By Krishna E. Bera, Lori Waller, and Greg Macdougall

In Feb. 2010, the Mitchikanibikok Inik – or Algonquins of Barriere Lake (ABL), a small First Nation community located 130km north of Maniwaki, Quebec, presented arguments in the Supreme Court of Canada defending their latest leadership selection.

A few weeks later, the court decided the selection was not held according to ABL's customary governance code. The judge misinterpreted the customary governance code with inconsistent logic in his arguments, which might play a role in paving the way for Indian and Northern Affairs Canada to impose section 74 of the Indian Act. This would abolish the customary method the ABL use to select their leaders.

This follows a notice Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl sent to the ABL in October that he would not recognize their legitimate leadership. Instead, he said he will impose elections on the community in April 2010.

By Jeff Shantz
State Repression Columnist

Only a few days into the Olympic spectacle and much talk had turned to black blocs and a few broken insured Hudson Bay Company windows. Yet much of the discussion has been framed within a strange liberal duality of choices between militant demonstrations (said to be offensive to working class observers) and supposedly “peaceful” symbolic protests, like the march the night of the opening ceremonies (which is presented as more palatable to working class audiences). As if the actions of the demonstrators are the real question and determine the structure of events. Anyone who has ever been on a picket line might find this a bit strange —working class folks have never been involved in dust ups with the cops?— and it has me reflecting not so much on the specific actions in Vancouver as on the broader context for policing and protests.

By Michael Truscello

The Olympic torch relay was invented by the Nazis at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, to demonstrate an ancient Aryan lineage with the Third Reich, proof of a warrior culture and foreshadow of the domination of Europe. The contemporary "Olympic Movement" trots out a similar set of symbols, but now backed by corporate logos and the promise of a portable "state of exception," to use the term articulated by Nazi political theorist Carl Schmitt.

Anarchists in Canada, especially those whose primary concern is class struggle, may not see much value in protesting the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. Why so much fanfare for the Olympics, a one-off event, while barely a whimper from radical groups over the installation of the HST in Ontario and BC — a tax grab that punishes the poor forever?

By Nicolas Phébus
Quebec correspondent

On Oct. 30, the public sector unions in Québec made their central demands for the negotiations with the province. Under the banner "together for public services", they are demanding a negotiated agreement that includes better pay, improved retirement plans and accommodation of workers family commitments. The demands are backed by a “Common Front” of unions representing 475,000 workers in health care, social services, education, public service and government agencies. While the mobilization is not yet impressive, and may never become, some unions and activists are taking positive steps for wider grassroots participation.

Video of the delivery of the demands to the Quebec government

By Jeff Shantz
State Repression columnist

Criminal justice systems in capitalist liberal democracies like Canada have criminalized work that is predominantly done by women. Examples of this regulation of women's labour range from the witch hunts — the punishment of women largely for medicinal knowledge; the criminalization of midwifery and abortion provision; and the criminalization of sex-trade workers. Three sex-trade workers challenging Canada's prostitution laws in a court case in Toronto show the struggles over the regulation of sex work in Canada.

The three sex-trade workers involved in the court case, dominatrix Terri-Jean Bedford and prostitutes Valerie Scott and Amy Lebovitch, argue that the laws against keeping a common bawdy house and communicating for the purposes of prostitution perpetuate violence against women by forcing them into more dangerous working conditions.

By Jeff Shantz
State Repression Columnist

The 2010 Olympic Winter Games are scheduled to take place from February 12-17, in Vancouver-Whistler on land that was never given up by indigenous communities. For growing numbers of indigenous people, homeless and poor people, low-income tenants and sex workers the Olympic Games represent a continued history of colonization and “social cleansing” of poor communities.

Construction for the Olympics infrastructure is adding to extensive destruction of indigenous peoples’ traditional homelands and contributing to the displacement and criminalization of people living in poor urban neighbourhoods.

We won! But did we do it right?
Reflections of an anarchist union organizer

By Peter Marin
LINCHPIN

On July 31, 2009, Post-Doctoral Fellows at McMaster University became the first post-docs in Canada to form a union and win a contract. As a member of CUPE 3906, I was involved in this campaign first as an organizer and later, after the successful union drive, as a member of the bargaining support team. The following are my reflections on this campaign, written from the perspective of an anarchist worker and union member.

By the standards of most union organizers, this union drive was an all-out success. Besides breaking new ground for unions in a growing sector, the post-docs won significant gains including higher wages and benefits, more vacation time, paid leaves and professional development funds.

THE FESTIVAL OF ANARCHY
MAY 1-31, 2009, MONTREAL
No gods, no masters; no bosses, no borders!
[Full calendar of events below]

* Theatre Festival * Art Exhibitions * Squat! * Films * Poetry Nights * Parties * Benefit Shows * Workshops * BBQ * Book Launch * Demonstrations * Guerilla Gardening * Community Dinners * Discussions and Roundtables * Anarchist Cabaret * Bookfair * Day of Anarchist Workshops & Presentations * and more! *

The entire month of May in Montreal is part of the Festival of Anarchy, with diverse anarchist-themed events occurring at different venues all over the island of Montreal. The Festival of Anarchy is organized as part of the 10th Montreal Anarchist Bookfair. The Festival of Anarchy is the largest anarchist event in North America.

Festival of Anarchy event venues include:

Mark your calendars …
Montreal's 10th Annual Anarchist Bookfair
MAY 16-17, 2009
at the CEDA, 2515 Delisle
(a few blocks from Lionel-Groulx metro)

Part of the month-long Festival of Anarchy, throughout the month of May 2009 at venues and locations all over the island of Montreal

The Montreal Anarchist Bookfair -- and month-long Festival of Anarchy -- brings together anarchist ideas and practice, through words, images, music, theatre and day-to-day struggles for justice, dignity and collective liberation.

The Bookfair is as much for people who don't necessarily consider themselves anarchists, but are curious about anarchism, as it is a space for anarchists to meet, network and share in a spirit of respect and solidarity. All are welcome.

http://www.ccsd.ca/csf/2009/index.htm

The inaugural Canadian Social Forum will take place at the Telus Centre in Calgary , May 19th to 22nd, 2009. It is being organized by the Canadian Council on Social Development at a time when a serious financial downturn threatens the economic security of all Canadians and intensifies the pressures on the most vulnerable among us. "This is the time to be bold, creative, and to work together," says Peggy Taillon, the new President of the Canadian Council on Social Development. "Backing down in the fight against poverty is not an option."

Key Theme Areas:
* Addressing poverty as a factor of homelessness in Canada ;
* Addressing systemic discrimination: Policies to advance the economic security of historically marginalized groups;
* Addressing the poverty of Aboriginal people in Canada 's cities;
* Addressing poverty in economic hard times;