Islamophobia: Ideology of imperialism and its role in Canada

Edward Lovo

I. What role does Islamophobia play in Canadian politics? Until Harper, the distorted image of Islam from our southern neighbour barely entered mainstream politics. To a significant degree, Jean Chrétien before him endorsed a vein of Islamophobia through his foreign policy actions. With Harper, however, his unprecedented militarism went in tandem with his Islamophobic rhetoric. For a number of reasons, Canadians wanted Harper out at all costs, so Trudeaumania hit the country like an epidemic. Though Trudeau avoids Harper’s virulent strain of Islamophobia, as fellow Liberal Chrétien did before him, Trudeau endorses the mild Islamophobia which allows Canadian foreign policy to fly under the auspices of the American eagle’s wing.

Welcome to the Canadian Police State

Kurt Biray

The draconian Anti-Terrorism Act (Bill C-51) is a hot topic and election issue for the federal political parties as well as grassroots organizations and activist groups. The notorious and highly criticized Bill C-51 received Royal Assent and became law earlier this year, amending the Criminal Code of Canada and outright violating the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. For the Harper Conservatives and their support base, Bill C-51 is an attempt to strengthen Canada's national security by targeting suspected terrorist activities at home and abroad. For the vast majority of Canadians, this law is a direct and blatant infraction of our democratic, civil and labour rights.

Harper’s History Lesson: anti-communism and war

Brendan Campisi

The Harper government's planned 'Memorial to the Victims of Communism', which will take its place in Ottawa between the Supreme Court and Library and Archives Canada, has come under scrutiny lately because of the significant and growing cost of the project. Shirley Blumberg, an architect who was on the jury that selected the design for the 'memorial', said in December that there is no way it will be completed for the government's estimated cost of $5.5 million. A growing chorus of establishment figures have criticized the project for its costs, the aesthetic damage they say it will do to central Ottawa, and the (at least) questionable necessity of such a memorial. The government has committed to paying $3 million of the cost of the project, while the rest is supposed to be paid by Tribute to Liberty, the anti-communist organization formed in 2008 to advocate for the project. However, they have so far had trouble raising the money. In fact there seems to be very little public interest in or support for the memorial, as any glance at the comments under a story on the project will reveal. Even many Canadians with no particular sympathy for communism cannot understand why the Harper government wants to spend several million dollars to put up a memorial to the victims of communism on prime central Ottawa real estate.

Harper creates refugees and spreads racism

A rally outside Immigration minister Chris Alexander's
office in Ajax, Ontario.

Here Rebel Youth publishes an interview with Drew Garvie, the Communist candidate in Toronto's University-Rosedale riding and General Secretary of the YCL. The raw interview was with a UofT student publication.

What initiatives do you think U of T students and administration should be taking on the Syrian Refugee Crisis?

Students and the University of Toronto should raise their voices and demand Canada welcome refugees, that we end Canada’s participation in the wars that create these crises, and that we dump the Harper government as a first step towards a country with a democratic immigration policy and a foreign policy of peace and disarmament.

RY’s Class Enemy of the Fall: Oily Politicians

From "Class Enemy" series - Rebel Youth Issue 19

There is perhaps no better contemporary example of the confines of democracy under capitalism as demonstrated by the current “debate” over the tar sands and pipelines in Canada. Climate change is a massive crisis that has started to effect people around the world. Scientists are unanimous in proclaiming that greenhouse gas emissions need to be immediately slashed if we are to avoid total devastation to the environment and to people. Why is it then that the major party leaders are unanimous in denying that Canada needs to stop developing the tar sands and the pipeline infrastructure designed to expand this particularly destructive extraction method? Let’s take a quick look at the denial being promoted by Steve, Tommy and Justin:

Refugee Crisis is a Crisis of Imperialism

TJ Petrowski

The widely circulated photo of Aylan Kurdi, a three-year-old Syrian boy whose body was found on a beach in Turkey and whose family was “making a final, desperate attempt to flee to relatives in Canada even though their asylum application had been rejected” by the Harper Government, has caused widespread outrage and forced Western leaders to acknowledge that there is a “refugee crisis”.

In Canada, the leaders of the Liberal and New Democratic parties have used the news of Kurdi’s tragic death, along with the deaths of his five-year-old brother and his mother, to criticize the Harper Government’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis. Trudeau and Mulcair have called on Canada to accept more Syrian refugees, while the Harper Government, with its lust for military action, insists on more illegal bombing raids in Syria and Iraq as the solution to the surge of Syrian refugees.

The real tragedy is the refusal of Western leaders to acknowledge the cause of the refugee crisis – Western imperialism’s genocidal and never ending wars on the people of the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa.

Young Communist candidates demanding fundamental change

Special to RY

7 members of the Young Communist League of Canada are currently running in the federal election. Here RY looks at these candidates for the Communist Party of Canada who are demanding fundamental change.

