Plan for a Fair, Safe, and Peaceful World

Here's something I quite like from the article "First step is to understand how capitalism really works" by John Courtneidge in The CCPA Monitor (Vol. 16, No. 6, Nov/09).

Seven-Point Co-operative Commonweal Action Plan to create a fair, safe, peaceful world

1. Co-operatives and peace - not corporations and coercion

Convert competitive, market-based activities into workplace co-operatives, and remodel monopoly activities as community co-operatives. Each co-op would demonstrably operate according to the Co-operative Values and Principles of the International Co-operation Alliance and, from the commonweal and the planet, would have respectful, time-limited co-stewardship of appropriate land and knowledge resources.

2. Not-for-profit banking and financial structures as co-ops - pre-distribution, not redistribution

Distribute the added-value/created-wealth from these workplace co-ops through nationally collected, co-operative corporate taxation, distributed into local, democratically-controlled Community Banks, and so make money and credit available for eco- and socially-responsible wealth creation, community development, and global care.

3. Step-wise abolition of money as access to needs - global co-stewardship for needs and care, not private resources for profit

Maximize necessary service provision (health, education, libraries, transport, and so on) on a co-operative, free-at-the-point-of-use basis: retaining money only as a mechanism for acess to discretionary purchases.

4. Fair, Guaranteed Incomes - Near equal/Equal Income for all

Introduce guaranteed fair income for all, within upper and lower brackets: based upon a liveable, fair Citizen's Income, and so do away with the need for direct and indirect personal taxation - income tax, sales taxes, and so on.

5. Abolition of for-profit money - An end to usury/riba, and of banking as global warfare

Abolish money-lending and credit-creation for profit, and so operate banking as a community-controlled, co-operative public service.

6. Regulated international relations - An and to global exploitation through financial speculation

Reintroduce international exchange controls, a Tobin Tax, etc., as necessary.

7. All our sisters our brothers, and all our brothers our sisters - One is all, all as one, all in one

Make capital grants (not loans) to developing countries.

Join the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives!

Open Letter to SOGS Members

Open Letter to the Members of
The Society of Graduate Students of
The University of Western Ontario
Local 47 of the Canadian Federation of Students

November 30, 2009

Dear Friends & Colleagues,

This past March I was elected with 58% support. Tonight, following a hostile recall vote, I was reaffirmed as the President of SOGS -- with 57% support.*

Coincidentally, I have completed 58% of my term. Five months remain, and much work remains to be done. Of course, I will continue to keep you informed about major issues. And I will work with all of you to mount a campaign against the coming unfair tuition fee increases (info in PDF).

My sincere hope is that my detractors will permit me to move forward. I was thinking tonight of all the time and energy that was wasted on the recall attempt -- by all of us -- and of the unnecessary divisiveness that it created. It saddened me. We have more important things to do, and we should be working together on important issues.

Certainly, I can think of much better ways to spend my time than having to dedicate several days and countless hours on responding to pettiness, ambushes, falsehoods, and negativity in general. I just want to do the job that I was elected to do, and I want to do it well.

I am very pleased with the progress that the SOGS Council of representatives has been making recently in conjunction with the Executive and the various committees. I am also pleased with the culture of inclusion and diversity that we are creating. We are definitely on the right track.

I wish to thank all of you: for your time, for your positivity, for your confidence in me, and for rejecting the recall. I am immensely grateful. A silver lining to this ordeal is the fact that I met so many great people along the way. You made such a difference.

End-of-term turmoil is here and the much-needed holiday break is approaching. I wish you success in your own year-end wrap-up, and I look forward to reuniting with all of you in the new year. I hope you'll take time to relax and rejuvenate over the holidays.

Once again, thank you!

Warm regards,

Rick Telfer
SOGS President

* 750 ballots in total: 425 against recall + 320 in favour + 5 spoiled. Note that, to succeed, a recall vote requires a two-thirds majority.

Off with my head!

Earlier this fall, I learned that two former executive members of Western's Society of Graduate Students (SOGS), Jonathan Meyer and Dan Dechene, were circulating a petition to initiate a referendum to disaffiliate from the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS). It's no secret that I am strongly opposed to disaffiliation. I have been very open and honest about my support for student unity through the Federation. Of course, my vocal support for the Federation has made me a convenient political target for those seeking to discredit and weaken the Federation -- even before I was elected as President of SOGS.

Just as university presidents are united provincially through the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) and nationally through the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), and just as academic staff and faculty are united provincially through the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) and nationally through the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), I believe that graduate students at Western should remain united with other students across Canada and in Ontario through the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) and its National Graduate Caucus (NGC).

