REMINDER: JUNE 4 AGM and Presentation

[Council of Canadians Edmonton]

NEOLIBERALISM, CORPORATE RULE AND DEMOCRACY – THE LATIN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

A free public event sponsored by the Council of Canadians (Edmonton Chapter)

Wednesday, June 4, 7-9:30 PM

Allendale Hall, 6330-105A Street, Edmonton

 

Corporate control of public affairs through tactics such as public service cuts, deregulation, attacks on organized labor, “free” trade treaties, and other means is very real in Alberta and Canada. For example, the Alberta government has effectively removed the role of Alberta Environment in the approval of energy projects, and put it exclusively into the hands of the Alberta Energy Regulator. Many AB Environment workers have been compelled to quit their unions and to join the AER, which is 100% industry funded. Can we really expect the fox to guard the chicken coop?

 

Neoliberalism, the ideology behind this invasion of government by private interests, was initially “tested” in the Global South, especially in Latin America. Recall the atrocities committed in Chile by General Pinochet, and the destruction of people, environment and culture in Guatemala and Bolivia via corporate interests. Are there lessons for Canadians from the Latin America experience in our own struggle to retain democracy in our rapidly growing “petro-state”?

 

PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION (7:30-8:30+)The Council of Canadians is honored to present members of Edmonton’s Memoria Viva, a group of Latin American ex-patriots, to help answer this question. Yazmin Juarez and Rod Loyola will tell their stories of the impacts of neoliberalism and corporate rule in Latin America, and attempt to apply this to the Canadian context.

 

AGM (7-7:30) - This event will also include our Annual General Meeting (7-7:30) Registered Council of Canadians members are hereby invited to submit nominations for the positions of Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, and Members-at-Large by June 1, 2014 to Chairperson, Richard Merry, at gce...@shaw.ca.  A brief description of nominee interest in Council of Canadians mandates (see Canadians.org) is appreciated.  Please feel free to nominate yourself!

 

SOCIAL (8:30-9:30) - The AGM and discussion will be followed by a social gathering including refreshments. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

Yazmin Juarez is a Guatemalan Canadian who has had extensive first-hand experience in confronting mining corporations in their unethical exploitation of natural resources in Guatemala. Her perspective on neoliberalism is largely one of indigenous peoples.   

Rod Loyola is the President of the Non-Academic Staff Association, the union that represent all support staff at the University of Alberta, as well as the Chair of the Post-Secondary Education Task Force with Public Interest Alberta. Rod has been a Board of Director on numerous local and national non-profit organizations during his career as an activist and community organizer focused on both local and international socio-economic and political issues. He has also been involved in a number of grassroots educational/advocacy campaigns for the last 20 years focused on making an impact on public policy at all levels of government.