developments, we are committed to Internationally, all the banks are isn’t likely to happen in Ontario. O’Shea: This is the Responsive ear Diary, I’ve decided to maybe just give lying; there is no GST July. But sure, have you “emergency” Tmost double their profit from helping our clients make real financial heavily invested in resource ex- Here the government, or more spe- Marketing Group that drafted it… keep track of the high and everybody a tax cut, on food or housing. briefing 2 months late. What more the same period last year. progress and supporting their growth traction industries that are gouging cifically the fundraising arm of the Miele: Correct. low points of this dumbass, one or the other. One Remember, diary, can we expect from the party whose They’re not alone. Bank of ambitions.” massive profits from operations in majority ruling party, is the author O’Shea: And who in the party Dunnecessary election. I thing is sure, he’s I’m a senior on fixed majority of members refuse to admit Montreal “earned” $2.2 billion, an Bullshit. Domestically, the source Africa and Latin America. A recent of such a scam. approved it? predict we’ll see few of the former going to “Secure the income who buys few that climate change is real. 85% increase over last year’s second of their profits is largely the housing report says that 75% of the mining The Ontario PC Fund, on behalf Miele: These are all party and plenty of the latter. Future”. presents. This tax cut Diary, I’m sure that various Tory quarter results. projects globally of the Progressive Conservative internal matters and I don’t discuss Let’s begin by kicking around Expect to hear the would put about $10 candidates will distinguish them- Expect the are conducted by Party, sent out hundreds of fund- it. So I’m going to deal with it. everybody’s favourite hacky-sack – word “secure” a lot, bucks in my pocket. selves for bigotry and backwardness results from the Canadian-based raising requests in the form of an It’s not going to happen again. I the Conservative Party of Canada. dear diary. But for the as we grind along, but I must give other big banks corporations. These invoice demanding payment of up apologize to all my donors. They jumped out of the gate before I won’t go into wealthy, it is a golden props to “star” candidate Pierre to be in the same ugly Canadians to $300. The fake invoices were O’Shea: This wasn’t your job the writ was even dropped, with detail of the platform opportunity to buy Poilievre. Sensing that his party is ballpark. have gouged $31.6 targeted at previous Tory donors, with the contractor then? that commercial. You know, the contents today. The that new monster headed for disaster, Poilievre dropped Bankers say billion out of Africa many of them seniors. (Voice off camera): Thank you, thoroughly sexist “parody” of Willy crackpot scheme for truck or Tesla, replace several early (again illegal) ads that it isn’t that alone. Obviously this sort of mail that’s all. Wonka. With the technical expertise individual “Personal that furniture suite, promoting his own “brand”, with no this year’s prof- In their wake scam has happened before because Miele: These are all internal of 3 adolescents, and wit to match, Low Carbon Savings take that big trip. The mention of his party its leader. The iteering is ob- they leave devas- Canada Post has regulations matters. I’ll talk to you later. the ad landed like a turd at a buffet. It Accounts” alone is richer you are the final ad featured him in a Fonzy style scenely high, but tated communities strictly prohibiting it: “Where a (Miele and handler walk away probably violated campaign spending worthy of its own more you benefit. It’s leather jacket and aviator shades, that they suffered and environmental letter or other mailable matter that ignoring further questions.) rules (parties are not supposed to buy evisceration. But here the Tory ethos in a promising to save the economy by last year because disaster. A recent is not a bill, invoice or statement O’Shea: What kind of apology ads before the writ drops) but this ad are a few noteworthy nutshell. making “stuff”. At the end he asks they all set aside to cover our “bad bubble that has resulted in unafford- report in The Breach details how of account due, is in such a form is “it won’t happen again”? Is backfired so spectacularly that I doubt Tory promises: We’re going to fans to share it around before it gets debts” – when we defaulted on cred- able housing prices and rents, and a Canadian mining corporations fuel that it has the general appearance that supposed to wash, a simple other parties will complain. Even The O’Tooligans be treated to lots of taken down, as if he expects to be it cards and were unable to keep up growing army of the unhoused. The civil war in Eritrea to further their of a bill, invoice or statement of apology? Do you give money back Tory candidates lined up to denounce will scrap the one flattering images of victim of some cancel-culture con- mortgage payments. money bags have passed the baton interests. account due, it shall have endorsed to people who give money, what and distance themselves from CPC positive thing the O’Toole, framing him spiracy. Soon after it was taken down, But it smooth sailing for the banks to their friends at city hall and the Our media portrays bank profiteer- on its face the following notice: about that? HQ. Proof positive that the Tory boys Liberals achieved– as fearless leader. On by PP himself because…illegal (see now. BMO CEO Darryl White gushes: police, to smash encampments of the ing as good news. But behind it is a ‘This is a solicitation for the order (Door slams.) in short pants are merely Oompa affordable daycare– August 17 he issued above). “With the economic recovery continu- unhoused in Toronto, Halifax and trail of poverty and human suffering. of (goods, services or goods and DoFo & Co are going to hide be- Loompas. and replace it with a breathless tweet: This campaign is only a day services, as the case may be) and hind their unelected, unaccountable O’Toole and his O’Tooligans yet another tax cut “#UPDATE: I’ve just old, diary, and already I tire of the not a bill, invoice or statement party bagmen. The bagmen are followed up by releasing their “plat- that will favour the had an emergency thoroughly scripted photo-ops and of account due. You are under no going to hide behind the 3rd party form”. Unlike other parties’ policy wealthy. Like so briefing on the situa- motherhood statements. I’ll leave off ...continued from page 1 to respond to the scale of crises we for more radical ideas. obligation contractor. And papers, they decided to glam theirs many things that hurt tion in B.C. The fed- with this: up to now the Tories have face. The pandemic, climate change, Take climate change as an exam- to make any the scammed up: the cover is a note-perfect rip off working people, it is eral government must been controlling their own message, The Conservatives have come out cost of living, indigenous reconcili- ple. The Conservatives have an atro- payment on seniors will of Cosmo. There is Erin O’Toole (or done in the name of offer B.C. all the help and they have unrolled a veritable of the gate quickly and have been ation and a host of other issues will cious record on the climate and voted account of never see their is it Bruce Willis), biceps bulging, the “choice”. it needs.” “Things are clusterfuck of PR fails and self-in- gaining in the polls. This reflects a be discussed by the parties but the against a motion stating that climate this offer money back. product of months of working out. Tories like stunts to make them ap- the month of December. They crow bad there,” he says in his best lead- flicted wounds. Could any party top growing anger at the Trudeau gov- actual outcomes will be largely in- change was caused by humans. They unless you While we’re You can almost hear him whisper, pear like us regular folks. Enter their that it will reduce our “cost of living”. erly voice. The B.C. wildfires have them for ineptitude? ernment and the generalized sense discernible to the majority of voters. are for more pipeline construction accept this at it, who is “I have a particular set of skills and Christmas present–a promise to sus- Either they don’t understand what been raging since June. The town of Maybe next time we’ll look at the coming out of the pandemic that we Whoever wins, the rich will and expansion of the tar sands. The offer.’” Tony Miele? I WILL get my daughter back.” Or pend the GST on retail purchases for cost of living is, or they’re straight up Lytton was destroyed at the start of Greens. live in a world of horrible inequality. continue to hoard massive amounts Liberals say they are concerned about In other He is a true The Cons are trying to tap into this of wealth, the climate will continue the climate and yet their solution is