By Chris Shannon

For those who were around during the early to mid-nineties, a familiar pattern may be emerging. Ontario was then, as it is now, in an economic crisis. The province was bleeding jobs and the coffers at Queen’s Park were short over $10 billion.

Bob Rae, Ontario premier and New Democratic Party (NDP) leader at the time, decided that public sector workers were the answer to saving money. He ripped open union contracts and imposed forced unpaid days off. Union leaders were incensed. The newly termed “Rae days” marked a split between labour and the NDP. Sid Ryan, head of the Canadian Union of Public Employees - Ontario, and a perpetually failed NDP candidate for election, said he would “Never forgive Rae for what he had done.”

“Black Flame” Ontario Book Tour – March 15 to March 21

South African writer and activist Michael Schmidt, co-author of “Black Flame: The Revolutionary Class Politics of Anarchism and Syndicalism” will be in several Ontario cities between March 15 and March 21 to promote and discuss this important new book on the global history of anarchist movements and ideas. The tour is tentatively scheduled to pass through the following cities:

March 15 - Waterloo, 4PM to 6PM
School of Business and Economics, Room 2260
Wilfrid Laurier University
75 University Avenue West

Sponsored the Communication Studies and Global Studies departments.

March 16 - London

March 17 - Hamilton

McMaster University, 12-2pm
MUSC Rooms 311 and 313
1280 Main St. West
Limited seating.
Please RSVP at commoncauseontario@gmail.com

Sponsored by the LIUNA-Mancinelli Professorship in Global Labour Issues and the School of Labour Studies.

The popular response to the Argentine economic crisis of December 2001 and lessons for us in Canada - a Québec and Ontario speaking tour presented by the Union Communiste Libertaire (UCL) and Common Cause.

We are going through one of the worst economic crises in the history of capitalism and the answers provided by the state and its lackeys are illusory. In addition, faced with this impasse, our leaders are trying to shift the entire burden of the crisis to workers and their communities.

How can we respond differently to this economic crisis? Can we learn from the experiences of struggles that have happened elsewhere in the world?

To consider these issues, the UCL and Common Cause are organizing a Québec and Ontario speaking tour this winter on the response of the Argentine popular classes in the face of a serious economic crisis that shook the country in the late 2001.

Workers without bosses

The response of the popular classes to the Argentine economic crisis of December 2001 and lessons for us in Canada - a Québec and Ontario speaking tour presented by the Union Communiste Libertaire (UCL) and Common Cause.

We are going through one of the worst economic crises in the history of capitalism and the answers provided by the state and its lackeys are illusory. In addition, faced with this impasse, our leaders are trying to shift the entire burden of the crisis to workers and their communities.

How can we respond differently to this economic crisis? Can we learn from the experiences of struggles that have happened elsewhere in the world?

To consider these issues, the UCL and Common Cause are organizing a Québec and Ontario speaking tour this winter on the response of the Argentine popular classes in the face of a serious economic crisis that shook the country in the late 2001.

Issue 10 of Linchpin, the newspaper of Common Cause, is now online and available for downloading and printing.

This is a special edition of the paper produced for Labour Day 2009.

In it you can read the reflections of Common Cause member and CUPE 3906 union organizer Peter Marin on the recent successful organizing drive of post-doctorate workers at McMaster University.

There are also ads for upcoming anarchist discussions and conferences in Ottawa, Hamilton, and Toronto.

Download Linchpin now!

By Edward Wong

Tuition fees are certainly a barrier to the accessibility of education. However, an issue not often discussed is the living expenses of students. As with tuition, students are forced to take out loans or seek part-time employment. The debt load has tremendous financial implications after graduation and can be linked to drop out rates. According to the Canadian Federation of Students, insufficient funds and the need to seek employment is the number one reason for the interruption of studies for both university and college students.

Issue 10 of Linchpin, the newspaper of Common Cause, is now online and available for downloading and printing.

This is a special edition of the paper produced for Labour Day 2009.

In it you can read the reflections of Common Cause member and CUPE 3906 union organizer Peter Marin on the recent successful organizing drive of post-doctorate workers at McMaster University.

There are also ads for upcoming anarchist discussions and conferences in Ottawa, Hamilton, and Toronto.

Download Linchpin now!

On August 1 and 2, 2009, in the city of Toronto, Common Cause, an Ontario anarchist organization, held its third annual Ontario-wide conference. In attendance were members from our Ottawa, Toronto and Hamilton branches and several new members from London.

The first day began with reports from Ontario officers and local branches giving us a good overview of our second year as an organization. The 2008/2009 year saw us focus on both internal and public education. Internally, highlights included holding our first internal Day School in Hamilton in late June, a big step in developing a common vision and strategy across the organization. We also continued to be active in the international anarchist movement, sending a delegate to Anarkismo.net and to the organizing committee for the North American Class Struggle Anarchist Conference.