Stephane Dion's palace guard was under seige today by members of his own party who are calling on the Liberal leader to dismiss one of his closest aides over alleged remarks about Quebec.
Several MPs and senators from the province have been pleading privately for him to fire Jamie Carroll, the Liberals' national director and one of the key players in Dion's leadership victory.
They are now making their demands public.
Witnesses at a closed-door meeting this week say Carroll was dismissive when some Quebec Liberals suggested their leader's entourage needed more people who were bilingual and from the province.
According to witnesses, Carroll remarked that if he hired more Quebecers, then he'd have to hire more Chinese.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Is Stephane Dion a Leader?
I don't think Stephane Dion is much of leader. Depending how he responds to this debauchery, we'll see what kind of leader he is. Needless to say, more bad news for the Liberal party.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
UAW recesses National Strike of General Motors
A tentative agreement has been reached. Details to follow a ratification vote.
http://www.uaw.com/news/newsarticle.cfm?ArtId=495
Apparantly American Workers have it pretty damn good...
I stumbled across this article on MSN. It attempts to compare the American workforce to the global average (hours, wages, unemployment etc.), but relies more on Mexico and Korea as examples to illustrate that, comparatively, American workers have it pretty damn good in relation to most. They seem to gloss over most other western, liberal-democratic, capitalist countries in their analysis. A selective interpretation indeed.
And when they did use other western, liberal-democratic, capitalist countries in their analysis, they were rather dismissive of the progressive nature of employment relations in these countries. For example,
That actually seems pretty fair to me.
If you think you're working too much and getting paid too little, consider that the average Mexican worker puts in about 100 more hours of work each year than the average American, yet only makes the equivalent of $2.63 per hour (Americans average $23.65), or that Koreans, who work almost 600 more hours per year than the average American, still make about $10 less than us per hour. Feel better yet?
...See how America's labor force compares to its international counterparts, and perhaps you'll gain a new appreciation for your own job situation.
And when they did use other western, liberal-democratic, capitalist countries in their analysis, they were rather dismissive of the progressive nature of employment relations in these countries. For example,
Norway and Netherlands recorded fewest hours worked with 1360 and 1368, respectively...It hardly seems fair that the workers who enjoyed the highest hourly rate of compensation in 2005 also worked the fewest hours: Norwegians topped the list, earning an equivalent of $39.14 per hour.
That actually seems pretty fair to me.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Minority Government in Ontario??
Unless the Liberals get a little boost in support over the next two weeks (or another party gets a giant boost of support), it looks like Ontario might be in a minority government situation. Mr. McGuinty is prepared to accept such a result, meaning that he likely won't be pulling a Joe Clark. If a minority government does occur, it looks like the NDP will potentially be the kingmakers.
Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty says he is prepared to accept a minority government if that’s the will of the voters. “The electorate will do its own thing in its own course and I accept that and that’s fine by me,” McGuinty said today after re-announcing the restoration of GO service to Barrie from Toronto by the end of the year...
According to the survey of 500 Ontarians, the Liberals are mired at 41 per cent, the Progressive Conservatives holding at 33 per cent, the NDP at 18 per cent and the Green Party stuck at 8 per cent support. If those numbers hold, the Liberals might be looking at forming a minority government. The margin of error for the SES polls was plus or minus 4.4 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
638 Ways to Kill Fidel Castro
Capitalists rejoice! Tune into the CBC's Passionate Eye for a documentary exploring the various ways to kill Castro. Apparently there are 638 of them.
Some claim that there are 50 ways to leave your lover, but how many ways are there to kill off a political enemy? According to the former head of Cuban Intelligence, Fabian Escalante, there are no less than 638.
638 Ways To Kill Castro is a political documentary exploring the history of the relationship between the U.S. government and Cuba, told via the countless attempts to kill Fidel Castro. From exploding cigars to femme fatales; a radio station rigged with noxious gas to a poison syringe posing as an innocuous ballpoint pen, those who tried to kill Castro reveal every conceivable method of assassination.
On the trail of Castro's would-be killers, the filmmakers meet a series of extraordinary characters, including two men accused of being terrorists, but living free in America. Orlando Bosch, who many consider to be the greatest terrorist in the northern hemisphere, is found living peacefully in his Miami home, with his adoring family. Antonio Veciana, the Cuban American who got the closest to killing Castro on three occasions, now runs a marine store in Miami. Both men were supported and funded by the United States, and the CIA even sought the help of the Mafia, hoping they would be able to succeed where Bosch and Veciana had failed.
A exciting detective thriller, 638 Ways To Kill Castro is a Silver River production for Britain's Channel 4.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Liberal Masterplan Exposed: Liberals won Outremont
Oh wow. In what is possibly the best political power play in Canadian history, the Liberals are now revealing that they didn't technically lose Outremonet because a Liberal was elected anyways! Kudos M. Dion and company, you had us all fooled. We really thought that you suffered a serious loss in Quebec. And to think, this whole week New Demoracts from coast to coast have been jumping for joy for thinking they finally gained a foothold in Quebec. Jokes on them, because it turns out that a Liberal was actually elected in Outremonet. Ha. As "What Do I Know Grit" explains:
I guess when this guy stated that it smelled like Liberal victory in Outremont he was right after all! It turns out that "What Do I Know Grit" knows significantly more than the rest of us. Thanks for sharing this Liberal masterplan.
So Dion's getting ripped all over the media for losing not one, but three by-elections in the Province of Quebec....With the exception of Outremont - where they elected a Liberal anyway - the other ridings weren't exactly Liberal bastiens. In fact, those ridings have long since seen better days for Liberals. Yet, if you listen to the media reports, it was the Liberals and Dion that were crushed in all three ridings.
I guess when this guy stated that it smelled like Liberal victory in Outremont he was right after all! It turns out that "What Do I Know Grit" knows significantly more than the rest of us. Thanks for sharing this Liberal masterplan.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Ontario and the Funding of Relgious Schools
Courtesy of the Bullet....
In what might turn to be the defining issue of the Ontario provincial election set for October 10, Conservative leader John Tory proposed that faith-based schools be fully funded. In a province that already funds Catholic schools through the high school years. The Tories are claiming the mantle of 'fairness' by extending funding to other religious schools. This position, indeed, is being heatedly debated.
Socialists and the Education System
The debate has raised a number of issues for socialists, with respect to both religion in a complex multicultural society, and the demands for a more democratic and egalitarian education system in Ontario.
Socialists have long critiqued religion as an aspect of the power structures that support the existing social and political order. Religion has also underpinned many patriarchical practices that oppress women. And religious majorities have often suppressed religious and national minorities. Socialists have, therefore, been uncompromising on the demand for a secular state and the end to public subsidies of religious institutions. The insistence on a secular state has gone along with firm support for the protection of the rights to practice religion in private life without discrimination, as part of rights of freedom of assembly, and a vigorous defence of religious minorities.
Socialists have also favoured an educational system as a means to develop the capacities of working people. These are not only the technical capacities for work, but also capacities for democratic self-government, and deepening cultural, scientific and political understandings. This is also the special role of teachers in the public school system: they are not merely conveyers of required knowledge, but the facilitators for building critical democratic citizens in the broadest meaning of those ideas.
A universal public school system has been a crucial objective. It is the reason that the private school system that the capitalist and professional classes often resort has been a fundamental target for reform and incorporation within the public system. And it is why socialists have to continually engage in criticism, debate and engagement with public schools and their curricula. Teachers' unions have often been key allies in Ontario in raising issues of both funding and social justice in Ontario schools. Education in capitalist societies has to be continually contested as it is not ground the ruling classes will ever willingly concede.
In the case of Ontario, there clearly should be no funding of any faith-based schools, and this would include the present funding of separate Catholic schools. The public system is already starved for resources and funding religious schools will further weaken it. Full funding of religious schools flies in the face of some of the most elementary principles of modern democratic societies such as the separation of church and state. It reinforces conservatism and weakens equality and human rights. It undermines the integration of students from diverse backgrounds so necessary in today's Ontario.
