YUFA
Events
October 16th Campaign of Economic Disruption
In response to a request from YUFA member David McNally, the YUFA executive voted unanimously last spring to endorse the Ontario Common Front’s campaign of economic disruption. The campaign, organized to protest the policies of the Harris government, is set to begin this coming Tuesday (October 16). A schedule of the day’s events is listed below.
This campaign was planned by a province-wide network of labour, education, social justice, and anti-poverty groups before the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11th. As a result of these attacks and events that have followed in their aftermath, the political landscape has been altered. There is much grief, a lot of fear, and anger.
There has also been a major crackdown on dissent and social protest. Needless to say, it would be imprudent not to recognize that the context political activism operates in has changed dramatically. As Professor McNally suggests in the following letter, while a renewed sense of self-discipline and an assessment of strategies and tactics may be called for, it is imperative that the struggle for social justice continues. The Campaign of Economic Disruption has been organized in support of this struggle.
THE ONTARIO COMMON FRONT AFTER SEPTEMBER 11
An Open Letter, by David McNally
The horrible and shocking events of September 11, 2001 have given pause to many progressive activists. Most of us have experienced a wide range of emotions – horror at the callous destruction of human life, fear about the rhetoric of "war" and the blood-thirsty calls for revenge emanating from the US government, anger about the upsurge of racism towards Muslims and people of colour generally.
It is clear that the climate of military sabre-rattling and crackdowns on civil rights requires some sober reflection on our part. We are operating in a changed context, and it would be foolhardy not to recognize as much. At the same time, we cannot afford to surrender our agenda of mobilizing for social change. Now more than ever, we need to raise our voices and take to the streets in our campaigns for global justice, even if we do so with a renewed sense of self-discipline.
While it is vital that we carefully assess our strategy and tactics in this changed context, it is equally vital that we do not retreat from mass action against war, racism, poverty, and oppression. The coming weeks and months will test our intelligence, courage and resolve in all these areas.
With these considerations in mind, I want to discuss perspectives for the Ontario Common Front and its plans for militant actions in Toronto’s financial district on October 16th. I want to argue for the importance of continuing to build this campaign while also rededicating ourselves to carefully- planned and disciplined actions designed to be both safe and powerful.
No Time to De-Mobilize
One of the worst mistakes we could make at the moment would be to call off protest actions against injustice and inequality. If anything ought to be clear as a result of recent events, it is that we will never have a peaceful world unless we have a just one. That is why those of us fighting for global justice have such important responsibilities at the moment.
Right after the terrible events of September 11, some voices were heard calling for the cancellation of social protests. Canadian Auto Workers president Buzz Hargrove, for instance, urged that unions call off anti-World Trade organization protests planned for November 9.
Fortunately, that has not been a widespread position. The presidents of two major national unions – Dale Clark of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) and Judy Darcy of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) – have openly encouraged unions and social justice movements to continue their struggles. As CUPE’s Judy Darcy put it, "We must join with the voices that are saying: ‘This is not the time to retreat from our commitment to work for justice and peace’."
In the same spirit, the Ontario Coalition for Social Justice (OCSJ), along with many allied groups, has redoubled its efforts to surround Queen’s Park on September 24th, claiming that the Harris Tories are "Unfit to Govern."
OCTOBER 16TH EVENTS
6:00 AM
Pancake breakfast at Nathan Phillips Square, followed by a protest march through the financial district.
*It would probably be symbolically important to have some YUFA people at this event, even if most turn out later in the day.
Noon
March sponsored by Toronto Mobilization for Global Justice. The march will start at Simcoe Park and will proceed along Front St. stopping at Citibank, Royal Bank and BCE Place.
5:30 PM
Demonstration outside Ministry of Labour (400 University) called by the Toronto & York Region Labour Council.