For Liberal links with the Trade Unions
The New Democratic Party of Canada has joined the three largest provincial parties of Québec in a celebration of the creation of the FTQ (major québécois trade union) Solidarity Fund, in an attempt to demonstrate to the syndicates that the party is indeed the one to be chosen to represent the workers of Québec in Ottawa, and hopefully in time obtain their endorsement, which has been with the Bloc Québécois for nearly 2 decades (since its creation and especially since Trade Union head Gilles Duceppe came to the forefront of the party in 1997).This is an extremely shrewd move which comes upon the revelation that the NDP is more popular with Francophone Québécois than the Liberal Party of Canada, though just marginally so. The NDP is conducting itself in the correct manner for any party that wishes to court the working class. The Liberal Party of Canada should attempt to become the party of the Canadian masses, through the building of links with the trade union movement. The people of Canada have their greatest protection in their syndicates, and it is up to the visionaries in the Liberal Party to see that it is within this movement that success lies.
A connection between the trade unions and the Liberal Party would not only be beneficial to the working class, it would be helpful to the Liberal Party in steering it towards policies that are truly progressive and for the improvement of the majority of Canadian people's lives. The protection and amelioration of workers status should be at the forefront of any Liberal agenda, and it is only with the trade unions that the party can ever truly represent the working class of Canada.
Libellés : Libéraux, Politique, ROC
par Abdul-Rahim à 12:10
Liberal Neglect?
Leader of the New Democratic Party, Jack Leyton, has criticised the Liberal Party of Canada for their refusal to support a motion damning the Conservative government over their handling of the economy. M. Leyton has accused the Liberal opposition of effectively giving the party the status of majority in Parliament by their constant abstentions. He certainly has a point, as all these 20 votes of confidence (and abstentions) over the past several months have amounted to the implementation of a truly Conservative programme of government, which is not in keeping with the minority nature of the administration.While the economy is the most important issue to Canadians, the truth is that overall the economy of the nation is growing, and adding jobs, and so the government cannot truly be chastised for their handling of the capitalist down-spiral which is occurring south of the border. According to New Democratic Party however:
With the income gap in this country growing and ordinary Canadians working harder and longer just to make ends meet, the NDP is committed to standing up to the Conservative government’s out of touch approach to dealing with important issues. Today, the NDP has introduced a non-confidence motion on the issue for its opposition day motion. [NDP 7.5.08]This has been a problem coming for over 2 decades, and one hardly thinks that the Conservative Party of Canada is single handedly responsible for the basic expression of the nature of capitalism (institutionalised inequality). Only once that system of production is abolished and a democratically planned economy implemented will the gaps in income close.
Libellés : Libéraux, Pauvreté et développement, ROC, Économie
par Abdul-Rahim à 11:10
Is Dion a liability for the LIberal Party?
Recent poll findings show that Stéphane Dion of the national Liberal Party is just slightly less dislikeable than Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, although most Canadians still find M. Dion lacking inspiration. The ill feeling expressed towards both leaders of the two largest parties in Parliament is a bit disheartening, though not especially surprising. M. Harper has been marred by political scandal for the past several weeks, M. Dion has showed unimpressive conduct as leader of the parliamentary Liberal party with numerous abstentions (rightly) seen as backing down under pressure, and thereby letting their duty as official opposition escape them.Dion has always been seen a liability for the Liberal Party, at least in the wider Canadian political context. He is consistently viewed as cold, distant, out of touch with the reality of the nation. While these assumptions may not be true, they are important because these personal idiosyncrasies translate into voter apprehension. Dion needs to take a page from the book of British Conservative leader David Cameron, who has managed to take himself and his party from a discounted opposition with a stale leader to a vibrant party with a tenacious head which is now stealing the favour of the nation as the «party of progressivism». The transformation is exceptional, and Dion needs something similar: media blitzes aimed at humanising him in the eyes of the public, showing that he is in touch with the average voter and their concerns, that he is a personable, listening person with the gall to do what needs to be done.
Libellés : G.B., Libéraux, Politique, ROC
par Abdul-Rahim à 11:02
Burma...Nargis...HELP!
Burma is a country that has suffered under the brutal military dictatorship of Saw Maung, and subsequently Than Shwe for decades, with the junta waging war on various ethnicities in the outer areas of the country, and the lives of the urbanites and countrymen tightly controlled and heavily impoverished. Recent attempts at protest, in pure angst over economic conditions, was brutally put down. Democratic beacon Aung Sun Suu Kyi has been imprisoned for over a decade, the movement she leads harshly repressed. And then cyclone Nargis happened.What tragedy can befall a nation worse? Honestly, for the people of Burma to live in such horrible circumstances for so long, and to be hit so hard by this cyclone was absolutely brutal. Nearly 30 000 dead, millions displaced and in peril. But what is so heartbreaking is that Than Shwe and his friends won't allow foreign aid workers in and have only just started to allow supplies to reach the needy. There's nothing more to say really. The death toll rises each day that food and medicine and transport are delayed.
