Tories sharpening budget knife

RY Exclusive

Thursday’s Globe and Mail online carried a series of reports on the Canadian, US and global economy that provide a snap-shot of the continued internal contradictions and struggles that capitalism is going through, which may be more protracted and serious than even the Marxists have thought to date.

   

The thought comes to mind that if Harper -- who has shown some wack musical “talent” in the past -- were to ditch the piano and write a Hip Hop song about the current budget, he’d have to sample a lot of sharpening knives... Anyway, here are the highlights.

Statement of the Press Office on the Decision of the EU for an embargo on Iran’s oil

USS Abraham Lincon off the shores of Iran

The decision of the governments of the EU to impose an embargo on Iran’s oil constitutes an extremely aggressive act. It is outrageously brazen for the EU, some of whose countries possess nuclear weapons, to use, along with the USA, Iran’s nuclear research as a pretext, in order to impose their imperialist demands.

The agreement of the Greek government to the embargo constitutes open support for the aggressive plans of the EU against the people of Iran and marks the deeper involvement of the country in the imperialist rivalries and wars. This is reinforced by the development of the military cooperation with the aggressive state of Israel which possesses nuclear weapons with the support of the USA and the EU.

CEP condemns murder of Colombia oil union leader

The president of one of Canada’s largest unions, the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, says both the Columbian and Canadian governments need to act now to denounce the latest murder of a trade union leader in Colombia.

Chilean student leader launches book and considers entering electoral politics

Camila Vallejo and the struggle of Chilean students
will be the subject of an  article in February's People's Voice

The popular student leader and vice president of the University of Chile’s Student Federation (FECh), Camila Vallejo launched her new book “Podemos cambiar el mundo” or “We can change the world” at a central park in the capital Santiago de Chile on the second day of the centenary celebration of the Communist Party, Fiesta de los Abrazos.

On the stage Camila stressed the idea that the struggle for deep structural changes in the education system is a response to the demand from the public and urged the social movement “to come out of marginality” and said it is “not enough to make suggestions for others to carry out.”

The book consists of collected texts written by Camila in 2011, including opinion articles and an unedited interview with Vallejo by Francisco Herreros, a Chilean journalist. Subjects within the texts include the discrepancies within Student Confederation of Chile (CONFECH), the fall of former Minster of Education Joaquín Lavín and the relation between the students’ movement with political parties.

Fact sheet: Save the Canadian Wheat Board!

Farmers protesting in Ottawa

An RY Exclusive

More than 60,000 Western Canadian farmers and their Wheat Board are under the most serious attack in history.¹ 

The federal government is planning to end the Canadian Wheat Board's (CWB) single desk authority effective August 1, 2012, in defiance of existing legislation that requires a farmer vote before making any changes to the CWB's single desk.

Because of trade deals such as NAFTA, if the CWB's single desk is eliminated, it will be very difficult to reinstate it later. The fight to save the Canadian Wheat Board is a broader fight to save the family farm across Canada.

All out for Student Actions!

YCL-LJC student activists call for all-out mobilization for accessible education: 
Build the CFS February 1^st Day of Action and the Quebec student strike!

The Young Communist League of Canada held a special colloquium discussion recently about struggles in the student movement Montréal, Quebec. About thirty students and student activists participated in the meeting, including guests from Montréal student unions, a cross-Canada student organization, as well as activists with the ASSÉ and the Occupy movement. Reports were heard from campuses in Nova Scotia and across south, eastern and central Ontario.

Stay classy, Republicans!

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