Voice of dissent raised in Brampton against notorious Bill C-51

 Bramptonians expressed their deep anguish over proposed Bill C-51 and resolved to fight tooth and nail until this Bill is not withdrawn by the conservative Harper Government. They gathered at the office of local conservative MP Parm Gill’s office in Brampton at the call given by Communist Party of Canada. They were also joined by North American Rationalist Society Ontario, Indo-Canadian Worker’s Association, Environment and Human Right Activist etc.

 March 14 was declared a National Action Day to oppose Harper Govt’s bid to pass the draconian bill C-51 by a Coalition for Peace, that include left and democratic forces, civil society, legal community etc  throughout Canada.

Speaking on this occasion; Leader of the Communist Party Ontario Liz Rowley told the gathering that CPC was the first political party to oppose this bill outside the parliament where as NDP remained tight lipped for complete 20 days on this issue and castigated NDP for their stand on C-51 as they made it clear not to repeal this ACT in case they came in power. She said, every Canadian is protected by a habeas corpus that police cannot arrest anyone unless they convinced a judicial authority but C-51 will removed this hard earned habeas corpus once it become a law. She reminded the act of police atrocities during 1960s, 1970s when they came after political, trade union activists and notoriously burnt barns in Quebec. Now, Harper Government creating an atmosphere of fear amongst Canadian and proposed this bill C-51 in the name of saving Canadians but in fact, their intent is to muzzle all democratic, civil rights, human rights, environmentalist, and aboriginal leaders. She lauded the lone voice of opposition in the parliament Elizabeth May of Green Party. She called upon all like minded people to accentuate their fight against this anti people act and advised them to educate masses on this issue, write email/letter to local MP/MPP, phone them so that Harper Govt know that people are really against his politics of fear. She said, Canadian will never accept a police state, we know it and sure that Harper Govt would also know it. They want to win next election on this regressive politics but people will give a befitting reply to the Tories in next election.

Dr. Baljinder Sekhon, President of North American Rationalist Society said, freedom, liberty can never be compromised in any democratic country and expressed his apprehensions, that once C-51 came in force, Canada will become a Police State. Canadians will lose their hard earned democracy if Harper Government was allowed to make it a law. He reminded his experience of India, when Indian State turned Punjab province into a Police State and State machinery literally repressed civil and democratic rights of civilians in the name of fighting terrorism. He said, that his society will not sit silently and work hard in his community to educate them to protect human rights.

Surjit Sahota, Secretary of Indo Canadian Workers Association came down heavily on the Conservative Harper government since they are now trying to control Canadians by dictating them code of conduct. It’s a democratic right of any individual as what she or he has to wear? Surjit Sahota was referring to the latest remark of Harper when he suggested that certain community should not wear Hijab during citizenship oath ceremony. Sahota reiterated that ICWA has always been active to educate masses on issues of public interest and shall do its best to lead them in fight against this notorious bill C-51.

Wilfred Szczesny successfully conducted the proceedings of this event which was participated by environmental, human rights activist. More than 50 people showed up to the protest venue in very unexpected chilling weather. They also shouted slogans for about two hours, Down Down Bill C-51.     

Victory of working class is the only solution to women folks: resolves Rationalist Society Ontario- Brampton, on International Women Day

NorthAmerican Rationalist Society Ontario –Brampton put up a great show to mark International Women’s Day at Brampton Soccer center; more than fifty people attended the event which lasted more than three hours. The key –note presentation was delivered by Surinder Shokar   “How did women become second class citizen?”

Ms Surinder gave inch by inch details of human history and explained how the status of women was relegated to its present conditions.  She explained the phenomenon that at the start of human civilization, inhabitant of the planet was living in the collective mode of production and lived mainly on hunting. Women had the equal participation in human civilization and were an equally responsible productive force. There was no discrimination in that society, later greed for the private property and advent of state marginalized the status of women in the society. During the feudal state, women were treated like a property and completely deprived by her social, economic and political rights.

