The Activist Toolkit Blog

Build the opposition to Trumpism in Canada

The Activist Toolkit — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 20:51:55 +0000

Currently, the United States is headed in directions I couldn't have foretold in my worst nightmares. Perhaps I lacked imagination. Perhaps I should have read George Orwell's 1984 more closely. I have been working to organize within the political system in the U.S. and Canada for decades and, now, all I can do is resist. As I am drawn into new networks of organizers who are building locally and globally to oppose the attacks on everything we believe in, I am inspired by the tools I am finding.

Five types of people who marched on Washington this weekend -- or stayed home

The Activist Toolkit — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 17:56:04 +0000

Saturday's Women's March on Washington was livestreamed on Facebook by citizen journalists and major media alike.

If you logged into your social media platform of choice over the weekend you were likely to find photos, video and reflective posts -- ranging from reinvigorated enthusiasm to cautious critique -- all over your newsfeed.

Here are five types of broad perspectives on marching that we noticed on social media over the weekend. Each had something valuable to add to the ongoing public discourse on the nature of solidarity, Trump, inequality and organizing resistance.

1. PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T MARCH, BECAUSE.

Lobby your MP to take action on mass surveillance, Bill C-51 and press freedom!

The Activist Toolkit — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 22:07:36 +0000

CJFE and a coalition of civil society, media and labour partners are coordinating a citizens' lobbying week from January 23 to 27, leading up to a national day of action on February 4, and we need you to take part.

We are calling on the government to:

Toronto City Council finally approved enforceable licensing regulations for landlords

The Activist Toolkit — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 13:16:50 +0000

Last week, Toronto’s City Council finally agreed that Toronto’s landlords should be licensed.

ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) Canada has been one of the groups organizing around this issue. What does this win mean for tenants and for us? Activist Toolkit interviewed Kemba Richardson, Chairperson for the Jane Finch, York West Chapter of ACORN

A fierce holiday giving guide to build a better future

The Activist Toolkit — Fri, 16 Dec 2016 18:41:03 +0000

A few weeks ago I was interviewing Cathy Elliott for an upcoming Activist Toolkit blog about the DAREarts' First Roots Aboriginal Program. At the end of the interview, she offered us the gift of the following words:

"What can I offer activists? For a long time now I have been saying that the time for 'pretty words' is over, it is time for collective action and I mean everybody in Canada has to work together to make this work. It is going to take generations. It took generations to get us here and it is going to take generations to get us out of this mess that we are in.

Teaching kids to resist the racist reality we are in and build the future

The Activist Toolkit — Fri, 18 Nov 2016 17:04:40 +0000

Last summer, Black Lives Matter Toronto hosted the first Toronto Freedom School, a three-week community self-determined education program. Forty-five families applied and 20 students enrolled. The participants were between four and 10 years old.

The Freedom School also had an associated toddler program for participants who between two and four. The program was launched as a three-week pilot program with limited capacity. In coming years, the organizers hope to expand the number of students and the program.

The Activist Toolkit interviewed LeRoi Newbold as part of its Constructing Change series.

How to build a better world with Donald Trump in the White House: A partial list

The Activist Toolkit — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 20:09:37 +0000

A first draft:

1. Send love to everyone who is feeling personally scared for themselves or their families and loved ones because of The Result. Open to immediate requests for care, support and solidarity.

2. Set aside fight-or-flight response in order to align deeply with the most effective use of our time on this planet, from an intention of compassionate action.

3. Vigorously and resolutely engage people who seek to blind themselves and others to the central contribution of neoliberalism to where we find ourselves. (And, when needed, consciously tap a bit of that fight-or-flight to boost the aforementioned vigour.)

'This is really community building': What sponsoring a Syrian refugee family means to one Toronto parent

The Activist Toolkit — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 18:11:30 +0000

As of October 23, 33,239 Syrian refugees have been resettled in Canada.

rabble.ca's Activist Toolkit is interviewing people who are on the frontlines of refugee settlement to find out about what they are seeing on the ground and what additional supports they need to address the needs of this surge of refugees.

Toronto Pig Save 'bears witness' to animal suffering and seeks to inspire change

The Activist Toolkit — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 09:52:01 +0000

Constructing Change speaks to people working in communities to be the change, to build projects, to make a difference. The interviews and profiles are meant to share information about how to get involved to support and amplify the changemakers' work and/or to share how you can organize a similar project in your community. The Constructing Change series is a collaboration between the Lynn Williams Activist Toolkit and Rabble Podcast Network.

Vancouver summer camp empowers Syrian children to tell their own stories, however they want to tell them

The Activist Toolkit — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 16:08:37 +0000

The Consultation Tracker: For the months of June-July 2016

The Activist Toolkit — Sat, 04 Jun 2016 11:23:05 +0000

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The current federal government loves to "consult." There is a site where the government publishes all ongoing consultations but the list is overwhelming.

26,000 Syrian refugees have now arrived in Canada.

The Activist Toolkit — Mon, 11 Apr 2016 19:07:24 +0000

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Restoring funding for refugee health critical step, but much more work remains

The Activist Toolkit — Wed, 16 Mar 2016 18:48:51 +0000

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rabble.ca's Activist Toolkit is here to help you organize for change

The Activist Toolkit — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 17:27:41 +0000

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Harper's clawbacks gave us an opportunity to organize. We defeated Harper by building movements to stand up for issues that matter to our communities, movements that tried to stop policies and clawbacks we found to be harmful.

