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﻿<title﻿>﻿New Socialist Magazine, The War on the Poor - Editorial﻿</title>﻿
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﻿<b﻿>﻿The War on the Poor 
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﻿<i﻿>﻿New Socialist Magazine, January 1996﻿</i>﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿
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﻿<b﻿>﻿Protests against Harris government attacks began the day the Ontario Tories were sworn in.  But what will be needed to really turn the tide against cuts to social services?
﻿</b>﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿
Even the United Church acknowledges it. 
﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿
In a pastoral letter released before Christmas, United Church Moderator Marion Best bemoans the "growing war against the poor in our society." And she assails the "dangerous rhetoric" which is being used to dismantle social programs like welfare, education and healthcare -- programs designed to assist the poorest members of our society. 
﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿
These are welcome words. But in addition to words, we need action. We need a campaign of mass mobilization involving unionists, students, women's groups, churches, anti-poverty organizations. 
﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿
Some will say that the December 11 strikes and demonstrations in London, Ontario were the beginning of such a campaign. While we must welcome all such actions, we must also be clear that much more is needed. One day protests in a single city simply will not do the trick. 
﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿
Recent examples from France and Alberta give us an indication as to what is required. 
﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿
In France, a month and a half of mass protest -- strikes by students at 90 universities, a three-week strike by railway workers, one day strikes of up to three million workers, mass demonstrations involving as many as two million every week -- pushed back ﻿<i﻿>﻿some﻿</i>﻿ , but by no means all, of the government's planned cuts to education, jobs and pensions. 
﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿
In Alberta in late November, a wildcat strike by 120 laundry workers in Calgary triggered a week of walkouts by 3500 health care workers. So shaken was Alberta Premier Ralph Klein by the outpouring of public support for the strikes that he quickly cancelled $53 million in additional health cuts. 
﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿
But, in both France and Alberta, union leaders worked overtime to defuse the strikes. In Alberta, calls for a province wide healthcare strike were derailed as union representatives negotiated a return to work in Calgary and averted a planned walkout by 3700 hospital workers in Edmonton. 
﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿
The scale of action by those fighting the cuts is not yet sufficient to really turn the tide. One problem is that union leaders are not prepared to build the movement that is needed. 
﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿
Millions of working class people have been taken in by some of the deficit hysteria. Polls continually show that a strong majority of people believe that governments haven't done enough to cut social spending. It is on the basis of such sentiments that people like Mike Harris in Ontario and Ralph Klein in Alberta were elected. 
﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿
But many of these same people don't want to see heartless and mean-spirited attacks on the poor. They don't want to see decent healthcare and higher education become accessible only to the rich. That's why they can quickly join protests, as witnessed recently in Alberta. 
﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿
It's with this sort of perspective in mind that we need to organize against the cuts. There's no point pretending every week that Harris or Klein can be brought down tomorrow. But there's also no point in acting as if they are invincible. 
﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿
We need to dig in with patient and persistent work -- a picket here, a rally there, an occupation elsewhere. And where there are larger possibilities -- as in the next Ontario Federation of Labour day strikes and rallies in a single city, or the February 7 day of student action against the cuts -- we need to get the largest possible numbers involved. 
﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿
Wherever possible, among students, unionists, and others, it is important to get activist committees organized that will keep the movement going when the bureaucrats at the top show no interest in action. 
﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿
The battle against the war on the poor is the front line of the struggle for social justice today. It is a battle which requires an enduring commitment. We cannot underestimate the scale of the attacks we face. Nor, in the aftermath of events in France and Alberta, should we underestimate the prospects for building the fight-back. 
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