This is a four-part radio documentary series on the native civilizations of the Americas, their destruction by colonizers, and the current resurgence of the Indigenous peoples in Canada and worldwide.
This documentary is produced by Asad Ismi; an award winning writer on international politics and Kristin Schwartz; a community based writer, radio producer and radio broadcaster.
The documentary to be produced with OPSEU’s funding focuses on the immense knowledge and wisdom of indigenous people and how they continue to build sustainable and progressive societies while protecting and living in harmony with nature.
This wisdom is to be shared with millions of people through the radio audience. This documentary is also inspired by the struggles of Indigenous peoples for self-preservation as described by Professor David Stannard’s book ‘America Holocaust’ released in 1992. The documentary gets its title from this book.
This documentary will be enriched through interviews and speeches with Indigenous activists from both North and South America who participated at the recently concluded World Social Forum held in Montreal in August 2016. Other respected activists, authors, academia, and commentators will be interviewed; with most of the interviewees being Indigenous peoples.
In addition, the funds disbursed will help support equally important outreach activities such as public vigils which highlight deaths of migrant workers in Canada. Migrant workers also plan to use these resources for advocacy and legal representation of fellow workers in need of such support. House visits and social activities to build trust and foster community solidarity among workers will get a huge boost from this donation.
Other initiatives to be implemented include facilitating education for change through workshops on issues of racism, sexism, and the after effects of colonialism. There are also seminars planned on relevant topics such as WSIB, OHSA, ESA, to mention but a few. Workers will also undergo training on leadership and advocacy with a view to building their capacity to effectively articulate their needs to politicians, the legal fraternity, and in their communities. The OPSEU Social Justice Fund is in the forefront of fostering solidarity with migrant workers who are largely the unseen face of fresh food supply in Canada.
American Holocaust
This is a four-part radio documentary series on the native civilizations of the Americas, their destruction by colonizers, and the current resurgence of the Indigenous peoples in Canada and worldwide.
This documentary is produced by Asad Ismi; an award winning writer on international politics and Kristin Schwartz; a community based writer, radio producer and radio broadcaster.
The documentary to be produced with OPSEU’s funding focuses on the immense knowledge and wisdom of indigenous people and how they continue to build sustainable and progressive societies while protecting and living in harmony with nature.
This wisdom is to be shared with millions of people through the radio audience. This documentary is also inspired by the struggles of Indigenous peoples for self-preservation as described by Professor David Stannard’s book ‘America Holocaust’ released in 1992. The documentary gets its title from this book.
This documentary will be enriched through interviews and speeches with Indigenous activists from both North and South America who participated at the recently concluded World Social Forum held in Montreal in August 2016. Other respected activists, authors, academia, and commentators will be interviewed; with most of the interviewees being Indigenous peoples.
In addition, the funds disbursed will help support equally important outreach activities such as public vigils which highlight deaths of migrant workers in Canada. Migrant workers also plan to use these resources for advocacy and legal representation of fellow workers in need of such support. House visits and social activities to build trust and foster community solidarity among workers will get a huge boost from this donation.
Other initiatives to be implemented include facilitating education for change through workshops on issues of racism, sexism, and the after effects of colonialism. There are also seminars planned on relevant topics such as WSIB, OHSA, ESA, to mention but a few. Workers will also undergo training on leadership and advocacy with a view to building their capacity to effectively articulate their needs to politicians, the legal fraternity, and in their communities. The OPSEU Social Justice Fund is in the forefront of fostering solidarity with migrant workers who are largely the unseen face of fresh food supply in Canada.
American Holocaust
This is a four-part radio documentary series on the native civilizations of the Americas, their destruction by colonizers, and the current resurgence of the Indigenous peoples in Canada and worldwide.
This documentary is produced by Asad Ismi; an award winning writer on international politics and Kristin Schwartz; a community based writer, radio producer and radio broadcaster.
The documentary to be produced with OPSEU’s funding focuses on the immense knowledge and wisdom of indigenous people and how they continue to build sustainable and progressive societies while protecting and living in harmony with nature.
