October 2: cross-Canada action against Missile Defence (The following article is from the September 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) On October 2, all Canadian Peace Alliance member groups, coalitions and peace loving organizations are being urged to organize actions against the Ballistic Missile Defence plan. October 2 is one day after BMD officially goes on line in the United States, and two days before Parliament resumes for the fall session. The date also falls during the International Keep Space for Peace week. The CPA points (out) "the evolution of a potential revolt within the liberal caucus" on this issue, calling Carolyn Parrish's remarks "only part of a simmering discontent which could destabilize a minority Liberal government. The opposition NDP and Bloc Quebecois are organizing to fight BMD, and the Liberals will be forced to side with their arch rival Conservatives to pass any legislation supporting BMD. This gives us a great chance to expose the hypocrisy of the Liberal leadership which campaigned as a peace loving party but are about to support a plan which is dangerous and destabilizing for global security. "Defence Minister Bill Graham still insists that BMD will not result in the weaponization of space. He is wrong. Even a cursory glance at the US Missile Defence Agency website shows that BMD is designed to culminate in the creation of space based weapons." The CPA, Canada's largest peace coalition, was organized during the upsurge of protests against Cruise missile testing during the 1980s, another issue which raised concerns about subordination of Canadian foreign policy to the US. The coalition stresses that "in the last two years the peace movement in Canada has made itself heard on a number of issues and we have impacted Canadian Foreign and Defence policy, in particular around the war in Iraq. Our collective voice has never been stronger. Now we must organize our communities against this threat to global peace." Participating groups are asked to send details to cpa@web.ca, where the information will be posted. Resources on BMD are available at http://www.acp-cpa.ca. (Back) (Home) Martin's defence policy dilemma (The following article is from the September 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) By Steven Staples, from the Hill Times, July 19, 2004 The election of a Liberal minority government and the defeat of Canada's hawkish Defence Minister, David Pratt, has left many defence policies and billions of dollars in new military spending in question. Some pundits are predicting a left-leaning political agenda for the foreseeable future because of the new influence of the New Democrats and the Bloc Quebecois on the Liberals. The smaller parties want tough conditions set on any military spending increases and fervently oppose joining the Bush administration's missile defence system. Will the NDP and the Bloc turn the Liberals into doves on defence policy? Maybe - but maybe not. Last week a confident-looking U.S. Ambassador Paul Cellucci told CBC, "There seems to be Liberal support and Conservative support for making sure defence spending is a priority. That seems to me to be a pretty good majority in the Parliament." The average Canadian voter could hardly imagine such a pact between Liberals and Conservatives after the hard-fought election. But despite the finger-pointing and pounding on podiums during the campaign, the truth is that Paul Martin and Stephen Harper agree on many defence and foreign policy issues. Both men are willing to trade more U.S.-friendly security policies and military spending for better relations with the Bush administration. For example, the achievement of "interoperability," so that Canadian forces can fight alongside U.S. forces in the War on Terrorism at home and abroad, will continue to drive National Defence decisions. Martin and Harper equally support Canada's maintaining an expensive and overextended "multi-purpose, combat capable" defence policy rather than focusing the Canadian Forces on a few core capabilities, such as United Nations peacekeeping or territorial surveillance. Neither wants to make the tough call that peacekeepers don't need submarines, anti-submarine warfare helicopters, or laser-guided bombs affixed to CF-18s. On military spending, the Conservatives' campaign promise of $7 billion more over five years appears much higher than the Liberals' commitment of $3 billion over the same period. But voters may have forgotten that just before calling the election Paul Martin announced a $7 billion plan to purchase a long list of military aircraft, tanks and warships. The only apparent differences between the two parties' priorities are that Liberals prefer tanks with wheels instead of tracks, and the Conservatives think the new warships should carry more helicopters. The first challenge for Paul Martin's government will be missile defence. Ipsos-Reid found in March that seven out of ten Canadians oppose Canada joining the U.S. missile shield. Martin wisely delayed making a decision until after the election, fearing that it would cost him votes. With the election behind him, Martin reportedly wasted no time contacting the U.S. Ambassador to assure the Americans that he would soon be attending to the missile defence issue, indicating that a decision is imminent. Paul Martin has the procedural luxury of not having to put missile defence to a vote, because he could agree to participate by amending NORAD with a simple exchange of letters or a memorandum of understanding. But the question is, would he be prepared to start off his minority government with such a politically contentious move as joining George W. Bush's missile defence scheme? To avoid the mistakes of previous minority government, Martin needs to govern with some humility. He needs to develop a workable political relationship with Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe, and risks poisoning the well with an abrupt missile defence decision. Even more, he needs to heal wounds within his own party. Many Liberal missile defence sceptics were re-elected, so the situation demands he take their concerns seriously. Many worry that Paul Martin has learned no lessons from his fortuitous last-minute rescue from the jaws of electoral defeat. Martin did not campaign on missile defence and there is no mention of it in his platform. He has therefore no legitimate mandate to join the American missile shield. To make such a controversial and divisive decision in the dead of summer would be sheer hubris. Apart from replacing the Sea Kings, on which all parties were in