Canada Needs an Anti-War Government • Halifax Activists Mark One Year of Anti-War Pickets - No Harbour for War Fighting for the Rights of All • Canada Post Must Fulfill Its Obligations to the Pension Plan - Louis Lang • Demonstration at Ontario Ministry of Labour in Defence of Public Sector Workers' Rights - Christine Nugent Whose Resources? Our Resources! Who Decides? We Decide! • Defeat of Bill 43 to Amend the Mining Act Underscores Need for Public Control over Natural Resources - Philip Fernandez
Canada Needs an Anti-War Government
- No Harbour for War -
50... and Counting A year of Hands Off Syria! Hands Off Iran! pickets June 8, 2012 - June 7, 2013
Our June 7th picket marks the 50th in the current series of weekly pickets against the U.S.-led wars of aggression and occupation that currently engulf Syria.
It has been an eventful year for our work. Thousands of leaflets and newsletters were distributed; hundreds of discussions were held. A series of problems presented themselves in the course of this participation in and further building of the anti-imperialist movement. The forces that have committed to maintaining these pickets are taking these problems up for practical solution. This article discusses how the same forces that take up their social responsibility to maintain the practical movement also pay first-rate attention to its further development.
We are living through and witnessing fateful days.
This war has spread into Lebanon. Murderous fanatics there, sneaking in across the Syrian border and financed by the governments of Saudi Arabia and Qatar with full diplomatic cover from Washington, are hurling themselves at the throats of the Lebanese people -- in the name of "destroying Hezbollah."
The patience of the people of Turkey with the Erdogan government has run out -- in particular over its sponsorship of Al-Qaeda fascist terror gangs using camps for Syrian refugees as bases from which to re-enter Syria and cause even more chaos. This weekend, linking up with protests against a number of other unpopular decisions of the AKP regime, millions took to the streets of all the main cities of Turkey -- several hundreds of thousands in Istanbul alone -- to say "No!" to further meddling in the struggles of the fraternal peoples of Syria. The peak of the demonstrations was eloquently timed to coincide with the visit of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to Ankara on the weekend (where he was expected to lay down the NATO law to the Erdogan government).
The world's people, including the Canadian people, are being further dragged into an all-consuming war. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Baird talks about Canada opposing sending a single armament to terrorist gangs inside Syria, while the Harper cabinet has ladled out at least $30 million already allegedly to support Syrian refugees in camps in Jordan -- camps that the Al-Qaeda fanatics run and use exactly as they use the camps on the Syrian-Turkish border!
On a number of occasions in the recent past, either as a single event or as a series of events or now even as a semi-permanent event, the activists and supporters of the Halifax No Harbour For War! Committee staged pickets throughout Halifax-Dartmouth. These were critical moments -- the despatching of Canadian soldiers into U.S.-led wars of aggression in Afghanistan, the disclosure of secret Canadian military support lent to the U.S. adventure in Iraq, the brutal Israeli assault on the Palestinian people of the Gaza Strip at the end of 2008, etc.
Massive anti-war events grew out of this work, such as the march of 10,000 Haligonians denouncing the December 2004 "visit" of the warmonger George W Bush. All these activities are aimed at keeping the public informed of significant developments in the growing war danger facing Canadians. However, when the urgency of the issue(s) of the day had passed, there was no sustaining work being maintained in full view of the public.
Very soon after we started this series of pickets, we added the wrinkle of an occasional flying picket. Thus on Canada Day last year, the picket moved from its usual perch at the corner of Barrington and Spring Garden to a spot near the entrance to the Nova Scotia International Tattoo. Some of the participants had been part of a similar earlier moment: on Canada Day in 1979 when the progressive forces picketed the very first "Nova Scotia International Tattoo" to denounce the program of NATO (and Soviet-bloc) imperialist warships and highlight the rotten fascist militarization of "culture" that the Tattoo represented.
The people of Halifax opposed to imperialist war not only picketed and marched in mass rallies against the reality and the danger of imperialist war. Occasionally they took up public forums as a means to develop the discussion of these life-and-death questions. The forums in particular were information-rich and developed and maintained a clear stand. Nevertheless, in the absence of a clear line of continuously committed action by their sponsors, they could not acquire wings among the broader public and sustain themselves. As a result: no regular public line of work against imperialist war developed consistently or continuously among the people of Halifax-Dartmouth.
The richest and most important lesson of how we have gone into motion this past year has been how to stay in motion and further build the support that renders this motion self-sustaining. The anti-imperialist forces themselves have decided to regularize picketing in this NATO port city against imperialist war, and build media and support for this stand on the basis of maintaining the No Harbour For War! Committee's pickets and newsletter distribution.