The Fight Against C-51 Continues: Day of Action Saturday, May 30th

Special to RY

As the Senate in Ottawa gets set to vote on Bill C-51, democratic forces in Canada are organizing for a third cross-Canada day of action to take place Saturday, May 30th. The Senate will resume Third Reading proceedings on Tuesday, June 2nd.

The rallies and marches are demanding the government withdraw/repeal C-51, affirm and uphold the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, honour the treaties with First Nations and the Rights of Indigenous People, honour First Nations’ right to be consulted (section 35), and that the government stop racist legislation and fear mongering.

C-51 has rightly been identified as the most serious attack on democratic rights and civil liberties in Canada since the War Measures Act. The Bill would give sweeping new powers to CSIS, effectively legalizing its role as a secret political police.

Momentum builds for cross-Canada actions against Bill C-51

Special to Rebel Youth

Right across Canada, momentum is building against Bill C-51. People are discovering what this bill really means. Contrary to the stated purpose of the bill; “fighting terrorism”, the legislation creates new police state laws, attacks the civil liberties and democratic rights of everyone in Canada, and elevates CSIS to a police force with sweeping new powers that can and will be directed against environmentalists, Indigenous communities, trade unionists, and other people’s movements. C-51 opens the door to a suspension of Habeas Corpus and to the collective punishment of communities based on racism or political ideology.

Rebel Youth helped to sound the alarm early on. Now resistance has grown to include unions, civil liberties organizations, Indigenous groups, anti-Tar Sands activists, most political parties besides the Conservatives and the Liberals, and even some sections of the corporate owned media.

This Saturday, March 14th, major actions are planned in more than 40 cities across Canada. This cross-Canada day of action was initiated by Lead Now, Open Media, the BC Government Employees Union as well as the BC Civil Liberties Association, but the list of participants and endorsing organizations keeps growing! The Communist Party of Canada and the Young Communist League of Canada support the call to action and will be taking part in demonstrations across the country.

Harper’s “anti-terrorism” legislation promises to increase repression

by Brendan Campisi

  On Friday, the Harper government announced a wave of “anti-terrorism” legislation which will dramatically increase the power of the country's repressive forces. Supposedly justified by the shootings on Parliament Hill last year, the new laws will give CSIS the power to “intervene and disrupt threats to national security at home and abroad”, restrict the movements of suspected 'terrorists', stop them from boarding a flight, disrupt money transfers or electronic communications, allow government agencies to share information like passport applications with intelligence agencies, increase the amount of time suspected 'terrorists' can be detained without charge, and allow courts to order the removal of material deemed “terrorist propaganda” from websites registered in Canada. It will also create a new offence, 'promoting terrorism', which will not require the advocacy of any particular act.

The Newest Iraq War

People's Voice Editorial

A month after Canada entered the latest war in Iraq for thirty days, the Conservative government made it official: the term of this military mission will be six months. But despite the media manipulation to claim that this war is widely supported by Canadians, the public mood is dubious, and rightly so. One interesting test was an Oct. 4 street poll conducted by Vancouver's StopWar coalition, which found that over 90% of respondents were opposed to Canadian military intervention in Iraq.

The U.S. and its usual "allies", including Canada, argue that they were compelled to begin bombing Iraq and Syria because of the barbaric acts of Islamic State/IS. Yet one of the "allies" in this war is Saudi Arabia, which has publicly beheaded 79 prisoners so far this year alone. The key NATO ringleader, the U.S. itself, has initiated coups and invasions in dozens of countries over the last century, killing millions along the way. Human rights abuses? Just look at the apartheid imposed on Palestinians by PM Harper's best friends, the Israeli government. Little wonder that many Canadians understand the real motive for going to war again; this is another chapter in a long-term conflict to dominate the energy resources of the Middle East and nearby regions by western-based transnational oil corporations.

How Israel became Vice-Chair of the UN Committee on Decolonization

By Adrien Welsh

What did Big Brother say in 1984? "War is peace", right? Well, today we can say "decolonization is colonization"...

It happened in secret, with little noise on June 18th. During the election of the six committees of the General Assembly of the United Nations, a wild political oxymoron emerged: Israel, an occupying power, was elected vice-chair of a committee for the rights of the Palestinian people and the occupied territories. The corresponding document, a statement to the UN, states that, "despite the strong opposition of the Group of Arab States, Mr. Mordechai Amohai, of Israel, was today elected Vice Chairman of the Fourth Committee of the General Assembly on Special Political and Decolonization”.

This move was tasteless joke in the face of the Israeli criminal operation "Protective Edge" which has left over 2,000 dead and over 10,000 wounded (08/19/14) and has brought Gaza farther towards its full destruction.

