Ontario Students March for Free Education and Against the ‘Student Choice Initiative’

By Ivan Byard - organiser of the Toronto YCL-LJC

While students are getting ready for an Ontario-wide rally against OSAP cuts on February 19th, here is a report on the last student demonstration that took place on January 25th in Toronto.

On January 25th thousands of students, faculty, organized labour members, and their community allies gathered in Toronto to demonstrate their outrage against the provincial tory attack on public education. The march was a spontaneous response to the January 17th announcement from the Doug Ford government that a 10% reduction in tuition fees was a ‘bait-and-switch’ swindle that would be paid for with devastating cuts to the Ontario Student Assistance Plan (OSAP) and universities and colleges institutional funding.

Day of Action for Democracy on Campus is just the beginning

Banner drop on Nov. 29th in Windsor

By Peter Miller, coordinator of the YCL-LJC in Ontario and Chair of the Student Commission

YCL Ontario students and allies organized a Day of Action for Democracy on Campus on November 29th to protest against the implementation of Doug Ford's "free speech" directive on Ontario college and university campuses. We came together in opposition to this directive, which instead of encouraging free speech, has the goal to stifle it for marginalized and activist groups while emboldening the hate speech of far-right and fascist groups trying to increase their presence amongst youth.

Ford's directive attacks democracy on campus by forcing campuses which already follow academic freedom to include a free speech policy. Most outrageously, his policy attacks democracy by threatening student activists with discipline for organizing protests against hate groups speaking on campus.

Solidarité avec les Franco-Ontariens

Special to RY

Exceptionnally, to show our support to the Franco-Ontarien resistance movement that mobilized over 14,000 people on Saturday, December 1st, we publish an article in French. The English version of this YCL-LJC statement can be found here. Franco-Ontarians are mobilized since November 15th, "Francophonie's Black Thursday", when Doug Ford announced he would get rid of the French Language Services Commissioner and that his government would stop funding Ontario's French language university that was supposed to open in 2020. We encourage our readers to follow the developments as it is clear that the fight has just begun. Already, Franco-Ontarien students are working on a large demonstration after the holidays. 

Day of action against Doug Ford’s “Free Speech” directive: find out what is happening today

Today is the Ontario Day of Action for democracy on campus. This event is aimed at denouncing Doug Ford’s so-called ‘free speech’ directive, a directive that has nothing to do with free speech, but that is aimed at targeting progressive voices on campus, as explained in previous articles published on this blog.

For this occasion, actions are being held throughout the province, ranging from rallies, banner drops and information tables; but there should also be some activity online through the hashtag #SilencedbyFord dedicated to this Day of Action.

For the right to disruptive Protest

By Everett Newland 

We enter an age where far-right movements and overt fascism gain increasing traction within the public discourse. The Ontario government has sought to legitimize these movements on campuses through an underhanded “free speech” directive for Ontario campuses. Yet the rising visibility of reactionary and oppressive movements also gives us the opportunity to build a powerful fightback against them, and empower ourselves to pursue a socialist future. This opportunity begins with the Day of Action scheduled for this coming November 29, 2018!

"Free speech policy" is an attack against democracy, says the YCL-LJC Canada

Special to RY

The Young Communist League – Ligue de la jeunesse communiste (YCL-LJC) issued a statement last week, which denounces the so-called “free speech” directive passed by Doug Ford’s provincial government and urges all progressive and democratic students to oppose and resist this directive by all means possible. It also encourages young people and students across Canada to show support and solidarity with their Ontarian counterparts.

Ontario’s Education Minister condemns BDS, supporting apartheid education

Peter Miller

On May 19th, a motion given to the Ontario Legislature titled the “Standing Up Against Anti-Semitism in Ontario Act” was defeated 39 - 18. Bill 202 would have blacklisted supporters of the Palestinian led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement by prohibiting public institutions from working with people who support BDS. The Bill also would have specifically prohibited colleges and universities from enacting BDS because of the movement's success in getting students and student unions to support BDS through general meetings and referendums. Not only was the Bill a McCarthyite attack on democratic rights and those fighting for human rights in Palestine, but the Bill also spread misinformation, stating supporters of BDS are “anti-Semitic” and call for the boycott of Jewish businesses, which has never been the case.

New Ontario Tory leader fuels campaign of ignorance

Liz Rowley

Originally published in Peoples' Voice newspaper

On May 4th and 5th, 35,000 elementary students – almost 90% - were kept out of school in Brampton and Toronto’s Thorncliffe Park neighbourhood to protest the new sex education curriculum being introduced in health and phys ed classes in September by the provincial government. 

As far as protest organizers are concerned, no sex education is the best education for their kids – and yours too.