This wisdom is to be shared with millions of people through the radio audience. This documentary is also inspired by the struggles of Indigenous peoples for self-preservation as described by Professor David Stannard’s book ‘America Holocaust’ released in 1992. The documentary gets its title from this book.
This documentary will be enriched through interviews and speeches with Indigenous activists from both North and South America who participated at the recently concluded World Social Forum held in Montreal in August 2016. Other respected activists, authors, academia, and commentators will be interviewed; with most of the interviewees being Indigenous peoples.
Justice for Migrant Workers is political not for profit collective that is based in Toronto, and has recently expanded to Vancouver and British Columbia. It aims to promote the rights of migrant farmworkers and is led and directed by migrant workers themselves. Migrant workers are defined as persons who participate in the Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Workers program, the Low Skilled Workers Program, and farm workers without status.
The ‘Harvesting Freedom Campaign’ project was approved for funding by the Social Justice Fund Board. This project is essentially a campaign by migrant workers in their struggle against the exploitation of their labour and economic rights. The funding received from OPSEU will go a long way in sustaining the on-going ‘Harvesting Freedom Campaign’; whose goals are:-
- Organizing in migrant worker communities in Canada including Brantford, Simcoe, Delhi, Tillsonburg, Chatham, Leamington, Kingsville, Hamilton, and the Niagara region.
- Follow-up of the successful caravan through 17 communities across Ontario to raise awareness of situations faced by migrant workers and to build solidarity amongst workers and their communities.
In addition, the funds disbursed will help support equally important outreach activities such as public vigils which highlight deaths of migrant workers in Canada. Migrant workers also plan to use these resources for advocacy and legal representation of fellow workers in need of such support. House visits and social activities to build trust and foster community solidarity among workers will get a huge boost from this donation.
Other initiatives to be implemented include facilitating education for change through workshops on issues of racism, sexism, and the after effects of colonialism. There are also seminars planned on relevant topics such as WSIB, OHSA, ESA, to mention but a few. Workers will also undergo training on leadership and advocacy with a view to building their capacity to effectively articulate their needs to politicians, the legal fraternity, and in their communities. The OPSEU Social Justice Fund is in the forefront of fostering solidarity with migrant workers who are largely the unseen face of fresh food supply in Canada.
American Holocaust
This is a four-part radio documentary series on the native civilizations of the Americas, their destruction by colonizers, and the current resurgence of the Indigenous peoples in Canada and worldwide.
This documentary is produced by Asad Ismi; an award winning writer on international politics and Kristin Schwartz; a community based writer, radio producer and radio broadcaster.
The documentary to be produced with OPSEU’s funding focuses on the immense knowledge and wisdom of indigenous people and how they continue to build sustainable and progressive societies while protecting and living in harmony with nature.
This wisdom is to be shared with millions of people through the radio audience. This documentary is also inspired by the struggles of Indigenous peoples for self-preservation as described by Professor David Stannard’s book ‘America Holocaust’ released in 1992. The documentary gets its title from this book.
This documentary will be enriched through interviews and speeches with Indigenous activists from both North and South America who participated at the recently concluded World Social Forum held in Montreal in August 2016. Other respected activists, authors, academia, and commentators will be interviewed; with most of the interviewees being Indigenous peoples.
Justice for Migrant Workers is political not for profit collective that is based in Toronto, and has recently expanded to Vancouver and British Columbia. It aims to promote the rights of migrant farmworkers and is led and directed by migrant workers themselves. Migrant workers are defined as persons who participate in the Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Workers program, the Low Skilled Workers Program, and farm workers without status.
The ‘Harvesting Freedom Campaign’ project was approved for funding by the Social Justice Fund Board. This project is essentially a campaign by migrant workers in their struggle against the exploitation of their labour and economic rights. The funding received from OPSEU will go a long way in sustaining the on-going ‘Harvesting Freedom Campaign’; whose goals are:-
- Organizing in migrant worker communities in Canada including Brantford, Simcoe, Delhi, Tillsonburg, Chatham, Leamington, Kingsville, Hamilton, and the Niagara region.
- Follow-up of the successful caravan through 17 communities across Ontario to raise awareness of situations faced by migrant workers and to build solidarity amongst workers and their communities.
