[Tisn] FW: Social Justice News

=20
Social Justice News
(Produced by th= e Centre for Social Justice)
= ;
EVENTS
1. Planet in Focus Film = Festival - November 1-5
2. Panel: "Grassy Narrows Blockaders Speak" - No= vember 2
3. Forum: "Canada's Role in Afghanistan" = - November 2
4. Conversation: "GetSocial= : Building a progressive Canada" - November 2
5. All-Candidat= e's Meeting: Ward 20 - November 2
6. Emergency Picket: Mexican Consulate=
- November 3
7. Panel: "El Salvador: 14 Years of Democracy, 14 Years of=
Crisis" - November 3
8. Film: "Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers" - Nov= ember 3
9. Discussion: "Jai Sen on the World Social Forum" - November 3=
10. Conference: "Canada-Cuba Labour Solidarity" - November 3-5
11. R= ally & Eco-Fair: "Stop Climate Chaos!" - November 4
12. Panel: "Out = of the Ashes: A Jewish-First Nations Dialogue on Cultural
Renewal after=

Genocide" - November 5
13. Report Launch: "Marching Orders: How Canada = Abandoned Peacekeeping" - November 8
14. Regent Park Film Festival - Nov= ember 8-12
15. Speaker's Series: "Activists On Trial" - November 8-2216. Conference: "Making the Filipino Community Count in Ontario" - Novembe= r 10-12
17. Rally and Public Forum for Toronto Hotel Workers - November = 10
18. Fundraiser - Film and Discussion Night: = "Crash" - November 13
19. Fair Vote Canada AGM - November 15<= BR>20. National Housing Day Car Rally - November 22
21. Panel: "Defendin= g Medicare" - December 1
22. Monthly Pickets of Canada Pension Plan Head= quarters - Ongoing
OUT OF TOWN EVENTS
1. Protest at Canada's #= 1 War Profiteer - November 20
ACTION ALERTS
1. Support Needed for the Peo= ple of Oaxaca
2. Living Wage Bill to be Debated in Legislature - Novembe= r 2
3. Code Blue for Child Care: Cross-Canada Lobby of Liberal MPs
RESOURCES
1. Students for Social Justice Pr= oject Officially Launches
2. New Issue File Available on the Childcare R= esource and Research Unit's Website
3. Growing Older, Working Longer: Th= e New Face of Retirement
4. Become a Member of rabble.ca
NEWS
1. The Social Welfare State: Beyond Id= eology
2. Social Movements Challenge Lula in Brazil
3. Coal Mining In= dustry Generating Power and Poverty in Colombia
4. Canada's New Foreign = Policy Alarms Workers
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
EVENTS
1. Planet in Focus Film Festiv= al - November 1-5
Wednesday, November 1 - S= unday, November 5
Various theatres/times
Venues: The ROM, Innis Colle= ge (U of T), and the Bata
Shoe Museum
The seventh annual Planet in Focus film fest features
more th= an eighty films from around the world, and
delves into such diverse topi= cs as running an AIDS
hospice in Zambia, grappling with water shortages = in
Palestine, delivering mail in the mountains of Bhutan,
and solving=

gridlock in New York City.
Toronto in the Moving Image is the special theme of
this year=92s Spotli= ght Program. This retrospective of
Toronto=92s life on film spans = more than a hundred
years, from the silent era to the present day. You= =92ll
see footage of the Great fire of 1904, the building of
the Bloo= r Viaduct in 1916, the 1950s destruction of
urban slums to build Regent = Park, and even 1970s
psychedelic culture at Rochdale. Altogether, = the city
is revealed as an evolving work in progress.
Also featured in the Planet in Focus program are
several panel discussio= ns, an organic pancake
breakfast, and an Activist Filmmaker=92s workshop=

where
filmmakers, broadcasters, NGO representatives and
environmenta= l activists will discuss how the
production and dissemination of activis= t cinema works.
Check the website at www.planetinfocus.org for details
on tickets= , festival parties, and screening times.
------------------------= ------------------------------------------------------------------------2. "Panel: Grassy Narrows Blockaders Spe= ak" - November 2
November 2nd, 2006.=

7 p.m.
Steelworkers Hall
25 Cecil St. (1 block south of College 2 bl= ocks east of Spadina)
Pay what you can. We suggest a donation of $5-$10 = to support Grassy Narrows.
Grassy Narrows Blockaders Speak
Respect Native Rights; Protec= t Ancient Forests
Judy Da Silva and Roberta Keesick, two Indigenous leaders of the Grassy
= Narrows logging blockade will speak about their fight to protect their
c= ulture, their forests, and their Indigenous people's right to
self-deter= mination on their traditional territory.
*BACKGROUND:*
2,500 square miles of forests, lakes and rivers north of K= enora, Ontario
have sustained the people of Grassy Narrows First Nation = for thousands
of years. Now Weyerhaeuser, and Abitibi, with the consent = of the
McGuinty government are driving a wave of destructive logging tha= t
threatens to uproot their traditional way of life.
On December 2nd, 2002 the indigenous youth of the Grassy Narrows First
N= ation lay down in the path of industrial logging machines blockingaccess to their traditional homeland. Their action sparked the longest
= standing indigenous logging blockade in Canadian history.
But, almost 4 years later, logging is still taking place on remote
secti= ons of Grassy Narrows' land. Weyerhaeuser, Abitibi, and the Ontario
Gove= rnment refuse to stop the logging, and respect the community's right
to = manage their territrory as they see fit.
Endorsed by: Christian Peacemaker Teams, ForestEthics, Rainforest ActionNetwork, Journalists for Human Rights Ryerson
For more information check out:
www.friendsofgrassynarrows.com &l= t; http://www.friendsofgrassynarrows.com/>
www.freegrassy.o= rg
http://www.cpt.org/
www.wheresmcguinty.ca
On-site childcare will be available
Transportation subsidies are ava= ilable (TTC)
Contact: 416-597-1904, Kathy
Wheelchair accessible
--= ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= -------------------
3. Forum: "Canada'= s Role in Afghanistan" - November 2
= Thursday, November 2, 7:30-9:30pm
St. Lawrence Centre, 27 Front St. East=

(2 blocks east of Union Stn)
Free Public Forum
CANADA'S ROLE IN AFGHANISTAN
Recent polls indicate an increasing number of Canadians are uneasy with our=

presence in Afghanistan, an unease that appears to increase with the d= eath of
every Canadian soldier. October marked the 5th anniversary of th= e UN sanctioned
war against the Taliban. In this time Canada has sent 2= ,300 soldiers and Afghanistan
has become the single biggest recipient o= f Canadian foreign aid.
Afghanistan has a new constitution, has conducted successful elections, and=

4 million
children are attending schools. But in southern Afghanistan = thousands are starving,
poppy production has shot up, and the Taliban i= nsurgency is gaining strength. Is Canada
successfully winning the heart= s and minds of the Afghani people, or are we doing more
harm than good?=
Is targeting insurgents the right emphasis for the mission? How is success = in Afghanistan
being measured? Is there an urgency for stepped up negoti= ations and reconstruction? What
would happen if we pulled our troops out= ?
Panelists:
Ali Mallah: Vice President, Canadian Arab Federation; Canadia= n Peace Alliance; Human
Rights and International Solidarity Committee, = CUPE.
General (ret'd) Paul Manson: President, the Conference of Defence = Associations Institute
and former Chief of the Defence Staff.
Adeena=

Niazi: Founding Executive Director, Afghan Women's Organization.
Joanna=

Santa Barbara: McMaster Centre for Peace Studies on Afghanistan and Physic= ians
for Global Survival.
The Department of National Defence and CIDA have also been invited.
Moderator: Carol Off: Host of As It Happens, CBC Radio.
Presented by the StLC FORUM and Ontario Voice of Women
To download=

printable flyer go to http://forum.stlc.com
--------------------= ---------------------------------------------------------------------------=
4. Conversation: "GetSocial: Build= ing a progressive Canada" - November 2
SOCIAL JUSTICE NIGHTS
Fun, interesting= , and progressive...
Thursday, November 2 - 7-9pm
at the Free Time= s Cafe, 320 College Street, Toronto
Join this week's conversation about
GetSocial.ca: Building a pro= gressive Canada
with David Langille, John Gultig,
and = Shirley Ramsarran from the Centre for Social Justice
Come early for dinner and meet like-minded people who share your values.=
-------------------------------------------------------------------= ---------
Opinion polls confirm that the Canadian people are progressive=

-- more progressive
than their government on most key issues such as c= hild care, climate change,
affordable housing, unemployment insurance, = unions, etc.. So why aren't we getting
the policies we want? = ; How can we create a more progressive Canada?
The GetSocial campaign.
The Centre for Social Justice has been rallying some of Canada=92s = leading social
movements to discuss what can be done.
We=92ve=

gathered some of the best thinkers too. We=92ve met and we=92ve talk= ed, and
here=92s what we want to do:

We want to build a=

movement for a progressive Canada.
We want to Get Social.
Most Canadians don=92t want to sell out the country to make a quick=

dollar, especially
not to George Bush and the oil companies. There are millions of us who want to preserve our public health care syste= m, and
protect the environment.

