Communists call for mobilizations to stop Ford AND his corporate agenda

The following statement was distributed by the Young Communist League Toronto at the "Save Toronto" rally on November 13th, 2013.

It's More Than Just the Crack…

We should not forget that in addition to the scandals of alcohol, drugs, lies, and embarrassment Rob Ford actively pursued a political agenda. This agenda, which Rob Ford and his lackeys masked as an attack on “the gravy train”, turned out to be nothing more than a total assault on working class Torontonians.

With this in mind let’s take a quick glance at the record of a Mayor that promised “No cuts to social services” has over these three years pushed through:

• Cuts to Social Housing
• Cuts to Childcare Subsidies
• Cuts to Libraries
• Cuts to Fire Services

Along with other anti-working class measures such as:

• An Increase on User Fees for Community Centre Programs
• The Privatization of Garbage Services
• Anti-Strike Legislation for TTC Workers

Ford’s former allies and other big business lackeys want us to focus on the crack and ignore the deeper issues, and they are planning continue his policies of austerity under a “cleaner” image. We must reject these representatives of Bay Street whether they come dressed like Rob Ford, Karen Stintz, John Tory or anyone else.

Mayor Robert Ford: Good bye song

This funny song by progressive musician and YCLer "Z-Morg" is worth sharing as Mayor Rob Ford's scandals hit Canadian newspapers from coast-to-coast. The singer, who drops references to a series of other traditional folk-song ballads, makes the point that "scandal is big news / but that's why we sing the news / and it ain't the sole reason he should fall / Robert Ford it was a fact / he shot the people in the back / cutting services and jobs at City Hall..."

Harper, Ford: against the corrupt criminals, the real question is organizing resistance

Editorial by People's Voice Newspaper

Rarely has the gap between the pompous rhetoric of right-wing politicians and the sleazy reality been so vast. Both Stephen Harper and Rob Ford gained office as supposed enemies of corruption and crime, and both now stand revealed as utterly corrupt criminals.

The Prime Minister is deeply entangled in a web of payoffs and backroom deals involving his fired chief of staff and a gaggle of buffoonish Tory Senators caught scamming the public with phony expense claims. The only downside to this news is that the PM may yet force his patronage appointees - Mike Duffy, Pamela Wallin, and Patrick Brazeau - to take the fall. But the stench of this scandal will cling to Harper, since it infuriates much of his own voter base who have long been suspicious of the unelected Senate.

Rob Ford's downfall - for surely he cannot survive his latest debacle - is more bad news for the political right. It's true that there is a certain classist and racist twist to the mayor's situation; if Ford had been filmed swilling expensive Scotch with "business leaders" in expensive suits, few would bat an eyelash. But after constructing his image of a down-to-earth fighter for the "little guy", Ford has now betrayed even his most loyal believers.

The task of the left, however, is not to focus on these tawdry spectacles, since the anti-working class agenda is not the product of individual politicians. Scandals can help to erase the phony "populist" image of hypocritical right-wing leaders. But the real question is how to mobilize resistance against big capital and governments (Conservative, Liberal, and even NDP and PQ) which follow the neoliberal model. This requires a conscious effort by the labour movement and its allies to build unity around a real People's Alternative to corporate domination. There are welcome stirrings of interest along such lines, but much more needs to be done.

Communists welcome end of the gravy train for Mayor Rob Ford, but far right still threatens

The Communist Party of Canada (Ontario) welcomes the Ontario Superior Court's order for Rob Ford to vacate the mayoralty of Toronto because of his contempt for the residents in not excusing himself on conflict-of-interest grounds from a council debate, itself triggered by his abuse of office to benefit a charity named after himself.   The Party supports a by-election to replace Ford and calls for the movement fighting the right-wing policies and forces behind Rob Ford to keep mobilizing, otherwise his agenda could continue under a different face.

Party Leader Liz Rowley explained that “Rob Ford had campaigned on ending 'the gravy train', but when he took office Torontonians saw that in reality this meant lay-offs, contracting out, cutting services, and charging steep fees for services the public needs and wants.    It's the corporations who backed Ford who are on a 'gravy train' of enjoying record profits, record low taxes, and municipal services at the expense of ratepayers and tenants who are paying more and more, and getting less and less.  They’re also salivating at the prospects of more privatization of city services and assets under the right-wing majority at City Hall.

