[opirgyork] Weekly Digest - Wed.March.3rd
OPIRG York
opirg at yorku.ca
Wed Mar 3 15:51:16 PST 2010
Greetings all!
Mark your calendars!
Anti-oppression training: Wednesday March 24th - 2pm - 5pm - GSA
Conference Rm. 430
OPIRG Orientation (Consensus - what is it? How does it work?
Facilitation skills): Thursday March 25th - 3-5pm - GSA Conference Rm. 430
See you then!
www.opirgyork.ca
----------------------------
1) The Landscape of Apartheid: Indigenous Solidarity
2) T-DOT Pioneers: An Exploration of Toronto's Hip Hop History
3) Coming out Against Apartheid: Queer Solidarity Activism
4) Celebrate Women's Resistance: Celebrating IWD
5) Where the Ladies At?? (Women in Hip Hop Panel)
6) Hip hop for Palestine: Won't stop til' da wall drops
7) No one can stop the Rain: 4strugglemag benefit show
8) International Women's Day CONFERENCE AT YORK!!!!
9) Community Mobilization Network Open planning meeting for G8/G20
Resistance in Toronto
10) New Zine available for download: SUPERPRISONS IN CANADA
11) Poverty is a feminist issue: Raise the rates contingent
12) ACTION: Tell your MPPs you oppose their decision to condemn Israeli
Apartheid Week
13) Help bring Gary Freeman home to Canada
14) Statement of the Immigration legal committee: Justice Prorogued for
Immigrants and refugees!
15) Health for All!!! : Fixing a broken healtcare system for Immigrants
and Refugees
16) CBSA deports aspiring SIKH lawyer
-------------------------------------
1) Thursday March 4th *THE LANDSCAPE OF APARTHEID: INDIGENOUS SOLIDARITY*
1:00 - 3:00 PM
*Student Center, GSA (Room 430)*
*Gitz Crazyboy* is a 25 year-old dene-blackfoot youth worker living up
in the middle of ground zero.
-----------------------
2) Reception: Thursday March 4th, 6pm - Midnight
Exhibition Dates: March 4th, 2010 – April 18th, 2010
Toronto Free Gallery, 1277 Bloor St. West @Lansdowne
Opening Reception of “T-Dot Pioneers”
Thursday March 4th 2010, 6pm- Midnight
7:30 Opening Remarks by Dalton Higgins and Key Note address by K4ce,
emcee and originator of the term ‘T-Dot'.
8:30 Performances by some of T-Dot's finest MCs!
Live to air CHRY 105.5fm from 6pm to midnight
Music by:
DJ DTS (Masterplan Show)
O-Nonymous (Sound Junction Show)
Great Scott (Sound Junction Show)
DJ Grumps (Bigger than Hip Hop Show)
Performances by:
Poet and Emcee IanKamau
Roach Uno (Handmade Music)
Tdot Representative Thrust
Northsidehiphop.ca, an online resource cataloguing Canadian hip hop
history and culture will launch on March 4th, 2010 with the hip hop
exhibit “T-Dot Pioneers”, an exploration of Toronto’s hip hop history at
Toronto Free Gallery from March 4th, 2010 closing April 18th, 2010.
First ever of it’s kind, northsidehiphop.ca will be home to a collection
of artifacts and multimedia memorabilia such as early vinyl recordings,
artwork, performances and literature produced by Canadian hip hop
artists and enthusiasts going as far back as the early 80’s and
highlighting contributions from across Canada.
Keynote:
K4ce aka Mr. Force is a hip hop impresario who coined the term Tdot, and
arguably one of the illest rhyme slingers, verse writers, beat makers,
hook crafters, party rocka's in the history of Toronto hip hop. A
celebrated MC, K4ce has worked with the likes of has worked with the
likes of Michie Mee, Maestro, Ghetto Concept, Sunshine Sound Crew and more.
Hip Hop Dialogue Events in March 2010
Lets Talk About...HIP HOP Baby! Panels and Discussions throughout the
month of March at Toronto Free Gallery
Saturday March 6th 2010, 2pm – 5pm
Where the ladies @ ? : Panel and Discussion
Free Admission
Droppin’ Dimez Radio partners with The Bigger than Hip Hop show and
T-Dot Pioneers to present “Where the Ladies@?”: a frank discussion
between women representing various areas of the music industry.
Panelists: Michie Mee (Recording Artist), Jeni (Flow 93.5), Isis
(Thunderheist), Tara Muldoon (Hiphopcanada.com), Daniella Etienne
(Universal Urban/The Remix Project), True Daley (Recording
Artist/Writer), Lady P (Toronto Hip Hop Connoisseur) and DJ L'Oqenz.
Saturday March 27th 2010, 2pm – 5pm
When Rappers Used to Dance : Panel and Discussion
Free Admission
OTA Live and the Bigger than Hip Hop Show partner to present a panel
discussion called “When Rappers Use to Dance: An exploration of hip hop
history and culture”. Looking at the emergence of the bling era and
dance as a major aspect of the MC's persona.
Panelists: Rinaldo Walcott (University of Toronto), DJ Grumps (Bigger
than Hip Hop), Citizen Kane, Dalton Higgins (northsidehiphop.ca project
consigliere), True Daley,Ty Harper (OTA Live) and Ian Kamau (Recording
Artist).
Location: Toronto Free Gallery
1277 Bloor Street W
Toronto, ON M6H 1N7
416-913-0461
www.torontofreegallery.org
Northsidehiphop.ca acknowledges the support of Canadian Heritage and the
Canadian Culture Online program
For full release and all press inquires, please contact Munira Ravji at
press at northsidehiphop.ca.