The protests are the result of a massive disinformation campaign carried out by Campaign Life, the Christian fundamentalist Rev. Charles McVety, fundamentalists in the South Asian community who are the main targets of this campaign, and organizers for the new leader of the Ontario Conservatives and several of his Queen’s Park caucus.

The Union-Pearson Express: Public Transit For The Rich?

David G.

Metrolinx, the Ontario provincial transit agency, has recently unveiled the new Union-Pearson Express (UPE) train which will run from Pearson International Airport to Union Station in Toronto starting in May. This will start a month before the Toronto 2015 Pan-Am Games open which have already caused some controversy for its outlandish overspending problems, fast-tracked development projects leading to gentrification, and the lack of proper infrastructure. The Pan-Am games will cause traffic jams across Toronto which will affect the city's ageing infrastructure. Recently, the capitalist CEOs in charge of the Toronto 2015 Pan-Am games have been caught overspending their budgets, which consists of public money from taxpayers. Money went to paying for expensive limousine rides and purchasing luxuries such as designer shirts. This is one of many controversies that the TO2015 committee has got itself into in recent months.

"Precarious and poor" on strike at UofT and York U

Sam Hammond

Reprinted from People's Voice Newspaper

At the end of February and beginning the first week of March, approximately 10,000 academic workers went on strike at two of Canada’s largest universities. They are represented by two CUPE Locals, 3902 and 3903, who represent Units of Teaching Assistants, Graduate Assistants and Contract Faculty at the University of Toronto and York University respectively. Nine thousand are still on strike.        

The issues and responses at both universities, York with about 4000 strikers and U of T with about 6000, are so close that they can be detailed in the same general overview.  A good place to start is with the words of Erin Black, Union Chair at U of T, “We are poor and precarious and need improvement in our standard of living”.  This is by no means an overstatement but what analyses will show is probably an understatement of the precarious existence of Teaching Assistants (TAs), Graduate Assistants (GAs) and Contract Faculty (CFs) at most universities.

The Liberal Social Injustice Premier and The Fight for A Livable Minimum Wage

A joint statement from the Communist Party of Canada (Ontario) and the YoungCommunist League (Ontario)

Last year, Premier Wynne said she wanted to be Ontario’s “social justice Premier”.  She said she would take action to increase social assistance rates and to raise the minimum wage. 

But her inaction on starvation level social assistance rates, and her decision to permanently embed a poverty level minimum wage, is earning her the title of Ontario’s social injustice Premier.

Wynne’s government is following other Liberal and Tory governments in Canada:  to drive down wages and living standards, attack labour and democratic rights, reduce taxes on the corporations and the rich, cut services and privatize, privatize, privatize.

No Friends in the Legislature

The Liberals have been all too happy to parrot the policies put forward by corporate employers and their lobby groups. This includes the Retail Council of Canada, which is supported by Toys ‘R’ Us, and the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association, which represents Tim Hortons and McDonald’s.

The very modest $14 minimum wage being fought for by youth, labour, anti-poverty and social justice groups around the province, has no friends in the Legislature.  The NDP is non-committal.  The Tories would eliminate the minimum wage altogether if they could (in keeping with the right-to-work-for-less legislation they want for Ontario).   The Liberals want to make sure the minimum wage is wrapped in cement, never rising beyond the annual inflation rate. 

Raise the Minimum Wage: Indexation not enough to bring working families out of poverty

Monday, January 27th, 2014
RELEASE: Indexation not enough to bring working families out of poverty

(Guelph, Ontario) - The Raise the Minimum Wage campaign in the city of Guelph is deeply concerned with today’s release of the Ontario Minimum Wage Advisory Panel’s recommendations. This concern comes from the fact that the report makes no recommendations that would bring working Ontarians out of poverty.

“Since the beginning, minimum wage workers, anti-poverty groups, unions and community organizations have been demanding that the minimum wage be increased to $14.” said Guelph Raise the Wage organizer Denise Martins. “This number was carefully calculated as the minimum amount necessary to lift workers above the poverty line. This demand was also coupled with the recommendation that the $14 must be indexed to cost of living. Although we commend the panel’s intentions in agreeing to index the minimum wage, and we see it as a victory for the thousands of Ontarians that have been raising their voice around this issue, it simply does not solve the problems of working people living in poverty.”

Make poverty wages illegal! Raise the minimum wage!

Statement from the YCL (Ontario) Provincial Executive Committee. For other articles we are running this week about minimum wage, click here.

