CANADIAN POLITICS CANADIAN LABOUR:

CANADIAN LABOUR COMES ON BOARD FOR A G20 INQUIRY:

Since the recent event in Toronto where the police made over 1,000 arrests of people unconnected with the pathetic little "riot" that the police certainly "encouraged" and perhaps set up totally there has been a growing movement for an independent inquiry about the police actions during those days. Molly's only quibble with this is that it should obviously include the political "rules of engagement" under which the police operated. This is very much a "political matter", and it would be disappointing if the result were only blame one individual in the Toronto police bureaucracy. Here's the call from the Canadian Union of Public Employees for the inquiry.

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CUPE calls for public inquiry on G20
CUPE is adding its voice to a growing list of organizations calling for a public inquiry into the traumatic and excessive use of force by police and government officials during the G20 summit.

“As we approach Canada Day, it’s deeply disturbing to think that something so undemocratic and fundamentally un-Canadian has just happened in our country,” said CUPE National President Paul Moist.

“Citizens of Toronto have a right to know why they were not consulted about the security process leading into the summit. Small business owners deserve to know why their businesses were not protected, and why they are not being compensated for damages. And hundreds of innocent people need to know why they were arbitrarily searched, detained, or subject to unreasonable aggression by the police,” said Moist.

Pressure for an independent investigation has been mounting steadily this week, with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Amnesty International, opposition parties, and tens of thousands of Canadians calling for accountability from police and government officials.

The Canadian Labour Congress has issued a statement on police actions. As well, CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn and Secretary-Treasurer Candace Rennick have issued a statement on behalf of CUPE members from across Ontario – many of whom bore witness to acts of unprovoked violence in Toronto.

“CUPE deplores the actions of those individuals who committed acts of vandalism during the summit protests,” said Moist. “However, the peaceful expression of dissent is a right that must be protected with vigilance. It’s the sign of a healthy democracy, and one of the bedrock values of this country.”

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As I said support for an independent inquiry has been growing. Here's an item from the Canadian Labour Congress demanding same.All these calls are fair and good, and they are definitely "of benefit" whatever convinced anarchists who don't see the need to reach out to the general population may say. At the risk of repeating myself endlessly I do have to emphasize that the political directives to the police should also be investigated. If this does not happen the author of these crimes will escape unscathed. Here's the statement from the CLC.

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AStatement on G20 Summit Police Actions

The Canadian Labour Congress supports the call of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and other organizations for an independent inquiry into the actions of the police during the G8 and G20 summits.

The G20 summit in Toronto on June 26 and 27 was an opportunity for us to tell our politicians that the needs of workers, of citizens, and the environment must take precedence over the greed of global finance and global corporations.

Our People First Rally on June 26 brought over 30,000 people to Toronto, to the official demonstration area at Queen's Park, and along a parade route negotiated with security officials. By all accounts – including the police – labour's rally was a peaceful demonstration with hundreds of volunteer marshals from the labour movement ensuring we had a successful event.

Unfortunately our successful and peaceful demonstration was overshadowed by the actions of small numbers of individuals unrelated to our event, who committed serious acts of vandalism.

The Canadian Labour Congress quickly and publicly deplored those actions, which undermined the efforts of labour and civil society to ensure our voices were heard.

Reports of peaceful demonstrators, exercising their democratic rights of expression and free assembly, being rounded up and detained in mass arrests are cause for concern. We are further disturbed by the revelations that the Ontario government passed in secret an amendment of the Public Works Protection Act that did not meet Canadian constitutional standards and resulted in inappropriate use of police powers to arrest and detain individuals for recognized legal activities.

It is the responsibility of our governments to ensure Canadians know exactly what transpired during this security operation, and that police will be held accountable if mistakes were made. We call on the federal and provincial governments to conduct an independent inquiry into security during the 2010 G8 and G20 summits.

CANADIAN POLITICS TORONTO:

LABOUR VERSUS THE G20:

Numerous groups with various agendas are planning to protest at the upcoming G20 summit in Toronto. Some of the protest events have already begun (see G8/20 Toronto Community Mobilization ) Amongst the groups protesting will be a wide number of labour unions. One of the sore points for labour is the planned deployment of the 'sonic cannons' crowd control devices. Here is a press release from the Ontario Federation of Labour speaking of their plans and protesting the deployment of this weaponry. There are a lot of questions surrounding these weapons such as whether they cause permanent hearing damage (probably), whether they can be overcome by simple countermeasures such as garbage can lids reflecting the sound back at the sender, and perhaps most importantly how trigger happy the police will be in trying out their new toys.

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LARGEST G20 PROTEST PUTS PEOPLE AND THEIR SAFETY FIRST
ORGANIZERS SUPPORT INJUNCTION TO PREVENT USE OF SONIC CANNONS DURING SUMMIT
(TORONTO) -- The organizers of the June 26 “People First!” rally say their reason for organizing what's likely to be the biggest public protest during the G20 Summit was to give ordinary working people a chance to speak out in a place that's safe and free from the overblown security presence that's become so commonplace during meetings of the world's most powerful heads of state.

Speaking at a news conference near the G20 Summit site, the presidents of the Canadian Labour Congress and the Ontario Federation of Labour outlined their reasons for organizing the large protest while assuring people it will be both peaceful and safe. Joining them was the Canadian Civil Liberties Association which, along with the CLC, has sought a court order to prevent the unsafe use of sonic cannons during the protest to guarantee a safe environment for people who choose to express themselves outside of the high security zone.