The first victory accomplished since the start of the current "Hands Off Syria! Hands Off Iran!" series has been the regularizing of this No Harbour For War! newsletter. That has opened the way to launching an email list as a more frequent communication channel of current news and developments. By stepping up this work even further, we aim to give rise to a series of discussion forums, to start later this year, on the current problems and prospects for further strengthening the Canadian people's stand against imperialist war.
Warmest greetings to our readers as we launch the No Harbour For War! weekly picket into our second year.
For further information or to subscribe to the No Harbor For War newsletter, write to: noharbourforwar@hotmail.com
Fighting for the Rights of All
- Louis Lang -
Recent public statements by Canada Post give the impression that there is a serious crisis facing the corporation's Defined Benefit Pension Plan and that this is threatening the financial viability of the post office.
The most recent Retiree Pension Bulletin states:
"In addition to volume decline, the increase in the Canada Post Pension Plan's solvency deficit to be funded from $4.7 billion to $5.9 billion places greater pressure on the financial position of Canada Post going forward."
In the 2012 Annual Report, President of Canada Post Deepak Chopra declares:
"On the cost side, we carry an unprecedented level of solvency deficit caused by a prolonged period of low interest rates and volatile investment returns. Together, these two forces -- competition and cost -- are creating a perfect storm. We must fundamentally rethink our business."
Just like the discussion on the "evaporation of mail volumes," Canada Post is using exaggeration and a doom and gloom scenario to hide from Canadians what the actual situation is regarding the Pension Plan and the overall situation of Canada Post in the Canadian economy. The agenda of the Harper government is further privatization and deregulation of the post office and that means severe cut-backs in services and further attacks on workers' rights and benefits like the roll-backs that were rammed through in the last contract. It is clear that the Defined Benefit Pension Plan is next on the chopping block.
A closer examination of the fine print in the 2012 Annual Report shows that Canada Post has no intention of taking up their responsibility of dealing with the underfunding that exists. On the contrary, they will continue to avoid paying their required share and exacerbate the situation and are planning ultimately to shift the financial burden on the backs of the postal workers.
The corporation's plans regarding the pension plan are outlined in 2012 Annual Report but they clearly have no intention of having a full public discussion of all the facts.
On page 34 of the Annual Report under the heading "Outlook 2013" we find the following:
"Pension and employee future benefit costs will continue to be a major challenge. Most defined benefit pension plans across the country face ongoing significant funding challenges in light of demographic shifts and a prolonged period of low interest rates and volatile investment returns. Plan sponsors such as Canada Post are required to eliminate these funding shortfalls, over time, and they are exploring innovative options to address the crisis, including potential regulatory relief.
"In the short term, Canada Post plans to continue using the legislation that allows Crown corporations to better manage their funding obligations, and will again seek approval of pension relief in 2013 to reduce its special solvency payments. However, given that under current legislation relief is capped at 15% of plan assets, we expect to reach the relief limit in early 2014."
The Report points out under "Operating Activities" that there was an increase in cash generated from $196 million in 2011 to $310 million in 2012 mainly because Canada Post reduced payments into the pension and other post-employment and long-term benefit payments. In April 2011, amendments to the regulation of the Pension Benefits and Standards Act 1985, came into effect allowing companies with federally regulated pension plans to reduce their payments if ministerial agreement is provided.
The following quote from page 50 of the Report reveals how Canada Post avoided making the required special payments to eliminate a shortfall in the fund as required by the Act:
"Special contributions to the Canada Post Registered Pension Plan are dependent on changes in discount rates, actual returns on RPP assets and other factors such as plan amendments. Employer special contributions of $63 million were made in 2012, compared to $219 million in 2011. In 2012, the Corporation used the funding relief permitted by legislation. Without this relief, an additional $897 million in special solvency contributions would have been required from the Corporation. The aggregate amount of the funding relief as at December 31, 2012 is $1.3 billion. Based on the expected actuarial valuation, 2013 special contributions are estimated at $28 million.
"It is the Corporation's intent to seek agreement from the Ministers to use the relief permitted by legislation beyond June 2013 to obtain a reduction of 2013 special solvency contributions. Without the relief, the Corporation's contributions would increase by approximately $1.2 billion. The aggregate amount of the relief at the end of 2013 is expected to total $2.4 billion. As the aggregate amount of the relief is limited to 15% of RPP assets, the Corporation expects to reach the limit in early 2014, putting significant pressure on the Corporation's cash resources. We are evaluating all options including regulatory relief and changes to plan design to help address these challenges."
Thus the corporation was able to use amendments to the Act to avoid making their required contribution to the pension fund. Therefore, by the end of 2013, the actions of Canada Post in refusing to make their required contribution will cause an added shortfall in the plan of $2.4 billion. An important example is the way the corporation is avoiding its responsibilities for the past year. According to the Annual Report, in 2012, Canada Post recorded an actuarial loss of $780 million but they intend to use the legislative loophole to make a special contribution of $28 million which will add to the problems facing the Pension Plan.