Harper Vs. Women

by Marianne Breton Fontaine

Rape culture, discrimination, poverty, violence, etc.; the list of evils of patriarchy is long. One might think that every year, the status of women is improving in Canada. But it’s not, and it's not just women's groups and the left that say so. According to the World Economic Forum, Canada’s place on the international gender equality index has steadily declined from 7th place in 2004, to 25th in 2009. This is not a coincidence; it is the result of clear policies enacted against the advancement of women's equality. Yes, Harper is anti-women!

Funding for women's groups

Since Stephen Harper took power in 2006, the Conservative government gradually eliminated funding for groups that promote women's rights. For example, he has closed 12 of the 16 regional offices of Status of Women Canada. The Conservatives have made significant changes to the funding criteria of women's organizations, saying that they will only fund groups that are “directly involved” with women. In other words, groups that were doing research on issues affecting women, defending feminist positions or lobbying on women’s issues are no longer considered eligible for funding. Harper did not stop there. He also removed the word "equality" from the ministry’s objectives. Thus, groups such as the Victoria Status of Women Action Group (SWAG) and the Coalition for Pay Equity in New Brunswick saw their funding cut drastically, and in some cases these groups have had to close their doors permanently.

Harper to Canadians: “Some citizens matter, some don’t”

By Zidane Mohamed

Mohamed Fahmy, an Egyptian-Canadian, remains in prison  

On June 23rd, the Egyptian high court sentenced three reporters for Al-Jazeera to 7 years in prison, advancing the ongoing campaign of censorship of journalists and activists by the current military dictatorship, which has the support of the United States and Israel. One of them is a Canadian-Egyptian journalist, Mohamed Fahmy, who was arrested in December in Cairo as he was covering the aftermath of the army's removal of Mohamed Morsi from the presidency in July 2013.

The Canadian government, which prides itself as a champion of human rights, should do its best to intervene in aiding its citizens from the crimes of military dictatorships. But after the Omar Khadr fiasco, and a decade of “war on terror” jingoism, they passed a pernicious bill that would legally absolve the Canadian government of any responsibility to intervene. Bill C-24 reiterates the Harper government’s commitment in continuing institutionalized racism, which discriminates against migrant peoples, who are often racialized. Bill C-24 gives the immigration minister expanded powers over citizenship rights, which include revoking the citizenship of dual-citizens who have “engaged in certain actions contrary to the national interest of Canada”.

Register Now for People's Social Forum! On to Ottawa!

A very important meeting for labour and social movements is taking place from August 21-24th in Ottawa. The People’s Social Forum (PSF) expects to attract 10,000 activists from across the country and will host hundreds of workshops over a four day period. As the Forum itself says, “the PSF is an inclusive space that must be occupied by all people and activist organizations convinced that another Canada is not only possible, but above all, necessary”.

With the economic and environmental crisis raging across Canada, and Federal elections taking place next year, there is no better time for a mass meeting like this. The recent mass mobilizations of social movements (namely the Occupy movement in 2011, the Quebec Student Strike in 2012 and Idle No more in 2012-2013) the decisive drift right of the principle party of social democracy in Canada, and a renewed interest in labour militancy (as seen in the recent elections at the CLC) will no doubt be discussed in depth at the conference. 

The caucus structure of PSF organizing is designed to encourage the democratic participation of Original Peoples, youth, labour, people of colour, people with disabilities and women. The local organizing committees are working to ensure the broadest possible mobilization for the Forum in communities across Canada.

We must force Harper to reject war crimes in Gaza (Upcoming protests)

by Drew Garvie

July 11th Protest in Toronto

As Palestinian casualties approach 200 deaths from one week of the intense Israeli bombardment of Gaza, actions and protests across the globe are demanding an end to the Zionist murder of civilians.

The Young Communist League of Canada - Ligue de la jeunesse communiste du Canada released a statement yesterday condemning condemning "Operation Protective Edge" and calling for a just peace in Palestine.

In the statement it points out that the Conservative government has fully endorsed the ongoing war crimes being committed in Gaza: "as an imperialist country, member of the criminal alliance of NATO and colonizer of Indigenous territories, Canada seized this occasion to reiterate its unconditional support of Israel - more and more vocal under Stephen Harper’s Conservative government. Its diplomacy has been only focused on one side of this conflict, emphasizing the launching of rockets by Hamas, while supporting all the deaths and illegal operations by Israel’s occupation army".

C-24 Expands Tory Attack on Human Rights

By Kimball Cariou - Reposted from People's Voice Newspaper

Anti-C24 rally in early July 2014, Vancouver

Passed in June by the House of Commons, Bill C‑24, the new "Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act (SCCA)," imposes new requirements to obtain citizenship, and makes it easier for the government to revoke it.