With strength in numbers, we stand the best chance of advancing our interests -- as students -- through government lobbying and grassroots mobilizations. By working togther with other students' unions, we can advance a progressive agenda for accessible and high quality post-secondary education: for reduced tuition fees, for needs-based grants (not loans and debt), for adequate government funding, and for greater equity in graduate and research funding. And why should we? Because we want nothing less than a vibrant and equitable system of post-secondary education. Because we believe that education is a right, not a privilege. Because we believe that education shouldn't be a debt sentence.

Demanding that governments place priority on post-secondary education inevitably creates political enemies; governments dislike bad media attention and elite interests prefer to hoard wealth. Certainly, the Federation is a "big tent" organization in which students from all walks of life and political stripes work together for common goals. However, there have always been those whose partisan allegiances supersede any interest in such common goals. Students' struggles for education and social justice have always been met with resistance. Sometimes that resistance comes from other students; often those other students have a partisan agenda.

For instance, it is now very well documented that young Conservative Party activists across Canada, and on various campuses including Western's, are leading the recent attacks upon the reputation of the Canadian Federation of Students. With each passing day, the political strategy becomes clearer and clearer. Hand-in-hand with the petition drives for disaffiliation referenda is a well coordinated smear campaign. The Conservative Party activists know well that, in politics, repetition is truth; their real agenda is easily obscured with repeated references to "corruption." And so we hear it, again and again -- and again. Eventually, even some of the most critically minded thinkers become believers: "I've heard it so many times! It must be true!"

What, then, might be the real agenda of the Conservative Party activists? The Executive Director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) recently hit the nail on the head: It's "a desire to cripple one of the most activist, committed and progressive student associations not only in Canada but internationally." Let's state the obvious: The Conservative Party of Canada hopes to win a majority in the next federal election. The Conservatives want maximal power to implement the most radical right-wing agenda that Canada has ever seen. So, wouldn't that be easier without those pesky kids and their annoying demands as developed and expressed through the Canadian Federation of Students?

Of course it would. Many, if not most, of the Federation's positions stand in direct opposition to the reactionary positions of the Conservative Party. Personally, I think that's an achievement to be celebrated: For nearly three decades, students in Canada have been building one of the most progressive organizations in the country -- and in the world. We value equality of opportunity, freedom, fairness, and community. We seek to dismantle oppression; therefore, we vigorously oppose sexism, homophobia/heterosexism, transphobia, ageism, ableism, and racism. Does this sound like Stephen Harper's utopia to you?

Returning to Western: My political opponents, Jonathan Meyer and Dan Dechene, are undoubtedly scheming as I write this. Their next line of attack? Impeachment. Already there has been submitted a petition to commence proceedings to recall me from the position of SOGS President; an official announcement will likely follow in the very near future. It wasn't enough for them to defame me prior to me announcing my candidacy for the position. Their interference in the election process didn't work, either -- despite their corrupt collaboration with the Chief Returning Officer as she attempted to invalidate my election. (She failed miserably and then quit.) But Jonathan Meyer and Dan Dechene have persisted in their attacks.

Why? Because I support membership in the Canadian Federation of Students. Clearly, they do not. They orchestrated the petition drive for disaffiliation at Western and have also participated in a Facebook group -- created by (surprise!) Conservative Party activists -- established to "highlight a number of reasons why de-federation is necessary." So, of course, Jonathan Meyer and Dan Dechene are undoubtedly preparing for a defederation referendum in early 2010. Having me as President might therefore be, um, inconvenient. Surely they're hoping for minimal opposition as they implement their smear campaign. Even when they're repeated ad nauseam, it's a tad difficult to pass lies for truth when the President routinely de-bunks them.

And so: Off with my head!

Oh, certainly: They won't be honest about their real goals. They'll say that I'm a nasty person. They'll exaggerate their grievances about my missteps. They'll say I'm "unfit." Lather. Rinse. Repeat. But do not be deceived: The agenda is clear. Jonathan Meyer and Dan Dechene have aligned themselves with the Conservative Party activists who would shatter student unity and who detest the progressive vision of the Canadian Federation of Students. They have no interest in "reforming" the Canadian Federation of Students: Like the Conservatives, they simply want to smash it to pieces.

I ran to become the President of SOGS because I hoped to return our students' union to a progressive and advocacy-oriented track. For too long, SOGS has served as little more than a lapdog of the administration and a resume-padding paradise for opportunists. SOGS staff often treat graduate students with disdain while a clubhouse clique of insular executives has worked to disenfranchise criticism and progressive voices. From the beginning, I knew that this wasn't going to be easy. I predicted -- even before taking office -- that my opponents would eventually attempt to impeach me. Frankly, I'm surprised it took them this long.

Student journalists (and their victims): Take note

Based upon many years of personal experience, I believe that many student journalists could use a few lessons in basic journalistic standards. At the same time, those who find themselves in the crosshairs of politically motivated and/or unskilled student journalists could often use a set of standards by which to evaluate and criticize unfair and biased reporting.

