In Stephen Harper's military, the walking wounded may envy the dead. Soldiers killed in Afghanistan have been sent home to Canada in flag-draped coffins to be received by politicians, military brass, family and friends before going down the Highway of Heroes. But soldiers who sustain an injury or struggle with their mental health upon returning home from the horrors of war are left out in the cold.
Blog Posts
By Dave Coles
03/05/13
A democratic society needs an aggressive and free press able to pursue truth where it finds it, to give Canadians the information they need to exercise their democratic rights responsibly, to celebrate their victories, and to help hurting communities mourn their losses.
By Michel Du Cap
02/21/13
There's no doubt about it, the evidence is there for all to see: Canada's Conservative government is waging a war on working class people. Whether it's special legislation, decrees or omnibus bills, the government will stop at nothing to put workers in Quebec and Canada in their place, along with the organizations that represent them.
“[…] all those no-good bastards sitting on the sidewalk in Halifax that can’t get work”
By Dave Coles
01/24/13
If you have the sentiment that the country is headed in the wrong direction, you are absolutely right.
Like me, you are probably wondering what happened to building a society based on fairness, solidarity and equality for all Canadians.
By Dave Coles
01/09/13
A beacon of light for the Canadian forest industry has been switched off. The Forest Products Sector Council (FPSC) ceases its operations this month.
By Dave Coles
01/03/13
In late December, the Conservative majority in the House of Commons passed Bill C-377, an Act to Amend the Income Tax Act (requirements for labour organizations), which was designed to challenge unions' involvement in political activities and divert their resources to busy work.
By Dave Coles
12/11/12
The Harper spin machine is at it again – this time it's their outrageous plan to buy dozens of the U.S.-built F-35, the new multi-billion dollar stealth warplane coveted by the Conservatives, the generals and, of course, the military contractors in Ottawa.
Stephen Harper is sitting on a powder keg of a report right now from accounting firm KPMG. The government commissioned it after the Auditor General slammed Harper in April for hiding $10 billion from the expected cost of the F-35 program.
By Dave Coles
12/07/12
Many critics and most apologists focus on how "free" trade agreements are opening the economy up to the competitive market. Survival of the fittest in the marketplace is what corporations are supposed to desire.
This story is only partly true. Corporations want selective competition - competition for others, but not for themselves.
By Dave Coles
10/26/12
From October 26 to 29, young activists from all parts of the country will gather in Ottawa to have some of the most important discussions of our times. The national PowerShift gathering will be a great chance to learn and talk about the climate change crisis and the role of young activists in fighting for a sustainable future for all of us in Canada and all over the world.
By Gaétan Ménard
09/25/12
After countless hours of struggles, strikes and demonstrations, the Quebec student movement culminated in a significant development last week when the newly elected premier, Pauline Marois, cancelled the tuition fee increase.
This represents an indisputable victory for the students of Quebec, who have opposed this measure ever since it was first announced. The government's original plan was to impose a hike of 75% over five years, but it transformed it into an increase of 82% over seven years in the course of the bargaining process.
By Dave Coles
09/21/12
Since the start of the month, Saskatchewan has Canada's lowest provincial minimum wage. At $9.50 an hour, someone working 40-hours per week in the province earns $19,700 for an entire year, which is below various poverty measurements.
The minimum wage in most provinces is $10-11. Many European countries have a much higher minimum wage. In Australia, the federal minimum wage is $15.51 an hour with the Australian dollar being of similar value to ours.
By Dave Coles
09/08/12
Here is an urgent appeal to support war resister Kimberly Rivera and her family who are facing deportation.
On Thursday, August 30th the Canadian government ordered U.S. Iraq war resister Kimberly Rivera, her husband Mario and their four young children deported to the United States. Kimberly served in Iraq in 2006, and sought refuge in Canada in 2007 after making the decision that she could no longer participate in the Iraq War.
By Gaétan Ménard
08/30/12
In response to the Financial Post article “Union merger shows need for disclosure”
We understand from the media that some members of Merit Canada are interested in having access to the benefits of being members of a union, including taking part in the democratic process to allocate financial resources and to receive financial statements and documents.
By Dave Coles
08/28/12
The process to create a new union with the Canadian Auto Workers Union (CAW) has brought a lot of welcome attention to unions, our role in Canada and how we operate. Even those determined to make unions out to be bad are welcome -- because they give us a chance to remind people how unions work and make our workplaces more democratic.
And that's always a good thing.
By Dave Coles
08/24/12
Why does Rogers make phone and cable users sign elaborate multi-year contracts but refuses to guarantee those who install its products a full day's work?
By Dave Coles
08/13/12
Three million dollars in prize money is up for grabs during this week's Rogers Cup at York University. A few tennis stars will do well for themselves.
Beyond the winning players, few benefit more from this event than Canada's largest cable television provider. As the tournament's lead sponsor, Rogers garners untold publicity from this high-profile sporting event. The company spends handsomely to be associated with this internationally-known glitzy affair.
By Dave Coles
08/09/12
It's only a few days into the election campaign and already Charest's Liberals have begun fear-mongering that a Parti Québécois victory will lead to a referendum on the national question. The Liberals' focus on a referendum reveals their strategy of distracting voters from what should be the main issues of this election: jobs, social justice and cleaning up government corruption.
By Dave Coles
07/25/12
CNN.com posted the headline "Like Hunting Season" in the wake of the the killings of James E. Holmes in Colorado.
Except this wasn't hunting, this was the bloody product of a dark rage of a gas-masked man dressed head-to-toe in protective tactical gear.
This was no quiet early morning walk in the woods pursuing wild game. Holmes is not hunter, he is hateful man who set off two smoke screen devices before spraying the movie theater with bullets from an AR-15 rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun and at least one of two .40-caliber handguns police recovered at the scene.
By Dave Coles
07/20/12
Does the Saskatchewan government respect international labour law?
If its ongoing labour legislation reform is any indication, the answer is no.
A half dozen proposals in the labour consultation paper the Saskatchewan Party government unveiled in May would definitely contravene International Labour Organization statutes.
By Dave Coles
07/13/12
It was reported last weekend that the government doesn't want the United Nations to track global arms sales because it might compromise "the legally protected information of private companies." At the same time, its wants every Canadian union to disclose the details of their cleaning contracts.