But we need to educ= ate people about the dangers we face.
We need to offer a positive=

alternative.
And we need to act fast, because the next federal election could be an impo= rtant
turning point for the future of this country.
In its first bud= get last May, the Conservative government announced $20 billion in
pers= onal and corporate tax cuts.
With polls now showing the Liberals tied w= ith the Conservatives, further tax cuts are being
offered.
Take a lo= ok at what the Finance Minister is promising:
Even though the Cons= ervatives could be defeated in an election as soon as
next spring, Flah= erty said he aims to put his stamp on the economy for years to
come, la= ying out a long-term plan in the coming weeks for lower taxes and
reduc= ed public spending. Reuters, Mon Oct 16, 2006

Here=92s our basic message. See if you agree:
&= nbsp;
Canada is a rich country; but the rich are getting richer while mo= st of us are just getting by.
They enjoy tax cuts while we suffer servi= ce cuts.
We can afford a better quality of life for all Canadians, but = we need to invest in ourselves,
our families, our communities, our coun= try.
Public investment brings good jobs, builds strong communities, and=

ensures opportunity for all.
We can do better together.
= &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; =
We believe all Canadia= ns should enjoy a quality of life that offers dignity, respect, and opportu= nity,
and we are convinced that we can do better together=

than we can competing alone.
We can offer a model to the world o= f a cooperative commonwealth, of a multinational country
with diverse p= eople working together for a better future =96 taking care of the earth and=

the people on it.
We want to contribute to a better informed public, a public that will deman= d more progressive policies.
We want to reach people in their com= munities and spark conversations between neighbours,
friends and family=

members about the need for public investment rather than tax cuts.
&nbs= p;
We=92ll offer a Quick Response Media Team to orchestrat= e our messages, Public Investment
Advocates to champion ou= r cause, an interactive website to share our materials, and a= n
Outreach Team to support community campaigns featuring = civic assemblies, town hall
meetings, and kitchen table discussions bet= ween family, friends and neighbours

The GetSocial campa= ign is a long-term effort to roll back the corporate agenda and re-b= uild
our social infrastructure.
We'll spread the word that quality of life is more important t= han quantity of goods
consumed.
At the end of the day, you = can=92t buy good schools at the mall. You can=92t buy good child
= care at Walmart. And you can=92t buy social security at Costco.
Join us in building a progressive Canada.
----------------------= ------------------------------------------------------
SOCIAL JUSTICE=

NIGHTS
The Center for Social Justice is organizing a weekly series of conversa= tions
that promise to be fun, interesting and progressive!
Each Thursday evening from 7:00 to 9:00pm we will offer a discussion
of = current issues and events with featured guests, films, music, etc
These are meant to be introductory sessions -- Social Justice 101 encouraging a new generation to become more informed and more active onsocial justice issues.
We have chosen a licensed venue where people will feel comfortable
socia= lizing after the event -- to continue the discussion, forge
relationship= s and build a stronger movement and political culture.
Our featured guest(s) will jump-start the discussion with some introductory=
remarks rather than deliver a lecture.
We want to engage people in thoughtful and provocative conversation, in an<= BR>interactive and inclusive atmosphere.
You don't have to come every week, but when you do, you'll find interesting=
things going on -- special guests, a video on current issues, music and interesting people to meet.
VENUE
Free Times Caf=E9 offers a central location close to the U = of T.
It also has a reputation for original music, drama and poetr= y readings
located in the funky Kensington area.
Free Times Caf=E9 is located at 320 College Street, Toronto
(Two blocks = west of College and Spadina).
It is wheelchair accessible.
ADMISSION POLICY
The series is free. We will encourage donations = of $3 to $5 to cover the
costs of publicity.
FALL PROGRAM (this is a draft schedule subject to change)
Nov 9    Forum on Fair Voting
   &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;     -- the need for electoral reform in Ontario
= Nov 16    Climate Change: A youth perspective
Nov 23&n= bsp;   Inequality is Bad for Your Health
Nov 30  &nb= sp; Immigration and Refugee Issues
Dec 7      L= essons for the Left =96 Old Reds sharing with Young Pinkos
&nb= sp;
We welc= ome your suggestions....
---------------------------------------= --------------------------------------------------------
5. All-Candidate's Meeting: Ward 20 - November 2
= Thursday, November 2, 6pm-8pm
The Lillia= n H. Smith Library, lower level
239 College Street (just east of Spadina= )
We are holding an all-candidates' meeting at 6p.m. to 8p.m. onThursday November 2, 2006 for the municipal election in Ward 20. Th= e
candidates invited are: Desmond Cole, Helen Kennedy, Doug Lowry, Chris=
Ouellette, Carmin Priolo, Devendra Sharma, Joseph Tuan, Adam Vaughan. We hope those of you who live in Ward 20 will attend this meeting and
he= ar from the candidates. The boundaries of Ward 20 are: North from Lake
= Ontario on Bathurst to Bloor, west along Bloor to Christie, north on
Chr= istie to Dupont, east along Dupont to Avenue Road and then south on
Aven= ue Road to University Avenue, ending at the Lake. It also includesthe area south of Lakeshore Boulevard over to Strachan Avenue.
-------= ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= -------------
6. Emergency Picket: Mex= ican Consulate - November 3
Friday N= ovember 3rd 12:00pm -2pm
199 Bay Street, Suite 4440
!!Emergency Picket in front of Consulate of Mexico in Toronto!!!=
Solidarity with the people of Oaxaca in resistance
The Situation in Oaxaca has escalated over the past week with the FederalPolice moving in to clear out the occupation of the City Centre carriedout since July. International Solidarity is incredibly important- t= his
demonstration is one of many taking place around the world.
-----= ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= ---------------
7. Film: "Iraq for Sal= e: The War Profiteers" - November 3
Friday November 3, 3:00 to 5:00 pm
Room 179 (Media Room) of University = College
on the campus of the University of Toronto
Science for Peace presents a screening of the film
"Iraq for = Sale: The War Profiteers"
followed by a panel discussion:
"Canadian Corporations and Universities = in the Service of War"
with Matthew Behrens (Homes Not Bombs) and
Eri= n Hodge (radio documentary producer).
This is a free event (donations to cover costs of
showing are welcomed) = and is open to the public.
(Note: Additional showings can be organised for evenings if
enough peopl= e indicate their preference for such a screening)
Check out the Science for Peace web site
( http://scienceforpeace.sa.= utoronto.ca)
for more details and a map to the University College.<= BR> You can also email health.humanrights@utoronto.ca
or call 416-978-8741 f= or more information
----------------------------------------------------= -------------------------------------------
8. Panel: "El Salvador: 14 Years of Democracy, 14 Years of
Cris= is" - November 3
Friday, November 3,=

7:00PM
OISE/UT, 252 Bloor Street West, Room 2-211
EL SALVADOR: 14 years of democracy, 14 years of crisis
Fourteen years after having signed a UN brokered peace accord, the Salvador= ean
government has failed to deliver democratic reforms capable of fost= ering an enduring peace.
High rates of unemployment, poverty, migration=

and crime have created a generalised sense
of crisis among the civilian=

population as the goverment's continued liberalization of the
economy = benefits only a small economic elite. Many believe that El Salvador is on i= ts way
to the kind of political crisis that led to civil war during the=

1970s and 80s.
GUEST SPEAKERS:
* Rusa Jeremic (KAIROS)
The=

impact of Economic Globalization in Central America
* Fidel Nieto=

(Lutheran University of El Salvador)
The failure of UN bro= kered peace accords and the current institutional crisis in El Salvador
= * Juan Carranza (SALVAIDE)
Salvadorean Diaspora and i= ts role in shaping civil society
Presented by: Salvadorean Canadian Association (ASALCA), with the collabora= tion of Transformative
Learning Centre (OISE/UT), KAIROS, SalvAide, CEL= SAN, CUPE Ontario-International
Solidarity Committee, and CKLN.
----= ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= ----------------
9. Discussion: "Jai S= en on the World Social Forum" - November 3
Friday, November 3, 10-12 noon
7th floor board room, Jorgenson Ha= ll at Ryerson University
(Walk east on Gerrard from Yonge. Turn right on= to Ryerson Campus.
Jorgenson Hall is the first building on your right. G= o in and to the
right for the elevators to the 7th floor)
Jai Sen will be speaking at Ryerson University about the World S= ocial Forum.
Jai Sen is one of the leading commentators on the World Soc= ial Forum and
was a member of the Indian organizing committee toward the=

2004 WSF in
Mumbai. He is the editor of several collections on the WSF = including "World
Social Forum: Challenging Empires" with Anita Anand, A= rturo Escobar and
Peter Waterman.
On clocks and clouds: Notes on the dynamics of change
Some thoughts on t= he World Social Forum as an emergent process
It is widely accepted that the World Social Forum is an extremely significa= nt
cultural-political phenomenon. In this talk, I explore the pos= sibility that the
significance and meaning of the WSF lies precisely in=

the fact that it is a public
space (to use this term in the sense that = Jane Jacobs did), or an 'open space',
where large numbers of people are=

able to meet as relatively autonomous and
anonymous beings and to excha= nge notes -- notes about the present, notes about
the past, notes about=

the future : Notes that go to make history. The significance
als= o lies however not in the fact that those who meet do so as 'activists' or = as 'academics'
or whatever, but as members of a species that today sense= s that it is struggling for
survival - and therefore, for other worlds.= ..
---------------------------------------------------------------------= --------------------------
10. Confere= nce: "Canada-Cuba Labour Solidarity" - November 3-5
Canada-Cuba Solidarity Labour Conference
November 3, 4 a= nd 5, 2006
Steelworkers Union Hall, 25 Cecil Street, Toronto, OntarioIndividual registration fee is $35
o Pedro Ross Real, General Secretary of the Cuban Worker Central=

(CTC)
o Hayde Montes Cabrera, General Secretary of the National Union o= f Cultural Workers
o Leonel Gonzalez Gonzales, Director of Foreign Relat= ions of the CTC
o Manuel Montero Bistilliero, Director of Foreign Relati= ons - Americas Department of the CTC
o Edison Earl Brown, Official Inter= preter of the CTC
- Report from Cuban Delegation on present situation in Cuba
- History of=

Unions in Cuba. Role of Unions in Cuban Society
- Role of Women in Unio= ns. Democracy in Cuba
- Struggle against Free Trade and Neo-liberalism i= n North, Central and South America and
the Bolivarian Alternative for t= he Americas (ALBA).
- Health and Education Systems in Cuba and Canada.- The truth about the US and the "war on terrorism".
- The anti-terror= ist "Cuban Five".
- What's next for Canadian Unions?
- Solidarity wor= k with Cuban Workers/Unions
(reports from CUPW, CUPE, and UFCW).
For information contact:
Heide Trampus, Worker to Worker
w2wcclsn@hot= mail.com
Organized by Worker to Worker, Canada-Cuba Labour Solidarity Ne= twork
------------------------------------------------------------------= -----------------------------
11. Rall= y & Eco-Fair: "Stop Climate Chaos!" - November 4
color=3D#ff0000>Saturday, November 4
1:00 pm rally at Nathan Phillips S= quare
March to Eco-Fair at Metro Hall (11:00 am to 4:00 pm)
STOP CLIMATE CHAOS
RALLY & ECOFAIR
Stop the War on Te= rra
Global Day of Action
Climate science is clear: the earth's climate is changing due to rising gre= enhouse gas emissions,
with catastrophic results becoming more certain = the longer we wait to act.
The Harper government has abandoned Kyoto for a "Made-in-Canada" plan that = will do
nothing while promoting massive expansion of Alberta's tar sand= s, a large contributor to
Canada's greenhouse gas emissions and an ecol= ogical disaster waiting to happen.
We need to turn our government's policies around by raising our voices toge= ther to demand
less Hot Air and more action on reducing greenhouse gas = emissions so that climate change
can be slowed, then stopped. Emi= ssions reduction targets, based on peer-reviewed climate
science, must = be adopted and plans put in place to implement them if we hope to slow thes= e
planetary processes.
Join us on November 4th at 1:00 pm at Nathan Phillips Square for a rally to=

