Hot Topics Archive

• Bread, not Circuses "A coalition of groups concerned about Toronto's 2008 Olympic bid",  has relevant information regarding Vancouver's bid.
• IOC Mailing List Organized by "Bread, not Circuses", this is a list of IOC contact people and their contact addresses.
• Vancouver 2010 Olympic bid Sustainability Report
• Article discussing the Bush Administration's insistence that Iraq is already violating the UN Resolution. By independent journalist Robert Fisk.
• U.S. Is Monitoring Thousands of Iraqis, Iraqi-Americans and 'Iraq Sympathizers'
•  “New Anti-Terrorism Law Poses Old Risks” by Peter Swire Re: Laws giving new powers of surveillance to the United States government.
• “Corporate Patriotism” by Ralph Nader published November 10, 2001 Re: Corporations profiting in wake of September 11th 2001.
• Essays on September 11th 2001, views for the progressive community.
• Essays regarding 9/11 written by authors such as Chomsky, Roy, Albert/Shalom, Herman, Fisk, Monbiot, Pilger, RAWA, Solomon, Ali, Street, Jensen, Galaeno, Podur, Wise, Prashad, Edwards, Zinn, Flanders, and Cockburn --
• September 11th Resources An extensive list of links regarding September 11th 2001 with Civil Rights, Media, Economics, the Environment, etc.
• “War on Terror: where next?” BBC’s interactive look at countries the United States may target and information on such countries.
• “The Information Wars: Terrorism has become a pretext for a new culture of secrecy” by Mary Graham printed in The Atlantic Monthly | September 2002
• “The new war against terror: an evening with Noam Chomsky” A speech given at The Technology and Culture Forum at MIT on October, 18 2001.
• Alternative sources regarding September 11th 2001
• Information on the Woodwards' Occupation and a Slide Show
• Updates regarding the Woodwards Building Squat
• Six Ways to help the Woodwards squatters
• Friends of the Woodwards Squat
• Demands of The Coalition of Woodwards Squatters and Supporters
• Woodward's squat continues despite arrests CBC: Sept. 24, 2002
• Squatters Ousted from Tent City (in Toronto) Globe and Mail: Sept.24, 2002
• Political Prisoners of Neoliberalism
• The Passion for Free Markets: Exporting American values through the new World Trade Organization By Noam Chomsky.
• 12 reasons to protest the IMF and the World Bank.
• POCLAD (Program on Corporations, Law & Democracy) "Instigating democratic conversations and actions that contest the authority of corporations to govern."
• What is G8 and why should we care?
• G8 Protest in Calgary
• G8:  Ways to Protest:  Allowing activist and alternative media to be heard
• G8 Protest in Vancouver:  See SF PIRG radical cheerleaders in action!
• Campbell Cuts Report
• Information and analysis on Sept. 11th you won't find on corporate owned media outlets.
• Information and analysis on the new Canadian federal "Anti Terrorist Bill" C-36 that also will be hard to find in the corporate media outlets.

Political Prisoners of Neoliberalism

Understanding the G8

The G8 is an exclusive grouping of the wealthiest advanced industrialized nations - U.S., U.K., Germany, Japan, Italy, France, Canada (otherwise known as the G7) - plus Russia. In the year 2000, the G8 accounted for a net GDP of $21.1 trillion (US$) within a total world GDP of $31.3 trillion, meaning that the G8 controls about 68% of the world's economy (see table below). In contrast, the combined populations of the G8 nations make up less than 14% of the total world population. On the basis of its economic and military strength, the G8 sets a global agenda and advances it via its members and via the various international organizations which they dominate: e.g. the IMF, the World Bank, the G20, the WTO, and so on. The G8 has no general mandate from a more legitimate international institution.