"Canadians have a right to freely express themselves in the public places of their own community and their own country. We've been working for months with local organizations here in Toronto, including local police to provide people with a safe and peaceful venue to express their displeasure with G20 leaders and their own government," said OFL president Sid Ryan.

Rally organizers say they are aware of over thirty buses that have been chartered by local labour unions and student associations to bring people from across Ontario to the protests. They also report that people who want to come and raise their issues are being intimidated by the excessive security presence and news stories that show police in full riot gear, flaunting weapons used against attacking pirates on the high seas. They've addressed those concerns by keeping their march away from security hot spots and by joining an appeal to the courts to prevent police from using their new sonic cannons, or LRADs.

"These weapons haven't been tested or approved for use in Ontario. Until then, we have no guarantee that police know how to use them properly and safely," said Nathalie Des Rosiers of the CCLA, which sought the court injunction this week with the support of rally organizers. "These laws exist for our protection; they cannot be put aside simply because foreign dignitaries are coming to town."

CLC president Ken Georgetti says the main reason for staging a protest rally, as well as a march through the streets of Toronto during the G20 Summit is to draw attention to the way working people are getting left behind and left out of the economic recovery.

“Working people need to come out, speak up and tell their leaders that we refuse to get stuck with all the bills for a financial crisis and a recession that we did not cause. Reckless financial traders and greedy investment bankers caused it. People lost millions of jobs and billions in savings. Governments went deep into debt to provide help – and now they want us to pay with higher taxes and belt-tightening and let those bankers off the hook,” said CLC president Ken Georgetti.

“Those greedy CEOs need to take responsibility for the damage that was done and pay their fair share, starting with a tax on financial transactions. Governments need that revenue to continue helping the jobs market recover and to get back to work on vital issues like climate change, HIV-AIDS, and the crushing poverty we see in the world today,” said Georgetti.

The “People First!” Rally and March take place on Saturday, June 26, starting at 1:00 p.m. on the south lawn of Queen's Park and then march south on University Avenue, turning west along Queen Street West, then north onto Spadina Avenue, and finally east onto College Street back to a main stage for more music and local entertainment.



Related Web Sites:
http://www.canadianlabour.ca
G20 Protest Route


For More Information:
Patrick (Sid) Ryan, President
p: 416.441.2731 m: 416.209.0066 f: 416.441.0722
Toll-free: 1-800-668-9138

Pam Frache, Education Director
p: 416-443-7663 f: 416.441.0722
Jeff Atkinson
CLC Communications
e: jatkinson@clc-ctc.ca p: 613.863.1413

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS/CANADIAN LABOUR:
CLC STATEMENT AGAINST THE CANADA-COLOMBIA FREE TRADE AGREEMENT:



The following is the official statement from the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) about the proposed Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement that will likely come up on the order bill in this session of Parliament. Colombia is, of course, the "deadliest" nation in the world for trade unionists today, not necessarily because of government expression but because of official tolerance of extra-judicial murder. Here's the CLC statement.
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Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement a Betrayal of Commitments

The Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement appears to be moving toward reality in this session of Parliament unless Canadians speak out loudly and contact their Member of Parliament.

The government reintroduced legislation to implement the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement on March 9. Debating the new bill in Parliament on March 24, the Liberal trade critic Scott Brison proposed an amendment that was accepted by the government and could fast-track the bill’s passage.

A bad bill just gets worse with this amendment. In 2008, an all-party Commons Committee recommended that an impartial human rights impact assessment by a competent body before Canada even considers ratifying a trade agreement with Colombia.

With the proposed amendment, the trade agreement would be implemented and Colombia will assess its own human rights record and report on it annually.

The Colombian government has already been preparing its own reports on labour rights violations for the International Labour Organization for decades, and yet the murder of trade unionists persists. 45 trade unionists were killed in 2009, maintaining Colombia’s dubious record of being the most dangerous country to be a trade union leader.

The Colombian government is deeply mired in human rights violations. Asking a country which allows its security forces to engage in the murder of its own citizens, as documented by the UN High Commission for Human Rights in a November 2008 report, to assess its own human rights record is a mockery. This is no where near the independent human rights assessment that unions and human rights organizations, and indeed Canada’s parliamentarians called for in 2008.

The Canadian Labour Congress calls on all Members of Parliament to vote no to free trade with Colombia.

CANADIAN POLITICS:

THE NEW FEDERAL BUDGET:

After presenting an incredibly lenghty Speech From The Throne that was long on platitudes and short on substance the federal Conservative Government has presented its budget. This presents a quandary for the opposition as no party wants to risk an election, and they have to figure out a way "to be seen as opposing" the budget while not opposing it in fact. Ignatief, the leader of the Liberal Party, has set the tone by saying that the Liberals will vote against the budget while making sure that enough of their MPs are out of the House to make sure that it will pass.

The Throne Speech was, of course, nothing, and its major "blip" has disappeared 2 days after its presentation. I refer to the bizarre idea of making the national anthem "gender inclusive". That sort of thing was, of course, cooked up by Conservative strategists who thought that they could outflank the "left" (as it is). It failed because the average person, of whatever persuasion, came in first with their opinion before academic feminism did. The cynicism of the general public is very correct here. For something that should cost nothing it is guaranteed that at least a million would be spent on revising the words of a song that very few people know the full words to anyways. The million would not be paid out to such as the federally funded "feminist" quangos like the 'National Action Committee On The Status Of Women'. It would go to corporate buddies of the government.