The Burmese government is absolutely right to fear the aftermath of such a catastrophe. For a brief moment last Sunday one had the flicker of hope that such a natural disaster of this scale could perhaps leave society so shaken that a popular uprising takes place among all the chaos and destruction and mismanagement. Unfortunately this is not what has happened. The military regime has apparently too tight a grip on the Burmese people to allow anything of that nature, and is too selfish to allow aid in from the outside world, fearing the consequences. They, such an impotent, and yet so powerful, an administration would prefer to handle it on their own, completely incapable to carrying out the task at hand. So more will die. More will mourn. And so it seems, nothing will change...
However you can help, give to Oxfam Canada or Oxfam America's appeals, or donate some money to the Disaster Emergencies Committee of the United Kingdom, which is making real progress in Burma.
par Abdul-Rahim à 10:21
Liberal Carbon Tax: Good, bad, or ugly?
The Harper administration is in turmoil, the gap between rich and poor widening, and there exists a very real fear of a deficit in the budget for the first time in several years (after the Liberal administration balanced the finances in the 1990s). It is on the tail of this that Stéphane Dion will mount his summer campaign to connect with Canada ahead of suspected Fall elections, and the premier issue on his agenda will be... carbon tax. D'oh!The Liberal Party of Canada will be promoting a revenue neutral carbon tax in an effort to garner support from the greener sections of society. In a bid to stand apart from the NDP and Greens in the environmental sphere, the party will now champion the phasing out of 10 cent excise fuel tax to be re-implemented in the form of a carbon tax, which will then be used to fund tax cuts numbering around 10 billion dollars.
How excited can one get about a carbon tax. The environment is important to Canadians, however running a campaign around a tax on certain kinds of fuels for households and businesses is not the best way to garner support. The Tories will easily exploit this ploy, and the public may offer the Dion camp a backlash against what they might very well see as posturing on real issues. Well, anyway, good luck Stéphane!
Libellés : Environnement, Libéraux, Politique, ROC
par Abdul-Rahim à 13:11
Scots whae hae: Referendum on Independence
Though they may have been accused of some rather unscrupulous political wrangling, Canadian Federalists have never had the gall to take such actions as have recently been done by the Scottish Labour Party, which, though a Unionist party through and through, is appealing to the Scottish public for a referendum on independence! Apparently they saw how well referendums work in Québec on settling questions of national determination, and wanted to emulate that success abroad. Good-Oh!This is a very shrewd move indeed. With Scottish independence sentiment at quite a historic low, (a few months ago it was 42 percent, now, it's at 19%) there is still a huge danger that the results could get much to close for comfort. Scotland is under a very successful nationalist administration, which has repeatedly called for dialogue on how to proceed with Scotland's status in the United Kingdom. Wendy Alexander, leader of the later party, would prefer to just get on with it. Gordon Brown and the national Labour Party don't seem to support her move and she'll need the support of Scottish Conservatives in order to proceed with this plan. Good to find a spectacle to watch that doesn't directly affect!
Scots whae hae: Référendum sur l'indépendance en Écosse:
Les partis fédéralistes ont étés accusés de grands manques de jugement pendant la campagne pour le référendum 1995 au Québec, et beaucoup de marchandage avant, mais ils n’ont jamais osé d’agir de la manière tellement avisé que les travaillistes en Écosse ces jours récents en proposant un référendum pour l’indépendance. Il faut qu’on mentionne que les travaillistes sont, dans le lexique québécois, fédéralistes, et le parti voient telle mesure comme un outil CONTRE l’indépendance écossais.
Wendy Alexander, leader des travaillistes écossais et dirigeante de l’opposition officielle au Parlement écossais, a proposé cette semaine un référendum concernant l’indépendance de l’écosse , plutôt que la conversation nationale préférée par les nationalistes qui forment le gouvernement nord de le mur de Hadrian. Cette décision a été prise en vue de la faible taux de soutien pour l’indépendance écossaise, qui ne surpasse que 19 percent du vote, en comparaison avec le 42 percent achevé en hiver, sous l’administration nationaliste très populaire.