The inherent and insurmountable contradictions within capitalism are sharpening and have become more apparent in the current context of profound economic and environmental crisis.  One of the main symptoms of these contradictions is the “growing gap” between the “99% and the 1%”, or more precisely the majority that work, and shrinking minority that own. Consider the following:

The global corporate class has $32 trillion hidden in off-shore tax havens.
Canadian corporations are currently sitting on over half a trillion dollars on their balance sheets.
In 2011, Canadian CEOs made $7.7 million on average, or 285 times more than the median Canadian wage of around $27,000 for a single earner.
Top executive compensation at the 50 largest employers of low-wage workers – (firms like WalMart, Target and McDonald’s) – averaged $9.4 million last year.

Raise in minimum wages demanded for Ontario workers

Minimum wage campaign launched!  A province-wide campaign to raise the minimum wage was launched Thursday with Melt the Freeze actions taking place in communities across Ontario. In Toronto, over 200 people braved the cold outside the Ministry of Labour office, where a mountain of ice was set up on the Ministry’s doorsteps. Community members and labour representatives called on the government to raise the minimum wage to $14 – the amount needed to bring workers and their families above the poverty line. Actions in 15 cities across Ontario! Meanwhile, community and labour groups also rallied outside Ministry of Labour offices in Ottawa. Despite the snow, people left fired up to continue this fight! In Peterborough low wage, precarious workers, labour activists and community organizations presented MPP Jeff Leal’s office with a block of ice with $10.25 frozen inside. Delegations also visited MPP offices in Cornwall and London. Today, community members will deliver blocks of ice to over 30 MPPs in Hamilton, York Region, Kingston, Windsor, Belleville, Welland, Kitchener-Waterloo, Oshawa, Toronto, Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury!We are coming together to demand a decent minimum wage that  brings our communities out of poverty.  The number of communities signing up to take action shows we can’t wait for a commission or another study – we need an increase now. Take action! Check out our photo report from Thursday's actions and media coverage here Get involved!  Like the Campaign page here to get updates about upcoming actions Endorse the campaign by sending an email to raisetheminimumwage@gmail.com The Campaign to Raise the Minimum Wage is coordinated by ACORN, Freedom 90, Mennonite New Life Centre, OCAP, Parkdale Community Legal Services, Put Food in the Budget, Social Planning Toronto, Toronto and York Region Labour Council and Workers’ Action Centre  Follow us on Facebook  and Twitter  for news and updates

Discussion: the student movement is my movement

The Canadian Federation of Students has released a new and polished video about the necessity for the student movement. Without making an over-analysis of a simple video, the Youtube can kick-off wider discussion about the situation of the student movement today and what needs to be done. Here are five quick proposed questions. Comments are open here, and on our RY facebook page.

1. What do you think about the problems or grievances listed in the video. Do you have experience with these concerns? How or how not? What is going on at your campus?

2. The goal of the film is to draw more people into a united student movement. Do you think the message is complete? How or how not? If you had only three minutes to talk to a student about the importance of united action, what would you say?

3. Would you make reference to the Quebec student struggle? Why do you think the video does not? What would you tell students about the Quebec student strike? What about other struggles, like Idle No More or against Bill 115?

4. In the dynamic of the student movement, is unity -- or as this Youtube says being 'united' -- enough? What is the connection between unity and struggle? Could they be opposites? Could they be linked?

5. How does this film compare with the YCL's perspective towards the student movement and our demands?


Note: RY will have news shortly about the big announcements in the past few days about Quebec tuition fees.

Which way forward for campus mobilizing in Ontario?

Peter Miller is a student activist in Guelph, Ontario, and a former Board Member of the Guelph student union – the Central Student Association. He is active in a local grass-roots mobilization committee and currently works as a reporter for the online student newspaper, The Cannon. Peter is also the club organizer of YCL Guelph and a member of the YCL Ontario provincial committee.  Rebel Youth caught up with him after a presentation about student politics to young workers and students at a meeting of the Toronto YCL.

CPC Ontario: The Attack on the Accepting Schools Act Threatens our Youth and Democratic Rights

Phil  Lees’ campaign of disinformation is a deliberate attempt to frighten and confuse parents and students in Thorncliffe and to foment hatred against LGBT youth in our schools and community.

Acceptance of LGBT youth in schools and acceptance of differences in sexual orientation and gender are well understood in Canada to mean protection of students from harm, and to promote acceptance and understanding of differences.  Acceptance of others includes acceptance and protection of all students, including those of different religions, different dress, and who come to Canada from different places of origin.

Communist Party Condemns Proroguing of Parliament: Recall the Legislature!

Withdraw Bill 155, repeal Bill 115 and restore Free Collective Bargaining in the Public Sector!

