Community leaders and activists who work directly with diverse communities in Montreal are gathering to warn that Pierre Poilievre’s corporate agenda and the coalition it represents are an imminent threat to marginalized populations—and ultimately to everyone. (Facebook event)
“We are building a coalition to confront Poilievre’s agenda, and we want to see this conversation happening everywhere,” said community activist Stefan Christoff.
Speakers include:
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Ehab Lotayef, a community activist and poet
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Nakuset, of the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal / Resilience Montreal
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Anaïs Zeledon Montenegro, community worker at Action Santé Travesti(e)s et Transexuel(le)s du Québec (ASTT(e)Q)
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Sandra Wesley, the executive director of Stella, l’amie de Maimie
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Dolores Chew, founding member of the South Asian Women’s Community Centre (SAWCC)
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Stefan Christoff (moderator)
“What we see with Pierre Poilevre’s conservatives is an alliance between big business and groups that seek to take away our rights,” said community activist and poet Ehab Lotayef. “The kinds of sweeping cuts and exploitative measures Poilievre is likely to implement have a track record, and it’s one of preventable human tragedy on a mass scale.”
Poilievre has espoused extreme measures like cuts to social programs and tax cuts for the top tier of financial elites. As an MP, he was part of a semi-secret caucus with the Conservative party who styled themselves the ‘Khmer Bleu,’ so-named for its espousal of extremist positions and ruthless approach.
“It’s a classic conservative move to promise small tax cuts to the working class but use that as a smokescreen for a massive transfer of wealth to the ultra-wealthy,” said Dru Oja Jay, a member of the Courage coalition. “The result will be cuts to services that hurt everyone, but marginalized communities most acutely.”
Conservative policies today, as seen in the past, will have a particularly devastating impact on Indigenous peoples.
“We have seen that when a Conservative government comes to power, that funding was suddenly cut,” said Na’kuset, the Executive Director of the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal. “Crucial services the community depended on, were gone and it left a devastating impact—the community is now holding its breath for the potential hardship and casualty.”
Poilievre has solicited support from a constellation of far-right racist groups, including Diagolon, which the Canadian Anti-Hate Network called a “neo-fascist militia.”
“It’s clear to us that – after years of inaction from the current government to improve human rights – if Poilievre takes power, a variety of racists and bigots are going to have a bigger role in shaping public policy,” said Sandra Wesley, the executive director of Stella Montreal. “He sees them as legitimate constituents of his political coalition.”
“The fact that the leading contender to be the next Prime Minister is meeting with these groups is already increasing their legitimacy and room to maneuvre—it’s further threatening the security of millions of people in Canada, particularly sex workers, and he hasn’t even taken power yet.”
The panel will also discuss solutions and a proactive approach to mitigating the damage of a Poilievre-led administration.
What would a unified and effective community response to Poilievre’s corporate agenda look like? How can activists spark action that speaks to people outside the limited zone of partisan politics?
These are a few of the questions the panel will attempt to address.
For these groups, allowing a government aligned with such a damaging agenda to come to pass without popular mobilization is not an option.
“Those of us who are under attack from this violent and regressive corporate-funded movement need to get to planning and strengthening our ties to each other,” said Dolores Chew, a founding member of the South Asian Women’s Community Centre (SAWCC). Chew has been closely following the rise of Modi and the BJP in India as well as developments in Canada.
“The threat of fascists building power is real, and so far we’re not seeing a collective response that takes that threat seriously.”