demand that
Canada Rejoin the World and commit to the Kyoto process, a= lthough more realistic and
drastic emissions reduction targets will be = required to prevent catastrophic climate change
events in the future. Before the rally, check out the Eco-Fair at Metro Hall (King St. and John S= t.) starting at
11:00 am. After the rally, march with us to the Eco-Fai= r, an event intended to bring together
people working for environmental=

sustainability, a fair trade world, human rights, nuclear
phase-out, a= nd much much more. Tables from Greenpeace, Global Aware, Toronto=E2=80=99s =
Air Apparent, Canada Youth Climate Coalition, Citizens for Renewable En= ergy, Science
for Peace, Gene Action, Forest Ethics, and much much more= .
Toronto November 4th Stop Climate Chaos Rally / Eco-Fair organized by
t= he Toronto Chapter Council of Canadians, ACT for the Earth and the Toronto = Climate
Chaos Coalition
www.ACTfortheEarth.org/climatechaos
For information contact c= limatechaos@actfortheearth.org
Organized by the Toronto Climate Chao= s Coalition
------------------------------------------------------------= ------------------------------------
1= 2. Panel: "Out of the Ashes: A Jewish-First Nations Dialogue on
Cultura= l Renewal after Genocide" - November 5
Sunday November 5, 7:3= 0pm
The Winchevsky Centre, located at 585 Cranbrooke Avenue (5 blocks no= rth of
Lawrence, east off Bathurst).
The Winchevsky Centre is proud to sponsor the Holocaust Education Week
p= rogram "Out of the Ashes: A Jewish-First Nations Dialogue on Cultural
Re= newal after Genocide".
Featuring special guest speakers
Professor Ben Carniol and Anne Solomon<= BR> This event will feature a dialogue between representatives from the
Jewi= sh and First Nations communities on how we rebuild our culture "out
of t= he ashes" through education and the arts. The program will also
include = several cultural components, including music, poetry and a
traditional A= nishnawbek smudge.
Ben Carniol is Professor Emeritus, Ryerson University, where he
currentl= y works with coordinators from the First Nations Technical
Institute to = deliver Ryerson's social work program off-campus to
Aboriginal students.=

Ben was a hidden child during the Holocaust.
Anne Solomon is Anishnawbe= -kwe of the Bear Clan, and has been active in
her Native community and t= he broader community for over 40 years. She
teaches about genocide, the = healing and renewal of her First Nations Peoples.
Admission is free. (Voluntary donations)
For more information, call 416-= 789-5502.
This event is generously supported by the Shek Family Memorial=

Fund of
the United Jewish People's Order.
--------------------------= ----------------------------------------------------------------------
<= FONT color=3D#ff0000 size=3D4>13. Report Launch: "Marching Orders: How C= anada Abandoned
Peacekeeping" - November 8
Wednesday, November 8, 7:00 pm
Metro Hall, 55 John St., Room = 308
The Council of Canadians presents:
"MARCHING ORDERS" - How Canada Abandoned Peacekeeping
With Steven Staples, author of "Marching Orders"
"Marching Orders" is a new report that examines how Canada has abandoned UN=

peacekeeping in favour of U.S.-led combat missions and argues that we = should
reverse course - before it's too late. It makes a compelling arg= ument that the war in
Afghanistan is a losing battle - one that is re-di= recting Canadian resources away from
the UN - at a time when peacekeepi= ng needs Canada now more than ever. Admission
is free and copies of the = "Marching Orders" report will be on hand.
For more information contact Eduardo Sousa, esousa@canadians.org, 416.979.5= 554
"Marching Orders" by Steven Staples is available in PDF at:
http://ww= w.canadians.org/display_document.htm?COC_token=3D&id=3D1509&isdoc= =3D1&catid=3D455
----------------------------------------------= --------------------------------------------------
size=3D4>14. Regent Park Film Festival - November 8-12
November 8-12th, 2006 (All screenings are free!)
= Nelson Mandela Park Public School
440 Shuter Street, Toronto
See www.regentparkfilmfestival.com for complete details about=
films, workshops, discussions and photo exhibits.
*********** *********** *********** =

***********
Wednesday, Nov 8, 6-8pm Wrecking Ball Videos fr= om Regent Park Focus!
1. The Regent Park Redevelopment: A video exploring the Regent Park Redevel= opment
featuring interviews with youth about the process of moving out.<= BR>2. Grand Theft Auto : a youth produced documentary on violent video game= s and their
fascination among youth.
3. The Hijab: A group of pre-te= en girls explore their own beliefs and values while giving
a much wider=

audience a better insight on wearing the Hijab and its role in Islam.
4= . The Adventures of Bike Man: a drama about a local superhero that takes on=

his
arch-villain the Evil Stripped Bandit; all while teaching young bi= ke riders about safety
5. What Sweatshops Have To Do With Me: In this do= cumentary local youth get informed
about globalization, sweatshop-free = alternatives
6. I Came, I Struggled and I Worked: The Experiences of Imm= igrant Businesspeople- And More!
*********** ***********&nbs= p; *********** ***********
Complete list of films a= vailable on www.regentparkfilmfestival.com
For information contact:
Patricia Lee, Festival Manager,
The = Regent Park Film Festival
415 Gerrard St. East
Toronto, Ontario, M5A = 2H4
office_416.981.6725
fax _416.981.6986
e. manager@regentparkfil= mfestival.com
----------------------------------------------------------= --------------------------------------
15. Speaker's Series: "Activists On Trial" - November 8-22
<= B>November 8 thru 22 (dates listed below) 7:00pm to 8= :30pm - Doors open 6:30pm
Trinity St. Paul=92s United Church (The = Sanctuary)
427 Bloor Street West, between Robert and Major Streets and = just west of Spadina Avenue
Spadina subway closet public transit stopTickets: sold at the door
$12 for adults, $2 for the unemployed, free f= or the homeless

Everyone is welcome !
<= BR>Peaceful Parks Coalition
Activists On Trial
Join us for a provoca= tive speaker=92s series in Toronto beginning in November 2006 entitled
= =93Activists on Trial=94.

This series of lectures=

has been organized to:
1) emphasis civil activism as the cornerstone sh= aping modern civil society;
2) discuss the meaning and application of th= e Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and;
3) raise funds for legal fees for=

social justice activists that have been unlawfully arrested during
tim= es of peaceful protests.
Below are bios and abstracts for each speaker and lecture.
Guest Speakers include:
Wednesday November 8, 2006
Rebecca = Aldworth, Humane Society of the United States
Canada's Shame: Why th= e Canadian Government is Criminalizing Observation of Canada's
Commerci= al Seal Hunt

Tuesday November 14, 2006
John Clark= e, Ontario Coalition Against Poverty
Using the Judicial System to Th= wart Social Activism

Tuesday November 21, 2006=

Robert Kellerman, Law Union of Ontario
The Charter=

of Rights and Freedoms =96 What Is It, Why Do We Need It.
Wednesday November 22, 2006
Janie Jamieson, Six Nations of the G= rand River Territory
Attitudes Towards Aboriginal Activism in Caled= onia

This speakers' series is hosted by the Peaceful Parks Co= alition
Web: www.peacefulparks.orgn E. ppc@peacefulparks.org&nbs= p; T. 416.785.8636
-----------------------------------------= -------------------------------------------------------
16. Conference: "Making the Filipino Community Count in <= BR>Ontario" - November 10-12
Novembe= r 10-12
Steelworkers Hall, 25 Cecil St.
The Philippine Women Centre of Ontario (PWC-ON) and the National=

Alliance of
Philippine Women in Canada (NAPWC) gear up to make the Fil= ipino community
count in Ontario at a province-wide conference on Novem= ber 10-12, 2006 at the
Steelworkers Hall (25 Cecil St.), Toronto, Ontar= io.
This 2 1/2 day conference called "Making the Filipino Communtiy Count in On= tario"
is part of NAPWC's three-year project in accord with Multicultura= lism Canada's
mandate "to assist in the development of strategies that = facilitates full and active
participation of ethnic and cultural commun= ities...by assisting in the identification
and removal of barriers to e= quitable acess and by supporting the involvement of these
communities i= n public decision-making processes."
For more information or to register, contact the conference secretariat:
Joy C. Sioson
Philippine Women Centre of Ontario
416-878-8= 772 / 416-656-2660
email: pwcontario@yahoo.ca
Cecilia Diocson
National Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada
yuson= oyas@shaw.ca
-----------------------------------------------------------= -------------------------------------
= 17. Rally and Public Forum for Toronto Hotel Workers - November 10
<= /FONT>Rally:
Friday November 10, 4:30 to 6:00Delta Chelsea Hotel
Public Forum:
Friday November 10, 6:00 to 8:00
Ryerson University, Li= brary Building
350 Victoria Street, Room 72
On Friday November 10th, hotel workers in Toronto will be holdin= g a
rally and public forum. Toronto hotel workers are part of Hotel Workers Rising! an international campaign to raise the standards in
th= e hotel industry. Work in the service industry and the hotel
industry i= s very difficult. For example, many room attendants are
injured at work=

as hotel companies bring in heavier mattresses, more
pillows and heavy=

duvets. In Toronto, hotel workers have had some
success at improving t= heir jobs - a new contract at the Sheraton
Centre and Hilton hotels inc= ludes provisions to lessen workload for
room attendants. Hotel workers = across the city are fighting to
ensure the higher standards of the Sher= aton and Hilton contracts
become the higher standard for all Toronto ho= tels.
Victoria Sobrepena, a room attendant at the Delta Chelsea hotel, is
ava= ilable to make class announcements or 5-minute presentations at
meeting= s and seminars. Please contact Ben Mantle at 416-510-0887 x
253 to arra= nge for Victoria to come to your class or your meeting.
Thanks and see you on November 10th. Please help spread the word!
www= .hotelworkersrising.org/Toronto
http://mail.arts.ryerson.ca/exch= web/bin/redir.asp
http://www.hotelworkersrising.org/Toronto&g= t;
--------------------------------------------------------------------= ----------------------------
18. Fu= ndraiser - Film and Discussion Night: "Crash" - November 13
Monday, November 13, 6:30pm
Third Floor Boar= droom (rm. 302) 489 College St. (just west of College and Bathurst)
Admi= ssion by donation (suggested donation $5 or PWYC)
The Centre for Social Justice Presents:
A screening and discussio= n of the film "Crash."
For two days in Los Angeles, a racially and economically diverse gro= up of people pursue
lives that collide with one another in unexpected w= ays. These interactions are always
interesting, and sometimes quite uns= ettling. The film explores and challenges your
ability to judge books b= y their covers.
Drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and snacks will be for sale.
T= ickets will also be on sale for a (fabulous) raffle taking place at the Dec= ember 11 screening.
All proceeds will go to support the Centre for Socia= l Justice=92s World Social Forum fundraising efforts.
Please forward = widely.
The Centre for Social Justice is raising funds to enable our staff t= o
attend the 2007 World Social Forum in Nairobi this coming January. In the coming weeks, we will be holding a series of events in which
w= e watch and discuss a mainstream film.
November 27 - Lord of War
Dece= mber 11 - Maria Full of Grace
For information contact the Centre for Social Justice:
(416) 927-077= 7 or justice@socialjustice.org
-----------------------------------------= -------------------------------------------------------
19. Fair Vote Canada AGM - November 15
<= FONT color=3D#ff0000>Wednesday, November 15, 7:30 pm
Rogers Communicatio= n Centre, Ryerson University
80 Gould Street, Toronto
Eaton Lecture T= heatre (Room RCC204 second floor)
100 Days for Democracy
Fair Vote Ontario Campaign Kick-= Off
What will the Ontario Citizens=92 Assembly on Electoral Reform recommend ne= xt spring?
Will the October 4, 2007 electoral reform referendum give us=