The Communist Party of Canada (Ontario) condemns Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty’s indefinite proroguing of the Provincial Parliament and suspension of parliamentary democracy, and demands the government recall Parliament and end its abuse of power.

Unable to pass his government’s anti-democratic “Protecting Public Services Act” (Bill 155) – which would legislate a wage freeze and suspend free collective bargaining across the public sector – the Premier wants to dispense with Parliament and try to impose his program of austerity without legislation. The government also hopes to evade any accountability or responsibility in the on-going exposure of wrong-doing by government Ministers and agencies.

The Liberals were counting on the Tories to support Bill 155, but the Tories are demanding the government go much further. The Tories are already campaigning to disembowel existing labour laws under the slogan of ‘flexible’ labour law ‘reform’. They want to eliminate the Rand Formula, make Ontario a right to work jurisdiction, and break the back of the labour movement as has been done in Wisconsin, Ohio, and other US states.

The Premier has said he will use the next months to force a negotiated wage freeze onto public sector unions. A negotiated wage freeze has the support of NDP leader Andrea Horwath according to statements made at a recent news conference filmed by CP24. While the NDP opposed a legislated freeze, they support a negotiated freeze. The NDP caucus apparently believes that working people should pay for an economic crisis caused by corporate greed and ably assisted by right-wing governments in Ontario and elsewhere. The 99% would disagree with the caucus, just as they disagreed with Bob Rae’s social contract in 1993.

The Liberals’ anti-labour, anti-democratic austerity agenda has provoked massive public opposition, including ongoing protests and demonstrations. The prorogation is bound to generate even more opposition as public outrage at the government’s abuse of power spills over.

The Communist Party calls on the Premier to immediately recall the Legislature, and move quickly to withdraw Bill 155, repeal Bill 115, and allow the province’s public employers and public sector unions to move forward to freely negotiate unfettered collective agreements.

The Premier must also take the strong medicine needed to clean up the corruption caused by years of privatization and deregulation by stealth, including ORNGE and other P3 arrangements, and by vote-buying in ridings with gas plants.

The Communist Party also demands that the Premier and the Liberal government, as well as the Tories and the NDP remove themselves from collective bargaining and let the public employers and public sector unions exercise their bargaining rights to negotiate free and unfettered agreements.

We stand with labour and all those who oppose this government’s austerity policies, and the efforts to download the costs of the economic crisis onto the backs of working people through this on-going attack on public sector wages, pensions, jobs and public services. A massive struggle against austerity in the streets and at the bargaining table is the only way to beat back the attack on wages, incomes, jobs and living standards, and save public services and assets.

Another Ontario is possible. And urgent. The Communist Party offers a 10 point prescription that is a pro-people alternative to austerity and is detailed on our web site www.communistpartyontario.ca.

What has been put on hold by the prorogation of Ontario's Provincial Parliament?

Here is a sampling:

• A bill allowing HST rebates for home heating;
• A bill to boost security at courts and nuclear plants;
• A bill requiring school boards to introduce concussion-prevention practices;
• A bill banning people under 18 from using tanning beds;
• A bill to amalgamate Ontario’s three power authorities;
• A bill allowing workers up to eight weeks unpaid leave to care for sick family members;
• A committee examining the role of cabinet ministers in the cancellation of two controversial power-plant projects in Liberal ridings during the last election campaign;
• Probes into into problems at Ornge air-ambulance service and eHealth Ontario;
• Plans to introduce legislation to freeze wages and change collective agreements of public servants and teachers;
• Requirements to put sprinklers in retirement homes;
• A task force looking into auto-insurance fraud;
• Dozens of bills dealing with issues such as: a new Constitution Day, a new Major-General Sir Isaac Brock Day, tax credits for farmers who donate food, protection for the Great Lakes, changes to cellphone bills, adoption of alternative insurance plans, electoral fraud and protecting elephants.

Source: The Globe and Mail

Students -- support the teachers!

REPEAL BILL 115 -- THE ‘PUT STUDENTS “LAST” ACT’

Statement by the Young Communist League (Ontario)

It is time for Ontario high school and elementary students to rise up in support of teachers. The working conditions of teachers are the learning conditions of students. Already, students are organizing walk-outs across Ontario against the McGuinty Liberal provincial government’s Bill 115.

Together, we can stop Bill 115!

If we don’t join together and push back, the consequences for teachers and students alike will be dire. If we unite, students can help protect democracy, defend workers’ fundamental rights – and force the government to repeal Bill 115.

Students first

A students-first agenda, in a nutshell, calls for quality education: public and accessible.

Education is not a business opportunity to make profit. It is the right of the youth, and a keystone in securing our future.  Another vital necessity for quality education is the right of teachers to form, participate in, and be represented by their labour unions.