-----------------------
3) Coming Out Against Apartheid: Queer Solidarity Activism
Thursday March 4th, 2010
7pm - 10pm
OISE Auditorium
252 Bloor St. West
*Israeli Apartheid Week -- Solidarity in Action: Boycott, Divestment,
Sanctions*
Coming Out Against Apartheid: Queer Solidarity Activism
Hosted by Students Against Israeli Apartheid – a working group of
OPIRG-Toronto
Trish Salah is a Montreal-based writer, activist and teacher at
Concordia’s Simone de Beauvoir Institute. She has been politically
active organizing around a wide range of issues, including Palestinian
solidarity, sex workers' rights, anti-racism and anti-capitalism,
employment security and healthcare for transsexual and transgender
people. Her first book of poetry, Wanting in Arabic, was published by
TSAR Books and her recent writing appears in the journals Open Letter,
No More Potlucks, and Aufgabe. Her new manuscript is titled “Lyric
Sexology.”
John Greyson is a Toronto video artist/filmmaker whose features, shorts
and installations include Fig Trees (Best Documentary Teddy, Berlin Film
Festival, 2009), Proteus (Diversity Award, Barcelona Gay Lesbian Film
Festival, 2004), and Lilies (Best Film 'Genie', 1996). An associate
professor in Film at York University, he was awarded the 2007 Bell
Canada Award in Video Art.
Jenny Peto is an activist with the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid
and a student in Sociology and Equity Studies at OISE. Her research on
Israeli Apartheid has focused on the co-optation of human rights,
including queer and feminist issues, by the Israeli State and its
supporters.
And, be sure to check out events all week. For a complete list of events
visit: www.toronto.apartheidweek.org
-------------------------
4) Join us for a night of Celebration...A Celebration of Womanhood, Our
Identities, and Solidarity ...
The Migrant Women’s Coordinating Body for International Women’s Day
invites you to our International Women’s Day Cultural Celebration on
Friday, March 5, 2010 from 7-11pm,
United SteelWorker’s Hall,
25 Cecil Street.
Featuring - Performances by diverse community members that are bringing
their talent and passions to the stage...:
• CUPE Freedom Singers & Faith Nolan
• Sandy Paredes - Gabriela
• Philippine Advocacy through Arts and Culture
• Wasun
• PMB
• MataDanZe
& many more!
leading up to International Women’s Day March 2010!!!!
Working Class Women Unite Against Imperalism- ALL OUT FOR IWD!!
Organized by Migrant Women’s Coordinating Body for IWD
March with us, as we represent an anti-war and anti-imperialist
contingent! We march in resistance to imperialism and the local
repressive governments in our home countries! As working class women of
all origins, we march against systemic repression and policies in place
to prevent all people from having equal status! We march against war and
occupation! We march for the importance of educating ourselves about
what is happening in our communities. We march for issues and struggles
that go against bureaucratic capitalism, patriarchal systems with
oppressive policies and forced migration, along with unfair labour
practices! We march against violence of all forms against men, women and
children! We march together united against Imperialism!
We will be meeting at the corner of Bedford & Bloor, @ 12.30 p.m.
**Please look out for our banner!
March to Ryerson University for the International Women's Day FAIR– 1:00pm
Fair - 1:30pm-4pm (Ryerson University, 55 Gould St)
(www.iwdtoronto.org)
------------------------
5) Where the Ladies At??? (Women in Hip Hop Panel)
Saturday March 6th, 2010
2pm - 5pm
Toronto Free Gallery - 1277 Bloor St. West @ Lansdowne
DD Radio is proud to present a Women in Hip Hop Panel as part of the
upcoming T-dot Pioneers project. The project runs for a few weeks, but
our panel, entitled "Where the Ladies At?" takes place on Saturday March
6th at 2PM at the Toronto Free Gallery (1277 Bloor St. West).
Panelists Include:
- Michie Mee, legendary Canadian MC
- Isis, Thunderheist
- Jeni MacKenzie, Radio Host, Flow 93.5FM
- Tara Muldoon, HipHopCanada /Publicist
- Daniella Etienne, Universal Music Canada/The Remix Project
- True Daley, Soul Hip Hop artist/Pop Culture Critic
- Lady P, Toronto's first female Hip Hop MC
- DJ L'Oqenz, DJ/Educator/ former tour manager for Zaki Ibrahim
Moderated By: Poet/MC Motion
Outline:
Droppin’ Dimez Radio, partner with T-Dot Pioneers Project to present
“Where the Ladies@?”: a frank discussion between women representing
various areas of the music industry. Since Sylvia Robinson’s integral
role in the emergence of rap music as a commodity with the release of
the Sugar Hill Gang, women have played a major role in the success of
hip hop music and culture. In Canada, one of its first hip hop stars,
Michie Mee repped the female cause ensuring gender was always a topic of
discussion. Despite hip hop’s overly macho image, there has always been
space (at what cost?) within hip hop where men did not entirely dominate
the industry (although, often behind-the-scenes). Today, talented female
MCs like Jean Grae and Eternia can scarcely be heard with the same
resonance of their predecessors like MC Lyte or Queen Latifah. If hip
hop culture is more globalized, and generates billions of dollars a
year, why are we hearing less female voices, in particular from female
MCs? We hope to offer information and education about women’s struggles
and successes in the Canadian urban music industry and shed some light
on how to collectively break through the “glass ceiling” when it comes
to achieving and defining success in this market.