Industrial revolution in 1800s also used women force as a low paid workers and it was women who suffered most in newly industrialized nations with no rights, low wages, more work and extreme miseries. Present capitalist model has made status of women even more pathetic where her status is reduced to a mere commodity. Its men who decides who a woman should look? What should be the size of her body parts? What she should wear and what kind of fashion she must sport? Advertising industry has shamelessly done a great harm to the dignity of average women folk by branding her just a sexual object.

Surinder Shokar provided panacea for the complete liberation of women by advising a socialist mode of production. She said the problem of women folks cannot be solved without replacing the capitalist mode of production to socialist one. Drive for profit and greed is the real enemy of women liberation. She said; India, Bangladesh, China are the countries which are in the same phase of human history what European countries were during 1800s. Finance capital is exploiting their cheap labor for the sake of their profit. The present Capitalist system is consciously working in collaboration of its institutions such as Church, parliament, bankers to sabotage the unity and solidarity of working class.

Speaking on the occasion, rationalist leader Dr Baljinder Sekhon gave the detailed accounts of Canadian history when there was a time that even University of Toronto was not open for women to study medicine. A long struggle of working class has to wage to earn the voting right for women in USA and Canada, and people used to laugh at those women who went to cast their votes. He called upon the community to develop moral and social responsibility to empower women in their household affairs.

Communist leader Harinder Hundal welcomed the attendants in the event and emphasized for raising the political awareness of the masses. Discrimination against the rights of women folks in South Asian community is due to lack of political awareness. He said, only political aware person can understand the motives and meaning of the government policies. He came down heavily on the Harper Government who is bent upon to bring a draconian law C-51 to curb political rights of democratic, human rightist, environment activist in the name to countering home grown terrorism. A resolution was passed to oppose C-51 bill by voice vote and people showed their determination to put up a aggressive opposition to this notorious bill since they were reminded Punjab’s experience when Indian state repressed common people in the name of counter terrorism.

Speaking on this occasion, Shamshad Elahee Shams said that women rights were plagued in the human history the moment concept of private property raised its ugly head. Private property led the way to feudal system then slavery and finally capitalist industrial revolution enslaved women folks. He said, women liberation or emancipation cannot be implemented unless we remove the cancer of private property from our society. Women liberation can never be disassociated from the liberation of working class therefore it is mandatory to accelerate class struggle and win the battle against capitalist system in order to bring complete justice to the society. He said, Brampton is only 750 km far from New York, a historic city which is the birth place of International Women Day since 1909. He said; never mind that you are only 50 people sitting here while the population of Brampton is 433,000. Quality will always remain short supply in the society, but its Quality which paves the way for big changes in the history of human society.

Shams attacked so called great Indian culture which is anti-women to the core and pleaded to refrain from complex that they belong to the so-called Guru Nation of the world. Indians are the biggest hypocrites stock on the face of planet who nurtures feudal culture. We are most infamous nation for killing female child in the womb. We are most infamous for rapes in the world. We have a double standard for male and female child. Boy can bring his wife from other clan, caste or religion but if their daughters do the same thing, they will go to the extent to kill her. We have imported honor killings in Canada from South Asia which is ridiculous. It is high time to allow daughters to choose their own love. A society which does not allow their daughters to live according to their choice is nothing but tribal.  

Young famous revolutionary singer Baljit Singh sang enchanting songs in Punjabi, Samar Kaur enthralled with her beautiful poems and Sumeet Sahota shared her experiences as a trainee nurse with a focus on Sikh community practicing Indian culture to repress their household women. Ajmer Singh Randhawa, Harjeet Singh Bedi also entertained the people with their meaningful poetry.

Rationalist Baldev Rehpa, Amrit Dhillon, Surjit Sahota, Navkiran Singh Sidhu, Balraj Shokar, Sukhdev Singh, Comrade Balwant Singh were amongst renowned personalities who participated the event.