Alternative News

Articles from non-mainstream as opposed to corporate for profit sources.

This week @ rabble.ca: Is it time to ditch strategic voting?

Details: Published on Friday, 22 May 2015 13:15; Written by editor

22 May 2015

Hey rabble readers,

Change the conversation, change the world! From news from Parliament, to news from Quebec, to the frontlines of Indigenous struggles, we are changing the conversation. Please join in with your support for rabble.ca today!

The new political and public opinion alignment significantly weakens the argument for holding one's nose and voting Liberal just to get rid of Harper. Parliamentary reporter Karl Nerenberg explains why it's time to ditch talk of strategic voting once and for all. Get his take here.

It has been nearly a decade since the Conservative party came to power. Since then, the government has embarked on controversial reforms with devastating effects on refugees. Read Suha Diab's two-part series on the refugee system which shows how, since 2006, the Harper government has transformed Canada from a country with a humanitarian tradition, into one that fears and distrusts refugees.

Davenport MP Andrew Cash is calling for a national strategy for urban workers, to reflect the changing nature of work in this country. This week, MPs had their first opportunity to debate the issue of precarious and freelance labour in Parliament. Learn more in Ella Bedard's special report.

Join us on May 23 at the Wosk Centre for Dialogue for a free afternoon of inspiring speakers and performances at our next #FierceVoices event, to inspire, amplify and celebrate young women's voices through media. Mingle with like-minded young women and allies at the media fair, and find ways to get your #FierceVoice heard!

PressProgress Post: 9 charts show the hidden cost of precarious employment in Canada

Details: Published on Friday, 22 May 2015 10:30; Written by editor

Happy (almost) weekend:
Today's PressProgress post tells the tragic human story of the cost of Canada's growing precarious employment problem. Nine heart-rending charts show how precarious work affects people's lives.
Please share on social media to spread the word:
http://www.pressprogress.ca/en/post/9-charts-show-hidden-cost-precarious-employment-canada

Thanks,Chris

FIFA Election: ITUC, with Arab-country Trade Unions, Backs Prince Ali on Human Rights Commitments - ITUC OnLine

Details: Published on Friday, 22 May 2015 10:15; Written by editor

Brussels, 22 May 2015 (ITUC Online): The International trade Union Confederation is calling on FIFA delegates to support Jordan’s Prince Ali in next week’s election for FIFA President, following Ali’s re-affirmed commitment on labour and other human rights. The other two challengers to incumbent Joseph Blatter, Luis Figo and Michael van Praag have withdrawn from the race. Prince Ali joined Dutch candidate Michael van Praag at a press conference yesterday, and confirmed his support for van Praag’s proposals to ensure human rights standards in FIFA events. Ali first called for FIFA to act on workers’ rights abuses in 2013.

Cambodian Government Set to Further Weaken Labour Rights and Export Workers to Qatar - ITUC OnLine

Details: Published on Friday, 22 May 2015 10:15; Written by editor

Brussels, 22 May 2015 (ITUC Online): Cambodia’s plans to further reduce its weak labour protections have come under attack from the ITUC and Global Union Federations. A series of new measures, being developed behind the scenes by the government, would further restrict rights for the country’s impoverished workforce. The new legislation would exclude large segments of the workforce from labour law protection, set unreasonably high membership thresholds for union registration, give the government sweeping powers to suspend unions, undermine collective bargaining rights and allow government officials to ban strikes or lock-outs without proper recourse to the courts.

Ban Child Marriages

Details: Published on Friday, 22 May 2015 09:30; Written by editor

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R&F.ca Weekly Update

Details: Published on Friday, 22 May 2015 03:15; Written by editor

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How UNITE Took on the Fast Food Companies Over Zero Hour Contracts and Won!

Details: Published on Thursday, 21 May 2015 22:15; Written by editor

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A Socialist Project e-bulletin .... No. 1120 .... May 22, 2015
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How UNITE Took on the Fast Food Companies Over Zero Hour Contracts and Won!

Mike Treen

Workers in the fast food industry in New Zealand scored a spectacular victory over what has been dubbed "zero hour contracts" during a collective agreement bargaining round over the course of March and April this year. The campaign played out over the national media as well as on picket lines. The victory was seen by many observers as the product of a determined fight by a valiant group of workers and their union, Unite. It was a morale boost for all working people after what has seemed like a period of retreat for working-class struggle in recent years.

Workers in the fast food industry have long identified "zero...

CoDev Spring Appeal 2015

Details: Published on Thursday, 21 May 2015 16:15; Written by editor

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[ACTIVlist] ACTIVlist Update - May 21, 2015

Details: Published on Thursday, 21 May 2015 13:30; Written by editor

Council of Canadians ACTIVlist Update

This daily ACTIVlist e-mail is a compilation of blog posts, media releases and action alerts from the Council of Canadians. For more information about our campaigns, how to get involved, and how to become a member, go to www.canadians.org. Please forward this e-mail and encourage others to join our list! Thank you for your interest and support.

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Media Release: Newfoundland must defend Minimum Processing Requirements, say Council of Canadians

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Ultra-marathoner to begin run for water protection on June 1

Caribou Legs, an Indigenous ultra-marathon runner, will be starting his 4800-kilometre run across the country starting this coming Monday June 1 at 9 am with a...