Droppin' Dimez Radio - Canada's ONLY All Female Hip Hop Show, CKLN
88.1FM (Mel Boogie, JJ Rock & Big G
---------------------------
6) Hip Hop for Palestine: Won't Stop til' da wall drops
Saturday March 6th
9pm - 1am
The Blue Moon Pub
725 Queen St. E (at Broadview)
Israeli Apartheid Week (Toronto) is proud to present Palestinian hip hop
artist, Abeer Alzinaty’s (aka Sabreena Da Witch) debut performance in
Canada. The event will also feature Montreal based Iraqi MC Narcycist as
well as local DJs. All are invited to this night of music and dance that
will conclude the 6th annual Israeli Apartheid Week.
Abeer Alzinaty (aka Sabreena Da Witch) is a Palestinian hip hop artist.
Born in 1984 in Lydd, she started performing R&B in Arabic and English
in her teens and released her first original Mix-tape. Witch's intifada,
in 2008. Abeer has been featured in a number of documentaries about
Palestinian music including Jackie Salloum's award winning documentry
Slingshot Hip-Hop. Abeer's music speaks to her experiences as a
Palestinian woman living in Israel. Critiquing multiple injustices
resulting from or supported by the occupation, while celebrating
freedom, equality and enlightement.
The Narcicyst is an Iraqi MC/Media Master. His musical career was
spawned through the collaborative work of the Euphrates family; A
growing collective of Muslim visual artists, musicians, painters,
filmographers and photographers. Releasing two albums with Euphrates,
the crew garnered worldwide attention from Time Magazine to publications
out of the Middle East and Europe. With a book being released under the
title “Fear of An Arab Planet”, and a brand new self-titled album and
acting in feature length film "City of Life", The Narcicyst is sure to
make you see yourself through the proverbial mirror that is the current
state of the world.
This event is a fund-raiser for Israeli Apartheid Week 2010
Tickets $10 in advance, $12 at the door (tickets will be available
during IAW events)
About IAW 2010
First launched in Toronto in 2005, IAW has grown to become one of the
most important global events in the Palestine solidarity calendar. Last
year, more than 35 cities around the world participated in the week's
activities, which took place in the wake of Israel's brutal assault
against the people of Gaza. In Toronto, IAW 2009 featured a full week of
events kicked off by Palestinian activist and writer Omar Barghouti.
IAW 2010 takes place following a year of incredible successes for the
Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement on the global level.
Lectures, films, and actions will highlight some of these successes
along with the many injustices that continue to make BDS so crucial in
the battle to end Israeli Apartheid.
Check out www.apartheidweek.org for the full line up of IAW 2010 and
join the Facebook group at
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=185933489468
---------------------------
7) No one can stop the rain: 4strugglemag benefit show
Sunday March 7th
7pm - 2am
Rearview Mirror
193 1/2 Baldwin St. in Kensington Market
4strugglemag publishes the writings of political prisoners and their
friends. Come celebrate the release of our 15th issue and help us
continue to send free subscriptions to prisoners across north america.
4strugglemag.org
Door: 7 pm
$5-$10 sliding scale
With
Danger! Danger! (http://www.myspace.com/dangerdangerband)
Honest I's (http://www.myspace.com/honestis)
abstractRandom (http://www.myspace.com/abstractrandom3)
Testament and Illogik (http://www.reverbnation.com/testamenthiphop and
http://www.myspace.com/illtothalogik)
---------------------------
8) IWD at YorkU
York University Student Centre
Mon, March 8, 2010
10 am to 6 pm
registration at 9:30 am; dinner at 6pm
Speakers, workshops, performers. cwtpyork at gmail.com to RSVP and for info
FREE event. OPEN to all. ACCESSIBLE spaces. FOOD provided. TRANSIT and
CHILDCARE subsidies available.
International Women’s Day 2010.
With the intention to create a space for dialogue around access to
education, International Women’s Day is being celebrated at York
University for 2010. How do systems of power, such as racism,
colonialism, poverty, etc. create barriers to education? How can
alternative learning through methods or content be healing and a
challenge to the mainstream? Accessible workshops, geared especially at
young women and girls, will be held throughout the day.
Join us at the York University Student Centre on Monday, March 8, 2010
for speakers, amazing workshops, performances and free food!
ALL are welcome – community members, YorkU students, staff and faculty.
We are particularly excited about having high school girls from the
North York community attend the day’s events!
Workshop topics include: alternative media, Wen Do, Indigenous
solidarity, gender and race through the art of plays, anti-oppression, a
men's discussion group, popular theater, digital story telling and more!
All workshops will be focused on celebrating women and girls, and
promise to be fun! Panel featuring Jessica Yee, Carl James and No One Is
Illegal!
What you can expect:
9:30-10:00 registration
10:00-10:15 opening address
10:20-11:50 Workshops 1
12:00-1:30 Workshops 2 (including Wen Do)
1:30-2:30 FREE lunch, performance by Secret Trial Five
2:40-4:10 Workshops 3
4:20-5:50 Panel Discussion
6:00-7:30 FREE dinner
Organizers are the Centre for Women and Trans People (CWTP), the Ontario
Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG), the Graduate Student Association
(GSA), the Sexual Assault Survivor Support Line (SASSL), the South Asian
Youth Advisory Committee (SAYAC) and United South Asians at York (USAY).
Transit and childcare subsidies are available. Please get in touch.
PLEASE RSVP!!!
