December 18, 2019

2019 Photo Review

Speaking and Acting in Our Own Name
to Uphold the Rights of All and
Make Canada a Zone for Peace

March

In this issue of TML Daily, CPC(M-L) continues its month-by-month photo review of 2019 with March.

March saw spirited actions to mark International Women's Day across the country and around the world. Women affirmed their place in the front ranks of the movements for rights, peace and justice, addressing the broad concerns of the people. At rallies, marches and gatherings of all kinds, women discussed their concerns and reiterated their demands for an end to the brutal neo-liberal anti-social offensive and that the government take up its responsibilities on such questions as workers' rights, housing, health care and childcare. Participants demanded status on arrival for migrant workers and stood with the courageous Indigenous women demanding the situation be ended where women and girls are considered "fair game." Importantly, they demanded an end to Canada's participation in U.S. imperialist aggression and raised the demand "Hands Off Venezuela!"

On March 15, an estimated 1.5 million youth in some 130 countries around the world held 2,200 events as part of a global Student Strike for Climate, the first of a number of large-scale climate strikes that took place throughout 2019. The youth are taking up their responsibility to look after the social and natural environment and also demanding that governments today ensure the well-being of their generation and those yet to come. In Canada, actions took place from coast to coast to coast, with outstanding organization and participation of 150,000 Quebec youth.

Throughout March, the locked-out ABI aluminum smelter workers in Bécancour, Quebec continued their determined resistance to the demands of Alcoa/Rio Tinto for concessions and their fight that the Quebec government stop allowing the global cartel to renege on its electricity contract with Hydro-Québec and force the company to pay for its reserved preferential rate energy block. The broken agreement meant that the public utility and Quebeckers were essentially subsidizing the company during the lockout. The workers have made it abundantly clear that the lockout, planned and decreed by the company, does not constitute a "force majeure" that would free the company from its responsibility to pay for that energy. On March 1, they took their demands to Premier Legault's office and to their local MNA's office. On March 11, they held a general assembly at which they vigorously rejected Alcoa's attempt to dictate unacceptable contract terms with its latest offer. They closed out the month with an Energy March in Trois-Rivières and Quebec City, mobilizing public opinion behind their just cause.

As March ended, actions took place in a number of cities on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of NATO to say No! to NATO and express the determination of the Canadian people to end the country's participation in imperialist aggression and war and make Canada a zone for peace.

March 1
ABI smelter workers protest outside Premier Legault's office demanding the Quebec government take action to make Alcoa/Rio Tinto meet its commitments to pay for its reserved block of energy. Workers also visit local MNA Donald Martel's office.

http://cpcml.ca/WF2019/WO0608.HTM#3

March 3
Windsor Peace Coalition holds "Hands Off Venezuela" action and issues a statement
denouncing Canada's role in destabilizing Venezuela.

http://cpcml.ca/Tmlw2019/W49008S.HTM#5

March 7
Demonstration at the Ontario Legislature protests the Ford government's cuts to funding
for programs to assist children and youth with autism.

cpcml.ca/Tmlw2019/W49009.HTM#1

March 8
Activities take place across Canada to mark International Women's Day, affirming women's claims on society and their leading role in all the movements of the people to defend the rights of all, against imperialist war, to humanize the natural and social environment and on many other important questions.

Dartmouth, NS

Montreal, QC

Ajax, ON

Barrie, ON

Brampton, ON

Toronto, ON

Winnipeg, MB

Edmonton, AB

Calgary, AB

Prince George, BC

Vancouver, BC

Victoria, BC

cpcml.ca/Tmlw2019/W49009.HTM#9

March 9-11
Nova Scotia nursing home workers meet March 9 to plan their next moves after they are deprived of the right to strike by the provincial government and the courts. Two days later workers picket MLAs' offices.

http://cpcml.ca/WF2019/Articles/WO06099.HTM

March 11
Locked-out Bécancour aluminum workers hold a general assembly and forcefully
reject Alcoa's attempt to dictate unacceptable contract terms and back to work protocol.

http://cpcml.ca/WF2019/WO0609.HTM

March 13
Outgoing and incoming presidents of the 14,000 unionized workers at Hydro-Québec deliver a message of continuing support for the locked-out ABI workers to Quebec Director of
the United Steelworkers union, Alain Croteau.

Families of children with autism protest the Ontario government's cuts to autism programs
outside Premier Ford's press conference in Cambridge.

https://cpcml.ca/Tmlw2019/W49009.HTM#1 (Photo: K. Visser)

March 14
Picket outside Hamilton, Ontario MP Bob Bratina's office demands workers' security in retirement be guaranteed, including through changes to the CCAA bankruptcy protection legislation to put workers' claims in first place.