PressProgress post: 3 things Pierre Poilievre should explain to Canadians in his next vanity videos, including the feds plundering of EI

Details: Published on Thursday, 21 May 2015 11:00; Written by editor

Good afternoon:
Out latest post takes the Employment Minister to task for his vanity partisan videos, calling on him to explain three issues important to workers: including the feds EI plundering and lack of childcare spaces. If Poilievre is making movies with taxpayers' money, we suggest some sequel topics.
Feel free to share on social media.
http://www.pressprogress.ca/en/post/3-things-pierre-poilievre-should-explain-canadians-his-next-vanity-videos

Thanks,Chris

Do you agree with our 5 Principles?

Details: Published on Thursday, 21 May 2015 11:00; Written by editor

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Survival Tribes News Act Now Donate

The environment is not separate from ourselves; we are inside it and it is inside us; we make it and it makes us.
—
Yanomami, Brazil

Do you agree with our ‘5 Principles of Conservation’?

Tribal peoples are being illegally evicted from their ancestral lands in the name of “conservation.” But it doesn’t have to be like this. You can help stop these abuses and build a better conservation – one that respects tribal peoples’ rights and acknowledges that they...

Delta Airlines

Details: Published on Thursday, 21 May 2015 11:00; Written by editor

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Bee deaths skyrocket

Details: Published on Thursday, 21 May 2015 06:30; Written by editor

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Economist Withdraws From Kinder Morgan Review

Details: Published on Thursday, 21 May 2015 06:15; Written by editor

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VIDEO: Stephen Harper's economic howlers for the kids

Details: Published on Wednesday, 20 May 2015 15:30; Written by editor

Good afternoon:
You might be keen on this new PP post. Please feel free to share on social media:
http://www.pressprogress.ca/en/post/video-watch-stephen-harper-bore-children-bogus-tales-about-economy

Cheers,Chris

[ACTIVlist] ACTIVlist Update - May 20, 2015

Details: Published on Wednesday, 20 May 2015 14:00; Written by editor

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WIN! Chilliwack city council rejects Kinder Morgan 'community benefits' deal The Council of Canadians Chilliwack chapter is celebrating a win with the WaterWealth Project and other allies after Chilliwack city council rejected an $800,000 offer from Texas-based energy giant Kinder Morgan should its 890,000 barrel per day Trans Mountain pipeline be approved by the National Energy Board (NEB).

AGM Registration is OPEN! / La période dins

Details: Published on Wednesday, 20 May 2015 12:00; Written by editor

Fair Vote AGM

Français à suivre

Join us for Fair Vote Canada's 2015 AGM!

Registration is Now Open for Fair Vote Canada’s AGM and Conference!
Register here: http://bit.ly/1KUs1i0

It has been an exciting year. We witnessed an amazing motion for proportional representation last Decemeber where we saw progressive MPs support electoral reform that would make all votes count. We hosted a multi-partisan webinar with Scott Simms, Craig Scott and Bruce Hyer (http://bit.ly/1FicKcR) – an historic conversation where all three thought electoral reform might be the only issue that could bring all parties together. We've doubled the signers on our declaration to over 55,000 supporters, we've had 114 Politicians sign our Politician's Pledge, we've created 3 model videos to show Canadians how a PR system could work in Canada (http://bit.ly/1KFGdeM) and we've signed up close to 700 volunteers to make PR an election issue in every riding across this Country!

Submariner Blows the Nuclear Whistle on Trident

Details: Published on Wednesday, 20 May 2015 11:15; Written by editor

http://veteransforpeace.org.uk/2015/submariner-blows-the-whistle-on-trident/

17/05/2015

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The Secret Nuclear Threat

My name is William McNeilly. I am an Engineering Technician Submariner for the UK’s Trident II D5 Strategic Weapons System. I sent this report on the 05/05/15 to every major newspaper, freelance journalists, and whistle-blower I could find. Almost all my email accounts have now been blocked, I need your help informing the public and the government. I don’t know how many laws I’ve broken along the way; I doubt men live long enough to serve the sentence they’ll give me. There’s still a small chance of a pardon one day. The good news is the report has been acknowledged; the killing me option is no longer beneficial for them. They will now try to down play the information in this report, but anyone who reads the report will understand: my information comes from good sources, I have no reason to lie and they will understand if change isn’t made a nuclear catastrophe almost certainly will happen. The people who still serve Trident will continue to put their uniform on, collect their pay checks, try to cover this up and pretend they serve you, but we all die one day and when that day comes I will know I wasn’t a slave to money or fear.

Avianca-Colombia: IFC should follow ombudsman

Details: Published on Wednesday, 20 May 2015 11:15; Written by editor

Brussels 19 May 2015 (ITUC Online): The ITUC and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) call on the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank’s private-sector lending arm, to implement the recommendations issued today by IFC’s Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) to improve compliance procedures for IFC Performance Standard 2 on labour and working conditions. http://www.cao-ombudsman.org/documents/CAOInvestigationReportAvianca-May182015.pdf

The CAO report, which came in response to a complaint filed by the ITUC and ITF in November 2011, is sharply critical of IFC’s handling of serious deficiencies at Avianca Airlines of Colombia, an IFC borrower, in respecting its employees’ freedom of association. The report states that, in light of information IFC had received from Colombian unions and the ILO prior to approval of the Avianca loan, it should not have made loan disbursements in 2009. The CAO also faults IFC for its failure to require Avianca to disclose its action plans and...

Guatemalan Vice President Resigns, Protests Continue

Details: Published on Wednesday, 20 May 2015 10:45; Written by editor

Posted 10 May 2015 4:43 GMT

On Friday May 8, Guatemalan Vice-President Roxana Baldetti resigned. Her announcement is a reaction to an investigation linking her closest aide — now a fugitive — to a big government corruption scheme, known as La Linea.