« Nous sommes dans une situation fou quand la première ministre adjointe a dit qu’elle croyait qu’il y avait une majorité pour l’indépendance au pays, mais apparemment elle préfèrerait rester une unioniste pour les 3 ans suivis » a déclaré Madame Alexander »
La première ministre adjointe soi-même a dit « Nous suivrons avec celui que nous avons offrent aux écossais : démontrer la crédibilité en gouvernement, engager avec le peuple via notre conversation national, et procéder avec le référendum en 2010. C’est que nous avons mis dans notre programme pour gouvernement, et il était avec ça que nous avons gagné l’élection ».
Les Conservateurs et les démocrates libéraux ne soutiennent pas le mesure, et considérant que les travaillistes aurait le besoin d’aide de ces deux partis, un référendum n’est pas nécessairement un fait accompli. Mais c’est une proposition très intéressante , pour agresser le mouvement indépendantiste avec leur propres idées.
Libellés : G.B., Politique, Souverainistes
par Abdul-Rahim à 11:37
No Summer Federal Elections: Well Duh!
Surprise surprise there will be no summer-time electoral fever to sweep the nation this year. Instead Liberals will use this season as a time for reflection and convincing Canada about their programme for government. There is however a hint that the Liberals will be ready to bring down the Conservative government by the Fall of 2008.This decision should be shocking to no one, the Liberals have hardly been audacious in their Opposition to government, having abstained on nearly every vote of confidence held so far this term, but the prospect of a Fall election is certainly news to most. It shows that the Liberals, with their strong sense of values and pragmatism, have decided that they are indeed powerful enough to take on the Conservative minority government, just not yet.
A good move overall, as Stephen Dion needs time to connect with the general population, to do his tour of Canada and show the people that he is indeed capable of leading the nation. Waiting until Fall will also give the Conservative Party more time to do more damage to their credibility, with a new fold of scandal seemingly opening itself up every other week. The Conservatives are down, let's use this as a chance to get up!
Libellés : Libéraux, Politique, ROC
par Abdul-Rahim à 11:03
Different democracy in changing China
As the forces of production in China are developed so rapidly, the political climate is moving at less a break-neck pace and is at more of an amble. But there are concrete achievements being made by local citizens in the realm of public participation in politics, if lacking the democracy and protection of human rights of the much of the Western World.For example, there has been a growing infiltration of the Communist party's government apparatus by independents who would have previously been barred from participation in Chinese politics because of their personal views. Another extremely interesting development in Chinese politics is the local government of Nanjing, a large Eastern city famous for its historical importance in the story of the nation, is holding a round of debates to determine the make-up of its directorate-general, which is very interesting, sort of harkens back to the Athenian democracy of the ancient ages.
Protests are happening all over China, with land-lords, bosses, and corrupt government officials being brought to task for the injustices perpetrated against the people, though most escape any sort of reprimand. There is also an increasingly vocal environmentalist movement (which, if anyone remembers, was essential to the bring down of the oppressive Bulgarian regime prior to the fall of
The protest movement in Chengdu is at least the third such groundswell to emerge in recent years. Last year, construction of a chemical plant outside the city of Xiamen, in Fujian Province, was halted after residents held a series of street protests.
More recently, residents in Shanghai protested construction of a high-speed rail line designed to link a city suburb with the airport, forcing officials to announce the Shanghai project was being put on hold. [5.5.08 NYT]
In the coming years, as China opens up, and the economy demands a further liberalisation, we will see more and more of these, and eventually, the introduction of democracy and human rights guarantees (real ones, not the fake ones promised in the Constitution of China), or preferably, another revolution, but this time with workers control and democracy at the helm of developments, instead of the peasant army which controlled the last revolution.
Libellés : Droits
par Abdul-Rahim à 18:44
Liberal Fundraising: What's going wrong?
There is little that counts more in politics than money, and so it is with some disappointment that the latest figures for fund-raising are released: The Liberal Party of Canada raised less than one million dollars in the previous quarter. That is in comparison with 5 million for the Conservateurs and 1.1 million for the NDP. The leaders of the Official Opposition have managed to garner 846,129$ in the first three months of the year.How is it that two political parties with near equal parity in support among the general public can manage a 400% gap in funding? What is wrong with the Liberal party apparatus that has allowed its financial standing to fall below that of the New Democratic Party? Can it be that Liberal voters are simply less giving, less mobilised for the cause. Or could it be that the other parties have simply perfected the fund-raising process to a degree that has escaped the Liberals?