words, the blue Tory with a series of vaguely pro-work- to deteriorate and Indigenous people to build more pipelines to pay for a fake invoices supporter and er positions calling for increased will still have their land rights tram- transition - even though that would were not just prominent in- healthcare money and support for pled. All of the major parties - even result in huge increases in emissions. creepy and vestment fund precarious workers. Erin O’Toole’s the NDP - have agreed to parameters The NDP is constrained by the fact unethical, and real estate Episode 2: Lacklustre Liberals have announcement of support for gig set by the capitalist system and the that NDP governments in power, they were speculator from workers is being touted as a solution election discussion is limited to those particularly John Horgan in BC are illegal. the Niagara re- to that inequality but it will only tight ideological confines. ramming new pipelines through Ontario’s gion. Naturally further entrench the second class But elections are also a moment Indigenous territory and violently increasingly he is a major position of gig workers by doing an when millions of people are discuss- forcing the destruction of old growth unpopular Tory premier, Doug booster of DoFo’s proposed Hwy themselves to blame end run around the demand coming ing and are engaged in politics - even forest. The Greens are in a state of Ford, is supposed to be “vacation- 413, an environmental disaster from these workers for full employ- in this limited form. For socialists that self destruction and have no chance ing” (i.e. hunkering in his bunker that will destroy fragile parts of hy exactly are we slogan: ‘We had your back; now give the initial pandemic crisis as well and the more their COVID goodwill let him have a second, minority ment status and all the protections opening should not be thrown aside of influencing policy on this question. until after the federal election). But our Greenbelt As such he stands having this election us your support.’ Hardly inspiring. as most governments, and far better dissipates. government, aren’t buying it this that entails. but should be seen as an opportunity For a voter concerned about there are howls for him to come to profit handsomely from DoFo’s now, you ask Dear the USA. How’s that for a low bar. If they had implemented $10/day time around. The Cons are also hampered to engage with people throughout the the climate the track record and out of hiding and face the music plans. WDiary? The question Vote buying And how much is due to the NDP daycare at the start of their mandate, Again, no wonder Elections by the records of premiers Doug campaigns. platforms of these parties offer very for his partisan fundraising fraud. And who are Responsive is dogging Justin Trudeau and his The election timing is not the only nudging them left? But the fact is they would have had something to Canada has announced they won’t Ford and Jason Kenney who have As we have seen in recent provin- little hope. Unlike Wiarton Willie, DoFo is Marketing Group? Maybe they are Liberals wherever they go. They millstone around the Liberal neck. that most of the COVID support crow about. If they had taken the be opening polls on college and uni- shown themselves to be enemies of cial elections some left NDP candi- That reality can lead to demor- unwilling to come out of his hole, also iMarketing Solutions Group, had another 2 years in their mandate Their big problem is that they have spending went to corporations, like NDP’s motion on pharmacare, they versity campuses this time around. working people as they cut social dates can provide valuable support alization for the millions who want although he has sent word through a separate corporate entity with and the opposition parties showed a hard time running could have stolen This, they admit is in part due to services and gut environmental for movements on the ground such action but it can also lead people to intermediaries that he is “ticked” an identical website and virtually no zeal to bring down the minority on their record from the credit for that. “the minority government situation”, policies. as MPP support for the campaigns the conclusion that we need to over- by the whole thing. He is leaving it identical personnel (google it). For government. We’ll be going to the the last 6 years of That’s what a crafty whatever that means. What it cer- The NDP has put forward more against racism and encampment throw the system that is destroying his henchmen to take the hits. sure they are a bunch of mercenary polls just as the COVID-19 4th wave governing. What old-time Liberal tainly means is the ruling party, not positive and potentially attractive evictions. That matters to the political the planet. It will only move that Global TV’s consumer affairs fixers and tricksters who specialize is breaking. is memorable from would have done. certain they can count on the youth campaigns like the call for increas- terrain we operate in and can have way however if there are other reporter Sean O’Shea camped in data mining and fundraising Even Liberal supporters admit that their first, majority, But no, Diary. vote, is actively suppressing it. ing taxes on the rich to pay for much an impact on people in power. It is sets of ideas on offer. Building the outside a locked down Tory party for Tory parties and candidates. the timing reeks of opportunism. mandate is their Now they are in So they are down to trying to buy needed environmental and social not, however, the main force that will climate events, such as the recent HQ for hours before Tony Miele, Readers with long memories will So why, Diary, why? broken promises: the the embarrassing the seniors vote with a straight-up programs. These are being well shape politics. That still comes from picket at Chrystia Freeland’s office Chair of the OPC Fund, showed up recall that RMG was the “contrac- “We did a bunch of polling and promise to introduce position of having $500 one-time bribe. Yes, Dear received and Jagmeet Singh has the movements of working people calling for the cancellation of the for this brief exchange: tor” that engineered the Robocalls people think we did an okay job and pharmacare; the to promise the same Diary, daddy does need a new TV. become the most popular leader so at the base of society, who in their TMX pipeline or the post election O’Shea: How is it possible that scandal of the 2011 election, where now is our best chance to convert promise to end boil things a second (or And yes, if I last another 10 years I far in the campaign but they will, as masses can radically change public climate strike on September 24 the PC Party of Ontario would they called supporters of opposing that into a majority government” is water warnings in third) time around. might qualify for a little top up on always be hampered by their record consciousness. will be key in shaping the politics send out fake invoices giving parties and tried to send them to only a partial answer. The other side Indigenous commu- So instead of my OAS. Mañana, Diary, mañana. when in office on a provincial level. We saw a dramatic recent example both during and after the election people the impression they were the wrong polling sites on election of the coin is this: “We’ve looked 2 nities by 2021; the “We’re the party If the Liberals prevail, it likely The NDP is still the best bet for of that with the Cancel Canada Day campaign. obligated to pay when patently day. They specialize in dirty tricks years down the road and this nasty promise to introduce that gave you af- will be with another minority gov- working people but even they are events in the wake of the discovery And there are many fronts to the they were not? on behalf of Tories. shit is only going to get worse.” $15 minimum wage fordable daycare” it ernment. To win that they depend on not pushing the more radical poli- of hundreds of Indigenous child resistance from below. The working Miele: First off I want to apolo- It isn’t hard to imagine the The planet is literally burning. for federal workers; is “We’re the party a bumbling Tory party. And O’Toole, cies that would be able to build real graves at residential schools earlier class is moving, with a large uptick gize to our donors. It is unfortunate meeting with RMG and OPC Droughts will drive the cost of food the promise to close tax loopholes the extra $1.2 billion, on top of other that might give you daycare if you calling explicity for 2-tiered, privat- momentum in the campaign. this year. Those Indigenous led events in strike activity in Canada (see this went out. There is a misunder- hacks sitting around the board- higher and higher. The economy for the untra-rich; and above all the tax breaks and subsidies, that went re-elect us, and then only in 5 years, ized healthcare, may have just given shook the Canadian ruling