Molly may actually be in a 1% club for knowing the first two verses of the national anthem. Only God and the IODE only know the others. To say the least "nobody cares". but there are other things that people actually do care about. Here's the statement of the Canadian Labour Congress on the budget.

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The 2010 Federal Budget:
Canadian Labour Congress Analysis
1. Summary
The Budget contains no big surprises but is still a big disappointment. Despite the fact that unemployment is and will remain very high, economic stimulus measures effectively end after this year. A few very small new investments in jobs and skills will be made, but they do not amount to even the beginnings of a strategy to build a new economy. There will be a temporary extension of EI work-sharing, but about 500,000 unemployment claims filed during the Great Recession will still be exhausted. Corporate tax cuts continue, and are even modestly increased in this Budget, so the burden of deficit reduction will fall on government programs. Despite very low interest rates and one of the lowest debt levels in the advanced industrial countries, federal program spending will be slashed. Spending on international assistance is to be frozen.
While the world’s and Canada’s economic recovery is still very fragile, the Harper government has decided to focus on eliminating the deficit. Creating jobs would help balance the books at far lower cost.
2. Impact on Jobs and the Economy
Since October 2008, almost 500,000 permanent, paid jobs have been lost as the manufacturing and forest industry jobs crisis intensified and spread to other sectors. In the last Budget, under intense pressure, the federal government passed an economic stimulus package that, combined with ultra-low interest rates, seems to have stabilized the economy. The Budget estimates that the stimulus package has saved or created 130,000 jobs as of today.
But, a significant proportion of layoffs that occurred in the last few years are permanent, the result of bankruptcies and plant closures. Unemployment is expected by the Budget to average 8.5% this year, and 7.9% in 2011, and the real rate of unemployment — counting people who have been forced into part-time jobs or have given up looking for jobs — is already over 12%. Many unemployed workers are able to find only very low wage, insecure jobs.
We face a severe social and poverty crisis as tens of thousands of workers, who are unemployed through no fault of their own, exhaust their EI benefits and as the incomes of working families fall. The crisis has also had a devastating impact upon retirement savings and pension plans.
The CLC called on the government to build on existing stimulus measures and to launch, in partnership with the provinces and cities, a major, multi-year, public investment program which would create jobs now, promote our environmental goals, and build new “green” industries for the future. The current infrastructure program is far too small to have much impact on the jobs crisis, and excludes the larger and longer term projects which would have the greatest positive impact on our future economic potential. We also called for investments in job-creating public services, such as child care and home care.
The CLC also said that the federal government should invest directly in sector renewal strategies to save jobs and promote successful restructuring in hard-hit industries, such as auto, forest, and fish products.
What We Got
The Budget praises corporate tax cuts as its key economic lever, and maintains already announced stimulus measures only for this coming year, as expected. Stimulus money not spent in 2009-2010 will be carried over, but the program will end in March of next year. The Budget also adds some very modest new job creation initiatives. New measures listed under the category “building a strong economic foundation” total just $1.5 billion over the next two years (on top of funds already committed). One hundred and eight million dollars will be spent over three years on employment and skills measures aimed at youth, including Aboriginal and at-risk youth. About $500 million will be spent over two years on programs to build a more innovative economy, including through support for the National Research Council, and university and college research. There are small increases for regional economic development agencies, some very minor green jobs programs, and more support for basic infrastructure (including $175 million over two years for Marine Atlantic, and $330 million over two years for First Nations infrastructure).
Billed as a job creation measure, the Budget eliminates remaining tariffs on machinery and equipment, as well as on industrial inputs to manufacturing. These tariff cuts will be front-end loaded but phased in over five years, and will save business $200 million next year, rising to $300 million per year when the process is completed. The net effect on jobs may be negative if these tariffs result in higher imports at the expense of Canadian producers. Also, they eliminate a key bargaining chip in ongoing trade negotiations.
3. Employment Insurance
What We Wanted
EI is a critically important program for Canadian workers. Laid-off workers deserve adequate benefits to support themselves and their families. And EI is an effective form of economic stimulus which can help maintain hard-hit communities.
Our EI program has left far too many Canadians, especially women and lower wage, insecure workers, out in the cold. Only half of all unemployed workers qualify for benefits, and the average weekly benefit for those who do qualify is just $343. The more than 800,000 unemployed workers now on EI qualify for an average of just 38 weeks of benefits, and tens of thousands of workers who lost their jobs in the early stages of the crisis have already exhausted their claims. EI benefits have been temporarily extended for five weeks for all workers who file their claims before September 11, 2010, and up to 20 weeks for a few older workers under an extension program that will be phased out from June of this year and closes in September. But this is not enough in a jobless recovery. Provincial social assistance caseloads are starting to rise rapidly.
The CLC has called for a uniform entrance requirement of 360 hours of work across the country so that more unemployed workers will qualify. We want higher weekly benefits based on the best 12 weeks of earnings before a layoff, and a replacement rate of 60% of insured earnings. We also call for longer benefits of at least 50 weeks in all regions. As in the United States, benefits should be extended on an emergency basis for at least 26 weeks so long as unemployment remains so high. Work-sharing agreements under EI currently cover about 160,000 workers saving many from layoff, but they are about to run out, and must be renewed. The unemployed must also be given access to long-term skills training.
What We Got
The only EI measure in the Budget is a welcome extension of EI work-sharing. Arrangements can be extended for a further 26 weeks to a maximum of 78 weeks until March 2011. This measure is keeping some 30,000 workers from being laid off.
4. Pensions
What We Wanted
The crisis has exposed major faults at the heart of our pension system. Our public pensions — Old Age Security (OAS) and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS), plus the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) — provide a secure income in retirement, but the maximum value of public pensions falls well short of replacing the 50% to 70% of pre-retirement income needed to maintain living standards. Meanwhile, the private part of our pension system is in deep trouble. Only about one in five workers in the private sector now belongs to an employer pension plan. The average pension plan is seriously underfunded because of low interest rates and the recent collapse of stock markets, placing pensions at risk if employers go out of business. Those without pension plans must rely on high cost RRSPs, which will leave many with very low incomes in retirement.
