Chilean student leader to speak in Regina

Written by SPR
Act Up for Sask.
08 February 2012

Camilo Ballesteros, an influential leader in the Chilean student movement, is a student at the Santiago University of Chile (Universidad de Santiago de Chile-FEUSACH). In 2009 he was elected president of the Faculty of Physical Education Students Union. In 2010, he was elected president of the FEUSAC Students Federation. In this capacity he became one of the most important student leaders during the 2011 students’ national mobilization.

As part of a cross-country Canadian university tour, Camilo will speak on the Chilean student movement, social change and the demand for free, quality education for everyone. All are welcome to attend. Event poster and parking map

International Student Movement Website: http://www.emancipating-education-for-all.org/

Wednesday February 8th, 2012 @ 7 p.m.

CB Room 106, College Avenue Campus 

2201 College Avenue University of Regina

 Free Parking Lot 20 M

Media and power

BY TIM PELZER
PeoplesWorld.com
February 7 2012

Book Review: The Political Economy of Media and Power
Editor: Jeffery Klaehn
Peter Lang Publishing, 2010, paperback, 376 pages, $38.95

Canadian sociologist Jeffery Klaehn has put together a penetrating collection of essays dealing with the political economy of the mass media spanning a broad range of topics. Although the British, Canadian and American writers are University Professors or PHD students, the essays are written in clear, simple, accessible prose.

Richard Lance Keeble in "Hacks and Spooks" writes about the close ties between British and American intelligence agencies and the mass media. The media has always closely cooperated with intelligence agencies in both countries, sharing the same political outlook and goals. The CIA, M15 and M16 have used the mass media to plant stories.

US Thwarted at the UN: Imperial Ambitions Persevere

By Ben Schreiner
Dissident Voice
February 7th, 2012

To Washington’s great chagrin, the attempt to impose “regime change” in Syria under the auspices of a United Nations Security Council resolution fell apart Saturday, thwarted by the double veto of Russia and China.

Speaking Sunday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the Russian and Chinese veto a “travesty,” while labeling the Security Council “neutered.” American Ambassador Susan Rice, meanwhile, stated that she was “disgusted” by the veto.

Cash compensation will be sought, SFL says

CBC News 
Feb 7, 2012

Saskatchewan Federation of Labour president Larry Hubich says people whose rights were infringed by the essential services law deserve compensation. 

Unionized workers whose constitutional rights were infringed by the province's essential services law should be individually compensated, the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour says.

The labour organization that won a partial victory in court Monday in its fight against the province's labour law overhaul says it expects financial compensation for the unions involved, but also for tens of thousands of workers.

"We'll be seeking damages for every individual who lost the right to strike, had their freedom taken away, as well as the costs to the unions of having to deal with this," said Larry Kowalchuk, a lawyer representing the SFL in the case.

Contradictory Dickens

On the bicentenary of Charles Dickens' birth, Terry Eagleton looks at the contradictions of the man and his work

Red Pepper
February 7, 2012

Charles Dickens, the anniversary of whose birth we mark this year, was present at the making of modern Britain. When he began to write, stagecoaches were still the most familiar form of transport; by the time of his later novels, the railways had arrived. Capitalists in the early Dickens are either villains out of Victorian melodrama or generous-hearted paternalists; in the later novels they are faceless functionaries, part of an anonymous system which governs them as much as they govern it.

Dickens was born in the era of Byron and Napoleon, but lived to see the development of trade unions, joint stock companies and the beginnings of corporate capitalism. His fiction evolves from the workhouse of Oliver Twist to the factories of Hard Times and the state bureaucracy of Bleak House.

Prayer to the “Job Creator”

By William Manson 
Dissident Voice
February 7th, 2012

Oh beneficent Job-Creator, omnipotent yet merciful, we humbly solicit your aid in this time of need. Thou hast, in thy unfathomable Wisdom, taken away our livelihoods, sending forth a Plague of outsourcing, automation and credit default swaps. We have meekly borne thy punishments, and have humbly awaited our redemption and deliverance. Yet the Bureau of Labor Statistics hath borne false witness to a grievous Truth: thou hast turned away from us in our most ominous time of need.

O yea, we grew restive and dissatisfied with the blessings — however meager — which thou had bestowed on our sorry, ungrateful selves. We sowed discontent among the people, calling for a Living Wage and a union contract. Yet, O wise and forgiving Job-Creator, we now beg your indulgence of our childish ingratitude! Should you, in your magnificent Plan, choose to restore to us the bounty of our former Jobs, we shall strive most humbly to prove worthy, this time, of the infinite beneficence of our utmost, all-knowing Lord and Master.

In our deepest spirit of contrition and atonement, we therefore offer you these Sacrifices:

1. We shall not stray from your dominion, looking to the false god called “Government” to deliver us from our sufferings and need.

2. No: we shall hold steadfast, unwavering in our faith in your Banks and Corporations to relieve us of the miseries of debt and cursed usury.

3. We shall further petition Caesar to relieve you of any remaining taxation or regulations which hath provoked your banishment of millions of our humble selves to the purgatory of Unemployment.