Resources
The Conservative proposal, in some estimates, would take $500 million out of an already cash strapped public education system. Expanding public funding for religious schools would undermine the resource base of the entire public school system. After years of underfunding -- first by the Harris and Eves' governments and by the McGuinty Liberals -- the school system cannot afford a diversion of funds to religious schools. Resources would have to be effectively cut to fund this initiative. There are currently 52,000 students attending independent religious schools, including Jewish, Muslim and some Christians (more than 10 times that number are in the separate Catholic schools, and in total accounting for just about a third in religious schools in Ontario). The funding of faith-based schools would dramatically expand these numbers and the variety of religious schools. The economics of funding public schools (as well as some of what is ! taught) would be dramatically altered. There would be further difficulties in sustaining public schools infrastructure, and wide community access to the facilities of schools. There is a general crisis in public education in Ontario. This debate needs to be widened to take up that issue as well.
Defending Public Education
Private religious beliefs have no place in a public education system. The separation of religion and state is a key element of democratic politics. Every individual has a right to practice religion as they wish -- or to be atheists. But the public education system is not the place to do this. It is a place that students from all backgrounds to mix and learn together and to become critical thinking and informed citizens. Parents are, of course, free to send their children for after-school or weekend instruction as they wish. Such teaching should be privately funded and separate from the public system.
The funding of Catholic schools was the result of a constitutional compromise in Canada in the mid-19th century. It dates from an era where national and linguistic rights between French and English were identified with religious rights. This same identification hardly fits Ontario today; it has no place in a modern, secular, liberal democratic society. The extension of funding to Catholic secondary schools in 1984 was a coldly calculated political move by then-Premier Bill Davis, made just as he was about to retire. It was a deal originally cut in private between himself and the then Roman Catholic Cardinal for Toronto. Even Davis's cabinet was unaware of this decision, but the rigidities of Cabinet solidarity pushed into legislation. The deal was hardly an emblem for democratic decision-making. It was sealed by further backroom deals with the Liberals and NDP, scrambling for advantages in minority legislatures, not to reopen ! the funding issue.
While politically arduous, funding for separate schools in Ontario can be ended without a major constitutional crisis. The existing constitutional clause can be amended by simple pieces of legislation passing the Ontario Legislature and the Federal Parliament. This has been the case in recent reforms in Newfoundland and Quebec. In Newfoundland, the existence of an education system split along religious lines was seen to fuel sectarianism within the larger society and stretched the capacity of the province to provide quality education. With a referendum, all that changed and Newfoundland left 19th century education behind.
It is a shame that neither the Liberals nor the NDP have challenged the funding of Catholic schools in Ontario or the principles on which it is based. Their avoidance of the issue is not based on principle but on vulgar electoral calculation. Their mutual conformity neither advances democracy nor serves the public interest. To their credit, the Green Party is the only party of any size to propose the complete secularization of public education (and it is a crucial factor in their rise in the polls, alongside the clear support for a proportional representation voting system).
Conservatism
John Tory's proposal is both an ideological statement and cynical electoral ploy. Much of the teaching in currently existing religious schools feeds conservatism: some religious schools argue against the equality of men and women and call for the denial of women's reproductive rights; some teach homophobia; some call for denial of the national rights of Palestinians, others teach creationism as an alternative to science. Should we subsidize these ideas as we welcome religious schools into the public system? If religious schools become part of the public system, there is little leverage to keep these noxious ideas out of schools even if a core Ontario curriculum is required to be taught.
The Conservative position is also a cynical attempt to bribe votes from religious people in different communities. Relying on traditional stereotypes of immigrants, it directly appeals to the most conservative elements in all of Ontario's communities and strengthens the voices of those right-wing spokespeople who have tirelessly argued for full funding of religious schools. It correspondingly weakens the progressive forces across Ontario -- in immigrant communities, amongst Canadian born and within different religious traditions -- who support the secular education provided in the public school system and want real equality.
A dangerous precedent would also be being set. Full funding of religious schools implemented would re-open the attempts by the Conservatives and their wealthy supporters to establish further public funding of private and charter schools. They, too, have been claiming to being left out of appropriate public funding. The separate status of these class-based schools should also be challenged, and be brought into the public system on an equal basis with other schools.
Building a respectful and solidaristic future
Funding religious schools would encourage the separation of children from across the spectrum of communities and cultures that make Ontario's schools such exciting places of learning. Expansions of faith-based schools would represent a tremendous step backwards: it would move Ontario away from the kinds of schools where students from all of the diverse communities and traditions can learn together in a pluralistic environment of mutual respect and solidarity. That's the kind of environment where kids can grow into the kind of inquisitive and open-minded individuals who can help change the world. It is also why the discriminatory separate system for Catholics should, at last, be abolished to history. Ontario's working people should have the option of ending all funding or religious schools, and also addressing private schools, to form a single public school system, allowing linguistic access in French and English. This could be done direct! ly through a programme put before the people of Ontario and then the legislature. But it also could be done through a referendum that would allow wider education and debate about the benefits and kind of unified secular school system we should be building.
*******************************************************************
*******************************************************************
Petition:
Ontario Educators for Democratic Inclusive Public Schools
In the few weeks of the Ontario election campaign that will end in a vote on October 10, citizens of Ontario will be subjected to a debate between the parties and in the media about the extension of the public education system to include faith-based schools. These schools teach about 2.5 percent of the total student population of Ontario based on curriculum that incorporates central principles of their religions.
The present educational system in Ontario extends privileges to one faith group in a separate school system. The Ontario system is considered to be discriminatory by the United Nations Human Rights Commission. Two of the main parties -- the ruling Liberal Party and the NDP -- are proposing to maintain the status quo, while a third -- the Conservatives -- wants to extend funding to all faith-based schools that follow the Ontario curriculum.
The divisions of faith-based schooling would further compromise a secular-based education. Modern democracy partly rests upon a separation of church and state. An Ipsos-Reid poll of Ontarians has found that 62 percent of respondents opposed the Conservative promise to have "Government extend full funding to these faith-based schools and others of a similar nature."
Ontario is a multi-lingual, multi-racial, multi-cultural, society. Citizens hold many religious beliefs, and many are without established faiths, including atheists. The 2001 Canadian census reports that 16 percent of the population does not identify with any religion.
An education system for a richly diverse and democratic society must bring together students from all faith, ethnic and economic grouping and backgrounds to learn respect and understanding, and to equalize educational resources and opportunities for all Ontario students. Faith-based school systems build barriers to the equalizing role that a common public school system promotes between citizens. Many parents are rightly concerned about the negative impact of the divisions that faith-based schools necessarily entail for social cohesiveness. The continued growth of a parallel private schooling system in Ontario is an equally formidable obstacle for a democratic education system.
A democratic education is an education for democracy. It requires a dialogue in which students and teachers critically assess their own assumptions and beliefs about religion, society and politics. This is the invaluable resource that a common public educational system -- from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 to an expansion of access to post-secondary education -- provides.
1. We call for Ontario to complete the project of building a democratic, inclusive public educational system, and to end the discriminatory practice of funding faith-based school systems.
2. We insist that all religious instruction in any faith be outside regular school hours.
3. We maintain that private schooling helps sustain barriers of income and class to a democratic education and citizenship and equally requires inclusion within a universal public system.
4. We suggest that a referendum be put before the citizens of Ontario on completing a single, inclusive, universal educational system free from all forms of discrimination and barriers.
If you would like to sign the petition, please go to:
www.thepetitionsite.com/petition/876448777
*********************************************************************
*********************************************************************
Education Equality in Ontario
www.oneschoolsystem.org
Education Equality in Ontario is a non-governmental human rights organization and education advocacy group. We seek the elimination of religious discrimination and duplication in the Ontario school system through the establishment of a single publicly-funded school system for each official language (English and French).
The Government of Ontario currently funds two parallel school systems for each official language; one a public system open to all without discrimination, and the other a 'separate' system that often denies admission to non-Catholic students and is essentially closed to non-Catholic teacher applicants. Only Roman Catholics are guaranteed access to both systems. They alone enjoy publicly-funded school choice and they bear no additional tax burden for the privilege. Roman Catholics in Ontario suffer no disadvantage that might warrant such preferential treatment. By allowing this blatant discrimination to continue, the Government violates the equality rights of over seven million non-Catholic Ontarians, discriminating against them on the basis of their faith or their lack of a faith.
Fundamental equality rights should enjoy primacy over non-fundamental denominational privilege. Publicly-funded choice in education and access to related employment opportunities should be non-exclusive and non-discriminatory in nature, fully respecting the equality 'guarantees' in the provincial, national, and international human rights instruments that are supposed to protect us.
