WE ARE WITNESSING AN HISTORIC EVENT. It is a turning point for indigenous rights, for climate change resistance, and for a new generation of fighters for justice. It is a powerful step forward in social protest in Canada.
SOCIALIST ACTION has been expecting and preparing for such struggles. We recently published an in-depth booklet on the history and struggle against colonial-settler oppression, occupation, theft and murder of indigenous people of Canada. It explains how our common struggle against capitalism is inextricably bound up in theirs, and how their struggle is interconnected to ours. There can be no reconciliation under capitalism, and there can be no socialism without reconciliation.
SOCIALIST ACTION IS in the process of publishing a new detailed booklet on the life and death struggle against climate change, how it originated in the ceaseless drive of capitalism for capital accumulation through profit. The very survival of capitalism depends on it and drives the rapid expansion of green house gases that may kill us all. Again, socialism, a system of rational and democratic operation of a planned economy is the only way out of the present crisis.
The new generation of indigenous people, and many of the young descendants of the colonists, are fighting side-by-side for climate sanity and indigenous rights. Many are beginning to understand the capitalist system is at the heart of the problem, resisting any solution. Many are beginning to look to socialism as the way out. Belatedly, some large labour organizations are expressing solidarity. Even the Ontario New Democratic Party issued a statement of support.
But the BC NDP government of John Horgan has boldly stepped forward as the prime defender of the global oil cartel and their methane operations in BC. It was Horgan who demanded that the rule of (capitalist) law prevail, on Wet’suwet’en land, supporting the RCMP attack on the hereditary chiefs and their followers — all for the benefit of oil profits.
Horgan and his Cabinet are teaching us painful lessons about the social democrats who run the NDP, their fundamental commitment to capitalism and to private profit over human rights and human need — whatever they may say in election speeches. Behind Horgan stands Justin Trudeau, ready to step in if necessary, in support of the imperatives of big business.
The lessons of this experience must be drawn and the fight for a socialist, labour-controlled NDP should be accelerated and invigorated.
At the same time, the fight in the streets must continue. Our task is to build even broader unity against the LNG project, against the Trans Mountain pipeline, against the approval of the massive Teck Frontier tar-sands project, and for the rights of indigenous people and for young workers and students, by fighters for social justice everywhere. Fight to win!
JOIN SOCIALIST ACTION http://www.socialistaction.ca garyporter24@gmail.com 250-589-3650 mobile, barryaw@rogers.com 647-986-1917