Background

The G8 derives from earlier groupings which were formed to coordinate and to promote the economic and strategic interests of the main capitalist states during the Cold War. The earliest incarnations of the G8 are shrouded in secrecy. The existence of the Brussels Group, for instance, notable primarily for its efforts to undermine early pollution control initiatives (see: Plot to undermine global pollution controls revealed), only came to light in 2001, 30 years after its formation (1971). Subsequent to the Brussels Group came the Library Group (1973 - U.S., West Germany, France, U.K. - plus Japan a year later), the 'G6' (1975 - U.S., West Germany, France, U.K, Japan, Italy), and then the G7, in which Canada was added at U.S. insistence in order to counterbalance the growing European strength (Canada was chosen for its heavy economic dependence on the U.S., which allows it to be easily manipulated). It is only since 1998 that Russia - having been successfully subdued and coerced into a Western neoliberal economic mode - has been included, thus completing the G8. Russia's role, however, is still limited, and it continues to be excluded from most of the 'ministerials' which take place in the months leading up to the annual summit.

What the G8 does...

The main work of the G8 involves the furtherance of the global neoliberalization program. This means nudging the global economy in directions which reinforce the supremacy of private and corporate interests over democratic and collective ones. In specific terms, it means favoring privatization, deregulation (i.e. reducing or eliminating environmental, health, and labor standards), capital mobility (by removing currency and investment controls), and the erosion of sovereign control over domestic economies. The G7, for instance, played an important role in advancing the Uruguay Round agenda of the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT), which led, in turn, to the creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

When there are perceived or anticipated setbacks in the advance of the neoliberal program, the G8 functions as an ad hoc executive committee to formulate corrective policies. The G8 has taken upon itself to deal with international crime, terrorism, and certain forms of financial speculation, for instance, since these types of phenomena represent threats to the steady advance of larger capitalist interests.

The G7/G8 can also be efficient at undermining initiatives which have popular support but might entail sacrifices on the part of the wealthy. The characteristic pattern has been to make promises in the spirit of popular demands, and then to appear to be incapable of reaching any agreement on how to actually realize them. Contradictions like this are made possible thanks to the G8's lack of transparency and clear process, and its lack of accountability. Significant debt repudiation, for instance, has long been promised by the G8, but the group has consistently succeeded in avoiding all but the most meagre commitments.

Kananaskis

On June 26-27, 2002, the G8 will hold their annual summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, a posh resort area tucked away in the Rocky Mountains. The location was chosen by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien in the wake of a massive outpouring of popular resistance at the previous G8 summit in Genoa - an event which was marred by shocking reports of police brutality and the tragic shooting of protester Carlo Giuliani. Determined to keep shows of political dissent in Kananaskis to a minimum, various 'anti-terrorist' bills have been tabled in the Canadian parliament giving security forces broad new powers and making the exercise of civil liberties increasingly risky.

The main items on the Kananaskis agenda are:

• economic recovery,
• terrorism (especially the U.S./Canada border issue), and
• Africa - particularly the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), and the so-called Africa Trust Fund which Canada initiated by committing $500 million in its December 2001 budget;

• education (meeting the Millenium development goal of universal primary education by 2015)
• and the Kyoto Protocol

G8 Interest in Africa

It seems most likely that the African component of the agenda will take center stage. The series of preliminary meetings of G8 representatives with African delegations and Canada's commitment of $500 million to the Africa Trust Fund suggest that the G8 is genuinely interested in moving this issue forward, and this is further reinforced by recent news reports that a group of African leaders will be present for a part of the meetings in Kananaskis.

However the motives behind all this sudden interest in Africa are open to question. NEPAD has been highly praised by African and Western leaders alike, and yet claims that it is an initiative made by and for Africans are weakened in view of the fact that NEPAD was formulated without any public consultations and the fact that it continues to be largely unknown to the majority of Africans. In addition, many civil society groups are suspicious of its neoliberal leanings, and particularly of its enthusiastic embrace of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) as the primary motor for economic development in Africa. Robert Fowler, Canada's G8 'sherpa', has said that NEPAD "is about putting in place the conditions that will allow investment to come to Africa, because private investment is going to bring to Africa far, far more than any foreseeable amount (of aid) could bring," but commentators have observed that these 'conditions' may end up looking very similar to the notorious Structural Adjustment conditions which have left many African nations hopelessly indebted and in economic ruins.

