Strength in Unity Assembly Notes
Strength in Unity: Socialist, Anticapitalist, and Environmentalist Co-operative Assembly
Time: 7:00pm-9:00pm September 13th, 2020
Location: Prergistration Via Zoom
Moderators: Stephanie Langford and Yvonne Hanson
On Sunday 13 The DSV hosted an Assembly on Zoom. In attendance were:
Red Braid Alliance
BC Ecosocialists
Vancouver Ecosocialists
DSOV
Socialist Action
Force of Nature
Democratic Socialists of Canada
Socialist Alternative
Moderated by Yvonne Hanson and Stephanie Langford.
RECAP FROM STEPHANIE:
There is a lot of commonality between group goals and aspirations and everyone expressed a desire to have more of these kinds of assemblies that amplify socialist demands and messaging. Among the groups there was broad agreement on direct action strategies (direct praxis); supporting Indigenous rights re land - land defense actions/blockades; engaging in various critical campaigns related to housing, TMX, Site C, old growth logging (e.g. Fairy Creek blockade). Other fights include implementing a wealth tax, electoral reform and running socialist candidates in various elections. It was agreed that we need for movement building (and focusing on tactics that build movements) and a coherent (eco) socialist platform (from Sebastin and Marcie) that supports movement building and radicalization of youth. Need to "get in front of things" and not be as reactive and to clarify what we stand for.
NOTES FROM YVONNE
AGENDA 1: INTRODUCTIONS & DISCUSSION
Ecosocialists: Choosing between green and NDP isn’t adequate- we need a new party that can promote environmental goals without sacrificing workers rights etc.
Socialist Action: Looking for agreement in the areas of environmentalism and anti-racism, want to put together a minimum program for the BC election
Red Braid Alliance: Environmentalism and land defence, advocating for housing and participating in anti pipeline blockades
Force of Nature: Trying to find a way to bring socialist principles into mainstream environmentalist movements
Vancouver Ecosocialists: Want to make the reds understand green issues and the greens understand the red politics that will be necessary to win elections.
Aiming to put together a comprehensive plan for convincing people of socialist ideas.
DSV: Working group of many socialists coming together to promote discussion, making things like this call happen and trying to get everyone on the same page
Socialist Alternative: Has been involved in environmental issues, fight for 15, housing issues.
Also in attendance: Representatives from Democratic Socialists of Canada, NDP, Green Party.
Gary P: Commonality between groups on anti-hydrocarbons, anti-racism, solidarity with indigenous peoples, and environmentalism in general.
Hoping to potentially re-raise the issue of Site C dam
Gary G: BC Oldgrowth forests- how we do logging needs to be re-evaluated- old growth forests need to be protected. Lots of old growth forest needs to be protected- its logging has been deferred, but what does that mean? For how long?
Gene: Hoping that this meeting is the first of many. Tremendous benefit in being able to sit down with various groups and talk about what is going on, how we can best amplify each others projects and messages. We should aim to get together on a regular basis to discuss our group efforts.
Sebastian: Lets take a step back: the real issue for us as socialists and environmentalists is that there isn’t a coordinated socialist response to the campaigns that matter, ie. old growth logging, site C. Need an explicitly political socialist organizing group.
Marcie: not so much uniting the left as building the left. Aside from environmental issues, we seem to be uniting on anti-racism and indigenous land defence. Biggest ground swelling of support from the left we have seen was at the wet’sue’ten blockade, which brought a huge group of previously non-political folks out.
Also, action to do with housing: talking to people in the tent city who would really like to take over empty buildings.
Josue: Blockade signal boost. Would love to see more collaboration with folks who are passionate insiders with the BC NDP and the BC Greens.
Derrick: Collaborating on mini-campaigns. Trying to push the NDP and greens to actually talk about some things. For example, the wealth tax. Perhaps we could all unite to campaign even digitally on something like this.
NDP lacking left populism/ socialism.
Tim: Shane Simpson has announced that he is retiring and stepping down. NDP hacks are going to be running in the primaries. We need to get actual non executives in this position.
Gary P: Scheduling more calls takes pressure off us to agree tonight. We should make this a regular thing.
Sebastian: Idea of movement building. There are many people who have the ideas in them to become socialists, but for whom these ideas have not yet been catalyzed into ideology.
AGENDA 2: What events are coming up that we can all collaborate on? Campaigns? Actions?
Doug: Need to think about Covid- we are going to have a pretty brutal recession soon, and we need to get out ahead of it….Think about what is coming and what we can do about it. Start thinking about it before we are crushed by it.
Stephanie: Need to find a way to mobilize hope- need to find a dialogue around revolutionary socialism that can
Jude: We’re in the middle of massive change. Now is a really good time for these kinds of actions and assemblies. People are more receptive -
Donna: Speaking about the tree sit Blockade against TMX- we should not give up on stopping it. Tuesday morning the various indigenous land defenders who were arrested will be charged. Time: 8:30 am at the BC Supreme Court Downtown: Nelson and Hornby
Fairy Creek Blockade: Vancouver Ecosocialists were contacted for information on the Fairy Creek Blockade, protecting old growth forests. Holding down two logging road positions.
Can we develop some kind of shared document or statement of principles? That we can then put forward to the media? Maybe to help us articulate some of the shared direct action that we we plan to collaborate on?
Force of Nature: Concerted effort to get socialists out to all candidates debates, since they will all be recorded and this is a good opportunity to get candidates/ parties on the record permanently.
BC Ecosocialists: Need people to run as candidates across the province
Red Braid Alliance: Pushing and prodding government for equal housing, through a program called “our homes can’t wait”. Agitating against the government and raising the consciousness of people in the tent city who want to work with us.
Campaign to buy or rent hotels and other public buildings- arguing against this campaign to push for actual steady permanent housing.
ACTION ITEMS
SOCIALIST ASSEMBLY INTRODUCTION DOCUMENT
SOCIALISTS FOWARD EVENTS DOCUMENT - ONGOING
Enter your upcoming events on a Google Doc to better enable different groups to participate and amplify
SCHEDULE ANOTHER ASSEMBLY
The next Zoom Assembly is scheduled for October 4 - the first Sunday after possible BC Election call on Sept 28. Will send Zoom invite out to this email list and set up a new Registration Request for anyone not on this list.