|
February 24, 2010 - No. 40 Historic Latin American and Caribbean Unity Summit Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELC) Creates Organization to Replace the OAS! Felipe Calderón, President of host nation Mexico, inaugurates the Unity Summit of Latin American and Caribbean Nations in Cancun on February 22, 2010. Historic Latin American and Caribbean
Unity Summit Historic Latin American and Caribbean Unity Summit Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELC) Creates Organization to Replace the OAS! TML greets the formation of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELC) with great joy. This new formation, which will ultimately replace the Organization of American States, is a vigorous expression of the Latin America and the Caribbean peoples' desire for regional solidarity and national sovereignty free from outside interference. The proposal for such a body expressly excludes the U.S. and Canada which are viewed as undermining the national sovereignty of Latin American and Caribbean nations. The CELC was formed at the Latin American Unity Summit
held from February 22-23 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. It will be
formally established on July 5, 2011 at a summit in Caracas, once its
charter has been developed. The new body will amalgamate the Summit of
Latin America and the Caribbean
and the Rio Group, while it will co-exist with other sub-regional
organizations. The normal functions of the Group of Rio and the Latin
American and Caribbean Congress will continue until the new
organization's institutions are completely formed. On Monday, in his opening speech to inaugurate the summit, Calderón emphasized plans to create a new united organization for the region, saying that hopes of unity across the Americas was a dream in the early 19th century, when the region's leaders began to fight for their independence from European colonial powers. "The dream of unity is part of the independence we are celebrating," Calderón said, referring to the start of Mexican celebrations to mark 200 years of its independence. "And this summit represents an important increase in our integration." "Today we will be examining the first step, the jumping off point for a new future," Calderón said. "Today we have the opportunity to create a common space for all the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean." The Rio Group and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) together comprise 33 countries. Of these 32 were represented at the summit (Honduras has notably been excluded from Rio Group functions since the coup), 26 of them by their presidents or prime ministers, including Raúl Castro of Cuba, René Préval of Haiti, Mauricio Funes of El Salvador, Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, Hugo Chávez of Venezuela, Álvaro Uribe of Colombia, Rafael Correa of Ecuador, Luiz "Lula" Da Silva of Brazil, Evo Morales of Bolivia, as well as Fernando Lugo of Paraguay, President-Elect of Uruguay José Mujica, Michelle Bachelet of Chile and Cristina Fernandez of Argentina, amongst others. Peru, the Bahamas, Guyana, Saint Lucia, Surinam and Trinidad and Tobago are represented by members of their cabinets. Besides the Rio Group and CARICOM, several other
regional bodies were represented at the summit: the Latin American and
Caribbean Economic System (SELA), the Latin America Integration
Association (LAIA), the Latin American Parliament, the Association of
Caribbean States (ACS), the Common
Market of the South (MERCOSUR), the Andean Community. Altogether, more
than twenty representatives of international bodies took part as
observers. At the conclusion of the summit, Mexican President Felipe Calderón, indicated that Community of Latin American and Caribbean States was a provisional name that might change at future meetings. "We have decided to create an organization CELC that includes all the organizations of Latin America and the Caribbean. We have decided to base an organization on shared values including sovereignty, opposition to the use of force including threats of force, international cooperation, ever closer integration of Latin America and the Caribbean and permanent political dialogue," he said.