Finally, the costly duplication in the Ontario school system has been and continues to be a significant contributor to the steady decline in the quality and quantity of programs available in our publicly-funded schools, both public and separate alike. That duplication must end so that more education dollars can make their way into classrooms, enabling all children to reach their maximum academic potential.
******************************************************************
******************************************************************
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is asking community leaders to sign a joint statement that the CCLA and a number of other organizations have put together. This statement calls upon the government of Ontario and all political parties to reject the proposal to publicly fund religious schools in Ontario. If you wish to add your name to the list of signatories, please send your response to: fostering_a_more_tolerant_society@hotmail.com.
In what might turn to be the defining issue of the Ontario provincial election set for October 10, Conservative leader John Tory proposed that faith-based schools be fully funded. In a province that already funds Catholic schools through the high school years. The Tories are claiming the mantle of 'fairness' by extending funding to other religious schools. This position, indeed, is being heatedly debated.
Socialists and the Education System
The debate has raised a number of issues for socialists, with respect to both religion in a complex multicultural society, and the demands for a more democratic and egalitarian education system in Ontario.
Socialists have long critiqued religion as an aspect of the power structures that support the existing social and political order. Religion has also underpinned many patriarchical practices that oppress women. And religious majorities have often suppressed religious and national minorities. Socialists have, therefore, been uncompromising on the demand for a secular state and the end to public subsidies of religious institutions. The insistence on a secular state has gone along with firm support for the protection of the rights to practice religion in private life without discrimination, as part of rights of freedom of assembly, and a vigorous defence of religious minorities.
Socialists have also favoured an educational system as a means to develop the capacities of working people. These are not only the technical capacities for work, but also capacities for democratic self-government, and deepening cultural, scientific and political understandings. This is also the special role of teachers in the public school system: they are not merely conveyers of required knowledge, but the facilitators for building critical democratic citizens in the broadest meaning of those ideas.
A universal public school system has been a crucial objective. It is the reason that the private school system that the capitalist and professional classes often resort has been a fundamental target for reform and incorporation within the public system. And it is why socialists have to continually engage in criticism, debate and engagement with public schools and their curricula. Teachers' unions have often been key allies in Ontario in raising issues of both funding and social justice in Ontario schools. Education in capitalist societies has to be continually contested as it is not ground the ruling classes will ever willingly concede.
In the case of Ontario, there clearly should be no funding of any faith-based schools, and this would include the present funding of separate Catholic schools. The public system is already starved for resources and funding religious schools will further weaken it. Full funding of religious schools flies in the face of some of the most elementary principles of modern democratic societies such as the separation of church and state. It reinforces conservatism and weakens equality and human rights. It undermines the integration of students from diverse backgrounds so necessary in today's Ontario.
Resources
The Conservative proposal, in some estimates, would take $500 million out of an already cash strapped public education system. Expanding public funding for religious schools would undermine the resource base of the entire public school system. After years of underfunding -- first by the Harris and Eves' governments and by the McGuinty Liberals -- the school system cannot afford a diversion of funds to religious schools. Resources would have to be effectively cut to fund this initiative. There are currently 52,000 students attending independent religious schools, including Jewish, Muslim and some Christians (more than 10 times that number are in the separate Catholic schools, and in total accounting for just about a third in religious schools in Ontario). The funding of faith-based schools would dramatically expand these numbers and the variety of religious schools. The economics of funding public schools (as well as some of what is ! taught) would be dramatically altered. There would be further difficulties in sustaining public schools infrastructure, and wide community access to the facilities of schools. There is a general crisis in public education in Ontario. This debate needs to be widened to take up that issue as well.
Defending Public Education
Private religious beliefs have no place in a public education system. The separation of religion and state is a key element of democratic politics. Every individual has a right to practice religion as they wish -- or to be atheists. But the public education system is not the place to do this. It is a place that students from all backgrounds to mix and learn together and to become critical thinking and informed citizens. Parents are, of course, free to send their children for after-school or weekend instruction as they wish. Such teaching should be privately funded and separate from the public system.
The funding of Catholic schools was the result of a constitutional compromise in Canada in the mid-19th century. It dates from an era where national and linguistic rights between French and English were identified with religious rights. This same identification hardly fits Ontario today; it has no place in a modern, secular, liberal democratic society. The extension of funding to Catholic secondary schools in 1984 was a coldly calculated political move by then-Premier Bill Davis, made just as he was about to retire. It was a deal originally cut in private between himself and the then Roman Catholic Cardinal for Toronto. Even Davis's cabinet was unaware of this decision, but the rigidities of Cabinet solidarity pushed into legislation. The deal was hardly an emblem for democratic decision-making. It was sealed by further backroom deals with the Liberals and NDP, scrambling for advantages in minority legislatures, not to reopen ! the funding issue.
While politically arduous, funding for separate schools in Ontario can be ended without a major constitutional crisis. The existing constitutional clause can be amended by simple pieces of legislation passing the Ontario Legislature and the Federal Parliament. This has been the case in recent reforms in Newfoundland and Quebec. In Newfoundland, the existence of an education system split along religious lines was seen to fuel sectarianism within the larger society and stretched the capacity of the province to provide quality education. With a referendum, all that changed and Newfoundland left 19th century education behind.
It is a shame that neither the Liberals nor the NDP have challenged the funding of Catholic schools in Ontario or the principles on which it is based. Their avoidance of the issue is not based on principle but on vulgar electoral calculation. Their mutual conformity neither advances democracy nor serves the public interest. To their credit, the Green Party is the only party of any size to propose the complete secularization of public education (and it is a crucial factor in their rise in the polls, alongside the clear support for a proportional representation voting system).
Conservatism
John Tory's proposal is both an ideological statement and cynical electoral ploy. Much of the teaching in currently existing religious schools feeds conservatism: some religious schools argue against the equality of men and women and call for the denial of women's reproductive rights; some teach homophobia; some call for denial of the national rights of Palestinians, others teach creationism as an alternative to science. Should we subsidize these ideas as we welcome religious schools into the public system? If religious schools become part of the public system, there is little leverage to keep these noxious ideas out of schools even if a core Ontario curriculum is required to be taught.
The Conservative position is also a cynical attempt to bribe votes from religious people in different communities. Relying on traditional stereotypes of immigrants, it directly appeals to the most conservative elements in all of Ontario's communities and strengthens the voices of those right-wing spokespeople who have tirelessly argued for full funding of religious schools. It correspondingly weakens the progressive forces across Ontario -- in immigrant communities, amongst Canadian born and within different religious traditions -- who support the secular education provided in the public school system and want real equality.
A dangerous precedent would also be being set. Full funding of religious schools implemented would re-open the attempts by the Conservatives and their wealthy supporters to establish further public funding of private and charter schools. They, too, have been claiming to being left out of appropriate public funding. The separate status of these class-based schools should also be challenged, and be brought into the public system on an equal basis with other schools.
Building a respectful and solidaristic future
Funding religious schools would encourage the separation of children from across the spectrum of communities and cultures that make Ontario's schools such exciting places of learning. Expansions of faith-based schools would represent a tremendous step backwards: it would move Ontario away from the kinds of schools where students from all of the diverse communities and traditions can learn together in a pluralistic environment of mutual respect and solidarity. That's the kind of environment where kids can grow into the kind of inquisitive and open-minded individuals who can help change the world. It is also why the discriminatory separate system for Catholics should, at last, be abolished to history. Ontario's working people should have the option of ending all funding or religious schools, and also addressing private schools, to form a single public school system, allowing linguistic access in French and English. This could be done direct! ly through a programme put before the people of Ontario and then the legislature. But it also could be done through a referendum that would allow wider education and debate about the benefits and kind of unified secular school system we should be building.
*******************************************************************
*******************************************************************
Petition:
Ontario Educators for Democratic Inclusive Public Schools
In the few weeks of the Ontario election campaign that will end in a vote on October 10, citizens of Ontario will be subjected to a debate between the parties and in the media about the extension of the public education system to include faith-based schools. These schools teach about 2.5 percent of the total student population of Ontario based on curriculum that incorporates central principles of their religions.
