October 9, 2008 - No. 138 Harper Throws Gasoline on the Manufacturing Crisis• Harper Throws
Gasoline on the Manufacturing Crisis Harper Throws Gasoline on the Manufacturing Crisis
The words and practice of Harper are in opposition to a modern definition of democracy where the polity must be involved in discussion and debate on the important issues confronting the country; where people have the right and duty to elect, be elected and select candidates from amongst their peers; where the state funds the electoral process and not the parties; and where accountability for the direction of the economy and political affairs begins at home and rests in the hands of an empowered people. Workers and their allies have been very vocal in denouncing the nation-wrecking of Harper and his anti-social offensive and destruction of manufacturing. During the recent period, nearly 400,000 manufacturing jobs have disappeared and countless social wealth lost from the closures and cutbacks. In response, workers have raised the slogan "Manufacturing Yes!" and the demand to "Stop the anti-social wrecking of the nation and its manufacturing base." One section in Harper's anti-social program is called "Supporting our Manufacturing Sector" (sic). By proposing to "abolish tariffs on a wide range of imported machinery and equipment," his program attacks the very notion of Canadian self-reliance in the manufacturing of industrial machinery. This proposal is particularly insulting to Canadian workers coming on the heels of the announced shutdown of the U.S.-owned John Deere plant in Welland, Ontario that manufactures machinery. Does this proposal not add insult to injury? Does this not throw gasoline on the conflagration consuming Canada's manufacturing sector? Does this not show the annexationist sell-out face of this anti-social party? This is not what laid off manufacturing workers want to hear. They want action to turn the situation around not cave in to the monopolies.
In 2007, Canada had a huge deficit of $60 billion in
trade of machinery and equipment - with exports of $106.8 billion and
imports of $166.6 billion. This outflow of $60 billion from this sector
alone is enormous for a population the size of Canada. It reflects a
deficit in manufacturing of industrial
machines in particular. The missing manufacturing sector of industrial
machines is a serious issue that Canadians should discuss and address.
For example with the John Deere closure, Canadians could demand firstly
that no Deere means of production at its Welland plant be allowed to
leave the country, and secondly
that John Deere specifically be prohibited from exporting machines into
Canada from its U.S. and Workers Hold Funeral Procession for Job Losses as Harper Presents "Platform"On October 7, nearly 200 workers held a mock funeral procession in Toronto for job losses close to where Stephen Harper was presenting his "party platform" to the financial elite one week before the end of the campaign. To highlight that Harper is acting towards the workers with the same callous indifference as Bush with the victims of Katrina, he funeral procession was organized in Dixieland style.
Tembec's Integrity in Question
Smooth Rock Falls, ON -- The pulp mill and hydroelectric dam in Smooth Rock Falls had been the community's economic engine since 1916 turning over profit for almost 80 years before Tembec acquired it from Malette Inc. in 1995. In ten short years Tembec managed to run this pulp mill into the ground by failing to make the necessary investments needed to maintain, retool or modify the mill to keep it viable and competitive. On December 5, 2006 Tembec announced they were shutting the mill down permanently. When questioned by Rick Isaacson Vice-president of CEP Local 32, their response was, "We will not sell the mill to anyone interested in producing pulp, the power dams are not for sale, and we have no intentions of parting with the wood rights." The Smooth Rock Falls Revitalization Task Force was established shortly after involving the Town of Smooth Rock Falls, the Smooth Rock Falls Community Development Corporation, the CEP Union and Tembec to seek viable business opportunities for the facility. A $330,000 feasibility study by Halifax Global Inc. and an independent third party consulting firm was initiated by the Task Force funded by government grants to assess the mills infrastructure and production systems and the existing availability of forest biomass to determine their suitability and viability for future business considerations. In early August of 2008 at a Revitalization Task Force meeting and after Tembec had sat on this committee for eighteen months they announced their intention to demolish the entire site other than a few buildings that Hardy Cedar Lumber were interested in leasing. What shocked everyone is while the feasibility study was near completion Tembec had put the demolition project out for tender six weeks earlier even though a cooperative group had presented Tembec with a multi-million dollar offer for the property and its assets. When questioned why the committee was not informed earlier of their intentions Tembec representative and committee member Terry Skiffington replied "We felt no obligation to do so!" These actions and statements have put Tembec's integrity into serious question causing much distrust and anger from the citizens of Smooth Rock Falls. It has become obvious that all along Tembec's true intentions were to keep the wood rights, retain ownership of the dams, secure the biomass and prevent the sale of the exiting mill while keeping the community at bay. There is something terribly wrong with government when our publicly owned natural resources are controlled by multi-national corporations like Tembec and the company is allowed to destroy a community even when viable alternative solutions are available. Al Simard The Crisis in Forestry -- An Election Issue In the context of the deepening economic crisis, the crisis in the forestry sector which has been going on for close to 10 years keeps devastating whole communities across Canada. In the last days of September along, 900 Domtar workers in Quebec and 550 Tembec workers in Ontario lost their livelihood and the monopoly media were silent about it. Meanwhile, the political parties of the rich were tearing their shirts in public in the leaders' debate. They had suddenly realized that the manufacturing sector creates wealth and that it has been in crisis for years. What was their solution to solve the crisis? It was to pay the forestry monopolies under the hoax of "keeping our jobs" or to pledge investments in research