In addition, the funds disbursed will help support equally important outreach activities such as public vigils which highlight deaths of migrant workers in Canada. Migrant workers also plan to use these resources for advocacy and legal representation of fellow workers in need of such support. House visits and social activities to build trust and foster community solidarity among workers will get a huge boost from this donation.
Other initiatives to be implemented include facilitating education for change through workshops on issues of racism, sexism, and the after effects of colonialism. There are also seminars planned on relevant topics such as WSIB, OHSA, ESA, to mention but a few. Workers will also undergo training on leadership and advocacy with a view to building their capacity to effectively articulate their needs to politicians, the legal fraternity, and in their communities. The OPSEU Social Justice Fund is in the forefront of fostering solidarity with migrant workers who are largely the unseen face of fresh food supply in Canada.
American Holocaust
This is a four-part radio documentary series on the native civilizations of the Americas, their destruction by colonizers, and the current resurgence of the Indigenous peoples in Canada and worldwide.
This documentary is produced by Asad Ismi; an award winning writer on international politics and Kristin Schwartz; a community based writer, radio producer and radio broadcaster.
The documentary to be produced with OPSEU’s funding focuses on the immense knowledge and wisdom of indigenous people and how they continue to build sustainable and progressive societies while protecting and living in harmony with nature.
This wisdom is to be shared with millions of people through the radio audience. This documentary is also inspired by the struggles of Indigenous peoples for self-preservation as described by Professor David Stannard’s book ‘America Holocaust’ released in 1992. The documentary gets its title from this book.
This documentary will be enriched through interviews and speeches with Indigenous activists from both North and South America who participated at the recently concluded World Social Forum held in Montreal in August 2016. Other respected activists, authors, academia, and commentators will be interviewed; with most of the interviewees being Indigenous peoples.
The SJF Board funded a two year project in Nicaragua; ‘Promoting Women’s Defense of their Labor Rights within Free Trade Zones in Nicaragua’. This project is jointly implemented by Horizons for Friendship and Maria Elena Cuadra Working and Unemployed Women’s Movement (MEC), a Nicaragua based organization. This project aims at defending women’s labor rights through advocacy and capacity building of young women workers in Nicaragua’s maquila sector. The beneficiaries of this project are young women workers in Free Trade Zones in Nicaragua.
Free Trade Zones worldwide are designated geographical regions within a country where corporations are provided with incentives to manufacture products for exports. Such incentives often include cheap labour which international corporations find very attractive as it allows for low cost production. Workers are therefore paid very low wages which chain them to poverty while enriching these corporations. It is important to note that organized labor is legally prohibited in Free Trade Zones.
This project will help young women workers to defend their labor and economic rights by building their capacity to advocate for themselves. It will empower workers to access justice as young women workers in the Free Trade Zones are often victims of employer abuse. Ultimately, the project will help create awareness of the Nicaragua Government’s economic policies in Free Trade Zones which disadvantage workers’ rights. The project will also help to highlight employers’ responsibility to improve the working conditions and economic rights of women workers in the maquiladora sector Free Trade Zones.
Adam Ly, Chair of the Live and Let Live Fund and Elizabeth Ha, Chair of the Social Justice Fund both represented the Social Justice Fund Board members in a solidarity tour to Nicaragua’s Free Trade Zones.
The knowledge gained through this tour and the international solidarity fostered with the young workers in Nicaragua is proof that workers everywhere should remain united in advocating for good working conditions and the right to earn a living wage.
Justice for Migrant Workers (J4MW)
Justice for Migrant Workers is political not for profit collective that is based in Toronto, and has recently expanded to Vancouver and British Columbia. It aims to promote the rights of migrant farmworkers and is led and directed by migrant workers themselves. Migrant workers are defined as persons who participate in the Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Workers program, the Low Skilled Workers Program, and farm workers without status.
The ‘Harvesting Freedom Campaign’ project was approved for funding by the Social Justice Fund Board. This project is essentially a campaign by migrant workers in their struggle against the exploitation of their labour and economic rights. The funding received from OPSEU will go a long way in sustaining the on-going ‘Harvesting Freedom Campaign’; whose goals are:-
- Organizing in migrant worker communities in Canada including Brantford, Simcoe, Delhi, Tillsonburg, Chatham, Leamington, Kingsville, Hamilton, and the Niagara region.