There may be additional ulterior motives at work. In a recently released U.S. State Department report, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Walter Kansteiner and other U.S. officials emphasize the growing strategic importance of African oil. The report, largely based on an earlier CIA document, states that U.S. dependence on African oil is expected to rise from its current 15% of total supply to 25% by 2015. "By 2003," the report adds, "investment in the African oil industry will exceed $10 billion a year. Between two-thirds and three-fourths of our foreign direct investment in Africa will be in the energy sector." It must be noted that most of Canada's major petroleum industry players are based in Alberta, and in fact Kananaskis Village has long been a favorite spot for energy industry conferences. It may well be that the main, de facto objective of Kananaskis - beneath the 'African Partnership' rhetoric - will be the carving up of Africa's remaining energy resources.

Resisting and Creating Alternatives

The G8's efforts to minimize resistance by moving out of reach have not deterred people from organizing. In Alberta, awareness-raising campaigns, counter-summits, and protests are planned. RCMP machinations compounded with the hardliner antiprotest policies of Mayor Bronconnier of Calgary made the mounting of a proposed Solidarity Village impossible. Instead, a mass convergence will occur in Calgary, with a variety of decentralized events and actions planned from June 23-27. Meanwhile, further afield, many people are opting for regional actions to avoid an undue drain on resources and to build local networks. In the Northeast, a large Ottawa Convergence ('Take the Capital') is planned for June 26-27, and protests will again be varied and decentralized. As the days of action draw near, there is a growing consensus that a special emphasis needs to be put on community outreach, on local issues, and, generally speaking, on efforts to rediscover the organic approach to living that has been eroded by the G8 and their ilk.

For more on mobilizations, go to the G8 Mobilization section.

For more analysis of the G8, go to the G8 Analysis section.

G8 Statistics
source: World Development Indicators, 2000

G8 COUNTRY	GDP (US$ trillions)	% of World GDP	Population	% of World Population
Canada	0.689549	2.2	30,735,230	0,5
France	1.286252	4.1	58,850,000	1,0
Germany	1.870136	6.0	82,150,000	1,4
Italy	1.068518	3.4	57679000	1.0
Japan	4.677099	14.9	126,770,000	2,1
Russian Federation	0.251092	0.8	145,542,100	2,4
United Kingdom	1.413432	4.5	59,738,900	1,0
United States	9.882842	31.5	281,550,000	4,7
G7 Total (G8 minus Russia)	20.887828	66.7	697,473,130	11.5
G8 Total	21.138920	67.5	843,015,230	13,9
Low&Middle Income Countries	6.567734	21.0	5,151,753,216	85,1
World Total	31.336890	100.0	6,054,431,000	100,0

G8 Who's Who

G8 'Leader'	Otherwise known as:
Jean Chrétien (Canada)	'Ti-Jean, Dino
Jacques Chirac (France)	Le Bulldozer, "Château Chirac" (after his penchant for living in castles)
Vladimir Putin Russia	Putka, The Gray Cardinal, Mr. KGB, Stasi, Putain (French for 'whore')
George W. Bush (U.S.)	Dubya (Texan for 'W'), BabyBush, Shrub, Potty-mouth
Tony Blair (United Kingdom)	Phoney Tony, the Vicar, TB, Bossyboots Blair
Gerhard Schröder (Germany)
Junichiro Koizumi (Japan)
Silvio Berlusconi (Italy)	Watersnake, Su' Emittenza ("His Transmitter-ship", referring to his media empire)
José María Aznar (President of the European Union and of Spain)
Romano Prodi (European Commission)	J.R. (i.e. from Dallas)

The above article and charts are taken from www.zmag.org/

June 26, 2002

March begins week of protest in Calgary - June 23, 2002

Thousands of marchers showed up for a peaceful march against the G8 agenda on Sunday, June 23. © Greenpeace

Today five thousand people marched through the streets of Calgary to voice their opposition to the G8 agenda. The march marked the beginning of a week of protests in Calgary. Later this week, the leaders of the G8 countries will gather in Kananaskis, a couple hours outside of Calgary.