President of Bolivia, Evo Morales, also pointed out the historic significance of the decision to create a new regional integration bloc without the presence of the United States. "Wherever the United States is present, democracy is not guaranteed, peace with social equity is not guaranteed," he said. President of Brazil Luiz "Lula" Da Silva said: "It is important to remember that this Summit does not represent a minor historic deed. I would rather say that it is a historic event of large dimensions. [... We are affirming] our personality as a region that has decided to create a Community of Latin American and Caribbean countries [...] We are discovering ourselves as a region, from the smallest island to the largest country." President Da Silva pointed out that it is necessary to consolidate regional integration in order to achieve real development in the individual countries. "We have progressed in an extraordinary way, because we are consolidating democracy as ever with this meeting," he added. As part of the summit's proceedings, President Calderón on handed over the pro tempore secretariat of the Rio Group to Chile, which will coordinate the regional mechanism until 2012. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet in accepting the post, affirmed Chile's commitment to build regional unity and solidarity. On the creation of the new regional body, Bachelet declared countries have the task of consolidating the integration into a fundamental political forum. She pointed out that countries in the region are at a crucial juncture in which the socio-political development of the peoples is a challenge for governments. In her acceptance speech, President Bachelet told those assembled that Chile was taking on the task of Rio Group secretariat at a time that marks a watershed in world history. "The international community has abandoned the idea of laissez faire, the idea that the market can completely regulate itself," Bachelet said. "In the words of Mexican poet Octavio Paz, the market has no mercy and no conscience." The summit approved two main declarations, the Declaration of Cancun, and the Declaration of the Unity Summit, which establish the main programmatic commitments to political and economic coordination and cooperation. In addition, several other special documents were passed on the following concerns: migratory cooperation, solidarity with Haiti, a declaration on the Malvinas issue backing Argentina's legitimate rights in its dispute with the UK, a resolution against the economic, trade and financial blockade the U.S. government has maintained against Cuba for almost 50 years, as well as a declaration congratulating Guatemala for the outcome of investigations by the International Commission against Impunity. Likewise, the meeting passed a resolution supporting Ecuador's commitment not to exploit 846 million barrels of oil that lie under the subsoil of Yasuní National Park. Yet another document expresses solidarity with Ecuador after the Financial Action Task Force included it, in a manipulative move, on the list of countries that have failed to adequately address money laundering and the financing of terrorism. Also on the agenda was a discussion of Honduras' status within the Rio Group and its successor organization because of the illegitimacy of the current Porfirio Lobo regime put in place by the coup.
Firm Commitment to Rebuilding Haiti in Respect of Its SovereigntyIn his speech to open the summit, President Calderón described the work to rebuild Haiti as the "cause of all Latin America and the Caribbean." He thanked President Préval of Haiti (a Rio Group and CARICOM member) for taking time to come to the conference when there are so many urgent needs in his nation. On Sunday, Mexico hosted a summit with CARICOM leaders where Préval expressed his thanks to member nations for their support. He reported that the death toll from the quake may reach 300,000 and that with the rainy season on the way, shelter for the nation's 1.5 million homeless was Haiti's highest priority. President Bachelet, in accepting the secretariat of the Rio Group remarked, "We are all working to face the difficult situation that is taking place in one of our member nations, Haiti." Bachelet added that the body would ensure that the nation can be rebuilt better than before "as all Haitians deserve." President Da Silva called for strengthened solidarity and concrete support for Haiti, noting that even before the earthquake it was already facing huge structural problems. Cuban President Raúl Castro declared that the rebuilding of Haiti requires and merits long-term international aid of great magnitude and that help should be unselfish, with complete respect for the country's sovereignty and to its government and carried out under UN authority. He cited the example of Cuba's solidarity, which has collaborated for more than a decade in Haiti, during which time its doctors have carried out 14 million consultations, 200,000 surgeries, 100,000 births and 45,000 eye operations. President Castro pointed out that President Hugo Chávez, with his particular sensitivity and generosity, as well as Cuba and other countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America, plan to maintain and increase their efforts. Presidents Calderón and Chávez each said the grouping had committed new funds to Haiti. Calderón noted that Haiti would get $25 million from the Inter-American Development Bank and the Andean Development Corporation, while Chávez said that the island nation would receive $30 million directly from members. U.S. Blockade of Cuba DenouncedPresident Castro expressed Cuba's appreciation for the approval of the special document demanding the end of the unjust U.S. economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba, as well as the solidarity towards his country expressed at the summit. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez who was part of Cuba's delegation to the summit stated that "There is a unanimous position of all the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean condemning the U.S. blockade against Cuba and they urge the U.S. Government to immediately lift it." In his closing remarks, President Da Silva also criticized the U.S. blockade against Cuba and expressed optimism for its prompt end, as demanded by the international community.
|
In his closing speech to the
summit, Cuban President
Raúl Castro began with a fraternal message from the Cuban people
to Mexico, a country that gave shelter to many Latin Americans,
including the pioneers of the Cuban Revolution. Castro emphasized the
historical significance of the creation of such a mechanism, pointing
out that to be an
independent nation is an indispensable
requirement to join this body, which will be characterized by the
respect for cultural diversity and for the different geographic and
economic dimensions, the political system adopted by each country, the
disparity in natural resources and differences in social development,
he
pointed out. The next summit in Caracas will
be a great opportunity to conclude the work to make the organization
operational and Cuba will work hard to ensure this takes place, he
added.
