The Marxist-Leninist Daily

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

December

With this issue of TML Daily, CPC(M-L) concludes its month-by-month photo review of 2019 with the month of December.

Throughout December, working people were in action to defend victims of human trafficking, refugees and migrant and temporary foreign workers, as part of one humanity and one Canadian working class and the collective defence of the rights of all. The Canadian chapter of the International Migrants Alliance met in Ottawa on December 1. On December 18, Migrant Rights Day, migrant rights activists demanded justice for migrant workers at the Toronto constituency office of the federal Minister of Immigration. Migrante Ontario closed the year with a meeting marking International Migrants' Day to discuss how to step up organizing for migrant workers' rights in 2020.

Efforts to make Canada a zone for peace continued in December. A lively noon hour picket was held on December 3 outside the NATO Association of Canada headquarters in downtown Toronto. The action took place in concert with the tens of thousands of protesters gathered in London to oppose the NATO Summit and call for the abolition of NATO, which for 70 years has been an instrument of Anglo-American imperialism.

December 6 marked the 30th anniversary of the École Polytechnique shooting. On this solemn occasion, women and their organizations reiterated their agenda for the elimination of violence against women. More and more, women are concluding that only by empowering themselves to be the decision-makers in society can this be achieved, through a public authority that takes up its social responsibility and guarantees the rights of all.

In Ontario, working people continued the defence of their rights and the services they need and provide to the public. Secondary school teachers and education workers held three one-day strikes in school boards across the province, on December 4, 11 and 18. The strikes came after eight months of the Ford government's refusal to back down from its assault on education, in particular increased class sizes, the requirement for students to take e-learning courses to graduate and cuts to funding for support staff. Meanwhile, teachers and education workers represented by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario continued their work-to-rule, after more than three months without a contract, in the face of the Ford government's refusal to bargain in good faith.

Also in December, 10 Ontario unions, representing more than 250,000 thousand public sector employees, including four that represent teachers and education workers, announced their intention to launch a coordinated Charter challenge to Bill 124 -- the Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act, which violates workers' right to collective bargaining. As well as the Charter challenge, the Ontario Federation of Labour and a number of unions and labour organizations are mobilizing public opinion for its repeal.

Ontario injured workers and their allies rallied at the Ministry of Labour on December 9 demanding the Ford government stop its attacks on injured workers and take two immediate actions. Their first demand is for the government to pass private member's Bill 119 to end the practice of deeming, which impoverishes injured workers by cutting their benefits based on considering them employed at non-existent jobs. Secondly, they demanded that section 83(4) of the current Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, which holds employers, not temp agencies, responsible when temp agency workers are injured or killed at their places of work, be brought into force.

December 1
The Canadian chapter of the International Migrants Alliance meets in Ottawa on December 1, under the banner: Migrants and refugees unite! Advance our struggles against imperialism, exploitation, and war!

December 3
Toronto picket against NATO Summit in London.

December 3
Students and parents hold a solidarity action in Toronto in support of Ontario teachers and education workers.

December 4
Ontario secondary school teachers and education workers hold
province-wide one-day strike.

Elementary Teachers' Solidarity, Windsor

ETFO Provincial Executive, Toronto

https://cpcml.ca/Tmlw2019/W49030.HTM#7 (Photos: TML, OSSTF, OSSTF Districts 3, 9, 10, 18, 19, 28, EFTO, H. Giroux, A.C. Healey, T. Watt, R. Judd Archer, J. West, @whitewater24, V. Stobey, Dee YYZ, H. Bischof, UFCW, S. Kinzett, J. Burne, PSSP Halton, M. Frost, C. Fusco, M. Hradowy, S. Srdanov, P. Caccamo.)

December 6
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, marking the 30th anniversary of the École Polytechnique tragedy.

December 9
Ontario injured workers' groups and their allies rally at the Ministry of Labour in Toronto. For 28 years their annual Christmas actions have highlighted the hardships faced by injured workers and their families during the holidays, as well as their impoverishment throughout the year. Actions also take place in Sudbury and Windsor.

December 10
Telecommunications workers, members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 213, have been on strike against Ledcor Technical Services in Port Coquitlam, BC since September 30 seeking a first contract.

https://cpcml.ca/WF2019/WO0631.HTM#6

December 11
Ontario secondary school teachers and education workers hold a second one-day strike in a number of school boards.

