DOUG FORD'S CLASS WAR - socialist.ca
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$2 | No 611 | December 2018 | socialist.ca DOUG Stop climate chaos Reports from the resistance around the world Pages 4-5 FORD’S The fall of Tony Clement John Bell on the end of another useless Tory Page 6 CLASS WAR Fighting the far right in Brazil Sean Purdy reports from Sao Paolo Page 3 Brexit crisis explained Reports from the UK on Theresa May’s gamble Page 3 Territorial acknowledgment As settlers, we acknowledge our occupation of lands that are the Indigenous territories of Turtle Island. Furthermore, we support all struggles for Indigenous sovereignty in whatever forms they take by the hundreds of First Nations and Inuit communities that have resided here for many thousands of years, and by Métis communities that have developed in the last hundreds of years. D oug Ford’s Bill 47 slashed some of the Oshawa, cutting thousands of jobs, comes on the who is “disabled” will allow local bureaucrats to water disaster – is now an employee of the gov- gains Ontario $15 and Fairness cam- heels of Bill 47’s cuts. force more people off ODSP and Ontario Works ernment. That means all environmental reports paigners had forced the Wynne Liber- (OW) support and into the workforce, into the will now be approved by Doug Ford before als to enact. Ford the slasher lowest paying jobs with the least protection. publication. The Tory “Open for Business” Bill 47 cuts a Hardest hit are those in low paying and precar- Ford the slasher didn’t spare children. He shut Francophone Ontarians suffered big cuts. planned minimum wage raise to $15/hr, elimi- ious jobs: Indigenous, migrant and racialized Children’s Advocate offices across the province, Slashed is the Office of the French Language nates two paid sick days and reduces the number workers, especially women. often the last resort for kids caught up in the jus- Commissioner. Slashed is the plan to build a of unpaid sick days from a possible 8 to 3, it But that is the nightmare of Ford’s Class War- tice or mental health systems. The offices were promised francophone University. revokes equal pay for part-time, contract and fare–ignore everything but the interests of your lifesavers for First Nations and Metis kids. The Ford’s track record: scrapping the Child Ad- temp workers, and cancels the fairer scheduling business allies, slash as many public services as dollar savings will be minimal, but Ford hench- vocate and the expert roundtable to end violence provisions that were set to take effect on January possible, as fast and hard as possible. man Vic Fedeli bragged about the “red tape” he against women, going after gender identity, Sex 1, 2019. That means hitting the most vulnerable: peo- was slashing. Ed, labour standards and ODSP. General Motors has shown they know that ple with disabilities. Planned 3% increase to The environment? Ford says slash that. The It’s all part of a bigger plan to pay for whop- Ford’s “Open for Business” bullshit means cor- Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) office of the Environmental Watchdog is closed. ping tax cuts for his friends on the backs of mi- porations can do whatever they want. It is no have been cut in half and are likely to be frozen What used to be an independent investigator – a norities and the most vulnerable people in our accident that the announced shutdown of GM for the next 3 years. Changing the definition of position created after Mike Harris’s Walkerton province.
From the “Battle of the Hatpins” to Ford: Stop Tory attacks on Franco-Ontarians by Chantal Sundaram right back to 1912, when a Conser- school year in the fall of 1916, the A vative government passed Regulation schools were reopened and the teach- s part of a many- 17, in order to assimilate the Franco- ers were paid their salaries in arrears. pronged attack on equity phone population of Ontario. The crisis came to an end in 1921 and minority rights in and bilingual schools in the province Ontario this fall, Doug Regulation 17 were officially recognized in 1927. Ford’s government went after the Regulation 17 severely restricted the The two central heroines of this 612,000 Ontarians who identify as use of French by teachers in both story were not forgotten by the Francophones when he cancelled Catholic and public schools across Francophone community of Ottawa, plans to found a French-language Ontario right up until 1927, despite who in 1997 named a high school university in Ontario and dismantled the fact that it was home to the larg- in a French-speaking suburb of the Commissariat of French-language est French-speaking population in Ottawa “Béatrice-Desloges.” But services. Canada outside of Quebec at the time. equally worthy of remembrance are It was less than three years ago Many of this generation, especially in the mothers who defended them, that ex-Premier Kathleen Wynne northern Ontario, were denied the the “guardians” of resistance to acknowledged the bitter history that right to learn to write or speak their assimilation. Fighting the Tories’ French language ban in 1916 lies behind suppression of the French own language. This is an important example language in this province. She issued Regulation 17 was implemented es and Béatrice Desloges, both teach- hatpins, occupied the Guigues ele- of grassroots resistance that has a formal apology in Queen’s Park to amidst a rise of British sentiment in ers at Guigues elementary school, mentary school and began guarding had smaller echoes in more recent the Franco-Ontarian community for a the Ontario government in the lead-up refused to implement the provisions the school’s entrance. The Desloges Franco-Ontarian struggles, like rule that virtually banned the use of to WWI, and was enforced by threats of Regulation 17. They were both sisters defied an injunction ordering the successful fight to save the French in elementary schools early to school funding and to teachers’ banned from school property. With them to immediately leave the school French-language Monfort Hospital last century: “Regulation 17 showed certifications if schools or individual support from some parents and mem- grounds or face arrest and impris- in Ottawa from the healthcare cuts a disregard for Franco-Ontarian teachers continued to allow French to bers of the community, they opened onment. They were protected by the of yet another Tory premier, Mike identity and equality, and on behalf be spoken. classes in a “free school” located in a mothers, who became known as the Harris. of the government of Ontario I offer It forced many Francophone church basement and later in a com- “guardians of the school.” Together an apology.” teachers to resort to hiding French mercial building. this alliance of teachers and mothers Resistance today That apology might ring hollow textbooks and pretending to teach Provincial authorities withheld staged a long day-and-night siege Resistance to Ford’s renewed attack from a Liberal government which in English when school inspectors their salaries and revoked their teach- of what became the most famous on Franco-Ontarians has already itself did not invest enough to prop- would visit the classroom. ing certificates but they refused to “école de la résistance.” begun. While there is much to learn erly sustain services and education in But there were some schools that back down. Students left Guigues At the end of January 1916, from the “Battle of the Hatpins,” French. And of course any apology on openly defied the government, calling elementary school en masse and the French students in Ottawa took part today Franco-Ontarians need the behalf of the “government of Ontar- themselves “écoles de la résistance.” teachers hired to replace the Desloges in a series of