The present educational system in Ontario extends privileges to one faith group in a separate school system. The Ontario system is considered to be discriminatory by the United Nations Human Rights Commission. Two of the main parties -- the ruling Liberal Party and the NDP -- are proposing to maintain the status quo, while a third -- the Conservatives -- wants to extend funding to all faith-based schools that follow the Ontario curriculum.
The divisions of faith-based schooling would further compromise a secular-based education. Modern democracy partly rests upon a separation of church and state. An Ipsos-Reid poll of Ontarians has found that 62 percent of respondents opposed the Conservative promise to have "Government extend full funding to these faith-based schools and others of a similar nature."
Ontario is a multi-lingual, multi-racial, multi-cultural, society. Citizens hold many religious beliefs, and many are without established faiths, including atheists. The 2001 Canadian census reports that 16 percent of the population does not identify with any religion.
An education system for a richly diverse and democratic society must bring together students from all faith, ethnic and economic grouping and backgrounds to learn respect and understanding, and to equalize educational resources and opportunities for all Ontario students. Faith-based school systems build barriers to the equalizing role that a common public school system promotes between citizens. Many parents are rightly concerned about the negative impact of the divisions that faith-based schools necessarily entail for social cohesiveness. The continued growth of a parallel private schooling system in Ontario is an equally formidable obstacle for a democratic education system.
A democratic education is an education for democracy. It requires a dialogue in which students and teachers critically assess their own assumptions and beliefs about religion, society and politics. This is the invaluable resource that a common public educational system -- from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 to an expansion of access to post-secondary education -- provides.
1. We call for Ontario to complete the project of building a democratic, inclusive public educational system, and to end the discriminatory practice of funding faith-based school systems.
2. We insist that all religious instruction in any faith be outside regular school hours.
3. We maintain that private schooling helps sustain barriers of income and class to a democratic education and citizenship and equally requires inclusion within a universal public system.
4. We suggest that a referendum be put before the citizens of Ontario on completing a single, inclusive, universal educational system free from all forms of discrimination and barriers.
If you would like to sign the petition, please go to:
www.thepetitionsite.com/petition/876448777
*********************************************************************
*********************************************************************
Education Equality in Ontario
www.oneschoolsystem.org
Education Equality in Ontario is a non-governmental human rights organization and education advocacy group. We seek the elimination of religious discrimination and duplication in the Ontario school system through the establishment of a single publicly-funded school system for each official language (English and French).
The Government of Ontario currently funds two parallel school systems for each official language; one a public system open to all without discrimination, and the other a 'separate' system that often denies admission to non-Catholic students and is essentially closed to non-Catholic teacher applicants. Only Roman Catholics are guaranteed access to both systems. They alone enjoy publicly-funded school choice and they bear no additional tax burden for the privilege. Roman Catholics in Ontario suffer no disadvantage that might warrant such preferential treatment. By allowing this blatant discrimination to continue, the Government violates the equality rights of over seven million non-Catholic Ontarians, discriminating against them on the basis of their faith or their lack of a faith.
Fundamental equality rights should enjoy primacy over non-fundamental denominational privilege. Publicly-funded choice in education and access to related employment opportunities should be non-exclusive and non-discriminatory in nature, fully respecting the equality 'guarantees' in the provincial, national, and international human rights instruments that are supposed to protect us.
Finally, the costly duplication in the Ontario school system has been and continues to be a significant contributor to the steady decline in the quality and quantity of programs available in our publicly-funded schools, both public and separate alike. That duplication must end so that more education dollars can make their way into classrooms, enabling all children to reach their maximum academic potential.
******************************************************************
******************************************************************
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is asking community leaders to sign a joint statement that the CCLA and a number of other organizations have put together. This statement calls upon the government of Ontario and all political parties to reject the proposal to publicly fund religious schools in Ontario. If you wish to add your name to the list of signatories, please send your response to: fostering_a_more_tolerant_society@hotmail.com.
St. Catharines union rallies against homophobic music
I found this article in the Toronto Star, and found that it had a local connection. The article is in regards to a human rights coalition that is urging Ottawa to ban two Jamaican dancehall artists from coming to Canada to perform music it says incites violence against gays and lesbians.
The musicians, O'Neil Bryan, a.k.a. Elephant Man, and Miguel Collins, known as Sizzla, are set to embark on a Canadian tour in a few weeks. They were scheduled to play the CAW local 199 hall in St. Catharines, Ontario. In light of the homophobic and violent nature of the lyrics, the union has pulled the use of their venue.
Offensive lyrics include lines such as "Battyman fi dead! Tek dem by surprise," "Log on and step pon chi chi man" and "Shot battybwoy, my big gun boom." (Battyman and battybwoy are derogatory terms for gay men in Jamaican patois.)
The musicians, O'Neil Bryan, a.k.a. Elephant Man, and Miguel Collins, known as Sizzla, are set to embark on a Canadian tour in a few weeks. They were scheduled to play the CAW local 199 hall in St. Catharines, Ontario. In light of the homophobic and violent nature of the lyrics, the union has pulled the use of their venue.
Offensive lyrics include lines such as "Battyman fi dead! Tek dem by surprise," "Log on and step pon chi chi man" and "Shot battybwoy, my big gun boom." (Battyman and battybwoy are derogatory terms for gay men in Jamaican patois.)
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
John Tory supports private health care
First creationism and now private health care? Someone really wants to lose an election.
Ontarians waiting for surgery should be able to go to private clinics and have the government pay for it, Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory says.
Patients would present their Ontario health card at private clinics and the government would pay the clinic the same rate it pays public hospitals for procedures, including knee and hip replacements, under the plan Tory outlined today.
Secret Shoppers Exposed!
Have a look at thisarticle on Rabble.ca
As a former service sector worker, I can certainly relate to the fears that workers have of being 'secret shopped.'
If your idea of satisfying work is to get paid in products, services or a small amount of money on a piecework basis for tattling on low-waged service industry workers, secret shopping just might be your dream job.
Many retail and hospitality sector corporations now turn to secret shoppers, also known as mystery shoppers, to spy on their service employees and report every detail of the transaction back to management. They rate the entire shopping experience, from store presentation of products to employee compliance on the use of scripts and upselling techniques.
As a former service sector worker, I can certainly relate to the fears that workers have of being 'secret shopped.'
Liberal blogger silent about Outremont by-election loss
Controversial Liberal blogger "What Do I Know Grit" spent Monday blogging about a Liberal victory that just never came to be. His blog tag lines included "Coulon Victorious" and "Crushing Mulcair." This guy is rarely silent on anything, but he hasn't posted since the debauchery that was Monday night's defeat. Perhaps he thinks it is all a bad dream? Wake up Grit, you've lost Outremont, and who knows what else come next federal election.
Here's a look at what he said on Monday:
Here's a look at what he said on Monday:
Monday, September 17, 2007
Outremont is Beautiful Today
Lots and lots of sunshine. Perhaps the NDP will get their Bloc vote out...or not.
Posted by James Curran at 8:15 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: coulon wins, crush mulcair
Sunday, September 16, 2007
I'm in Outremont
Smells like Liberal victoy.
If you're here, or planning to be, drop me a line!
Posted by James Curran at 11:39 AM 6 comments Links to this post
Labels: coulon victorious, crush mulcair
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
New Poll Suggests Virtual Federal Deadlock
According to a Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey:
It seems as if no one is moving to a 'majority' level (which is at worst high 30s).
Conservatives had 32 per cent support, compared with 29 per cent for the Liberals. That spread is covered by the poll's margin of error, which is 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
The poll found the NDP had the support of 17 per cent of respondents nationally, while the Green party had 14 per cent and the Bloc Quebecois five per cent.
It seems as if no one is moving to a 'majority' level (which is at worst high 30s).
MMP and Progressive Voters
Linda McQuaig notes that voters who identify themselves as progressive should be in favour of MMP. Indeed, a more proportional system would allow greater electoral choices and would prevent progressive voters voting for the lesser of two evils (which has generally been the Liberal Party in an effort to stop the Conservatives from gaining power.
Not only does she argue that MMP is more progressive, but it is also more democratic.
She concludes that:
I can't for the life of me figure out why so-many so-called progressives are opposed to mixed member proportionality.
So while polls show strong support among Canadians for social reinvestment and the environment – preferences that should logically attract voters to the NDP or the Greens – these parties remain small or even marginal.