            Human rights groups are planning a legal challenge to the SCCA, which effectively creates two classes of Canadian citizens, each with very different sets of rights. The Bill allows the federal government to strip the Canadian citizenship from dual nationals convicted of some offences. The law could apply in cases where Canadians are convicted in foreign courts, and even to people born in Canada if they also have citizenship elsewhere, such as through their parents.

            Amnesty International, the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers and the B.C. Civil Liberties Association say that giving the government the power to revoke people's citizenship is the same as banishing them into exile. They argue the legislation does not include enough safeguards to protect Canadians. Opposition MPs and other advocacy groups, including the Canadian Bar Association, have also objected to the bill.

            The new revocation provisions are "divisive and buy into and promote false and xenophobic narratives about `true' Canadians and others, which equate foreignness with terrorism," says an analysis released by Amnesty International Canada.

The deceptive Tory retreat on the elections bill, and the corporate media's sleeping pill

Yesterday the Conservative Party announced changes to their reactionary elections legislation. Here Darrell Rankin, leader of the CPC Manitoba, calls for continued mobilization and action in a message to Manitoba activists. This note has been edited.

By Darrell Rankin,
Special to Rebel Youth

We need to challenge the media spin that the Tory amendments address our real concerns.

I've looked at the amendments. The Tories are trying to appear they are listening.

But they are still mutilating the principle of one-person, one vote. They have backed down on allowing the winning party to appoint officials who count the ballots. (This may have come back to bite them in 2015.) But the main problem is not fixed.

Perhaps hundreds of thousands of Canadians will still be disenfranchised, most of them people who do not support the parties of big business -- Aboriginal people, women and seniors, the poor and disabled, youth and students.

Greenpeace questions whether links between the Conservative Party and Ethical Oil break election rules

By Greenpeace Canada

It’s one thing to cooperate – it’s another thing entirely to collude in order to get around laws that help make our democracy work.

So Greenpeace Canada has asked Elections Canada to investigate whether the Conservative Party is colluding with the Ethical Oil Institute in violation of the measures in the Canada Elections Act that prohibit donations to federal political parties from corporations.

“We have compiled some very troubling evidence on the relationship between Ethical Oil and the Conservative Party that we believe merits investigation by the Commissioner of Canada Elections,” said Keith Stewart, Climate and Energy Campaign coordinator for Greenpeace Canada.  “Our laws still ban oil companies from directly or indirectly funding political parties, so we hope that Ethical Oil and the Conservative Party will cooperate with the Commissioner in an investigation to clear this up.”

The Ethical Oil Institute does not publicly disclose its funding sources, but its website states that it does “accept donations from Canadian individuals and companies, including those working to produce Ethical Oil.” The institute was founded in July 2011 by Alykhan Velshi, who left Jason Kenney’s political staff to create Ethical Oil. He returned within a few months to a senior position in the Prime Minister’s Office.

Greenpeace’s request for an investigation presents evidence indicating that money raised by the Ethical Oil Institute has been spent on advertising and other activities that were developed and implemented by people directly involved in the Conservative Party of Canada.  The request provides details on the multiple crossovers between Ethical Oil Institute staff and ministerial staff; examples of mirrored messaging between Ethical Oil spokespeople and Conservative cabinet ministers; and a coordinated attack on government critics.

“Whether it is robocalls, in-and-out election spending, or the Mike Duffy secret payment, the Conservative Party seems to believe that playing by the rules is something other people have to do,” said Stewart. “Election finance laws are a core part of our democracy, which is why we are asking the Commissioner to determine whether the Conservative Party’s relationship with Ethical Oil has crossed the line that bans corporate donations to political parties.”

Greenpeace is bringing its concerns to Elections Canada now in advance of the 2015 federal election campaign.

Greenpeace’s full submission to Elections Canada can be found here

We can not have another World War.

Contribution to the Lisbon meeting of the World Federation of Democratic Youth's Commission of Europe and North America by the Young Communist League of Canada.

Dear comrades,

We would like to thank the World Federation of Democratic Youth and our hosts, the Juventude Comunista Portuguesa, for organizing this important meeting. We meet on the eve of the JCP's 10th Congress to which we send warm fraternal greetings. We are confident our work today will strengthen the efforts of the WFDY in the European and North American region.

This year, 2014, marks the 100th anniversary of the beginning of a social nightmare -- the First World War.

The Canadian government is launching a campaign to re-write history. To use this anniversary to celebrate militarism.

This is a horrible lie. The First World War saw close to 40 million civilian and military casualties.

Those who survived said: No! Never again!

The Great October Socialist Revolution in Russia helped end that war. The Soviet Union began to build a socialist society, based on peaceful cooperation.

Such history may seem dusty and old to some in our generation. But 100 years later it still frames our struggle, as the progressive youth grow more determined in our fight for the future, and we in WFDY advance the slogan of revolutionary social transformation.