protests and sent a del- support of their Anglophone and Al- io” rings especially hollow now with And there were large protests against sisters were soon alone in an empty egation to City Hall to demand that lophone allies to take on Ford. Ford at the helm. the Regulation, especially in the Ot- building. the salaries owed to their teachers be On December 1 at 1 pm, simulta- But the reason the apology took tawa area, leading to the founding of It wasn’t long after that parents paid. As the protests continued, the neous rallies will take place across place when it did was the 100th anni- Francophone newspapers and orga- launched a popular movement of civil “guardians of the school” maintained Ontario at Tory MPP offices and pub- versary of the “Battle of the Hatpins” nizations, many of which are still in disobedience. A group of mothers their vigil in the schools on strike lic locations including at the Human against Regulation 17: a chapter place today. stormed the Guigues school in what until June. In order to thwart any Rights Monument in Ottawa and in of Franco-Ontarian history – and came to be known as the “Battle of attempt by the provincial authorities many small communities in franco- women’s history – that should not be “Écoles de la résistance” the Hatpins.” to expel the teaching staff, groups phone areas in the north. forgotten. At the heart of resistance was Guigues of women – again mostly mothers The story provides insight into the elementary school in Ottawa, where Battle and occupation – remained on guard in front of the • You can find the locations and reg- Tories’ long tradition of anti-Franco- two teachers made history. On January 4, 1916 the group of school armed with their hatpins. ister your participation by following phone politics in this province: going In 1915 two sisters, Diane Deslog- mothers, armed with scissors and Finally, with the beginning of the this link: https://monassemblee.ca Scandals and Cabinet shuffles in Ford’s Ontario by Faline Bobier forced resignations and they put governments. recently as four days before the cab- “These actions make it abun- the lie to Doug Ford’s statement The so-called ‘best team in inet shuffle. During question period, dantly clear that Ford is trying All is not well in the Doug Ford when he announced a major politics’ seems to be riven with the premier called Tibollo “the most to paper over the problems in his camp. The Ontario Premier cabinet shuffle in the aftermath problems, not least Ford himself, credible minister down here.” hand-picked cabinet. To remove announced a cabinet shuffle just of these resignations, only four who has been accused of cheating “He has integrity, he has transpar- and demote a number of ministers days after the surprise resignation months after his government his brother Rob Ford’s widow out of ency and he’s an absolute champion. after just a few months is troubling,” of Jim Wilson as Ontario’s minister took office: “After four months her inheritance. I’ll stand beside him any day, 365 NDP deputy leader Sara Singh said of Economic Development, Job of unprecedented action, we are Many of Ford’s MPPs do have days a year,” said Ford. in a news conference. Creation and Trade. taking this opportunity to calibrate previous experience in the Mike When Ford finally allowed the Singh also rightfully pointed What was initially released from our cabinet assignments to ensure Harris government, which is not media to ask some questions about out the cabinet shuffle is a “missed Ford’s office was that Jim Wilson we continue to deliver on our com- really a badge of honour. They have why Jim Wilson had really stepped opportunity” for Ford to tackle had resigned to seek treatment for years of experience feeding at the down, he was very much on the de- diversity issues within his cabinet. ‘addiction issues’. It soon became public trough and axing services for fensive. “We acted decisive. We’re As of 2016, about three-in-ten clear that Wilson had been forced to ordinary people in Ontario. Under very decisive. I have zero tolerance Ontarians identified as being part resign because of sexual misconduct Doug Ford they promise to do more for this behaviour. It takes courage of a visible minority, but among the allegations against him, made by of the same, by refusing to bring to come forward and speak truth to reconfigured Ford cabinet, only one a male Queen’s Park staffer. The in the $15 an hour minimum wage power.” minister isn’t white. premier’s office became aware of in January and by taking away the The new cabinet also did little the claim late Friday afternoon, promise of two paid sick days for Bunch of hooey to address the gap in gender parity, the same day they announced that employees in Ontario. According to Ford the reason his with seven women and 14 men. Wilson was resigning for health Michael Tibollo relinquishes office initially claimed Wilson was Doug Ford claims his is govern- reasons. his role as Minister of Community stepping down in order to deal with ment ‘for the people’. This might On the same day that Wilson Safety and Correctional Services addiction issues was that he wanted be true if ‘the people’ refers to his resigned, Andrew Kimber, Ford’s to Dufferin-Caledon MPP Sylvia to protect the identity of the person entitled, mostly white, mostly male Executive Director of Issues Man- Jones. Tibollo will now assume the who had come forward with sexual buddies whom he’s appointing to agement and Legislative Affairs, role of Minister of Tourism, Culture harassment claims. high-paid government positions. resigned after being confronted and Sport. This is clearly a bunch of hooey, It’s no wonder they are falling like about multiple sexually inappropri- Tibollo’s short tenure as the since there would be no reason or stones. ate text messages he allegedly sent to mitments to the people. We have minister responsible for the OPP need for the Ford government to dis- Just like the recent spectacle of a female staffer at Queen’s Park. the best team in politics and a plan has been speckled with controver- close the identity of the person filing Brett Kavanagh being appointed to Wilson stepped down hours after that is working.” sy. Most recently, media reports a complaint against Wilson. the Supreme Court in the US, with appearing with Ford at a border Wilson, who was first elected in surfaced that Tibollo was criticized Critics have voiced concerns all the old white male Republicans crossing near Sarnia, Ont., earlier in 1990, was one of the most expe- by the Ontario Securities Commis- about the suddenness of the cabinet gleefully supporting him and heap- the day where they unveiled a sign rienced members of Ford’s team, sion for his actions as a lawyer in shuffle, saying Ford needs to ex- ing scorn on the woman who had the advertising Ontario as ‘open for having previously served in several the 1990s related to a $30 million plain his reasons for making such courage to call him out for the sexist business’. cabinet portfolios for the PCs under stock fraud. significant changes so soon into his scumbag he is, the rot is there for These are two high profile the Mike Harris and Ernie Eves But Ford was praising Tibollo as mandate. all to see. 2 Socialist Worker December 2018