The labour movement believes that Canadians should not have to “fend for themselves” in retirement. We have called for a phased-in doubling of benefits under the Canada Pension Plan, from 25% to 50% of pensionable earnings, financed by a modest increase in worker and employer premiums. This will require federal/ provincial agreement. The pension priority for the federal budget is to improve the Guaranteed Income Supplement (or GIS) which is paid to low income seniors to bring their incomes up to a minimum level. We call for an immediate increase in the GIS of 15% or about $100 per month, at an annual cost of about $1 billion. This measure would ensure that no senior lives below the poverty line.
The federal government should guarantee pension benefits in the federal jurisdiction up to $2,500 per month, and work with the provinces to create a national pension insurance system.
What We Got
Consultations on reform of the pension system are promised before the next meeting of federal and provincial finance ministers to be held in May, with the process to be launched this month.
5. Public Spending Cuts: Putting Deficit Reduction Before the Real Priorities
Economic stimulus from increased government spending in combination with low interest rates helped stabilize the economy. Deficits have financed programs which created jobs and helped the unemployed at a time when the private sector was very weak. As even the International Monetary Fund argues, the recovery is largely driven by government stimulus measures, and countries risk a quick return to recession if anti-crisis measures are withdrawn too soon.
The Budget argues that we have to move back quickly to balanced budgets through cuts to social programs, public services, and public sector jobs. For the Conservatives, deficits are the problem, not unemployed workers and their families. For them, balancing the books today is more important than helping people and building a better social and economic future.
Deficits are not a problem when they are used to finance public investment programs which create jobs for people, raise our economic potential, and further our environmental and social justice goals. And they are not a problem when the total government debt today is the lowest of the advanced industrial countries (53% of GDP in 2008-2009 compared to 102% in 1995-1996), and interest rates are at an all-time low. The federal debt is just one-third of GDP, and the cost of servicing that debt is very modest, just 2% of GDP. The federal deficit run this year (2009-2010) sounds scary in dollars, but is still less than 4% of national income, far lower than it was in the early to mid-1990s.
With low interest rates, we can and should finance public expenditures which create jobs now while raising our productive potential and the future tax base.
What We Got
As expected, the Budget focuses on balancing the federal government books at the expense of new investments. Significant spending cuts are to be imposed and potential new investments are to be foregone even though the government notes that Canada’s overall debt is very low by comparison to other advanced economies. As a result of economic recovery, the end of economic stimulus measures after this year, and net changes to spending and revenues, the deficit is forecast to shrink from $54 billion in 2009-2010, and $49 billion in 2010-2011, to under $2 billion in 2014-2015. In this coming year, 2010-2011, there are spending cuts of $800 million, and spending increases of $1.1 billion, but from then on spending cuts gather pace and begin to bring down the deficit. By 2014-2015, federal government program spending is forecast to shrink to just 13.2% of GDP compared to 15.6% this year — a difference of about $35 billion in annual spending. The burden of spending cuts is spread across three major areas: the administrative cost of government including strategic review of programs, international assistance, and military spending.
Deep cuts are imposed on Canada’s international assistance programs. After reaching $5 billion per year this year, spending will be frozen rather than increased at the planned rate of 8% per year. This means spending will be $1.8 billion less than planned by 2014-2015, and will be $4.5 billion less than planned over the period from now through 2014-2015. The planned rate of increase in military spending is also to be reduced from 2012-2013.
In this Budget, the focus is on cuts to federal departments. Compared to the existing path of planned spending, there will be $15 billion in cuts over five years starting in 2010-2011. The federal government will cut, by a total of $6.8 billion, the operational cost of government. Departmental budgets will not be increased to fund increased demands as a result of population growth, the increased cost of goods and services purchased by government, and the 1.5% increase in annual wages already in place. Operating budgets will not rise by 1.5% this year to pay for wage increases, and will be frozen for the next two years. Departments will be required to reallocate from the remainder of budgets the means to fund these wage and other cost increases. A lot of the burden will likely fall on jobs as vacancies arise and are not filled, and there may be layoffs. The government plans to meet with unions to discuss “all compensation costs.” The freeze on operational spending will be effectively extended to federal Crown corporations. On top of this, the government expects to cut another $1.3 billion over five years through program review. It is clear that, contrary to previous years, savings achieved through the program review will not be allocated to new programs, but to the deficit.
It is too early to predict what will be the results of these cuts, but they will have an impact on jobs and the economy that will limit the impact of the stimulus package this year, and slow economic recovery moving forward.
6. Fair Taxes
What We Wanted
If the government wants to return to balanced budgets over the medium-term without cutting the programs and services needed by working families, there is scope to raise taxes. In the next fiscal year (2010-2011), the two-percentage-point GST cut will cost the government over $12 billion in lost revenues, and their corporate tax cuts will cost almost $9 billion, without any significant impact on real job-creating business investments. Any so-called “structural deficit” — the deficit that would exist after an economic recovery — is almost entirely the result of short-sighted Conservative tax cuts. The CLC has supported higher personal income taxes for very high income earners and a return to the corporate tax rates in place before the Conservatives took office.
What We Got
While tax revenues will rise in line with the forecast economic recovery, the government has more or less stuck to its promise of no tax increases. The promised cut in the general corporate tax rate, from 22% when the government took office to 15%, will continue. On top of the phasing out of some tariffs, the Budget also cuts taxes by $30 million per year for Canadian companies which operate internationally by “improving Canada’s system of international taxation.” In fairness, the Budget also proposes to raise about another $400 million per year by closing down tax loopholes.
Conclusion
The priority in this Budget should have been jobs and support for the unemployed, not deficit reduction. The jobs crisis is still very much with us. Our national debt is low, and interest rates are and will remain very low. It is up to governments to deal with the human impacts of the crisis, and to set the stage for shared progress in the next economy.
Canadian Labour Congress
www.canadianlabour.ca