For more info and to RSVP please contact Katherine Bateman or Naz
Yirgalem at the Centre for Women and Trans People, York University,
cwtpyork at gmail.com, (416) 736-2100 ext: 33484
---------------------------
9)
Fourth Community Mobilization Network Open Planning Meeting for G8/20
Resistance in Toronto
14 February, 2010
11:00am (meeting expected to run 2 hours)
25 Cecil Street (Steelworkers Hall)
Community based organizers and activists from across Ontario and Quebec
are invited to an open planning meeting focusing on Toronto's response to
the G8/G20 Summits on March , 2010.
The Community Mobilization Network is organizing the community based
outreach, independent media, convergence and days of action leading up to
and during the G8/20 Summits in Ontario (June 25-27,2010). Our previous
meeting had over 150 people present.
If you are unable to attend but would like to participate in one of the
committees, get more information or host a G8/G20 related event, email
community.mobilize at resist.ca
To join the announcements list, visit:
https://masses.tao.ca/lists/listinfo/community.mobilize
Web: http://g20.torontomobilize.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=236150947036
[please invite friends!]
------------------------
10) Superprisons in Canada: What They Are, How to Stop Them
Reading and Printing Available at
http://zinelibrary.info/superprisons-canada
This pamphlet was written in Kingston Ontario, the city with the largest
concentration of prisons in Canada, and our hometown. We wrote it to
bring people up to speed with what we see as a dangerous agenda at work
within the federal government with respect to the Canadian prison
system. At this very moment, the federal Conservative Party, their
various corporate partners, and their provincial proxy-parties are
pushing hard for a major expansion of the Prison Industrial Complex
(PIC). This is the term we use to refer to the interest groups,
businesses, and government institutions that rely on locking people up
to increase their bottom line. While private contractors are a major
aspect of the PIC – one we’ll delve into later in this pamphlet – this
issue is about more than privatization. It’s about an ideology of “Law
and Order” driven by fear, racism, and moral panic. It’s about the
extent to which the logic of prison is being extended into society
generally, through increased surveillance and heavier-handed policing in
the name of “public safety.” And it’s about our town, Kingston, Ontario,
where the first Canadian prison was ever built, and what it means to be
a city that experiences economic booms when more people are being put in
prison.
This pamphlet touches on a few specific issues relating to the ongoing
Conservative revolution in prisons and policing, and tries to
strategically show a few points of intervention for people who want to
resist this expansion. Most of our research has focused on the internal
plan to construct new super-prisons, but related issues such as the
closing of the prison farms, the backdoor privatization of the prison
system, and the introduction of draconian amendments to the Criminal
Code are all elements of the Conservative transformation in its
vulnerable and weak introductory phase, which could be resisted
simultaneously in order to disrupt this current process. The strong link
between the ousted Mike Harris regime in Ontario, and the key players in
the Corrections transformation sheds light on what we might expect in
the next year. Drawing on the experiences of the anti-Harris movement
could provide insight into effective tactics and strategies with which
to resist and ultimately defeat the current government and any future
governments determined to implement such policies.
Get in touch with us at epic (at) riseup.net
http://zinelibrary.info/superprisons-canada
---------------------
11) Poverty is a Feminist Issue: Raise the Rates Contingent
Joining up with - 'Working Class Women Unite Against Imperialism'
Saturday, March 6th, 2010
Meeting: 12:30 @ Bedford and Bloor (outside of OISE)
Approximately 100 000 people in Toronto are on Social Assistance - the
vast majority are Women and Children. People are forced to live on
Welfare and Disability rates that are shamefully inadequate. After
welfare rates were cut by the Harris Tories in 1995 by 21.6%, and
Disability rates were frozen, people's income levels have continued to
fall for 15 straight years. Today, with inflation and the cost of living
increase since 1995, people are living on Social Assistance rates that
are at least 40% below where they should be for an adequate living standard.
As the fall-out of the economic recession deepens after billions of
dollars in bail-outs were given to failing banks and corporations,
governments are now scrambling to reduce deficits at our expense. The
worst impact is yet to be felt, and will surely be felt hardest by
Toronto's poorest communities. Already we are seeing an increased
criminalization of people on Social Assistance and massive cuts in
access to the much needed Special Diet benefit. All three levels of
Government are set to release their yearly Budgets by the beginning of
April and it is clear that cuts to the Public Sector are on the agenda.
We won’t pay for their crisis or their deficit. We demand the right to
decent income and a future free of poverty. We believe that Poverty is a
Feminist issue - and on March 6th we plan to join with International
Women's Day under the banner of 'End Poverty and Violence Against Women,
Raise Social Assistance Rates by 40% Now!'
Join with OCAP Women, trans folks and allies on March 6th.
Join with OCAP again on April 15th for a large mobilization against the
the McGuinty Government.
For more information about IWD visit: www.iwdtoronto.org
Contact OCAP: ocap at tao.ca, 416-925-6939
-------------------
12) Please forward widely
Defend free speech on Palestine!
Tell your MPPs you oppose their decision to condemn Israeli Apartheid Week.
Members of the Ontario legislature passed a unanimous motion on February 25
that condemns Israel Apartheid Week (IAW), a series of campus-based
educational
events that takes place on university campuses all over the world (full
text of
motion below).
Israeli Apartheid Week begins next week on campuses across Ontario despite
this
motion. For city schedules please check: www.apartheidweek.org
This is an unprecedented attack on free speech in Ontario. But it is also a
clear sign of the strength and exponential growth of the Palestinian led
solidarity campaign grounded in the 2005 call for Boycott, Divestment and
Sanctions of Israel.
