The violent armed campaign by India’s Maoists against the Left Front government of West Bengal has killed hundreds of members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and other Left Front supporters. The Maoists have won the admiration of many “left” anti-communists, including writer Arundhati Roy. This response is by Sudhanva Deshpande, an actor and [...]
Monthly Archives: December 2010
Major Gains by Greek Communists in Civic Elections
December 1 10
The Greek Communist Party (KKE) was the only party to score major advances in the first round of regional and municipal elections held on Nov. 7. Nationwide, the KKE-backed list took 10.85% of the votes, up from 7.54% in the 2009 parliamentary elections. The Communist votes rose by 75,000, to 589,000, despite a lower voter [...]
Update on World Festival of Youth and Students
December 1 10
PV Youth Bureau Over 118 countries will be represented at the 17th World Festival of Youth and Students, with 76 preparatory committees already confirming participation in the largest gathering of anti‑imperialist youth in the world, organizers said in November. As People’s Voice has reported, the Festival will be held in South Africa, making it the [...]
Real Solutions, Demands Communist Candidate
December 1 10
A message From Frank Komarniski, Communist Party candidate in the Nov. 29 by-election for Winnipeg North The Communist Party is campaigning for good‑paying jobs and access to education. We are demanding Canada get out of the terrible war in Afghanistan, right now. I think Manitoba can stop being a low‑wage, racist backwater. The North End of [...]
Afghanistan War: The Crucible For Reorienting Canadian Foreign Policy
December 1 10
By Dave McKee, President, Canadian Peace Congress Operation Apollo, Operation Athena, Operation Archer, Operation Accius, Operation Altair … since Canada first entered the war on Afghanistan in 2001 the list of extensions, renewals and “spin‑offs” has gone on and on and on. Originally scheduled to end in 2003, Canada’s involvement in this imperialist aggression threatens [...]
Could Fascism Ever Happen in Canada?
December 1 10
SEEING REDS: The Red Scare of 1918-1919, Canada’s First War on Terror, by Daniel Francis, Arsenal Pulp Press, 2010, 280 pages, ISBN 978-1-55152-373-6. Review by Kimball Cariou When the danger of fascism in Canada is discussed, some argue that we already live under fascism. It is true that “democracy” in our society is severely restricted [...]
Music Notes
December 1 10
by Wally Brooker A sold‑out Nov. 18 concert in Lisbon by Montreal indy rock band Arcade Fire was cancelled on Nov. 2 by none other than NATO. The warlords claimed that the band’s venue was too close to the site where they were gathering Nov. 19‑20 for their summit meeting and declared the concert a [...]
“Implement the Declaration in a Principled Manner”
December 1 10
Joint Statement in response to Canada’s endorsement of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples On November 12th the Canadian government endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We urge the government to move ahead with the implementation of its provisions in a principled manner that fully respects their spirit [...]
Big Business Wins Winnipeg Election
December 1 10
By Darrell Rankin Opportunistic failures by reform forces in the civic election blocked a shift in the balance of forces in Winnipeg city council, but voters delivered a stinging rebuke to the right wing majority on October 27. Sam Katz was re‑elected Mayor largely as a result of his massive election budget and the fire‑proof [...]
Trustees Propose Supports for Vancouver Schools
December 1 10
PV Vancouver Bureau Amidst turmoil within the B.C. Liberals, the next round of the struggle over public education policy is expected to unfold shortly. Vancouver Board of Education trustees are scheduled to vote Dec. 14 on possible closures of five schools, after an in-depth public consultation process. The hearings wound up on Nov. 10, after [...]
Hydro Hikes in Ontario
December 1 10
The Communist Party of Canada (Ontario) is calling on the labour and democratic movements to raise the roof over an estimated 43% hydro price hike to effect over the next year. The cause of the hike is the break‑up of the publicly owned Ontario Hydro under the Tory government of Mike Harris. Privatization and deregulation [...]
Broken Promises on Afghanistan
December 1 10
People’s Voice Editorial To the surprise of few and the dismay of many, the Harper Tories have unilaterally extended Canada’s military mission in Afghanistan by three more years, allegedly for the purposes of “training” Afghan security forces. The decision violates a long-standing pledge by the PM to adhere to the 2011 pullout date, itself an [...]
Harper Isolated on Climate Issues
December 1 10
People’s Voice Editorial As the next round of climate negotiations resumes in Cancun, an Environics poll finds that the Harper Tories are out of step with Canadians on this crucial issue. The survey finds that 87% of Canadians agree that too much focus on economic growth and consumerism is a root cause of climate change, [...]
Jobless Benefits Not Available for Majority
December 1 10
In a critique of the Harper government’s policies, labour economist Andrew Jackson recently pointed out that “Well under one-half of Canada’s 1.5 million unemployed workers are collecting EI benefits today, even though the unemployment rate is still almost 8%. Special EI measures introduced as part of the 2009 Budget, notably an extra five weeks of [...]
Food Banks Report that Hunger Stalks Canadians
December 1 10
PV Vancouver Bureau Despite the hype in the big business media about the so-called “economic recovery,” hundreds of thousands of Canadians face a hungry holiday season and a long cold winter. That’s the only possible conclusion from the latest HungerCount report on food bank use in Canada, and economic indicators which peg the “official” jobless [...]
A “Strategic Concept” for Peace – Disband NATO!
December 1 10
Canadian Peace Congress Executive Council, Nov. 18, 2010 The eve of the Lisbon Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is pause for reflection and action on the future of the world’s biggest instrument of war, and the necessity of anti‑imperialism and peace. In the face of the military alliance’s invitation to “rethink, reprioritize [...]