agreement, major defence decisions should be delayed until there is a proper debate on Canada's role in the world, how the Canadian Forces can best help fulfil it, and whether or not missile defence is compatible with Canadian values. The internal security-related policy review currently underway on the Hill needs to be unearthed from its bunker, and the government should include the views of the public in an open process. This would be good news for Canadians in uniform. An American-style military posture was rejected by voters, so a more clearly defined defence policy that is in keeping with traditional Canadian values of peacekeeping and diplomacy will only enhance public support of the Canadian Forces. (Steven Staples is the Director of the Polaris Institute's Project on the Corporate-Security State.) (Back) (Home) The changing face of Canada's trade unions (The following article is from the September 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) As a Canadian press story reported shortly before Labour Day, "The face of organized labour in Canada is increasingly a woman's face. And the work place is more likely an office, classroom or hospital than an industrial shop floor." According to Statistics Canada figures issued on Aug. 31, women accounted for 48% of the unionized employees in the country in 2003, up from just 12% in 1977. "The feminization (of the labour movement) certainly surprised me," said Ernest Akyeampong, the StatsCan analyst who did the study. "It's bigger than I thought. The women are showing their presence very strongly, and that most likely will continue to be the case." Akyeampong says the trend may have an impact on the collective bargaining, such as more demands for flexible work hours, family leave, insurance coverage and other fringe benefits. Canadian union membership stood at just over 4 million last year, an increase of more than 40 per cent over the 2.8 million of 1977. But the faster overall growth of the labour force means that union density, which was 32% in 1977 and peaked at 34.2% in 1987, has been at 30% for about a decade. In the United States, unionization rates have fallen to around 12%. Drives to sign up workers with non-traditional schedules (mainly women) have had some success, with 23% of part-timers and 25% of temporary workers belonging to unions in 2003, compared to about 31% of permanent, full-time employees. Nycole Turmel, president of the 155,000-member Public Service Alliance of Canada, told the media that "Even if they're unionized, they're at the lower-scale jobs. Is it a great job, is it a job that a woman can survive at?" In the federal public service, about two-thirds of higher-paid and more senior positions are still held by men. The StatsCan study also found 70% of public-sector workers, such as civil servants, nurses, hospital support staff and teachers, belong to unions. By contrast, the unionization rate in the private sector fell to 18% in 2003 from 26% in 1977, largely due to a decline in traditionally male-dominated and heavily unionized jobs in manufacturing and other industries. The study confirmed that international unions headquartered in the United States are playing a declining roll in the Canadian labour movement. Internationals, which accounted for two-thirds of union members in the early 1960s, now account for just over a quarter. (Back) (Home) The seeds of terror (The following editorial is from the September 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) The latest horrors inflicted upon the people of Russia have roused the sympathy of the world. There is no justification for killing helpless children and adults, and once again, we condemn such acts. But we are also compelled to point out the undeniable dialectics of terrorism. Almost always, those who sow the seeds of violence in today's world suffer retribution, even though the history of the "blowback" may not be immediately obvious. In the case of Chechnya, the story of resistance is long and complex, made more so by recent changes in the world balance of forces. There are strong suspicions that imperialism has fanned the flames of Chechen nationalism in hopes of eventually gaining access to the oil pipelines of southern Russia and adjacent lands. Even before this development, the US bears responsibility for one of the greatest crimes of the cold War era: its meddling in the internal affairs of Afghanistan to provoke a Soviet military response. The CIA helped fund huge numbers of Muslim anti-communists, drawing the USSR deeper into war, one of the factors in the tragic dismantling of the world's most powerful anti-imperialist country. But another consequence is now well-known: the emergence of fundamentalist groups determined to drive the US out of the Arab world by any means necessary. One spillover of this process has been the spiralling Chechen conflict, made worse by the brutal tactics of the right-wing Putin government. Instead of focusing on diplomacy and steps to diminish the level of violence in the region, Putin has tried to crush the Chechen rebels, with horrifying results. Not unexpectedly, George W. Bush, the leader of the state terrorist US military, has cynically seized on this tragedy for electoral purposes. We extend our solidarity to the people's movements of the United States as they struggle to defeat Bush and deal a powerful blow against global fascism in all its forms. (Back) (Home) Not idiots... but dangerous (The following editorial is from the September 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) We have to express profound gratitude to Liberal MP Carolyn Parrish and those of her colleagues courageous enough to maintain their vocal opposition to the process of tying Canada even more tightly into the US Empire's war machine. It is a good sign to see members of the "natural governing party" reject Paul Martin's policy of bowing down to Washington, looking for a few favours in exchange. On one point, however, we beg to differ with Carolyn Parrish. It would be heartening to believe that the people who support "missile defense" are truly nothing but "idiots." If that were the case, they could be educated to understand the foolishness of cranking up the arms race with this so-called "shield," or perhaps replaced by wiser decision-makers.The more difficult truth is that the forces pushing Star Wars know perfectly well that this system has nothing to do with the "defence" of North America against non-existent threats, and everything to do with giving the Pentagon (weapons) for "full spectrum domination" of the air, land, sea and space. "Missile Defence" is