class and page 4-5) and there are campaigns standing, obviously… room table, laughing at how this will circle the drain. COVID-19 will solemn promise to end first-past-the- to oil and gas business. Diary, that’s and yes that means yet another elec- Trudeau the gift he needs to cling to Socialists and elections radically changed ideas for millions in support of encampment residents O’Shea: Hold on a second, clever plan will squeeze more be sort of contained but all the talk post elections. almost like buying a second pipeline. tion 4 years from now”. Not quite power. Elections are the lowest form of poli- of people. and for proper housing as well as where is the misunderstanding? money out of the rubes. This is will be of the new “normal” where Oh yeah, and they showed their But the longer the pandemic lin- the same ring. But the future of the Liberal party tics under capitalism but are treated And so the goal with an election ongoing Indigenous led pipeline Miele: In terms of how people how they approach democracy: as we “learn to live with” pandemics. environmental sincerity by buying a gers – and the 4th wave will just be No wonder support is melting looks bleak. This is inescapable. The by the mainstream as the most under these circumstances is to use blockades which will have an even read into this mail so… a scam. In the past Doug Ford has Crisis upon crisis. pipeline. picking up steam when we head to away, left and right. The young future itself looks bleak and trying to important mechanism to change the the fact that people are paying atten- bigger impact on the future of the O’Shea: You said invoice, you declared: “The buck stops here.” Trudeau isn’t admitting this, of Sure they legalized pot. Was there the polls – the more the Liberals fob voters who swept Trudeau to his prop up the status quo in the face of future. The election won’t result in tion to politics to build the resistance country and the world than the said payable, you made it clear in We just didn’t know he meant all course. So they have unveiled their anything else? It is true they handled off responsibility on the provinces, first mandate, and then grudgingly coming crises will be a losing game. the kind of changes that we need from below and to build the audience election. the marketing that this was money the bucks.

2 Socialist Worker September 2021 September 2021 Socialist Worker 3 STRIKING BACK

Steelworkers rally for Indigenous rights at 1492 Land Back lane in Caledonia Workers in Canada have been hitting the picket lines in large numbers this year. Employers are using Labour stands the COVID crisis to push for concessions but workers are fighting back. Ritch Whyman analyses the strikes and what can be done to build solidarity. in solidarity by: Carolyn Egan rights as we saw in the statement made by a large number of miners recently drove with fellow supporting the Nunavut hunters Steelworkers to Land Back against Baffinland Iron Mines Hamilton trade unions blockade in Ancaster in support of locked out NRT workers Lane in Caledonia. We were Corporation, the shutting down supporting Haudenosaunee of Deltaport in Vancouver by the by: Ritch Whyman Premier of Quebec called for the using Trudeau’s “wage subsidy” pay and will use the pandemic to Around the same time in early Importantly steelworkers picketed workers with the most leverage already are fighting. Consciously or ILand Defenders fighting for their International Union of Longshore Trudeau Liberals to intervene and to bankroll its attempt to break the discipline workers into accepting May 2,500 Steelworkers at Arcelor a secondary location owned by the are not moving into action. Public not workers gain confidence from hereditary territory, and a song and Warehouse Workers in s the COVID pandemic legislate the dockers back to work. union through scabs. less for their sacrifices in fighting Mittal, went on strike at five same company in Ancaster, just sector workers are being told by their seeing others fight back and win or at by Daniel Lanois written about solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en grinds on, it is worth look- In words she would forget within In Toronto workers at Tropicana COVID. locations in Quebec. Followed outside Hamilton. leadership to sit tight and rely on least not get totally defeated. 12 years ago came to mind. Its struggle, Indigenous blockades ing at the state of the union a year, the Trudeau government’s Social Services, an agency geared by Workers at 14 Reliance Home While it seems only sensible to lawyers or PR campaigns. Over the next several months titled ‘Still Waters’ and speaks supported by labour activists etc. Amovement, and how the Minister of Labour, Filomena Tassi to serving the black community 2021 – Manufacturing mini- Heating locations who were locked picket other sources for revenue of In Ontario just prior to COVID thousands of UFCW members in of Caledonia, the waters of the We have also been seeing working class is responding after a said “Our government has faith in in Toronto, forced workers, who strike wave: out after rejecting the employers’ the employer, for decades now union there was a mass struggle by teachers retail grocery workers in Ontario and Grand River and the generations growing fight backs by workers year and half of COVID restrictions. the collective bargaining process, recently had organized with SEIU The first quarter of 2021 saw a offer that maintained wage and leaders have cow-towed to the court against the Ford governments BC will go into negotiations. The of Haudenausaunee who were over the past period. The dockers Since the start of the COVID as we know the best deals are made Local 2, out on strike by refusing small but significant wave of strikes benefit gaps between new hires injunctions preventing “secondary attacks on public education. Since moment couldn’t be better to begin members of Iron Workers union. at the port of Montreal, members outbreak in early 2020 politicians, at the table.” But huge pressure to bargain a first contract. The em- and lockouts in large and medium and older workers. Active picket pickets”. That workers and the then, teachers’ unions have spurned to recoup the concessions forced on They traveled from their lands of the Canadian Union of Public bankers, bosses and, sadly, some was put on the Union to accept a ployer clearly hoped COVID would sized manufacturing workplaces. lines created havoc with Reliance’s Steelworkers Union did not follow mobilizing members, students, and grocery workers over the past 30 to build the high bridges and tall Employees, went out in April in a union leaders have been bleating return to the table. In May 2021, the limit the ability to build solidarity. The constant theme through these customer service and forced the that path is another small example families in favour of periodic press years. How can Galen Weston defend buildings across Turtle Island. “I’m strong show of strength, 2,500 on that “we’re all in this together”. Liberals supported the employer’s The workers pushed back and made fights was employers demanding employer to make concessions. of the effect that COVID has had in conferences. This is despite the his billions in pandemic profits and going to build the bridges high For USW miners at Valle Inco in Sudbury Businesses praised workers in ads refusal to bargain and legislated the important gains. concessions or offering settlements In Quebec, 550 UFCW members changing the terrain of class struggle. disaster facing teachers and students not grant significant improvements working money, for working money struck for months another 2 ,600 and on social media for “keeping dockworkers back to work. Across Vancouver and Victoria, that were below inflation and at Exceldor chicken slaughterhouse 900 workers at the Rio Tinto with the unplanned re-opening of in wages and conditions? A fight I’m going to climb the bridges high went out against ArcelorMittal in things going”. In October 2020, thousands Janitors had to continue to battle pushing for cuts to benefits and in Saint-Anselme went on strike for aluminum smelting plant in Kitimat schools. against the likes of Galen would give Caledonia brother far away.” northern Quebec. In Toronto there Despite the kind words, said of healthcare workers in Alberta for union rights and hotel work- sick time. On the flip side workers over a month in May against poor voted overwhelmingly to go on strike Nurses’ union leaders, outside of confidence to other sectors. An Algonquin Steelworker in have been a spate of smaller strikes from the comfort and safety of the walked off the job, in one of the ers had to fight their employer to were determined to get the respect working conditions and wages. at the end of July. As of writing Alberta, have been loath to organize As COVID continues, it is the van spoke of this history and at Tropicana