the chance to vote for a
voting system with equal votes and fair, prop= ortional results? How can you help make
it happen? Learn more and join = the multi-partisan Fair Vote Ontario campaign.
Featured speakers:
Rick Anderson, Director, Fireweed Democracy Project, = former advisor to Preston Manning
Hon. Carolyn Bennett, M.P., St. Paul= =92s, and recent Liberal Party leadership candidate
Joe Murray, Chair, F= air Vote Ontario
Judy Rebick, CAW Gindin Chair in Social Justice, Ryerso= n University
Co-sponsored by: Fair Vote Canada, Fireweed Democracy=

Project, CAW Gindin Chair
in Social Justice, Ryerson University
NOTE: The AGM of the Toronto Chapter of Fair Vote Canada will precede=

the
meeting: 6:30 pm-7:15 pm. All are welcome.
--------------------= ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= -
20. National Housing Day Car Rally -=

November 22
Wednesday, November 22<= BR>1030am - start decorating cars
1100am - car rally starts
Location = and Route TBA
November 22nd is National Housing Day (it commemorates the anniv= ersary of the Big
City Mayors declaring homelessness a national disaste= r in 1998).
Here in Toronto TDRC, Ryerson students, and other organizations are plannin= g a car rally.
The location and route is yet to be determined but please=

mark this in your calendars now.
The event is intended to draw attention to the continual shortage of afford= able housing, as
well as the potential end of SCPI, RRAP and other fede= ral programs that assist people who
are homeless. (If you don't have a = car, we can help connect you with a ride. If you want to
bike, there wil= l be an alternative route in place).
We envision this being a public, but safe, car parade (similar to the ways = in which cars drive
around following a World Cup or Stanley Cup game (so= rry Leaf fans, I know that doesn't happen
here).
If you would like to participate with your vehicle, would like to attend bu= t need a ride, or if your
agency would like to endorse the event (simpl= e name endorsement, financial donation or
participation of a vehicle, ag= ency van, bus etc), please email us at tdrc@tdrc.net
More details to follow.
------------------------------------------------= ------------------------------------------------
21. Panel: Defending Medicare - December 1
Friday, December 1 at 7:00 pm
St. Andrew's Church, Kin= g and Simcoe Streets
The Ontario Health Coalition Lecture Series Rise Up: Reports on = Social Movements
and Defending Medicare
An evening with Maude Barlow and Naomi Klein,
joined by Natalie Mehra, a= nd moderated by Dora Jeffries, the coalition co-chair.
For further information contact the
Ontario Health Coalition at:
416-= 441-2502 or email: ohc@sympatico.ca
------------------------------------= ------------------------------------------------------------
22. Monthly Pickets of Canada Pension Plan Headquart= ers - Ongoing
Join us on the second = Wednesday of every month
Wednesday, 14 December 2005 =96 Wednesday, 13 D= ecember 2006 (5:00pm - 6:00pm)
Canada Pension Plan Headquarters, 1 Queen=

Street East (at Yonge) Toronto, ON
Demand Pensions for Peace: Monthly Picket of Canada Pension Plan
= What if there was a sponsorship scandal that involved billions of dolla= rs of blood
money? The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) is investing the hard-= earned money of 16
million working Canadians in corporations that are ki= lling the planet. There is a simple
way to help end the war on Iraq, Mis= sile Defense, climate chaos, genetically modified
food, deforestation, = and human rights abuses around the world.
ACT for the Earth invites you to join us in ending the Canada Pension Plan'= s investments
in these and many other unethical practices. Not only will=

you be defending peace,
ecology, and human rights, but helping to end = the real sponsorship scandal.
ACT for the Earth is demanding an ethical screen on the CPP to end Canada's=

complicity
in war, environmental devastation, and human rights abuses. = The CPP's investments are
soaked in innocent blood, but together we can=

change that.
For information contact:
Dylan - ACT for the Earth
tel: 647-438-7068=
campaigns@actfortheearth.org
_______________________________________= ____________________
OUT OF TOWN EVENT= S
1. Protest at Canada's #1 War = Profiteer - November 20
Monday, November 20= , 12 Noon
649 North Service Road (at King Road), Burlington
Gather at=

9:30 am for Rally Preparation, Last-Minute Details, at East
Plains Unit= ed Church, 375 Plains Rd E.
Burlington, Ontario
(Contact information = for rides to Burlington listed below)
(Please forward far and wide)
Stop War Where it Starts:
Join us for a Peaceful Protest at Canada's #1 = War Profiteer, L-3 Wescam
WHAT IS HAPPENING NOVEMBER 20?
Peaceful Legal Rally, Music, Street Theat= re, and Nonviolent Civil Disobedience
AMONG OUR PLANNED ACTIVITIES:
A graveyard at the L-3 Wescam entrance wit= h the names of hundreds killed in
Iraq, Afghanistan.
A "War is a Prev= entable Disease" affinity group will provide free and safe
inoculations = against militarism.
Citizens weapons inspectors will check the grounds f= or violations of
international and domestic law. Wescam knowingly suppli= es military forces
implicated in torture and war crimes.
Pictures of = the human devastation wrought by the likes of L-3 Wescam war
technology = will be displayed
A "Dialogue, Not Destruction" affinity group will seek=

a meeting with
senior Wescam management
Individuals dressed as Guant= anamo Bay detainees will remind Wescam
employees what torture looks like=
And much more....Bring your ideas!
WHY PROTEST L-3 WESCAM?
L-3 Communications is a one-stop shopping place = for the so-called war on
terror: it supplies the tools to obliterate hum= an beings from aerial
military platforms, to prevent refugees from findi= ng safety, to repress
demonstrations, and to torture detainees. Its "pro= ducts" are used to commit
human rights violations around the globe. = ; One of its largest Canadian
operations, L-3 Wescam, is based in = Burlington, Ontario, and has been the
focus of a four-year campaign of e= ducation, public vigils, and noinviolent
resistance. In addition to the = growing public protest against Canadian
military occupation in Afghanist= an, it is essential to bring the war to the
front door of those who make=

a profit off the killing, and L-3 Wescam is
one of the largest war prof= iteers in Canada.
L-3 Wescam supplies human rights violators: Colombia, Egypt, Algeria,
Ch= ina, Iran, Libya, Saudia Arabia, U.S., and U.K (source: Industry Canada).L-3 Wescam components are used by Hellfire-missile-armed US Air Force
= Predator, Cobra Attack Helicopter, and Vigilante chopper's Low Cost
Prec= ision Kill scheme
L-3 Wescam "border control" products prevent refugees = from finding safety
L-3 Wescam outfits police forces to repress demonstr= ations and "public
disturbances"
Wescam parent L-3 Communications Can= ada is ranked #1 war manufacturer
(Canadian Defence Review, 2006)
Wes= cam Parent company L-3 Communications supplies "interrogation" teams
all= egedly implicated in torture in Iraq
L-3 Wescam equipment is likely bein= g used by the RCMP and OPP against the
Six Nations Land Reclamation in C= aledonia, Ontario
L-3 WESCAM promises to change the way you see the world. When you see theworld through the targetting sites of a Hellfire missile, everyone is an<= BR>enemy: refugees, school children, wedding guests - all of whom have like= ly
been killed with Wescam technology. On November 20, help Wescam emplo= yees
see the human destruction caused by their products and ask: What if=

Wescam
Targeted Poverty and Pollution, not People? What if they produce= d
technology to shoot down heart disease, not Hellfire missiles?
WHY NOVEMBER 20?
There is no particular anniversary being marked on Nove= mber 20, but war
happens every day, and we want to remind people that ev= en though it may not
be in the news, people are killed daily in wars, an= d will continue to be
killed as long as corporations like L-3 Wescam con= tinue to act as
war-enablers. On Nov. 20, join us in a nonviolent effort=

to transform L-3
Wescam to civilian-only production.
IF I SHOW UP WILL I BE ARRESTED?
The lines will be very clearly drawn be= tween what is considered a "legal"
rally and what area will involve civi= l disobedience on this day. We are
gathering at 9:30 am before the rally=

to make sure everyone knows what is
going on and to introduce ourselves=

to one another. To prepare for the
November 20 gathering, trainin= gs in nonviolent direct action and creative
forms of protest are being o= rganized throughout southern Ontario. Upcoming
trainings include Hamilto= n (Nov. 4), Guelph (Nov. 11) and Toronto (Nov.
18). Anyone planning on r= isking arrest should be in contact with Homes not
Bombs beforehand at (4= 16) 651-5800, or tasc@web.ca
TO GET TO BURLINGTON AND DIRECTIONS TO THE NOV. 20 MEETING PLACE AT 9:30 AM=
From Toronto: Call (416) 651-5800 if you need a ride or can drive a veh= icle
From Hamilton: Call (905) 525-9140 ext. 26026 if you need a r= ide or can drive a vehicle
From Burlington: Call (905) 634-7654 if=

you need a ride or can drive a vehicle
From London: Call (519) 28= 0-0458 if you need a ride or can drive a vehicle
From Durham: = ; (519) 369-3268 if you need a ride or can drive a vehicle
Groups are pl= anning on coming from Guelph, St. Catharines, Peterborough,
Ottawa, and&= nbsp; Kitchener-Waterloo as well. For their contact info email us at
tas= c@web.ca
Organized by: Homes not Bombs, Mothers Day Coalition for Peace, War Happens=
Every Day Committee, Country Music Fans Against War, Nuremberg ActionGroup, and numerous others....
To get involved contact us at: (416) 651-5800, tasc@web.ca,
www.homes= notbombs.ca
*****(If you cannot attend but would like to support the direct actions=
taking place November 20, consider faxing or emailing L-3 Wescam execut= ives
on Monday, November 20, urging them to sit down and dialogue with t= he
coalition: Send a quick note calling on L-3 Wescam to end its war bus= iness
and make socially useful products to John Dehne, President, Fax: (= 905)
633-4100, or send an email from the following site:
http://ww= w.wescam.com/contacts_1_sales.asp)
Homes not Bombs: Canada should build homes, not blow them up
___________= _______________________________________________
ACTION ALERTS
1. Support Needed for the Peop= le of Oaxaca
Spanish model letter and contact information also in= cluded below
The Toll of Friday the 27th: Three People Assassinated, Eleven Wounded,=