What is unfortunate about this motion, in addition to blatant attack on
freedom
of expression, is that it shows lack of understanding of the concept of
Apartheid and the realities of life in Israel/Palestine. No one knows what
apartheid looks like more than the people of South Africa, and in South
Africa,
IAW is taking place in at least three cities, under the banner of "Apartheid
for One is Apartheid for All". It is being co-organized by the Congress of
South African Trade Unions (COSATU), one of the main bodies which
significantly
contributed to the demise of apartheid in South Africa. In Quebec, Dr. Jamal
Zahalka, a Palestinian leader who will be the keynote speaker for IAW,
will be
presented before a full session of the National Assembly of Quebec. It is
really unfortunate that the Ontario Legislature decided to condemn IAW
without
knowing what it is, and without even attempting to hear the organizers.
Please follow the steps below to let your MPPs know that you oppose this
attack
on free speech and the Palestine solidarity movement.
E-mailing is the fastest and easiest way to contact MPPs. Just follow these
steps:
STEP 1:
Cut and paste the e-mail addresses of the entire Ontario legislature into
your
"To" line (If your e-mail account can't e-mail this many addresses at
once, try
sending your e-mail to a smaller block of addresses one at a time. You may
have
to send several e-mails in order to reach all MPPs.). Please note that this
list includes both Queen's Park and constituency office e-mail addresses.
NOTE: In addition to e-mail, it is important for MPPs receive phone
calls and
office visits all day tomorrow - voice your opposition in all possible ways.
saggelonitis.mpp at liberal.ola.org; saggelonitis.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org;
lalbanese.mpp at liberal.ola.org; lalbanese.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org;
ted.arnott at pc.ola.org; ted.arnottco at pc.ola.org;
warthurs.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
warthurs.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; bob.bailey at pc.ola.org;
bob.baileyco at pc.ola.org; bbalkissoon.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
bbalkissoon.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; toby.barrett at pc.ola.org;
toby.barrettco at pc.ola.org; rbartolucci.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
rbartolucci.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; cbentley.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
cbentley.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; lberardinetti.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
lberardinetti.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; mbest.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
mbest.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; gbisson at ndp.on.ca; gbisson-qp at ndp.on.ca;
gbisson-co at ndp.on.ca; jbradley.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
jbradley.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; lbroten.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
lbroten.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; mbrown.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
mbrown.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; jbrownell.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
jbrownell.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; dcansfield.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
dcansfield.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; dcaplan.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
dcaplan.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; acarroll.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
acarroll.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; mchan.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
mchan.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; ted.chudleigh at pc.ola.org;
ted.chudleighco at pc.ola.org; mcolle.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
mcolle.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; kcraitor.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
kcraitor.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; bcrozier.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
bcrozier.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; bdelaney.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
bdelaney.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; vdhillon.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
vdhillon.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; jdickson.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
jdickson.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; dinovoc-qp at ndp.on.ca; dinovoc-co at ndp.on.ca;
ldombrowsky.mpp at liberal.ola.org; ldombrowsky.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org;
bduguid.mpp at liberal.ola.org; bduguid.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org;
dduncan.mpp at liberal.ola.org; dduncan.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org;
garfield.dunlop at pc.ola.org; garfield.dunlopco at pc.ola.org;
christine.elliott at pc.ola.org; christine.elliottco at pc.ola.org;
kflynn.mpp at liberal.ola.org; kflynn.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org;
pfonseca.mpp at liberal.ola.org; pfonseca.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org;
fgelinas-qp at ndp.on.ca; fgelinas-co at ndp.on.ca;
jgerretsen.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
jgerretsen.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; mgravelle.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
hhampton-qp at ndp.on.ca; hhampton-co at ndp.on.ca; hhfort at jam21.net;
hhkenora at kmts.ca; ernie.hardeman at pc.ola.org; ernie.hardemanco at pc.ola.org;
randy.hillier at pc.ola.org; randy.hillierco at pc.ola.org; ahorwath-qp at ndp.on.ca;
ahorwath-co at ndp.on.ca; ehoskins.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
ehoskins.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; phoy.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
phoy.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; tim.hudak at pc.ola.org; tim.hudakco at pc.ola.org;
hjaczek.mpp at liberal.ola.org; hjaczek.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org;
ljeffrey.mpp at liberal.ola.org; ljeffrey.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org;
rjohnson.mpp at liberal.ola.org; rjohnson.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org;
sylvia.jones at pc.ola.org; sylvia.jonesco at pc.ola.org; frank.klees at pc.ola.org;
frank.kleesco at pc.ola.org; pkormos-qp at ndp.on.ca; pkormos-co at ndp.on.ca;
kkular.mpp at liberal.ola.org; kkular.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org;
mkwinter.mpp at liberal.ola.org; mkwinter.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org;
jmlalonde.mpp at liberal.ola.org; jmlalonde.mpp.alexandria at liberal.ola.org;
jmlalonde.mpp.hawkesbury at liberal.ola.org; jleal.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
jleal.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; dlevac.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
dlevac.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; lisa.macleod at pc.ola.org;
lisa.macleodco at pc.ola.org; amangat.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
amangat.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; rmarchese-qp at ndp.on.ca;
rmarchese-co at ndp.on.ca;
gerry.martiniuk at pc.ola.org; gerry.martiniukco at pc.ola.org;
dmatthews.mpp at liberal.ola.org; dmatthews.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org;
bmauro.mpp at liberal.ola.org; bmauro.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org;
dmcguinty.mpp at liberal.ola.org; dmcguinty.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org;