One reason for this is our skewed electoral system. With our first-past-the-post system, progressive voters have been afraid to vote NDP or Green, for fear of splitting the vote on the left and letting the right win.
Not only does she argue that MMP is more progressive, but it is also more democratic.
In Canada, where the electorate is fairly progressive, the result would generally be more progressive representation in the legislatures. (As Tom Flanagan, a strategist for Stephen Harper in the 2006 federal election, noted in his recent book, Harper's Team: "Neither the philosophy of conservatism nor the party brand comes close to commanding majority support.")
She concludes that:
Anyone who has a problem with that has a problem with democracy.
I can't for the life of me figure out why so-many so-called progressives are opposed to mixed member proportionality.
University of Florida student Tasered at Kerry forum
Land of the free? I guess not. Nothing stops free debate like heavy handed cops.
Stéphane Dion and Jocelyn Coulon
So much optimism....Call these the good ol' days. That is, the days before the Liberals were the laughing stock of the blogosphere and the Canadian media.
Cherniak's Excuses
At least he's willing to admit that the results are disappointing. Of course, he's got a laundry list of excuses, including:
The Liberals seem to have won Outremont in the past without lawn signs, what's the big deal this time?
Overpriced signs...I'd have to assume that the other candidates would have paid a similar rate. That, or either the Liberals are wasting even more money in Quebec. Isn't overpriced advertising what got them in trouble in the first place? Has sign-scam has arrived?
Number 6 is a surprise:
No effect? Really? I don't think so.
1) Not too long ago, I was surprised to learn that Liberals in Quebec do not use lawn signs. That is an assumed part of campaigning in Ontario. It must be fixed.
2) Monday night, I learned that Liberal signs in Outremont cost about $17 each. In Richmond Hill, we buys signs for about $2.50 each. How did that happen?
The Liberals seem to have won Outremont in the past without lawn signs, what's the big deal this time?
Overpriced signs...I'd have to assume that the other candidates would have paid a similar rate. That, or either the Liberals are wasting even more money in Quebec. Isn't overpriced advertising what got them in trouble in the first place? Has sign-scam has arrived?
Number 6 is a surprise:
6) Dion has been leader for less than a year. While this is a comment on his organization in Quebec, it will have no effect on his leadership of the party.
No effect? Really? I don't think so.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Adorable Kittens for Electoral Reform
How can you possibly vote against electoral reform when adorable kittens support it? (you must log in to facebook to see it)
Outremont in 30 seconds
The Liberals didn't get it done...ahhh...they didn't it done.
Unfair? No, it's a great day.
Stephane Dion is not a leader.
Outremont Analysis: Liberal Blogger gets it dead wrong
Liberal blogger and almost Liberal politician "the What Do I Know Grit" thought he smelled a Liberal victory in Outremont today. Hell, he even went to the riding to see the party get crushed first hand.
What was he smelling earlier today? The only smell in Outremont was Liberal defeat.
Oh, wait, I forgot, the results were apparently good for the Liberals. Is this guy for real?
What was he smelling earlier today? The only smell in Outremont was Liberal defeat.
Oh, wait, I forgot, the results were apparently good for the Liberals. Is this guy for real?
Organized Labour and the Ontario Election
There is a saying in the labour movement, "United we stand, Divided we fall." The labour movement in Ontario isn't standing united this election. It remains to be seen if it will fall as a result.
A Conservative victory will ultimately mean that labour unity is one of the big losers, with the NDP backers and the Liberal backers blaming one another for a potential vote split.
Solidarity forever? I guess not.
On July 20, Pat Dillon of the provincial building trades council wrote an accusatory letter to Michael Lewis, brother of former provincial NDP leader Stephen and a former Steelworkers official. Dillon accused Lewis of actively discouraging other unions from joining the working families group.
In his letter, Dillon recalled "the great harm done" by the Conservative regime under Mike Harris and Ernie Eves and declared: "Instead of trying to undermine the only effective voice for working people in Ontario, you should be focusing your efforts in trying to prevent a repeat of the Harris-Eves era."
Dillon also complained that the NDP had appropriated the "working families" brand name for its own campaign slogan ("a fair deal for working families").
Lewis responded in writing last week with a stinging rebuttal that said only the NDP could be counted on to advance labour's agenda.
"There are some unions that see things differently, some who would support the Liberals for short-term gains," wrote Lewis.
"I believe that these unions are mistaken if they think that this promotes the interests of working families."
Lewis also mocked Dillon's suggestion that the NDP had stolen the "working families" brand.
"Long before the working families coalition was a gleam in Don Guy's eye, the NDP has been speaking about and fighting for working families right across Canada," wrote Lewis.
A Conservative victory will ultimately mean that labour unity is one of the big losers, with the NDP backers and the Liberal backers blaming one another for a potential vote split.
Solidarity forever? I guess not.
Dalton McGuinty- A swing and a miss!
Here's a clip of McGuinty at a Liberal rally. He tries to take a shot at John Tory, and it backfires something unreal. The audience bursts into applause. Yikes!
If mother's ruled the world....
If mother's ruled the world, there would be no god-damned war.
However, since this clip is from Fox, you only heard "if mothers ruled the world, there would be no go...." followed by awkward silence and a clip of the ceiling.
So much for the land of the free.
h/t to UncorrectedProofs
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Strike Wave in the University Sector?
CUPE 2424 (support staff- Carleton University) is currently on strike. CUPE members at both University of Regina and University of Saskatchewan will be voting in a strike mandate vote soon.
Canada's universities must learn to respect their workers.
Canada's universities must learn to respect their workers.
Major League Baseball Players Union endorses UNITE HERE Drive
Earlier I posted on UNITE HERE's attempt to organize concession workers at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. Thus far, they have received help by actor and labour activist Danny Glover. It now seems that the organizing drive is getting a big boost from the Major League Baseball Players Association.
I find this surprising because I have rarely heard from the MLBPA (or any other sporting union) on any issue besides their own. This boost is potentially the break that UNITE needs in this drive. It's great that the players union is supportive of other workers attempting to better their working conditions and their lives. I wonder if Blue Jays players will be making the rounds in this organizing drive??
Donald Fehr, executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, has written a letter of support for the union drive being conducted by UNITE HERE, which represents 50,000 hotel, food service, garment and manufacturing workers in Canada.
In the letter, Mr. Fehr says union membership brings power to workers, and endorses the organization.
"Members of UNITE HERE work in ballparks all over North America and enjoy decent and fair wages and working conditions," he writes.
"We have been able to negotiate better working conditions over the years - you have taken the first step to do that as well.
"Other stadium workers have bargained better health benefits and better wages."
I find this surprising because I have rarely heard from the MLBPA (or any other sporting union) on any issue besides their own. This boost is potentially the break that UNITE needs in this drive. It's great that the players union is supportive of other workers attempting to better their working conditions and their lives. I wonder if Blue Jays players will be making the rounds in this organizing drive??
On Strike- Carleton University
In solidarity with CUPE 2424 (Carleton University Support Staff). Hopefully this strike will be settled soon and the support staff will be awarded a fair contract.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Dannly Glover and Rogers Centre Union Drive
Actor and labour activist Danny Glover, fresh of his appearance on behalf of hotel workers in Niagara Falls, is urging unorganized workers at the Rogers Centre to join UNITE HERE.
Surrounded by a throng of union workers and gawking teenage boys, Glover toured the concession stands to reinforce the workers' right to unionize.
"They're struggling to apply the right to negotiate and bargain collectively for a better – a living – wage, said Glover, the star of Lethal Weapon, Dreamgirls and Poor Boy's Game, the film premiering last night.
"These are major baseball parks. They need to pay and respect their workers," said Glover in the dulcet tones that have made him famous, adding "I'm a baseball fan."
Oka Everywhere
Some vintage Propagandhi...
the best thing i ever saw on tv was that s.q. cop catching a bullet with his teeth. condolence, madame canadiana, but your husband was a fucking (stuck) pig.
but this song's not about some romantic account of history. it's not about martyrs or mythos or heroes or burnings-in-effigy. it's about a native kid flipping her lid just trying to keep some self-respect intact. it's about an oka the size of a fist in resistance and a will to fight back...
and the girls at work, they still deny their racism. they claim tolerance for all. but it seems the degree of (only) racial slurs is their gauge (and it defines tolerance as hate). and there's 27 million "girls-at-work" here.
imagine fighting that for 500 years.
and golly-gee! how valient! how the white oppressor makes allowance for calculated gestures of insurgence (all tightly tethered to their purses/purpose). oka had this orchestra(tion) aborted. oka fucked their rules to choose a future self-determined and i, for one, support it...