Two Missing
The APPO Installs 1,000 Barricades in Broad Daylight; PRI M= ilitants and Police Respond
with 21 Armed Attacks
By Diego Enrique Osorno
Special to The Narco News Bulletin
October 2= 8, 2006
OAXACA CITY: In the face of a renewed civil strike established in this
c= apital city yesterday by the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca
(= APPO), groups of gunmen linked to three municipal mayors from the
Insti= tutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) launched a "cleansing" of the
barrica= des and building occupations that opponents of PRI Governor Ulises
Ruiz = Ortiz have been maintaining for months.
The result: three people killed, eleven wounded, two disappeared, one
d= etained by the Ministerial Police and hundreds of shell casings left
sca= ttered along the streets as a testimony to the 21 shootouts that
occurre= d yesterday in the city.
This capital city has already been under a sort of siege for 154 days, but =
since 6:00 yesterday morning the city was now truly besieged, just as t= he
APPO leadership collective had warned would happen as part of theirattempts to win the ouster of the PRI governor.
And so around 1,000 barricades were installed in broad daylight throughout =
the city, as part of the dissident strategy seeking to demonstrate that=
"ungovernability" is a fact in the southern state.
Just before 10 a.m., the first of the twenty-one armed attacks on the
re= bels' self-defense fortifications (and more were coming out as this
art= icle went to press) was reported.
There were four main points attacked almost simultaneously at 4:00 in theafternoon: one was San Juan Chapultepec, another was Colonia del Maestro,=
the third the around the State Prosecutors' office, occupied more than =
three months ago by the dissidents, and finally, the barricade on
Ca= licanto Street, in the nearby city of Santa Lucia del Camino.
It would be in this last site where the most violent confrontation of theafternoon would take place, when a group of PRI militants showed up totear down the barricades together with officers of the Santa Lucia del
= Camino municipal police, who carried R-15 rifles.
Repelling the attack with sticks and rocks, the APPO neighborhood group sent out an alert to the rest of the neighborhood residents, who startedto arrive. Journalists did the same, and did not stop their coverage ofthe shooting, which continued for more than an hour.
During one incursion by protesters trying to set fire to one of the houses =
that the neighbors were being attacked from, U.S. documentary filmmaker=
Brad Will was mortally wounded in the pit of his stomach.
In the municipality of Santa Maria Coyotepec, two hours later, another
g= roup of "neighborhood residents," also armed with high-powered firearms, arrived at the area surrounding the state capital building and police
= facilities to "remove" a hundred teachers who had been camped out in theoccupied state buildings for three months.
Two other people died from gunshots: a teacher, Emilio Alonso Fabi=E1n, fro= m
the Los Loxicha region; and a neighborhood resident named Esteban L= =F3pez
Zurita. Upon hearing of the violent events, National Peasant-Farm= er
Federation (CNC in its Spanish initials, a PRI organization) leaderElpidio Concha denied he had been present but admitted to having spokenwith Santa Luc=EDa del Camino residents about the necessity of defending = and
rescuing the capital.
He claimed that among the people who intervened, "there had been PAN
mi= litants as well as PRI, as well as common citizens," and stated his
desi= re that after this event "federal forces come in at last and restore
pea= ce."
Meanwhile, the mayor of Santa Lucia del Camino, Jaime Mart=EDnez Feria, acknowledged that the armed men in civilian clothes were "police acting in=
legitimate defense against the threat of an occupation of City Hall." For its part, the state government criticized the fact that, "a few days away from the agreed upon return to classes by the teachers' union,
me= mbers of radical APPO groups led by Flavio Sosa Villavicencio would
unle= ash a day of violence and provocation against residents of the capital
= and neighboring communities with the clear goal of blocking the changingcourse of the conflict with these organizations."
***************************************************************************=
Toronto, 28 de octubre 2006
Gobernador del Estado de Oaxaca,
Ulises Ruiz Ortiz:
Tel. (951) 547011= 6 y 5690241;
gobernador@oaxaca.gob.mx
Se=F1or gobernador,
Por la presente queremos hacerle parte de nuestras inquietudes frente a La =
cr=EDtica situaci=F3n que los ciudadanos de Oaxaca enfrentan y solicita= r Que
Usted y su Despacho tomen las medidas necesarias para poner termin= o a esta
situaci=F3n. Queremos decirle que nuestros ojos ven lo que esta=

pasando y
que nuestro coraz=F3n esta con el pueblo en lucha.
Por eso tenemos el gobierno mexicano, tan al nivel federal, estatal y
mu= nicipal responsable de los hechos que ocurrieron en el d=EDa 27 de octubre<= BR>en la ciudad de Oaxaca y creemos que tienen la responsabilidad de proteg= er
a sus ciudadanos.
Denunciamos que en el d=EDa del 27 de octubre 2006:
-Al menos tres perso= nas murieron de los disparos, incluyen a Will Bradley
Roland un pe= riodista de Indymedia estadounidense
- Mas de treinta heridos, incluyend= o los compa=F1eros siguientes; Francisco
=C1ngeles de 25 a=F1os, = hijo de un maestro de Cuicatlan. Mart=EDn Olivera Ort=EDz,
que fue herid= o en la pierna. Guillermo Garc=EDa de Zaachila, herido en la
espalda. En= edino Cruz S=E1nchez de 25 a=F1os de edad que recibi=F3 disparo en la
m= ano.
- Unas diez personas est=E1n detenidas.
- Un n=FAmero indeterminado de p= ersonas est=E1n desaparecidas.
- La casa del Consejo Ind=EDgena Popular = de Oaxaca-Ricardo Flores Magon en
Santa-Lucia del Camino esta rodeada po= r hombres armados, amenazando a sus
integrantes.
- grupos al sueldo = de las autoridades est=E1n disparando a la poblaci=F3n
civil en las call= e y ustedes dejan esa situaci=F3n crecer dando su apoyo
impl=EDcita para=

justificar la intervenci=F3n de las fuerzas polic=EDaca en la
ciudad y= para impedir las actividades de la gente y de las
organizaciones = que denuncian sus pol=EDticas anti-democr=E1ticas.
Por estas razones exigimos:
- La renuncia inmediata de Ulises Ruiz.
-=

La liberaci=F3n de los presos pol=EDticos.
- El regreso inmediato de l= os desaparecidos
- Procesos penales contra los responsables de esos hech= os.
- Que las autoridades mexicanas regresan a dialogar con la APPO para=
encontrar una soluci=F3n pacifica al conflicto.
- El f= in inmediato de las agresiones en contra de la poblaci=F3n Oaxaque=F1a.
Por obtener esas exigencias vamos a :
- Hacer campana par informar de la=

verdad implicaci=F3n del gobierno
mexicano en la represi=F3n, los asesi= natos, los heridos, las encarcelaciones
ilegales y los afrontamientos q= ue hubieron en contra la poblaci=F3n civil
oaxaque=F1a.
- Hacer campa= na para informar a tod@s de los verdaderos intereses que
tiene su gobern= =F3 a desinformar los medios internacionales dentro de esa
= situaci=F3n.
- Hacer campana en contra del turismo en M=E9xico.
- Lle= var en corte penal a gente responsable cuando viajaran a nuestros
pa=EDs= es.
Agradecemos ser informados por escrito de las actuaciones que Usted
emp= renda frente a estas solicitudes.
Cordialmente
YOUR NAME HERE
Ciudadano-a canadiense
*************************************************= *************************************
SEND LETTERS TO:
Lic. Vicente Fox Quesada
Presidente de los Estados Unidos de M=E9xicoResidencia Oficial de "Los Pinos", Col. San Miguel Chapultepec, M=E9xico, = D.
F. Fax: (01152) 55-52-77-23-76 e-mail:
vicente.fox.quesada@preside= ncia.gob.mx,
radio@presidencia.gob.mx , webadmon@op.presidencia.gob.mx Lic. Carlos Abascal Carranza
Secretario de Gobernaci=F3n, Secretaria de=

Gobernaci=F3n
Bucareli 99, 1er. piso, Col. Ju=E1rez, Delegaci=F3n Cuauh= temoc, M=E9xico D. F.,
C. P.06600, M=C9XICO
Fax: (01152) 55-50-93-34-= 14 E-mail: segob@rtn.net.mx
Lic. Daniel Cabeza de Vaca
Procurador General de la Republica, Procuradu= r=EDa General de la Republica
Reforma Cuauhtemoc esq. Violeta 75, Col. G= uerrero, Delegaci=F3n Cuauhtemoc
M=E9xico D.F ., C.P. 06 500, MEXICO
= Fax: (01152) 55-53-46-09-08 E-mail: ofproc@pgr.gob.mx
DR. JOSE LUIS SOBERANES
PRESIDENTE DE LA COMISION NACIONAL DE DERECHOS H= UMANOS
FAX: (01155) 56-81-71-99 correo@cndh.gob.mx
Jaime Mario P=E9rez Jim=E9nez, Comisi=F3n Estatal de Derechos Humanos de Oa= xaca
quejas@cedhoax.org, Tel. (01152) 951-104-4306 o envie un mensaje al:(01152) 951-51-2-90-20 clave 956, Fax: (01152)(951) 51-3-51-85, (01152= )
951-51-3-51-91, (01152) 951-51-3-51-97, correo@cedhoax.org
Marcar copia al Consejo Ind=EDgena Popular de Oaxaca "Ricardo Flores Mag=F3= n":
Calle Emilio Carranza # 210, Santa Lucia del Camino, Oaxaca, M=E9xi= co.
E-mail: ciporfm@yahoo.com.mx
Red Oaxaque=F1a de Derechos Humanos: E-mail: rodhmx@prodigy.net.mx
Calle=