Community Services, boss’s home, cottage or vacation largest wildcats strikes in recent extend their right to be recalled to for having carried the brunt of After forcing a crisis in the chicken UNIFOR local 2301 and Rio Tinto any actions against pay freezes, becoming clearer to more and more why we have to continue to build the Black Creek Community Health resort, employers across the country memory. Members sacrifices during farming industry, workers won a have returned to negotiations, but horrible hours, and lack of PPE. workers that we aren’t in it together. strong links between Indigenous Centre, Wine Rack, Rexplas and have been gearing up to utilize the of the Alberta COVID. In work- wage increase of 19.75% over 5 workers continue to maintain picket In Ontario the provincial Our bosses are looking to profit struggles and the trade union NRT. They didn’t win everything crisis caused by COVID to roll back Union of Public places across years along with other gains. As a lines. employees union, OPSEU, has from the pandemic and make us movement. When we were last at they were after, but were way ahead workers’ rights and gains. Now, Employees who the country sign of growing confidence, a third They were followed quickly by initiated campaigns not to put pay. Whether it is through cuts to the site a spokesperson for the of where they would have been employers are keen to test workers work at hospitals employees took of the workers rejected that offer. nearly 2,300 UNIFOR local 673 and pressure on Premier Ford, but to healthcare or demands to gut sick land defenders, an Iron Worker told without strong workplace actions. and unions willingness to fight back doing custodi- the pandemic 2,500 members of USWA 6500 112 members at the Bombardier and cajole members into accepting the days and introduce lower wages for us, “Indigenous peoples and trade Confidence really grew among the after an exhausting 18 months of the al, food service, seriously and ac- went out on Strike against Vale de Havilland aerospace complex in 1% compensation cap while waiting new hires, employers are testing unionists have a lot in common. members as they took matters into hardships of COVID. laundry, and other cepted the mantra (Inco) in Sudbury. Workers were Downsview Toronto walking off the to see if a court challenge works. the waters to drive down workers’ We both hate injunctions!” They’ve their own hands, rejected tentative Until recently, few groups of work, stormed off that we were all demanding that retirement and new job. Workers are fighting to defend OPSEU leaders have already conditions. certainly proved it by courageously agreements and set up picket lines. workers had the confidence to fight, the job after the in it together. hire benefits be maintained. After pensions, end contracting out and succeeded in convincing Liquor The growing anger at rising house fighting for their rights, not being I was actively involved in the last and union leaders were unwilling Kenney govern- Workplace issues two months of picketing, workers demand job security. Their employers Store workers to accept the 1% wage prices, the rental crisis, crisis in deterred by court rulings or police. two, Rexplas and NRT. The first was at best, or outright hostile at worst, ment privatized and and problems beat back many of the concessions have received billions in bailouts increase. senior care, public transit seems lost Union leaders could learn from a small manufacturing plant in my to fighting back in this moment of moved to contract were set to the and made some modest gains. by the Federal and Provincial The picture is sadly not very on union leaders and their allies in their example. They’ve had a local of the United Steelworkers, the “national unity”. Strikes dipped to out their jobs. The side as work- Gaining more than what many other governments. different across the country. But the NDP. The calls from business victory with the builders stopping majority of workers were racialized near historic lows. But such quiet is fight is far from ers shouldered union leaders have cajoled their Bombardier workers have that could change if nurses strike in and the rich to roll back CERB, the housing development on their women. They shocked their bosses often just a sign of a storm slowly over, and while the the weight of members to accept. unfortunately accepted an offer Alberta, it may give a boost to rank attack the homeless, curtail workers territory, but the struggle isn’t over by taking a strong stand, rejecting brewing. workers did not keeping things In June workers at Wine Rack by their employer that removed and file members in other provinces wages etc. makes it clear that Bay because the ownership of the land a number of offers, and linking During the pandemic profits for push Kenny back moving. The em- stores (owned by the Ontario concessions and ended their strike, to ask why their leaders are refusing street and their parties, the Liberals is still being challenged. their fight with the Indian farmers’ bosses grew, hazard pay was cut, fully, partly because ployers’ laudato- Teachers Pension Plan) went on leaving employees at De Havilland to to fight. and the Tories are looking to make We were warmly greeted when strike in which many had relatives. and the burden on workers grew. other healthcare Toronto and York Region Labour council president Andrea Babbington rallies winerack workers ry words turned strike at over 20 retail locations fight on their own. In Ontario SEIU and CUPE workers pay for COVID. we arrived along with members They stood strong and made real The equilibrium faces its first se- unions did not join out to be empty. against the employer’s refusal to There has been a series of strike members are holding rallies Right now union leaders are of the Coalition of Black Trade gains. NRT faced a lock out when ries of organized workers resistance the wildcat, the And words won’t bargain a fair contract. votes by workers at other locations. outside healthcare and nursing pushing the notion that the Federal Unionists (CBTU) and the Ontario Steelworkers, though worried the Dockworkers in Montreal walked fight continues as Alberta Nurses jobs they’d worked for decades. pay the rent or the hydro bill. Two weeks of picketing knocked This by itself has had the effect home facilities, but it will take an election is the most important thing. Federation of Labour (OFL). The plant might close, courageously out after a nearly unanimous strike are now talking about taking strike In both situations employers were Workers at Fenner-Dunlop in some of the employers’ worst in many locations of thwarting active layer of workers to push the The election is important, but the CBTU ran a summer camp for rejected sixty three concessions. vote for 10 days in August 2020. action. intransigent. For the Janitors it has Bracebridge struck in February, concessions off the table. The em- employers trying to sow divisions leadership to fight to break the rotten best way to shape the outcome or Black youth and brought them to The workplace was entirely shut CUPE 375 had been without a In November 2020 Owens meant hundreds of workers have Manitoba Hydro workers went on ployer was clearly aiming to break between new and older workers 1% cap on the streets rather than debates of that election is by flexing Land Back to make connections down and solid secondary pickets collective agreement for several Corning locked out its workers at won union recognition and gains at strike in March followed by a strike the union by using managers and and pushed back demands for depending on the courts. the muscle that has the most impact and build solidarity with young at connected corporations put real years when they went on strike its plant in Guelph. Fresh off taking the table, altering the landscape in at Molson Coors in Toronto. All scabs to run stores. Shamefully the concessions. In New Brunswick 22,000 for the working class, that is the people their own age. It was a pressure on the owners, forced over shift schedules and hours that hundreds of thousands in wage that industry. Hotel workers are still managed to win against concessions teachers’ unions’ leaders refused to There can be no doubt that there CUPE public sector employees muscle of workplace and mass good day, continuing to forge them back to the table, and got a created hardships for them and their subsidies Owens Corning used the locked in a battle. demanded by their employers. actively intervene against a case of is an anger inside the working class are gearing up for a fight with the action. But that will take organizing links that will make a difference decent settlement. families – some workers had to pretext of a lunchtime bargaining These fights were scattered and In May a flurry of strikes broke union busting. about employers demanding workers Tory