Confronting the Bolsonaro threat by Sean Purdy, Socialism and offered a fresh alternative. The PT dents will be short-lived. Bolsonaro Liberty Party (PSOL) erred in launching Haddad as the has not even assumed office and has candidate late in the process and already come under intense fire for On October 28, the far right politi- despite tacking to the left during the breaking some campaign promises cian Jair Bolsonaro, a former soldier campaign was unable to turn a tide and cozying up to the traditional with close ties to the Armed Forces which had begun months earlier. corrupt political class in Brazil. and the powerful evangelical church- From 2016 until the present, the He has already back-tracked es, won the Brazilian presidential centre and right under the coupster on several proposals – such as the elections handily with 55% of votes president Michel Temer have consis- promise to combine the Finance and against 45% by the Workers’ Party tently shifted the terrain of politics Environmental Ministries and his (PT) candidate, Fernando Haddad. in the country, advancing outright support to move Brazil’s embassy Bolsonaro’s neoliberal, racist, sexist, austerity politics, cuts to social in Israel to Jerusalem – after intense homophobic and anti-democratic programs and attacks on the social international criticism from crucial agenda represents a massive threat rights of LGBT, blacks and women. European and Arab trading partners. to democratic and social rights in It was in this climate that Marielle The principal question in relation Brazil, the world`s third largest Franco, a black lesbian activist and to a Bolsonaro government will be democracy and the largest economy city councilor in Rio de Janeiro for his inability to solve the economic in Latin America. PSOL, was brutally murdered in crisis which could provide space for Already during the election, at March 2018. the mobilization of the organized least 3 people were murdered by Racist and anti-poor law and order working class. But this will require supporters of Bolsonaro and there politics and a disastrous incarcera- sustained arguments from union were more than a hundred cases tion policy, which has seen Brazil’s militants against the timid union of aggression against left-wing prison population rise to the third bureaucracy largely controlled by the activists. highest in the world – something PT. A national demonstration against Many deputies from Bolsonaro`s which the PT did nothing to change privatization of pensions has been Social Liberal Party were also elect- and even fed – proved to be a strong called for November 22 promises to ed to the federal congress and state point in Bolsonaro’s campaign. He be a good first step in resistance to legislative assemblies with record has promised to liberate the personal the Bolsonaro government. numbers of votes, riding the wave of Fightback against the far right in Brazil Photo: Agência Brasil use of guns, a disastrous policy in a There will be a tension between popularity of the presidential ticket. country where 70,000 people were the neoliberal policies which he has One week before the election, he climate-change denier and a host of How did this happen? murdered in 2017. Not surprisingly, recently adopted and support among promised to “wipe red criminals off poorly-qualified politicians and bu- The right was able to capitalize the number of people murdered by many of his voters for decent social the map” and soon after his election reaucrat hacks who recently jumped on the very real, if frequently the police, disproportionately poor programs, job creation and labour explicitly attacked the Landless on his bandwagon. exaggerated and distorted, history and black, has risen steeply since rights. His supposed anti-corruption Rural Workers’ Movement and the Despite his supposedly anti-cor- of corruption by PT governments, 2016. policies will come under scrutiny as Homeless Workers’ Movement. In ruption agenda and promise to “do the grave economic crisis, a highly The only bright light of the he staffs his government with a band the few weeks since the election, he away with everything” in traditional orchestrated and illegal campaign elections was the gains by the radical of long-standing corrupt criminals has continued to advance a vicious politics, he has gathered around him of fake news about the economic left Socialism and Liberty Party and shady army generals. privatization and cutback agenda advisors facing corruption charges policies and social positions of the (PSOL). It more than doubled its International solidarity will be as well as attack social, labour and and has already begun to cynically left and the implicit backing of the number of federal deputies from 5 to essential for Brazilian unions, social environmental rights. negotiate with traditional power corporate media and many tradi- 11, including two black women and movements and the left in the com- His choices for Ministers in brokers in the country, including tionally corrupt parties. Desperate a gay activist and elected many more ing months and years. A Bolsonaro the new government, which takes supporters of the parliamentary coup after 6 years of severe recession deputies in state legislative assem- regime needs to be denounced by the office on January 1, 2019, range that impeached President Dilma and high unemployment and buying blies, including several black women international workers’ movement, from a neoliberal University of Rouseff of the PT in 2016 and mem- into the supposed “anti-politics” and two transgender women. the left, all democrats and supporters Chicago-trained economist, a bers of the thoroughly corrupt Temer and “corruption-free” campaign of Yet it is highly likely that the of human rights. Our struggle is your crusading anti-corruption judge, a government that replaced her. Bolsonaro, many believed that he traditional honeymoon for new presi- struggle. Explained—why there is a crisis over Brexit Bankers and bosses are piling Bank of Scotland and Lloyds fell by a “Joint Committee” of British The Tory deal has not resolved pressure on Tory MPs to vote for by more than 10 percent in a day and EU officials during the transi- the divisions within the Tory party Theresa May’s Brexit deal. and a half. tion period. And the EU would still or the wider crisis facing the Carolyn Fairbairn, CBI direc- Europe has split the Tories for have some power afterwards. ruling class that the Leave vote tor general, spoke to the annual decades. Bosses want assurances that unleashed. conference of the bosses’ organi- There were different positions Britain will keep free market rules Bosses will now tr y to force sation on Monday. “The prime min- over joining the Common Market and access to European markets MPs into looking after their inter- ister’s agreement is not perfect,” in the 1970s, and over the Maas- on its statute books after a tran- ests, but they still see the deal as she said. “It is a compromise, but tricht Treaty in the 1990s. sition period. a compromise. it is hard-won progress.” Now Brexit has brought serious And large sections of business Some US banks are pushing for Big business breathed a sigh fissures between the Tory party also fear Brexit will make it more Britain to remain in the Europe- of relief when the European Union and business to the fore. difficult to hire migrant labour. an Economic Area, which would (EU) Withdrawal Agreement was One banker said, “Politics is Yet May has also tried to win mean keeping all of the single published last week. always going to be in the driving Teresa May is in trouble (CC BY 2.0) by muffinn over racist, right wing voters by market’s free market rules. The deal includes a transition seat in this process, but now it is promising to dump freedom of And right wing Tor y period that would bind Britain to swerving all over the road.” EU rules also block policies that movement for EU migrants. This backbenchers will use the oppor- EU single market rules until 2021. Bankers and bosses want to are seen to give state-owned com- has split the Tory cabinet and tunity to argue that May is betray- These rules include regulations remain in the neoliberal EU’s panies an advantage over private backbenches. ing Brexit. on competition and