Ontario Political Forum

Friday, August 9 – 3:30 pm
Rally Against Austerity Agenda!

Monthly Picket at Tim Hudak’s Office
4961 King St. E., Unite M1, Beamsville
Called by Niagara Regional Labour Council, the Hamilton and District Labour Council,
EFTO, OSSTF and Local 1005 USW
For rides contact Local 1005: 905-547-1417 or e-mail info@uswa1005.ca

Working People Re-Affirm Their Opposition to the Neo-Liberal Austerity Agenda

Ontario workers express their opposition to attacks on their rights and the phony austerity agenda of the Liberals and PCs.
At left, members of OSSTF District 9 distribute flyers for the "5 for 3 Campaign" at the rally for health care at Niagara-on-the-Lake-July 25, 2013. At right, Hamilton steelworkers join activists in Etobicoke-Lakeshore during the by-election.

Ontario Political Forum congratulates all those who took a stand to oppose the neo-liberal austerity agenda and attacks on workers rights during the by-elections. The spirited actions of the working people to demand justice for injured workers, to defend the social programs they provide and to hold governments to account for violating workers rights with Bill 115 showed they have their own independent demands. These actions confirm that more and more working people of Ontario are taking initiatives which take a clear stand that No! means No! They reject the neo-liberal austerity agenda which is wrecking the province in order to pay the rich.

Ontario Political Forum also congratulates all those who took up the "5 for 3 Campaign" launched by Windsor teachers and education workers of Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF), District 9. The push to activate the working people as a political force in their own interests definitely captured people's imaginations and in no small way contributed to the defeat of the Liberals and PCs in Windsor and London. The electorate in Windsor and London on behalf of the working people of Ontario effectively denied the Liberals and PCs any mandate to claim that Ontarians support either of their versions of austerity.

The fact that the "5 for 3 Campaign" was launched on July 15, halfway into the by-elections, shows the challenge that the working class has to overcome in the face of the attempts to keep it sidelined and disorganized. The challenge now becomes to build on this experience in the other ridings and across the province. By developing the work to involve working people in actions which express their opposition to the neo-liberal austerity agenda, whenever a general election is called, the working people will have the initiative and make further headway in solving the problem of how to exercise control over the decisions which affect their lives.

Teachers and Education Workers Take a Stand

After the results were in for the August 1 by-elections that saw the Liberals trounced in Windsor-Tecumseh and London West and the PCs defeated in both ridings, the Political Action Committee of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF) District 9 issued a congratulatory message to all of its over 1,800 members and active retired members. The message stated:

"The District 9 Political Action Committee congratulates all the members of District 9 who participated in our '5 for 3 Campaign' and made our vote count!"

"Many of you involved friends and family to hold governments accountable for violating workers' rights. Some also took part in producing our district's automated call to all members, made phone calls to members living in the riding and produced and distributed flyers for both Windsor and London and the health care rally in Niagara-on-the-Lake at the Council of the Federation meeting. Many knocked on doors, joined distribution teams and generally raised as much enthusiasm as possible for voting to defeat both the Liberals and PCs in these by-elections. And guess what? We won!!!"

"As a result of this work literally thousands of Ontarians were given an argument why defeating the Liberals and PCs would make their votes count. We have no doubt that our actions made a difference in the by-elections and made a definite statement against the austerity agenda championed by the Liberals and the PCs."

After congratulating the new MPPs, the statement went on to say that "our participation in these by-elections should give us confidence going into the next round of negotiations that will soon be upon us and for the general election, whenever it is called. Our participation makes a difference which favours us! We have a voice! Let's keep it in tune!"

District 9 represents secondary teachers and other education professionals and support staff at the Greater Essex County District School Board in the Windsor area. At its Annual General Meeting in June, District 9 passed a resolution to engage its members in working to defeat both the Liberals and PCs in the by-elections to hold them to account for attacking workers' rights using Bill 115. The District's Political Action Committee then launched the "5 for 3 campaign" whereby all members who lived in the riding of Windsor-Tecumseh were encouraged to vote against both the Liberal and PC candidates and ask others in their circle of family and friends to do the same. The Committee also distributed the call for their campaign in London in order to give an argument to the electorate there to use their votes to make a statement.