Rob Ford's own exploitation of his office for his family’s benefit and his personal causes, as well as his contempt for democracy, for the public and the public interest, and for the high office of Mayor of the sixth largest government in the country, by being absent during Council meetings to coach football games amongst many other transgressions, shows Rob Ford was making a new Gravy Train all by himself and has no respect for the people of Toronto.

Congratulations are in order to the Stop Cuts Coalition and others who have had success in stopping his agenda, such as the “lifeboat” motion to moderate some of the cuts in January, but we need to keep up the mobilization because the right-wing majority on Council and the corporate interests who bankrolled Ford’s election won't rest.  They could find someone else to do their bidding, with more grace and less Gravy.”

Liz Rowley had characterized the Rob Ford administration as one where “the public is not welcome” when she was removed from City Hall for merely suggesting budget committee hearings be extended by one day to allow for all 348 registered deputants to have their democratic say.  Liz Rowley said “Rob Ford and the right-wing agenda he represents were going after our libraries, recreation centres, seniors' homes, HIV/AIDS programs, school nutrition programs, three of our child care centres, three of our homeless centres, theatres, and zoos, but his removal does not mean they are stopping.  We need to show we reject this agenda now, under any face new or old.”

“The only real guarantee that the Fords and co. will be side-lined is through the election of a progressive majority in the 2014 civic election, and through the building of a strong and progressive civic reform movement in 2013 that can unite all those forces now fighting the right-wing agenda at City Hall, to develop a progressive municipal platform and put forward a slate of progressive candidates who will fight for it in the next election.

The Communist Party of Canada (Ontario) calls on the provincial and federal governments to end the chronic financial crisis in Toronto and other municipalities by providing cities with a new financial deal, including:

• provide adequate funding through statutory transfers to Toronto and all municipalities, enabling cities to provide the array of municipal services necessary in the 21st century
• stop the firesale of municipal land and assets, including public housing, schools, and parks; and reverse user fees
• upload the Harris download and rescind balanced budget legislation
• fund the capital and operating costs of the TTC and municipal transit systems; reduce fares and increase ridership
• transfer 50% of gas and road user to municipalities
• collect unpaid and deferred corporate taxes, and introduce progressive tax policies based on ability to pay
• remove education from the property tax, cut property taxes in half, and fund education through provincial general revenues
• develop a provincial and federal affordable housing plan and enact rent controls
• introduce a provincial system of universally accessible affordable quality public child care
• give cities status in the Constitution; and protect local autonomy and democracy

The Party's 10-point prescription for a People's Recovery, its alternative to the austerity policies advocated by Rob Ford, as well as Tim Hudak and Dalton McGuinty in the provincial Legislature, is available online at http://www.ontariocpc.ca/10-point-prescription-for-a-peoples-recovery.

Stop the witch hunting and red baiting

Councillor Mamoliti is out to get the reds

The Communist Party is considering legal action, including a complaint to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal regarding Toronto City Councillor George Mamoliti’s witch-hunting at City Hall, and his attack on the public’s right to free political expression and association – rights guaranteed under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Mamoliti is a member of Mayor Rob Ford’s Executive and an aggressive advocate for Ford’s agenda of privatization and confrontation with the city’s labour and democratic movements.

Mamoliti has attacked more than 300 City Hall deputants, asserting they were members of the Communist Party, after they stayed through the night and into the early hours to oppose the KPMG proposals to eliminate ‘gravy’, including the closure of libraries, old age homes, 2,000 subsidized child care spaces; ending funding to cultural and arts groups including Caribana and Pride events, ending AIDS related funding, increasing transit fares and reducing service, and more.

Mamoliti has attacked Councillors who also oppose the cuts, alleging they are members of the Communist Party and that opposition to the KPMG cuts stems from Communist Party membership.

While the Communist Party is opposed to the cuts and is fighting them, opposition to this agenda includes members of almost all parties, save the Tories, and people who are not members of any party. Suggesting otherwise is a smear – something Mamoliti is expert at.

