The Peoples Social Forum will take place this coming Thursday August 21 to Sunday August 24 at the University of Ottawa.
An early planning document identified the forum’s objectives to: “1) Bring together, assemble, combine and reduce the isolation of the progressive groups and individuals belonging to the concerned communities; 2) Promote the convergence of large strategic struggles against neoliberal and neoconservative politics in Canada; 3) Promote public debate, public expression and political education.”
It is hoped that the social forum could bring together as many as 10,000 people from across the country.
The Council of Canadians has been engaging in the planning process for this over the past several years and foresee a social forum with:
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Maude Barlow speaking at a key session -
Our campaigners and organizers offering workshops on priority issues -
Supporters and chapter activists participating in this gathering
To help build the Peoples Social Forum, ‘expansion commissions’ are being formed across the country. These commissions are a good way to engage in the process. Council of Canadians supporters and chapter activists are encouraged to contact their local expansion commission:
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Ottawa – Dylan Penner, dpenner@canadians.org -
London – David Heap, djheap@uwo.ca -
Toronto – Raul Burbano, burbano@rogers.com -
Montreal – Julie Marquis, Julie.Marquis@csn.qc.ca -
Vancouver – Derrick O’Keefe, derrick.okeefe@gmail.com -
Edmonton – Ricardo Acuna, racuna@ualberta.ca -
Halifax – PeoplesSocialForumAtlantic@gmail.com
There are also expansion commissions in Regina, Winnipeg and Quebec City with contact names to be confirmed soon.
There are also ‘sectoral caucuses’ that have been established to ensure priority concerns are reflected in the planning process and at the forum itself. If you identify with any of these groups or sectors, you are also encouraged to participate in these caucuses:
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Indigenous – Ana Nicole, anapsf2014@gmail.com -
Labour – Antoni Shelton, ashelton@ofl.ca -
Quebec – Julie Marquis, Julie.Marquis@csn.qc.ca -
People of colour – Moyo Rainos Mutamba, rainosm@gmail.com
To find out more about the Peoples Social Forum, please check out:
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Website – http://www.peoplessocialforum.org/ -
Twitter – https://twitter.com/forumsocial2014 -
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ForumSocialDesPeuples
We’ll be posting more information soon about the Council of Canadians at the Peoples Social Forum.
Further reading
Council attends ‘social forum’ exploratory meeting in Montreal
Council of Canadians participates in social forum exploratory committee meeting
Council participates in Expansion Commission for social forum in Canada
Council of Canadians to attend Social Forum General Assembly, Jan. 26-27 in Ottawa
The Council to attend a social forum exploratory committee meeting, Oct. 25