Results of By-Elections

On August 1 by-elections were held in five Ontario ridings to fill the seats of former Premier Dalton McGuinty and four of his cabinet ministers who resigned their seats in the Legislature. By-elections were held in Windsor-Tecumseh, London West, Etobicoke-Lakeshore, Scarborough-Guildwood and Ottawa South. The latest figures show that the number of people voting in the five ridings was 156,969 (not including spoiled ballots) or about 37 per cent of the 424,428 eligible voters.

There were 9,361 electors who voted for candidates of the small parties not represented in the Legislature or for independent candidates, equivalent to 6 per cent of the total vote.

How Will the Government Respond?

During the by-elections, Ontarians were constantly reminded that whatever happened, the Liberals would remain the government. However, even Premier Kathleen Wynne had to recognize that they were a test of whether Ontarians accept claims about a "reset." Given that the Liberals lost three ridings, and that in two their votes plummeted, it seems logical to conclude that their government is not doing very well.

What about the PCs? The fact is that they were not able to channel enough votes to win more than one riding despite the distaste for the Liberals and strong media backing. Even the intervention of a Harper government minister in London did not help them to win that riding. It would thus seem logical to conclude that they cannot claim that the people of Ontario support their version of austerity either.

If anyone yet believes that elections are a reflection of the popular will, then they should demand that the Liberal government respond to the results of the by-elections in a manner that shows it has heard the working people's voice. The Liberals in some cases even campaigned for votes on the basis of spreading fear that because the PCs are anti-worker and anti-union, people should vote Liberal. This proves that they recognize that the people do not support the violation of workers' rights which has become the norm.

The Liberals and PCs should both back off their push to impose new anti-worker arrangements whether through legislation, the use of regulations or bodies such as the Labour Relations Board or by usurping the powers of locally elected bodies. They have no mandate to take Ontario in this direction. In fact, at every opportunity, the working people have said No! -- in by-elections, at the Liberal Party Leadership Convention in January, and in the form of massive strike votes and province wide actions of teachers and education workers and those who support them in opposition to government dictate and Bill 115. The government should now listen to the voice of the working people.

The government could start by rescinding the contracts it imposed on teachers and education workers using Bill 115. It could enter into real, good faith negotiations in order to come to a mutually beneficial arrangement without the use of dictate or blackmail. This would be a signal that it truly wants to distance itself from the McGuinty government and the PCs. However, if it continues to impose austerity and violate workers' rights on behalf of the moneylenders and monopolies who use extortion and blackmail to get their hands on the public purse and workers' benefits and pension funds, the government's crisis of legitimacy will only deepen. It will lead to further conflict with the working people as they resist an agenda which is not in their interest and that they had no role in deciding. The government should use the opportunity to make a real fresh start, not a phony one.

Deepening Crisis of Legitimacy

The crisis of legitimacy gripping the government formed by the Liberal Party has further deepened as a result of the by-elections held in five Ontario ridings on August 1. The results show that the electorate in Ontario is not buying into the "reset" of Ontario politics the ruling Liberals have been trying to organize by getting rid of disgraced former Premier Dalton McGuinty and bringing in Kathleen Wynne to pose as a champion of social justice, fairness and balance.

There was a sharp and widespread rejection of the Liberal candidates in these ridings. Liberal candidates received 17 per cent less of the votes cast in these ridings compared to the general election in 2011, down to 30 percent of the votes from 47 per cent of the 2011 vote. The drop in the number of Liberal votes was far out of proportion with the drop in the voter turnout.

Liberals won in only two of the five ridings and in both these ridings they won with less than a 1,300 vote margin. All of these ridings were previously held by Liberal cabinet ministers and were considered "safe" Liberal seats. The Liberal minority government has been reduced to 50 seats in the Ontario Legislature from 53 following the 2011 election. The PCs won one seat which puts them back at the 37 seats they had following the last general election. The seat won by the PCs makes up for the seat they lost when the Liberal government appointed then Kitchener-Waterloo PC MPP Elizabeth Witmer as Chair of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), who subsequently resigned her seat leading to a by-election. The NDP now have 20 seats in the Legislature, up from 17 following the 2011 general election. The NDP won a seat in the Kitchener-Waterloo by-election last year and two in the August 1 by-election.