4. We shall, moreover, praise the Bounty of your Market—rejecting all false prophets who would spread a contagion of doubt and rebellion.

O all-mighty Job-Creator, we kneel before thy throne of Wall Street. Do not, we most humbly ask, forsake us! It is in thy Power to give—under whatever terms you like!—what thou hast taken away. If we covet the “Job,” however degrading and sinful it may be, it is only to serve our most reverend Lord and Master.

Harvesting the bounty of Profit to your utmost Glory, we shall glean that which remains for our unworthy yet devoted selves.

Oh merciful Job-Creator, thou hath taken away, yet thou canst give again!

Amen.

William Manson is the author of The Psychodynamics of Culture (Greenwood Press). 

Washington threatens reprisals against Nicaragua’s voters

John Riddell
February 2, 2012
An interview with Felipe Stuart Cournoyer.

In a fit of petulant anger, the U.S. government lashed out on January 25 against the outcome of Nicaragua’s recent presidential election. To understand the context of the U.S. threats, I talked to Felipe Stuart Cournoyer, a Nicaraguan citizen and member of Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN).(1)

Riddell: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton claimed that Nicaragua’s November 6, 2011, election “marked a setback to democracy in Nicaragua and undermined the ability of Nicaraguans to hold their government accountable,” but offered no particulars. What has roused Washington’s ire?

Stuart: It’s quite simple. The Sandinista candidate, Daniel Ortega, won with 62.66% of the vote, more than twice the total of the Independent Liberal Party (PLI) candidate favoured by the U.S. embassy. Washington is not pleased when small, poor countries defy its will.

Riddell: But Clinton says U.S. concern is based on a report by Organization of American States (OAS) observers.

Saskatchewan essential services law struck down

CBC News 
Feb 6, 2012

A Saskatchewan law limiting the ability of public sector workers to go on strike has been ruled unconstitutional by a Queen's Bench judge.

In a 132-page decision released Monday, Regina Justice Dennis Ball said the Public Service Essential Services Act, also known as Bill 5, infringes on workers' rights and is of "no force or effect."

However, a "declaration of invalidity" will be suspended for a year, Ball said.

The law, bitterly opposed by labour groups, was passed by the Saskatchewan Party government in 2008.

It sets out a process where some workers — such as nurses and snowplow drivers — can be declared essential and banned from going on strike.

The problem with Saskatchewan's law, Ball ruled, is that it doesn't give employees an adequate dispute resolution process where they can challenge which employees are designated as essential.

"Although the benefits that accrue from the statutory limitations on the rights to bargain collectively and to strike are significant, they are clearly outweighed by their deleterious effects on the employees affected," Ball said in the decision.

Ball was also asked to look at Bill 6, amendments to the Trade Union Act, which ended the practice of automatic union certification in cases where a majority of employees sign union cards. Instead, a secret ballot vote is required to unionize a workplace.

The Trade Union Act amendments also raised the threshold percentage of workers needed to trigger a vote — to 45 per cent from 25 per cent.

However, Ball rejected arguments that the Trade Union Act amendments were unconstitutional.

During a trial last year, the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour and more than two dozen unions argued that the two pieces of legislation, which were passed in 2008, infringe on the rights of people to form unions and bargain collectively with their employers.

Lawyers representing the government argued the legislation was reasonable and does not infringe on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

It's believed to be the first time in Canada an essential services law has been taken to court on a charter challenge.

Ball noted other provinces have essential services legislation, but Saskatchewan's is unique.

"No other essential services legislation in Canada comes close to prohibiting the right to strike as broadly, and as significantly, as the PSES Act," he said.

While Ball declared the essential services law unconstitutional, the effect won't kick in for more than a year.

That will give the two sides an opportunity to talk about remedies.

Ball said he will meet with both sides to talk about what should happen next.

Vale plans 40 million-litre-a-day water pipeline for potash mine in Saskatchewan

By Brent Patterson
Council of Canadians
February 2, 2012

Katepwa Lake

CBC reports that the Brazilian mining giant Vale plans to build a potash mine near the town of Kronau, Saskatchewan that would start operations in 2015. CBC notes there are concerns “about the mine’s environmental and social impacts” but highlights that large volumes of water would be needed to separate the potash from other minerals.

“As there is no water source near Kronau, Vale wants to build a 70-kilometre water pipeline from Kronau to Katepwa Lake in the Qu’Appelle Valley. The company wants to pump more than 40 million litres of water — the equivalent of 15 Olympic-sized swimming pools — out of the lake every day.”

“The provincial body that regulates Saskatchewan’s water supply is currently studying whether there is enough water to meet Vale’s request. People living in the Katepwa Lake area say they are concerned about the effects the mine — and the withdrawal of all that water — would have on not just their water supply, but on the province’s lakes. …Vale plans to host public meetings over the next few months about the Kronau proposal.”

Back in November 2010, the Globe and Mail reported, “Vale’s potash plans in Saskatchewan include a potash development project valued up to $3-billion, which is now in the pre-feasibility stage. A decision on whether to build a mine is expected in 2012.” It would appear that Vale has now opted to proceed with its plan.