tmcmeekin.mpp at liberal.ola.org; tmcmeekin.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org;
pmcneely.mpp at liberal.ola.org; pmcneely.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org;
mmeilleur.mpp at liberal.ola.org; mmeilleur.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org;
norm.miller at pc.ola.org; norm.millerco at pc.ola.org; norm.millerco at pc.ola.org;
pmiller-qp at ndp.on.ca; pmiller-co at ndp.on.ca; jmilloy.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
jmilloy.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; cmitchell.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
cmitchell.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; rmoridi.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
rmoridi.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; julia.munro at pc.ola.org;
julia.munroco at pc.ola.org; bill.murdoch at ontla.ola.org;
bill.murdochco at ontla.ola.org; ynaqvi.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
ynaqvi.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; dorazietti.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
dorazietti.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; john.otoole at pc.ola.org;
john.otooleco at pc.ola.org; jerry.ouellette at pc.ola.org;
jerry.ouelletteco at pc.ola.org; lpendergast.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
lpendergast.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; speters.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
speters.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; gphillips.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
gphillips.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; mprue-qp at ndp.on.ca; mprue-co at ndp.on.ca;
spupatello.mpp at liberal.ola.org; spupatello.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org;
sqaadri.mpp at liberal.ola.org; sqaadri.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org;
kramal.mpp at liberal.ola.org; kramal.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org;
dramsay.mpp at liberal.ola.org; dramsay.mpp.kirklandlake at liberal.ola.org;
dramsay.mpp.newliskeard at liberal.ola.org; lrinaldi.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
lrinaldi.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; truprecht.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
truprecht.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; lsandals.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
lsandals.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; joyce.savoline at pc.ola.org;
joyce.savolineco at pc.ola.org; msergio.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
peter.shurman at pc.ola.org; peter.shurmanco at pc.ola.org;
msmith.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; gsorbara.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
gsorbara.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; csousa.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
csousa.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; norm.sterling at pc.ola.org;
norm.sterlingco at pc.ola.org; tabunsp-qp at ndp.on.ca; tabunsp-co at ndp.on.ca;
htakhar.mpp at liberal.ola.org; htakhar.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org;
mvanbommel.mpp at liberal.ola.org; mvanbommel.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org;
jwilkinson.mpp at liberal.ola.org; jwilkinson.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org;
jim.wilson at pc.ola.org; jim.wilsonco at pc.ola.org; elizabeth.witmer at pc.ola.org;
elizabeth.witmerco at pc.ola.org; kwynne.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
kwynne.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org; john.yakabuski at pc.ola.org;
john.yakabuskico at pc.ola.org; dzimmer.mpp at liberal.ola.org;
dzimmer.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org
STEP 2:
Don't forget to fill out your subject line:
I oppose your decision to condemn IAW. I support free speech in Ontario.
STEP 3:
Cut and paste the message below. Feel free to personalize it with your own
words. And don't forget to include your name at the bottom. If you know the
name of your MPP, address your e-mail to her/him.
Dear Members of the Provincial Parliament:
I am writing in response to your decision to support a motion on February 25
that condemns Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW), a series of campus-based
educational events that takes place annually on campuses all over the world.
The motion, which was introduced by Progressive Conservative MPP Peter
Shurman
(Thornhill), is an unprecedented attack on free speech in Ontario. I condemn
and oppose your decision to support such a motion.
IAW has grown in size and scope since it was first launched on campuses in
Toronto in 2005, and now includes dozens of events in over 50 cities
worldwide
including 3 cities in South Africa. IAW is marked by its inclusive and
diverse
nature, its respect for discussion and debate, and its call for peaceful
solutions to the Israel-Palestine conflict. IAW has been endorsed and
supported
by dozens of organizations including student unions, trade unions, faith
groups, and Jewish solidarity organizations.
The term "apartheid" is not a hateful one, nor is it on the "margins" of
mainstream debate. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter uses the term in his
best-selling book Palestine: Peace, Not Apartheid. South African
anti-apartheid
campaigners, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu and
President of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) Willie
Madisha, regularly use the term "apartheid" to describe the conditions in
which
Palestinians live both inside Israel and in the Occupied Territories. The
term
is also used widely inside Israel itself: former Israeli Prime Minister and
current Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak recently used the term in a
speech
about the consequences of stalled peace talks.
The conditions in which Palestinians live clearly meet the definition of
"apartheid" as described by the United Nations. The increasingly
differential
system of roads, housing, laws, access to resources, basic rights, living
conditions, and quality of life between Jewish Israelis and Palestinians all
point to a system of apartheid. Palestinians have the right to describe
these
conditions in the way they experience them.
You may disagree with such an analysis, but you have no right to limit or
restrict Palestinians and their supporters from expressing a completely
legitimate perspective. Your decision to condemn IAW represents a serious
setback for free speech in Ontario, and should be reconsidered. The Ontario
legislature should not be in the business of censorship.
I urge to rethink your position, to become more informed about this issue,
and
to demonstrate support for free speech in Ontario – including for those
political perspectives with which you might disagree.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
STEP 4:
Press send!
If you get a response from you MPPs, please let us know. Forward e-mail
responses to endapartheid at riseup.net
Israeli Apartheid Week begins next week on campuses across Ontario despite
this
motion. For city schedules please check: www.apartheidweek.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Private Members Motion 93 Reads
That, in the opinion of this House, the term Israel Apartheid Week is
condemned
as it serves to incite hatred against Israel, a democratic state that
respects
the rule of law and human rights, and the use of the word 'apartheid' in
this
context diminishes the suffering of those who were victims of a true
apartheid
regime in South Africa.
-------------------------
13) Help Bring Gary Freeman Home to Canada.
Why is the Canadian Government trying to prevent Gary Freeman from
returning to his Toronto-area home?