- Follow-up of the successful caravan through 17 communities across Ontario to raise awareness of situations faced by migrant workers and to build solidarity amongst workers and their communities.
In addition, the funds disbursed will help support equally important outreach activities such as public vigils which highlight deaths of migrant workers in Canada. Migrant workers also plan to use these resources for advocacy and legal representation of fellow workers in need of such support. House visits and social activities to build trust and foster community solidarity among workers will get a huge boost from this donation.
Other initiatives to be implemented include facilitating education for change through workshops on issues of racism, sexism, and the after effects of colonialism. There are also seminars planned on relevant topics such as WSIB, OHSA, ESA, to mention but a few. Workers will also undergo training on leadership and advocacy with a view to building their capacity to effectively articulate their needs to politicians, the legal fraternity, and in their communities. The OPSEU Social Justice Fund is in the forefront of fostering solidarity with migrant workers who are largely the unseen face of fresh food supply in Canada.
American Holocaust
This is a four-part radio documentary series on the native civilizations of the Americas, their destruction by colonizers, and the current resurgence of the Indigenous peoples in Canada and worldwide.
This documentary is produced by Asad Ismi; an award winning writer on international politics and Kristin Schwartz; a community based writer, radio producer and radio broadcaster.
The documentary to be produced with OPSEU’s funding focuses on the immense knowledge and wisdom of indigenous people and how they continue to build sustainable and progressive societies while protecting and living in harmony with nature.
This wisdom is to be shared with millions of people through the radio audience. This documentary is also inspired by the struggles of Indigenous peoples for self-preservation as described by Professor David Stannard’s book ‘America Holocaust’ released in 1992. The documentary gets its title from this book.
This documentary will be enriched through interviews and speeches with Indigenous activists from both North and South America who participated at the recently concluded World Social Forum held in Montreal in August 2016. Other respected activists, authors, academia, and commentators will be interviewed; with most of the interviewees being Indigenous peoples.
The SJF Board funded a two year project in Nicaragua; ‘Promoting Women’s Defense of their Labor Rights within Free Trade Zones in Nicaragua’. This project is jointly implemented by Horizons for Friendship and Maria Elena Cuadra Working and Unemployed Women’s Movement (MEC), a Nicaragua based organization. This project aims at defending women’s labor rights through advocacy and capacity building of young women workers in Nicaragua’s maquila sector. The beneficiaries of this project are young women workers in Free Trade Zones in Nicaragua.
Free Trade Zones worldwide are designated geographical regions within a country where corporations are provided with incentives to manufacture products for exports. Such incentives often include cheap labour which international corporations find very attractive as it allows for low cost production. Workers are therefore paid very low wages which chain them to poverty while enriching these corporations. It is important to note that organized labor is legally prohibited in Free Trade Zones.
This project will help young women workers to defend their labor and economic rights by building their capacity to advocate for themselves. It will empower workers to access justice as young women workers in the Free Trade Zones are often victims of employer abuse. Ultimately, the project will help create awareness of the Nicaragua Government’s economic policies in Free Trade Zones which disadvantage workers’ rights. The project will also help to highlight employers’ responsibility to improve the working conditions and economic rights of women workers in the maquiladora sector Free Trade Zones.
Adam Ly, Chair of the Live and Let Live Fund and Elizabeth Ha, Chair of the Social Justice Fund both represented the Social Justice Fund Board members in a solidarity tour to Nicaragua’s Free Trade Zones.
The knowledge gained through this tour and the international solidarity fostered with the young workers in Nicaragua is proof that workers everywhere should remain united in advocating for good working conditions and the right to earn a living wage.
Justice for Migrant Workers (J4MW)
Justice for Migrant Workers is political not for profit collective that is based in Toronto, and has recently expanded to Vancouver and British Columbia. It aims to promote the rights of migrant farmworkers and is led and directed by migrant workers themselves. Migrant workers are defined as persons who participate in the Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Workers program, the Low Skilled Workers Program, and farm workers without status.
