From conexion at vcn.bc.ca Tue Oct 18 14:59:04 2005 From: conexion at vcn.bc.ca (Latin America Connexions) Date: Tue, 18 Oct 2005 14:59:04 -0700 Subject: [news] Latin American Educators rally in Support of BC Teachers Message-ID: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Latin American Educators rally in Support of BC Teachers: Demand that Canada Comply with International Law IDEA Network - October 15, 2005 ? Teachers and students throughout Latin America are coming to the defense of BC Teachers in the face of what they consider an unprecedented attack on teachers? rights. On October 14, the same day a British Columbia Supreme court judge cut off strike pay for BC teachers and placed an intervenor in the BC Teachers? Federation offices to ensure that no financial or material assets are used to support the federation?s strike, educators in Mexico and Guatemala held demonstrations outside the Canadian embassies demanding that Canada comply with international labour law. Although the BC government has repeatedly accused BC teachers of breaking the law in their weeklong strike, it is actually Premier Gordon Campbell?s legislation against teachers and public education that has violated international law. In March 2003, a tribunal of the United Nations? International Labour Organization (LIO) ruled that BC legislation that declared education an ?essential service,? stripped teachers of the right to negotiate working/learning conditions and arbitrarily imposed a three year contract (bills 18, 27 and 28) contravened various articles of international conventions to which Canada is a signatory. The ILO tribunal directed the BC government to rescind or amend the offending legislation in order to comply with international law. Further, the UN body directed the government to ?avoid in future having recourse to such legislated settlement, and strongly hopes that the next round of negotiations will be held in accordance with the [freedom of association] principles mentioned above.? In ignoring this directive, the recently legislated Bill 12 that extends the original illegal contract by another two years puts the BC government in contempt of the ILO rulings. Teachers organizations in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru and Ecuador, and OCLAE, a continental federation of high school and university student organizations have also submitted letters demanding that the BC government comply with international law. Teachers in Honduras and Chile say they plan actions at Canadian embassies in the coming week. As well, Mexican teachers are offering to set up a BCTF website in their country as a way to circumvent the BC court gag order prohibiting the BCTF from communicating with their members. The BCTF, through the Trinational Coalition to Defend Public Education and the Initiative for Public Education in the Americas (IDEA), has played a prominent role in the defense of public education in the region. Through these organizations the BCTF has helped to free teacher and student leaders jailed for defending public education. However, it is not just out of gratitude for this solidarity that Latin American educators and students are coming to the aid of BC teachers. ?We must evaluate the strategy of the BC to break the resistance of the BCTF teachers,? writes Mariluz Arriaga of the Mexican Section of the Trinational Coalition. ?Just as with free trade, they have begun with Canada and will later try it in our countries. To legislate away the right to strike, impose a contract by law, freeze the assets of the union and intervene in the communications between the federation and its teachers are measures that are much more reactionary than anything that has been applied in this country. But the governments of Mexico and of other Latin American countries will also try it if it proves successful in Canada.? -30- For more information, contact Steve Stewart, International Secretary, IDEA Network. Tel: 604 708 1495, ext 115. E-mail: sstewart at codev.org OR redsepa1 at hotmail.com or From prms at alternatives.com Wed Oct 19 04:24:47 2005 From: prms at alternatives.com (Press Release Media Service) Date: Wed, 19 Oct 2005 04:24:47 -0700 Subject: [news] Coastal Groups 'Drag' Parliament Hill Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.20051019042447.00a473c0@mail.alternatives.com> COASTAL GROUPS 'DRAG' PARLIAMENT HILL, ATTEMPT TO CATCH GOVERNMENT COMMITMENT TO ACTION Bottom dragger gear and at-risk sea creatures dramatize Liberal failures October 19, 2005 Ottawa: Environmental groups from the East and West coasts of Canada are displaying massive fishing drag net gear on Parliament Hill today, calling on Paul Martin to make good on his promise to protect the oceans. The groups say that Canada's actions fall far short of the Prime Minister's words, and that bottom trawling is still destroying the ocean floor and fish stocks. Canada is poised to vote against a United Nations moratorium prohibiting the use of this gear in international waters. A dragger net and related gear were deployed this morning on Parliament Hill, with a banner quoting Prime Minister Paul Martin's May 1st call to countries gathered for the conference on High Seas Fisheries Governance to, "Stop the rape of our oceans". "Despite