By Martin Khor The United Nations’ Cancun climate conference, which adopted a text early on 11 December had a strange outcome. It was acclaimed by many for reviving the spirit of multilateralism in the climate change system, because another collapse after the disastrous failure of the Copenhagen talks a year ago would have knocked another [...]
Monthly Archives: January 2011
Music Notes
January 1 11
By Wally Brooker Sounds Like a Revolution Sounds Like a Revolution, a documentary on contemporary protest music by Canadian filmmakers Summer Love and Jane Michener, highlighted the opening of the 15th Annual Amnesty International Film Festival in Vancouver on November 18. The film, which received its world premier at Toronto’s NXNE music festival last summer, [...]
Support a Peaceful Solution to the Korean Peninsula Dispute
January 1 11
Statement by the Central Executive Committee, Communist Party of Canada, Dec. 3, 2010 The Communist Party of Canada condemns the Canadian government’s role in helping to fan the flames of war in the Korean peninsula, and urges instead a policy of supporting broad international efforts to seek peaceful, negotiated resolutions to the historic disputes in [...]
General Strike in Portugal Against Austerity Measures
January 1 11
By Emile Schepers, People’s World A massive one‑day general strike paralysed Portugal on November 24, as major labour federations united to denounce austerity measures being imposed by the Socialist Party (social democrat) Prime Minister, Jose Socrates. The unions claim the strike was 80 percent effective. Media reported complete shutdowns in many areas of airlines, public [...]
Is There a “Global Strike Wave”?
January 1 11
Data compiled by independent labour researchers indicates that there may be a significant increase in the numbers of workers involved in mass strikes across the globe. One interesting list was circulated recently by Peter Hall-Jones of the New Unionism Network. Hall-Jones points out that a huge strike wave involving up to 100,000,000 workers across India [...]
Youth Festival Delegates Welcomed With Fireworks
January 1 11
By Johan Boyden DEC. 13 – The opening ceremonies of the World Festival of Youth and Students wrapped up with a bang, as fireworks exploded over a large sports stadium in a township outside Pretoria. Delegates had just heard President Zuma welcome them to South Africa, and the leader of the African National Congress Youth [...]
Tshwane Declaration: Capitalism’s Trajectory Threatens Human Civilization
January 1 11
The 12th International Meeting of Communist and Workers` Parties took place in Tshwane, South Africa from Dec. 3-5, on the theme “The deepening systemic crisis of capitalism. The tasks of Communists in defence of sovereignty, deepening social alliances, strengthening the anti‑imperialist front in the struggle for peace, progress and Socialism”. 102 delegates representing 51 participating [...]
International Communist Meeting in South Africa
January 1 11
Special to PV Over 100 delegates representing 51 parties from around the world came together in early December in the municipality of Tshwane (which includes the city of Pretoria), South Africa for the 12th annual International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties (IMCWP). This meeting chose as its theme the deepening systemic crisis of capitalism [...]
B.C. NDP: What’s Behind the Divisions?
January 1 11
PV Vancouver Bureau Commentary Internal strife is nothing new for the New Democratic Party in B.C. The sudden resignation of Carole James on Dec. 6 opens the door for an NDP leadership convention early in 2011. Some pundits have declared that the next election is already over, awarding the B.C. Liberals victory in advance. But [...]
Remember the Prisoners
January 1 11
People’s Voice Editorial As we prepare to celebrate New Year 2011, it’s appropriate to remember the victims of reactionary regimes who remain imprisoned. There are countless such prisoners around the globe; here are just a few of the sisters and brothers whose freedom must be a high priority for the people’s movements. * The Five [...]
New Attacks on Free Speech
January 1 11
People’s Voice Editorial The furious attack against free speech in Canada escalated again in early December, with outrageous slanders in the Ontario Legislature against a university student. On Dec. 7, MPPs Steve Clark and Eric Hoskins spoke to condemn Jenny Peto, a University of Toronto student whose 100-page MA thesis examines pro-Zionist Holocaust remembrance programs. [...]
Communist Party Leadership Meets in Toronto
January 1 11
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Canada met over the Nov. 27-28 weekend in Toronto. The Political Report adopted by the meeting is now online at www.communist-party.ca. The report stresses “the continuing global capitalist crisis which, now into its third year, shows no signs of abating. The impact of the crisis, the measures taken [...]
“Unite in Solidarity with Steelworkers in Hamilton”
January 1 11
Resolution adopted by the Central Committee, Communist Party of Canada, Nov. 28, 2010 The lockout of 900 Steelworkers in Hamilton, which began on Nov. 7, is much more than a local struggle. U.S. Steel wants to shut down production in Hamilton, and seeks to force USW Local 1005 members and 9,000 retirees to switch to [...]
Billboard Campaign for Locked-out Steelworkers
January 1 11
Locked out workers at Hamilton’s US Steel plant are wasting no time getting their message out: the issue with US Steel is about Canadian control of the economy, a Canadian steel industry, and the rights and dignity of labour to decent living standards and quality of life for workers and retirees. USW Local 1005 is [...]
Fed Moves to Biennial Conventions
January 1 11
By Sam Hammond The British Columbia Federation of Labour Convention from Nov. 29-Dec. 3 was the swan song of the annual conventions that have been traditional in BC. The BC Fed changed its constitution to move to a convention every two years. This was done with the passing of a composite resolution that also added [...]
G20 Report: Massive Compromise of Civil Liberties
January 1 11
By Liz Rowley, leader of the Communist Party of Canada (Ontario) Ontario Ombudsman Andre Marin has concluded that police and government action that led to the arrest, detention and beatings of 1105 people last June 26/27 in Toronto constitute “the most massive compromise of civil liberties in Canadian history”. It’s a clear statement that the [...]