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN:

THE MONTRÉAL MASSACRE- 20 YEARS AFTER:

It was 20 years ago that Marc Lepine went on a rampage at the École Polytechnique in Montréal. Blaming "feminists" for his failures in life he entered that engineering school armed with a semi-automatic rifle and a hunting knife. In the end 14 people, all women, were dead and 14 others, ten of them women, were injured. Lepine ended by killing himself. The full details of the incident can be read at a Wikipedia article on the subject.

Since that day November 6 has become an officially recognized 'National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women'. Here in Winnipeg two events were held today, one a showing of the film 'Polytechnique' at the University of Winnipeg and the other a candlelight vigil in front of the office of Conservative MP Shelley Glover. Tomorrow there will be a candlelight march beginning at 7:30 am (!!!) from the Union Centre at 275 Broadway to the Legislature down the road. A memorial service will follow. Here are several statements on the import of this day. First, from the Canadian Labour Congress.

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National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women December 6, 2009:
Posted: Friday, 27 November 2009
On December 6th, we mourn the 14 women killed in Montreal in 1989. On this day we remember all women who are murdered or experience violence by partners, family members and strangers throughout this country. On this day we recommit to take action against all forms of violence against women in our society.

This December 6th will mark 20 years since those 14 young women were murdered in Montreal simply because they were women. Ironically, as this anniversary approaches, our government is trying to do away with the firearms registry, the one concrete measure taken to reduce gun violence against women.

We recognize that ending this violence will only be possible when all women in Canada live in economic and social equality. We know that fighting violence requires governments to pursue an integrated legal, social and economic agenda.

For twenty years, women have been waiting for action. Twenty years is too long. On this anniversary of the December 6th murders, Canadians can take action to demand a serious government commitment to ending violence against women.

The Canadian Labour Congress has developed a campaign asking Canadians to send 20 postcard messages to the federal government. The campaign is called “20 Days 20 Ways to End Violence Against Women”.

Beginning on November 16th, Canadians can send a postcard every day to the Prime Minister to remind him that we need action now.

The CLC’s 20 Days 20 Ways campaign recognizes that a law and order agenda will never end violence against women. Women need a series of comprehensive social and economic policies including:
*maintaining the long gun registry, which has reduced gun-related spousal homicides by 50% since it was started.
*access to affordable, safe housing;
*a living minimum wage;
*effective pay equity laws;
*a national publicly-funded child care programme;
*equal access to Employment Insurance;
*access to justice, including the resources to challenge discriminatory government action and legal aid;
*increased governmental support for women’s centres, rape crisis centres and women’s shelters;
*legal protection and support for women who report sexual assault.

Rather than promoting women’s equality, the federal government is severely limiting women’s capacity to organize, advocate and lobby. They won’t support women’s equality in the workplace and have limited women’s rights to challenge discrimination before the courts.

Canadians cannot accept an erosion of our hard-won and still fragile equality rights. We will not be silenced by the socially conservative government agenda.

We call on the federal government to reverse its policy decisions on childcare, pay equity, the gun registry, the Court Challenges Program and Status of Women Canada. We call on the government to drop its law and order agenda and instead, develop an effective women’s equality agenda.

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Also, from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)

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20 years later, remember and take action:
December 4, 2009 01:11 PM
This December 6 marks the 20th year that we remember and mourn the 14 women who were shot and killed at Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal in 1989.

While December 6 is a day of remembrance, it has also become a national day of action to address the many outstanding issues that continue to threaten the safety and security of women.

CUPE is participating in the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) December 6 postcard campaign, which outlines 20 different measures that the federal government can take to improve the safety and security of women.

At our recent national convention, the National Women’s Committee highlighted the issue of violence against women by encouraging delegates to participate in The Handkerchief Project to end violence against women and girls.

The money raised was matched by CUPE National and a donation was sent to the Sisters in Spirit, an organization addressing violence against Aboriginal women - in particular the high rates of missing and murdered Aboriginal women in Canada.

In recognition of the 20th anniversary of the tragic events of December 6, CUPE has updated its poster “Until all Women are Free to Be”, available from the Equality Branch.

There are ceremonies across the country honouring the memory of those women who died on December 6. We encourage CUPE locals and members to participate in these events in your communities.