state aid that single market and customs union ones. And the European Court of Vile reactionaries such as The solution isn’t to line up be- protect bosses’ profits. because it protects their profits. Justice (ECJ) has the power to levy Jacob Rees-Mogg and Boris John- hind any of these rival sections of But now bosses fear a no- For instance, EU rules wouldn’t financial penalties against govern- son are jockeying for position by the ruling class. deal Brexit is becoming a real allow a Labour government to na- ments and overturn laws. screaming betrayal when May has The answer is to use their crisis possibility. tionalise the whole rail industry These rules would apply during leaned towards the demands of to fight for a Brexit in the interests Analysts from City Group bank and run it as a public service. the transition period and the ECJ big business. of workers and migrants—and to said the political situation amount- Instead it would only be al- would still have power to inter- May has also been hemmed in force the Tories out. ed to a “full-blown constitutional lowed to nationalise individual rail vene against policies the EU’s by EU rulers who are determined crisis”. firms—as long as they continued rulers and bosses didn’t like. to make an example of countries • This article was originally The share prices of the Royal to compete alongside other ones. Any disputes would be overseen that try to leave their club. published on www.swp.org.uk December 2018 Socialist Worker 3
CLIMATE CRISIS NEEDS RADICAL SOLUTIONS The climate crisis is accelerating, and radical action is required. On these pages, we look at by D’Arcy Join Briggs the barricades Solidarity with Unist’ot’en camp On November 19th, the Unist’ot’en received notice from TransCanada that “field reconnaissance and pre- movements and Photo: can publications warrior make it harder for supporters to mobilize. The Unist’ot’en Camp asks “If you can launch a campaign, construction activities are organize education forums, struggles that are tackling the growing crisis, and why the working class, not consumers or the scheduled to begin the week of host kitchen parties, fundraise November 19th and conclude with our consent, organize a market, is the key to challenging capitalism’s drive to profit and environmental destruction. before the end of 2018.” caravan, plan a trip to support This is in attempt to build us ASAP, donate, spread the Coastal GasLink pipeline the word... please start. We project, which will extend from just ask that you let us know by Eric Lescarbeau as extremely conservative in its pro- on track for 5C warming if other ward by well-meaning technocrats Dawson Creek to Kitimat in BC. in advance so that we can D jections, leaving out discussion of countries followed its example. and reforms brought in from above In response, the Unist’ot’en establish a contact and endorse ire warnings from the climate refugees or any mention of In this context, two related that ultimately depend on the very are calling for supporters to any actions before they start.” Intergovernmental Panel on tipping points which could dramati- “solutions” have come into focus, “free” market system that is causing stand in solidarity and push Campaigns and solidarity Climate Change in October cally accelerate the crisis. carbon pricing and personal lifestyle the problem and leave that system back against the corporation. efforts to shut down Enbridge’s have reignited debates in The gap between these warnings changes. Both are problematic. untouched. The Unist’ot’en also state Northern Gateway and the climate justice movement over and the current state of climate Critically, the working class Neither can we look to individual that TransCanada’s timing for Chevron’s Pacific Trails projects who is to blame for the crisis and politics internationally could not must be central to any strategy for strategies that reinforce our atomi- this project was deliberate, as were successful, so let’s join what kind of action is required to be starker. The world’s govern- fighting climate change because zation as individual consumers and Freda Huson, spokesperson for the fight against TransCanada stop it in time. ments have set us on track for a 3C rising emissions stem directly from thus undermine efforts at collective the Unis’tot’en, is helping her and shut this third pipeline In the IPCC report, the world’s world whose consequences would the capitalist drive to profit from action. We need systemic change partner’s mother in a critical down. leading climate scientists warn we threaten the existence of civilization the exploitation of workers, their that can only come directly from the palliative care home. have just 12 years to limit global as we know it. Donald Trump has communities and the natural world mass mobilization and unity in ac- The company is also choosing warming to 1.5C or face significant- vowed to walk away from the Paris they are a part of. tion of workers and their communi- to do pre-construction plans • Visit www.unistotencamp.com. To ly worse impacts from droughts, accords altogether and newly elected Real action on climate change ties and in solidarity with indigenous during the winter as the poor donate: http://unistoten.camp/sup- floods, extreme heat and poverty president Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil is therefore means working people sovereignty struggles which are Mass direct action in London, UK last month shut down bridges across the Thames Photo: Thomas Katan - DeSmog Blog weather can often damper port-us/donate/ affecting hundreds of millions promising to open the Amazon for acting collectively to take the power driving the movement against pipe- more people with each half degree unfettered development. According to decide away from corporations lines and other Tar Sands projects. BC NDP: Green light for new devastating fossil fuel project increase above that. to a newly released study, Canada is and the market and put it in the The report is also seen by many one of the worst climate criminals, hands of the people most impacted. For the full article please see: of the scientists who helped draft it whose policies would put the world We can’t leave it to policies put for- www.socialist.ca Quebec’s Pact: from words to action by Patrick Schreck displacement of 10s of millions of people. The CO2 emissions from fracking, extract- Natural gas: a barrier, not a LNG exporting, pipeline building, and fracking There’s a lot at stake for human civilization. ing, transporting, liquifying, and shipping the “bridge” frenzy possible with an array of economic in- It is time to take the energy sector out of the The IPCC report concludes that a massive natural gas for the LNG Canada project will Oil and gas corporations aggressively push the centives, including tax reprieves, tax subsidies, hands of corporations and politicians. reduction of GHGs (mainly CO2 and methane) make meeting BC’s targets of the Paris Climate message that natural gas is “cleaner” than coal discounted electricity rates, and even a break by Chantal Sundaram In the same week that the IPCC announced emissions needs to take place in the next 12 Accord out of reach. In fact, LNG Canada will and oil. As vast reserves of natural gas trapped on BC’s own carbon tax. that immediate, “unprecedented” world-wide years. The goal must be to leave fossil fuels in become BC’s single largest CO2 polluter. At in shale formations become available to new Clearly, the strategy of relying on politicians In November 2018, 500 major cultur- action can still reverse greenhouse gas (GHG) the ground. The hopeful message in the IPCC full capacity, emissions would be in the range extraction methods like fracking and horizontal to steer us away from climate