and development to improve the competitiveness of the monopolies on the global market. In just the last five years, 300,000 manufacturing jobs have disappeared in Canada, including 25,000 jobs in two years in the Quebec forestry sector, a number equal to the population of Sept-Îles. The forestry monopolies have also used blackmail and threats to force concessions in working conditions. The working class has put forward its own solutions to the crisis in forestry. It is demanding that the livelihood of the workers and communities must be guaranteed, that the forestry resources must be protected, and it is opposing concessions and the blackmail of the monopolies. The bourgeoisie is proposing its own solutions, asking the workers to "make an effort" and agree with the concessions. It put forward plans to pay the forestry monopolies and let them abdicate their responsibilities towards the protection and preservation of the public forests. The state fully backed the monopolies in the restructuring of the forestry industry, and the result has been the deepening of the crisis and the destruction of a huge production capacity. In this election, Minister of Labour and of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, Jean-Pierre Blackburn, who is the MP in Jonquière-Alma, tried to defend the Harper plan for the industry when he said that the Harper government "solved the softwood lumber crisis and did a lot for the workers." He added that the Quebec regions are doing well because the mining sector is growing and he pledged to put more funding into "retraining" programs for workers. The core of the Harper plan was to say that forestry communities must adapt or die. The money in the plan alledgedly went to "retraining" of workers and "initiatives of economic diversification." The workers see very well the problems that exist with this "assistance" because this is precisely what the forestry communities have been doing for decades. It does not address the fact that within the current system it is impossible to transform the economic base of the regions because the crisis has its source in the economic annexation to the United States of North American Monopolies and in the plunder of the natural and human resources by the monopolies. The aim of the political power which decides is to pay the rich and that is that. The forestry workers and communities are very active in this election to defend their right to a livelihood and to demand that public right must trump monopoly right. In Quebec, the workers are determined to defeat Jean-Pierre Blackburn and to block Harper everywhere as they have done with their demonstrations in Abitibi-Témiscamingue when Harper went to speak to private interests there. The forestry workers in New Brunswick also demonstrated in many areas against the Harper plan and for a solution to the crisis of the sector. This shows that workers want to take up their own destiny as leaders and active participants in the making of decisions that affect their future and to solve the problems in a way that benefits the people. We must demand that the right of the workers and communities to a livelihood must be guaranteed by law. No one must be left to fend for themselves without a livelihood. No to nation-wrecking! Yes to manufacturing and nation-building! Annexation No! Sovereignty Yes! * Gabriel Girard-Bernier is the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada candidate in Hull-Aylmer. Letter to the Editor A Simple QuestionThe leaders' debate of last Wednesday showed that it is because they defend the status quo that the business-parties -- whether they claim to be of the right, left, or centre-left -- receive their privileges. The question that was asked to them was simple. A man standing in front of a gas station asked: "What are we waiting for to nationalize the oil industry in Canada?" That was a valid question, not only because of the skyrocketing prices of fuel and the incredible parasitism of the oil monopolies, but because the issue for the workers and people to put the natural resources and the financial institutions under their control is on the agenda. Many events are forcing people to think about it, including the bailing out -- with public money -- of the multi billionaire financial institutions in the U.S. This highlights the urgency to affirm public right over monopoly right. I was curious to see how the "leaders" would answer the question, which is simple enough but puts into question the right of private fortunes to not only seize public assets but to destroy everything by doing so. One "leader" after another gave their "approach," either with an environmental angle, for more regulation or taxation of the oil companies, etc. No one even bothered to answer the question about nationalization. If I am not mistaken, no one even used the word "nationalization" in his/her answer. Obviously, to stay on topic was not a rule of the leaders' debate. While the media said that it is Harper who felt the heat from his opponents, he is the one who set the agenda, which is the agenda of the oil monopolies and of the ruling elites to keep being paid and to plunder our natural and human resources. Control over our natural resources is a crucial issue for the sovereignty of the country. The business-parties clearly showed that not only they are not going to take up that issue but they will not even address it. A Teacher in Ottawa Toronto Rally for Canadian Culture
More than 500 people participated in a noon-hour rally in front of the CBC building in downtown Toronto on October 8 held under the banners "Rally Forces for Canadian Culture" and "Vote Canadian culture -- show all parties that culture lives and works here!" Organized by the Writers Guild of Canada and the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA), many musicians, writers, actors, visual and other artists as well as those who work behind the scenes in films and theatrical productions were present. President of ACTRA Richard Hardacre said, "In this federal election, the economic value of culture and the worth of creative artists have not only come into question, they have come under attack." "We say No! to the cuts to the arts and demand that anyone expecting our vote restore arts funding." Furthermore, he aadded, "[We say] a resounding YES! to Canadian content and NO! to a foreign takeover of all that means most to us." Singer Tabby Johnston shouted out to the crowd "Whose country is this?" "Our country!" was the response. "Who holds the power?" -- "We hold the power!" What artists are demanding is respect, she stated, not to beg for table scraps.