CUPE will continue to do whatever is necessary to ensure that women have economic and social security so that they truly can be safe at home, at work, and in our communities

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And from the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW)

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December 6 — National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women:
04/12/2009
Downloadthe 2010 National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada poster

December 6, is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women – still one of the most important days of commemoration on our calendar. It marks the sombre anniversary of the day in 1989 when a disturbed young man used a rifle to murder 14 women at a Montreal engineering school – singling them out simply for being women.

Most of us remember vividly learning the grim details of the Montreal massacre as the news emerged. Such a calami­tous event, it was fair to think, would certainly result in posi­tive changes for women in the future. And there have been changes for the better – the general awareness of issues involving violence against women has definitely grown.

But, 20 years from the Montreal tragedy, are we really farther ahead? Aware­ness and education are vital factors, but women are still victims of violence with alarming regularity. And today our federal government continues to procrastinate and even move backwards on legislation and policies that affect women’s safety and well-being.

At a time when vision and action are needed, the Harper Conservative government is sadly lacking. Programs that would help women are being cut or ignored rather than growing or being enhanced. The 20th anniversary of the events in Montreal must be a wake-up call to our leaders to take action for positive change for women in Canada.
In solidarity,
Wayne Hanley
National President

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Many other statements could be appended, and I am sure that they would all express noble and lofty sentiments. There is a problem here, however. Most of these statements express the sentiment that the government must do something. Such opinions are, of course, common in any statist society where it is seeming "common sense" that for anything to be done effectively it has to be done by government. It is, however, sad to see this way of thinking expressed by labour groups who should know better than others that government action tails effective action by those most concerned rather than initiates it. At best government action makes achieving a certain goal that many people are already working towards a little bit easier. It never initiates such action, and it quite often derails and prevents such civil society action from achieving the fullest expression of its goals.

That doesn't mean that such legislation should be opposed, though I think the long gun registry is one piece of repressive legislation that should be abolished. It can, after all, have minor benefits. In relation to the subject of women and their advancement one should ask the old chicken and egg question. How many of the gains that women have made over the past decades were due to government action ? How much of such legislation was merely a response to formalize gains that were already well under way by the "molecular action" of society outside the state ? How much does a focus on government detract from a focus of what people, women included and especially, have to do themselves ? Questions to ponder now that the day of remembrance and (entirely) symbolic action is over.

CANADIAN LABOUR:

BOYCOTT OLD DUTCH:

Now here's a boycott that actually affects me personally, if only in a minor way. The following item from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) tells of how the Canadian Labour Congress is calling for a nationwide boycott of 'Old Dutch' products. This is in support of workers at the Calgary processing plant, represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 401. These workers have been locked out since March 29, and the strike/lockout is such that they are calling for public support for their demands. You can find out more about the issue by visiting Local 401's website.

Anyways-how it affects me. Molly is what might be considered a "connoisseur of junk food". Some years back I looked at the listings for Seven 11s in the phone book. I cannot remember exactly how many there were, about 50 to 55, but, to my horror, I could remember being in all of them except perhaps 3. In the case of the three I am willing to admit that my memory isn't perfect, and perhaps I was in them as well. This is what happens when you drive across a city all day to make your living. To this day I am overjoyed if I find a Sweet Marie chocolate bar (much better than O'Henry) or Clamato Juice in a drinkable size on the shelves. Now, 'Old Dutch' chips have disappeared from the shelves in most convenience stores, though they are usually available at the service station co-ops where I buy my gas. To say the least this Canadian brand is far superior to the various American brands, such as 'Frito Lay' that have captured the shelves in the last few years, superior in both texture and taste. The difference is as stark as that between real locally baked bread and the 'Wonder Bread' that has been appearing on various shelves in the past few years.

So, sad to say, I will have to forgo the pleasure of Old Dutch chips until this boycott is over. Most of the other stuff mentioned below is easy. I doubt that the No Name, Safeway Blue Bag or President's Choice cat litter is manufactured in a food plant in Calgary, though, given corporate ethics you just never know. Personally I can do without Old Dutch chips easier than I could do without cat litter. Anyways, enough of this diversion, and feel suitably sorry for Molly. On with the story.

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CLC launches boycott of Old Dutch:
Old Dutch Snack Foods has locked out UFCW 401 members at its Calgary processing plant.
To help pressure the company to settle, the Canadian Labour Congress is asking its affiliated unions - including CUPE - to boycott Old Dutch snack foods and the following brands produced at the locked-out plant:
**President's Choice - Western Grocers
**No Name - Western Grocers
**Great Value - WalMart
**Compliments Value - Sobeys
**Safeway Blue Bags - Safeway
**Co-op Krunchie - Co-op
**Cyclone - Overwaite (Is this really the name ? If it is the marketers deserve the "idiot of the year award-Molly)
"There are 170 families in Calgary who need our help," said Paul Moist. "Affecting sales is one way we can do that."