Venezuelan President Hugo
Chávez stated that
"The peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean are trying to retake
the path of our own republics, we are taking the path taken by Simon
Bolivar." He welcomed the
summit's unanimous decision to give his country "the great task of
starting to organize the [next] summit in July, 2011." He expressed his
hope that next year in Caracas it will be possible to approve the basic
principles of the organization, the community,
the unity of states or republics which has begun to be born. "We expect
that in a year, with hard work, the articles of incorporation and
basis of the organization can be approved. Whether it is in
Caracas, next year, or in Santiago, two years later, it does not
matter. What matters most is a good start to what is developing,"
Chávez stated. Buenos Aires, Argentina, February 23, 2010: Demonstration against British oil exploration in the Malvinas. Signs read "British Out of the Malvinas." |
Several speakers in the first session expressed their solidarity with the South American country regarding the unilateral decision of the UK to engage in oil prospecting in the area. "That is one of the clearest demonstrations of neocolonialism," said President Chávez. President of Bolivia Evo Morales also spoke out in support of Argentina's just claim.
President Da Silva also underscored that it was necessary to demand that the United Nations reopen the debate over the Malvinas. He also urged the United Nations to undertake its mandate in a democratic manner and take an appropriate decision on the Malvinas, which "are and have to be Argentinian."
Exclusion of Honduras
Regarding the absence of Honduras at the Summit, President Da Silva stressed that the country was not invited because it does not have a legitimate representative.
"Honduras is not here, and will not be, for a simple reason, because even if Hondurans went to elections, they were called by cutting short the presidency of a man [President Zelaya] who was democratically elected. We cannot accept that those experiences of military juntas in Honduras prevail in other Latin American and Caribbean countries," the President of Brazil emphasized.
In related news, the National Front of Popular Resistance to the Coup in Honduras on February 19 issued a communique addressed to the summit, which is posted below.
***
To the State and Government representatives who comprise the Permanent Organization for Consultation and Political Coordination meeting in Cancun, Mexico in the context of the 23rd Summit of the Rio Group, we declare:
Honduras continues to live under a de facto regime, installed and supported by force of arms since June 28, 2009 to date, a period during which the Honduran people have been subject to constant human rights violations.
In a vain attempt to mask the illegitimacy and illegality of the actual regime the faces of the figures who administer the state are being changed, but they are not succeeding in fooling anybody because it is public knowledge that these people obey the same powerful groups that are ordering the repression and assassinations and preventing the development of a true democracy.
The electoral process, with which the new ombudsmen of the dictatorship attempt to validate themselves, was clearly illegal, having been organized and administered by the authorities complying with the coup d'etat, who prevented the free participation of the opposition and ignored the predominating atmosphere of terror. For these reasons no credible institution, government or regional integration organization sent observers to the process.
The illegitimacy of the process was reinforced by the abstention of the vast majority of the Honduran population from voting and consequently the results are unknown. It is no accident that the people are continuing their non-violent struggle to defeat the current totalitarian regime and return to democratic order.
The human rights situation is desperate and is deteriorating. More assassinations, hostage-takings and persecution against the people organized in the Popular Resistance have been registered -- particularly since those charged with directing the State security organs announced a military offensive to put an end to the opposition to the regime.
Various sectors of the international community, friendly governments, social organizations and defenders of human rights have expressed their refusal to recognize the current regime.
For these reasons:
a. We call on the representatives of the government and State members of the Rio Group to maintain your position of refusal to recognize the Honduran dictatorship as long as the democratic constitutional order is not re-established and the violations of human rights are not ended.
b. We will continue our struggle regardless of the acts of terror committed by the State controlled by the coup.
c. We thank the friendly governments and social organizations for your concern about the serious situation our country is going through and for your acts of solidarity to overcome the crisis.
(Translated from the Spanish original by TML Daily)
(Prensa Latina, Agencia Bolivariana de Noticias, Xinhua, Mercopress)
Evo Morales Speaks to the Mexican People
"We All Have a Responsibility to Save Humanity"
On Sunday, February 21, more than 10,000 people attended a public rally to welcome the President of Bolivia, Evo Morales to Mexico. Invitations to the "Meeting with Bolivia" were sent far and wide by the Bolivian Embassy to Mexico, the government of Mexico City, the City of Coyoacan and Bolivian solidarity committees in several Mexican states.