But it doesn't end there. Harper's infamous omnibus budget Bill C-45 (the Jobs and Growth Act) helps the corporation to further shift the burden of the pension plan deficit on the backs of the workers. As of January 1, 2013, the Bill allows the cap for employees' share of current service costs to be increased from 40 to 50 per cent. The Annual Report declares on page 50 that Canada Post "intends to share current service costs with employees on a 50:50 basis." This plan has never been publicly announced or discussed.
The corporation claims that it is evaluating all options to deal with the problems facing the Pension Plan but it is clear that taking up the responsibility as plan sponsor to make special payments to cover all shortfalls is not one of the "options." This is the height of hypocrisy since it was Canada Post along with other major corporations who pressured the Liberal government in the mid 1990s to pass legislation allowing public service pensions including the CPP to be invested in the stock market. This has already resulted in billions of dollars being transferred from pension plans into the coffers of monopoly corporations.
Canada Post also did not hesitate to take hundreds of millions of dollars from the Pension Fund during periods when the fund was in surplus.
Canada Post's 2012 Annual Report clearly shows that the attack against the Defined Benefit Pension Plan is an important part of the drive for further privatization and deregulation of the post office. The so-called financial crisis facing the postal workers' Pension Fund is not due to any economic trend but is the result of a concerted, well-organized attack of the corporation and the government against the right of workers to a stable retirement income in a modern society.
The Annual Report repeatedly states that the corporation plans to secure its profits by reducing the revenue flowing into pensions and transferring it into general accounts to be used as they see fit. All the other talk about "solvency deficits," and "volatile investment returns," etc., etc. is just a smokescreen to hide the fact that the corporation is diverting revenue that should be going into the Pension Fund.
Concessions extorted from the working class are not solutions. All the assets of the corporation, including the Pension Fund, exist because of the value produced by postal workers who have a right to expect that the Defined Benefit Pension Plan is properly funded and maintained.
Canada Post must fulfill its obligations towards the workers!
- Christine Nugent -
On May 31, more than 1,000 public sector workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) demonstrated against the trampling of workers' collective bargaining rights by the Ontario government. The workers marched from the site of the CUPE-Ontario Convention at the Toronto Sheraton Centre to the Ontario Ministry of Labour offices on University Avenue.
The theme of the rally was "Defending Collective Bargaining Rights." This arises out of the battles over the past year when the Liberals, with the help of the Hudak Conservatives imposed non-agreements on the teachers and education workers. It is also in response to the legislative proposals of the Liberals and Conservatives to make it easier to impose austerity contracts on health care workers and other workers designated as essential service providers. Both the Liberals and the Conservatives have proposed anti-worker changes to the interest (contract) arbitration system for essential services workers.
A banner calling for "Solidarity Against Austerity" was stretched across the street at the head of the march. Placards reading," If You Work in Ontario This is your fight!" were carried by many demonstrators. This is the same slogan raised during the battle against Bill 115 which took away collective bargaining rights of teachers and education workers, including many CUPE members employed by school boards.
During the rally at the Ministry of Labour offices, one of the speakers was Michael Hurley, President of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (CUPE). Hurley spoke about the issues facing 90,000 CUPE members who work in health care and who are subject to mandatory arbitration in negotiations for new collective contracts. He denounced proposals by the Liberal government and the Hudak Conservatives for changing the arbitration system in ways that would further restrict the right of essential service workers to have a say in their wages and working conditions.
The workers who participated in the action at the Ministry of Labour are union activists from every city and town in Ontario who were attending the May 29-June 1 CUPE-Ontario annual convention. They are delegates representing 200,000 CUPE members in hundreds of bargaining units in health care, education, municipal services and social services.
During the convention the delegates discussed what to do about the Liberal government targeting public sector workers with austerity measures. They also discussed the openly anti-worker, anti-union politics of the Hudak Conservatives, reflected in a barrage of draconian private members' bills in the last two sessions of the Ontario Legislature.
CUPE-Ontario Secretary/Treasurer Candace Rennick, said, "Ontario is a major battleground for all of CUPE. Public services and so many programs for millions of Canadians are at stake. The jobs of thousands of CUPE members are at risk."
CUPE-Ontario President Fred Hahn told the convention delegates, "Attacks on [collective bargaining] rights from all levels of government threaten the ability of unions to advocate for their members and will increase an already huge gap between the wealthy and the rest of us. The principle of free collective bargaining is a basic and absolute right that no party can cross."
The convention recognized the need for involving all of the members of CUPE in the fight to protect bargaining rights, to defend public services, to oppose social program spending cuts and to oppose the privatization and contracting out of public services.
Whose Resources? Our Resources! Who Decides? We Decide!