LLLLLLLLLLLL

And don't forget Old Dutch chips- Molly

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR-HONDURAS:
CANDIES AND SWEATSHOPS:
Tomorrow will be Valentine's Day, not exactly Molly's favourite holiday of the year, but any old port in a storm as they say. Yet some people will not be getting expressions of affection tomorrow ie the workers at Jerzees De Honduras. Molly has mentioned this case before at this blog. What is interesting is that there is a connection between the traditional Valentine's Day chocolates and the heartless actions of Russell Athletic towards their workers in Honduras. Read the following from the United Students Against Sweatshops, and see what you can do to help these workers.
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This Valentine's Day Ask See's Candies: "Is Your Owner Sweet on Sweatshops?":
Valentine's Day is a day to let others know you care for them -- a day for sending cards, flowers and chocolates. So why is the owner of one of America's leading candy companies acting like he's sweet on sweatshops? "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not" Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Corporation is the parent company of both See's Candies and Russell Athletic, a major manufacturer of collegiate logo apparel. See's respects the right of the workers in its candy factories in the U.S. to join a union. But Russell has shut down an entire garment factory in Honduras -- placing the livelihood of nearly 2,000 families at risk -- just because workers dared to claim this same basic right. TAKE ACTION today to ask See's Candies why Berkshire Hathaway seems to think garment workers in Honduras don't deserve be treated with the same dignity and respect as its other employees. Russell Athletic is linked to some of the most egregious violations of workers rights in Central America in recent years. Last year, Russell fired huge numbers of workers in its plants in Choloma, Honduras -- nearly 150 workers in all -- in retaliation for their joining a union. In response to pressure from USAS and other worker rights organizations, the company agreed to give those workers their jobs back, offer them back pay, and to recognize a union at its Jerzees de Honduras plant. In October, Russell, claiming a lack of orders, announced that it would close the plant -- which it did at the end of last month. Two outside investigations have found that anti-union retaliation played a significant role in Russell's decision. Now nearly 2000 workers are out of work, and union leaders face death threats related to the closure. Outrage over Russell's violation of workers' rights in Honduras is growing. Major universities across the country -- Columbia, Duke, Georgetown, Miami, Minnesota and Wisconsin -- have taken steps to end their licensing relationships with the company. Berkshire Hathaway has failed to respond to the Honduran workers' appeal that it intervene in the case. Ask See's to tell Berkshire Hathaway that justice requires reversal of Russell's decision to close Jerzees de Honduras.
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THE LETTER:
Please go to THIS LINK to send the following letter to management at See's Candies.
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Send a letter to the following decision maker(s):
Mr. Brad Kinstler
Below is the sample letter:
Subject: Is See's Candies Sweet on Sweatshops?
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
Brad Kinstler, CEO
See's Candies, Inc.
210 El Camino Real
South San Francisco, CA 94080
Dear Mr. Kinstler,
I am sending you this message to express my concern about violations of international labor rights at See's fellow Berkshire Hathaway company, Russell Corporation, at its garment factories in Honduras. Last year, Russell illegally fired 145 workers at two of these plants in blatant retaliation for their attempt to form a union. Now, Russell has closed that plant even though two outside investigations found that the closure decision, like the previous firings, was in retaliation for workers having formed a union.




We know that this is not how See's treats its unionized workers here in the U.S., and that you would not willingly allow your company to be associated with such violations of workers' rights. Major universities and their students agree: Columbia, Duke, Georgetown, Miami, Minnesota and Wisconsin have all acted to discontinue licensing relationships with Russell over the company's actions in Honduras. Please let Berkshire Hathaway know that See's disapproves of Russell's conduct and ask Berkshire to intervene to end these violations of workers rights.
Sincerely,
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Not to rain on anybody's parade, but there is more bad news about Valentine's Day. Here, from a posting last year on the Global Exchange site is the lowdown on that old valentine's favourite-chocolates.
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Valentine's Day chocolates - product of slave labour?
expatica.com
February 14, 2008
Those innocuous and delicious-looking chocolates given to loved ones all over the world on Valentine's Day are, more often than not, the result of incredible human suffering.





They are lethal luxuries. Those innocuous and delicious-looking chocolates given to loved ones all over the world on Valentine's Day are, more often than not, the result of incredible human suffering. Their main ingredient, cocoa, is often produced by child slaves in Africa.





"It is absolutely certain that the box of chocolates you got for Valentine's was produced by slave labour if it does not have a fair trade label," Steve Chalke of Stop the Traffik, an anti-trafficking NGO, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa on the sidelines of a United Nations forum on human trafficking in Vienna.





When people think of human trafficking, they primarily think about the sex trade. But they forget that trafficking is a factor permeating all trades - be it sex, agriculture, domestic services, manufacture of fabrics - or chocolate.





"Chocolate is a prime example - it is cheap, and it is something many people buy - it makes the otherwise overwhelming statistics more personal," Chalke said.





According to UN estimates, at least 2.5 million people are exploited by forced labour at any point in time, a majority of them children.





In Ivory Coast, which produces 43 percent of the world's cocoa, about 12,000 boys from countries like Mali or Togo work as slaves on cocoa farms, the UN said. Activists put the number as high as 200,000.





"Even if it were ten, it would be ten too many," Chalke said of the modern-day slaves who are often as young as nine years of age.





The parents of those children are duped by the traffickers into believing their boys would receive an honest job, regular pay and an education, none of which ever happens.





Child slaves on the farm face appalling working conditions with 12 to 14 hours of severe manual labour, cutting down cocoa pods using big knives or machetes, thereby risking severe injuries which can often maim them permanently, Global Exchange, a fair trade organisation said. Some are also killed and many are beaten or abused.





"With every bar of chocolate you eat there is blood on your teeth," Chalke warned.





Many problems were linked to the insufficient revenues cocoa farmers receive, even in days of ever-rising prices for raw cocoa on the global markets, making it difficult for the family-owned farms to meet their needs.





But what is the answer? Dump those nougat hearts and forswear chocolate forever?





"No", activists say. "Buy fair."