Crespo 524 Interior 4-E, Col. Centro, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, CP. 68000, M=C9XICO<= BR> TORONTO CONTACTS:
General Cnsulate of Mexico in Toronto
Address:
Commerce Court West199 Bay Street, suite 4440
Toronto, Ontario, M5L 1E9
Tel: (416) 368= -2875
Fax: (416) 368-8342
Trade Commission of Mexico
Address:
1 Dundas St. West Suite 2110
P= .O.Box 11
Toronto, Ontario M5G 1Z3
Canada
Tel: (416) 867-92-92
= Fax: (416) 867-18-47
E-mail: cc-toronto@bancomext.gob.mx
------------= ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= ---------
2.. Living Wage Bill to be D= ebated in Legislature - November 2
T= hursday, November 2, 10am - Vote at 11:50am
Ontario Legislature, Queen's=

Park
Dear friends,
Cheri DiNovo's Bill to raise the Minimum Wage to $10 an hour is going to be=

debated in the
Ontario Legislature on Thursday, November 2, beginning = at 10am. The vote should take place
at 11.50. We expect the Bill = to be voted down, however the vote and contribution of each
MPP will re= main in public records. We are inviting anti-poverty groups and union= s to be
present in the gallery, and alerting the press. Hope you'= re able to make it -- let us know.
Many thanks,
Lydia Perovic
Constituency Assistant
--
Cheri DiNovo, M.P.P.
Pa= rkdale-High Park Constituency Office
3136 Dundas St. West
Toronto, On= t. M6P 2A1
Tel: 416-763-5630
Fax: 416-763-5640
www.cheridinovo.= ca
-----------------------------------------------------------------= -------------------------------
3. Cod= e Blue for Child Care: Cross-Canada Lobby of Liberal MPs
CODE=

BLUE FOR CHILD CARE is a Canada wide campaign to protect the progress
= we=92ve made on child care. Code Blue brings together national and provinci= al child care
organizations; labour, women=92s and social justice group= s; and Canadians from all walks
of life. Code Blue speaks for the major= ity of Canadians who voted for a child care system
to meet the needs of=

Canada=92s children, families and communities.
Code Blue for Child Care has initiated a cross-Canada Lobby of Liberal MPs = to make
high-quality child care the law in Canada. A historic fir= st in this parliamentary session,
all three Opposition critics have agr= eed to support this Bill introduced by the NDP MP
Denise Savoie. = But the Liberals have declared that there will be a free vote on this Bill.=

It is imperative that we make all Opposition members of Parliament awa= re that this landmark
legislation is designed to protect and build qual= ity child care for future generations. If it passes,
it will be a major=

step forward for children and working families in Canada. The Bill w= ill come
before the House of Commons for a vote on Second Reading on Wed= nesday, November 22,
2006. Please act to ensure your MP is in the=

House and votes in favour of this legislation
on November 22.
Code Blue is looking for early learning and child care supporters to gather=

together your
fellow child care advocates and visit your local MP.&nbs= p; Members of Parliament will be in their
constituencies during the wee= k of November 13th =96 a week before the vote. Please pick
up the=

telephone and call your MP to make an appointment today. Then send <= BR>suecolley@sympatico.ca an e-mail to let her know that your riding has be= en covered.
In addition to Bill C303, it is also an excellent time to inform your MP ab= out our ongoing
issues. As explained in the attached piece, Code = Blue for Child Care: What=92s Next, we
are also asking MPs to act to:1. Restore multiyear federal funding to the provinces to begin building c= hild care systems
based on accountable action plans;
2. Replace the = capital incentives for child care spaces with dedicated capital transfers t= o
the provinces and territories to be used to build child care services=

that communities
prioritize, own, deliver and account for. Please see = the attached, What=92s Wrong with the
Spaces Initiative.
3. Win effe= ctive income supports for Canadian families by incorporating the current taxable =93child care benefit=94 into the Canada Child Tax Benefit.
In the package for your MP, you can also include any materials from your lo= cal area
that would be useful to leave with your MP. Please make your M= P aware that we will
be monitoring the vote and producing a report card=

for the next election.
Thanks and Good Luck.
Sue Colley
Code Blue Campaign
416 538 1950____________________________________________________________
RESOURCES
1. Students for Social Justice=

Project Officially Launches
Students for Social Justice (S4S= J) is an exciting new initiative encouraging young
people to become mor= e informed and active on social justice issues. S4SJ
has trained a grou= p of Community Educators to deliver workshops at local high
schools on = problems of inequality and democracy, both in Canada and around
the wor= ld.
Workshop dates are being booked now.
If you (or someone you know) would like to arrange for S4SJ to speak=

at your high
school, please email students@socialjustice.org or call (= 416) 927-0777 or 1(888) 803-8881.
For more information visit www.socialjustice.org.
Students for Social Justice is an initiative of the Centr= e for Social Justice, in cooperation with
school boards, teachers union= s and other community agencies.
-----------------------------= -------------------------------------------------------------------
2. New Issue File Available on the Childcare = Resource and Research
Unit's Website
EARLY LEARNING AND C= HILD CARE AND EDUCATION FOR ALL
Under the leadership of the United Natio= ns Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Education=

for All (EFA) is an
international commitment to provide quality basic e= ducation for all
children, youth and adults. From the outset, early lear= ning and child
care has been an integral part of EFA. The Jomtien World = Declaration on
EFA (1990) asserted that "learning begins at birth." Ten = years later the
international community (including Canada) met again in = Dakar and
identified six key education goals to be achieved by 2015. The=

first
goal was "expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood c= are and
education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged = children."
Each year, UNESCO issues an EFA Global Monitoring Report that assesses
w= here the world stands on the provision of basic education. The 2007
edit= ion of the Report, released today (October 26, 2006) at the United
Natio= ns in New York, focuses on early childhood education and care,
which the=

authors say is "still treated as the poor relative in
education." The C= anadian launch of the Global Monitoring Report will be
November 3rd in a= t Ryerson University in Toronto (contact
info@ecdgroup.com for details).=
To mark the release of the 2007 Global Monitoring Report, CRRU has
creat= ed an Issue File that collects resources from EFA, as well as other
usef= ul UNESCO documents on early learning and child care.
http://www.childcarecanada.org/res/issues/EFA.htm
---------------= ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= ------
3. Growing Older, Working Longe= r: The New Face of Retirement
Many Canadians may be forced=

to work longer, delay retirementreport
OTTAWA - As the leading edge of the baby boom generation reaches its la= te 50s, concern
is growing about labour shortages and the affordability=

of pension programs. Governments
are abolishing mandatory retirement, = abandoning early retirement incentives, and considering
raising the age=

of eligibility for public pensions. As a result, Canadians may be forced t= o go
on working as they grow olderwhether they want to or not, say= s a new report released today
by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alterna= tives.
Growing Older, Working Longer, by CCPA Research Associate and pension exper= t Monica
Townson, examines these emerging trends and considers the impl= ications of the new face of
retirement in Canada.
According to Townson, the responsibility for retirement income has been shi= fted away from
collective actions and programs and onto individuals. Le= ss than 40% of Canadians now belong
to a registered pension plan throug= h their work, and many won=92t be able to save enough on
their own. =93We could face growing rates of senior poverty in the future, reversing t= he gains we=92ve made
over the past 20 years or so,=94 Townson warns. Raising the age of eligibility for public pensions such as Old Age Security=

and the Canada
Pension Plan would hit hardest at lower-income elders w= ho must rely on these programs as
their major sources of retirement inco= me. They would be forced to go on working until they
qualified for bene= fits.
"All the signs are that Canadians don't want to work longer, but many peopl= e may not have
much choice in the matter," Townson says. The new face o= f retirement will continue to
evolve - with or without government inter= vention, Townson says.
"We will need to keep a watchful eye on the process to make sure retirement=

really does
offer the free choices Canadians want to have without repl= acing the collective responsibility
that ensures all citizens are equal= ly protected."
The report also considers new and more positive perspectives on our aging p= opulation and
discusses how older workers might be protected in this ch= anging environment.
Growing Older, Working Longer: The New Face of Retirement
is availab= le from the CCPA. http://www.policyalternatives.ca
For more information contact Kerri-Anne Finn, CCPA Communications <= BR>Officer, at 613-563-1341 x306.
--------------------------------------= ----------------------------------------------------------
4. Become a Member of rabble.ca
Dear r= abble visitors,
Did you know rabble turned five this year? Time flies when you are ra= ising a ruckus.
And we plan to turn it up a few notches.
But we need your help. We are writing to ask you to join us as a member and=

help
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By becoming a member you will ensure that rabble.ca can remain one of the s= uccess
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and Rahat Kurd and more
-provide a portal for=

publishing news and research in our "in cahoots" section from
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= complete with original reviews, an online bookstore, book event listings, a= nd book themed
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find dozens of threads=

on politics, culture, and the happenings of the day filled with insight,wit and passion.
And there is more to come at rabble.ca. In early 2007, we will launch=

the next generation
of rabble featuring a number of "web 2.0" functions=

such as rss feeds, comment features,
and greater interactivity on the = site. We will also have new columnists and a few other
surprises.= One thing that won't change is our commitment to democratizing media=

and
bringing the stories and viewpoints that need to be heard.
Your membership pledge will enable us to keep the dream of Canadian indepen= dent
news alive. rabble.ca's success has always been driven by our visi= tors and readers
who have been part of deciding what "news for the rest=

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We have great gifts for all five levels of membership- ranging from t-shirt= s, to magazine
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We are asking you to support us now and help us realize our vision of a bro= ad, diverse,
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__________________________________________________________
NEWS
1. The Social Welfare State: B= eyond Ideology
Are higher taxes and strong social "safety net= s" antagonistic to a
prosperous market economy? The evidence is now in.=
By Jeffrey D. Sachs
One of the great challenges of sustainable development is to combine
soc= iety's desires for economic prosperity and social security. For
decades = economists and politicians have debated how to reconcile the
undoubted p= ower of markets with the reassuring protections of social
insurance. Ame= rica's supply-siders claim that the best way to achieve
well-being for A= merica's poor is by spurring rapid economic growth and
that the higher t= axes needed to fund high levels of social insurance
would cripple prospe= rity. Austrian-born free-market economist
Friedrich August von Hayek sug= gested in the 1940s that high taxation
would be a "road to serfdom," a t= hreat to freedom itself.
Most of the debate in the U.S. is clouded by vested interests and by
ide= ology. Yet there is by now a rich empirical record to judge these
issues=

scientifically. The evidence may be found by comparing a group
of relat= ively free-market economies that have low to moderate rates of
taxation = and social outlays with a group of social-welfare states that
have high = rates of taxation and social outlays.
Not coincidentally, the low-tax, high-income countries are mostly
Englis= h-speaking ones that share a direct historical lineage with
19th-century=