Of course the very obvious conclusion could be drawn that the political weakness of the party has damaged its financial status, in continually propping up the Conservative government and its politics (who seem to make everything a matter of confidence). If people are not engaged in the politics of their party, if the parliamentary party cannot maintain the Opposition effectively, how are potential donors expected to be swayed? Who's going to give money to a party that is seems to effectively be doing nothing?
par Abdul-Rahim à 11:25
World Food Crisis: Profits keep rising
As 100 million fall into danger of sever hunger, and rioting over food supplies continues, the British Independent informs us of the astronomical profits made by the large industrial players in the world's food economy. The figures speak for themselves:Monsanto (seed and pest control) 64 percent
Cargill (agribusiness) 86 percent
Mosaic (fertilizer) 1200 percent
No one should be shocked, demand often dictates profits. One would be naive to criticise the very impetus behind the entire capitalist system, profit, however this growth simply illustrates the way in which the worlds large companies continue to enrich themselves on the back of the world's most impoverished. Far away from comfort of the first world, the majority of humanity lives in abject poverty, struggling simply to survive. And it is through their labour that the large multi-nationals make their gains.
Libellés : Pauvreté et développement
par Abdul-Rahim à 12:05
Montréal: Bilingue toujours?
Est-ce que le Loi 101 un succès?Si on veut répondre à cette question, on doit considérer une autre:
Est-ce que la métropole montréalaise sera-t-elle toujours bilingue et pas francophone?
C'est la question qu'on doit se poser quand on lit les plus nouvelles manchettes concernant la situation des deux langues à la ville. Après la cacophonie autour de la situation linguistique à Montréal et les affiches adéquistes, on apprend que la Ministre d'Immigration et communautés culturelles et Emploi Québec fournissent les cours linguistiques pour les immigrants en anglais.
Oui, pour faire les nouveaux arrivants plus attirants aux embaucheurs prospectifs, la Ministre James a décidé qu'on doit apprendre l'anglais. Le porte-parole de la Ministre dit que c'est une décision «honnête et réaliste», et que la réalité de Montréal est une vraiment bilingue. Donc, on se questionne, est-ce que la Charte de la langue française a réussi si la Ministre d'immigration et le service d'emploi québécois croient encore qu'on doit connaitre l'anglais pour trouver un job.
Le but de la Charte a été pour transformer la situation linguistique du pays en faveur de la langue française, pour créer une société vraiment francophone. Si le gouvernement lui-propre ne considère pas le français suffisant pour gagner sa vie, comment est-ce qu'on peut voir le Loi 101 ayant réussi?
par Abdul-Rahim à 09:42
May Day, May Day!
The first of May is celebrated annually as a holiday of the working class, to look back on our triumphs, and forward to our future struggle. The labour movement and the Liberal Party of Canada have seemingly lost sight of that fight, that battle against the barbed teeth of capitalism, which seeks at every turn to claw back the gains made by the working class, to crush resistance to the enterprising profiteers who seek to exploit the labour of the working class for as much capital gain as possible.The greatest problem facing Canada is a severe inequality, in incomes, in quality of services, in economic and infrastructural development, with various regions and groups of people (students, immigrants, traditional industrial workers) finding themselves disadvantaged and missing out on the economic boom which has been seen across Canada for so long. Women consistently earn less than men, visible minorities find themselves discriminated against in the labour market, and those living East of the Prairies see an uphill struggle to achieve parity with the development and quality of services seen in the West.
It is the duty of each and every progressive to fight against these inequalities, to try and remedy the expressions of the contradictions of capitalism, but there must be no illusions as to the true cause: the chaos of capitalism, which will always fail to address the needs of the working class in a true and meaningful way. There have been incredible gains made by the Canadian labour movement since the last century, and it is indeed one of the best places to live in the world. However the drive for profit and the need for a constantly expanding market will always mean deprivation and inequality for many.
Libellés : Pauvreté et développement, ROC
par Abdul-Rahim à 12:49
The Bloc: Finally good for something
The Bloc Québécois has unveiled a motion calling on the House of Commons to affirm their «full and complete confidence towards Elections Canada and the Commissioner of Federal Elections», which would indeed be an interesting piece of law to debate, as the Conservative party is in a row with these two bodies over elections expenses, with Elections Canada refusing to reimburse the party for many candidates expenses on advertising, and the Commissioner having launched an inquiry into how Conservatives actually funded their advertising.How can the party of government vote against such a motion declaring confidence in official organisms? How can a party locked in a messy legal battle with the very same two organisations vote vote to affirm their complete confidence in them? This really could make the Conservatives blush, those who came to power on the promise of clean politics and an end to dodgy dealings. One is indeed reminded that no party is free from corruption and misconduct.
par Abdul-Rahim à 14:49
Monday Bits and Bobs: French in Québec
- The Bloc Québécois unveiled Bill C-482 in the Fall of last year, intended to extend Québec's Charter of the French Language to all Federal enterprises (with 50 or more people) to the same provisions as any other such employer would be subjected to, mainly an assessment of the linguistic situation at any one place of employment and then corresponding measures to francise. On the face of it this may seem like a good idea in an age where the French language remains under threat from anglophone dominance, to use a scheme which so fundamentally changed the linguistic situation in the province, especially Montréal, for the benefit of French. However when one considers the implications that it may have for French minorities in Canada, as well as the contradiction with the Federal Government's policy on bilingualism, the bill seems less appealing.
