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Northern Lights is a monthly ezine, as well as a column that appears in Socialist Action newspaper, from Socialist Action/Ligue pour L'Action Socialiste. For an archive of Northern Lights postings, and other articles and statements, check out our News & Views page.
The Irresistible Rise of Quebec Solidaire
Capturing more than twenty-two per cent of the votes in its first electoral contest is not a bad debut for any new political party of the radical left. And so, Quebec Solidaire (QS), a new anti-capitalist and pro-independence party founded in early February 2006 by a merger of Union des Forces Progressistes and Option Citoyenne, has something to celebrate.
Normally, I leave the writing of film reviews to others in this paper, but I cannot resist highlighting a quality film that is sure to delight anyone interested in contemporary political history, sports, or both.
“The Rocket”, starring Roy Dupuis and Stephen McHattie, written by Ken Stone, directed by Charles Biname, (PG) 122 minutes, is a well-acted, compelling drama about a hockey hero who symbolized the struggle against national oppression in the Canadian state.
It took the occupation of a housing construction site, and then a road blockade (following a ham-fisted police raid, and retreat), to put negotiation of a long-standing aboriginal land complaint onto the Ontario government’s front burner. Two months of a standoff that rallied hundreds to the native cause from across the province also prompted the Liberal regime at Queen’s Park to appoint a mediator.
In the mid-April provincial by-election in downtown Montreal’s Sainte-Marie-Saint-Jacques riding, QS candidate Manon Masse obtained nearly 3,000 votes, just 700 less than the second place Liberal Party, and over two thousand more than either the Green Party or the right wing Quebec Democratic Action (ADQ). As expected, the bourgeois nationalist Parti Quebecois held on to the seat. A general election may take place in Quebec as early as Fall 2006. The QS plans to contest every one of the 125 National Assembly seats.
In the Montreal by-election the QS enjoyed the endorsement of the 105,000 strong Montreal central labour council of the Confederation of National Trade Unions (CSN). This kind of support could be an important step towards the establishment of mass party based on the unions in Quebec.
The rise of the radical nationalist QS is attracting widespread attention -- even favourable comment from some unlikely sources.
This writer was surprised to hear Federal New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton laud the electoral good showing of the QS in a speech to over seventy members of the Trinity-Spadina NDP Riding Association on April 23 in downtown Toronto. Layton’s mission there was to promote the federal NDP convention, which is set for Quebec City, September 8-10. (By the way, the deadline for resolutions is July 10). But Layton verbally took flight when he suggested that the success of the QS, combined with the setbacks suffered by the federal Liberals, and the inroads made by the federal Conservatives in the January 23 federal election indicate a more fluid political situation in which the NDP can make major progress in Quebec.
Layton did not mention the fact that the QS fights for Quebec independence, and that the federalist NDP is more isolated than ever in Quebec because of its endorsement of the Clarity Act. The latter is a law enacted by the Jean Chretien federal Liberal government in 2000 which denies Quebec’s right to national self-determination. Indeed, it is proving to be an albatross around the neck of Stephane Dion, the only Quebec politician currently seeking the leadership of the federal Liberal Party.
But Layton may be right in one respect, if unintentionally. The rise of Quebec Solidaire, hopefully combined with a future shift of the NDP away from its staunch defence of the federal state against Quebec’s national aspirations, could presage a future bi-national working class alliance against the big business parties that rule in Ottawa and Quebec City.
The Rocket: First soldier of the Quiet Revolution
Maurice ‘the rocket’ Richard, probably the greatest player born in Quebec, is called “the Babe Ruth of hockey” by his stern coach, ably played by McHattie in the film. And that moniker is no exaggeration. But unlike the Babe, Maurice Richard suffered the slings and arrows of anti-French bigotry on and off the ice. Referees and National Hockey League honchos in the 1940s and 50s tried to diminish his scoring achievements, and held him back, sometimes literally, while hockey goons administered cheap shots and muggings.
The usually stoic Richard, a working class kid from an impoverished Montreal neighbourhood, endured his English-speaking bully of a factory foreman, but fought back against his tormentors on the ice. Richard’s most famous retaliation got him suspended from late season games and the entire playoffs in 1955.