Ethical Guidelines

To everyone, I offer the following ethical guidelines for journalism as published by the Canadian Association of Journalists which "is a national non-profit public interest advocacy and professional development organization serving Canadian journalists from all media, including print, broadcast and online. It is the only group of its kind in Canada. Founded in 1978, and counting more than 1,500 active members across the country, the CAJ is run by a volunteer board of professional journalists."

Et voila...

#1 - "Statement of Principles and Ethics Guidelines for Journalism":

• http://www.caj.ca/principles/principles-statement-2002.htm

#2 - "Statement of Principles and Ethics Guidelines for Investigative Journalism":

• http://www.caj.ca/principles/principles-statement-investigative-2004.htm

Defamation & Libel

Also noteworthy is the following description of defamation—including libel, which is published defamation—in accordance with Canadian law, from the law firm Blakes:

• http://www.blakes.com/DBIC/guide/Dispute/html/defamation.html

In a nutshell, Blakes explains that "[a] defamatory statement is any statement that would lower the reputation of the plaintiff in his or her community in the estimation of 'reasonable' persons." However, a statement is not defamatory if it is true, fair comment, or privileged. Nevertheless, neither fair comment nor qualified privilege are valid defences if the party who made the statement did so with malicious intentions.

Also important: "In defamation cases, damages are presumed." This means that monetary compensation for defamation is not based, for example, upon a calculation of losses as a consequence of defamation. Courts simply award varying amounts of monetary compensation based upon circumstances and precedent.

Blakes explains: "The largest award in a Canadian case was for C$1,600,000, half of which was for 'punitive' damages, intended to punish the defendants for their highly malicious conduct. Most Canadian damage awards for libel are under C$100,000. The advent of the Internet may, however, push damage awards upwards, as at least one appellate-level court has found that damage awards for defamation over the Internet should be higher than those awarded for print publication."

Wonder who's leading the recent attacks against the Canadian Federation of Students? That's easy.

Sadly, much of the recent student media attention upon the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS)—Canada’s largest and oldest (est. 1981) national student organization—has focused upon supposed dissatisfaction with the Federation among students on certain campuses. Instead of focusing upon the Federation’s critically important advocacy efforts on behalf students nationally and provincially, significant attention has instead been dedicated to criticisms of the Federation as advanced by a spotlighted fringe minority. Many such criticisms have also been propagated online. A key question therefore arises: Who is leading this vocal minority?

Might it just be some ordinary students who are genuinely fed up? Or perhaps it's a well organized network with roots in the Canadian Right? Let us consider some of the credentials and commingling evident here at The University of Western Ontario.

Amber Ruddy, pictured above at a Conservative campaign table (top, on right) and also with Conservative Party Leader Stephen Harper (bottom), opposes the "stances" taken by the Canadian Federation of Students. Hmmm... I wonder why. Could it be because the Conservative plan for social programs, like post-secondary education, is to steadily erode them? Perhaps.

One leader is Amber Ruddy, the creator of an anti-Federation Facebook group. Ms. Ruddy is a former official of Western’s University Students’ Council—a students' union that aligns itself with others that have, over the years, favoured tuition fee increases. Ms. Ruddy is also a Conservative Party activist. (The other group "admin" is Eric Merkley who is also a Conservative Party activist.) On Facebook, Ms. Ruddy is pictured in photographs with Conservative Party Leader Stephen Harper and with other Conservatives in a variety of official Party settings. She is a “fan” of both the Fraser Institute and Milton Friedman—both proponents of radical right-wing economic ideologies and supporters of dismantling social welfare, including the privatization of post-secondary education through tuition fee increases, student debt, withdrawal of government funding, and the establishment of private for-profit institutions. We have them to thank for justifications supporting higher tuition fees and debt accumulation.

Introducing Jonathan Meyer—caught with his pants down. He thinks I'm “unfit" and he calls this image "intellectual property." Says Meyer of himself: "it was a dare to walk across the street with my pants down. it was pretty funny.."

On October 7, Western’s student newspaper, The Gazette, reported that graduate student Jonathan Meyer declared that I am “unfit” to be the President of Western’s Society of Graduate Students. Together with graduate student Dan Dechene, Mr. Meyer had been busy collecting signatures—sometimes from alcohol-consuming pub customers—on a petition to initiate a referendum to disaffiliate from the Federation. Of course, there can be little doubt that Mr. Meyer’s real concern is not with my presidential “fitness” but rather with my support for the Federation—about which I have always been open and honest. (Note that, earlier in the year, Mr. Dechene complained about the “process” to unionize certain graduate student workers—a typical mask for general opposition to unionization, as made obvious by his participation in the Facebook group “Vote NO Unionization of Western Grad Students”. Oh, how often it all begins with a bogus “process” concern!)