Harper government adds seniors to "attack list"

By Jim Harding
No Nukes
February 4, 2012

Prime Minister Harper is coming out of the political “closet”. He has likely struggled to keep his political agenda to his inner circle; trying to appear moderate enough to slip through the first-past-the-post system to get his majority.

His reactionary agenda is falling into place. He’s already undermined international negotiations for an effective climate treaty. He’s labeled those wanting to transition to a less fossil-fuel dependent economy as “anti-Canadian radicals”. He’s embraced environmental de-regulation so Canada can become even more of an oil-exporting state and he’s breached the rule of law and “stolen” money from the farmer-elected Canadian Wheat Board. He has now indicated that spending cuts could hit $8 billion. There’s not much ambiguity left. His Canada would not be a compassionate, moderate country; ecological sustainability and social equality be damned.

Co-operative Capitalism in Saskatchewan

Next Year Country
Dec.-Jan., 1977-78

Saskatchewan's cooperative past has often been lamented for its passing. NYC cast a critical eye on Saskatchewan cooperatives in a series of articles beginning with these in 1997-78.

Open publication - Free publishing - More co-operatives

SFL Calls on Provincial Government to Reject Harper Pension Cuts

Saskatchewan Federation of Labour
Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Thousands of Saskatchewan people are concerned today about looming changes to Canada’s universal pension plan, specifically Old Age Security (OAS). Despite the nation’s strong economic position, especially in relation to the US and Europe, and despite the Harper Government’s fondness for dolling out tax breaks to corporations, the Prime Minister has indicated that he intends to make cuts to Canada’s highly-regarded pension program. The SFL is calling on the provincial government to stand up for the people of Saskatchewan and to oppose any cuts that the Harper Government proposes for pensions.

“What we see in Ottawa is a government that is willing to spend money on tax cuts for big corporations, but not on pensioners across the country who are trying to make ends meet,” said Larry Hubich, President of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour. “If the Harper Government’s priorities are going to continue to be corporate profits over people, then we need a provincial government that is willing to do the right thing and stand up to Ottawa.”

The Prime Minister’s announced intentions to cut OAS benefits for Canadian seniors come even as our economic position continues to be among the strongest in the world. The cuts further illustrate how far the federal government’s priorities are out of sync with those of average citizens.

“Stephen Harper and his government would rather spend our money on expensive fighter jets and gold-plated pensions for themselves than on meager pensions for struggling seniors. For Mr. Harper to cut pensions is not consistent with the values that we hold in Saskatchewan, and the provincial government should do its part oppose his plan.”

Unions must change quickly to survive, says secret report by CEP/CAW

BY DAVE CHIDLEY
The Canadian Press
January 26, 2012

Ken Lewenza

Unions must overhaul themselves dramatically — and fast — or face a slow death, says a secret report by the two groups contemplating the biggest merger in Canadian labour history.

In a surprisingly blunt assessment of organized labour’s current difficulties, the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers (CEP) union say in a discussion paper that they must become a lot more relevant to working people, not only in contract bargaining, but for social change.

The paper, titled “A Moment of Truth for Canadian Labour,” says the economic pressures of globalization, growing employer aggression, hostile government policy and public cynicism have weakened unions significantly during the past two decades.

Food as a Commodity

By Fred Magdoff 
Monthly Review
January 2012

Food is one of the most basic of human needs. Routine access to a balanced diet is essential for both growth and development of the young, as well as for general health throughout one’s life. Although food is mostly plentiful, malnutrition is still common. The contradiction between plentiful global food supplies and widespread malnutrition and hunger arises primarily from food being considered a commodity, just like any other.

For many millennia following the origin of our species, humans were hunters and gatherers—an existence that one might think of as tenuous. However, judging from archeological evidence as well as recent examples, hunters and gatherers generally ate a diverse diet that supplied adequate nutrition. For example, studies in the 1960s and ‘70s of the !Kung of southern Africa, foragers for literally thousands of years, indicate that although they ate meat that they hunted, about two-thirds of their food was plant-based—nuts (supplying more than one-third of caloric intake), fruits, roots, and berries—and their diet provided approximately 2,400 calories a day. The groups of hunter-gatherers were egalitarian, with everyone participating in the provisioning of food.

Read more HERE.

Farmers standing up to Harper's anti-democratic rule

No Nukes
January 24, 2012

After squeezing a majority government out of the Canadian electorate Harper is ratcheting up his assault on our democracy. One of his first acts was to ram through Bill C-18 which undercuts the farmer-elected Canadian Wheat Board (CWB). A Federal Court judge found Harper had breached his “statutory duty to consult the CWB and conduct a vote”, a requirement under Section 47.1 of the 1998 legislation. Harper barreled on and now former CWB directors have called for an injunction on Bill C-18; and a class action suit is seeking compensation for damages to farmers. As Bruce Johnstone so rightly asked in the January 14, 2012 Leader Post: “What gives this government the right to seize farmer’s assets, sell them and pocket the proceeds, without paying any compensation to farmers?”

Farmers need a lot of financial support in their efforts to draw a line in the sand and show Harper that he can’t trample on the rule of law. The line may have to be drawn one community meeting at a time.