...and the smartest thing i think i ever said: "if a kevin kostner kavalry is your means to their end, then the struggle is dead". why do we pretend that our approval is upon what they depend?
Canadian Imperialism Continues
No surprise here. Canada has voted against the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Here's why:
Article 26 of the UN declaration states: "Indigenous peoples have the right to the lands, territories and resources which they have traditionally owned, occupied or otherwise used or acquired."
Article 26 certainly seems fair to me.
Article 26 of the UN declaration states: "Indigenous peoples have the right to the lands, territories and resources which they have traditionally owned, occupied or otherwise used or acquired."
Article 26 certainly seems fair to me.
Howard Hampton- Phoenix from the Ashes???
Ian Urquhart thinks that Howard Hampton is back from the dead. I guess we'll know for sure in less than a month. I think we need to enforce the baseball rule on this one- three strikes and you're out!
Howard Hampton laughs when he is asked the difference between this election and the two previous campaigns in which he led the provincial New Democrats.People might want to hear what the NDP says, but will they actually go out and vote for them?
"In 1999 and 2003," recalls Hampton, "the only question people wanted to ask me was, `Are you dead yet?' I think that was asked on just about every open-line show I went on, every editorial board I did."
This time, he continues, "People want to hear what we have to say."
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Carleton University Students Association shows solidarity with striking workers
Striking CUPE members at Carleton University will be joined on the picket line by the university's Students Association.
I wish all university student associations were this militant.
"The university administration has absolutely no excuse for refusing to
give support staff a fair deal," said Shelley Melanson, President of the
Carleton University Students' Association, "We know that the university has
more money than last year-the government increased core funding and tuition
fees were increased. There is absolutely no excuse for the administration to
threaten students' academic year."
I wish all university student associations were this militant.
Liberals make 71 promises
The Liberals announced their platform today for the upcoming election. It contains 71 promises. The real question is how many of these can they actually keep?
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Ontario Green Party proposes significant tuition rollback
In addition to supporting a unified, secular education system in Ontario, the Green Party is proposing a significant tuition roll back. This is in stark contrast to the NDP, who maintains their support of Ontario's current discriminatory education system and only proposes tuition rollback to the 2003-2004 level.
Meanwhile Wednesday, Green Party Leader Frank de Jong unveiled his party's education platform at the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.
The Green plan includes the merging of Ontario’s Catholic and public school systems, so that there would be only one publicly funded school system in each official language.
It also proposes eliminating standardized testing, capping annual university and college tuition fees at $3,000 and $700 respectively, and restoring school boards’ power to levy property taxes worth up to 5 per cent of their provincial funding.
Carleton University staff on strike
This morning at 6:00am picket lines went up as CUPE 2424 went on
strike. CUPE 2424 represents administrative staff, and support
workers (i.e. some library, dept. admin. staff, business offices, etc)
at Carleton University - those who play key roles within the
university and without whom the university in all of its capacities
would not function.
The major issues are: wage increases (the university was offering an
increase of 1.5% over three years and at 4am yesterday morning
increased that to 3%. The faculty received a wage increase of 4%
which contributes partially to CUPE 2424's slogan "A Fair Deal");
working conditions are also on the table for bargaining (i.e. improved
leaves); equity issues regarding improved protection against
harassment and discrimination; union representation in disciplinary
situations, etc. Please CUPE 2424's website for more precise details
and bargaining updates. (http://2424.cupe.ca).
CUPE 2424 has offered some strategies to show support for the strike
which involve pressuring the administration to offer a "fair deal". I
am writing to urge you to fill out the on-line petition that gets sent
to the Board of Governors to register your support for CUPE 2424.
This can be done by going to CUPE 2424's website and clicking on the
petition on the right hand side of the webpage.
You or your union/organization can also email the President of
Carleton University, Dr. Samy Mahmoud at samy_mahmoud@carleton.ca and
let him know that you find the actions of the administration appalling
---there are unions, and activists watching.
strike. CUPE 2424 represents administrative staff, and support
workers (i.e. some library, dept. admin. staff, business offices, etc)
at Carleton University - those who play key roles within the
university and without whom the university in all of its capacities
would not function.
The major issues are: wage increases (the university was offering an
increase of 1.5% over three years and at 4am yesterday morning
increased that to 3%. The faculty received a wage increase of 4%
which contributes partially to CUPE 2424's slogan "A Fair Deal");
working conditions are also on the table for bargaining (i.e. improved
leaves); equity issues regarding improved protection against
harassment and discrimination; union representation in disciplinary
situations, etc. Please CUPE 2424's website for more precise details
and bargaining updates. (http://2424.cupe.ca).
CUPE 2424 has offered some strategies to show support for the strike
which involve pressuring the administration to offer a "fair deal". I
am writing to urge you to fill out the on-line petition that gets sent
to the Board of Governors to register your support for CUPE 2424.
This can be done by going to CUPE 2424's website and clicking on the
petition on the right hand side of the webpage.
You or your union/organization can also email the President of
Carleton University, Dr. Samy Mahmoud at samy_mahmoud@carleton.ca and
let him know that you find the actions of the administration appalling
---there are unions, and activists watching.
Labour Party wins Jamaican election
The Jamaican Labour Party has defeated the People's National Party in the island nation's recent election. Sadly, the Labour Party is to the right of the PNP.
A right-wing Labour Party? Well, it's not a first.
A right-wing Labour Party? Well, it's not a first.
Mayor bans use of word "I can't" by city employees
I guess these workers don't have a union....
The mayor of a Siberian oil town has ordered his bureaucrats to stop using expressions such as "I don't know" and "I can't." Or look for another job.
Alexander Kuzmin, 33, who is mayor of Megion, has banned these and 25 other phrases as a way to make his administration more efficient, his spokeswoman said Tuesday.
"It's a suggestion to the staff that they should think before saying something," Oksana Shestakova said by telephone. "To say 'I don't know' is the same as admitting your helplessness."
To reinforce the ban, a framed list of the banned expressions has been hanging on the wall next to Kuzmin's office for the past two weeks, Shestakova said.
Some of the other prohibited phrases are "What can we do?" "It's not my job," "It's impossible," "I'm having lunch," "There is no money," and "I was away/sick/on vacation."
Kuzmin, a businessman who was elected mayor 1½ years ago, wants to "shake things up" in Megion, a town of 54,000 in the Khanty-Mansiisk region, the spokeswoman said.
My vote is not for sale
Sorry Mr. McGuinty. While I agree that Ontarians need another holiday, the fact that one is for sale at the low cost of a vote is just dispicable.
If such a holiday is instituted, can we just call it Liberal Day?
As for the Liberal promise of another statutory holiday, the opposition critics agreed another one is warranted, but criticized the Liberals for making a "cynical" promise just before an election, describing the pledge as an attempt to paper over the legion of broken promises over the past four years.
If such a holiday is instituted, can we just call it Liberal Day?
Eliminating Democracy in Ontario
Once again, the Greens have been left out of the leaders debate. This time, it's at the provincial level.
While the Greens inability to appear at the debate is troubling for democracy, the real attack on democracy here is that the broadcast consortiums are shutting him out. Who runs politics in this province? I guess the TV networks do...
Frank de Jong, leader of the Green party, is unhappy that broadcasters have shut him out of the Sept. 20 TV debate with Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty, Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory and NDP Leader Howard Hampton.
De Jong says the networks have done a "huge disservice" to democracy in Ontario. As in the past, the broadcast consortium has restricted the debate to parties with seats in the Legislature.
While the Greens inability to appear at the debate is troubling for democracy, the real attack on democracy here is that the broadcast consortiums are shutting him out. Who runs politics in this province? I guess the TV networks do...
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
The ONDP and publicly funded religious education
Thomas Walkom is correct that this will be 'firestorm issue.' Good thing the New Democrats are working hard on this one...