goverment over cuts and and fighting wherever one is to build as we all continue to fight racism There is a fighting mood work 19 days straight before getting rally to lock the gates and try and not widespread enough for broader out, primarily at workplaces in the Going into the summer the up- pay for COVID. Anger at pandemic concessions. If they strike, every solidarity and demand out leaders and the attacks of governments right now in many sectors and a day off. scab the plant. The members of layers to hear about and generalize Steelworkers Union. Workers at swing in strikes continued. profiteers is growing. Union in the province and country utilize this moment to push against and corporations. I had earlier solidarity is critical as people take The strike was called off after the Workers United Local 1305 had re- from. Rexplas in north Toronto went out 50 workers at National Rubber needs to back them. A victory by a the employer’s offensive. been given a patch by a land action. Whether it be in defense Maritime Employers Association, jected the concessions placed on the Heading into 2021 it was clear in late May and immediately mobi- Technologies in west Toronto The missing link large public sector group can spark It is a moment when workers defender with the four colours of of Indigenous rights, workers who oversee the $100 billion worth table (by an employer who bragged to anyone who wanted to look that lized support and drew connections were locked out in early July after The mood to resist a growing other fights. are moving, it is up to everyone on the medicine wheel and the slogan on the line, women fighting for of goods going through the Port in its quarterly reports about its there would be more confronta- between the mainly South Asian rejecting the employer’s demand for employers’ offensive against If broader layers of public sector the left to join in to support and to “United We Stand Divided We Fall” reproductive justice, or standing of Montreal, agreed to return to high profits) and sought to reverse tions. Workers are getting sick of work force and the mass farmer massive concessions. Steelworkers workers’ rights and wages is clear in workers join the fight being waged demand that our leaders ditch their and important message for today. up against anti Black racism or the table. Both Doug Ford, Tory givebacks done in previous rounds putting themselves on the line while strike in India. They beat back the in Toronto and Hamilton have the manufacturing sector. by those in the private sector, that cap in hand pleading and put their There has been growing Islamophobia, this is the time to premier of Ontario and François of bargaining. their bosses safely sat at home. concessions and made modest gains mobilized solidarity pickets for the But all is not up and onward. would spur confidence in other efforts into mobilizing and striking actions among rank and file trade join together and fight back. No Legault, Coalition Avenir Québec In essence the employer was Employers want to make workers’ after a two month strike. workers. The largest layers of unionized layers to fight and bolster those that against the profiteers. unionists defending Indigenous group should stand alone.

September 2021 Socialist Worker 5 4 Socialist Worker September 2021 Encampment evictions and the housing crisis Afghanistan, Canada and

he vicious attacks by Toronto police on ity than either homelessness or children. the encampments in city parks - with the It is absurd that this is the response from the support of a city council majority - is city but it is logical when put into the frame- Tpart of a long history of demonization work of capitalism. and violence against people experiencing The capitalist system has no interest in Imperialism homelessness. It is not an aberration but a solving the housing crisis. In fact, any long pattern. What has changed is the context. The term solution that would provide adequate became a particular problem and led to Stephen people living in encampments are doing so affordable housing puts the profits of the by: Sid Lacombe Harper proroguing Parliament in 2009 to avoid because they have no other options and the banks, developers and landlords in danger. Far publication of files linking Canadian forces to the pandemic means more and more people have from being a problem that politicians cannot he chaos in Afghanistan is a direct result transfer of prisoners to torture sites. been pushed onto the streets. All of this is solve - they are deliberately ensuring it will not of 4 decades of imperial intervention In sum, NATO forces spent 20 years and $2 happening after decades of skyrocketing rents be solved. and the Afghan people will once again trillion to prop up a corrupt government using and housing prices which give working people Doug Ford and John Tory and Justin Tpay the price. torture and brutal military tactics. History teach- even fewer options. Trudeau are in league The Taliban resurgence is the result of that his- es that no such situation will last forever. People The city justifies the with the capitalists who tory of violence. Their takeover is being greeted will fight back. While the Taliban don’t represent attacks by saying that make money off of the with fear and trepidation by many in the country. a path to liberation, the removal of imperial forc- the encampments are housing crisis. They lis- Although the Taliban of today is very different in es is a prerequisite to the true liberation for the not safe and that they ten to them and not to us. makeup to the Taliban in 2001, the organization Afghan people. are trying to get people That’s what is behind the has a history of brutality and rights abuses, par- into housing. They could opening of the Greenbelt ticularly against women. Canada’s role solve those problems to housing development The global community is expressing shock Canada used the war in Afghanistan to develop by putting some effort or the removal of strong and anger that the Taliban has retaken all of the a much more aggressive posture for it’s forces into increasing safety rent controls in most country so quickly after the departure of US abroad. In the earliest days, Canada confined it- and building proper cities in Canada forces. The scenes of Afghans scrambling to gain self to Kabul but the role expanded over time. The affordable housing but But that doesn’t mean access to international flights out of Kabul while Chretien government sent thousands more troops they are not doing either. we cannot have change. Chinook helicopters usher US embassy staff to to Kabul in early 2003 to free up US troops for If, for example, the Campaigns to defund safety have brought back images of the evacua- Afghans protest NATO bombing and call for an end to the occupation of their homeland the attack on Iraq. But it was the announcement in issue is fire safety - police and have some of tion from Saigon in 1975. summer 2005 that Canada would be taking on an governments in cities the money allocated to Politicians and the media are using these de- forces, with little understanding or concern for interests in the NATO countries themselves. The advanced combat role in Kandahar that made the around the world have them used for affordable velopments to make the argument that the NATO the Afghan people began a brutal rule themselves. country was awash in development funds with war front page news and a battle of ideas emerged ...Safe September continued from page 8 happened. It is obvious that the Ontario solved this problem by having firefighters housing are growing around the world. The forces should not have pulled out and left the Crucially, the US decided that they would little or no oversight or plan. Corruption was in this country. Government is not listening to union leaders, provide fire safety tips and fire extinguishers on city of Toronto spends $1.2 billion on police Afghan people to such a fate. instal the same warlords that had terrorized the innevitable. The right wing - both Liberal and Conservative But, a majority of the teachers I speak to parents, or front-line education workers. And site. That would solve the problem and would each year. Half of that would be enough to However, the Afghan state is not - just now people a decade earlier in the new Afghan gov- The report Afghanistan Inc. detailed how bil- tried to rally Canadians behind the flag and want the school to be open, they just want while petitions are important and calling your save a considerable amount of money. Having provide housing - thus making the police who - descending into chaos. There has been chaos ernment. It did not take long before a resistance lions of dollars in aid to Afghanistan was fun- support for “our troops”. The decades long them to be open safely. local MPP are critical, I think the unions need police and private security attack the camps