Quebec, too, was in the mood to retaliate. Not just against being called ‘frogs’ and ‘pea soupers’, but against 200 years of language and cultural discrimination, economic underdevelopment, and political domination by an arrogant Anglo elite. This was the eve of Quebec’s political awakening, the so-called Quiet Revolution of the 1960s which brought modernization, secularization and a burgeoning public sector. Richard was seen as a symbol, perhaps the first soldier of that revolution. Thousands of hockey fans rioted in the streets of Montreal in outrage against the harsh and one-sided discipline meted out by NHL commissioner Clarence Campbell.
Though compelled to appeal for civic calm, Richard went on to lead the fabled Montreal Canadiens to five consecutive Stanley Cup titles before he retired in 1960.
Although not a political activist, Richard did champion the cause of Quebec pilots and air traffic controllers in the mid-1970s who fought the federal government for the right to use French on the job.
The famous searing stare of Richard is nailed by actor Roy Dupuis, who also reveals the emotional side of the hockey icon as he painfully struggles for personal dignity in his family life as well as at the rink. In this film there’s enough blood on players, jerseys and the ice to satiate a horror movie addict. Costumes and sets look vintage, genuine. Oddly, there is no mention of the Rocket’s young brother Henri Richard, who went on to hockey fame as the Pocket Rocket with Les Canadiens.
For a gritty, emotional and inspiring account of working class life in an awakening Quebec, plus some terrific hockey cinematography, don’t miss “The Rocket”.
Aboriginal blockade rocks southern Ontario
The dispute is over a 40 hectare patch of land on the outskirts of Caledonia, Ontario, just a few minutes south of steel town Hamilton, which sits at the western end of Lake Ontario. The parcel of land is part of a wide corridor of territory ceded by the British crown to the Six Nations Confederacy 250 years ago. Canada and Ontario say aboriginals sold it in 1841 to make way for a highway. The Mohawks, who in late February physically occupied a building site being developed by a small, local firm called Henco Industries Ltd., insist the planned housing subdivision is on their land.
The continuing Mohawk occupation of the site and blockade of Highway 6, has rivetted public attention on this and other long-simmering land disputes between aboriginal peoples and the Canadian state. It spawned solidarity meetings and support actions across the country, including a blockade on railway tracks by Mohawks from the Tyendinaga reserve, about 200 kilometres east of Toronto on April 21. That initiative halted CN freight trains and disrupted Via Rail’s passenger service in one of Canada’s busiest travel corridors.
The land stand-off has divided residents of Caledonia. Hundreds have repeatedly gathered at the aboriginal barricades, some to utter racist epithets and to demand harsh police action, others to blame governments for decades of stonewalling and blatant violation of aboriginal land rights. Local 1005 of the United Steelworkers’ Union, among other labour organizations, have rallied to the natives’ side.
The confrontation at Caledonia also occurs in the wake of the death of aboriginal activist Dudley George, killed by an Ontario Provincial Police sniper during a late night operation at Ipperwash Provincial Park on September 6, 1995. Two dozen Stoney Point native band members occupied the park, saying it contains a sacred burial ground – a claim later supported by documents released by the federal government.
While the province is providing Henco owners Don and John Henning an undisclosed amount of ‘bridge financing’, and is paying former Ontario Liberal Premier David Peterson about $1000 a day to act as mediator, no compensation has yet been offered to the Mohawks for their sufferings. The Mohawks, I’m pretty sure, will be happy just to settle for their land.
Thousands insist: ‘No one is illegal’
On April 21, over 1000 people rallied in front of the Ontario Legislature at Queen’s Park in Toronto to protest a major increase in deportations of undocumented workers. Many held placards that read “Stop! Let us work in Canada”.
An estimated 200,000 immigrants are in Canada without approval. The recent wave of deportations among Portugese in Toronto attracted media attention because many work in construction, which has a skills trade shortage.
