The Dominion: All Audio

Occupy Montreal Keeps on Occupying

dru@dru.ca (Tim McSorley) — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 10:32:43 +0000

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Activists took over a St. Henri park for a weekend to keep spreading their message of change

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http://www.radio4all.net/responder.php/download/63225/70311/83542/?url=http://www.radio4all.net/files/sandra.m.cuffe@gmail.com/4668-1-full_piece_mixdown.mp3

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Photo by Sophie Blais

MONTREAL—Last October, a band of unlikely bedfellows occupied Square Victoria, which they promptly renamed la Place du Peuple (the People's Place) and transformed into a tent city in the style of Occupy Wall Street. For the weekend of September 15, a similarly diverse crew organized Occupons le Sud-Ouest, an occupation of Parc Sir-George-Étienne-Cartier in St. Henri.

François Genest, an active participant in Occupy Montréal projects, doesn't think that the lack of a permanent home substantially changes the nature of the movement.

"Obviously we can't have any tents any more, but we can still continue to meet in public spaces and say, 'we're here, the problems are still here, and we are working with the people,'" said Genest.

Despite the lack of tents, the occupiers managed to make the park feel homey. On an asphalt pathway, someone had chalked "Welcome Home" in French. Next to a play area with children's toys, there was the "free market;" clothing, books and other miscellaneous items laid out in the grass, where people could give or take whatever they wanted to.

There was a large red sheet spread on the ground where people held workshops throughout the weekend. Shannon Franssen, a spokesperson for Mobilization Turcot, led a presentation about the Turcot Interchange project. The Turcot Interchange is a major highway intersection between St. Henri and Côte St. Paul that the Charest government had been planning to renovate and expand.

Shannon Franssen explained Mobilization Turcot's opposition to the plan. "The current project has some really disastrous effects on local neighbourhoods, but it also has some disastrous effects on all of Montréal, and is going to cost the taxpayers about 1.5 billion dollars more than it should."

On Sunday, people from different Assemblées populaires autonomes du quartier (APAQs) met to share ideas about popular education. APAQs are neighbourhood organizations that emerged from the mobilization and general discontent of last spring.

According to Christine Dumas, an active member of the APA Hochelaga/Maisonneuve, the APAQs have great potential as tools for political organizing and bringing about tangible change. "[An APAQ] is a place to take hold of the dialogue, a place where projects for the neighbourhood and for the society can emerge, and it can go in all kinds of different directions," she said in French.

Hugo Martorell, a McGill political science student, participated in a workshop on popular education on Sunday. He has been involved in the Alternative University Project, which aims to re-imagine the way that we think about education.

"In March, [Alternative University organizers] started realizing that there were other groups that were doing the same thing we were doing, and there was this willingness to build a network, and trying to get out of your own social groups that you are predestined to be in, and being in this experiment where you learn from people that have different experiences from you," said Martorell.

Sophie Thiébaut, St. Henri's municipal councillor, spent most of both days at the occupation of the park. She explained in French why she had come to the park this weekend and emphasized the importance of treating elected officials as people like anyone else.

"An event like Occupons le Sud-Ouest allows elected officials to listen to the population, because I think that there are few places where you can hear what people think about politics, so a place to listen, and also a place to exchange, because an elected official is, above all, a citizen, and nothing more than a citizen," said Thiébaut.

It was hard not to get drawn in by the hopefulness that lit up Parc Sir-George-Étienne-Cartier earlier this month. Organizing such an event demands a relentless kind of optimism, an optimism that was perhaps most evident in the details.

It was evident in the free food served all weekend, with only the hope that the people who came for the food would stick around for the politics. Whether that optimism will bear fruit in bringing about real change remains to be seen.

Carla Green is a McGill student and an active member of CKUT's news collective in Montreal. A version of this content previously appeared on the Montreal Media Co-op. The audio originally aired on CKUT's Off the Hour on Friday, September 21. The text was adapted from the McGill Daily.

Stefan Christoff on Duets for Abdelrazik

dru@dru.ca (dawn) — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 14:36:52 +0000

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Montreal-based musician, activist and writer explores musical solidarity

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MP3:

http://www.radio4all.net/responder.php/download/62296/69332/82666/?url=http://www.radio4all.net/files/dawnpaley@gmail.com/3632-1-stefan_christoff_DUETS.mp3

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Stefan Christoff, an activist, writer, composer and musician, talks about his recently released disc, Duets for Abdelrazik. This recording, made in Montreal in August 2012, includes three short clips of music from the disc.

Image: Stefan Christoff playing at l'Envers, photo by Elsa Jabre.