catastrophe has al, artistic and scientific personalities emissions to keep temperatures from soaring report is that staying below 1.5 degrees is both of 9–12 Mt (megatonnes) of CO2 each year drilling, the oil and gas industry is rushing in failed. As have market-based strategies. It has in Quebec signed a Pact for the Tran- above 1.5 C, the BC NDP government has possible and feasible, but only with a massive to bring natural gas to market and reap huge been, rather, the market-based pursuit of profit sition to “save the planet.” This marks an important step in the given the green light and economic incentives for joint-venture LNG Canada to build a shift away from fossil fuels and toward renew- ables along with significant changes in econom- LNG Canada is going profits for their shareholders. The notion of natural gas being a bridge’ or that lies behind the climate crisis we now face. We urgently need a socialist solution. broad mobilization against climate change that builds on many local massive liquified natural gas (LNG) export facility in itimat, BC. This will also include ic, industrial, and land use systems. So, it is breathtaking that within days of the to emit massive transition’ fuel is largely an oil-industry ruse that keeps it in business while undermining Studies show it is possible to complete- ly eliminate fossil-fuel use in a few decades and Quebec-wide victories against fracking, incursion on conservation the expansion of the pipelines and natural gas fracking required to feed the LNG Canada IPCC report, the BC NDP government, side-by- side with the federal Liberal government, cele- amounts of CO2 in the urgent move to the fossil-free economy we need. Right now, natural gas is as cheap or with wide-scale conservation efforts and the intensive adoption of renewables. The logic of areas, and the defeat of the Energy East pipeline. facility. brated at the LNG Canada deal-signing event. The project is a climate and environmental order to sell a fossil cheaper than renewables like solar, wind, geo- thermal and tidal. And natural gas is forecast to capitalism will not get us there. It is recklessly focused on the expanding profit making poten- Before and after the recent Quebec election, there have been huge mo- Aggressive CO2 cuts The latest IPCC report makes it clear that the disaster from beginning to end. On the upstream’ end, the project will un- fuel that will emit even get cheaper as the global oil industry expands into natural gas as new technologies, weak tial of corporate shareholders. Unlike socialism, capitalism is not focused bilizations in the streets to demand a government response to the crisis, agreed goals of the 201 Paris Climate Accord are currently unlikely to be met, and moreover, leash a 40-year frenzy of natural gas fracking in the Montney Formation in northeast BC. More more massive amounts regulations, and government subsidies make it more and more profitable. Reuters reports that on the needs of ordinary working people or the communities and the environments they live in. under the slogan “the planet invites itself to parliament.” 50,000 march for the climate in Montreal Photo: Gustavo Monteiro are themselves inadequate to avoid tem- peratures that could trigger runaway climate fracking will mean further dam construction and diversion of fresh water, injection of fracking of CO2. LNG Canada is “just the tip of the megaproj- ect iceberg” of many new huge LNG projects A socialist solution includes organizing together and pushing aggressively for the The strength of the pact is its consumption, whose major culprit Reducing my plastic consumption be fought for in the streets and in change. chemicals into the earth and water table, and currently being pursued by the major oil com- de-privatization and democratization of an en- broad reach at a solution: “The sci- is corporate consumption in industry Reducing my consumption of workplaces to force a change at the However, the scientific consensus of the IPCC methane (a GHG worse than CO2) release as double BC’s current emissions from the oil and panies. Shell inked a similar deal in atar just ergy sector that is in the hands of workers and ence also tells us that it is absolutely and manufacturing. The pledge seeks farmed meat and opting for locally level of government and industry that is that it is still possible and feasible to keep the hundreds of new gas wells are fracked each year gas sector. weeks before. communities and an energy policy that is set possible technologically, humanly to set an example by individuals to produced and organic foods, under- matches the will of ordinary people global temperature increase below 1.5 degrees to feed the LNG Canada export facility. Heaped on top of LNG Canada’s own The old oil companies now getting behind democratically and focussed on human needs and economically to limit global those who hold more power. It states: standing both regional realities and to reduce their carbon impact on the Celsius instead of 2 or more. Staying below To transport the fuel, TransCanada Corp will CO2-emitting activities, is the CO2 that will be so-called “transition” fuels are interested, not in and the environment, not profit. warming. Political will is a necessary “I commit, starting now and over loss of food security in Indigenous planet. 1.5 , compared to hitting 2.0 , would mean construct the 70-kilometer Coastal GasLink unleashed from the fracked-and-liquified-in-BC the IPCC recommendations or stopping climate That starts with resisting LNG Canada and element of the solution.” the next two years, to the extent of my communities associated with biodi- Quebec climate activists will significantly reducing the risk and severity of pipeline across northern BC which will pump gas shipped to and burned in overseas factories change, but in maximizing the profits from their all new fossil-fuel projects as well as all con- The pledge points to all the right realities and abilities, to reduce my versity loss mobilize again for this at a rally on a litany of climate change consequences: water 2.1 billion cubic feet of fracked gas per day to and power stations. When government decisions capital investments for as long as possible. For tinuing fossil-fuel extraction enterprises. impacts – fossil fuel use, food pro- greenhouse gas emissions through Using my power as a citizen”. December 8 in Montreal, coinciding scarcity, drought, crop failure, food shortages, the LNG Canada export facility in itimat. Once are made to extract fossil fuels and are reported them, the longer so-called “bridge” fuels crowd We must reclaim democratic control and so- duction, carbon footprint – but not to the following concrete actions: In return, the Pact demands that with the Conference of Parties (COP) more extreme weather events, unprecedented there, the energy-intensive liquefaction process in the media, the final CO2 emitted when the out renewables, and major conservation efforts cial ownership of the energy industry. Then we all the right targets for those impacts. Reducing my oil consumption in the government take serious action 24 meetings in atowice, Poland. forest fires, heat-related illness, re-establish- will burn up to a third of the gas supply itself BC gas is burned outside of BC rarely gets such as public transportation expansion, the can restructure it through a planned and order- The focus of the pledge is individual whichever way possible through legislation and redirection ment of once-eradicated diseases, biodiversity for electricity. LNG carrier ocean ships will sail mentioned, let alone figured into the BC carbon better for them and their profits. ly transition to renewable energy under local consumption. Reducing my consumption, of resources to a just transition. The • To sign the Pact: https://www. loss, species extinction, loss of tropical coral up and down the Douglas Channel loaded with budget. LNG Canada is going to emit massive worker and community control including But the ultimate target is social waste production and wastage broad support for this pledge must lepacte.ca/english.html reefs, collapse of fish stocks, melting of polar LNG to be delivered overseas, to be burned in amounts of CO2 in order to sell a fossil fuel that De-privatize and democratize the livelihoods of current oil industry and re- ice sheets, and rising sea levels leading to the factories and electricity generation plants. will emit even more massive amounts of CO2. The BC NDP government has just made this lated workers. 4 Socialist Worker December 2018 December 2018 Socialist Worker 5