Comedian Mark McKinney and veteran actor Eric Peterson both spoke to the need to fund Canadian film and television. Canadian TV programs make people visible to themselves and to the world in imaginative terms, Peterson said. In this country "we only catch odd glimpses of ourselves in the avalanche of culture from elsewhere," he added. "We sit immediately north of the greatest rogue nation in history and we are still here, because we have artists who tell us who we are," another person said. Yet another spoke to the experience of theatrical groups who travel across the country learning about the country and the people they play to and reflect this back in their works. Another speaker denounced the Harper government's divisive attempts to pit people against one another. He read a passage from Canadian writer Alistair McLeod which deals with the lives of working people in the Maritimes to illustrate how cultural workers give voice to workers who have no immediate voice. Speakers refuted the notion of artists as a privileged elite, giving examples of how artists are themselves "ordinary working people" who often work long hours at low wages, if they can find work, or who have to carry their creative endeavours while working a full-time job in another field. One performer said that he is in the top one percent in his field and yet without his wife working full-time he would have trouble making ends meet. Addressing the current economic crisis one of the speakers said that during tough times society turns to the comfort that artists as storytellers provide through their words, images and dance. A visual artist said that artists are workers in a vibrant industry which employs some one million people and deserve respect; a vote for culture is a vote for democracy, he said. This frightens Stephen Harper, he added.
National President of the Canadian Media Guild
Lisa
Lareau spoke specifically to the need to increase funding for the CBC.
None of the political parties have straight forwardly endorsed more
money for the CBC, she said. This needs to change. The CBC budget has
been flat-lined since 1991, she stated,
and people at the CBC are not allowed to speak about it. Compared to
other public broadcasters in the Linda Griffiths of the Playwrights Union of Canada denounced Harper's attacks on the arts saying that for Stephen Harper a creative act is an act of subversion. "You cannot divide us from our own voices. The arts reflect the soul of the country, and the soul is what it is all about," she said. "All the world's a stage and Stephen Harper is a bit player," she said. "In his play the lead character is a control freak who has no room for differing opinions," she continued. Stephen Harper's play cannot go on, she stated, because it has no soul. Toronto Artists Organize Against CutsToronto artists and cultural workers are taking various initiatives during the Federal Election to oppose the Harper government's cuts to the arts and to organize to defeat the Conservatives. The Department of Culture, one of the groups organizing against the Conservative government's cuts has been hitting the streets in two ridings just outside Toronto, considered swing ridings; Oakville and Whitby-Oshawa, encouraging voters to vote anything-but-Conservative. Whitby-Oshawa is currently held by the Conservative Minister of Finance, Jim Flaherty. Speaking of their work in Whitby-Oshawa, Department of Culture assistant co-ordinator Melissa Goldstein said: "The main goal is to connect with the voters in the area.... More than half of this riding didn't vote for the Harper government last time, so it's a way of being a strong voice for them." The Department of Culture met with about 20 people at the Whitby Public Library September 29 to see how best to get the word out. Similar work is being done in Oakville, and volunteers are leafleting Go Train service both in these ridings and trains departing Toronto for the area. The groups co-ordinator Michael Wheeler reports that because they are not specifically supporting any party they are well-received. "We're just everyday Canadians with serious concerns. We want to inform people to use the power of their vote and not let the Conservative party win again," Wheeler said. Those involved in the Department of Culture come from
many artistic backgrounds including painters, architects, dancers,
writers, actors, photographers and filmmakers. Among their initiatives
is a national video contest inviting people from across the country to
produce 30 second videos in response
to "the Conservative government's dismantling of the arts, cultural and
social programs since 2006." They are organizing a musical event in
Toronto on Thursday, October 9 under the theme "This is NOT a
Conservative Party."Some of the videos will be showcased at the event.