The purpose of the event was to facilitate a meeting
between President Evo Morales and Mexican social movements, indigenous
organizations, solidarity committees, workers, unions, academics and
the left. While waiting for President Morales to arrive, thousands of
participants attended a lively cultural
program in which several aboriginal dance troops and Bolivian and
Mexican musicians reflected the struggle of the indigenous peoples of
Bolivia and Mexico against Spanish and U.S. domination.
Several prominent figures of Mexican politics took the
floor to welcome President Morales, each highlighting the importance of
his recent election as Bolivia's first indigenous president. They
pointed out that a key significance of Morales' presidency is its
mandate to
listen to and serve the interests of the
indigenous nations of Bolivia, and its importance to the indigenous
peoples of the Americas, the anti-imperialist movement and for all
indigenous peoples of the world.
Addressing the crowd, President Morales began by responding to representatives of the indigenous peoples in terms of what he thought they could do so as to be heard by those who hold power in Mexico. He answered: "Organizing yourselves and uniting. We have the experience of first waging struggle in the social movement, the indigenous movement and then the unions, and we finally had to recognize that it wasn't enough. Without holding the power in our own hands, our rights would not be respected. We then decided to enter the electoral struggle and take political power." He stressed that it was not easy and that from 1995 to his first election in 2005, he was the victim of a smear campaign and attempts at humiliation. He was accused of being a drug trafficker, a terrorist, a communist, ignorant and illiterate to the point where the evening following his appointment by indigenous organizations as their presidential candidate in 2002, he wondered how such an individual could be elected president. The following day they began the campaign by allying with the communists, the socialists, the workers, the social movement and all the democratic forces in the country. Then he said that, yes, Bolivia was liberated and he would speak in defense of indigenous nations, of Mother Earth and for the liberation of the world from American imperialism, but that we all have the responsibility to save humanity, and we must immediately organize ourselves and unite. Speaking about the achievements of his government, he said that what he learned in the first four years was to listen and then listen some more to the demands and preoccupations of the various sections of the people, the indigenous people, the workers, the intellectuals and academics, the healthcare workers and correspondingly take the necessary measures to serve their interests. This is why, he said, "We were not afraid to nationalize the oil and gas reserves, we were not afraid to reclaim our silver mines and thus realize a budgetary surplus in the first year of power," ending more than 66 years of continuous deficits. Addressing the economic question he highlighted that the people can expect nothing good from the capitalist system, that the rights to education, healthcare, the basic elements for well-being cannot be achieved under capitalism, that the system was the cause for their rebellion to achieve their well-being and that is why his government is engaging in what he calls developing community socialism.
He continued by pointing out
the necessity to oust the U.S. imperialists from Latin America in order
for the peoples to
live without the threat of their aggression and interference and that
of their institutions like the International
Monetary Fund and World Bank. Bolivia is operating
without these institutions and life has improved and everyone must do
the same, he said. Coups, like the one in Honduras, and threats they
pose against progressive Latin American governments must be blocked. He
saluted the Cuban people and Fidel Castro for their courage and
determination in persevering with
the Cuban Revolution against the U.S. blockade and defending Cuba's
right to sovereignty. He also paid tribute to Venezuelan President Hugo
Chávez and all other leaders of progressive governments recently
elected in Latin America. He concluded by saluting the progressive and
revolutionary forces in Mexico and
uplifted the crowd by saying "Soon Mexico will be free!"
Haiti -- One Month After the Earthquake
Harper Praises Military Spending as
Key to Aid Effort
in Haiti
A post on the Canada Haiti Action Network (CHAN) e-mail
list by Nik Barry-Shaw points out that "Harper, ever the Machiavellian,
cynically uses the destruction of the earthquake in Haiti to bolster
his militarist agenda and get some good PR for the Canadian military
[...]"
He continues:
During a tour of Haitian disaster zones, Prime Minister Stephen Harper touted his government's military purchases and cited current relief efforts as evidence his approach worked.
The Prime Minister used an address to soldiers in the town of Leogane, vast swaths of which were reduced to rubble a month ago, to stress his refurbishment of the military. He singled out the purchase of C-17 transport planes for particular praise, saying those new vehicles helped fly troops and supplies to Haiti almost immediately.
"The entire planet has been able to witness that Canada is now a major actor when it's time to intervene in natural disasters," Harper said in Tuesday's speech. "Everyone saw that Canada has the equipment, the know-how, the capacity and the personnel to intervene quickly and efficiently.
"And Canada now has a considerable advantage -- a fleet of C-17s. Thanks to this multi-purpose airplane, Canada no longer has to hitchhike its way to foreign deployments."