Where we stand The dead-end of capitalism The capitalist system is based on violence, oppression and brutal exploitation. It creates hunger beside plenty, it threatens our sustenance Tragedy of Two-Tier Tony through unsafe and unsustainable farming, and kills the earth itself with pollution and unsustainable extraction of oil, minerals, animals, trees, LEFT JAB erton resulted from deregulation and weakened standards. Clement’s fin- and water. Capitalism leads to imperialism and war. Saving ourselves by John Bell gerprints are all over those debacles. and the planet depends on finding an alternative. But it was as Health Minister that After 20 years in “public service” Clement won his nickname, Two-Ti- A system that is killing the planet Tony Clement’s career is in tatters: er Tony. Amalgamation and closure Capitalist profits depend on extracting the world’s blood and bone. The he has been caught sexting genitalia of hospitals meant layoffs of nurses devastating impact of capital’s assault on the planet affect the world’s pix to someone who used them for and loss of beds–the origin of the most vulnerable populations and threaten the long-term meaningful extortion purposes. It seems Clem- “hallway healthcare” that Doug Ford existence of humanity. Capitalism cannot regulate the catastrophic ent had access to sensitive security is pretending to solve with even more effects of climate change. We stand for climate justice, including the information. cuts. Clement initiated the building concept of “just transition” for affected workers. That caused Tory leader Andrew of a new “public private partnership” Scheer to demote the veteran from his hospital in his own Brampton riding. Socialism and workers’ power shadow cabinet. Clement swore it was From the outset the privately built Any alternative to capitalism must involve replacing the system from the a one-time deal. Then came a flood and run hospital met opposition from bottom up through radical collective action. Central to that struggle is the of information from women about the community, workers and health- workplace, where capitalism reaps its profits off our backs. a long history of creepy behaviour. care advocates. Cost over-runs, poor Gazebo Tony Photo: Tigana CC-BY-NC Capitalist monopolies control the earth’s resources, but workers Then it was learned that this wasn’t planning and mismanagement led everywhere actually create the wealth. A new socialist society can only the first time he had been threatened to a shortage of beds at the hospital, mayors from his riding, to pretty up be constructed when workers collectively seize control of that wealth with extortion from sharing explicit which–coupled with the closure of their store-fronts. Part of the dough and plan its production and distribution to satisfy human needs, not photos. That caused Tory Leader other public facilities–became the went toward the Muskoka gazebo that corporate profits—to respect the environment, not pollute and destroy it. Andrew Scheer to kick Clement out of only ER to serve Brampton, one of the will forever be part of his legacy. his caucus. fastest growing towns in the province. As President of the Treasury Board Oppression The results were disastrous for health, his career-long hatred of organized Within capitalist society different groups suffer from specific forms of A Harris MPP but profitable for business. labour came in handy. In charge of oppression. Attacks on oppressed groups are used to divide workers Clement is asking for understand- negotiating with federal workers, and weaken solidarity. We oppose racism and imperialism. We oppose ing for his weaknesses, and that we Taking it national: Harper Clement promised to claw back their all immigration controls. We support the right of people of colour and allow him to seek help. While we Cabinet star pensions, wages and benefits. “So that other oppressed groups to organize in their own defence. We are for real, would love to be charitable, here are After a brief hiatus Clement was means taking a position that will alter social, economic and political equality for women. We are for an end some facts from Clement’s career that back serving the interests of the rich the dynamics of collective bargaining to all forms of discrimination and homophobia against lesbians, gays, might inform that charity. and wrecking ordinary lives. Having as it has been done in this country bisexuals and transgender people. What might have led young ruined his reputation in Brampton, he over the last few decades.” We oppose environmental racism. We oppose discrimination on the Tony to a lifetime of being a dick? sought bluer pastures, moving to the basis of religion, ability and age. Maybe it was his time as a student safe Tory seat in Muskoka. In opposition: still a dick “free speech” advocate busy in the As federal Health Minister, Clem- When Trudeau’s red wave swept Canada, Quebec, Indigenous Peoples pro-Apartheid struggle. He fought to ent led the charge to prosecute casual away most of Harper’s worst, Tony Canada is not a “colony” of the United States, but an imperialist country bring the South African ambassador to marijuana users, declaring “The announced his candidacy for Tory in its own right that participates in the exploitation of much of the world. U of T to explain why whites should party’s over!”. Under his leadership leader, but dropped out because no The Canadian state was founded through the repression of Indigenous rule. You get the idea. arrests in some cities increased by one came forward to support him peoples and the people of Quebec. Clement was a leading figure in one third. He also set the template financially or with endorsements–per- We support the struggles for self-determination of Quebec and Mike Harris’s government beginning for Tory Health Ministers ignoring a haps a clue to the observant that even Indigenous peoples up to and including the right to independence. In in 1995, took a break when those mountain of evidence proving safe his own Party was on to his now- particular, we recognize Indigenous peoples’ original and primary right Tories were thrown out in disgust injection sites save lives and reduce known history of creepy behavior. to decide their fate and that of their lands, heritage, and traditions. after two terms, then hitched his addiction. Two-Tier Tony was recently spotted Socialists in Quebec, and in all oppressed nations, work to give the wagon to Stephen Harper. For the past Ignoring harm-reduction facts and enjoying a night on the town, standing struggle against national oppression an internationalist and working 12 years he pushed the same policies evidence, there was always right- in line outside Roy Thomson Hall to class content. he championed as an Ontario MPP: wing ideology to fall back on: “The see Steve Bannon (lying hater) debate slashing public services, deregulation, supervised injection site undercuts the David