Now we have to keep on organizing because "la lucha continua, no terminára fácilmente."

What a year! Now what do we get the world for the holidays?

The Activist Toolkit — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 02:00:58 +0000

rabble is expanding our Parliamentary Bureau and we need your help! Support us on Patreon today!

Continue the fight for civil, political and environmental rights

The Activist Toolkit — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 08:37:16 +0000

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During this, the longest election campaign in Canadian history, many amazing movements were born and strengthened. People went door-to-door getting their communities to care about issues that matter.

The Young, Canadian and Muslim livecast debate

The Activist Toolkit — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 23:44:02 +0000

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On September 18th, rabble.ca livecast Young, Canadian and Muslim - Making Our Ballots Count!, the debate spearheaded by Dawanet's Project Civic Engagement in partnership the National Council of Canadian Muslims and the Canadian Muslim Vote.

Guides and tools: What is really happening to our economy

The Activist Toolkit — Wed, 16 Sep 2015 07:31:41 +0000

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Navigating the new election rules

The Activist Toolkit — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 08:20:43 +0000

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Since Harper became Canada's 22nd prime minister in 2006, there have been quite a few changes to how Canadian elections are conducted. Many of these changes should spark outrage and make us take action to fight for truly fair elections.

Activist Toolkit roundup: Focus on Vancouver

The Activist Toolkit — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 20:03:17 +0000

The Activist Toolkit has been focused on Bill C-51 and the Jobs, Justice and Climate march for the past many months. It is time to focus on and learn from local activism, and so in July and August the Toolkit blog will be highlighting the work done by local activists in cities across the country.

Last month, as our hearts broke as the no vote won in the transit plebicite, a lot happened in Vancouver that is worth supporting.

Keep on fighting for the Canada we want

The Activist Toolkit — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 20:41:23 +0000

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Keep on going... we are making a difference

The Activist Toolkit — Thu, 14 May 2015 14:38:38 +0000

Women have been protesting the tax on tampons since the GST was introduced back in 1991 because "essential products" are supposed to be exempted from the GST. NDP MP Irene Matheson, London Fanshawe, first introduced her bill to eliminate GST on menstr ual products in 2011. Another bill trying to eliminate this tax was introduced by the NDP in 2004.

What do moms really need?

The Activist Toolkit — Thu, 07 May 2015 22:02:24 +0000

On May 1, join the International Workers' Day rallies and the Quebec general strike

The Activist Toolkit — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 22:23:26 +0000

May 1, International Workers' Day, is a big deal.

It all started on May 1, 1886, when 40,000 workers in Chicago -- and half a million across the United States -- participated in a three-day general strike in favour of the limitation of the workday to eight hours. Chicago police responded by shooting and killing four strikers. In response, demonstrators organized a rally on May 4 at Haymarket Square. When police moved to attack the crowd, a bomb was thrown at them. In response, the police fired indiscriminately at the crowd. When the smoke cleared, and at least four demonstrators and eight cops lay dead. One cop died from the blast of the bomb and seven from friendly fire, and 60 were wounded.

Bill C-51: Week of Education is over. Now what? Here is how to stay tuned in

The Activist Toolkit — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 20:49:32 +0000

Do you remember, back in February, when polls said that 82 percent of Canadians supported Bill C-51? As of April 9th, Forum Research reported that 56 per cent of those aware of Bill C-51 disapprove of the legislation, while 33 per cent support it.

Activist Toolkit roundup: Stand up for your rights! Stop deportations and Bill C-51

The Activist Toolkit — Fri, 03 Apr 2015 16:48:54 +0000

Weeks like these are perfect for omnibus blog posts that put everything in one place. So much has been happening and continues to happen in these weeks that it makes the head spin. I am putting the events we have posted in the toolkit in a list by date. Feel free to click through and take action.

Remember, you can still take action on most of these issues. Also let me know what I missed, because I am sure I missed a lot.

Chief Isadore Day calls for Annual Day of National Dialogue on Ending Racism in Canada

The Activist Toolkit — Thu, 19 Mar 2015 21:03:25 +0000

Last month, Chief Isadore Day, Serpent River First Nation, wrote an open letter to Parliament asking that April 12 be set aside as an Annual Day for a National Dialogue on Ending Racism. He asked that a motion and private member's bill be brought forward in the House of Commons regarding this matter.

In the letter Chief Day writes:

March 14 -- National Day of Action to Stop Bill C-51

The Activist Toolkit — Thu, 12 Mar 2015 01:50:45 +0000

To date, 43 cities across Canada are planning actions against Bill C-51 on March 14. People are picketing their member of parliament's offices, rallying, marching, talking and building awareness about this new assault on our civil liberties. Visit our three minute action to find out about petitions you can sign and rallies you can attend to oppose the bill.

Revolution 101: The People's Climate March, the unheard protest

The Activist Toolkit — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 14:18:00 +0000

I'll admit that when I first heard about the Peoples Climate March I was a little quick to judge it by the black and green eposter reading “Block Up!”, and failed to investigate its organizational connections. So when 350.org Toronto offered Food Not Bombs London some free spots on their buses to New York for the weekend of the Climate March, and a budget to cook a few meals for a couple hundred, I didn't think much of it.

Why Canadian youth are participating in the People's Climate March

The Activist Toolkit — Mon, 08 Sep 2014 13:21:25 +0000

On September 21, in New York City, tens of thousands will converge to take a stand for our climate and our futures. We will come from diverse backgrounds, from diverse movements, from all walks of life and all generations. On that day, we will stand together.