an offensive system, not a protective umbrella, planned to give the US the ability to strike first at any potential target. The military-industrial complex which reaps enormous profits from weapons systems may be shortsighted, but it is not composed of fools. It is a capitalist social organism with poses a terrible threat to the ongoing existence of the human race, and indeed all higher life forms on this planet. We urge all who love peace to make this point loud and clear on October 2, when the Canadian Peace Alliance is organizing a country-wide day of action against Missile Defence. There is still time to block Canadian participation in this madness before the US election: let's do it! (Back) (Home) Setting the record straight: CPUSA position on the 2004 elections (The following article is from the September 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) CPUSA Internet Department, August 25, 2004 In the past month, several phony reports have been circulated by right-leaning papers and websites - making various false claims about the Communist Party position on the 2004 elections. Some have dabbled in dirty tricks to smear Kerry using the toxic mix of red-baiting and forgery. For instance, several websites have allowed a forged document to be posted that appears to be an official CPUSA endorsement of Kerry, but it is in fact an incompetent counterfeit. They not only twisted our position around, the even got the name of our National Chair wrong (It's Sam Webb, not Marc Brodine)! The red-baiting forgeries are just another part of the Bush campaign which is running on lies and fear. So, for the record, the CPUSA position on the 2004 elections: 1. The CPUSA is doing our utmost to help defeat Bush. We're deeply concerned about the great dangers of a second Bush term, as is the majority of the country and world and every major progressive organization. On a wide range of key issues (Social security, healthcare, reproductive rights, overtime pay, minimum wage, and much more), there are real, substantial differences between Bush and Kerry. 2. The CPUSA does not endorse any candidate for President in the 2004 election. We do not endorse the candidates of other political parties. We have refrained from fielding our own candidate so as not to distract from the main effort of defeating Bush and the ultra-right extremist agenda. 3. The CPUSA has its own independent political platform for the 2004 elections. Though our platform goes much further towards full social justice than Kerry's, to win any of it requires defeating Bush. A movement that can break the Republican stranglehold on government could then win social progress on many fronts. If you would like more information on the CPUSA, please contact cpusa@cpusa.org or call 212-989-4884. Thanks, and vote against Bush on November 2nd. (Back) (Home) Kosovo deception revealed (The following article is from the September 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) It's too late for the victims of NATO's 77-day aerial war against Yugoslavia in 1999, but the lies used to justify that aggression are gradually being exposed. A Sept. 2 article by Lawrence Martin, one of the Globe and Mail's top international reporters, raises the question: "Was the other big war of the last decade, Kosovo in 1999, triggered by bogus allegations as well? Another case of mass deception?" Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic stands accused of responsibility for "ethnic cleansing" which resulted in "100,000 to 200,000" civilians missing or killed in Kosovo. But members of a Canadian forensic team now say there were just a few thousand dead on both the Albanian and Serb sides. Retired Vancouver homicide detective Brian Honeybourn, a member of the forensic team, told the Ottawa Citizen late in August that his nine-member group found mainly single graves. Wondering how genocide charges against Milosevic can stand up, he said "It seems as though The Hague is beginning to panic." Garth Pritchard, a filmmaker on the forensic team, and mission leader Brian Strongman, described Canadian Louise Arbour, the special prosecutor for the tribunal that brought the charges against Mr. Milosevic as a pawn used by Washington and London. "I was standing there when the forensic teams were telling Louise Arbour there were no 200,000 bodies and she didn't want to know," Pritchard told the Citizen. (After her war-crimes work, Arbour was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada, then to her UN post.) These findings are consistent with those of other experts, such as James Bissett, a former Canadian ambassador to Yugoslavia, and Lewis MacKenzie, a major-general with a wealth of experience in the Balkans. But such voices, Martin says, "were drowned out by the drumbeat of war. US defence secretary William Cohen was alleging that as many as 100,000 Albanian Kosovars had gone missing. Mr. Blair, in a preview of his comportment on Iraq, was crying horror upon horror. President Bill Clinton wanted to shift the focus off his domestic problems - Monica Lewinsky etc. - and was gung-ho for a NATO invasion." Martin calls it "a scandal comparable to the absence of WMD in Iraq. In a five-year period, political leaders twice duped their populations into going to war." (Back) (Home) Frank's buried miners (The following article is from the September 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) A Labour Minute At 4:10 AM on the morning of April 29, 1903 ninety million tons of limestone broke loose from the side of Turtle Mountain and thundered 1,400 feet down onto the little coal mining town of Frank, Alberta, in the Crow's Nest Pass. Seventy people were killed and part of the town was covered by 45 feet of rock - in some cases boulders as big as boxcars. Frank Slide, as it came to be known, also buried the entrance of the coal mine, where a small crew of 17 men were on the night shift. The miners were trapped as the massive weight of the slide collapsed the mine entrance and 130 feet of the main tunnel. The miners felt a tremendous shaking when the slide occurred, followed by a strong blast of wind that slammed them into walls and blew out their lamps. No one knew what had happened, but the men made their way in the darkness to the main tunnel in an effort to get above ground. Finding the mouth of the mine blocked, the trapped miners looked for another means of escape. A lower tunnel, which emerged further out into the valley, was found to be blocked too, and quickly filling with water, seeping in from the Crow's Nest River, which had been dammed by the slide. The air shafts in the upper