Please take action to help reunite a Canadian family (details on what
you can do at bottom of this email)
Douglas Gary Freeman (the former Joseph Pannell), an African American,
is married to a Canadian, and they have four Canadian-born children. He
has been a well-loved and respected member of the community since his
arrival in Canada in 1974. The Canadian government is trying to prevent
Mr. Freeman, who has lived the majority of his life in Canada, from
returning home.
BACKGROUND
In 2004, Mr. Freeman was sought for extradition to the US to face
decades-old charges stemming from an incident involving a white police
officer in the racially and politically charged Chicago of 1969. The
officer, interviewed in 2008 by the National Post, said, “He and I were
both very young when all this started. And they were very turbulent
times, on both sides of the coin.”
They were turbulent times indeed. For many in the African-American
community, Chicago, like most U.S. cities, felt like a city under armed
occupation. That year, a committee was formed whose title painfully
illustrated the social scene at the time: The Committee to End the
Murder of Black People. The police murders of 11 young black men in
1969, so long a part of daily life that it hardly made the news, had
reached such proportions that the community had to stand up and name
this police practice for what it was: outright murder.
According to The Boston Review, "In the late 1960s, Chicago police led
the nation in the slaying of private citizens, who were euphemistically
characterized as 'fleeing felons' to mask the routine use of excessive
force by police against racial minorities. The police also exploited
seemingly benign offense categories, such as disorderly conduct,
vagrancy, and loitering to bully minority youths and adults who had the
audacity to challenge police authority."
Court documents proved that Mr. Freeman’s presence and location in
Canada was known to authorities since 1974, yet U.S. authorities waited
30 years to seek his return.
A 2008 PLEA BARGAIN
After 3 years and 7 months of pre-extradition custody in Canada, Mr.
Freeman voluntarily returned to Chicago in February, 2008, where he
accepted a prosecution proffered plea bargain agreement of a guilty plea
to a single count of Aggravated Battery for a sentence of 30 days in the
Cook County Jail, 2 years of probation, and a major contribution to a
Chicago police charity. It was a plea that was satisfactory to the
officer, who told The National Post, “If he [Freeman] were to have
served 15 years in prison he’d be 75 when he got out: he wouldn’t
survive that. I couldn’t tolerate that. I’m not out for blood.”
Mr. Freeman was released from custody in March 2008 and successfully
completed his probation without incident in February 2010.
Mr. Freeman began the process of applying to return to Canada while on
probation, during which Mr. Freeman’s family was struck by the death of
his father-in-law in Montreal on October 31, 2009.
Mr. Freeman sought and received permission from U.S. authorities to
attend the funeral but the Canadian government refused him entry for
reasons of “serious criminality”.
CANADA THROWS UP WALLS
Further, the Canadian government has deemed Mr. Freeman “inadmissible”
to Canada on “national security grounds” due to the false,
unsubstantiated allegation that Mr. Freeman had been a member of the
Black Panther Party (BPP), which the government of Canada alleges, again
without supporting evidence, “is an organization which has engaged in
terrorism”. This allegation is based entirely on incorrect newspaper
articles.
The Black Panther Party is not listed anywhere in the world as a
terrorist entity, either by the U.S., Canada, or the United Nations, and
former high-profile members and associates of the group continue to
travel freely to Canada for speaking engagements. Former members of the
BPP are even members of the U.S. Congress and tenured university professors.
Court documents verify Mr. Freeman’s assertion that he was not a BPP
member, and former Conservative Minister of Justice Vic Toews wrote in
2006 that the US would have to prove the BPP allegation, conceding that
the government of Canada had no proof.
Before Superior Court of Ontario Justice Ian Nordheimer in 2004,
Canadian government prosecutors essentially conceded that Mr. Freeman
was NOT a threat to society.
Mr. Freeman holds a U.S. passport and has already flown twice since his
2008 release so he is definitely NOT on a no-fly list.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
1. Download our petition (at http://www.freemandrum.org), get 25 or more
signatures, and send the petition to us at: Family & Friends of Gary
Freeman, H - 110 Frederick Street, Toronto, Ontario M5A 4A9.
2. Write to Immigration Minister Jason Kenney. Please keep your letter
short, polite, and to the point. You are asking Mr. Kenney to
exercise his ministerial discretion under Section 25 of the Immigration
and Refugee Protection Act in granting a temporary resident permit on
humanitarian and compassionate grounds so that Mr. Gary Freeman (the
former Joseph Pannell) can be re-united with his family.
While the facts of this case are shocking, please do not make additional
editorial comments about either Mr. Kenney or immigration policy in
general. This is a simple plea to reunite a Canadian family.
(no stamp required--handwritten notes are best)
Jason Kenney, MP
325 East Block
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
P. 613-992-2235
F. 613-992-1920
kennej at parl.gc.ca
If you are emailing, please cc Public Safety Minister Vic Toews,
toews.v at parl.gc.ca, and also send a copy to freemandrum at web.ca
3. Arrange a meeting with your local Member of Parliament to discuss
this issue. Get in touch with us first to find out what would be needed
to be prepared, at freemandrum at web.ca
4. 3. Contribute to the costs of this family reunification campaign.
Write cheques to "Toronto Action for Social Change" (add "Freeman" in
memo section) and send to: TASC, PO Box 73620, 509 St Clair Ave West,
Toronto, ON M6C 1C0
5. More info: www.freemandrum.org
------------------------
14) Justice Prorogued for Immigrants and Refugees
Legal experts warn of rights-clawback as Parliament returns
TORONTO: As Parliament returns on Wednesday, March 3, 2010, immigration
and human rights lawyers fear an escalation of the Conservative
governments attacks on immigrants and refugees.