is attack the encampments redundant. and violence in the country for the last 40 years. movement developed to end US control. As nelled - not into development projects but into propaganda campaign calling Canadian forces At the August 17 Elementary Teachers’ to take a much bolder approach than what we expensive and wasteful. But ultimately, if we want to permanently Over the last 20 years the main purveyor of that Afghan MP and women’s rights activist Malalai the coffers of western corporations. Much of the “peacekeepers”was tossed away and the role of Federation of Ontario (ETFO) 2021 Annual have seen over the past 18 months. The city will also say that they are working solve the housing crisis we need to overthrow violence was the US-led occupation forces. Joya stated at the time, the US installed a ‘Taliban billions in funding for development never left the combatants emerged. When General Rick Hillier Meeting, delegates voted in favour of a policy to find housing for those in the camps. But the capitalist system that makes housing a Imperial meddling caused this situation to exist. Lite’ government that did nothing to advance home countries. Social development by NATO told a press conference that Canada was heading statement calling on the Ford government to What is the state of grassroots, rank and file what kind of housing are they proposing? commodity rather than a right. More Imperial meddling will not solve it. women’s rights and freedoms. forces in Afghanistan was a myth. to Afghanistan to “Kill detestable murderers and ensure appropriate measures are in place for a leadership? Given the massive wait times for affordable Housing is a human right! The Taliban made consistent gains from that For western corporations lining up at the scumbags”, that shift was complete. safe return to school, including the mandatory housing, what they are really doing is push- A brief history point forward. Despite pronouncements of prog- trough, bribery of Afghan officials was a nec- For Canadian capital Afghanistan was seen vaccination of school staff, with provisions I continue to organize with Ontario Education ing people into an already overcrowded and Take action As a central location of the “great game” to control ress against the resistance forces from politicians essary price of doing business. That corruption as a prime investment opportunity when it was for exceptions. Transparent processes must be Workers United, building a grassroots move- dangerous shelter system. During the pandemic Contact Mayor John Tory and Toronto city central Asia, Afghanistan has been a plaything of in NATO countries the resistance would continue filtered down to all levels of the police, and ju- discovered it was sitting on more than $1 trillion established, in consultation with unions, to de- ment across the province to fill in gaps that the there have been numerous outbreaks of covid councillors. Demand an end to encampment US presidents since the Carter administration. to grow. diciary as well. in mineral deposits, Canadian mining companies termine how the vaccination requirement could union is not ready to look at, to put pressure in the shelters. The new hotel shelters are not attacks. It was under Carter that the US armed the wanted to line up for their share. As recently as be implemented fairly within the education on the government. Parents group like Ontario much better and leave many people feeling that John Tory: 416-397-CITY (2489) Mujahideen to attack Russian interests in the The Afghan government under the NATO Violence 2014, Canadian mining corporations were bid- sector. Parents Action Network are crucial and critical they are still in a state of institutional supervi- Email: [email protected] country and to goad them into an invasion. The occupation The lack of support for the Afghan government ding on resource contracts in Afghanistan. and a leading force in putting pressure on the sion. Find your councillor at: goal for the US was to weaken the USSR - it’s The government In Kabul had only marginal con- can be traced to both the conduct of the govern- However, the new Afghan government was Where does the union leadership stand on the government. We have to continue to do more. And many of the housing options being toronto.ca/city-government/council/mem- main cold war rival. They had little concern for trol outside of the capitol. Resistance fighters had ment leadership but also to the conduct of NATO not able to provide the security environment reopening plan? My biggest concern is the class conscious- offered are far away from the centre of the city bers-of-council/ the Afghan people then and used them for their been able to consolidate their positions in most itself. needed for a pillaging of their land. Alan Dowd ness of education workers. Many of us like to in locations that have few services. This just Contact the Encampment Support Network for own geopolitical aims at the cost of thousands provinces long before the US troop withdrawal As early as 2006 the mainstream Carnegie Senior Fellow at the Fraser Institute Statements by Sam Hammond, president of think of ourselves as enjoying a middle-class means people will end up back in an encamp- more information: of lives. was announced. And even in Kabul, Taliban Endowment for International Peace stated that in the article, Afghanistan’s Rare Earth Element EFTO, and joint statements by the four largest lifestyle, and we do. We do have benefits that ment soon after being sent to housing. encampmentsupportnetwork.com/ The subsequent civil war, where various attacks were commonplace in recent years. Far the biggest single reason for the resurgence of Bonanza, lamented that the Afghan government public school unions have been, and continue many working class folks don’t have. It is There is also another equity issue at play. instagram.com/esn.to.4real/ armed factions - flush with new US weaponry from being a shocking development, this col- the Taliban was the presence and conduct of had failed “to embrace economic freedom, the to be, critical of the plan. They are calling for a good thing what we have, but how do we Many in the encampments are people who twitter.com/esn_to - fought to control the country was followed by lapse of the Afghan government was expected. the NATO forces. Kill teams, mass bombing foundations of which personal choice, volun- an advisor table with the ministry to address make sure that we raise everybody’s bar, so have experienced trauma - often at the hands the Taliban takeover in 1996. The rule of various When the Trump administration was negotiat- campaigns and drone strikes killed more than tary exchange, freedom to enter and compete in pandemic issues. we should be working hard to make sure that of the system - and they are unwilling to be Territorial Acknowledgement warlords during the civil war was so bad that ing a peace deal with the Taliban they didn’t even 100,000 civilians and resulted in widespread op- markets, and property rights“. Corporate interest all of our parents have paid sick days so they brought into a daily interaction with that very when the Taliban emerged onto the scene they invite the Afghan government to participate. That position to foreign troops. in stealing the resources did not wane but it was Could more be done? can stay home with a sick child, because these same system. Almost 40% of those in encamp- As settlers, we acknowledge our were able to take over much of the country with sends a pretty clear signal to any security forces Stories of massacres by NATO troops became apparent that the security situation was unable to are the families that we teach. ments are Indigenous people who have already occupation of lands that are the little resistance. that fighting to preserve this government was commonplace. US soldiers massacred civilians, make their investments profitable. I am a member of the Toronto local, the largest We need to be working with union mem- suffered from the genocide meted out by the It did not take long after their ascendency how- useless. including children in Kandahar and kept their fin- And the Canadian military used the war to fur- public sector local in the province, and largest bers on these issues. Ford and the federal Canadian state. The fact that Toronto police Indigenous territories of Turtle Island. ever, before it became apparent that they would The Afghan military and police were made gers as trophies, Wedding parties were bombed ther advance it’s interests abroad. The building of education local in North America. We have had Liberals are relying on the fact that teachers are evicting them from their own land just ads Furthermore, we support all struggles rule with an iron fist motivated by a fundamen- up of people who only marginally supported with frequency from Wech Baghtu to Haska a new Canadian base in Kuwait is being followed