On April 22, over 3,000 braved rain and cold to march from the Legislature to rally at Toronto City Hall. Socialist Voice correspondent Suzanne Weiss reported on her participation in the events of the day:
“I joined 3,000 mostly Hispanic and Portuguese people in an action for immigrant rights in Toronto. It was organized by a coalition led by the Canadian Hispanic Congress, a national organization that claims to represent approximately 700,000 Spanish-speaking people living in Canada who come from more than 20 different countries. The demonstration responded to Canada's increased targeting of Hispanic immigrants and non-status communities. A new U.S.-style enforcement approach has led to immigration checks across the city of Toronto. Most recently, about two dozen Portuguese immigrants employed in Toronto's construction industry were deported on the grounds that their work permits had expired. The issue has galvanized community groups, opposition politicians, unions and churches, who call on Ottawa to issue a temporary moratorium on removals and regularize the status of illegal residents -- something the past three Liberal immigration ministers pledged to do. Canada has an estimated 200,000 undocumented migrants.
“These deportations have aroused outcries not only from Canada's Portuguese community but also from their employers, who say that they desperately need the skilled workers. Waving Canadian flags and carrying soaked placards and banners through a heavy downpour, marchers -- mostly immigrant families -- were determined to send a message to provincial and federal government officials that they want to stay and work in this country. Chants I heard were in Spanish and English and Portuguese: "The people united will never be defeated", "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", "Good enough to work, Good enough to stay”, and "Support, Don't Deport". The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty and the No One Is Illegal coalition were in evidence throughout the march. “Among those on the platform were MPP Rosario Marchese, Toronto MPs Mario Silva and Olivia Chow, three Catholic priests, and leaders of the Portuguese and Latin American communities. There was a strong show of labour support in the demonstration that included OPSEU, CAW, SEIU, CUPE locals, and the Hotel Workers (UNITE HERE).”
Following the protests, Federal Immigration Monte Solberg told the Toronto Star that any plan to “regularize” people in the country illegally is a low priority.
It will take more and larger protest actions by immigrant community groups and organized labour to make equal rights for immigrant workers the priority it deserves to be. It is important to remember that immigrants leave home to come here often because ‘our’ Capital went there to exploit. And there’s another point to emphasize: Solidarity knows no borders.
Shifting fortunes in Auto
While General Motors appears to be going down for the count, Toronto area-based Magna International Inc. seems to have the wind in its sails.
In an apparently desperate move to refloat the troubled auto giant, GM sold 51 per cent of its profitable financial unit, General Motors Acceptance Corp. (GMAC), to a group led by private-equity firm Cerberus Capital for $14 billion (US) cash, spread across three years. GM lost $10.6 billion last year, has a sagging credit rating, and is dogged by talk of bankruptcy. The sale of its only profitable arm raises the question: is GM re-tooling for a come-back, or just winding down its affairs.
Magna, the third largest auto parts maker in the world, on the other hand, is not only considering acquisition of struggling parts makers that supply GM, Ford and Daimler-Chrysler. It is moving closer to building vehicles in North America for the first time. Magna, which has 82,000 workers in 22 countries, produces hundreds of parts and builds complete vehicles for auto makers in Europe, including eight models at its Graz, Austria, assembly plant for DaimlerChrysler, Mercedes-Benz, Saab and BMW.
Staunchly anti-union Magna owner Frank Stronach made his fortune largely on the backs of low-wage immigrant labour, and by supplying parts to surging Japanese non-union auto giants in North America like Toyota and Honda.
Willie Lambert challenges Buzz, and CAW’s shift to the right
For the first time since 1992, when he was first acclaimed as the Canadian Auto Workers’ Union president, Buzz Hargrove is being challenged for his position as leader of Canada’s largest private sector union.
Willie Lambert, the challenger, is making an issue of concessionary contracts and the union’s break with the NDP (in favour of tactical voting for many Liberal Party candidates), both directions implemented by the CAW under Hargrove’s leadership.
Lambert has led CAW Local 1256, representing Oakville Transit workers, since 1990 and has been president of the Oakville and District Labour Council since 1995. He has been an NDP candidate in Oakville in three federal elections and one provincial election, and has twice run for president of the Ontario Federation of Labour, each time garnering about 40 per cent of the delegates’ votes at OFL conventions.
Lambert is an endorser of the NDP Socialist Caucus and the Workers’ Solidarity and Union Democracy coalition. We wish him success in his campaign, which will culminate in a vote at the CAW convention in Vancouver, British Columbia, in August.