In the lively and determined march contingents from many elements of the social justice movement were visible. Leading the march, Greenpeace’s solar truck provided a juicy sound system to make sure protesters’ messages were loud and clear. Radicalcheerleaders belted out their now famous chants. “We deserve what we need! Not table scraps from corporate greed!” Cyclists who had travelled as a ‘Bike Brigade’ from Saskatchewan called for Canada to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. The Raging Grannies sung. The few African activists who were granted VISAs to come to Canada criticized the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) because it prescribes more of the same bad economic policy that has kept much of the continent impoverished. The Disability Action Coalition of Calgary pointed out that the economic policies of the G8 have widened the gap between the rich and the poor. Members of Disability Action emphasized that in the North, most people with disabilities live in poverty. They participated in today’s march as an act of solidarity with poor people around the world whose right to a decent standard of living is undermined by the policies of the G8.

Today’s marchers clearly have a good understanding of the concrete ways in which the decisions made by Chrétien and his globalizing chronies directly impact people’s daily lives.

The G8 leaders show up a few days early at the Community Solidarity March. © Greenpeace

While activists are happy with the success of today’s march, there are grave concerns about the lengths to which the Government of Canada has gone to stifle dissent and criticism. Witness the $300 000 the Government of Canada gave to the Stony Nation for ‘security costs’. Activists had been in negotiations with the Nation regarding leasing land for an activist camp to feature workshops and music. Witness the fact that 58 of the 60 delegates who were invited to the G6B People’s Conference were reportedly denied VISAS to enter Canada. Witness the refusal of the City of Calgary to grant permits to activists wishing to put on concerts, teach-in and picnics. Witness ‘left-leaning’ journalists who were denied media accreditation.

Canada claims to be democracy’s greatest defender on the global stage. And indeed, the G8 claims one of its primary goals is to promote democracy. But here in Canada, on behalf of the G8, protesters’ freedom to peacefully assemble and freedom of expression have been severely undermined.

One must wonder just what kind of democracy is being promoted.

Tonight activists will gather to discuss plans for the rest of the week. Clearly, despite the government’s best efforts to scare activists away, their resolve and determination has remained strong.

The above article and photos are taken from http://www.greenpeace.ca/g8/en/062302.php

June 26, 2002

Alberta Independent Media Press Center Opens Today.
by Peter Smith • Monday June 24, 2002 at 02:46 PM
jericho00@mac.com

In an attempt to provide journalists with access to a wider variety of viewpoints, the Alberta Independent Media Centre has opened its Alternative Media Press Centre in the Engineered Air Theatre of the Epcor Center in downtown Calgary. The Media Center provides a space where NGO's, Activist Groups, and other representatives of civil society can meet with members of the press and provide them with an alternative take on the issues surrounding the G8 Leader's Summit.

Despite some initial technical problem, the Alberta Independent Media Press Center opened this morning. Representatives of Kairos, a Canadian inter-church justice coalition, held the inaugural press conference at 9 a.m. The conference was well attended by the press. The speakers, most of them delegates to the G6B People's Summit currently underway at the University of Calgary, spoke authoritatively on the problems facing the developing world in general and Africa specifically. Other press conferences scheduled for today include: the G8 Legal Collective, Greenpeace, and the Revolutionary Knitting Circle. All inall it was an auspicious beginning to what is hoped to be a very successful week. This center is the first attempt by the independent media in Canada to provide a centralized press conference space, it is hoped that it will become a model for future initiatives where forums for alternative viewpoints are required.

The above article is taken from http://www.alberta.indymedia.org/news/2002/06/2998.php

June 26, 2002

Vancouver Action J26: Connecting the Dots to G8
by Brian Seidman • Wednesday June 26, 2002 at 02:05 PM
bhseidman@shaw.ca

Vancouver, Canada June 26, 2002 1pm -- A group of about 200 plus activists met at the Vancouver Art Gallery to listen to speakers and preformers then walked in the streets of downtown, stopping traffic and engaging the the general public with their concerns regarding G8 programs before returning to the VAG.

img_0195_web.jpg, JPG image, 640x480

A group of about 200 plus activists met at the Vancouver Art Gallery to listen to speakers and performers. The people at the action walked in the streets of downtown, stopping traffic and engaging the general public with their concerns regarding G8 programs and policies. The march had stops at Robson st. Starbucks and the US Counsel General's office building and then the "snake" returned to the Vancouver Art Museum courtyard at around noon.

These photos are from the pre-march activities. The first shots are of the SFU Radical Cheerleaders and the next shots are of people making signs to be used in the street protest.

Some other observations for a Vancouver event: there were a large number of police on hand to monitor the event. As far as I could tell for the four hours I was at the action there were no arrests and people were peaceful. The police engaged in a fairly wide-spead surveillance gathering operation at the action. Officers had a video camera that they used to tape nearly everyone that was part of the event. I also believe Vancouver Police had their own still photographer at the action. I also have every reason to believe that someone ( I don't know who) in Vancouver hired two good old-fashioned private eyes (two heavy set men wear hip sports wear) to follow the action around downtown and to make reports to clients by cellphone and take photographs.

In some ways I guess you can say that the message of actions like today's have really caught the attention of Vancouver at large and the people they have been directed at. There were at least 30 print, television and radio reporters covering the event.

Brian Seidman C. June 26 2002 Vancouver Canada.
If you like to use this article or the photos posted with it on an non-indymedia site please ask permission first.

SFU Radical Cheerleaders
by Brian Seidman •

img_0193.jpg, JPG image, 640x480

At Vancouver Art Gallery Anti G8 action.
June 26 2002. Vancouver Canada Photo C. Brian Seidman.

Art Work regarding G8
by Brian Seidman •

img_0198_web.jpg, JPG image, 640x480

Making Hand Made signs to express their beliefs regarding the G8

Vancouver June 26, 2002 Photo C. Brian Seidman

Art as Free Speech
by Brian Seidman •

img_0199_web.jpg, JPG image, 640x480

Making art to be used in G8 Street Protest

June 26, 2002. Vancouver Photo C. Brian Seidman

The above article and photos are taken from http://vancouver.indymedia.org./news/2002/06/13013.php

We'd like to want to thank Brian for letting us put his article and photos on our page.

June 26, 2002

Campbell Cuts Report

• With two members of parliament in the opposition (Kwan and MacPhail -- both members of the NDP) virtually none of the government’s decisions are questioned or debated.
• A majority of decisions are made behind closed doors with little or no public interaction.
• The government is cutting programs without warning and public input/review.
• The government is not issuing press releases on a regular basis.
• The media does not have the resources available to cover all that is being done and thus, much information is concealed from the public.
• People must search to find out if programs they depend on will be affected by changes or cuts.
• There is no committee in place to check the effects from the changes.
• Typically employees and recipients of programs are unaware of discussions involving changes or cancellations to their programs.
• The government has provided a platform for people to complain about government spending (www.wastebusters.com) but has not a provided a platform for people to talk about government cuts.
• Legislation is often being passed on Fridays or in the evening when less people, or representatives are present to object, debate, or question decisions.
• In 1998, Gordon Campbell, Mike de Jong and Geoff Plant "filed a 1998 challenge to the Nisga’a treaty" (then members of the official opposition now official members of the majority government). In 2001 the Supreme Court ruled that the three should pay the Nisga’a court costs (estimated tens of thousands of dollars).
• Hearings about the costs where dropped by deputy attorney general Gillian Wallace, a colleague of the three.
• Now that the BC Liberals are in power, tax dollars will pay for the costs.

"High-quality public health care services that meet all patients’ needs where they live and when they need it". (From A New Era)

"A top notch education system for students of all ages". (From A New Era)

• The education budget was frozen at $4.8 billion until 2004/05.
• The budget does not include an allowance for teachers’ collective agreements, inflation, or population growth.
• The freeze will result in significant cuts to education programs, services, supplies and staff.
• Despite the realities of the budget freeze, the government wants to focus on diversifying schools in order to make them more competitive with private schools.
• In the wake of the budget freeze, most districts are worried about space issues and the increased costs of such programs.
• Government has promised that popular schools will get extra portables and annexes to deal with space issues.
• The extra money for the portables and annexes will be taken from less popular schools’ budgets.
• Public school reviews (accountability contracts or school "report cards") will be put out annually by all school districts.
• The reports are meant to focus on the school districts ability to meet their community’s needs and desires.
• The reports will hold individual districts responsible for their students’ performance.
• The reports do not take into account the potential causes of the problems in the districts (small budgets, high poverty rates in student body, etc.). Instead, it re-directs the blame on to the district itself and does not provide an overview of what needs to be done in order to eradicate problems within a given district.
• The government wants to give local school boards more autonomy over the decision making process, giving less power to teachers.
• The goal of this move is to make the system more ‘flexible’. Flexibility equals lifting the limit on classroom sizes and cutting services in order to reach new commitments outlined by the government.
• The Labor Code was amended to make teaching an essential service. Teaching as an essential service reduces teacher’s collective bargaining power.
• BC Book Program for kids was cut. Librarians and program organizers where given only two weeks’ notice. The program supported BC’s publishing industry and made books more accessible to school libraries and children. The ministry decided to free the funds for schools to use at their own discretion. The problem is that on average, financially distressed schools cut their library spending first to balance budgets. Because libraries are the first to be hit in hard times, programs like these helped to keep books that fit curriculum and celebrated BC culture in schools.
• The government is ending the tuition freeze for post secondary institutions and planning on raising tuition fees by 30% by September 2002.
• $42 million in planned and budgeted construction funds to BC universities and colleges has been frozen for 18 months.
• This deferred funding will destroy many programs and facilities that schools had already planned for.
• The education minister Clark overrode Bill 8, a collective agreement between the teachers’ union and the school board that forbids parents from volunteering. Volunteering in schools will allow parents, rather than the government, to pick up the slack of the education system created by the budget freeze.

" Government must implement a flexible, innovative program to increase the supply of affordable housing ". (From A New Era.)

• The government is planning to privatize car insurance.
• This move will raise premiums for young drivers.
• Privatization will affect health care systems because ICBC pays out motor vehicle accidents’ costs to the health care system. A private system will not be expected to pay out the same amount.
• If the private system is not effective and the government chooses to re-instate a public system, under NAFTA chapter 11 the government is liable to be sued by private companies who may lose profits from the switch back.

- This move was seen as an attempt by the government to disrupt the treaty process.

 

INFORMATION AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 AND THE BOMBING OF AFGHANISTAN

COMMENTARY (INDIVIDUALS):

Michael Moore - filmmaker, documentarian: 

    * Across America Tonight - www.michaelmoore.com/2001_0914.html 

    * Death, Downtown - www..michaelmoore.com/2001_0912.html 

Noam Chomsky - political commentator, linguist. 

    * ON THE BOMBINGS - www.zmag.org/chomnote.htm 

Howard Zinn - historian. 

    * RETALIATION - www.zmag.org/zinncalam.htm 

Tom Morello, Rage Against the Machine - musician. 

    * www.ratm.com/entry.html 

IN-DEPTH ANALYSES/LITTLE KNOWN FACTS: 

* Who Is Osama Bin Laden? -
Michel Chossudovsky, Professor of Economics, University of Ottawa -
www.globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO109C.html 

* Pre-1979-1989, Afghanistan: The CIA's Biggest Covert War -
Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade -
www.ncf.ca/coat/our_magazine/links/issue43/articles/afghanistan.htm

OTHER LINKS

*  www.indymedia.org - Independent Media Center - Ongoing coverage, photos, commentary. 

* www.zmag.org/ZNET.htm - ZNET (by Z Magazine) - Daily commentaries. 

* www.alternet.org - Lots of debate, discussion, media critique. 

* www.progressive.org

* www.thenation.com

* www.counterpunch.org

* www.fair.org

* www.motherjones.com

* www.thismag.org

* www.yahoogroups.com/group/portside>

* www.censa.net

* www.mediachannel.org

* www.sonoma.edu/projectcensored

* www.freespeech.org

* www.fpif.org

* www.globalexchange.org

* www.iacenter.org

* www.ncmonline.com

* www.papertiger.org

* www.transnational.org/new/TNN.html

* www.itt.com

* www.peacewire.org

The SFU Anti War Group meets every Wednesday in the Peak Office MBC 2900 at 2:30 pm.

SF PIRG
TC-326, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6
10:30 - 4:30 Monday to Friday
Phone: (604) 291-4360
Fax: (604) 291-5338
e-mail: sf-pirg@sfu.ca