The policy of the Socialist Caucus includes nationalization of the Irving Empire, under workers’ and Indigenous control. In practice, and by being true to our working class roots, we will change New Brunswick and the world for the better.
Fifty-five thousand education support workers, members of CUPE Ontario School Boards Council of Unions, took mass strike action, labelled illegal, on Friday, November 4th after the Ontario Conservative government of Premier Doug Ford passed Bill 28.
We were 30 minutes away from a call for a general strike. 30 minutes. RankandFile leaked it, and militants with exec positions in large unions confirmed — at 10 a.m. on Monday, November the 7th, multiple large unions with the backing of the Ontario Federation of Labour and the Canadian Labour Congress were going to announce a general strike. This is the story of how we got to that point. Hosts Emily and Daniel recount that events that led this labour movement to precipice of historic mass job action — the OSBCU strike, Bill 28, and OPSEU solidarity wildcat actions. They are joined by Julius Arscott, a three-term OPSEU SEFPO Executive Board Member and 2021 candidate for President of the Canadian Labour Congress, who shares what happened behind the scenes and why a general strike is closer than in a very long time.
On Saturday, November 5th, numerous Indigenous activists and land defenders, along with settler allies, took part in a nation wide demonstration in solidarity support for the people of Wet’suwet’en.
Opposition to the bully tactics of the Ontario Conservative government is growing. Premier Ford's Bill 28, which not only bans a strike by 55,000 school support worker but imposes a wage settlement without arbitration or any further negotiation, is an outrage to millions, including most of the labour movement inside and outside Ontario. On November 4, well over 10,000 people rallied at Queen's Park, and marched repeatedly around the provincial legislature in defiance of the Draconian law. A wide range of unions and other working class organizations came to the defense of CUPE-Ontario and the right to strike. This included LiUNA, which had endorsed Ford and the Tories in the June 2, 2022 provincial election, UNIFOR, the largest private sector union which is outside the CLC, and a host of other labour bodies.
The democratic right to strike is at stake as confrontation escalates between 55,000 Ontario school support workers and the Conservative government of Doug Ford. Rallies, protests, and walk-outs are the order of the day as provincial Tories use bully tactics to perpetuate poverty wages. Socialist Action Canada and the Workers’ Action Movement urge everyone to gather at Queen’s Park in front of the Ontario Legislature on Friday, November 4, at 11 a.m. to defend the right to strike.
Knock knock, who's there? Climate villain of the year. On Thursday, climate activists from the University of Toronto, Banking on a Better Future, Climate Justice TO, and Stand.Earth participated in a demonstration to disrupt the Ivey Business School's presentation to RBC CEO Dave McKay with the 'Business Leader of the Year Award' Demonstrators presented McKay with an award of their own, the highly disdained 'Climate Villain of the Year Award,' which the RBC executive won in near won hands down. The Royal Bank of Canada has profited from climate chaos to the tune of more than $263 billion dollars in fossil fuel investment, including the Coastal GasLink pipeline project that is currently being constructed on the unseeded sacred Indigenous territory of the Wet'suwet'en people.
The fledgling Municipal Socialist Alliance exceeded most expectations by garnering 14,870 votes across Ontario, despite getting almost zero coverage in the commercial mass media, amid a very low voter turnout to boot (about 29 percent in Toronto). Official Municipal Socialist Alliance candidates ran for city council, school board, and, in one city, for the office of mayor.
Last week, Canadian peace activist Tamara Lorincz, along with Socialist Action federal secretary Barry Weisleder, made international headlines by disrupting a Toronto Star live stream event that hosted Canada’s Defense Minister Anita Anand.
The world is in turmoil. If this sounds like a broken record, it cannot be helped. Protest is the order of the day in Iran, Haiti, France, and Russia. In Iran, the 40-plus-year rule of the reactionary clergy is being challenged by a relentless wave of demonstrations led by women and youths.