As posted by Mr. Meyer, Dan Dechene is photographed while finding humour in the stickers sneakily placed on the back of his friend, Kai Pisters—who is also a member of Ms. Ruddy's anti-Federation Facebook group. Wait a minute! What are those stickers?

Ah, yes. The Federation's anti-discrimination/anti-homophobia campaign sticker. Questions: Why do they think it's acceptable to make a mockery of this campaign in public? And why do they think it's okay to waste campaign materials in this way? Ms. Ruddy's anti-Federation Facebook group declares that “the CFS uses its resources to take stances on countless social and political issues irrelevant to postsecondary education.” Is this the kind of social issue that she thinks a national student organization should ignore?

Certainly, it’s no secret that my opinion is in perfect alignment with that of Jim Turk’s, the Executive Director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT). CAUT is the national voice for academic staff. In response to criticisms paralleling those of Conservative Party activists, like Ms. Ruddy, Dr. Turk recently described the Federation as “one of the most activist, committed and progressive student associations not only in Canada but internationally.” He added: “The Canadian Association of University Teachers has worked closely with the Canadian Federation of Students for years, and we consider them our closest national ally in pressing for high quality, accessible post-secondary education.”

I also agree profusely with the President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)-Ontario, Sid Ryan, who recently responded to such criticisms by describing the Federation as “one of Canada’s most progressive and effective organizations speaking on the interests and issues affecting students.” In regards to the criticisms themselves, he highlighted that “the not so hidden agenda here is to hog-tie the CFS, so that they are no longer able to challenge universities and governments that continue to saddle Canadian families and students with upwardly spiraling tuition fees and debt.” Many unionized student (and other) workers in post-secondary education are members of CUPE.

Returning to Mr. Meyer, one is left wondering: On which side of the fence is he located? The proof, as my mother likes to say, is in the pudding. While Mr. Meyer claimed only to desire “debate” about the merits of Federation membership—his supposed motivation for the defederation petition drive—he was quick to join Ms. Ruddy’s explicitly anti-Federation Facebook group. As a member of that group, Mr. Meyer posted a comment in which he called me (among other things) a “hack” of the Federation and also a “proclaimed [sic] homosexual,” as though one’s sexuality is an appropriate target for consideration in a forum established to identify political opponents. Indeed, apart from its commitment to right-wing economic ideas espoused by the likes of Milton Friedman and the Fraser Institute, one is immediately reminded of the Conservative Party’s—um, shall we say—less than celebratory treatment of sexual minorities.

So, beware: He supports reduced tuition fees and he’s also a “homosexual”! Impeach the “unfit” president before it’s too late!

As time passes, I have no doubt that the true colours of the anti-Federation mouthpieces—like Ms. Ruddy, Mr. Meyer, and Mr. Dechene—will increasingly come to light. They always do. Of course, this story almost always begins with “concerns” about “democracy,” “transparency,” and “process.” Those concerns are then broadcast across the land with the help of fiercely partisan bloggers—and often being uncritically regurgitated in the student press. Many students, finding it hard to believe that anybody would actually favour higher tuition fees and student debt, are persuaded that the Federation must really be “corrupt.” But, with a little effort, the mouthpieces can be exposed. The connections to radical right-wing ideologies and agendas are seldom far beneath the surface. (And they sure do get testy when those connections are pointed out! What's that old expression about protesting too much?!) And so there appears Stephen Harper, smiling beside Ms. Ruddy—a freshly minted graduate of the school of Preston Manning, the Manning Centre, which “is committed to [...] finding ways for conservatives of all ideological and regional backgrounds to work together toward common objectives.” Yikes! Could one of those objectives be a carefully coordinated attack upon one of Canada’s most progressive and effective organizations?

Are these the people we want crafting policy for post-secondary education? Representing us? Can we trust the baseless opinions of those mouthpieces who parrot Conservative talking points about “corruption” within the Canadian Federation of Students?

Regarding post-secondary education policy and human rights, I must confess that my own underlying values depart significantly from those of the Conservative Party of Canada. Indeed, I’d be “unfit” as a Conservative Party activist. You could say that I’m with the CAUT. And CUPE-Ontario. And you’re damn right that I’m with the Canadian Federation of Students: It’s the only national student organization in Canada that has, for years, tenaciously fought for ordinary students and their families, and for a vision of post-secondary education that guarantees equality of access for all regardless of socioeconomic background, and regardless of those other vicious social barriers that serve to divide rather than unite us—like homophobia, transphobia, sexism, ableism, and racism. It's certainly not a vision favoured by Canada's ruling elite. So, naturally, Ms. Ruddy’s Facebook group calls that vision “far-left radicalism.” And me? I call it worth fighting for.