This is a witch-hunt aimed to intimidate widespread and growing public opposition to the levelling of public services and programs in the city, and to frighten Councilors into silence and stampede them into voting for deep cuts and privatizations against the demonstrated wishes of the public.

Mamoliti is attempting to do what Joe McCarthy did in 1950s USA – crush free speech and free political association in an effort to crush opposition to this administration’s far-right political direction. It’s clear from Don Cherry’s remarks to Council at its inaugural meeting last December (“This is what you’ll be facing, Rob, with these left-wing pinkos — they scrape the bottom of the barrel.”) and from Mamoliti’s developing witch-hunt against some Councilors and the public, that red-baiting is part and parcel of this administration’s attack on public services and on labour and democratic rights. It’s a package.

It’s a dangerous combination that threatens all Toronto residents, and must be challenged.
With this in mind, the Communist Party is exploring legal action including a complaint to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, and is urging the labour and democratic movements and all those who support democratic and civil rights to speak up and demand an end to the witch hunt.

The Communist Party is the second oldest political party in Canada, and has worked over 9 decades to strengthen labour, democratic and equity rights, to raise living standards and improve social programs, with the aim of curbing corporate power and winning a socialist Canada. The CPC (Ontario) is fielding 8 candidates in the October 6th provincial election.

Contact: Elizabeth Rowley, leader, 416-469-2446, 647-994-4976

Real communists consider complaint against Mammoliti

This ridiculously funny graphic is from
the right-wing Globe and Mail Paper

The Communist Party of Canada is thinking about filing a human rights complaint against Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti, the party’s Ontario leader said Sunday.

Mammoliti, a prominent ally of Mayor Rob Ford with a long history of provocative remarks, has gleefully escalated his red-baiting rhetoric over the last week. On Tuesday, he said he would ban “communists,” whom he creatively defined as citizens who spoke against budget cuts at City Hall, from his new Facebook group. By Friday, he had progressed to alleging, without any evidence, that six or seven sitting councillors are communists who want the municipal government to seize all private property and control the minds of Toronto residents.

“We are considering putting in a complaint about your behaviour and your attacks,” Elizabeth Rowley said on the NewsTalk 1010 radio show hosted by Councillor Josh Matlow.

It is not clear what provision of the Ontario Human Rights Code Rowley believes Mammoliti has violated. Political affiliation is not one of the grounds on which the code prohibits discrimination. Further, the code covers discrimination in employment, housing, union membership, and the provision of goods and services; Mammoliti discriminated, or attempted to, only on his Facebook group.

“If anyone should complain, it's me,” he responded. “Because it's them who attacked my Facebook, with their comments and with their logos and with their ‘comrade’ suggestions.”

Rowley compared Mammoliti's statements to those of former U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy, who alleged in the 1940s and 1950s that communists had infiltrated the American government. “McCarthyism is not appropriate,” she said, “and pretty ugly.”

Mammoliti was unrepentant. In language mirroring that of the McCarthy-era House Un-American Activities Committee, which infamously asked Hollywood screenwriters and directors whether they were or had ever been members of the Communist Party, he asked Matlow: “How many of those councillors at City Hall does she have a relationship with — a speaking relationship, an email relationship, a relationship of communication in one form or another?”

When Rowley said the last email she had sent to councillors was to oppose the closure of libraries, he said: “So you have no ongoing relationship, you don't write to any particular councillor, you haven't ever spoken, had dinner with, had lunches with, any of those councillors that I'm suggesting that you have?”

Rowley said, “You're asking me if I ‘am or ever have had lunch with’ — no, I haven't.”

Councillor Paula Fletcher led the Communist Party in Manitoba in the 1980s before becoming a supporter of the NDP. Mammoliti has not demonstrated that any other councillor has ties to the party.

Said Rowley: “What is really egregious here is that anybody who objects apparently to the proposals that are coming from the Ford administration is being attacked as a communist by prominent members of that administration.”

Rowley said “some” of the 166 people who spoke against cuts at a marathon executive committee meeting in July were party members. But she also said, “We certainly don't have as many members as would be implied by Councillor Mammoliti.”