reaches of the mine were filled with rock as well, meaning lethal coal gas would be accumulating. Then one of the miners recalled a coal seam outcropping on the mountain above the entrance. If they could dig up through this narrow seam it might permit them to avoid drowning or asphyxiation. The trapped miners tunneled upward through 20 feet of coal and nine feet of boulders, using only picks and shovels. They reached the surface 13 hours after the slide, exhausted but alive. Labour Minute recount the history of working people and take just a minute to read. -Dishaw-Roy ©CALM/020358 (Back) (Home) Facts on the First Nations health crisis (The following article is from the September 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) Statistical highlights on First Nations from Health Canada. * As of the year 2000, Life expectancy among the First Nations population was 68.9 years for males and 76.6 years for females, compared to 76.7 for males and 82.0 for females in the entire Canadian population. Despite some improvements, the lifespan of aboriginal peoples is still 6.5 years shorter than the Canadian average. * In 1999, the First Nations birth rate was 23.0 births per 1,000 population, two times the comparable rate for Canada. Over half (58%) of First Nations women who gave birth in 1999 were under 25 years of age. First Nations females aged 10 to 14 had an age- specific birth rate nine times that of the average rate for Canada. * The 1999 First Nations infant mortality rate was 8.0 deaths per 1,000 live births, or 1.5 times higher than the Canadian infant mortality rate of 5.5. * The First Nations and the Canadian populations had similar proportions of births with low birth weight in 1999; however, almost twice as many First Nations births were classified as high birth weight. * The most common cause of death for First Nations people aged 1 to 44 was injury and poisoning. Among children under 10, deaths were primarily unintentional (accidental). Suicide and self-injury were the leading causes of death for youth and adults up to age 44. For First Nations aged 45 and older, circulatory diseases were the most common causes of death. Motor vehicle collisions were a leading cause of death in all age groups. * The crude mortality rate for First Nations males was 1.3 times higher than the rate for First Nations females in 1999. The rate difference is largely attributable to higher rates among males for injury and poisoning (147 deaths per 100,000 among males and 68 among females) and to circulatory disease (98 deaths per 100,000 among males and 72 among females). All First Nations age groups up to age 65 are at increased risk of suicide compared with the Canadian population. First Nations males are at higher risk than females. The greatest disparity with the Canadian rates is for females aged 15 to 24 and aged 25 to 39 (approximately eight and five times the Canadian rates, respectively). * In 1999, First Nations people experienced a disproportionate burden of many infectious diseases. These include pertussis (3 times higher), chlamydia (7 times higher), hepatitis A (5.3 times higher) and shigellosis (almost 20 times higher). The proportion of Canada's total AIDS cases contracted by Aboriginal people climbed from 1.0% in 1990 to 7.2% in 2001. * Over that same period, the tuberculosis rate among First Nations people remained 8 to 10 times (greater) than in the Canadian population as a whole. * Dental decay rates for Aboriginal children in Ontario are two to five times higher than rates among non-Aboriginal children. * In First Nations communities, only 56.9% of homes were considered adequate shelter in 1999-2000 (defined as not needing minor or major repairs or replacement). * In 1999-2000, 41.4% of the First Nations communities (south of 60 degrees latitude) reported that at least 90% of homes were connected to centralized water treatment plants. Just 33.6% of these communities had at least 90% of their homes connected to a community sewage disposal system. (Back) (Home) Employer makes women workers wear headbands (The following article is from the September 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) Lebensmittelzeitung, a leading commerce weekly in Germany reports that Lidl, the German discount chainstore, has forced its Czech saleswomen to wear a special headband during menstruation. Reportedly, this practice was imposed on the women workers also in Poland, which shows that the management in Germany must have known and approved of it. The headband was forced on the women workers to allow supervisors to identify when they had their monthly periods, as they were the only ones allowed to go to the toilet, without asking for special permission. Other workers cannot do this except during scheduled daily breaks. This is not the first time that the German discounter is in trouble in its new European markets. Recently, Lidl was caught for selling cocoa powder in Poland, which contained mainly starch, with only 30 per cent cocoa. In the Czech Republic, the company had more than 100 old trees cut down without permission, so that their stores became more visible from nearby roads. Lebensmittelzeitung reports on a growing irritation among Lidl's German competitors in these counties, who feel that the discounter is destroying their reputations. Many of these companies pay better wages, train workers and recognise their trade unions. (Back) (Home) Woman elected to lead Iraqi union (The following article is from the September 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) Hashimia Muhsin Hussein has been elected President of the Electricity and Energy Workers' Union in Basra, the first woman trade union leader in Iraq's history. Hashimia Huhsin Hussein outlined to the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU) website how she became president of the union, saying she was hesitant at first to put her name forward due to economic hardship and social problems women are experiencing in Basra and Iraq. However, she became convinced that to improve working conditions, wages and social provision - and above all women's rights - she needed to be an active campaigner and to take up a leading position in the union. Hussein won the post on May 13, with the full support and trust of colleagues who encouraged her to stand, due to her reputation as a solid defender of workers' rights and particularly of women's rights. Since then, she has campaigned relentlessly for workers' welfare at Basra's energy and electricity plants, where workers are facing huge problems. Some local Iraqi civil administrators in Basra are trying to revive the repressive practices and attitudes of Saddam's discredited 1987 anti-union law, which banned public sector workers from forming or join in unions. Hussein and leading members of the Basra Electricity and Energy Union dismissed "false rumours circulating abroad that her union is not part of the IFTU." She said: "The IFTU is the largest union in Iraq and our union is a part of the Basra and national IFTU, which will continue to struggle for workers' rights to union representation, social justice and a stable, pluralistic and democratic Iraq." (Back) (Home) Huge anti-war rally in Kolkata (The following article is from the September 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.)   