lots of difficulty getting a cogent response to are ‘comfortable’. We need to do more work insult to injury. talist philosophy. the Afghan government in the first place. As the Meyna - two airstrikes that killed 77 people in by new bases in Jamaica and Senegal to protect the pandemic. Our members were looking for to connect teachers to broader working class City arguments about needing the parks for for Indigenous sovereignty in whatever However, the US didn’t care about what type Afghanistan Papers outlined, as many as one total. In the first half of 2019, US forces estimat- Canadian corporate investments. a more agile and responsive leadership, I don’t struggles.on these issues. Ford and the federal children’s programs are bogus. Several days forms they take by the hundreds of First of government the Taliban would run. They were third of the people trained to become members ed they killed more than 300 civilians, including Our politicians would like to use the situation think we have been providing that. Liberals are relying on the fact that teachers after Alexandria Park was violently cleared, Nations and Inuit communities that only concerned with their own interests and the Afghan police and army deserted and a sim- 150 children. And the US even used Afghanistan in Afghanistan to argue for the benevolence of There are members who want more to be are ‘comfortable’. We need to do more work the park was ringed with fences and security particularly control of pipeline routes from the ilar percentage were supporters of the resistance to test new weapons like the MOAB (Massive military intervention. They spent decades falsely done and are willing to do more and they to connect teachers to broader working class guards reserving the area for a film shoot. have resided here for many thousands of Caspian region to seaports. from the beginning. Ordinance Air Blast) that killed 100 people in telling Canadians that this war was winnable and are surprised and disappointed that it hasn’t struggles. Money from the movie industry is higher prior- years, and by Métis communities that The US even hosted the Taliban during the In a context where unemployment sits above one strike. The list is endless. that our troops were making advances. They lied. George W. Bush administration to secure both 50 per cent, a job in the security forces was one of The NATO forces, despite any goodwill that They, like the US has only had their own inter- have developed in the last hundreds of pipeline routes and mining rights. The Taliban the few paycheques available for many. The fact may have existed among the soldiers themselves, ests at heart. If they really cared about the Afghan Find us on: @socialist_ca \socialistca socialist.ca years. was not however under the thumb of the US and that one could leave with more military training were part of a killing machine that didn’t distin- people they wouldn’t have spent a decade sening granted pipeline control to other interests. At that and with newly provided weapons made a quick guish between civilians and resistance fighters. innocent civilians to their graves or to torture at point they became a liability for US imperial foray into the Afghan forces something of a right According to whistleblower Daniel Hale, a US the hands of the occupation government. WHERE WE STAND socialist.ca/ourstand social, economic and the people of Quebec. political equality for women. We support the struggles policy. of passage for many who opposed the US led air force vet who identified targets for the Obama And if they really cared now, they would open Never miss an issue. The capitalist system concept of “just transition” production and distribution We are for an end to all for self-determination of Join the Socialists The September 11 attacks in 2001 gave the occupation. era drone assassination program in Afghanistan, the borders for any and all Afghans who wish to Yearly subscription $30 is based on violence, for affected workers. to satisfy human needs, forms of discrimination Quebec and Indigenous oppression and brutal not corporate profits—to and homophobia against peoples up to and including US all the leverage it needed to overthrow the And these aren’t new phenomena. The first there were few restrictions on who could be come to Canada and escape the violence they Institutions, 1st Class & U.S. $50 international: $60 exploitation. It creates Workers’ power respect the environment, lesbians, gays, bisexuals the right to independence. Name: hunger beside plenty, it Any alternative to not pollute and destroy it. and transgender people. In particular, we recognize Taliban. The fact that the Al-Qaeda network reports detailing the failures of the much lauded targeted. As long as the targets looked to be of created. threatens our sustenance capitalism must involve We oppose Indigenous peoples’ maintained bases in Afghanistan justified the ini- NATO led training programs were released in “fighting age” then they were fair game. He Name: through unsafe and replacing the system from Oppression environmental racism. We original and primary right Address: unsustainable farming, and the bottom up through Within capitalist society oppose discrimination on to decide their fate and tial invasion but competition between the US and 2005. Soldiers themselves had little loyalty to documented one period of 5 months whether the Liberation kills the earth itself with radical collective action. different groups suffer the basis of religion, ability that of their lands, heritage, rivals Russia and China remained the backdrop the army which was corrupt at all levels. Officers drone strikes missed their intended targets more There is only one way for countries destroyed by Address: pollution and unsustainable Central to that struggle from specific forms of and age. and traditions. Socialists Phone: extraction of oil, minerals, is the workplace, where oppression. Attacks on in Quebec, and in all and the key reason why Afghanistan was import- frequently decided not to pay soldiers and many than 90 percent of the time. imperial forces to achieve liberation and that is animals, trees, and capitalism reaps its profits oppressed groups are Canada, Quebec, oppressed nations, work E-mail: ant to the US. became very rich and lived in mansions in the Each time a civilian target was hit it built more through self determination. Phone: water. Capitalism leads off our backs. used to divide workers Indigenous Peoples to give the struggle against to imperialism and war. Capitalist monopolies and weaken solidarity. Canada is not a “colony” national oppression an The US led invasion swept the Taliban away cities while the troops went without. support for the Taliban and brought the country As Malalai Joya famously said, “No nation E-mail: Saving ourselves and the control the earth’s We oppose racism and of the United States, but internationalist and working with little fighting. The people of Afghanistan And it wasn’t just in the military that corrup- closer to the scenes we see today. can donate liberation to another nation. These planet depends on finding resources, but workers imperialism. We oppose an imperialist country in its class content. an alternative. everywhere actually create all immigration controls. own right that participates were largely glad they were gone. There was tion flourished. Corruption was endemic and And the use of US “black sites” to torture values must be fought for and won by the peo- Mail to: in the exploitation of much PO Box 339, Station E, Capitalism cannot the wealth. A new socialist We support the right of Read the full Fill in the form and send to International even a glimmer of hope that the new NATO led bribery was the norm. These were not failures Afghans suspected of being part of a resistance ple themselves. They can only grow and flourish Toronto, ON Canada, M6H 4E3 regulate the catastrophic society can only be people of colour and of the world. The Canadian statement at: effects of climate change. constructed when workers other oppressed groups state was founded Socialists, PO Box 339 Station occupation may help to end decades of violence. specific to the Afghan government, however, but movement spread and expanded over the 20 years when they are planted by the people in their own Phone: E-mail: socialist.ca/ 416.972.6391 / [email protected] We stand for climate collectively seize control to organize in their own through the repression of E Toronto ON M6H 4E3 But that hope was short-lived. The occupation were a result of graft and greed from corporate of the occupation. For Canadian politicians this soil and watered by their own blood and tears.” justice, including the of that wealth and plan its defence. We are for real, Indigenous peoples and ourstand 416.972.6391 / [email protected]