The 'luxury' of staying silent? How can a party remain relevant while being virtually silent on one of the campaign's biggest issues? If the NDP supports the status quo, fair enough, though I disagree with their position. But they sure aren't doing a good job at differentiating themselves from the Liberals. Believe it or not, Dalton McGuinty seems to be doing a better job at defending public education (with a dose of Catholicism) than Howard Hampton.
So far, the New Democrats are doing their best to stay out of the way. The party's official position, according to a spokesperson, is that the NDP supports the status quo (that is, it sides with McGuinty) but wants more money spent on schools (that is, it doesn't side with McGuinty).
But as the campaign progresses towards its Oct. 10 finish, NDP Leader Howard Hampton may not have the luxury of staying silent. Already, the language is heating up – both from politicians and interest groups.
The 'luxury' of staying silent? How can a party remain relevant while being virtually silent on one of the campaign's biggest issues? If the NDP supports the status quo, fair enough, though I disagree with their position. But they sure aren't doing a good job at differentiating themselves from the Liberals. Believe it or not, Dalton McGuinty seems to be doing a better job at defending public education (with a dose of Catholicism) than Howard Hampton.
Ridings to watch in Ontario's election
The Liberals can lose no more than 15 of their current seats if they wish to retain their majority government status following the 2007 election. Ian Urquhart's newest column highlights some of the key races.
Of course, one of the most intense races will be Don Valley West, currently held by Liberal heavyweight Kathleen Wynne. She is being challenged by Conservative leader John Tory, who has been representing Dufferin-Peel-Wellington-Grey, which he won in a by-election. However, he promised to run in Toronto in this year's election, and kicked his campaign off yesterday. His task is not an easy one, but neither in Wynne's task of retaining her seat.
Urquhart notes that, "Don Valley West is a swing riding that will probably follow the provincial trend. If the trend is toward the Liberals, Wynne will win it; if it is toward the Conservatives, Tory will emerge on top."
We'll see if Don Valley West serves as Ontario's swing-state.
Of course, one of the most intense races will be Don Valley West, currently held by Liberal heavyweight Kathleen Wynne. She is being challenged by Conservative leader John Tory, who has been representing Dufferin-Peel-Wellington-Grey, which he won in a by-election. However, he promised to run in Toronto in this year's election, and kicked his campaign off yesterday. His task is not an easy one, but neither in Wynne's task of retaining her seat.
"I knew it (Don Valley West) was a big challenge the minute I left Dufferin-Peel-Wellington-Grey," Tory told reporters after yesterday's rally. "I knew I had a very formidable opponent and that I'd have to work hard."
Urquhart notes that, "Don Valley West is a swing riding that will probably follow the provincial trend. If the trend is toward the Liberals, Wynne will win it; if it is toward the Conservatives, Tory will emerge on top."
We'll see if Don Valley West serves as Ontario's swing-state.
Monday, September 3, 2007
Ontario NDP campaign- what a surprise!
While I'm still not over my disappointment with the ONDP's decision not to campaign on supporting a fair electoral system (one that is truly democratic)and eliminating discrimination in Ontario's school system (by supporting a unified, secular public system), I did get one pleasant surprise from the party today. While at a labour day rally in Niagara Falls, the next federal NDP candidate for the Welland area riding handed me a leaflet urging me to give McGuinty a pink slip this October. Trust me, there is nothing that would make me happier than seeing McGuinty booted from office.
To my surprise, upon flipping the leaflet over, I noticed that the ONDP is campaigning on banning scab labour in the province and implementing card-check certification in all industries. Now, I suspect that this leaflet is one that is the labour focused leaflet and likely won't be the main leaflet the party uses. Nor will banning scabs and instituting card-check certification be the main issues of the campaign. This was definitely the labour day leaflet! That being said, after discarding two of the most important issues of this campaign, at least the party has come through on labour rights.
To my surprise, upon flipping the leaflet over, I noticed that the ONDP is campaigning on banning scab labour in the province and implementing card-check certification in all industries. Now, I suspect that this leaflet is one that is the labour focused leaflet and likely won't be the main leaflet the party uses. Nor will banning scabs and instituting card-check certification be the main issues of the campaign. This was definitely the labour day leaflet! That being said, after discarding two of the most important issues of this campaign, at least the party has come through on labour rights.
A Labour Day Message you can't afford to miss
With school starting tomorrow, the 'broads' that make sure you're kids don't get hit by some hard-on become some of our most important- and overlooked- public servants. And remeber, they don't take shit from nobody!
Celebrate Labour on Labour Day
Celebrate Labour and its history this Labour Day. From CAW Council 4000
These days, Labour Day is more often viewed as the last summer long-weekend than what those who fought so long for it really intended it to be - a heart felt
celebration of labour, workers and their families, and to affirm the dignity and honour of working people everywhere. Today we take paid holidays, safe work
places, medical care, unemployment insurance, fair work hours, union wages and "the weekend" for granted.
Perhaps this comes only from the labour movement's enduring success in improving the lives of so many working Canadians.
How many of these advances would have happened if it were not for the long-forgotten heroes who fought so hard to make unions, and Labour Day, a reality in
the first place?
Workers created unions to protect themselves in what were then viewed as new impersonal labour markets - like some unfortunately remain today. Although
the first unions were small, local organizations, they attracted hostile reactions from governments and most employers. In fact, governments declared unions
illegal.
Union sympathizers confronted constant harassment, firings, blacklisting, and arrests. Despite this opposition, poor wages and dangerous working
conditions led to an increasing number of strikes and protests.
At the turn of the century, workers often toiled for 60 to 70 hours a week. The work in the factories and on the assembly lines was repetitious, and often
physically demanding. Many labourers were seriously, sometimes fatally, injured due to faulty equipment, poor safety measures or human error.
The labour movement eventually succeeded in convincing the government that employers, who then had little concern for workers health and safety, needed to
improve the situation. After years of hard lobbying, the government appointed factory inspectors, who ensured that certain standards were maintained.
Although the introduction of inspectors did improve factory conditions and reduce the number of incidents of worker abuse by employers, accidents continued
to occur, as shown by these reports from Ontario inspectors in 1899:
Right leg hurt by revolving shaft
Right thumb cut off by circular saw
Arm burned by molten iron
Three fingers, left hand, cut off by shaper
Fell down elevator shaft
Killed by bursting cylinder of hair picker
Scalded -seated on edge of vat and fainted
Eyes burned while pouring babbit metal
Arm torn - caught in set screw of a reamer
Forearm cut - lifted planer top, sleeve caught in knives, drew in arm, severely cut it
Caught in belt and wound around shaft - Died five hours after accident
As unions began to organize, the working conditions of workers slowly improved.
The first signs of permanent unions date to the mid-nineteenth century. In manufacturing towns, craft workers such as printers, shoemakers, moulders,
tailors, coopers, and bakers established local unions. Railroad workers also actively pursued trade unionism. In the hostile atmosphere of this era, the life of
these associations proved fragile and their existence was never guaranteed. Eventually, unions strengthened their situation through the creation of local
assemblies, and by looking farther afield to establish links with the larger British and American unions.
One of Canada's first sole Canadian unions was the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway Employees. Founded in Moncton, New Brunswick by Aaron R. Mosher
on October 12, 1908, the union diversified its membership from railway workers of blue collar and white collar clerical workers, to include highway
transportation workers, hotel and hospitality, health workers and seafarers to name a few. Based on the diverse membership of the Canadian Brotherhood of
Railway Employees, which was continuing to grow, the union changed its name to one that was more fitting given its wide diversity, Canadian Brotherhood of
Railway, Transport and General Workers Union (CBRT&GW).
The 5,400 union members of what is now known today as CAW National Council 4000 were once proud members of the
CBRT&GW.
In addition to starting the CBRT&GW, Mosher was also a founder of the All-Canadian Congress of Labour in 1927 as well as the Canadian Congress of Labour in 1940. He was a seasoned veteran of union battles over nationalism, communism, and industrial unionism. When the Canadian Labour Congress was formed in 1956, Mosher was named
honorary president.
Of the many accolades Mosher's career in the labour movement brought him, the biggest came in 1981 when the Government of Canada issued a stamp in honour of him. Not only was the stamp issued in the centennial year of Mosher's birth, but also on the 25th anniversary of the Canadian Labour Congress and was officially released on Labour Day! Mosher is the only union leader ever to be depicted on a Canadian postage stamp.