the Prime Minister's strong words, the Canadian government has ignored the scientific research on dragger destruction," said Mark Butler of Halifax's Ecology Action Centre, one of the groups involved in the project. "In the 1980s, the government ignored scientific warnings on the imminent collapse of the cod stock," Butler pointed out. "Now they are failing to listen to similar calls to put an end to destructive dragger fishing." During bottom trawling (or 'dragging'), massive nets and gear are pulled across the sea-bed, indiscriminately killing life forms in its path. Young fish are killed, fish-breeding habitat is destroyed and the entire ecosystem and recovery cycle is disrupted. Canada's official position is that no fishing gear type is inherently damaging. "I don't know how the Minister can say with a straight face that dragging isn't any more damaging than other gears", said Wayne Eddy a long-time fisherman from Nova Scotia. "Even my grandchildren can see that a ten tonne dragger would do way more damage to the ocean floor than a ten ounce cod jig." Next month, the UN General Assembly will vote on a temporary ban on drag nets in international waters. "The Canadian government must support the United Nations moratorium on dragging the high seas, and take immediate action within Canadian waters to prevent further destruction from draggers," said Catherine Stewart of B.C's Living Oceans Society. "Empty words will only lead to empty seas. It's time for Canada to act," Stewart concluded. For more information contact: Mark Butler, Ecology Action Centre AND Catherine Stewart, Living Oceans Society Cel: (902) 209-6542 Cel: (604) 916-6722 Media room with backgrounders, maps and photos for download: www.livingoceans.org/media/index.shtml and www.ecologyaction.ca/gearshift B-roll footage of bottom trawling available. CD of still photos available. ---------------------- Un coup de filet sur la colline parlementaire pour d?noncer la destruction des fonds marins menac?s par l'?quipement des chalutiers Deux groupes environnementaux demande une prise d'action de la part du gouvernement Ottawa, le 19 octobre, 2005: des groupes environnementaux de la c?te est et de la c?te ouest ont exhib? d'immenses filets de chalutiers sur la colline parlementaire aujourd'hui en demandant au premier ministre Martin de tenir ses promesses en matiere de protection des oc?ans. Les deux groupes d?noncent l'insuffisance des actions prisent par le gouvernement et rappellent que la p?che par chalutier continue de d?truire les fonds marins et de r?duire les stocks de poissons. Malgr? les promesses du premier ministre de rem?dier ? cette situation, le Canada est sur le point de voter contre un moratoire des Nations Unies emp?chant l'utilisation d'?quipement de chalutage en eaux internationales. Un immense filet de chalutier a ?t? d?ploy? ce matin sur la colline parlementaire et accompagn? d'une banni?re citant l'appel du premier ministre Martin d' "Arr?ter le viol de nos oc?ans" lors de la conf?rence sur la gouvernance des p?cheries en hautes mers, le 1er mai dernier. "Malgr? ces paroles appelant au changement, le gouvernement canadien continue d'ignorer les ?tudes scientifiques d?montrant les ravages du chalutage" d?plore Mark Butler du Ecology Action Centre d'Halifax, un des groupes impliqu?s dans cette campagne. Il rappelle que "dans les ann?es 80, le gouvernement avait aussi ignor? les avertissements des scientifiques quant ? l'imminence de l'?ffondrement des stocks de morue dans l'Atlantique" et craint que "le gouvernement ne continue d'ignorer les avertissements du m?me genre face aux pratiques destructives du chalutage". Lors de la p?che par chalutier (chalutage), d'immenses filets sont train?s sur les fonds marins et tuent, sans discrimination, toute forme de vie se trouvant sur leur passage. Non seulement les poissons trop jeunes sont tu?s, mais aussi leur habitat de reproduction. Ce sont des ?cosystemes entiers qui disparaissent ainsi. La position officielle du Canada est qu'aucun ?quipement de p?che n'est destructif en soi. "Je me demande comment le ministre peut affirmer sans broncher que le chalutage n'est pas plus destructif que les autres ?quipements" affirme Wayne Eddy, un p?cheur de longue date en Nouvelle-Ecosse. "M?me mes petits enfants peuvent voir qu'un filet de 10 tonnes fera beaucoup plus de ravage sur les fonds marins qu'un leurre de 10 onces." Le mois prochain, l'assembl?e g?n?rale des Nations Unies votera l'abolition temporaire du chalutage en eaux internationales. "Le gouvernement canadien se doit d'appuyer ce moratoire des Nations Unies et il doit prendre des mesures imm?diates dans les eaux canadiennes afin d'eviter que ne continue la destruction des fonds marins par le chalutage" exhorte Catherine Stewart du groupe Living Oceans Society de la Colombie Britannique. "Des paroles vides ne peuvent mener qu'? des oceans vides. Il est grand temps d'agir pour le Canada" conclut-elle. Pour plus d'information, contactez: Mark Butler, Ecology Action Centre et Catherine Stewart, Living Oceans Society Cell: (902) 209-6542 Cell: (604) 916-6722 Historique, cartes et photos a t?l?charger: www.livingoceans.org/media/index.shtml et www.ecologyaction.ca/gearshift Video de chalutage disponible, CD d'images disponible.