By B. Prasant, PV correspondent in India Hundreds of thousands of people marched along the streets of Kolkata on August 29 as part of an anti-war procession organized by the Bengal Left Front along with other left and democratic parties. For Kolkata, an anti-war procession is part of the long anti-imperialist tradition that the metropolis enjoys. Harking back to the second half of the last century, one can discern a continuous strengthening of the anti-war and anti-imperialism frame of mind of the democratically conscious people of this city of teeming millions. The Bengal Left Front and other parties had made a joint call for the organisation of the march (called a mahamichhil or a procession of massive proportions) some weeks back and since then, preparations had been going on for the occasion. Tableaux were set up, banners and buntings fashioned, and posters and placards were prepared, with anti-war and anti-imperialism slogans adorning them all. The procession was participated in mostly by people of some south Bengal districts other than those of Kolkata. The slogans that roared out from the procession included: "Down with the worldwide hegemony of US imperialism!", "Away with Anglo-American imperialists from Iraq!", and calls for an end to the occupations of Afghanistan and Palestine. Other slogans called for a new independent foreign policy for India, and an end to military cooperation with the US. The procession was flagged off early in the afternoon by the Bengal Left Front chairman, Biman Basu. A barrage of red balloons floated up with anti-imperialist buntings to a roar of approval from the rallyists who had assembled near the Aakashvani Bhavan in central Kolkata. Biman Basu, CPI(M) state secretary Anil Biswas, Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, and the leaders of the Left Front led the procession. From students to agricultural labourers, from TU activists to teachers, the procession saw the presence of the widest possible spectrum of the classes and professions including ministers, MPs sports persons, actors, stage personalities, theatre activists, singers, poets, writers, film personalities and a large number of mass front workers. Also present in overwhelming numbers were the workers and leaders of 17 Left and democratic political parties who had sponsored and organised the anti-war procession. The procession moved along the Dharamtolla area and went down the AJC Bose and APC Roads to reassemble at Deshbandhu Park in the northern area of the metropolis. Such was the massive proportion of the procession that the short stretch of a kilometre or so from the Aakashvani Bhavan to the Dharamtolla area took just under half-an-hour for the marchers to traverse. The front of the procession had arrived at the Deshbandhu Park while the end was yet to take off from the starting point. The procession was greeted all along the way by people who waved banners condemning war and imperialism, and showered flower petals on the marchers. The Street Hawkers' Union workers stayed put near the Dharamtolla crossing and untiringly greeted the marchers with flowers. The fire service workers came in their khaki uniform, the lawyers marched in the black-and-white ensemble, the porters and head load carriers from the Howrah stationed walked in their dark blue uniforms, presenting a fascinating sight. More than 50 tableaux added to the attraction of the march. Singers like Kabir Suman presented popular anti-war ballads at the start of the march. Songs also burst out regularly from the marchers themselves as they traversed the streets. The activists of the IPTA and the Democratic Writers' and Artists' Association sang throughout the way sitting in or standing on the different tableaux. "We shall overcome!" proved once again a popular choice. Watering stations provided welcome relief to the processionists. Neither the occasional shower nor the damp heat nor thirst could deter the resolute ongoing march of the anti-war rallyists. Despite the huge hue-and-cry made in the corporate media about the march blocking the roadways and denying the people the right of access, the massive procession went unfailingly along one side of the road, allowing vehicles to bypass them without a fuss. Ambulances were given right of way as a priority measure. A large number of people while crossing the roads thanked the rallyists for the manner in which the march was organised. There was a rally organised at Deshbandhu Park as the procession drew to its close. Biman Basu declared that the 17 political parties that had sponsored and organised the procession would decide upon their next programmes later on. The demand of the rally was: Away with Anglo-American imperialist intervention in Iraq! Biman Basu said that those who protest against processions should realise that such programmes were going on against US imperialism all across the globe for the menace was global in nature. Basu also said that in India, the demand would be of the union government to forge an independent, non-aligned foreign policy and be strident in its criticism of the US moves across the world. (Back) (Home) 12th Annual Che Brigade helps clean up Hurricane Charlie (The following article is from the September 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) By Stephen Von Sychowski ON AUGUST 22, the twelfth contingent of the Canada-Cuba Ernesto Ché Guevara Volunteer Work Brigade returned home to Canada after three weeks of volunteer work, learning, adventure and solidarity in socialist Cuba. This contingent represented the continuation of a program that has existed since 1993 with the aim of building and strengthening Canada-Cuba solidarity and friendship. Coming from many age groups and ethnic, cultural and national backgrounds, the brigadistas were united by their solidarity with the Cuban people and the Cuban revolution, as well as by the desire to expand our knowledge and