6 Socialist Worker September 2021 September 2021 Socialist Worker 7 $2 | No 636 | September 2021 | socialist.ca Fighting for a Safe September Return to school: "A lot of questions and lots of anxiety"

by: Pam Johnson for me. enough custodians hired to do the cleaning that don’t have a window or schools that The plan talks about the cleaning issue. But last year, much less this year. don’t have proper mechanical ventilation. espite rising COVID cases, Ontario many people are calling it ‘cleaning theatre’. There is a section on ventilation. The gov- introduced a plan for a full reopen- What is the mood among elementary teach- ing of public school for September, ers about the reopening plan? Dincluding full day in-person learning with no caps on class size, and without basic The main feeling is unnecessary anxiety, be- building safety measures such as ventilation cause of the unanswered questions out there. in place yet. Socialist Worker spoke to Nigel A major concern is hybrid learning, where Barriffe, executive officer of Elementary you have students in-person and on-line at the Teachers of Toronto (ETT), a local of same time. There is no research and there is Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario not an educator that can say that this is good (ETFO). He is also a member of Ontario for any child. The school board should just Education Workers United, a teacher activist take if off the table. The board says they are group, and president of the Urban Alliance on going to leave it up to individual schools, Race Relations. which means that the principal and superin- tendent will make the decision. What is your response to the Ontario in-per- In my opinion, that is an abdication of lead- son school reopening plan? ership by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), they should just take hybrid learning It is disappointing but not surprising. They off the table. They should demand that the had so much time to have taken the advice Ontario Ministry of Education provide the of stakeholders. I reviewed the Sick Kids money so that each student has a dedicated Hospital report on school safety with Laura teacher whether on-line or in-person. McCoy, we were very clear to say if we don’t Teachers still do not know the situation re: address class size cap of 15, paid sick days – We didn’t have the resources last year. The ernment says it put in new money, but this is ventilation, they still do not know their class especially for parents – that it would not be science says that the disease is airborne. not our understanding. The $500 million that size, they still do not know whether there will a plan. It is a huge gap that this is missing. The government has been pushing all these was put in is from the Federal government. be robust testing or contact tracing. So, there Knowing that COVID is an airborne disease, resources and telling parents we are doing all The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives are a lot of questions and lots of anxiety. masks should have been mandated because this cleaning but, A) it is not going to stop the reports demonstrate that Ontario has NOT put they help to reduce the spread, a glaring piece spread of the virus and B) there were never new money into the system for the classrooms continued on page 7 Police violence, from Tkaronto to Fairy creek Letter to the Editor video posted by @siiamhamilton with a chain- one officer was injured; he pepper sprayed The Black Gate was the site of the Red Dress by: MacKenzie Harris saw cutting trees people tied themselves to. himself. Regardless of what one deems is an ceremony, where a display of red dresses hung The saw is shown coming dangerously close “acceptable” form of protest, it is clear where from stakes along the side of the mountain he police in so-called Canada are to a person’s head, and many people’s arms lay the violence is coming from. In the videos re- near the Fairy Creek blockades. Jaime Black, once again turning to violence to directly beneath the saw. These scenes largely leased by @camplandback, the same non-vio- the artist who initiated the project, explained maintain the legitimacy of the ex- mirror the events that took place during the en- lent strategy used by encampment defenders “The REDress Project calls in the spiritual Tploitative, capitalist state, a state that campment evictions in Toronto. Many of the in Toronto is used by old growth defenders, a power and presence of our ancestors, as well says homelessness is the fault of individuals, same violent tactics were utilized. human chain. People link arms and stand their as the spirits of those who have gone missing and poverty is a normal part of life and a state We do not yet know the severity of, or how ground. This shouldn’t warrant violence. Who or been murdered. The REDresses stand with that says trees can be replanted but ignores many, injuries were obtained from the police does police-instigated violence serve and pro- us as we reclaim our circles, reclaim our voic- Indigenous wisdom that knows the ecosystems violence at river camp. Judging by existing tect? Why is this acceptable, and who does it es and re-imagine what it means to move for- old growth trees provide are irreplaceable. The footage circu- benefit? ward in a good way.” The site, which honours old growth is a critical carbon sink that new lating on social Destruction of MMIWGT2S+ across Turtle Island, was torn trees simply cannot equate to for a significant media, we can the old growth down by members of the RCMP. The RCMP, of number of years of growth. We know this old likely expect directly impacts course, are directly linked to the MMIQGT2S+ way of operating is not compatible with the concussions, the Pacheedaht crisis. world we live in today. Yet, the state continues cuts requiring Nation gravely. From Tkaronto to Fairy Creek, the same to utilize the police to maintain this status quo. stitches, poten- They, along with patterns of police violence are used to uphold After all, it’s what they were created for; since tially broken other Indigenous the status quo and favour capitalist, colonial, their inception, the police and the RCMP have bones, lots of Nations are white-supremacist interests. Arguably, it’s been used to protect the state. eyes burned practicing cere- getting worse. More frequent, and more prom- In video footage taken at the blockades, from pepper monies and are inent. However, the need for greater force police and members of the RCMP are shown spray and bruis- doing every- tells us the movement for liberation is gaining pepper spraying, macing, pushing, grabbing, ing. There have thing in their traction. Tension is escalating. Our power is throwing to the ground, dragging and assaulting been reports power to protect escalating. non-violent Indigenous defenders and allies. an Indigenous the sacred old We can build systems of accountability that There is no evidence of old growth protectors woman had growth trees centre care for both “victims” and “perpetra- fighting back or resisting, even in self-defence. some of their being stolen tors.” We don’t need our society to be built Most stood in place and were attacked for it. hair ripped out from the land. around individual obedience, especially when Many officers refused to give their name or while they were Their ceremo- abiding doesn’t serve even our own inter- badge numbers and had thin blue lines across being dragged nies are non-vi- ests, and disproportionately punishes certain their badges which have been banned since by an officer. We olent in nature, groups. We can imagine and create better. We October 2020. Journalists have been excluded can also expect and they have have to. from entering and capturing events since the very few, if any, been met count- standoffs at Fairy Creek began. There have cases where de- less times with TAKE ACTION been reports police have been stealing and fenders or allies police violence. For BC Old Growth Protection Efforts: https:// erasing footage when illegally arresting jour- inflicted violence on police. In Toronto, a fire ceremony being held in linktr.ee/TheRainforestFlyingSquad nalists and legal observers. There have been Recall at the last eviction raid in Toronto front of the Trinity Bellwoods encampments For Toronto Encampment Support: Linktr.ee/ reports of sexual assault by women on the front at Lamport stadium, a broken wrist and nose was interrupted and stomped on by police. ESN_TO lines. Arbitrary exclusion zones, declared ille- were reported, as well as cuts needing stitch- Indigenous Peoples continue to face violence gal by the provincial supreme court, have been es, sprained ankles, bruising, concussions for their Indigeneity and for practicing their in- Send your letter to the editor of Socialist Worker and are still being used. Officers are shown in a and eyes burned from police violence. Only herent rights as Peoples Indigenous to the land. at [email protected]