The Wrecking Ball
In Toronto the Tarragon theatre was filled to capacity and people had to be turned away at the doors. The Toronto event was a benefit for The Department of Culture, one of the organizations opposing the Harper cuts, and was specifically raising money to take out ads in newspapers in ridings in which the group is campaigning for anything-but-Conservative. The Wrecking Ball began in Toronto in 2004, intending to put politics and current affairs into the theatre. The short plays for this week's event were commissioned one week ago and focussed on the federal election. Among the short plays performed one "Nail Biter" dealt with Omar Khadr through a monologue of a Canadian official who interviewed Khadr. A second profiled all the registered political parties whose voices are not heard in the media. Another, "The Road to Ordinary," dealt with the situation of cultural workers in Canada who hold jobs in other fields to support their art. The event also featured a performance by musician and rap artist Belladonna. Read The Marxist-Leninist
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Harper unveiled his party's
program October 7, a day after advance polling held October 3, 4 and 6
had finished. This is in contempt of the people and their right to
participate in the political affairs of the country and to participate
consciously in setting the direction of the economy. Harper's
disrespect for democracy
is on display in his belated release of a program dominated by glossy
pictures of the man himself and an anti-social political line.
John Deere is moving the production
of machinery from Welland to its U.S. and Mexican plants. Under NAFTA,
no tariffs of importance exist against U.S. and Mexican exports of
industrial machinery into Canada. Harper's announced reduction of $345
million in tariffs on machinery will come mostly
from European imports. From January through July 2008 alone, Canada ran
a $5.1-billion trade deficit in machinery and equipment with the
European Union. On October 17, Canada will begin secret free trade
negotiations with the European Union. Harper's tariff reduction appears
to be in anticipation of those secret
talks and an indication of what is in store: more destruction of
Canada's self-reliance and its manufacturing sector, as European
machines flood into the country intensifying the pressure on the
already meagre machine producing sector and increasing the deficit in
manufactured products.
Mexican plants. Generally, all
manufacturers of industrial machinery should be forced to produce
manufacturing value within Canada that is at least equivalent to the
amount they want to bring into the country from
their factories abroad. If a monopoly wants to sell its machines in
Canada, it must produce an equivalent amount of social product in
Canada. This would be part of a pro-social self-reliant nation-building
program that restricts monopoly right and says, "Manufacturing and
Sovereignty Yes!" and "No to nation-wrecking
and annexation!" Say no to Harper's attacks on manufacturing! Stop the
Right and its anti-social offensive! Vote for manufacturing,
sovereignty and a pro-social self-reliant economy! Vote
Marxist-Leninist! 
Workers held a coffin and many
tombstones on which the names of the industrial facilities that closed
in the last two years, including ArvinMeritor, Simmons and Progressive
Moulded Plastics which were the most recent victims. The closure of
Progressive Moulded Plastics, which ran 11 small auto
parts plants in the Toronto area is considered a spin-off effect of the
announced closure of the GM truck plant in Oshawa. This threw more than
2,000 workers onto the streets in one shot and without any warning.
Several workers from these recently shut down plants took part in the
action organized by the Toronto
and York Region Labour Council. In a communiqué, the Labour
Council blamed the Harper government for mismanaging the economy, shown
in its blind loyalty to bad trade deals, deregulation, outsourcing and
export of raw resources. The Labour Council is demanding policies that
will create jobs in a sustainable
economy. 
President of the Writers Guild of
Canada Rebecca
Schechter opened the rally stating that culture is more important now
than ever, that it provides us with our memory and our identity. Saying
artists are ordinary people who stand side by side with everyone else
as neighbours and co-workers, she panned
Harper's mantra which calls them elites. We are ordinary people doing
extraordinary things, she said.
Peter Murdoch, Vice-President
(Media) of the
Communications, Energy and Paperworkers (CEP) highlighted the need to
keep the issue of culture on the agenda between elections, for example
through such rallies. "At least one party, and possibly more" forget
the issue once the elections are over," he
said. "We must not only restore the funding cut from the arts but
increase funding to this sector," he said. He spoke against the sell
off of the telecommunications sector into foreign hands; "... to do so
will mean that they control the message," he said.
industrialized world which are
funded
on average of $80 per capita, the CBC is funded at a rate of $33 per
capita, she pointed out.
On October 6 Wrecking Ball political theatre
events
were held in ten cities across Canada: Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary,
Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax and Corner
Brook, Newfoundland.