March 15
Youth from coast to coast to coast across Canada and Quebec participate in Student Climate Strike actions. The largest scale organizing and actions took place in Quebec.

Gatineau-Ottawa

Montreal, QC

Magdalen Islands and Gaspésie, QC

Chicoutimi, QC

Sherbrooke, QC

La Pocatière, QC

Sept-Îles, QC

Baie-Comeau, QC

Quebec City, QC

St. John's, NL

Fredericton, NB

Halifax, NS

Kingston, ON

Toronto, ON

Hamilton, ON

Kitchener, ON

Winnipeg, MB

Regina, SK

Saskatoon, SK

Edmonton, AB

Calgary, AB

Vancouver, BC

Victoria, BC

Whitehorse, YT

Yellowknife, NT

Inuvik, NU

http://cpcml.ca/Tmlw2019/W49010.HTM#13 http://www.pmlq.qc.ca/CP2019/CP06004.HTM
(Planete Invite Ecole, Student Climate Strike, Peoples Climate Movement, Spectre Media, Le Placoteux, Le Nord Cotier, Le Manic, E. Chouinard, Shev 11, Stephen L., I. Froude, Conservation Council of New Brunswick, G. Fitzgerald, K. Boerder, S. Seck, Kingston Climate Hub, M. Ilnyckyj, N. Voinot, E. Mackey, Dying circles cub, Davoren Lab, M. Oberman, S. Schroeter, L. Shasko, Saskatoon Climate Strike, D. Forbes, M. Kalmanovitch, Climate Justice Edmonton, Calgary Social Change, H.M. Kobluk, youth rising 2030, S. Furstenau, Sierra Club, M. Lien, W. Gagnon, Abedrennan, A. Hofford, A Bhardwaj, Haiyya, School Strike 4 Climate, L. Owen, S. E. Smith, A. Greenberg, N. Arnold, A. Diouf )

March 16
Montreal rally demands justice for Brazilian activist and Rio de Janeiro city councillor, Marielle Franco, on the one year anniversary of her assassination. Progressive Canadians continue to express their concern about the political retrogression in Brazil following the 2016 coup and the subsequent anarchy and violence in which Franco was targeted for taking a stand against the coup, police brutality and extrajudicial killings.

March 20
University and college students hold walkouts and rallies across Ontario to reject the Ford government's assault on post-secondary education and the students' right to freedom of association and to organize collectively in defence of their rights.

University of Windsor

University of Toronto

http://cpcml.ca/WF2019/WO0611.HTM#1

March 22
Teachers and education workers meet the Ford government's latest assault on public education March 15 with sustained acts of solidarity, making it clear they intend to fight for their rights and those of their students. They hold "black shirt" and "red for ed" days in their schools to involve everyone.

Halton

Toronto

Peel Region

Sarnia; Merlin

Unions representing Ontario teachers and education workers, along with fellow workers, hold protests outside Progressive Conservative Party events in Nepean and Essex.

Nepean

Essex

http://cpcml.ca/WF2019/WO0611.HTM#1

March 26-27
Locked-out Bécancour ABI aluminum smelter workers participate in an Energy March in Trois-Rivières and Quebec City. The march calls upon the Legault government to intervene so that the Alcoa/Rio Tinto cartel ends the lockout in a manner acceptable to the workers, and demands that the energy contract between Alcoa, the government and Hydro-Quebec be re-opened so that Alcoa pays for its reserved preferential rate energy block.

Trois-Rivières

Quebec City

http://pmlq.qc.ca/CPE2019/CPE06006.HTM (Photos: Chantier politique, Métallos)

March 28
Quebec nurses protest against poor working conditions, including mandatory overtime, outside health care human resources offices in Laurentides.
http://cpcml.ca/WF2019/WO0612.HTM#4 (Photos: FIQ)

March 27-31
Actions across Canada on the occasion of 70 years of NATO say No! to NATO and express determination to make Canada a zone for peace.

Picket against NATO's "Women in International Security" Conference" in Toronto

Halifax, NS

Montreal, QC

Ottawa, ON

Toronto, ON

Regina, SK

Calgary, AB

Vancouver, BC

http://cpcml.ca/Tmlw2019/W49012.HTM (TML, Canadian Peace Congress)

March 30-April 1
Actions on Palestine Land Day affirm the Right of Return of the Palestinian people and demand an end to Israel's and Egypt's 12-year blockade of Gaza.

