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Plundering the Public Treasury to Pay the Rich Governments Give Millions to Privately-Owned U.S. Ford Motor Company
At a dual ceremony in Ottawa and Oakville, Prime Minister Trudeau and Premier Ford announced on October 8, a massive pay-the-rich scheme to give jointly $590 million to the U.S.-owned global Ford Motor Company. Each leader heralded the pay-the-rich giveaway as meeting the demands of the U.S.-dominated global financial oligarchy that otherwise would refuse to continue production in Ontario. The political elite insist that any change from carbon-based propulsion of vehicles to battery-electric ones must be done under the current imperialist direction of the economy and serve those in control. They argue the change must be done under the dictate of the oligarchs who own the vehicle production and distribution enterprises and serve their private interests. The working class is denied any say or right to intervene and discuss an alternative direction to stop paying the rich and build independent vehicle production and distribution public enterprises under the control of Canadians. Those who work for the global oligarchs are told to accept their terms of employment without negotiations and to applaud their employers' plunder of the public treasury. If they obey and accept their subservient position in the social relations with their employers, they are told jobs and security will be theirs and that these are dependent on ensuring the amassed wealth and private enterprises of the global oligarchs. No other direction for the economy is contemplated or discussed. Working people are told that their futures can only be guaranteed if the power, privilege and wealth of the global oligarchy are consolidated with money from the public treasury and without opposition from working people.
The relations also reveal that a change in the method of production or social product does not change the unequal social relation between workers and the imperialist owners as it does not change the mode of production and the social class in control. The aim of the imperialists for maximum private profit from the expropriation of the value workers produce remains the same whether the vehicles workers produce are gas or battery-operated. The dictatorship of the oligarchs over the working people and society remains the same. The oligarchs decide everything and workers are told to obey. But the social relations also reveal the striving of the workers to exercise control over the decisions which affect their lives. This is why the most vicious offensive is the state disinformation that with their obedience, workers can secure jobs and benefits but only if they do not cause a fuss and only if they do not question the pay-the-rich schemes and the consolidation of control, power, wealth and privilege this brings to the oligarchy. Otherwise, the global oligarchs threaten to destroy the workers' plants, livelihoods and local economy as they have done on countless occasions, such as GM in Oshawa and Ford's threats to shut its plants in Oakville and Windsor. Canada as a whole has suffered destruction of the manufacturing sector as the global oligarchs have moved production elsewhere in their global empires. The federal and Ontario governments and other proponents of this deal speak on behalf of the rich and their plutocracy. The "investment" in fact secures the fortunes of the oligarchs who own and control Ford. Without the work of the working class -- the jobs they do -- no value would be created for the owners to expropriate. For the imperialists, the only reason to produce gas or electric vehicles is to profit from what the workers build. For the Ford oligarchs, a century of getting richer from workers building gas vehicles must become another century of getting richer from workers building electric vehicles. It is all the same to the rich, as long as the working class keeps producing value that they can expropriate and as long as the state keeps giving them public money to bolster their profits. To prettify the unequal social relation with talk of "securing jobs" insults the working class and people of Canada. The challenge workers face to defend their rights and claims and bring into being a new direction and aim for the economy under the control of the actual producers is to raise the demand to Stop Paying the Rich; Increase Investments in Social Programs. Who Said WhatThe Trudeau government statement announcing the Ford pay-the-rich scheme: "A repurposed battery-electric vehicle (BEV) production plant for the Oakville Assembly Complex is in line with the Government of Canada's commitment to sustainable growth. [...] Together, we continue to help build a Canada that is healthier and safer, cleaner and more competitive, and fairer and more inclusive for future generations. [...] "The Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario are committed to working with Canada's automotive partners, including Ford and Unifor, to attract investment, including in zero-emissions technologies, and to ensure that our automotive industry remains one of the most competitive in the world." And to this end we do bequeath to you, the U.S. Ford Motor Company, $590 million of public funds. Premier Ford hailed Ontario's politics of bowing to the dictatorship and pressure of the U.S. imperialists declaring, "Together with our federal partners, we are proud to invest almost $300 million to support the production of next-generation, made-in-Ontario vehicles and secure thousands of good-paying jobs across the province for years to come." In a statement, Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance wrote in defence of neo-liberalism and Canada's position within the U.S.-led imperialist system of states, "Our government is committed to making investments that create good middle class jobs and give Canada a competitive advantage in the clean economy of the future." Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry repeated much the same saying, "This investment will position Canada as a global leader in battery-electric vehicle manufacturing and secures 5,400 good, green, middle class jobs for thousands of Canadian autoworkers. [...] Ford Motor Company of Canada is a vital part of Canada's journey toward an electric future of sustainable growth, dependable jobs, and global leadership." Ontario Minister of Economic Development Vic Fedeli congratulated the tripartite arrangement under the dictatorship of the global oligarchs saying, "Bolstered by strategic government partnerships, Ontario is now at the leading edge. This ongoing collaboration between industry, government and labour will be essential as we face the immense economic challenges of COVID-19 and build for the future." Jerry Dias, National President of Unifor, who attended the Ottawa announcement said, "The Canadian government understands that the auto industry is essential to building back our economy and the Prime Minister must be commended for his vision and leadership in making this significant investment that will secure good jobs for our members for decades to come."
This article was published in   Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca |
The ruling elite
willfully ignore what the social relations between
humans and humans
and humans and nature reveal. This includes but is
not limited to the
class divisions in society and the opposing aims
and interests of the
imperialists and working class. Within the current
mode of production
the working class exists in an unequal social
relation with those who
own and control the economy. The workers produce
the value and the
imperialist owners expropriate it for their
private use. The position
of ownership comes with control over the economy,
its enterprises and
social product, which means in effect control over
the actual producers
and their fate.