By buying fairly traded chocolate, consumers can exert pressure on the chocolate industry, as well as ensure better pay for the farmers.





The heat is on for the chocolate industry, that back in the year 2000 promised to "eradicate" the problem of forced labour, to clean up its act. "They have done nothing. They say it is too difficult to monitor," Chalke said. "But if it were their children, they would have done it overnight."





Governments are also slowly waking up to the problem, with the United States a leading force on the issue.





Companies must clean up their supply chains, Mark Lagon, head of the US State Department's office on human trafficking said, with consumer pressure leading the way.





"If consumers can change the behaviour of the fishing industry towards dolphin-friendly tuna fishing, it is more than equally legitimate if it was child labour," Lagon said.





Tax incentives for fairly traded chocolates, far from an exotic niche product with large chains today producing their own fair trade brands, could be another way forward, activists suggested.
Slave-free chocolate can make the only pang of guilt associated with your next choc the question of what it will do to your waistline.
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THE CANADIAN CONNECTION:
Well, this is turning into something of a Valentine's Day special here at Molly's Blog. For those of you with an interest in the history of how this holiday came to be see our archives for February 2008. meanwhile here from the Canadian Labour Congress website is a story about what Canadian labour is doing this Valentine's Day to remind Canadian politicians that women's issues deserve more than platitudes.
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Will send "lip service" Valentine chocolates to all MPs:
OTTAWA - Barbara Byers, Executive Vice-president of the Canadian Labour Congress, says that the Conservative government is paying lip service to improving the lives of women even as it refuses to support pay equity, child care and economic measures that support women's equality.





"Valentine's Day is coming up but the women of Canada aren't seeing much love from their federal Parliament these days," says Barbara Byers. "We're tired of having nothing but lip service paid to our issues."





So the Canadian Labour Congress is sending each Member of Parliament a gift of chocolate lips with an accompanying note - "women are tired of lip service".





Byers says that MPs should be warned that women across the country are organizing to challenge the federal government's failure to support issues of women's equality.





The Canadian Labour Congress, the national voice of the labour movement, represents 3.2 million Canadian workers. The CLC brings together Canada's national and international unions along with the provincial and territorial federations of labour and 130 district labour councils. Web site: www.canadianlabour.ca
Contacts:
Dennis Gruending, Communications, 613-526-7431 and 613-878-6040
Jeff Atkinson, Communications, 613-526-7425

CANADIAN LABOUR-MONTRÉAL:

BOYCOTT PETRO-CAN:

Since November 17, 2007 the members of SCEP Local 175 have been locked out of their workplace at the Petro-Can Montréal refinery. Labour organizations across the country are calling for a consumer boycott against Petro-Can and in support of the workers. First of all the notice from the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC).

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CLC BACKS PETRO-CANADA BOYCOTT:

2008-10-28 10:25
Please be advised that the Canadian Labour Congress has endorsed a National Consumer Boycott against Petro-Canada. The boycott is at the request of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP) and is in support of the 260 locked out members of CEP Local 175 at the Petro-Canada Montreal refinery. Members of Local 175 have been locked out since November 17, 2007.

Please find a copy of the letter in support of CEP from the Canadian Labour Congress and the speech that President, CLC, Ken Georgetti delivered on October 28, 2008.

The support of your organization and membership is requested for these CEP members.

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And then a press release from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).

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CUPE backs Petro Canada boycott id="SPELLING_ERROR_21" title="Avoid buying gas and heating oil from Petro Canada where alternatives exist while the company’s Montréal refinery workers are locked out" href="http://cupe.ca/updir/images/display/petro_canada_ottawa_080229_e-0.jpg" rel="lightboxset" alt="Avoid buying gas and heating oil from Petro Canada where alternatives exist while the company’s Montréal refinery workers are locked out">
CUPE announced support today for the CLC's call for a boycott of Petro Canada to support workers (CEP 175) locked out of the company's Montréal refinery since Nov. 2007.

The CLC is asking union supporters to:
****cancel their Petro Canada credit cards
****avoid buying gas and heating oil from Petro Canada where alternatives exist

Please also take five minutes to Email Petro Canada President Ron Brenneman to urge him to end the lockout. Edit the letter to tell him you're not buying gas at Petro Canada until he does.

................................

Please go to THIS LINK to send the following letter to PetroCan management.

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THE LETTER:

The actions of management at the Petro-Canada refinery in Montreal have dealt a devastating blow to your company's good name.

Just before Christmas, management at that plant locked out its 260 unionized workers, members of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada. They did this after trying -- in more than 30 bargaining sessions -- to provoke them into a strike.

It's bad enough that a company making billions of dollars in profits is picking a fight with a small group of workers who are asking for the same wage increase as their colleagues in other provinces. What's worse perhaps is that this lock out puts safety at the refinery and in the surrounding community in serious jeopardy as poorly-trained management workers attempt to carry on the business of the plant. (Indeed, management showed its disregard for safety early on in negotiations by calling for the elimination of the refinery's full-time health and safety position - one of the union's sticking points!)

As you know, operating an oil refinery requires highly specialized skills and dedicated safety training. Running it on a skeleton staff, inadequately trained and working extremely long hours without breaks, is a recipe for disaster. An inquiry into the explosion at the BP refinery in Texas in 2005, which killed 15 people, was unequivocal in its conclusion that fatigue and poor training were behind that tragedy.

I hope that you will intervene to end the lock out before matters escalate to that point.