This piece was originally published on the Media Co-op. Dawn Paley is a journalist and co-founder of the Vancouver Media Co-op.

Stopped at Sea, Continuing by Land

dru@dru.ca (hillarybain) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:30:26 +0000

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Freedom Flotilla participant pushes on to Gaza

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We last spoke with Miles Howe on June 28 aboard the Freedom Flotilla II's Canadian ship, the Tahrir in a small port town in Greece.

Carrying medical supplies, the Tahrir was part of a fleet of 11 ships that attempted to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza. Two of the ships were sabotaged. Others were harassed with lawsuits and bureaucratic red-tape from the Greek Coast Guard, delaying their departures.

Greek authorities eventually prohibited all Flotilla ships from leaving Greece, especially those leaving for the port of Gaza. Despite the ban, the Tahrir and crew attempted to evade the Greek Coast Guard, but were captured and brought to port after a high seas chase. On July 9, the Tahrir officially threw in the towel on making it to Gaza—this time.

After the plug was pulled on the Freedom Flotilla’s attempts by sea, we joined Miles Howe in Cairo on July 11, en route to Gaza by land.

Miles Howe is reporting regularly to the Halifax Media Co-op from the Middle East. Visit Dispatches from the Tahrir for updates.

From Canada to Greece To Gaza

dru@dru.ca (hillarybain) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 05:40:59 +0000

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An interview with Miles Howe as he prepares to sail aboard the Tahrir

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MP3:

http://www.radio4all.net/files/pierre_loiselle@hotmail.com/774-1-MilesHoweAthensJune282011_mixdown.mp3

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Since October 2007, Israel has maintained economic sanctions on Gaza designed to keep Palestinian society on the brink of collapse. Last year, the Freedom Flotilla—a fleet of activists carrying humanitarian aid—attempted to defy Israel’s siege on Gaza. The Mavi Marmara, a Turkish ship amongst the flotilla, was boarded by the Israeli Defense Forces and nine activists were killed. This year, a Canadian ship is joining the Freedom Flotilla II.

Miles Howe is an activist and journalist with the Halifax Media Co-op. He will be sailing aboard the Canadian-flagged ship, the Tahrir. We’ve reached Miles in Athens where the flotilla is ready to leave for Gaza at a moment's notice.

Miles will be reporting regularly to the Halifax Media Co-op from the Canadian Boat to Gaza. Visit Dispatches from the Tahrir for updates.

"Egypt is a Linchpin"

dru@dru.ca (dru) — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 05:57:08 +0000

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Interview with Montreal organizer Mostafa Henaway on protests in Egypt and solidarity in Canada

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Photo by Ehab Lotayef

About 50 demonstrators gathered January 25 in a festive show of support for hundreds of thousands of Egyptians marching in the streets of many cities, demanding a major reorganization of their country's economy and the removal of the leadership of the National Democratic Party, in power since 1952.

In this interview, community organizer Mostafa Henaway discusses the scene at the Montreal protests. Henaway also discusses reactions within the diaspora, the demands the demonstrators are making of their government and Canada's stance in the region.

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View: more photos of the demonstration, video of the demonstration

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A message from Montreal demonstrators:

Egyptian Day of Protest

January 25, 2011

We, Canadians of Egyptian origin and Egyptians residing in Canada, are supporting the demands of the popular demonstrations taking place all around Egypt, today, January 25, 2011, which can be summarized in the following points:

1) We demand the government should confront the problem of poverty before it explodes. It should respect the rule law as formulated by the Egyptian judiciary: to increase minimum wage, and to improve public services, especially in the areas of health and education. The government should also provide a subsidy of up to 500 Egyptian pounds for each university graduate who cannot find a job in his/her field, for a specific period of time.

2) We demand the abolition of the state of emergency that controls the security apparatus and the arrest of numerous political dissidents to government policies and their imprisonment in detention camps, without due process. We abhor the violation of human rights and the systematic torture of civilians in police stations. We demand the implementation of the provisions provided by the judiciary in respect of the law.
3) We demand the dismissal of the Minister of Interior Affairs, Mr. Habib El-Adli, for failing to secure the Christian minority from the terrorist attacks that took place in Alexandria, on New Year's Eve and for failing to stem the proliferation of crimes that occurred at the hands of officers or agents of the Ministry of the Interior.

4) We demand that the presidential term be limited to two consecutive terms because absolute power corrupts. There is no developed country in the world, that allows its executive power to remain in office for more than two decades. It is our right, not only to choose our president, but also to oppose any attempt to prolong the term of the presidency for life, otherwise our republic will become to a kingdom.