After taking power four years ago, the Conservatives scrapped plans by the Liberals to buy a fleet of smaller transport aircraft in favour of the hulking C-17. The government eventually purchased four of the aircraft at a cost of $1.8 billion.
Harper arrived in Port-au-Prince on Monday in a C-17 carrying water filters, medical aid and other supplies.
The prime minister's comments come as the Canadian Forces prepare to withdraw from Afghanistan at the end of next year, ending Canada's most explicit demonstration of "hard power" in decades.
"This fleet of new aircraft, the C-17 fleet, is a big part of making this response possible. I single out the C-17 for a reason. There was a time when that kind of heavy lift aircraft didn't fit Canada's soft-power policies," Mr. Harper told soldiers yesterday at a steamy military camp on the city's outskirts with a crumbled house as a backdrop.
"But our government bought them for the hard-power requirements of today's word. Now we're using them for relief work.
"What is the moral of the story?" he asked. "To do soft power, you need hard power. You need a full range of capabilities."
Much of the equipment and supplies that have been airlifted into Haiti by Canada since the earthquake last month was delivered on a Boeing C-17 Globemaster.
The Conservative government bought four of the giant aircraft in 2007 for $1.8-billion plus an estimated $1.6-billion for 20 years of service.
The Conservatives have spent billions of dollars on defence equipment since they came to office in 2006. But the C-17s were among the most controversial purchases.
Water, but Not Blessed
Sous Shilove doesn't know that the French president was in the city, much less that he promised $326 million in aid, along with 1,000 tents and 16,000 canvas tarpaulins for the start of the rainy season. The young Haitian, who is the oldest son and therefore responsible for his large family, only knows that the rains have begun, and they will make things worse in the chaotic Champ de Mars, the plaza where he and thousands of others have been living in miserable conditions for more than a month.
Since January 13th, Sous Shilove and his family have been sleeping underneath a few boards and old tarps in a space no larger than two square meters. Their bodies "rest" on the ground every night, but early yesterday morning, they couldn't even do that. An intermittent rainstorm that began at 2 a.m. and lasted almost three hours kept them awake and frightened. In the morning, their few belongings were drying in the sun.
The young man explains that it has become very difficult to find materials among the rubble to make a strong roof, because many of the buildings that collapsed in the quake are now under state control. Moreover, his home was plundered after the tragedy, and the family was unable to save anything. Sous told this reporter he did not know what the government's plans were for helping people to confront the coming rains; he doesn't have access to radio or TV. "People talk a lot, but we can't confirm anything," he commented.
Maurais Philippe is extremely busy hammering a piece of zinc that will soon be the "roof" of his "home." He is surrounded by old mattresses, pillows and several changes of clothing hanging wet on nearby trees. "Last night was terrible for us. We couldn't sleep; we stayed awake to make sure the water didn't come in." Has the family received any help? "Once they brought us a little bit of rice, but that's not the main thing right now; we are living here with children, and we have no way to protect them from the rain. I found that roof in the trash."
At least Philippe's family has him to confront these infernal days to come. But Siné Vinette is not so fortunate. The mother of two children, she stood in front of the four wet sheets that are now her home, waiting for who-knows-what. "I have nowhere else to go," said the woman, exhausted by the same misfortune that is darkening the days of 700,000-plus Haitians who were left homeless by the quake.
And while work seemed to be speeding up yesterday in the plazas surrounding the National Palace, with the installation of bathrooms and the clean-up of sewers, uncertainty continued to prevail among the people.
The tragedy doesn't end here. In addition to the devastating quake that killed more than 200,000 people and injured 300,000 within one minute, now there are the torrential rains, which even in normal times bring misfortune. The reasons: deforestation, poor urban planning, an excess of garbage left almost anyplace and especially in the drains of Port-au-Prince in short, extreme and painful poverty.
It has been raining for two days in this capital, where thousands of people are crowded into spaces exposed to the elements, and diseases are beginning to spread which could turn into epidemics. According to Luisa Verónica, a Dominican doctor who graduated from Cuba's Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM), and who is on one of the two medical teams working in Dessalines Park, people are seeking treatment for respiratory infections, many of them asthmatics whose condition has been aggravated by the humidity of their shelters. Diarrhea and urinary infections also abound, she said.