The ‘Harvesting Freedom Campaign’ project was approved for funding by the Social Justice Fund Board. This project is essentially a campaign by migrant workers in their struggle against the exploitation of their labour and economic rights. The funding received from OPSEU will go a long way in sustaining the on-going ‘Harvesting Freedom Campaign’; whose goals are:-
- Organizing in migrant worker communities in Canada including Brantford, Simcoe, Delhi, Tillsonburg, Chatham, Leamington, Kingsville, Hamilton, and the Niagara region.
- Follow-up of the successful caravan through 17 communities across Ontario to raise awareness of situations faced by migrant workers and to build solidarity amongst workers and their communities.
In addition, the funds disbursed will help support equally important outreach activities such as public vigils which highlight deaths of migrant workers in Canada. Migrant workers also plan to use these resources for advocacy and legal representation of fellow workers in need of such support. House visits and social activities to build trust and foster community solidarity among workers will get a huge boost from this donation.
Other initiatives to be implemented include facilitating education for change through workshops on issues of racism, sexism, and the after effects of colonialism. There are also seminars planned on relevant topics such as WSIB, OHSA, ESA, to mention but a few. Workers will also undergo training on leadership and advocacy with a view to building their capacity to effectively articulate their needs to politicians, the legal fraternity, and in their communities. The OPSEU Social Justice Fund is in the forefront of fostering solidarity with migrant workers who are largely the unseen face of fresh food supply in Canada.
American Holocaust
This is a four-part radio documentary series on the native civilizations of the Americas, their destruction by colonizers, and the current resurgence of the Indigenous peoples in Canada and worldwide.
This documentary is produced by Asad Ismi; an award winning writer on international politics and Kristin Schwartz; a community based writer, radio producer and radio broadcaster.
The documentary to be produced with OPSEU’s funding focuses on the immense knowledge and wisdom of indigenous people and how they continue to build sustainable and progressive societies while protecting and living in harmony with nature.
This wisdom is to be shared with millions of people through the radio audience. This documentary is also inspired by the struggles of Indigenous peoples for self-preservation as described by Professor David Stannard’s book ‘America Holocaust’ released in 1992. The documentary gets its title from this book.
This documentary will be enriched through interviews and speeches with Indigenous activists from both North and South America who participated at the recently concluded World Social Forum held in Montreal in August 2016. Other respected activists, authors, academia, and commentators will be interviewed; with most of the interviewees being Indigenous peoples.
This is a not for profit agency based in Cobourg, Ontario. This agency is committed to promoting social justice causes with a focus on people centred development. The geographical scope of Horizons for Friendship is Central America and Mexico.
The SJF Board funded a two year project in Nicaragua; ‘Promoting Women’s Defense of their Labor Rights within Free Trade Zones in Nicaragua’. This project is jointly implemented by Horizons for Friendship and Maria Elena Cuadra Working and Unemployed Women’s Movement (MEC), a Nicaragua based organization. This project aims at defending women’s labor rights through advocacy and capacity building of young women workers in Nicaragua’s maquila sector. The beneficiaries of this project are young women workers in Free Trade Zones in Nicaragua.
Free Trade Zones worldwide are designated geographical regions within a country where corporations are provided with incentives to manufacture products for exports. Such incentives often include cheap labour which international corporations find very attractive as it allows for low cost production. Workers are therefore paid very low wages which chain them to poverty while enriching these corporations. It is important to note that organized labor is legally prohibited in Free Trade Zones.
This project will help young women workers to defend their labor and economic rights by building their capacity to advocate for themselves. It will empower workers to access justice as young women workers in the Free Trade Zones are often victims of employer abuse. Ultimately, the project will help create awareness of the Nicaragua Government’s economic policies in Free Trade Zones which disadvantage workers’ rights. The project will also help to highlight employers’ responsibility to improve the working conditions and economic rights of women workers in the maquiladora sector Free Trade Zones.
Adam Ly, Chair of the Live and Let Live Fund and Elizabeth Ha, Chair of the Social Justice Fund both represented the Social Justice Fund Board members in a solidarity tour to Nicaragua’s Free Trade Zones.
The knowledge gained through this tour and the international solidarity fostered with the young workers in Nicaragua is proof that workers everywhere should remain united in advocating for good working conditions and the right to earn a living wage.
Justice for Migrant Workers (J4MW)
Justice for Migrant Workers is political not for profit collective that is based in Toronto, and has recently expanded to Vancouver and British Columbia. It aims to promote the rights of migrant farmworkers and is led and directed by migrant workers themselves. Migrant workers are defined as persons who participate in the Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Workers program, the Low Skilled Workers Program, and farm workers without status.
The ‘Harvesting Freedom Campaign’ project was approved for funding by the Social Justice Fund Board. This project is essentially a campaign by migrant workers in their struggle against the exploitation of their labour and economic rights. The funding received from OPSEU will go a long way in sustaining the on-going ‘Harvesting Freedom Campaign’; whose goals are:-
- Organizing in migrant worker communities in Canada including Brantford, Simcoe, Delhi, Tillsonburg, Chatham, Leamington, Kingsville, Hamilton, and the Niagara region.
- Follow-up of the successful caravan through 17 communities across Ontario to raise awareness of situations faced by migrant workers and to build solidarity amongst workers and their communities.
In addition, the funds disbursed will help support equally important outreach activities such as public vigils which highlight deaths of migrant workers in Canada. Migrant workers also plan to use these resources for advocacy and legal representation of fellow workers in need of such support. House visits and social activities to build trust and foster community solidarity among workers will get a huge boost from this donation.
Other initiatives to be implemented include facilitating education for change through workshops on issues of racism, sexism, and the after effects of colonialism. There are also seminars planned on relevant topics such as WSIB, OHSA, ESA, to mention but a few. Workers will also undergo training on leadership and advocacy with a view to building their capacity to effectively articulate their needs to politicians, the legal fraternity, and in their communities. The OPSEU Social Justice Fund is in the forefront of fostering solidarity with migrant workers who are largely the unseen face of fresh food supply in Canada.
American Holocaust
This is a four-part radio documentary series on the native civilizations of the Americas, their destruction by colonizers, and the current resurgence of the Indigenous peoples in Canada and worldwide.
This documentary is produced by Asad Ismi; an award winning writer on international politics and Kristin Schwartz; a community based writer, radio producer and radio broadcaster.
The documentary to be produced with OPSEU’s funding focuses on the immense knowledge and wisdom of indigenous people and how they continue to build sustainable and progressive societies while protecting and living in harmony with nature.
This wisdom is to be shared with millions of people through the radio audience. This documentary is also inspired by the struggles of Indigenous peoples for self-preservation as described by Professor David Stannard’s book ‘America Holocaust’ released in 1992. The documentary gets its title from this book.
This documentary will be enriched through interviews and speeches with Indigenous activists from both North and South America who participated at the recently concluded World Social Forum held in Montreal in August 2016. Other respected activists, authors, academia, and commentators will be interviewed; with most of the interviewees being Indigenous peoples.
This is a not for profit agency based in Cobourg, Ontario. This agency is committed to promoting social justice causes with a focus on people centred development. The geographical scope of Horizons for Friendship is Central America and Mexico.
The SJF Board funded a two year project in Nicaragua; ‘Promoting Women’s Defense of their Labor Rights within Free Trade Zones in Nicaragua’. This project is jointly implemented by Horizons for Friendship and Maria Elena Cuadra Working and Unemployed Women’s Movement (MEC), a Nicaragua based organization. This project aims at defending women’s labor rights through advocacy and capacity building of young women workers in Nicaragua’s maquila sector. The beneficiaries of this project are young women workers in Free Trade Zones in Nicaragua.
Free Trade Zones worldwide are designated geographical regions within a country where corporations are provided with incentives to manufacture products for exports. Such incentives often include cheap labour which international corporations find very attractive as it allows for low cost production. Workers are therefore paid very low wages which chain them to poverty while enriching these corporations. It is important to note that organized labor is legally prohibited in Free Trade Zones.
This project will help young women workers to defend their labor and economic rights by building their capacity to advocate for themselves. It will empower workers to access justice as young women workers in the Free Trade Zones are often victims of employer abuse. Ultimately, the project will help create awareness of the Nicaragua Government’s economic policies in Free Trade Zones which disadvantage workers’ rights. The project will also help to highlight employers’ responsibility to improve the working conditions and economic rights of women workers in the maquiladora sector Free Trade Zones.
Adam Ly, Chair of the Live and Let Live Fund and Elizabeth Ha, Chair of the Social Justice Fund both represented the Social Justice Fund Board members in a solidarity tour to Nicaragua’s Free Trade Zones.
The knowledge gained through this tour and the international solidarity fostered with the young workers in Nicaragua is proof that workers everywhere should remain united in advocating for good working conditions and the right to earn a living wage.
Justice for Migrant Workers (J4MW)
Justice for Migrant Workers is political not for profit collective that is based in Toronto, and has recently expanded to Vancouver and British Columbia. It aims to promote the rights of migrant farmworkers and is led and directed by migrant workers themselves. Migrant workers are defined as persons who participate in the Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Workers program, the Low Skilled Workers Program, and farm workers without status.
The ‘Harvesting Freedom Campaign’ project was approved for funding by the Social Justice Fund Board. This project is essentially a campaign by migrant workers in their struggle against the exploitation of their labour and economic rights. The funding received from OPSEU will go a long way in sustaining the on-going ‘Harvesting Freedom Campaign’; whose goals are:-
- Organizing in migrant worker communities in Canada including Brantford, Simcoe, Delhi, Tillsonburg, Chatham, Leamington, Kingsville, Hamilton, and the Niagara region.
- Follow-up of the successful caravan through 17 communities across Ontario to raise awareness of situations faced by migrant workers and to build solidarity amongst workers and their communities.
In addition, the funds disbursed will help support equally important outreach activities such as public vigils which highlight deaths of migrant workers in Canada. Migrant workers also plan to use these resources for advocacy and legal representation of fellow workers in need of such support. House visits and social activities to build trust and foster community solidarity among workers will get a huge boost from this donation.
Other initiatives to be implemented include facilitating education for change through workshops on issues of racism, sexism, and the after effects of colonialism. There are also seminars planned on relevant topics such as WSIB, OHSA, ESA, to mention but a few. Workers will also undergo training on leadership and advocacy with a view to building their capacity to effectively articulate their needs to politicians, the legal fraternity, and in their communities. The OPSEU Social Justice Fund is in the forefront of fostering solidarity with migrant workers who are largely the unseen face of fresh food supply in Canada.
American Holocaust
This is a four-part radio documentary series on the native civilizations of the Americas, their destruction by colonizers, and the current resurgence of the Indigenous peoples in Canada and worldwide.
This documentary is produced by Asad Ismi; an award winning writer on international politics and Kristin Schwartz; a community based writer, radio producer and radio broadcaster.
The documentary to be produced with OPSEU’s funding focuses on the immense knowledge and wisdom of indigenous people and how they continue to build sustainable and progressive societies while protecting and living in harmony with nature.
This wisdom is to be shared with millions of people through the radio audience. This documentary is also inspired by the struggles of Indigenous peoples for self-preservation as described by Professor David Stannard’s book ‘America Holocaust’ released in 1992. The documentary gets its title from this book.
This documentary will be enriched through interviews and speeches with Indigenous activists from both North and South America who participated at the recently concluded World Social Forum held in Montreal in August 2016. Other respected activists, authors, academia, and commentators will be interviewed; with most of the interviewees being Indigenous peoples.
The OPSEU Social Justice Fund (SJF) Board held its first meeting of the year in early February. The Board meets as often as is necessary in a calendar year to discuss and review the various proposals received for funding.
In the first quarter of 2017, the Board approved 3 organizations/projects through the Social Justice Fund. Below is a brief summary of these projects and implementing organizations.
This is a not for profit agency based in Cobourg, Ontario. This agency is committed to promoting social justice causes with a focus on people centred development. The geographical scope of Horizons for Friendship is Central America and Mexico.
The SJF Board funded a two year project in Nicaragua; ‘Promoting Women’s Defense of their Labor Rights within Free Trade Zones in Nicaragua’. This project is jointly implemented by Horizons for Friendship and Maria Elena Cuadra Working and Unemployed Women’s Movement (MEC), a Nicaragua based organization. This project aims at defending women’s labor rights through advocacy and capacity building of young women workers in Nicaragua’s maquila sector. The beneficiaries of this project are young women workers in Free Trade Zones in Nicaragua.
Free Trade Zones worldwide are designated geographical regions within a country where corporations are provided with incentives to manufacture products for exports. Such incentives often include cheap labour which international corporations find very attractive as it allows for low cost production. Workers are therefore paid very low wages which chain them to poverty while enriching these corporations. It is important to note that organized labor is legally prohibited in Free Trade Zones.
This project will help young women workers to defend their labor and economic rights by building their capacity to advocate for themselves. It will empower workers to access justice as young women workers in the Free Trade Zones are often victims of employer abuse. Ultimately, the project will help create awareness of the Nicaragua Government’s economic policies in Free Trade Zones which disadvantage workers’ rights. The project will also help to highlight employers’ responsibility to improve the working conditions and economic rights of women workers in the maquiladora sector Free Trade Zones.
Adam Ly, Chair of the Live and Let Live Fund and Elizabeth Ha, Chair of the Social Justice Fund both represented the Social Justice Fund Board members in a solidarity tour to Nicaragua’s Free Trade Zones.
The knowledge gained through this tour and the international solidarity fostered with the young workers in Nicaragua is proof that workers everywhere should remain united in advocating for good working conditions and the right to earn a living wage.
Justice for Migrant Workers (J4MW)
Justice for Migrant Workers is political not for profit collective that is based in Toronto, and has recently expanded to Vancouver and British Columbia. It aims to promote the rights of migrant farmworkers and is led and directed by migrant workers themselves. Migrant workers are defined as persons who participate in the Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Workers program, the Low Skilled Workers Program, and farm workers without status.
The ‘Harvesting Freedom Campaign’ project was approved for funding by the Social Justice Fund Board. This project is essentially a campaign by migrant workers in their struggle against the exploitation of their labour and economic rights. The funding received from OPSEU will go a long way in sustaining the on-going ‘Harvesting Freedom Campaign’; whose goals are:-
- Organizing in migrant worker communities in Canada including Brantford, Simcoe, Delhi, Tillsonburg, Chatham, Leamington, Kingsville, Hamilton, and the Niagara region.
- Follow-up of the successful caravan through 17 communities across Ontario to raise awareness of situations faced by migrant workers and to build solidarity amongst workers and their communities.
In addition, the funds disbursed will help support equally important outreach activities such as public vigils which highlight deaths of migrant workers in Canada. Migrant workers also plan to use these resources for advocacy and legal representation of fellow workers in need of such support. House visits and social activities to build trust and foster community solidarity among workers will get a huge boost from this donation.
Other initiatives to be implemented include facilitating education for change through workshops on issues of racism, sexism, and the after effects of colonialism. There are also seminars planned on relevant topics such as WSIB, OHSA, ESA, to mention but a few. Workers will also undergo training on leadership and advocacy with a view to building their capacity to effectively articulate their needs to politicians, the legal fraternity, and in their communities. The OPSEU Social Justice Fund is in the forefront of fostering solidarity with migrant workers who are largely the unseen face of fresh food supply in Canada.
American Holocaust
This is a four-part radio documentary series on the native civilizations of the Americas, their destruction by colonizers, and the current resurgence of the Indigenous peoples in Canada and worldwide.
This documentary is produced by Asad Ismi; an award winning writer on international politics and Kristin Schwartz; a community based writer, radio producer and radio broadcaster.
The documentary to be produced with OPSEU’s funding focuses on the immense knowledge and wisdom of indigenous people and how they continue to build sustainable and progressive societies while protecting and living in harmony with nature.
This wisdom is to be shared with millions of people through the radio audience. This documentary is also inspired by the struggles of Indigenous peoples for self-preservation as described by Professor David Stannard’s book ‘America Holocaust’ released in 1992. The documentary gets its title from this book.
This documentary will be enriched through interviews and speeches with Indigenous activists from both North and South America who participated at the recently concluded World Social Forum held in Montreal in August 2016. Other respected activists, authors, academia, and commentators will be interviewed; with most of the interviewees being Indigenous peoples.