In the past year, Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and
Multiculturalism has conducted a xenophobic smear campaign against
refugees fleeing certain countries, painting them as bogus system
abusers, while evading Canada's international obligations to protect
people at risk. The government has announced that its 2010 immigration
goals include refusing protection to larger numbers of refugee claimants
at our border and introducing legislative changes that will likely
deprive claimants from certain countries of a full and fair hearing.
Raoul Boulakia, prominent refugee lawyer and former chair of the Refugee
Lawyers Association, states that the creation of a two-tier system
threatens to railroad claimants at risk. This, he says, follows years of
under-resourcing refugee protection in Canada, and efforts to
politically influence what should be an independent and expert tribunal.
He adds that when push comes to shove, a government that treats rights
and due process arbitrarily will be as likely to shove you as someone else.
The last year has also seen the use of increasingly violent immigration
enforcement, including midnight raids at women's shelters and US-style
workplace raids carried out at factories.
As Parliament returns from prorogation, we fear increased violence and
harassment against already marginalized women and migrant workers with
precarious status. We will be monitoring the government and will
vigilantly oppose changes made behind closed doors, says Zahra Dhanani,
Legal Director of the Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against
Women and Children (METRAC).
These changes have come alongside a historic shift in Canadas
immigration policy, which has gutted access to permanent residency while
massively increasing temporary, precarious and employer-driven immigration.
Temporary foreign work programs exist for corporate interests to provide
them with a cheap and disposable labour force. The reality is that
workers who speak out against their substandard working conditions risk
both their jobs and deportation, explains Naveen Mehta, Lawyer and
National Human Rights Director for the United Food and Commercial
Workers (UFCW) Canada.
Arrests, detentions and deportations as a result of unfair immigration
decisions are on the rise, tearing apart families and communities.
Several thousand people are deported from Canada each year, often to
places where they face risk to their lives. The Conservative governments
get tough on immigration policy will contribute to the creation of a
larger underclass of people with precarious immigration status, few
rights and limited access to public services. As Parliament returns, the
legal community will be monitoring developments in immigration law and
policy and will demand accountability and democratic debate over any
proposed changes.
Media Contacts:
Immigration Legal Committee:
The Immigration Legal Committee (ILC) is an autonomous working group of
the Law Union of Ontario and is a subcommittee of No One is Illegal
Toronto, a migrant justice collective. The ILC is composed of law
students, legal workers and lawyers seeking to provide support to
migrant justice campaigns and information and resources to organizations
serving migrant communities in Toronto.
Karin Baqi
647-402-4048
Katherine Ramsey
416-824-1255
Macdonald Scott
416-999-6885
immigrationlegalcommittee at gmail.com
----------------------
15) Health for All:
Fixing a Broken Healthcare System for Immigrants and Refugees
March 4th, 2010
6:30 PM
Location: Bahen Centre, Room 1180
Address: 40 St. George Street
SPEAKERS:
Dr. Meb Rashid, Family Physician
Jackie Esmonde, Immigration Lawyer
Manavi Handa, Registered Midwife, WestEnd Midwifery Collective
The cost of healthcare has been established as a barrier for under and
uninsured migrant communities in accessing healthcare for decades.
Despite the talk, few affordable healthcare options have been made
available to these communities.
In recent years, the midwifery model of care in Ontario has proved to be
a cost effective, accessible option for uninsured populations in Ontario
to access maternity care. Payment structures that resulted from
collaboration between the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care and
professional midwives have served as an innovative way for persons
without status living in Ontario to access maternity care.
Community Health Centres are another point of access to primary
healthcare for underinsured populations in Ontario. Interdisciplinary
staffing and coordination of care, with alternative payment structure
arrangements from the Ministry of Health, seek to ensure that uninsured
populations have access to primary care.
This evening will look at the opportunities and barriers to ensuring
health for all! The panelists will discuss the successes of these two
models of care, and the victories won by various professionals and
communities in providing healthcare for the uninsured. As the momentum
and pressure to recognize the fundamental human rights of those residing
in our cities and communities grows, so must our organizing efforts
within the health sector and beyond.
Join "Health for All" for an evening where we re-envision what a just
healthcare system looks like and show how we are working to make it a
reality!
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/423
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/event.php?eid=310034783049&ref=mf
For more information, please email healthforalltoronto at gmail.com
-----------------------------
16) SPREAD THE WORD! DO NOT LET THIS INJUSTICE GO ON UNKNOWN!
The Sikh Activist Network calls for an immediate return of aspiring Sikh
lawyer Parminder Singh Saini. His asylum seekers application was
rejected and he was deported from Canada on January 26th after 15 years
of living peacefully in Canada and contributing positively to Canadian
society. He was immediately arrested and incarcerated upon landing in
India. India has a long history of human rights abuse towards prisoners,
and Parminder Singh Saini's well being is now at risk!
Contacts with Parminder Singh Saini have stated that Mr. Saini is not
doing well while incarcerated and is upset with the treatment he is
receiving.
To read more on this grave injustice and what you can do please visit
the link below
================
http://sikhactivist.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=212:sikh-lawyer-deported-by-cbsa&catid=59:blog&Itemid=52
Also please join the facebook group working to ensure Parminder Singh
Saini's safety while incarcerated in India.
================
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=443309810719&ref=mf
Friends and Supporters of Mr. Saini are being asked to register
grievances regarding his treatment at:
================
www.pgportal.gov.in
We stand with you Parminder Singh Saini!
Panth Kee Jeet
Sikh Activist Network!
----------------------
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