Toronto, ON

Ottawa, ON

http://cpcml.ca/Tmlw2019/W49013.HTM#15

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Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca

March

In this issue of TML Daily, CPC(M-L) continues its month-by-month photo review of 2019 with March.

As March ended, actions took place in a number of cities on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of NATO to say No! to NATO and express the determination of the Canadian people to end the country's participation in imperialist aggression and war and make Canada a zone for peace.

March 1 ABI smelter workers protest outside Premier Legault's office demanding the Quebec government take action to make Alcoa/Rio Tinto meet its commitments to pay for its reserved block of energy. Workers also visit local MNA Donald Martel's office.

March 3 Windsor Peace Coalition holds "Hands Off Venezuela" action and issues a statement denouncing Canada's role in destabilizing Venezuela.

March 7 Demonstration at the Ontario Legislature protests the Ford government's cuts to funding for programs to assist children and youth with autism. cpcml.ca/Tmlw2019/W49009.HTM#1

March 9-11 Nova Scotia nursing home workers meet March 9 to plan their next moves after they are deprived of the right to strike by the provincial government and the courts. Two days later workers picket MLAs' offices.

March 11 Locked-out Bécancour aluminum workers hold a general assembly and forcefully reject Alcoa's attempt to dictate unacceptable contract terms and back to work protocol.

March 13 Outgoing and incoming presidents of the 14,000 unionized workers at Hydro-Québec deliver a message of continuing support for the locked-out ABI workers to Quebec Director of the United Steelworkers union, Alain Croteau.

Families of children with autism protest the Ontario government's cuts to autism programs outside Premier Ford's press conference in Cambridge. https://cpcml.ca/Tmlw2019/W49009.HTM#1 (Photo: K. Visser)

March 20 University and college students hold walkouts and rallies across Ontario to reject the Ford government's assault on post-secondary education and the students' right to freedom of association and to organize collectively in defence of their rights.

Unions representing Ontario teachers and education workers, along with fellow workers, hold protests outside Progressive Conservative Party events in Nepean and Essex.

March 28 Quebec nurses protest against poor working conditions, including mandatory overtime, outside health care human resources offices in Laurentides. http://cpcml.ca/WF2019/WO0612.HTM#4 (Photos: FIQ)

March 27-31 Actions across Canada on the occasion of 70 years of NATO say No! to NATO and express determination to make Canada a zone for peace.

Picket against NATO's "Women in International Security" Conference" in Toronto

March 30-April 1 Actions on Palestine Land Day affirm the Right of Return of the Palestinian people and demand an end to Israel's and Egypt's 12-year blockade of Gaza.

March 1
ABI smelter workers protest outside Premier Legault's office demanding the Quebec government take action to make Alcoa/Rio Tinto meet its commitments to pay for its reserved block of energy. Workers also visit local MNA Donald Martel's office.

March 3
Windsor Peace Coalition holds "Hands Off Venezuela" action and issues a statement
denouncing Canada's role in destabilizing Venezuela.

March 7
Demonstration at the Ontario Legislature protests the Ford government's cuts to funding
for programs to assist children and youth with autism.

cpcml.ca/Tmlw2019/W49009.HTM#1

March 9-11
Nova Scotia nursing home workers meet March 9 to plan their next moves after they are deprived of the right to strike by the provincial government and the courts. Two days later workers picket MLAs' offices.

March 11
Locked-out Bécancour aluminum workers hold a general assembly and forcefully
reject Alcoa's attempt to dictate unacceptable contract terms and back to work protocol.

March 13
Outgoing and incoming presidents of the 14,000 unionized workers at Hydro-Québec deliver a message of continuing support for the locked-out ABI workers to Quebec Director of
the United Steelworkers union, Alain Croteau.

Families of children with autism protest the Ontario government's cuts to autism programs
outside Premier Ford's press conference in Cambridge.

https://cpcml.ca/Tmlw2019/W49009.HTM#1 (Photo: K. Visser)

March 20
University and college students hold walkouts and rallies across Ontario to reject the Ford government's assault on post-secondary education and the students' right to freedom of association and to organize collectively in defence of their rights.

March 28
Quebec nurses protest against poor working conditions, including mandatory overtime, outside health care human resources offices in Laurentides.
http://cpcml.ca/WF2019/WO0612.HTM#4 (Photos: FIQ)

March 27-31
Actions across Canada on the occasion of 70 years of NATO say No! to NATO and express determination to make Canada a zone for peace.

March 30-April 1
Actions on Palestine Land Day affirm the Right of Return of the Palestinian people and demand an end to Israel's and Egypt's 12-year blockade of Gaza.