The stamp includes the figures of two railway workers flanking Mosher's portrait. It is as near as we come to a stamp paying tribute to organized labour in Canada.
One of the best known stands taken by labour unions and activists came in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1919. Starting on May 15th and running until June 25, The
Winnipeg General Strike is Canada's best-known general strike. Massive unemployment and inflation, the success of the Russian Revolution (1917), a wave
of strikes across Canada and rising revolutionary industrial unionism all contributed to postwar labour unrest.
In March of 1919, Western Labour leaders met in Calgary to discuss the creation of ONE BIG UNION. In Winnipeg on May 15th, when negotiations broke down
between management and labour in the building and metal trades, the Winnipeg Trades and Labour Council (WTLC) called a general strike.
The Winnipeg General Strike is just one of the many struggles that trade unions and labour activists have fought over many years, struggles that today has
brought workers all across Canada rights to secured union recognition, collective bargaining, improved working conditions, wages and benefits, to name only
a few. Thanks to the years of efforts of many men and women!
In Solidarity - Happy Labour Day!
Source: Canadian Labour History and Civilization - CAW Council 4000
These days, Labour Day is more often viewed as the last summer long-weekend than what those who fought so long for it really intended it to be - a heart felt
celebration of labour, workers and their families, and to affirm the dignity and honour of working people everywhere. Today we take paid holidays, safe work
places, medical care, unemployment insurance, fair work hours, union wages and "the weekend" for granted.
Perhaps this comes only from the labour movement's enduring success in improving the lives of so many working Canadians.
How many of these advances would have happened if it were not for the long-forgotten heroes who fought so hard to make unions, and Labour Day, a reality in
the first place?
Workers created unions to protect themselves in what were then viewed as new impersonal labour markets - like some unfortunately remain today. Although
the first unions were small, local organizations, they attracted hostile reactions from governments and most employers. In fact, governments declared unions
illegal.
Union sympathizers confronted constant harassment, firings, blacklisting, and arrests. Despite this opposition, poor wages and dangerous working
conditions led to an increasing number of strikes and protests.
At the turn of the century, workers often toiled for 60 to 70 hours a week. The work in the factories and on the assembly lines was repetitious, and often
physically demanding. Many labourers were seriously, sometimes fatally, injured due to faulty equipment, poor safety measures or human error.
The labour movement eventually succeeded in convincing the government that employers, who then had little concern for workers health and safety, needed to
improve the situation. After years of hard lobbying, the government appointed factory inspectors, who ensured that certain standards were maintained.
Although the introduction of inspectors did improve factory conditions and reduce the number of incidents of worker abuse by employers, accidents continued
to occur, as shown by these reports from Ontario inspectors in 1899:
Right leg hurt by revolving shaft
Right thumb cut off by circular saw
Arm burned by molten iron
Three fingers, left hand, cut off by shaper
Fell down elevator shaft
Killed by bursting cylinder of hair picker
Scalded -seated on edge of vat and fainted
Eyes burned while pouring babbit metal
Arm torn - caught in set screw of a reamer
Forearm cut - lifted planer top, sleeve caught in knives, drew in arm, severely cut it
Caught in belt and wound around shaft - Died five hours after accident
As unions began to organize, the working conditions of workers slowly improved.
The first signs of permanent unions date to the mid-nineteenth century. In manufacturing towns, craft workers such as printers, shoemakers, moulders,
tailors, coopers, and bakers established local unions. Railroad workers also actively pursued trade unionism. In the hostile atmosphere of this era, the life of
these associations proved fragile and their existence was never guaranteed. Eventually, unions strengthened their situation through the creation of local
assemblies, and by looking farther afield to establish links with the larger British and American unions.
One of Canada's first sole Canadian unions was the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway Employees. Founded in Moncton, New Brunswick by Aaron R. Mosher
on October 12, 1908, the union diversified its membership from railway workers of blue collar and white collar clerical workers, to include highway
transportation workers, hotel and hospitality, health workers and seafarers to name a few. Based on the diverse membership of the Canadian Brotherhood of
Railway Employees, which was continuing to grow, the union changed its name to one that was more fitting given its wide diversity, Canadian Brotherhood of
Railway, Transport and General Workers Union (CBRT&GW).
The 5,400 union members of what is now known today as CAW National Council 4000 were once proud members of the
CBRT&GW.
In addition to starting the CBRT&GW, Mosher was also a founder of the All-Canadian Congress of Labour in 1927 as well as the Canadian Congress of Labour in 1940. He was a seasoned veteran of union battles over nationalism, communism, and industrial unionism. When the Canadian Labour Congress was formed in 1956, Mosher was named
honorary president.
Of the many accolades Mosher's career in the labour movement brought him, the biggest came in 1981 when the Government of Canada issued a stamp in honour of him. Not only was the stamp issued in the centennial year of Mosher's birth, but also on the 25th anniversary of the Canadian Labour Congress and was officially released on Labour Day! Mosher is the only union leader ever to be depicted on a Canadian postage stamp.
The stamp includes the figures of two railway workers flanking Mosher's portrait. It is as near as we come to a stamp paying tribute to organized labour in Canada.
One of the best known stands taken by labour unions and activists came in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1919. Starting on May 15th and running until June 25, The
Winnipeg General Strike is Canada's best-known general strike. Massive unemployment and inflation, the success of the Russian Revolution (1917), a wave
of strikes across Canada and rising revolutionary industrial unionism all contributed to postwar labour unrest.
In March of 1919, Western Labour leaders met in Calgary to discuss the creation of ONE BIG UNION. In Winnipeg on May 15th, when negotiations broke down
between management and labour in the building and metal trades, the Winnipeg Trades and Labour Council (WTLC) called a general strike.
The Winnipeg General Strike is just one of the many struggles that trade unions and labour activists have fought over many years, struggles that today has
brought workers all across Canada rights to secured union recognition, collective bargaining, improved working conditions, wages and benefits, to name only
a few. Thanks to the years of efforts of many men and women!
In Solidarity - Happy Labour Day!
Source: Canadian Labour History and Civilization - CAW Council 4000
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Hotel Workers Rising on Labour Day- Niagara Falls, Ont.
Join International Film Star Danny Glover in bringing the power of Labour Day to Niagara Falls.
Join us as we hold one of the first Labour Day actions in Niagara Falls.
1:30 PM
September 3rd
Rally at the corner of Union Ave and Hunter St. in Niagara Falls.
Buses will be leaving from locations in:
Toronto, Brampton/Mississauga, and from the end of the Hamilton Labour Day Parade.
Please call or email to reserve your seat.
For details: call Ethan Clarke at 905-354-2027 ext. 312 or visit www.niagarahotelworkers.ca
Join us as we hold one of the first Labour Day actions in Niagara Falls.
1:30 PM
September 3rd
Rally at the corner of Union Ave and Hunter St. in Niagara Falls.
Buses will be leaving from locations in:
Toronto, Brampton/Mississauga, and from the end of the Hamilton Labour Day Parade.
Please call or email to reserve your seat.
For details: call Ethan Clarke at 905-354-2027 ext. 312 or visit www.niagarahotelworkers.ca
Divisive Arabic school set to open in NYC
Extending funding to faith-based schooling in Ontario will be one of the key issues in this fall's provincial election. Opponents of the idea believe that separating students based upon their religion will be divisive. The following example from New York City might illustrate this point.
A publicly funded Arabic school- which is mandated to teach the Arabic language and non-religious Arabic culture- is set to open this week. The school, however, has been marred with controversy.
The idea- that being teaching the Arabic culture and language to young people- is much needed idea, especially in the climate of mistrust that exists following 9/11. However, I'm forced to ask why this same sort of education can't be done in public schools (and by that, I mean non-sectarian/religious based schools). Let's promote culture, but let's not divide ourselves to do it.
A publicly funded Arabic school- which is mandated to teach the Arabic language and non-religious Arabic culture- is set to open this week. The school, however, has been marred with controversy.
The idea- that being teaching the Arabic culture and language to young people- is much needed idea, especially in the climate of mistrust that exists following 9/11. However, I'm forced to ask why this same sort of education can't be done in public schools (and by that, I mean non-sectarian/religious based schools). Let's promote culture, but let's not divide ourselves to do it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