understanding of the country, its socialist system and its history of resistance to imperialism. We arrived in Havana on August 1, along with suitcases and boxes full of donations to be distributed to places where they could be best used throughout the country. The donations consisted mainly of medical supplies, school supplies and some other items which are difficult and expensive for Cuba to attain due to the cruel blockade imposed by the US. After a brief rest, our group departed for Cienfuegos Province, where the first part of the brigade would be spent. In Cienfuegos, the brigade was accommodated at the Raul Dorticos Torrado Medical Sciences School. It was here that we engaged in our volunteer work, painting the interior of the medical school alongside Cuban painters. When not hard at work, brigadistas could be found participating in other learning experiences. One such form of learning was lectures on such topics as the Cuban Economy, Democracy and Human Rights, Co-operative Farming or the Cuban Healthcare System. The group also met with several of the organizations which make up Cuban society: the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC), the Union of Young Communists (UJC), the Confederation of Trade Unions (CTC) and a Committee for Defense of the Revolution (CDR). Brigadistas took part in all sorts of cultural activities from dance lessons to musical performances. A day trip to Santa Clara provided us with an exciting and emotional visit to the Ernesto Ché Guevara Memorial. This is the final resting place of the revolutionary hero who is the namesake of the Brigade, who once said himself that volunteer work is the builder of revolutionary consciousness. The memorial is also the final resting place of several other heroes of the Cuban revolution. A few days later, we departed for Matanzas province where we visited many interested ecological sites and museums, such as the Bellmar Caves, the Museum of the Battle of Ideas and the Museum of the Bay of Pigs invasion. On August 13 (President Fidel Castro's birthday) the brigadistas attended a celebration in a Cuban community which featured speeches, music and massive cakes. However, while in Matanzas, the unexpected occurred. Hurricane Charlie hit Cuba. When the brigade rolled into Havana a couple of days later, we witnessed Charlie's destructive effects. It was decided that the brigade would offer its services to helping clean up the damage. We worked in a neighbourhood along with the locals to clean up debris from the hurricane, and also helped alongside a Cuban brigade at the Julio Antonio Mella International Camp (CIJAM), where we stayed for the remainder of the trip. These displays of solidarity and friendship are the reason that the brigade remains one of the most inspiring gestures of international solidarity. Other exciting events in Havana included a meeting with family members of the Cuban Five, a lecture on Cuba-U.S. relations and a meeting with the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP). Throughout the busy three week schedule there was also plenty of time for exploring, free time in the cities, beach time and rest and relaxation, and of course parties, all without a moment of boredom. Another contingent is being planned for next year, possibly in May or June. Co-ordinators of the brigade hope to organize a group even larger than in previous years to carry on the brigade's historic duty. At this time in history, it is ever more important to continue and to expand our solidarity work with socialist Cuba, which is continuously under threat and attack by U.S. imperialism. The brigade provides the best opportunity to show that solidarity, to experience Cuban life, work and leisure from all angles. It gives participants a chance to see the amazing advances made by the Cuban Revolution, as well as the effects of the illegal and inhumane blockade. If you want to see Cuba, this is the trip for you! If you are interested in the brigade, and would like to find out more, please visit the Canada-Cuba Ernesto Ché Guevara Volunteer Work Brigade's official web site at http://www.canadiannetworkoncuba.ca/brigade, or contact Brigade Co-Ordinator Nino Pagliccia at 604-831-9821. (Back) (Home) Don't expect changes in US policy: Alarcon (The following article is from the September 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) Prensa Latina, Havana Havana - Parliament President Ricardo Alarcon stated Sept. 4 that Cuba did not expect the US to change its policy toward Havana, regardless of which candidate wins the November elections. In statements to Prensa Latina, Alarcon said that the relaxation of travel prohibitions on Cuban immigrants was the only predictable change if Democrat candidate John Kerry won and kept his promise. According to Alarcon, Kerry speaks about keeping the blockade and pressures, the same position but probably with a less aggressive rhetoric than President George W. Bush. When Democrats opposed the travel bans on Cuban-Americans, they made clear they supported the document containing the Bush policy, Alarcon stressed. That is important, he explained, because it is a 400-page text including 650 measures, as disclosed by those who have made calculations. Kerry spoke out against one of them and said he backed the rest of the current president's policy. On restrictions allowing Cuban-Americans to travel to their place of origin once every three years, the Island's official stated that it served to tighten whet was already a discrimination. Cubans are the only residents in the US facing the Federal Government's regulation of family ties, he added. Alarcon recalled that up to May 6, although travel prohibitions were effective, there was a general permit through which Cubans could visit their relatives once a year and more than once if they were given a visa permit. That license was eliminated in May and now they need a special permit to come to Havana, he added. That situation caused another problem: the announcement made the news but permit denials do not make the news unless exceptional cases such as that of Yoruba priest Jose Martin, who frequently travelled to Cuba because his son suffered from autism and his father was sick. That man, he affirmed, committed suicide because he would not be allowed to visit his autistic son within three years, in the event he were authorized, because there is a difference between a general and specific permit. The Cuban head of parliament stated that restrictions would continue being applied if Bush were reelected, although there was a possibility to remove them in the event he were defeated, as