The Ontario government's crisis of legitimacy is a result of the lack of popular support for the agenda of the Liberal Party which pushes austerity aimed at reducing the standard of living of working people in order to resolve the global economic crisis in favour of the rich. The push for austerity at the behest of private interests necessarily meant the government attacking the rights and livelihoods of public sector workers and the degradation of public services which has aroused widespread opposition from working people. The Liberals are also considered by many electors to be unfit to govern because they are neither willing nor able to address problems of deep concern to working people such as the destruction of manufacturing and chronic high unemployment, particularly among young workers. People across a broad spectrum of society are also fed up with the shameless corruption of the Liberals and their rank political opportunism.

What rang out very clearly in the by-elections was that people are looking for a way to hold the Liberal government to account. This trend was particularly pronounced in Windsor-Tecumseh and London-West where the Liberals were nearly wiped out.

In Windsor, the Liberals were reduced to 12 per cent of the vote compared to 47 per cent in 2011 and in London they went down to 16 per cent from 45 per cent. In these cities working people found a way to overcome the blackmail of the Liberals, who hold the threat of the Hudak Conservatives over workers' heads like the Sword of Damocles. You have no choice but to vote for the Liberals, they tell the workers, because if the Conservatives get in government things will be much worse. Working people rejected this Liberal blackmail by effectively organizing to defeat both the Liberals and the PCs, their austerity agenda and their attack on workers' rights. The Liberals were defeated in these ridings and the PCs were also held in check.

The Hudak Conservatives where held in check in other ridings as well. In Scarborough-Guildwood, where working people and their organizations were active in opposing both the Liberals and the PCs, the Liberals held the seat but with a much reduced number of votes in a close race between the Liberals, PCs and NDP.

The Conservatives were only able to win one of the five seats being contested, in Etobicoke-Lakeshore. Despite a big push for the PC candidate from a cabal of federal, provincial and municipal Conservative politicians, the PCs barely managed to capture the riding with a margin of less than 2,000 votes. The failure of the PCs to capitalize on the widespread opposition to the Liberals among the electorate is precipitating a crisis in the ranks of the Conservatives. This crisis is reflected in the flurry of calls by Conservatives to dump their leader Tim Hudak.

The crisis in which the Liberal Party is mired is bound to deepen, as is the case with the PCs and any political party which champions neo-liberalism or promotes a direction for the economy which is based on neo-liberal assumptions. Like the Conservatives, the Liberals are committed to a phony austerity agenda demanded by the ruling elite which harms the vast majority of the people. Parties pushing such an illegitimate agenda cannot be perceived as ruling in favour of the people. The crises in the parties serving the narrow anti-social aims of the ruling elite will also increase as working people continue to work out ways of defending their own interests in the political arena and for holding these parties and government to account.

Since the by-election last year in Kitchener-Waterloo, workers have been overcoming the neo-liberal nonsense that the only alternative is to vote for one of the parties of the rich and submit to the austerity agenda. In Ontario this has been presented as sticking with the Liberals or falling prey to worse under the Conservatives. In fact, many people who have in the past formed part of the Liberal base have participated in the elections with a statement which rejects both the Liberals and Conservatives precisely because they wanted to make a statement against the neo-liberal anti-worker, anti-social agenda. In other words, there is an alternative and it begins by rejecting the choices they are told are the only ones. The results of the August 1 by-elections show that this trend gained ground once again by drawing in larger numbers of working people.

The Necessity for Democratic Renewal

Something the working people should consider when discussing the results of the by-elections is how the political process can be renewed in a way that truly represents the people. At present the parties dominate the process from beginning to end starting with the appointment of their own candidates not of the people's choice. This expressed itself in the by-elections with so-called "star" candidates running in the ridings but who are not selected by the electorate.

Everyone's right to participate in the political process on an equal basis must be guaranteed, including the right to elect and be elected. Currently there are clear differences between on the one hand those who run in the elections for the parties in the Legislature and, either directly or indirectly, their affiliations with those with money and power, and on the other the majority of the people who are marginalized. The political system at this time is set up in a way that pits these powerful candidates and parties in a competition to win instead of assuring that the voice of the people is turned into the legal will.