Dr. Yelayne Morell, who is heading the epidemiological team that began treating people yesterday in that plaza — one of the most crowded places following the Jan. 12 quake — said that the rains bring an increase in vectors, especially mosquitoes, as well as the possibilities of contracting dengue fever and malaria. Health conditions will become worse, she said.
As the threat of rain continues threatening to fall, and almost always does fall, the debate continues on how and where to build camps to shelter thousands of people; whether it would be more effective (or cheaper) to have tents or metallic roofs; whom to ask for more aid; how to convince people that this is not a temporary issue. And for now, Sous Shilove still does not know what will become of him and his family, when the water, not at all blessed, continues to come through the gaps in his "home."
Hamilton
Public Lecture and Discussion on Cuba's Environmental & Social Advances
|
The
Hamilton
Friendship
Association
with
Cuba
is
pleased
to
announce its upcoming program with Mr. Jorge Soberon, the Consul
General of Cuba in Toronto, who will be visiting our city on February
25. We are inviting all McMaster University students, faculty, staff
and members of the Hamilton community
to join us for this evening lecture on campus at 6:00 pm. The lecture
is sponsored by the McMaster Organization of Latin American Students
(OLAS). This lecture is part of an exciting, day-long program for Mr.
Soberon in Hamilton, where he will be addressing high school and middle
school classes as well as workers
at USW Local 1005. This broad program reflects the deep links between
the Cuban people and all sectors of Canadian society. Hamiltonians of
all ages and from all walks of life are always eager to hear from their
Cuban friends on the basis of people to people friendship and learning.
We are pleased to be a part
of facilitating locally this long-standing tradition between our two
peoples.
About Mr. Soberon
Mr. Soberon is speaking in Hamilton on behalf of the democratically elected government of Cuba. He first came to Canada in December 2008, when he assumed the position of the Consul General of Cuba in Toronto. Before coming to Toronto, he was the Deputy Director of the North America Department (U.S. and Canada) at MINREX, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was previously posted at the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, D.C. Mr. Soberon has a Master's Degree from the Higher Institute for International Relations (ISRI) of Cuba and a Law degree from the University of Havana.
Evening Lecture with Mr. Soberon
Again, we welcome everyone to attend the public evening event with Mr. Soberon at McMaster University titled "Against All Odds -- Cuba's Environmental & Social Advances." In this lecture, sponsored by McMaster OLAS, Mr. Soberon will discuss how, in the face of a punitive and illegal 50-year embargo, the Cuban people are forging ahead with their environmental and social goals without bowing to any and all forms of U.S.-led aggression. From urban and organic farming to the creation of alternatives to fossil fuels, Cuba sets a global example for sustainable development. From universal education and health care to genuine internationalism, Cuba is also developing its social capacity. In this context, Mr.Soberon will also discuss how, while governments around the world cut social spending in the name of managing recessions and economic crises, Cuba has sustained and developed its high level of social services. This unique Cuban example is certainly of interest to all those considering creative and human-centered alternatives to the social problems that face us. At this event, members of the HFAC youth delegation to the May 2009 conference on the Cuban Five in Havana, Cuba will also present a report-back to the community on their work. Again, the HFAC thanks the many individuals whose kind financial support made this delegation's work possible.
Mr. Soberon Discusses with Youth & Workers
Aside from the evening lecture, Mr.Soberon is scheduled to present and discuss with students at Sir Allan MacNab High School in the morning. Over 80 students will assemble to hear Mr. Soberon, including history, environmental management and travel/tourism classes. In the early afternoon, he will address two grade eight french immersion classes at St.Joseph's School. Mid-afternoon, the Consul will be welcomed by workers at United Steelworkers Local 1005 during their weekly Thursday meeting.
Join Us!
We call on everyone to join in making this broad exchange a success. We welcome your participation, comments and suggestions. All assistance, big and small, is greatly appreciated.
Toronto and Montreal Venezuela Solidarity Rallies
|
Conservative Minister for the Americas Peter Kent has publicly criticized Venezuela as 'undemocratic' for applying its laws to TV and radio broadcasters. Kent and his fellow Harper Conservatives shouldn't speak about democracy at the same time as closing our Parliament for months to avoid being investigated for complicity in handing over detainees to torture in Afghanistan.
People in Toronto, Montreal and Caracas, Venezuela will be demonstrating in support of the democratic people's movement in Venezuela and exposing the hypocrisy of the Harper Conservatives who are waging war in Afghanistan while avoiding public accountability at home.
Read The Marxist-Leninist
Daily
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca