“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.

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.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Anarchists call Police report comparing activism to hate crime "chilling"

May 24, 2009

HAMILTON- Local members of the provincial anarchist organization
Common Cause fear Hamilton police are seeking to criminalize local
organizers after a Hamilton police report identified the 2nd annual
Hamilton Anarchist Book Fair as a potential source of hate crime.

While presenting the Year-End Hate Crime report (available online)
to the Hamilton Police Board on May 19, acting sergeant Michael Goch
stated police would be “actively monitoring” the book fair scheduled to
take place on June 6.

Alex Diceanu, Ontario Treasurer of Common Cause responded, "As the
organizers of the annual book fair, and as local anarchists and
activists, Common Cause is deeply disturbed by these statements.

"This is a manipulation of hate crime laws to criminalize activism. At
this time of economic and environmental crisis, alongside increasing

This is the text from the leaflet Common Cause distributed at the March 21, 2009 JobsFirst! labour rally in Hamilton, Ontario. The pdf is available below for download.

They Didn't Share the Wealth, Why Should We Share the Pain

For the past 30 years the rich got richer off our backs. Speed-ups, wage cuts, longer hours, precarious jobs, cuts to social services. The rich got super-profits and the rest of us got insecurity, poverty and debt. Governments have been only too happy to lend a hand.

Now that they've squandered their ill-gotten gains (along with our savings) on the global financial casino, they want to squeeze us even more to make up their losses! Layoffs, concessions, cutbacks...they are turning their crisis into our pain.

In conjunction with Common Cause, the popular international anarchist discussion forum anarchistblackcat.org has now added a forum specific for for anarchists and those interested in anarchism in Ontario.

Like the other forums there a high level of discussion will be maintained through post-posting moderation according to a set of transparent rules.

To read and post to the new public anarchist Ontario forum go to: http://anarchistblackcat.org/viewforum.php?f=61

For our part, Common Cause will be regularly posting original news and opinion articles on the board as well as our website and it's probably the best place to drop in and have a chat with our members outside of a local social event or meeting.

Topics under discussion include;
- York University workers on strike
- G8 2010 Huntsville, Ontario
- Ontario solidarity with Greece?
- Debt and Exploitation: The Coming Economic Crisis
- Hamilton organizing against health care cuts