07) “WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED”
Update on the 2015 People’s Voice Fund Drive
This year’s People’s Voice Press Fund Drive is off to a great start, in spite of - or perhaps because of! - the huge political struggle to block Bill C-51, the police state legislation which could open the way to repress opposition voices labelled as “pro-terrorist”.
Anyone who thinks this concern is exaggerated should take a look back at earlier periods of Canadian history. Here’s just one example. In September 1939, the Liberal government of Mackenzie King used the declaration of war against Nazi Germany as the pretext to invoke the War Measures Act, which had originally been adopted during World War One. Under this legislation, the government enacted dozens of “Defence of Canada Regulations,” replacing constitutional and democratic rights with a form of Cabinet dictatorship. Far from being used to defend the country against fascist threats, these Regulations were unleashed against left-wing, radical and trade union movements. In November of that year, the Clarion and Clarté newspapers (predecessors of today’s People’s Voice and Clarté in Québec) were officially banned. In response, a new publication was soon launched, the Canadian Tribune, as a “journal of democratic opinion”. But the Canadian Civil Liberties Union reported that 64 people had been arrested under the War Measures Act by February 1940. Then on June 6, 1940, sixteen organizations were banned, including the Communist Party, the YCL, the Canadian Labour Defence League, the Finnish Organization of Canada, the Ukrainian Labour-Farmer Temple Association, and others. Some of the halls belonging to these groups were seized and sold to ultra-right groups. Over 250 Communists were interned in this wave of repression, which continued long after Hitler’s attack on the USSR decisively altered the character of the war. The racist treatment of Canadians of Japanese descent was even more appalling; starting in December 1941, 27,000 were rounded up and sent to internment camps, and their assets confiscated.
In other words, yes, it could happen here again. Today, the federal government has declared that Canada is at war, and various categories of people are regularly singled out as enemies: Indigenous land defenders, Muslims, trade unionists, opponents of tar sands extraction and exports, supporters of the Boycott, Disinvestment and Sanctions campaign against Israeli apartheid. Chillingly, Bill C-51 targets all those who engage in “activity that undermines the security of Canada” or “the economic or financial security of Canada,” or who “promote terrorism in general”. Of course, the federal government and CSIS could easily make such accusations against media critics, including People’s Voice, which openly supports Aboriginal rights, trade unions, anti-war movements, protests against pipeline expansion, and the BDS campaign.
When we launched our 2015 Fund Drive, we were confident that our subscribers and supporters would agree that it’s crucial to keep People’s Voice publishing. The results during the first week of the campaign seem to confirm our prediction! As of March 9, we have received over $7,000 towards our $50,000 target, mostly from Ontario ($4500) and British Columbia (nearly $2500), with more starting to arrive from other provinces.
It’s a great start, but we have a long way to go. We’re printing thousands of extra copies to distribute at the March 14th Day of Action Against C-51 events across the country, but like all our efforts, that costs money. We appeal to all readers to respond quickly to the mail appeal sent out at the end of February. Subscribers will be notified about a range of upcoming events to promote People’s Voice and the fight to block C-51. On March 28, our editor, Kimball Cariou, will speak at a public event in Toronto, and this crucial free speech fight will be highlighted at our annual PV Victory Banquet, which takes place on Saturday, May 2, at the Victoria Drive Community Hall in Vancouver. We look forward to seeing you!
(The above article is from the March 16-31, 2015 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading socialist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)