Frum (hateful liar). Internationalism whipping up hysteria to promote po- ethic of medical practice and sets a And then came news that finally The struggle for socialism is part of a worldwide struggle. We campaign licing and militarization, and blaming debilitating example for all physicians spelled his downfall–insert your own for solidarity with workers in other countries. We oppose everything that victims. and nurses, both present and future in dick joke here. He is sorry and begs turns workers from one country against those from other countries. We Under Harris he was in turn Min- Canada,” Clement pontificated. “This our understanding. After all these support all genuine national liberation movements. ister of Transportation, the Environ- is a profound moral issue.” years, looking over the thread of his The 1917 revolution in Russia was an inspiration for the oppressed ment, Municipal Affairs and Housing, Clement’s next position, Industry career, I think I understand him pretty everywhere. But it was defeated when workers’ revolutions elsewhere and–most memorably–Health and Minister, oversaw the shutdown of the well. The true tragedy of Two-Tier were defeated. A Stalinist counter-revolution, which killed millions, Long Term Care. The privatization of federal census; undercut the CRTC Tony Clement is that it took a tawdry created a new form of capitalist exploitation based on state ownership toll-highway 407 was a massive cash when it threatened to weaken the little scandal like this to scuttle him. and control. In Eastern Europe, China and other countries, a similar giveaway, resulting in billing abuses, telecommunications stranglehold of His politics of greed, callous inhu- system was later established by Stalinist, not socialist, parties. We safety short-cuts, and police investi- the big corporations; and divvied up manity, and betrayal of the public support the struggle of workers in these countries against both private gations. As for the Environment, the $50 million earmarked for security interest should have been more than and state capitalism. deaths from drinking water in Walk- at the G8 Summit among small town enough to do him in. Elections and democracy Elections can be an opportunity to give voice to the struggle for social Never miss Name: change. But under capitalism, they can’t change the system. The structures of the present parliament, army, police and judiciary protect the ruling class against the workers. These structures cannot be simply an issue. Address: taken over and used by the working class. The working class needs Mail in this form with a cheque or money order made payable to Phone: real democracy, and that requires an entirely different kind of state—a workers’ state based upon councils of workers’ delegates. “Socialist Worker”. E-mail: Prices per year (CAD dollars): Reform and revolution Regular subscription: $30 Mail to: Socialist Worker, PO Box 339 Every day, there are battles between exploiter and exploited, oppressor Institutions, First Class Station E, Toronto, ON Canada, M6H 4E3 and oppressed, to reform the system—to improve living conditions. delivery and U.S.: $50 Phone: 416.972.6391 / E-mail: reports@socialist.ca These struggles are crucial in the fight for a new world. To further these Other international: $60 struggles, we work within the trade unions and orient to building a rank and file movement that strengthens workers’ unity and solidarity. But the fight for reforms will not, in itself, bring about fundamental social change. The present system cannot be fixed or reformed as the NDP and many trade union leaders say. Nor can the system regulate Join the International Socialists itself to prevent environmental destruction and climate injustice. It has to Name: City: be overthrown. That will require the mass action of workers themselves. Address: The revolutionary party E-mail: Phone: To achieve socialism the leading activists in the working class have to be organized into a revolutionary socialist party. The party must be a party Mail to: International Socialists, PO Box 339, Station E, Toronto, ON Canada, M6H 4E3 of action, and it must be democratic. We are an organization of activists Phone: 416.972.6391 / E-mail: reports@socialist.ca committed to helping in the construction of such a party through ongoing activity in the mass organizations of the working class and in the daily struggles of workers and the oppressed. If these ideas make sense to you, help us in this project, and join the International Socialists. Find us on: @socialist_ca \socialistca 6 Socialist Worker December 2018
Stop Mohamed REVIEWS Harkat’s deportation to Extreme Cities: Climate torture The federal government is pushing to deport change and resistance Mohamed Harkat to torture. The matter is by Valerie Lannon describes the grass-roots community response A urgent and imminent. to Super Hurricane Sandy in New York in Harkat, a United Nations Convention ref- shley Dawson’s use of the term 2012. He notes that grass-roots efforts by ugee who has lived in Canada for 22 years, “extreme” in the title of his book health and social service workers, and other faces deportation to Algeria under a highly refers to “… an urban space of stark community organizers, were quicker and more controversial security certificate. economic inequality, the defining efficient than state and federal government Declared unconstitutional in 2007, then urban characteristic of our time, and one of the departments. “Rather than provoking selfish, reinstated with a minor alteration, Secu- greatest threats to the sustainability of urban antisocial, and even belligerent circumstances, rity Certificates allow for secret hearings existence.” most people tend to regain their self-control where the accused and their lawyers are not Urbanization has been continually growing and become concerned about the conditions of allowed to see key allegations and evidence for decades, so that now “…the majority of the those around them relatively quickly.” used against them. Security-cleared lawyers world’s megacities are in coastal zones threat- Dawson argues that continuing climate di- are allowed to see some of the secret case, ened by sea level rise. Today, more than 50 saster will likely make “disaster communism” but neither the accused nor their lawyer is per cent of the world’s population lives within more common and, like Andreas Malm, points allowed to be present. 120 miles of the sea.” Cities are where carbon to the origins of some of the Arab Spring up- Harkat was arrested on International Hu- emissions from industries and transportation risings in climate-induced droughts, leading to man Rights Day, December 10, 2002, and are highest. higher food prices and resulting grain riots. subsequently detained without charge for By focusing on extreme cities that are But he has no illusions in “horizontal” 3.5 years, often in solitary confinement. He located at sea level, he carefully documents organizing as the ultimate solution. He states has struggled under a brutal series of house how climate change will negatively affect “Disaster communism – on a purely local arrest bail conditions and is fighting this huge populations of people, many of whom scale- does not actually constitute an inherent latest threat of deportation. are poor and least able to cope with the impact. threat to the capitalist social order.” He backs As his spouse Sophie Harkat stated, “I Recall the deaths and forced relocations of this up by describing how quickly state bureau- have been married 18 years to this gentle, low-income black people in New Orleans after cracies and elite interests intervened post-Hur- funny, hard-working man, someone who has Hurricane Katrina and you get the beginnings climate justice