Britain and its theories of economic laissez-faire.
These countries inc= lude Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the
U.K. and the U.S. The = high-tax, high-income states are the Nordic
social democracies, notably = Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden,
which have been governed by left-of= -center social democratic parties
for much or all of the post-World War = II era. They combine a healthy
respect for market forces with a strong c= ommitment to antipoverty
programs. Budgetary outlays for social purposes=

average around 27
percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in the Nordic=

countries and
just 17 percent of GDP in the English-speaking countries.=
Friedrich Von Hayek was wrong
On average, the Nordic countries ou= tperform the Anglo-Saxon ones on
most measures of economic performance. = Poverty rates are much lower
there, and national income per working-age = population is on average
higher. Unemployment rates are roughly the same=

in both groups, just
slightly higher in the Nordic countries. The budge= t situation is
stronger in the Nordic group, with larger surpluses as a = share of GDP.
The Nordic countries maintain their dynamism despite high taxation in
se= veral ways. Most important, they spend lavishly on research and
developm= ent and higher education. All of them, but especially Sweden
and Finland= , have taken to the sweeping revolution in information and
communication= s technology and leveraged it to gain global
competitiveness. Sweden now=

spends nearly 4 percent of GDP on R&D, the
highest ratio in the wor= ld today. On average, the Nordic nations spend
3 percent of GDP on R&= ;D, compared with around 2 percent in the
English-speaking nations.
The Nordic states have also worked to keep social expenditures
compatibl= e with an open, competitive, market-based economic system.
Tax rates on = capital are relatively low. Labor market policies pay
low-skilled and ot= herwise difficult-to-employ individuals to work in
the service sector, i= n key quality-of-life areas such as child care,
health, and support for = the elderly and disabled.
The results for the households at the bottom of the income
distribution = are astoundingly good, especially in contrast to the
mean-spirited negle= ct that now passes for American social policy. The
U.S. spends less than=

almost all rich countries on social services for
the poor and disabled,=

and it gets what it pays for: the highest
poverty rate among the rich c= ountries and an exploding prison
population. Actually, by shunning publi= c spending on health, the U.S.
gets much less than it pays for, because = its dependence on private
health care has led to a ramshackle system tha= t yields mediocre
results at very high costs.
Von Hayek was wrong. In strong and vibrant democracies, a generous
socia= l-welfare state is not a road to serfdom but rather to fairness,
economi= c equality and international competitiveness.
--------------------------= ----------------------------------------------------------------------
<= FONT color=3D#ff0000 size=3D4>2. Social Movements Challenge Lula in Braz= il
Lula=92s Presidential Victory in Brazil Opens up Challeng= e From Below
By Roger Burbach
Luis In=E1cio =93Lula=94 da Silva=92s resounding electoral victory with ove= r 60 percent of the vote places
Brazilian politics on a new footing. Wh= ile many on the left remain critical of Lula for the limited
reforms of=

his first term, his very victory has consolidated a shift in the country= =92s possibilities
for deeper social transformations. As Francisco Mene= ses of IBASE, the Brazilian Institute of
Social Economic Analysis, says= , =93The country is more polarized, it can no longer move back
to the o= ld order. The economy is different and social expenditures have been augmen= ted to a
level that is important for the lower strata of society.=94 A major reason for Lula=92s resounding victory is due to the support of the=

poor and dispossesed
who make up the majority of Brazil=92s population= . Even in the first round of the elections on
October 8 when Lula fell = short of an absolute majority, garnering 48 percent of the vote versus
= his leading opponent=92s 41 percent, the poor, particularly in the country= =92s impoverished northeast,
provided the decisive margin of support. As=

Darci Frigo of the Land Rights Center in the state
of Paran=E1 states,=

=93Agrarian reform may have been limited in Lula=92s first term, but thank= s to
the Zero Hunger program and direct income subsidies many families = have more food and are
better off.=94
In its international relations a victory by Lula=92s opponent, Geraldo Alck= min, would have reversed
the increasingly independent stance that Brazil=

has adopted. Alckmin endorsed the neoliberal
free trade position advoca= ted by the Bush administration and would have pursued the policy of
pri= vatizing the economy that has favored the multinational corporations. Regar= ding relations
with the South, Alckmin attacked Lula for caving in to B= olivia=92s nationalization in July of the
holdings of Brazil=92s Petrob= ras. This semi-autonomous state enterprise owned large natural
gas rese= rves in Bolivia that supplied over half of Brazil=92s domestic natural gas = needs.
Lula responded by insisting that he would look after Brazil=92s interests w= hile respecting Bolivia=92s
national automony. Just this weekend as Bra= zilian voters went to the polls, Petrobras concluded
a new agreement wit= h Bolivia that cedes formal control over natural gas reserves to Bolivia=92= s
state owned company and significantly increases the gas revenues that=

remain in Bolivian
coffers. As Francisco Meneses of Ibase notes, =93Br= azil under Lula is aligning itself with the
Southern bloc of nations, n= ot subverting its interests to the United States.=94
But many in Brazil remain skeptical of the chances for significant advances=

in a second Lula
administration. Marcos Arruda of PACS, a research cen= ter on social and economic alternatives
based in Rio de Janeiro, is high= ly critical of Lula. He notes that =93the destruction of the environoment, =
particularly in the Amazon basin has continued apace,=94 and =93the gov= ernment has practiced
irresponsible fiscal policies focus on repaying t= he international debt and keeping national interest
rates high while so= cial spending falls far short of what the county needs.=94
During Lula=92s first term, most of the country=92s social movements felt t= hat their agendas were
largely neglected as Lula pursued economic and s= ocial stabilization policies. Darci Frigo of
the Land Rights Center sta= tes, =93The demands for a profound agrarian reform program advocated
by=

the MST, the Landless Movement, were ignored. Some limited spending was di= rected to
social and educational programs for the landless, but the lar= ge landed estates of the country
were barely touched as the government = encouraged agro-exports.=94
While Lula in the final election round did come out forsocial spending, Bra= zil=92s robust social
movements are not sitting idly by, waiting on Lula= =92s volition. Seventeen social movements lead
by the MST and the the U= nified Workers Central mobilizied in the major cities of Brazil during
= the final days of the campaign. They released an action manifesto, titled = =93Thirteen Points for A
Social Policy for Brazil.=94 Commiting themsel= ves to =93an intensification of the popular and
democratic struggles th= roughout the country=94 during Lula=92s second term, they outlined a
pr= ogram that called for profound changes in education, health, fiscal policie= s, and agrarian
reform, all to be carried out =93with the effective par= ticipation of the people and their social
organizations.=94
As Friar Betto, a radical Brazilian theologican notes, =93Lula owes us much=

based on the
promises he has made during his presidential campaigns.= =94 Even more than Lula=92s first
campaign in 2002, this election polar= ized the country=92s electorate, laying out two distinct
visions. Franc= isco Meneses says, =93Perhaps Lula on his own would not change much, but the reality is that the social movements realize that this election is th= eir victory and they
intend to sharpen the agitation for real transform= ations from below.=94
Roger Burbach is director of the Center for the Study of the Americas in Be= rkeley, California
and a Visiting Scholar at the Institue of Internatio= nal Studies at the University of California,
Berkeley. He has written w= idely on Latin America, including, The Pinochet Affair: State
Terrorism=

and Global Justice, Zed Books, 2003.
----------------------------------= --------------------------------------------------------------
3. Coal Mining Industry Generating Power and Pover= ty in Colombia
by Garry Leech, November 11, 2002 (Updated Oc= tober 24, 2006)
Many of the communities in Colombia's remote northeastern department of La<= BR>Guajira exist on the periphery of the country's violence. The semi-arid<= BR>landscape is not conducive to guerrilla warfare and looks more like the<= BR>southwestern United States than any other part of Colombia. While theregion's geography is responsible for keeping much of the country's violen= ce
at arms length, it is the cause of another form of conflict currently=

being
waged against numerous La Guajira communities: economic globaliza= tion.
In the early1980s, ExxonMobil through its wholly-owned subsidiary,Intercor and Colombia's state-owned coal mining company Carbocol - b= egan
extracting coal from the El Cerrej=F3n mine in southern La Guajira.=

El
Cerrej=F3n soon became the world's largest open-pit mine as it grew = to its
current size of 30 miles long and five miles wide.
This continuing expansion has wreaked havoc on local communities, some ofwhich have already been gobbled up by the mine, and others that are targe= ted
for destruction over the next couple of years.
In January 2002, bulldozers completed the demolition of the village of
T= abaco after many of its residents had been forcibly evicted from their
h= omes in order to clear the way for the mine's expansion.
Some of Tabaco's 1,100 Afro-Colombian residents, many of whom are directdescendents of the town's original founders, were violently attacked by th= e
more than 200 soldiers and police dispatched to remove those who refus= ed to
voluntarily abandon their homes. According to one of the victims, = Emilio
Ram=F3n Perez, "The police beat and broke my head in four places = and took me
out of the house. I was unconscious in the hospital for 20 d= ays. They
destroyed my house without letting me take my things. They too= k everything:
my refrigerator, stove, television, chairs, they took all = of my things."
Many of Tabaco's 350 families are now displaced. Some of them have fled the=
region for a life of hardship in Colombia's cities, where the official<= BR>unemployment rate is close to 20 percent. Others have moved to neighbori= ng
communities and are determined to continue their fight against the mi= ne's
expansion while suing for compensation.
Tabaco families that refused to accept the money offered by Intercor prior<= BR>to the village's destruction received no compensation for the homes and<= BR>lands from which they were forcibly removed by soldiers and police.
In May 2002, Colombia's Supreme Court ruled that the municipality of
Hat= onuevo, in which Tabaco was located, must allocate resources to build newhomes for the former residents of Tabaco. But such resources are scarce a= nd
villagers have no means of ensuring that the court's ruling is implem= ented.
The Supreme Court also decreed that all future mining projects in indigenou= s
areas could not proceed without discussions being held with the affect= ed
communities. While this ruling might provide some protection to the W= ay=FAu
indigenous community of Tamaquito, it does little to alleviate th= e
threatened displacement of Afro-Colombian communities in the vicinity = of El Cerrej=F3n.
One such community is Chancleta, some of whose residents have already
ab= andoned their homes due to the mine's encroachment. Seventy-three year-old<= BR>Juana Arregoces Dias has lived in her current house for 19 years and in<= BR>Chancleta her entire life. Like the majority of the region's residents, = she
survives by growing a small amount of food crops, raising small anim= als and
fishing in the local river. But the mine has now seized the land=

through
which the river flows and the company refuses to allow local re= sidents
fishing access. Those villagers who were dependent on fishing to=

sustain
themselves have already had to abandon their homes.
As a result, Chancleta is an eerily semi-deserted village of mud huts anddirt roads patrolled by the mine's security guards who ride around in
= pick-up trucks intimidating any villagers willing to talk with outsiders. Juana's humble wooden house is less than 1,500 feet from the edge of themine. She endures the dust, pollution and blasting noise on a daily basis.=
In all likelihood, she will soon have to decide whether to accept an of= fer
from the company or face forced eviction. Juana has no family left i= n the
region and, after a long life of rural subsistence living, is now = faced with
the probability of having to adjust to the alien environment = of a large town
or city with no job prospects.
The plight of Juana and other residents in the El Cerrej=F3n region is typi= cal
of that experienced by millions of impoverished rural victims of eco= nomic
globalization throughout the developing world.
In the 1980s, 60 percent of Colombia=92s coal was used domestically, primar= ily
to generate electricity. But the globalization process brought compa= nies
like ExxonMobil to La Guajira and Alabama-based Drummond Mining to = the
neighboring department of C=E9sar in search of cheap Colombian coal.=