stated by Kerry and his running mate John Edwards. However, Alarcon said he trusted more in Bush's promise, because he adopted the measures and keeping them effective was easier. As to the Democratic presidential candidate, Alarcon said he hoped Kerry would act sensibly in relation to the promise he made to Cuban immigrants, and if becoming president, change the current situation. If acting seriously, as every politician must act, the logical think would be that the government overturn the prohibitions and restores the general permit regime. But we should wait for his victory, if he wins and keeps his promise, Alarcon concluded. (Back) (Home)  NATIVES DENIED FULL SEAT AT HEALTH TALKS (The following article is from the September 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) By Kimball Cariou ABORIGINAL LEADERS may not even be in the room for first ministers talks on health care set for Sept. 13-15. As this issue of People's Voice went to the printer, officials were still negotiating whether they would have observer status. On August 30, leaders of five major aboriginal groups were offered a televised session with Martin and the premiers a day before the first ministers meeting officially starts. The Prime Minister's office has called this an "unprecedented" chance for native leaders to make their case for better services, and a sign of Martin's commitment to include aboriginal input on major concerns such as suicide, alarming diabetes rates and the HIV-AIDS crisis. But the invitation is much less than Martin proposed back in April, when he promised aboriginal people "a full seat at the table" in their dealings with government. "No longer will we in Ottawa develop policies first and discuss them with you later," Martin said at the time. "This principle of collaboration will be the cornerstone of our new partnership." Media reports indicate that the federal government puts the blame on the premiers, some of whom apparently think that full inclusion of native leaders would "crowd" an already heavy agenda. "We are being very patient, but we do recall that the prime minister promised a full seat at the table for aboriginal people," one Assembly of First Nations official told the media. Leaders of the AFN, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and the Metis National Council had joined forces to press for full status with their provincial and territorial counterparts. The Native Women's Association of Canada had also expected equal participation, said president Kukdookaa Terri Brown. Dwight Dorey, head of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples representing off-reserve residents, says a chance to meet with first ministers is sufficient while the provinces, territories and Ottawa decide who is responsible for the thousands of aboriginal people who fall through the health-care cracks because they don't live on reserves. In a statement earlier in the summer, AFN leader Phil Fontaine pointed out that "First Nations are involved in all aspects of the health care system as clients, providers and practitioners. We have a unique experience, situation and place within the Federation, but we share the same interest as most people in Canada - we want to ensure efficient and effective health care for all our citizens. "The 2000 Health Accord was signed with the universal goals of improving quality, access and sustainability of health care. Unfortunately, we have not yet been included as full partners in the system. The deplorable health conditions of our peoples dramatically illustrates why we must be involved: life expectancy five to seven years lower than the Canadian average, a 50 per cent higher rate of infant mortality and a 250% higher rate of suicide. "To be able to advocate effectively on behalf of the health and well-being of our peoples, First Nations must have a voice and a seat at the table..." At that time, Métis National Council President Chartier commented, "It is important for premiers and territorial leaders to understand and support the principle that we need to be fully involved in developing and implementing the necessary solutions to turn the current Aboriginal crisis around. Moreover, it is equally important for them to appreciate that a one-size-fits-all or pan-Aboriginal approach will only perpetuate the status quo. The Métis Nation requires Métis-specific health care solutions and services." Jose Kusugak, President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami said, "the Aboriginal Health Care Crisis manifests itself differently in the Inuit communities in the Arctic - the largest geographic region of Canada. Eight out of ten health care dollars are spent transporting patients to hospitals thousands of miles away. There are few doctors in the Arctic, and retaining nurses is critical. Inuit need partnerships with federal, provincial and territorial governments in order to identify Inuit solutions to improve our health." First Nations leaders must be invited to participate fully in the health care meetings, says Paul Moist, National President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). "Paul Martin promised First Nations people that the principle of collaboration would be the `cornerstone' of their new partnership with the federal government," said Moist. "Martin has yet to live up to his promise." CUPE has called on Ottawa to address the urgent health issues of aboriginal communities across the country. "Martin has a sorry track record for making grand promises at photo-ops to address issues of concern to First Nations people - and failing to come through," said Moist. "It is past time for the Prime Minister to walk the talk when it comes to honesty with First Nations in this country." (Back) (Home) SUN PEAKS COURT ORDER - ECONOMIC RACISM (The following article is from the September 16-30/2004 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) (In the latest episode in the ongoing struggle by First Nations people to defend their unceded lands from corporate intrusion at the Sun Peaks resort in British Columbia, the courts have barred protesters from being present in the area. This commentary by aboriginal leader Arthur Manuel is from Updates on Skwelkwel'welt, http://www.apc.resist.ca) THE SUPREME COURT OF BRITISH COLUMBIA banned Aboriginal political presence at Sun Peaks in an interlocutory injunction on September 3, 2004. The interlocutory injunction prohibits the Skwelkwek'welt Protection Center from having a camp at Sun Peaks to monitor the destruction and sale of their land. People who are at the camp now could be arrested at any time. This decision