Quinte West

Bancroft

Toronto

Etobicoke

Picton

December 14
Students from Simon Fraser University in Burnaby protest the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion and the dangers of an oil spill in the Burnaby Mountain area.

(Photos: C. Campbell)

December 16
Representatives of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, Squamish Nation, Coldwater Indian Band and a collective of Stó:lō bands hold a press conference in Vancouver regarding their Federal Court of Appeal case concerning the federal government's lack of meaningful consultations before approving the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion.

Rally in Vancouver supports the Indigenous peoples' call to cancel the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion because they have not given their consent.

(Photos: Raven Trust)

December 17
The fifth anniversary of the release of the Cuban 5 from U.S. jails is celebrated with events in Halifax, Toronto and Vancouver. Monthly pickets demanding the end of the U.S. blockade of Cuba were also held on the same day or in conjunction with these events.

December 17
At a press conference at Queen's Park, 10 Ontario unions representing public sector workers, announce their intention to launch a coordinated Charter challenge to the Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act (Bill 124), which violates the right to collective bargaining.

(Photo: EFTO)

December 18
Migrant rights activists visit the Minister of Immigration's Toronto constituency office on Migrant Rights Day, to demand justice for migrant workers.

December 18
A third one-day strike is called by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation in selected school boards.

Kingston

Newmarket

Durham

York Region

Burlington

Waterloo

Lambton-Kent

Nipissing

Thunder Bay

(Photos: OSSTF, EFTO, PSSP District 24)

December 21
Migrante Ontario holds a meeting to mark the occasion of International Migrants' Day and discuss how to step up the organizing for migrant workers' rights in 2020.

December 27
New Year's Potluck in Edmonton co-hosted by CPC(M-L), the Edmonton Coalition Against War and Racism, La Red (Latin American and Caribbean Solidarity Network), Memoria Viva, Migrante Alberta and Women for Rights and Empowerment. The event celebrates achievements in defending the rights of all working people, Indigenous peoples, women and youth, as well as efforts to make Canada a zone for peace.

December 29
The Workers' Centre of CPC(M-L) hosts a year-end brunch in Toronto, with members, supporters and fellow activists. The event features remarks delivered by Pierre Chénier on behalf of the Central Committee of CPC(M-L) and cultural contributions of songs and instrumental music.

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December

With this issue of TML Daily, CPC(M-L) concludes its month-by-month photo review of 2019 with the month of December.

December 1 The Canadian chapter of the International Migrants Alliance meets in Ottawa on December 1, under the banner: Migrants and refugees unite! Advance our struggles against imperialism, exploitation, and war!

December 3 Toronto picket against NATO Summit in London.

December 3 Students and parents hold a solidarity action in Toronto in support of Ontario teachers and education workers.

December 4 Ontario secondary school teachers and education workers hold province-wide one-day strike.

December 6 National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, marking the 30th anniversary of the École Polytechnique tragedy.

December 10 Telecommunications workers, members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 213, have been on strike against Ledcor Technical Services in Port Coquitlam, BC since September 30 seeking a first contract.

December 11 Ontario secondary school teachers and education workers hold a second one-day strike in a number of school boards.

December 14 Students from Simon Fraser University in Burnaby protest the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion and the dangers of an oil spill in the Burnaby Mountain area. (Photos: C. Campbell)

Rally in Vancouver supports the Indigenous peoples' call to cancel the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion because they have not given their consent. (Photos: Raven Trust)

December 17 The fifth anniversary of the release of the Cuban 5 from U.S. jails is celebrated with events in Halifax, Toronto and Vancouver. Monthly pickets demanding the end of the U.S. blockade of Cuba were also held on the same day or in conjunction with these events.

December 18 Migrant rights activists visit the Minister of Immigration's Toronto constituency office on Migrant Rights Day, to demand justice for migrant workers.

December 18 A third one-day strike is called by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation in selected school boards.

December 21 Migrante Ontario holds a meeting to mark the occasion of International Migrants' Day and discuss how to step up the organizing for migrant workers' rights in 2020.

December 29 The Workers' Centre of CPC(M-L) hosts a year-end brunch in Toronto, with members, supporters and fellow activists. The event features remarks delivered by Pierre Chénier on behalf of the Central Committee of CPC(M-L) and cultural contributions of songs and instrumental music.