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For more information in English:

[[CE-ready for posting]] Young Occupants

dru@dru.ca (hillarybain) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:59:40 +0000

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Occupations across Canada are making space for people otherwise rejected by society

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FROM: 2011-11-10 11:59:40

HALIFAX—Two youths push a shopping cart across Robie Street, in Halifax. They have the look of very young men playing at being older than they are. They are street kids, and like a significant portion of the population that was camping out at Grand Parade Square as part of Occupy Nova Scotia, they are the city's poor.

Occupy NS was forcibly evicted on November 11 during a rain and wind storm. Tents and supplies were seized, and 14 people were charged with obstruction of justice for attempting to stop police from cramming tents in garbage bags only hours after the eviction notice was received.

The reason given for the eviction was a municipal bylaw that forbids camping in parks.

One of the criticisms lobbed against Occupy NS, and the Occupy movement in general, is that there are no direction and no goals. I would counter, from my limited experience at Parade Square, that it is very difficult—if not impossible—to create a media-friendly list of demands and goals for a movement that is attempting to re-invent society. Add to that the fact that the Occupy movement is also learning how to immediately deal with those whom this society has rejected, and the immensity of the task becomes more clear.

Occupation sites have been criticized for being unclean and unsafe. But at Parade Square in Halifax, unlike the city's over-taxed shelters and pitiful lack of affordable housing, no one was turned away, and everyone was fed.

This interview is with two 16-year-old street youths (one who has been on the street since he was nine) who both spent time at Parade Square. This interview was done before the eviction took place.

Be advised that the interview contains some expletives.

Miles Howe writes for the Halifax Media Co-op and was arrested during the eviction of Occupy Nova Scotia. Questions? Comments? Drop us a line: info@mediacoop.ca.

Unofficial Transcript Radio #3

dru@dru.ca (dawn) — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 11:19:32 +0000

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GRIP-UQAM activists work to transform food politics & challenge economic structure

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To learn about some of the work being done by student activists at the Université du Québec à Montréal, I visited a small but feisty focal point of student militancy known as GRIP-UQAM.

In these days of impending climate chaos and and shrinking biodiversity, many of the student groups sponsored by the GRIP are working on projects aimed at reversing environmental destruction — with a notable focus on transforming the wasteful processes that go into the production of food.

To get the low-down on these goings-on, Unofficial Transcript spoke to GRIP-UQAM coordinator Jocelyn Darou, in her sunny downtown office.

Report by David Koch. Unofficial Transcript is made possible with funding from the Canadian Federation of Students-Quebec (CFSQ).

Music: “Radio Nowhere” by Ethnomite Pux. This song is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.5 Image by Anthony Catalano, Licensed under Creative Commons 2.0.

Unofficial Transcript Radio #2

dru@dru.ca (dawn) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 11:54:27 +0000

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Thousands protest Quebec budget, riot police confront youth in Montreal’s World Trade Centre

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On April 1 in Montreal, students demonstrated alongside feminist groups, labour unions, and community groups, protesting an austere budget just released by the Quebec government.

Thousands turned out for the protest, and their anger towards Jean Charest’s Liberal government was evident.

But the crowd, which marched through the city streets escorted by police, remained relatively calm until after the rally ended in Montreal’s Old Port.

That’s when a contingent of perhaps 100 or 200 protesters, mostly youth, entered the World Trade Centre of Montreal — and stayed there until riot police showed them to door.

Report by David Koch. The Unofficial Transcript is made possible with funding from the Canadian Federation of Students-Quebec (CFSQ).

Music: “Radio Nowhere” by Ethnomite Pux. This song is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.5 Image by Anthony Catalano, Licensed under Creative Commons 2.0.

Unofficial Transcript Radio #1

dru@dru.ca (dawn) — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 13:37:33 +0000

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News from the Canadian student movement

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http://www.radio4all.net/responder.php/download/41027/46447/63160/?url=http://www.radio4all.net/files/davidgkoch@gmail.com/3680-1-unofficialtranscript.mp3

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This is the first edition of Unofficial Transcript Radio, a series of newscasts focusing on the Canadian student movement.

Quebec students say the Education Ministry owes them $35 million

The fate of millions of dollars in federal money transferred to Quebec appears to be in limbo. Student leaders say that money should be in the hands of students who need bursaries for their education. This dispatch is part of a report back from the March 11 protest.

New research policy conceals weapons research at McGill University

The activist group Demilitarize McGill has been campaigning for greater transparency in financial relations between military agencies and the research groups that help them to develop deadly weapons. On March 24, the McGill Senate adopted a new research policy that effectively rejected the terms of Demilitarize McGill. The activists are now calling for direct action.