- Philip Fernandez -
On March 27, NDP MPP Michael Mantha (Algoma-Manitoulin and Northern Development and Mines Critic) introduced Bill 43, a private member's bill to amend the Ontario Mining Act so that mineral resources mined in Ontario are required to be processed in Ontario. He said he was doing this in order for Ontario to "create jobs" and assert its autonomy in the mining sector.
On April 11, at second reading of the bill, Mantha said his bill would be a "step in the right direction to making Ontario a leader in resource refinery and a prosperous place once again." He said the bill would enable the government to take more control of the mining industry in Canada giving "Ontario a role in its own destiny and autonomy over our own natural resources" and "force the government to recognize infrastructure deficits and realize the opportunities lost right here in our own backyard."
The Liberals and Conservatives who defeated the bill at second reading in a vote of 70 to 18 asserted that this "protectionist" bill would discourage investors and the result would be a massive loss of jobs that would go to other jurisdictions.
The Ontario Liberal government's Minister of Northern Development and Mines Michael Gravelle (Thunder Bay—Superior North) responded that the mining industry currently provides over "27,000 direct jobs and 50,000 indirect jobs to the people of this province. Our mineral production sector is worth now about $11 billion, up from $5.3 billion in 2003. That makes us the top jurisdiction in that regard, which means we are continuing to see great investment and support." Gravelle warned that the proposed bill would put "Ontario on dangerous ground" because thousands of jobs would be lost as a result of what he called "retaliation" from other provinces, countries and the private sector. What is needed instead is "flexibility" so that Ontario minerals can be processed elsewhere and minerals from elsewhere can be processed in Ontario. This is the basis of "good paying jobs" he pointed out. He gave the example of Xstrata's Falconbridge smelter in greater Sudbury, where "over 70 per cent of the copper and nickel smelted is imported from outside Ontario."
Gravelle asserted that "if all the companies were required to process their product in Ontario, it would result in a loss of investor confidence" which "could result in potential mine closures, and obviously it could result in the loss of significant employment. I feel very strongly about this."
To buttress his concerns, Gravelle referenced a conversation with Peter Poppinga, the CEO of Vale, the Brazilian mining monopoly that has made handsome profits thanks to the former McGuinty Liberal government's "flexibility" for shafting the mineworkers in Sudbury. Gavel said, "Vale has made a very significant and strong commitment to the province of Ontario, and has invested I think close to $3 billion in the province, and more to be invested as well," and that Mr. Poppinga is "very concerned about the proposed legislation."
The same formula is presented for the Ring of Fire development -- that the demand of Cliffs Resources and other mining companies for cheap electricity and other concessions is legitimate and must be met by the Ontario government, or they will pull up stakes and leave. On behalf of the Progressive Conservatives, MPP Norm Miller (Parry Sound—Muskoka) spoke against the proposed bill stating that far from "protectionism" what is needed are more concessions to the mining monopolies such as guaranteed cheap electricity so that Ontario attracts more mining business. In this way, Gravelle, Miller and others are the mouth-pieces of the biggest mining monopolies and financiers. They use their position in the legislature to blackmail First Nations and Ontarians that there is no alternative to the current direction of the economy, politicizing private interests at the expense of the rights of First Nations and Ontarians.
The fact is mining multinationals are making a killing in Ontario thanks to the likes of Gravelle and others who are concerned about "retaliation" if the Ontario government does not bow to the demands of these monopolies for a "flexible" and "competitive" environment in Ontario. This status-quo has resulted in the destruction of the manufacturing sector in Ontario. The government subsidizes the biggest monopolies from the public purse, while standing by and allowing massive job losses, displacement of working families, and the dislocation and impoverishment of First Nations communities such as Attawapiskat -- and this is presented as a bright future for all!
The working class and their First Nations allies and all Ontarians must strengthen their organizing work for the renewal of the political process so as to have political representatives who are not sell-outs to the highest bidders and who are not beholden to the monopolies and the banks. They have to step-up their collective struggle for a human-centred economy that puts the workers -- the producers of the wealth and social blessings that society depends on -- in the role of decision-makers in Ontario to organize a planned economy that serves the growing needs of First Nations, Ontario and Canada.
Democracy is negated if the people have no decision-making power or control of their economy. Having decision-making in their hands will allow the workers to organize the economy in a planned way and reconcile competing demands and interests. This will put an end to the conflict and anarchy that characterizes the Ontario economy where the workers are shafted every day and their concerns marginalized; where the monopolies and banks have usurped political power and control over the direction of the economy to serve their narrow parasitic interests with the assistance of the Ontario government and the political parties of the rich. This state of affairs must be ended once and for all if a bright future for First Nations, Ontarians and Canadians is to be guaranteed.
(Sources: www.ontla.on.ca, Sudbury Star)
Read The Marxist-Leninist Daily Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca