CONTENTS

1. CALLS TO ACTION
2. EVENTS
3. ARTICLES

Petition to increase CPP Death Benefit

Petition to the House of Commons in Parliament assembled
Whereas:

– The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Death Benefit was indexed to inflation until 1997, then reduced from $3,580 to $2,500 in 1998, and has remained frozen ever since;
– If it had remained indexed, the benefit would be about $6,400 in 2025;
– The average cost of a funeral in Canada has more than doubled since 1998, now typically between $15,000 and $20,000.

We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the House of Commons to:
– Increase the CPP Death Benefit to $6,400 (its inflation-adjusted 2025 value had it remained indexed) and restore annual indexation to prevent further erosion.

ourcommons.ca

Cuban Revolution

When: January 3rd, 7pm
Where: 25 Cecil St
Tickets: $20 (dinner included)

Guest speaker: Victor Manuel Garcia Sanchez, Consul General for Cuba
Live music: Cassava, Life to Liberation

CCFA | Facebook event

What IS Wrong with Line 6?

When: January 6th, 6pm
Where: Jane/Finch Centre, Unit 50A

The Finch West LRT (Line 6) trains are running at nearly half the speed of the 36C Finch West bus — despite over $3.5 billion being spent on the project. Instead of faster trips, many riders are now facing longer commutes.

Facebook | instagram.com

Booklaunch: A Labour of Love

When: Tuesday January 6th, 7pm
Where: 25 Cecil St

Guest speaker: Andrea Babbington, Rosemarie Powell, Sid Ryan.

mailchi.mp | Facebook event

TWHP Book Club

When: Wednesday, January 7th, 7pm

Join us as we discuss Judy Darcy’s Memoirs, Leading from the Heart: The Battles of a Feminist, Union Leader and Politician.

If you are interested in joining us, please contact David Kidd – dkidd10@gmail.com

mailchi.mp

Anti-Eviction Movement in Venezuela

When: January 10th, 12pm

As a part of our “Building an Anti-Imperialist Neighbourhood Struggle” Public Educational Series, please join us to hear from Rigel Sergent, Spokesperson, Movimiento de Inquilinas e Inquilinos, anti-eviction movement in Venezuela. They are a part of their parent organization: Movimiento de Pobladoras y Pobladores, combative Chavista platform for urban struggle, that occupies unused urban land.

We will also be joined by Blanca Eeekhout, who has previously served as the Minister of People’s Power for the Communes and Social Movements of Venezuela, a leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela and is the current president of the Instituto Simón Bolívar for Peace and Solidarity Among Peoples (ISB) which advocates for peace, solidarity, and human rights in Venezuela!
docs.google.com

The Battle for a Shorter Working Day

When: January 14, 15, and 16th, 7:30pm
Where: Steelworkers’ Hall, 25 Cecil St

There was a time when workers sweated through ten or twelve-hour working days. How did we end up with more time off the job? By unions demanding it, again and again.

It all began in 1872. That year a movement for a nine-hour day burst onto the public stage in cities and towns across central Canada. Toronto was the site of one of the most famous incidents in that campaign when the printers went on strike against almost all the city’s newspapers.

eventbrite.ca

Higher Education Organizing Meeting

When: January 15th, 6:30pm
Where: College Street United Church, 502 Bathurst St

Building on our first successful meeting in November, we’re forging ahead with our sectoral-wide organizing strategy in the higher education sector. Our second organizing meeting, which will be held on January 15th, is focused on creating a Solidarity Pact for higher education workers. Sean Smith – a former activist and organizer with the Toronto Airport Workers Council – will be joining us to discuss what a solidarity pact is, how Toronto Airport Workers used it as an organizing tool, and how we can develop something similar to build our collective power across the education sector.

The purpose of January’s meeting is threefold: (1) understanding what a Solidarity Pact is and how it can help us develop unity across the sector; (2) begin constructing our own Solidarity Pact; and (3) strategize ways we can use our Solidarity Pact as an organizing tool across the higher education sector.

tally.so

Introduction to Socialism

When: Sundays, February 15 to April 5

Curious about socialism? Interested about if it is really possible and taking a sober look at the problems it will face? Want to discuss how to begin affecting change right now?

In these uncertain and dangerous times, The Leo Panitch School for Socialist Education is a space to listen, discuss and challenge the contemporary relevancy of socialism.

tickettailor.com

The Notwithstanding Clause: A Tool for Authoritarianism in Canada

By William Paul

The “clause” is the “notwithstanding clause,” otherwise known as Section 33 of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Alberta Premier, Danielle Smith has been busy these past couple of months, invoking it to protect legislation affecting schools, labour, and families. Over the past few years, premiers have come to see the “notwithstanding clause” as a handy tool to avoid court challenges to legislation. But it is undermining democracy, and the problem is getting worse.

Source: The Bullet No. 3239

The American Dream, We Hardly Knew You

By John Miller

If Americans’ hopes of getting ahead have dimmed, as the Wall Street Journal reports yet again, it could only be because the lid of the coffin in which the “American Dream” was long ago laid to rest has finally been sealed shut. The promise that if you work hard and play by the rules, you will get ahead, or if you don’t, surely your children will, was broken long ago. And today’s economic hardships have left young adults distinctly worse off than their parents, and especially their grandparents.

Source: The Bullet No. 3240