Student leaders fight tuition hikes in Quebec

Two student leaders speak out on the trend towards higher tuition fees in Quebec and argue for alternatives. Featuring Christian Pépin, the Coordinating Secretary of the Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante (ASSÉ) and Sebastian Ronderos-Morgan, Vice President of External Affairs for the Students Society of McGill University (SSMU).

These reports are made possible with funding from the Canadian Federation of Students-Quebec (CFSQ).

Music in this episode includes "Radio Nowhere" by Ethnomite Pux. This song is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.5 Image by Anthony Catalano, Licensed under Creative Commons 2.0.

"No Olympics on Stolen Native Land" Resonates Across Canada

dru@dru.ca (Moira Peters) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:03:52 +0000

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Struggles against the extractive industries could take center stage in post-Olympics organizing

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"No Olympics on Stolen Native Land" was the central slogan for those organizing in resistance to the 2010 Olympics. This piece looks at a few elements of the anti-Olympics movement, and explores some post-Olympics predictions.

All interviews and speeches were recorded during the anti-Olympics convergence in Vancouver in February, 2010.

Interviews include: Harsha Walia, Olympics Resistance Network; Melissa Elliot, Six Nations; Toghestiy (Warner Naziel), Wet'suwet'en; Arthur Manuel, Secwepemc Nation.

Music by Compassion Gorilla.

Produced with assistance from Citizen Shift.

"They love everything about Indigenous Peoples, except the people"

dru@dru.ca (dawn) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:50:00 +0000

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A talk by Gord Hill

MP3:

http://www.radio4all.net/responder.php/download/36831/42047/58843/?url=http://www.radio4all.net/files/dawnpaley@gmail.com/3632-1-gordhilloct1909.mp3

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"The government wants to say, 'It's all great here. We have a great relationship with Indigenous peoples.' We're saying no, that's false. That's a lie that the governments, the corporations and the Olympics are perpetrating."

These are some of the words of Gord Hill, member of the Kwakwak'wakw Nation, editor of No2010.com, and resident of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

In this talk, recorded at UBC's Green College on October 19th, 2009, Hill discusses the history behind the slogan "No Olympics on Stolen Native Land."

Adil Charkaoui Speaks

dru@dru.ca (dawn) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:00:16 +0000

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On CSIS, Security Certificates and understanding Kafka

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On June 26, Adil Charkaoui spoke about his experience as one of five men in Canada living under a security certificate.

He was in Vancouver for an event sponsored by No One Is Illegal-Vancouver, BC Civil Liberties Association, Canadian Muslim Union, Council of Canadians - BC / Yukon Region, Canadian Islamic Congress, and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Photo by Cecily Nicholson.

Jon Elmer on Canada's Role in Afghanistan

dru@dru.ca (dawn) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:27:06 +0000

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How the anti-war movement can prepare for post-2011

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Jon Elmer is a journalist and author based in Vancouver. The following talk was recorded as part of the Council of Canadians BC-Yukon Regional Meeting, which took place in Vancouver on April 18, 2009.

[Photo: Minister Day and Minister Cannon in Kandahar. Photo by Canada in Afghanistan.]

"Slow Industrial Genocide"

dru@dru.ca (dawn) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 19:41:08 +0000

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Mike Mercredi from Fort Chipewyan speaks about the impacts of the tar sands

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http://www.radio4all.net/responder.php/download/30296/34979/50780/?url=http://www.radio4all.net:8080/files/dawnpaley@gmail.com/3632-1-mike_mercredi.mp3

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Mike Mercredi from Fort Chipewyan, speaks about the impacts of the tar sands on his community.

Live from Everyone's Downstream II, Edmonton, Alberta.
November 23, 2008.

21 minutes, applause intro and outro.

Dominion Radio #8

dru@dru.ca (Stuart Neatby) — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 19:04:35 +0000

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The Cancer industry, Canada's legacy in Indonesia, and fighting Irving in court

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MP3:

http://www.dominionpaper.ca/files/dominion/audio/Dominion Radio 8.mp3

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Dominion Radio broadcasts grassroots news from across the country, focusing on stories and voices silenced by the mainstream media.

Episode #8:

A discussion with Taylor Gray, Energy Advisor with the Conservation Council of New Brunswick about their efforts to take on Irving's proposed LNG refinery in Saint John, NB.
An interview with journalist and Cape Breton University Professor Garry Leech about the proposed Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement.
Devra Davis uncovers the sordid history of government, industry, and scientists efforts to obscure the commonly known causes of cancer such as smoking, benzene, and asbestos.
David Webster of the East Timor Alert Network looks back at Canada's role in facilitating the legacy of the late Indonesian President General Suharto, one of the biggest mass murderers of the twentieth century.