As a
result, coal has become Colombia's third-largest legal export, a f= act
illustrated in El Cerrej=F3n where less than one percent of the 18 m= illion
tons of coal extracted annually remains in Colombia.
Some 71 percent of the coal is shipped to Europe and 28 percent to the
U= nited States and Canada. Colombia is now become the number one supplier of<= BR>foreign coal to the United States.
In March 2002, ExxonMobil sold its 50 percent share in El Cerrej=F3n to its=
partner, a multinational consortium consisting of three of the world's<= BR>largest mining companies Anglo-American, BHP Billiton and Glencore=

which
had acquired the Colombian government's share of the mine i= n December 2000.
Now that the consortium is the sole owner and operator = of the mine, ExxonMobil
can conveniently say that it is no longer respo= nsible for the displaced citizens of
Tabaco. However, the consortium th= at now owns the mine in its entirety was
co-owner with ExxonMobil at th= e time of Tabaco's displacement.
In order to address some of the social and economic problems related to the=
mine and the 115-mile railway line used to transport the coal to theCaribbean coast, the mine's owners established the Cerrej=F3n Foundation i= n
1984. But with an annual budget of only $80,000, which has to cover st= aff
salaries and the cost of its suite of offices in the departmental ca= pital,
Riohacha, it is uncertain how effectively the Foundation can addr= ess the
needs of the 70 communities that fall under its sphere of operat= ions.
Executive director of the Cerrej=F3n Foundation, Yolanda Mendoza, says the<= BR>Foundation provides micro-credit programs to small businesses and indige= nous
communities, while a field staff helps teach the communities new fa= rming
technologies. But when asked what the Foundation was doing to help=
communities displaced by the mine, Mendoza replied, "They are not reall= y
displaced. They are not displaced because there are no communities whe= re the
mine is at this time. There was a process a long time ago, but no= w there are
no communities there." When reminded of the recent destructi= on of Tabaco,
Mendoza became visibly tense and stated, "I don=92t think = that is true. But it
is a topic you have to speak about with the El Cerr= ej=F3n mine company,
because I don=92t have the authority to talk about = it."
It appears that denial is the company's first line of defense regarding the=
displacement of local communities. And when forced to address the issue= , a
spokesperson for the mine, Ricardo Plata Cepeda, said the company is=

waiting
for the Colombian courts to determine how much it has to pay th= ose forcibly
evicted from Tabaco. Undoubtedly, the mine's owners know fu= ll well that
there is little likelihood of any judicial rulings being ef= fectively enforced. Meanwhile,
the Colombian government has extended th= e company's operating contract until
2034, and at that time, given the = mine's current growth rate, the dominant feature
in the landscape of so= uthern La Guajira will be an ecologically devastating 70-mile
by 12-mile=

hole in the ground.
Current and future victims of the mine's expansion have begun focusing onraising international awareness of their plight. There are groups in the = United States
and Canada that are helping to shed light on the human cat= astrophe unfolding in La Guajira.
In the United States, the North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee in
S= alem, Massachusetts, is working to increase community awareness that theelectricity generated by PG&E-owned Salem Harbor Power Station comes f= rom
Colombian coal extracted at a great cost to Colombian peasants. "We= =92re the
consumer of the product that is throwing people off their land= . We're the
beneficiaries of something that is unjust," said Avi Chomsky= , a professor at
Salem State College and founder of the North Shore Colo= mbia Solidarity Committee.
Local council member, Colombian-born Claudia Chuber, met with Colombian
= President Alvaro Uribe in Washington D.C. in September and presented himwith a copy of a resolution passed by the Salem City Council. The resoluti= on
expresses concern about villagers displaced by the mine and urges tha= t the
Colombian Supreme Court's decision calling for the building of hom= es for
Tabaco's former residents be carried out expeditiously.
The Cerrej=F3n Mine is also a principal supplier of coal to the Canadianprovinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. In fact, Nova Scotia Power
= purchased $78 million worth of Colombian coal in 2005 to fuel its power
= plants. The Atlantic Regional Solidarity Network (ARSN) has worked to creat= e
awareness among Atlantic Canadians of the connections between the
e= lectricity in their homes and human rights abuses in Colombia.
Sadly, the Uribe admininstration has failed to address human rights issues<= BR>related to the extraction of Colombian coal. The shedding of light on su= ch a
human rights issue would only undermine the U.S.-led process of eco= nomic
globalization that lies at the root of Washington's escalating mil= itary intervention
in Colombia.
In the meantime, and in the face of great odds, 73-year-old Juana Arregoces=
Dias and the other remaining residents of Chancleta, as well as those l= iving
in neighboring communities also threatened by the mine's expansion= , continue
to struggle for social and economic justice in their remote a= nd often forgotten
corner of Colombia.
=3D=3D=3D
For information = in Canada: Atlantic Regional Solidarity Network (ARSN),
Steve Law, (902= ) 632-2497, www.arsn.org
----------------------------------------= --------------------------------------------------------
4. Canada's New Foreign Policy Alarms Workers
= The new Conservative government of Stephen Harper has adopted th= e American narrative
of the Bush Administration that the attack on the = World Trade Centre in New York was
also an attack on Canada.
by Herman Rosenfeld and Greg Albo
October 31, 2006
Last Saturday, thousands of people across Canada demonstrated in support of=

the demand
to bring Canadian troops home from Afghanistan.
This pan-Canadian day of action was led by four major organizations: the Ca= nadian Peace
Alliance, le Collectif Echec a la guerre, the Canadian Lab= our Congress and the Canadian
Islamic Congress. Hundreds more organizat= ions, including the Toronto Coalition to Stop
the War, also supported t= he call and mobilized to bring their members out.
These protests were against Canadian involvement in Afghanistan, but they w= ere also part
of a deepening criticism of Canadian foreign policy in th= e Middle East as a whole, including
the blind Canadian government defen= ce of Israel and the morally reprehensible Canadian
embargo on the Hama= s government and blockage of Gaza.
The Middle East has been the key testing ground for Canada's new imperialis= t foreign policy.
Canada has long backed U.S. military interventions, b= ut usually with some effort to do so
through multilateral institutions = and with some effort to distance itself from the worst aspects
of Ameri= can policies by an emphasis on =93peacekeeping roles.=94
This had been Canada's response to the American =93war on terror=94 since 2= 001 under former
Prime Minister Jean Chr=E9tien: offering specific logi= stical supports to the American military
mobilization, setting up a =93= peacekeeping=94 operation in Kabul soon after the launch of the
Afghan = war against the Taliban, and staying out the =93coalition of the willing=94=

entering into
the war in Iraq.
The Liberal government of Paul Martin had begun moving Canada even closer t= o American
policies in the region (and also pro-Israeli positions). Thi= s could be seen in the Martin
government endorsing Canadian military de= ployment into a combat role in southern
Afghanistan, breaking with the = Chr=E9tien policy of =93peacekeeping=94 in Kabul.
But the new Conservative government of Stephen Harper has adopted the Ameri= can narrative
of the Bush Administration that the attack on the World T= rade Centre in New York was also
an attack on Canada: Canadian (and U.S= .) interventions in the Middle East are necessary
measures to prevent f= urther terrorist acts on Canada. Indeed, this has become the government's <= BR>principal justification for the extension of the Canadian mission mandat= e in southern
Afghanistan moving Canadian troops into a direct combat r= ole.
It was also invoked as the reason for the September, 2006, decision to incr= ease Canadian
combat troops and to deploy a new level of arms in the fo= rm of additional fighter jets and
tanks with long-range firing capaciti= es.
The Harper government inherited the Afghanistan mission but they have defin= ed it as a
centrepiece of their government, partly on its own terms and=

partly in embracing the American
geo-political vision of American prima= cy in the world order and the right to take unilateral
pre-emptive milit= ary interventions where it determines a threat to exist.
This Canadian foreign policy stance has raised key concerns for trade union= ists in Canada.
In the wake of the American bombing and attacks on Afgh= anistan in October, 2001, a group
of trade union activists initially ca= me together to survey worker opinions and draft a response
to the growin= g pro-war hysteria. Out of those meetings came a pamphlet called Terrorism,=

War and Workers and a network called Trade Unionists Against the War (= TUAW). A few
years later, as Canadians debated possible support for the=

U.S. war in Iraq, TUAW produced
a broadsheet explaining why working pe= ople need to oppose the U.S. intervention.
Now that Canadians are debating the Harper government's morally outrageous = and failing
mission in Afghanistan, TUAW has produced a new broadsheet = available in both PDF
and HTML versions. It challenges the justificatio= n for Canada's failing and totally unjustified
war in support of U.S. ag= gression in Afghanistan, and explains why trade unionists need
to call = for immediate withdrawal of Canadian and all foreign troops from that count= ry.
This broadsheet will be used as a tool in our efforts to organize inside th= e trade union
movement, and to help to build a base for the anti-war mo= vement amongst the working
classes and more widely in popular organizat= ions.
Herman Rosenfeld is a retired member of the Canadian Auto Workers and an=

activist in
TUAW. Greg Albo teaches political economy at York Universit= y.
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||= ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Social Justice News is the Toronto area newsletter of the:
CENTRE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
489 College Street, Suite 303
Toront= o, Ontario M6G 1A5
Tel: 416-927-0777 Fax: 416-92= 7-7771
Toll free: 1-888-803-8881
Email: sjnews@socialjustice.or= g
Website: www.socialjustice.org
CSJ Social Justice Newsletter, Editor: Rachel Brewer
The above events and announcements are listed as a service to our membersand friends. Unless specifically stated, the CSJ does not necessarily end= orse these events.

[Tisn] FW: Social Justice News - November 1, 2006