Bob Rae goes home
Peter Kormos, the NDP MPP for Welland in southern Ontario, put it acidly, though aptly to CBC TV: “If Bob Rae does to the Liberal Party what he did to the Ontario NDP, I’ll be glad to donate $1000 to his campaign.”
Bob Rae, New Democratic Party Premier of Ontario, 1990-95, was responsible for breaking union contracts, taking $1 billion out of the pay of public service workers, dividing labour and his party, and thus paving the way for 8 years of horrendous right wing Conservative rule. On April 24, Rae joined a crowded field of candidates for leader of the federal Liberal Party, to be chosen at a convention December 2-3 in Montreal.
The race now includes Toronto and area Liberal MP s Carolyn Bennett, Michael Ignatieff, Joe Volpe, Maurizio Bevilacqua and Ken Dryden; Nova Scotia MP (former Conservative) Scott Brison, Quebec MP Stephane Dion, former Ontario Education Minister and Toronto MPP Gerard Kennedy, and Martha Hall Findlay, a Toronto lawyer.
Rae, who officially joined the Liberal Party just a week before his April 24 leadership campaign launch, has the backing of powerful Liberal operatives, including his brother John, a Power Corporation executive and top organizer for the federal Liberals under former prime minister Jean Chretien; Eddie Goldenberg, a former top aide to Chretien; Greg Sorbara, former finance minister in the Ontario Liberal government; and George Smitherman, the current Ontario health minister.
Which begs the question: why do rich and prominent Liberals back a turn-coat like Rae?
As Ontario CUPE President Sid Ryan explained to CBC, Rae’s candidacy represents an effort to destroy the NDP by trying to move a substantial part of its base to the Liberal Party. How different is this than CAW President Buzz Hargrove’s fraudulent anti-Tory ‘united front of the left’?
Like the United States’ Democratic Party, the Liberal Party of Canada is the graveyard of the left. Pierre Trudeau enticed thousands into that political trap 38 years ago. The point today is not to reinforce the historically dominant party of Canadian big business, but to politically bury it alongside the equally plutocratic Conservatives. To survive, labour should shun Rae, who has simply returned to his elitist political roots, and move the NDP sharply to the left.
Scientists sound alarm on climate change
Ninety top climate scientists and oceanographers issued a public letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper on April 19 demanding that his government develop a strategy on climate change. The letter cites several examples of warming, such as the rapid rise in Arctic temperatures. It warns that climate change could result in more extreme weather, water shortages for farming and hydro-electric projects, insect infestations and forest fires.
In early April, Conservative Environment Minister Rona Ambrose said that the Kyoto targets – cutting emissions six per cent below 1990 levels by 2012 – are “impossible” to meet and Canada must set more realistic goals. Shortly afterwards Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn issued a news release announcing that 15 climate programmes were being eliminated because they had run their course.
Media reports indicate the Conservatives plan to cut 80 per cent of Environment Canada programmes aimed at curbing global warming, and slash climate-change budgets in other government departments by 40 per cent.
Socialism 2006 Conference a Big Success!
Over sixty people attended the third annual Socialist Action educational conference held in Toronto, April 28- 30. The gathering, which drew participants from Montreal and across southern Ontario, featured panels, debates, discussions and displays on a range of contemporary topics, including anti-Zionism and anti-semitism, medicare in Canada and Cuba, the future of the labour movement, the Quebec national question, Canadian imperialism in Haiti, feminism and Marxism, and the connection between poverty and neo-liberalism.
Highlights according to many were the Friday evening session on war and imperialist occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan, which featured the testimony of US war resister Ryan Johnson, and the Saturday evening panel discussion on “Latin America in revolt”, with Socialist Action international editor Gerry Foley, Socialist Voice co-editor John Riddell, and Nchama Miller of the Colombia Action Committee.
The weekend of politics and culture culminated in the 20th annual Toronto Socialist Action May Day Celebration on Sunday evening. The event at the Free Times Café featured a number of speeches, a raffle, and fabulous live folk music performances, including by James Gordon, founder of the well-known folk music group Tamarack and the writer of a new anti-war anthem devoted to the memory of slain US soldier Corey Sheehan.