- The ADQ has caused a bit of an uproar from the Left in Québec for its campaign posters for 12 May bi-elections to be held in 2 Montréal ridings, for linking the decline of the French language in the city to a growth in immigration, which it opposes (this year will see an increase of 10 000 to the number of new arrivals selected for Québec), and which, apparently, much of Québec opposes as well. Even among Liberal voters, 48% think that the country has «reached its immigration limit». Well the ADQ is still polling less than 20%, so one can take solace in that.
- Madame Marois, leader of the Parti Québécois has promised (or threatened, depending on where you sit) to bring in a new Charter for the French Language, which would oblige all new arrivals to learn French, and put enterprises employing less than 50 people under the same expectations as larger companies to francise, while providing tax credits to help ease the burden.
Libellés : la langue, Politique, Québec, ROC
par Abdul-Rahim à 11:12
A nastier Canada?
The Canadian census is set to reveal a number of worrying trends taking place over the last 25-30 years in the national economy, with a growing disparity in income, and especially with immigrants and First Nations and young people who are finding finding themselves increasingly disadvantaged as they compete in an often brutal labour market. Housing costs are increasing dramatically for those on lower incomes , and there is a general weakening of the economic status of middle to lower income Canadians, with the most vulnerable the hardest hit, while those at the top are increasing their wealth. In the Globe and Mail, New Brunswick economist Lars Oberg remarked:“Here we are in a country built on the expectation of economic growth,” Prof. Osberg said. “With the Canadian labour force way more educated than it was 25 years ago. With the baby boomers moving into their most productive years. With a whole series of policy initiatives, from the free-trade agreement to de-regulation, that were all aimed at improving productivity and the efficiency of market force. Lots of things going on that one would have expected would produce increases in real wages.The truth is that only the naive would expect things like deregulation and free trade to improve the standard of living or opportunities for ordinary Canadians, let alone the most vulnerable. The Canadian government has operated in a manor that has largely destroyed the securities that the Canadian labour movement fought so hard to win, and has fundamentally changed the way that people sell their labour to employers, all towards the disadvantage of workers and the increase in profits for the bourgeois.
“Yet if you look at what I call the middle 90 per cent [of Canadians on the income scale], there's not a whole lot of change. And if you want to talk about the bottom 5 per cent it's clear that it's a nastier Canada now than it used to be.”
Libellés : Pauvreté et développement, ROC, Économie
par Abdul-Rahim à 12:11
Troubling Naivity from the American Left
The American left seems to be quite troubled by the crisis of capitalism which grips the United States, as unsustainable growth continues on the basis of capital that is non-existent, and an economy which has long stopped being productive enough to sustain itself. The Democrats blame Republicans for the laissez-faire approach to business that they see as the problem, and somehow believe that certain measures of remedy could have avoided the massive financial down-falls which are occurring in the financial world.No amount of regulation would have stopped the global down-turn which is happening. Capitalist governments are not in the business of impeding economic growth, no matter how superficial and unsustainable, so a Democratic president would have had little effect on the problems facing the markets today. Would tighter financial measures and transparency have led to a less deafening blow to numerous financial giants which saw themselves forced to accept government handouts from the Treasury and writing off billions upon billions?
Possibly, but companies act in the way that they want and no amount of posturing from either side of the political aisle will see the appearance of a true opposition to the Wall Street lobby. In fact it was the Clinton White House with support from Congressional Democrats and Republicans which opened up this latest round of deregulation, via the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act.
The truth about capitalism is that it is quite barbaric, quite nonsensical, and unfair by nature. Attacking companies for their right offs, and bourgeois governments for bailing them out, simply serves to sustain the illusion that capitalism entitles something better and more ordered. The cowboys will always rule in the financial chaos that this system of production creates, and crying about playing fair won't help defend vulnerable workers from the ravages of capitalism, both in the United States and abroad. The next thing you know, people will be asking why tens of thousands of children die every night from malnourishment and preventable illnesses. The disease has a name as well: Capitalism.
Libellés : Pauvreté et développement, États-Unis
par Abdul-Rahim à 10:29