completely ignores or recognizes any value to our Secwepemc indigenous economy. The Honourable Madame Justice Satanove accepted an Order drafted by Darcy Alexander, Vice President and General Manager of Sun Peaks and Frank Quinn, Lawyer and Sun Peaks Investor. The Order gives the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) orders to stop and arrest any Indian person and their friends who they suspect are going to occupy land at the base area of Sun Peaks. People arrested under this provision would be charged with "Criminal Contempt of Court". The BC Court Order totally endorses Sun Peaks' economic interests and denies the fact that indigenous peoples do have economic rights, including the right to politically defend and protect their proprietary interests when they are being willfully ignored by the federal and provincial governments and industries like Sun Peaks. Justice Satanove totally backed up Darcy Alexander and Frank Quinn's condominium and townhouse development. Frank Quinn stated in his Affidavit that he is building 60 condominiums and 48 townhouses. Condominiums at Sun Peaks average about $255 thousand dollars a unit which totals to $15 million dollars. Townhouses average approximately $445 thousand dollars which totals $21 million dollars. The total sale to be made by Frank Quinn under this Court Order is $36 million dollars. Mr. Frank Quinn said in his Affidavit that "if the camp is not removed, I believe sales for both these projects will be negatively affected". Darcy Alexander tried to discredit the efforts of the Skwelkwek'welt Protection Center by using a controversial and questionable Press Release issued by the Shuswap Nation Tribal Council (SNTC). Darcy Alexander submitted the SNTC Press Release as "Exhibit D" and said in his Affidavit that "the Shuswap Nation Tribal Council, which does represent local Indian bands, has issued a press release objecting to the protest." At the BC Supreme Court hearing Sun Peaks' legal counsel said the so called protestors did not represent any body and were opposed to by the Shuswap Chiefs. Madame Justice Satanove used the SNTC Press Release to justify her prohibition order. The Skwelkwek'welt Protection Center did argue before the BC Supreme Court that Aboriginal Title does have an economic component and that this economic aspect of Aboriginal Title needs to be taken into account in the "balance of convenience test" used to decide who is going to suffer irreparable economic harm. It is clear that Frank Quinn would not suffer anything by having to wait until our Aboriginal Title matters are dealt with, but we would suffer immediately if he is allowed to build the 60 condominiums and 48 townhouses. This was totally ignored. The BC Supreme Court was briefed that the World Trade Organization (WTO) did take our economic interests into account when the Indigenous Network on Economic Trade (INET) had three amicus curiae submissions accepted in the Canada US softwood lumber dispute. In those submissions it was argued that "the federal government's non-recognition of Aboriginal Title is a cash subsidy to the Canadian forest industry". This also applies to the land that is being sold by Darcy Alexander and Frank Quinn. It is clear that BC Supreme Court on this matter is living in the dark ages when indigenous economic interests are valued at zero but when the same property is granted to white investors it is valued at current market values. This is a form of systemic economic racism. The BC Court Order was drafted by Darcy Alexander and Frank Quinn and basically prohibits any Indian person from going to Sun Peaks, because it makes them subject to immediate questioning and possible arrest for Criminal Contempt of Court. The BC Court Order does have some limitations in the area and in terms of purpose but on the ground Indian people always feel extreme duress under any prohibition enforced by the RCMP. This has been described in many Indian criminal justice reports. In fact the sign "No Indians Allowed" is being enforced by this BC Court Order. It is based upon giving developers and real estate agents an "Indian Free Zone" to sell our land under the protection of an injunctive remedy by the BC Supreme Court. This kind of lopsided valuations needs to stop if the economic conditions of our people are going to meaningfully and substantially improve. Aboriginal title does have a macro economic component. The provincial government did argue that other alternatives do exist like the Haida Case but they were reminded that the province has not set a process to implement this. And that the decision to approve Phase 2, and the $285 million dollar expansion was not subject to the Haida process so their position was basically only giving lip service to the Haida decision. The BC government said they did not want to stand on their "Trespass Notice" but only on public interest arguments. It is clear that the BC government realizes that Trespass is pretty hard to defend against Aboriginal people who have Aboriginal Title. In fact the Supreme Court agreed with the province to skirt around the Trespass issue and focus on the behavior of the Secwepemc people and supports living at the camp as being a nuisance. The avoidance of dealing with Trespass however does not make the sale of the condominiums and townhouses legally perfect from a private property point of view. It is clear that the province and Sun Peaks are making these sales with the full knowledge that the Secwepemc peoples reject these real estate deals. The only support they got is from the Shuswap Nation Tribal Council, who does not have Aboriginal Title at Sun Peaks. Aboriginal Title belongs to the Secwepemc peoples collectively and actually use and defend their land according to their traditional values, knowledge and activities. Right now there are about 12 people at the Skwelkwek'welt Protection Center camp and they are subject to this Court Order. I feel these people are on the front line defending the indigenous economic interests of our peoples. The traditional values, knowledge and activities they defend are the basis of our economic rights as indigenous peoples. I fully support them in their committed effort to expose the way the Canadian judicial system's "injunctive remedy" is the legal means to impoverish our peoples. Our people will not get one cent form Frank Quinn's $36 million dollar real estate deals - with our land - the only outstanding question is what did the Shuswap Nation Tribal Council get from Frank Quinn, Darcy Alexander and Sun Peaks? (Back) (Home)

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