opposition has been led by ricane Sandy to resume control of rescue and never been accused – much less convicted of the picture. indigenous communities threatened by pipeline reconstruction operations. of – committing a crime or act of violence. The book pays particular attention to Miami, or marine spills, it is also the case that “ex- Unfortunately, Dawson has no suggestions But in the Canadian racial and religious New York (to remind American readers, as treme cities” will see huge numbers of people for how the required changes he recommends profiling sweeps that happened after 9/11, if they needed reminding, that rising seas threatened. can come about aside from a general call for Moe was wrongfully targeted… Moe was won’t just be affecting remote Pacific islands), social movements to act in unity. never charged with anything. Yet he spent Jakarta, Delhi, Port-au-Prince and Sao Paulo. Just transition He is deafeningly silent on the role of the over a year in solitary confinement, and In Canada we can add places like Montreal In addition to highlighting the physical, social working class, which is odd given his quotes after three more years in jail without charge, (which saw record heat wave-related deaths and economic disasters awaiting the residents throughout the text of figures like Trotsky and was transferred to the strictest house arrest this past summer, as well as a huge upsurge in of extreme cities, Dawson lists what needs to modern day Marxists like David Harvey and in Canadian history.” climate justice activism on the streets), Rich- be done to ensure a just transition. There needs Mike Davis. Though Harkat was arrested under the mond, BC, Halifax and other coastal cities to to be a planned relocation of populations, so In spite of this significant shortcoming, security regime of the former Harper gov- the mix; say good-bye to the scenic Vancouver that the poor are not left behind. Otherwise the book is still recommended. We should be ernment, appeals to the Liberal government airport. what we are likely to see under capitalism is inspired by his conclusion that “The good city to let him stay in Canada have so far gone Drawing from earlier work by Mike Davis, the wealthy able to make their getaway, leav- cannot be a version of today’s city newly em- unheeded – despite their inability to show particularly Davis’ Planet of the Slums, Daw- ing everyone else stranded. bellished with green trimmings like bike lanes that he presents any kind of threat. son reminds us of how capitalism has thrown Using an anti-capitalist analysis, Dawson and ribbon parks in front of high-end condos. If sent back to Algeria, Mohamed Harkat millions of peasants world-wide out of their also points the ways forward for achieving a The good city will only heal the wounds of faces detention, torture and even death. traditional farming and into a poverty-laden just and democratic way out of the impending calamitous environmental degradation if it is This threat of deportation flies in the face urban proletariat or unemployment. While climate disaster, especially in extreme cities. rebuilt to overcome today’s yawing economic of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s declara- on Turtle Island/North America, much of our His chapter entitled “Disaster Communism” and social inequalities.” Poppy: Am I a Girl tion last year that “Nobody, ever, deserves to be tortured.” Nobody, ever, deserves to be deported to torture either. Amnesty International, the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, and thou- sands of people and organizations across this country are demanding that the federal government put an end to this nightmare for the Harkat family by lifting the threat of by D’Arcy Briggs both a self-aware and self-indulgent play on pop After Poppy’s reprogramming she seems to deportation. music culture. The album’s opening tracks see be somewhat self-aware of humanity’s destruc- Organizers are urging supporters to write Poppy’s latest album, Am I a Girl?, is a our pop star lyrically addressing the audience of tive nature when she awakens alone in a facility. celebration of all that is capitalist alienation, their songs in an almost They Live fashion. The The chorus to the track “Time is up” sings “I commodity fetishization, and environmental track “It’s Fashion After all” opens with “I’m don’t need air to breathe when you kill the bees destruction. If 1984 was a musical, this album working every angle / My lipstick is a staple / And every / river bed is dry as a bone / Oh, would surely act as the score. It’s an album I will still survive when the plants have died / which is incredibly self-aware, and showcases And the atmosphere is just a big hole.” While the ideas of celebrity in the digital age. It easily the character is now ‘awake’ to the nature of the serves as a tongue-in-cheek warning to those system, she still feels outside of the problem. who question what it means to be an individual Poppy then starts to acknowledge how she was and a member of a community under capitalism. previously treated and thrown out and questions Am I a Girl? is a concept album that takes her identity in “Girls in Bikinis,” as well as the place in a near-apocalyptic future in which a title track, in which the chorus asks “Am I a girl? feminized pop-star android, Poppy, is repro- / Am I a boy? / What does that even mean? / I’m grammed and subsequently struggles with somewhere in between.” their own identity, their place in the world, and The album ultimately ends with Poppy decid- reaches a musical and thematic climax during ed to destroy the system herself, starting with the final few tracks. the track “Play Destroy.” In the song, she pledg- The album generally follows a pretty stan- es “This is how we play destroy… / Burn down dard synthpop formula, but with a decidedly the local Wal-Mart / Monsanto, Raytheon.” Justice for Mohamed Harkat strong vaporwave influence. The final tracks While Poppy’s Am I a Girl? could push go for broke and blend togettheir aggressive some away for the artist’s strange persona and to Trudeau and the Ministers of Public Safe- heavy metal with saccharine sweet pop. The targeted synthpop and metal sound, there is an ty, Justice and Immigration to urge them to majority of the album wears its contemporary interesting sci-fi story under the surface for stop the deportation to torture of Mohamed dance music influences on its sleeve (The album those willing to take the time to listen to the Harkat and to not make themselves, and is being released on Mad Decent records and / My hair and makeup make you envious and album as a whole experience rather than just Canada, complicit in torture once more. even contains a song featuring Diplo), but ends want to die… / My wrists are terrorists / My lips the singles. It ultimately serves as an incredibly sounding like some hellish mix of Carly Rae gave you a kiss / My consciousness thinks this is powerful, if not catchy, soundtrack to a world • To sign the petition https://bit.ly/2QfelLl. Jepsen and Slipknot. While musically it’s not a making me feel fabulous.” The tracks “Iconic,” in which the ideas of social justice and human To send letters to federal officials http:// tired album at all, it’s the album’s efficacy in and “Chic Chick” follow the same path, while rights are seen as debatable. This is just as much iclmg.ca/stop-harkat-deportation/ thematic and lyrical content that really delivers. lyrically emphasizing the importance of con- the soundtrack to the horrors of capitalism as it As stated earlier, Am I a Girl? could be seen as sumption in the creation of the individual. is a pastiche of celebrity in 2018. December 2018 Socialist Worker 7
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