Many working people put forward their agendas for the by-elections on the basis that they have the right to participate in governing their societies. Discussion of the by-election results should include what is needed to make sure this right is enshrined. It must not be negated in any way. The political parties should facilitate this process, not be an impediment to it.

Program of the Harper Government in Ontario

Recently, the Harper government made two forays into Ontario to promote its "ambitious trade expansion plan" aimed at opening up new markets for Canadian companies.

On July 29, International Trade Minister Ed Fast, along with London North Centre and London West Conservative MPs Susan Truppe and Ed Holder, visited General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada which produces light armoured vehicles for the Canadian military and other NATO members and "partners" for aggression and for internal "policing."

The plant was used as an example of the Harper government's "supporting businesses and workers through the most ambitious trade expansion plan in Canada's history." The Harper government is actively pushing to be a leader in the "defence and security" industry internationally. The government release went on to cite a 2011 study by KPMG LLP indicating that "the Canadian defence and security industrial base consists of more than 2,000 firms, with the industry generating a total of $12.6 billion of economic activity annually." The London area currently has over 45 companies involved with the military sector, employing 12,000 people with 1,878 of these working for General Dynamics. The London area also has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country at 9.3 per cent in June, with the loss of 27 per cent of its manufacturing jobs since 2008 according to the London Economic Development Corporation. The visit took place days before the by-elections and it was intended to sway voters in favour of the PC provincial candidate. It was not effective.

On July 30, Fast headed to Lynch Fluid Controls. He was accompanied there by Mississauga-Streetsville Conservative MP Brad Butt. According to Industry Canada's website, the company is actively pursuing export into markets around the world. "We service an extremely diverse range of clients and our work can be found anywhere from the stage set of Miss Saigon to the depths of heavy water reservoirs and copper mines of South America," it says. Making it clear that assisting certain companies to "win" in the international market is what guides the Harper government, Fast stated: "By keeping taxes low, cutting red tape and promoting Canadian exports in dynamic and fast-growing markets around the world, we are helping companies such as Lynch Fluid Controls succeed in today's competitive global economy."

The Killings by Toronto Police Must Stop!

Toronto march and vigil, July 29, 2013, for 18-year-old Sammy Yatim, shot and killed by Toronto Police July 27, 2013.

The people of Toronto are outraged over the police killing of yet another troubled youth after the police shooting of 18-year-old Sammy Yatim by a Toronto police officer on July 27. Hundreds of thousands of people have seen the horrific and disturbing YouTube video of the teen being shot multiple times by an officer. People are demanding that these killings end. They are demanding that all levels of government and the police authorities take full responsibility for the actions of officers on the street -- for ensuring that officers have the training and resources and oversight they need for de-escalating and resolving crises involving troubled people and for ensuring that officers put the training and resources provided into play in these situations.

The outrage of the people of Toronto over the police killings was expressed by more than 1,000 people who demonstrated in the city on July 30 to denounce the killing of Sammy Yatim and many others. The demonstrators included family members demanding justice for their son and brother and demanding answers to the many questions arising from this latest police shooting. The demonstration marched from the big public square at Dundas and Yonge, to Toronto Police headquarters and to the site of the shooting.

Among demands presented in the placards and slogans of the demonstrators was, "Mental illness should not be a death sentence!" They also carried signs with the names of other people who have been killed in situations similar to the one when Sammy Yatim was killed. These signs included the names and dates of the troubled individuals who were killed by police: Michael Eligon (2012), Sylvia Klibingaitis (2011), Charles McGillivray (2011), Reyal Jardine-Douglas (2010), Byron Debassige (2008), O'Brian Christopher-Reid (2004), Otto Vass (2000), Edmund Yu (1997), Wayne Williams (1996), Robert Moses (1994) and Lester Donaldson (1988).

Ontario Political Forum expresses deep sympathy for the family and friends of Sammy Yatim for the loss of their loved one. We join with all the people of Toronto in denouncing these police killings and in demanding that government and the police do their duty by ending them.