Zeinab Merai, Sada al-Mashrek
In a previous discussion with Sada al-Mashrek, socialist BDS activist and union negotiator Hassan Husseini has spoken about British Columbia’s Wet’suwet’en people’s struggle and the broader scope of the BDS campaign’s fight against settler-colonialism and imperialism. (صدى المشرق (sadaalmashrek.ca)) Now he addresses urgent challenges facing labour in Ontario and across Canada and why he has chosen labour activism over electoral politics.
Labour’s fight in Ontario
Husseini says that Ontario, as one of the biggest provinces in Canada, “is an important battle ground against the neo-liberal austerity agenda. This has been especially true since the election in 2018 of the Doug Ford Conservative government. While there are a number of key issues and challenges workers in Ontario are facing, one of the key battles over the past few years has been centred on raising the minimum wage for all workers”.
The activist points out that “the pandemic has also highlighted other critical issues, including legislating paid sick days for workers, and providing affordable housing in a province that was hit hard by COVID-19.”
“The fight to increase the minimum wage in Ontario and across Canada is not over. We’ve had a lot of debate and fearmongering by the business community around raising the minimum wage, none of which came true the last time the minimum wage was raised to $14 per hour”, says Husseini, pointing out that “the labour movement and other organisations such as the Fight for 15 and Fairness have been campaigning hard to increase the minimum wage in Ontario, other provinces and territories, as well as federally.”
Husseini says that “there was a successful movement to get the previous Ontario government, under the Liberals, to agree to a minimum wage increase to $15. However, when the Ford government was elected four years ago, they reneged on the plan to increase the minimum wage and capped it at $14 in 2018. The Ford government was pressured by the business community and right-wing lobbyists that didn’t want to see this increase.”
“This is very problematic; the standard of living of Canadians and Ontarians has fallen back in many respects in the past 20-25 years, as wages haven’t been keeping up with inflation and the rising cost of living,” warns the activist.
Housing and urban sprawl
“Housing is an issue across Canada but especially in big cities such as Toronto, as affordable housing is beyond the reach of working people. It has become very expensive, and is worsening the problem of poverty, especially if you look at big cities. People are getting driven out of the centre of the town into the suburbs in order to find affordable housing, and that isn’t even easy to find,” states Husseini.
In this regard, Stopsprawlhalton, a coalition of citizens advocating for preserving farmlands, watersheds, air quality and vibrant neighbourhoods, cautions against Halton Council’s paving of over 5,000 acres of farmland, “.. It threatens our food security and robs us of a much needed carbon sink.”
Former Environmental Commissioner of Ontario Dianne Saxe as well warns that “urban sprawl destroys urgently needed farmland, forests and wetlands; without them, we can expect more floods and droughts…”
And according to Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition, an environmental organisation advocating for expanding Ontario’s Greenbelt and better-land use planning, a municipal check of the actual cost of sprawl in Ottawa reveals that “low-density development costs the city $465/ person, but high-density infill saves the city $606/ person..”
Healthcare
The activist says that though Canada enjoys a good healthcare system in general, there are gaps in this system. He warns that right-wing governments and the business community aim to privatise healthcare and make it a for-profit system like the one that exists in the United States.
“It’s a threat we’re always fighting against,” says Husseini, adding that “dental care is not covered, and a pharmacare plan is lacking, which means a lot of people without private insurance are really struggling. That is why the labour movement has had a campaign for a pharmacare plan as an integral part of the healthcare system.”
Husseini says that “the plan had the support of the NDP as well as the Liberals, but the Liberals reneged on the promise they made during the last election campaign”.
Labour and childcare advocacy organisations have also been pushing, for years, for a universal childcare programme across Canada. The union negotiator says, “We have finally won the right to have an affordable childcare system, which has so far been very expensive and beyond reach of many families in Canada.
Finally, the Trudeau government has started the work on a universal childcare programme and are putting it into effect across the country. The only province that has not yet agreed to be part of this programme is Ontario.”
“It’s not perfect, but we hope it’ll be a beginning that provides some relief for parents, mainly women, especially those on limited income.
As you can see, the struggle for economic justice in Canada is still long. We win some and lose some, but we continue to struggle and build movements to save what we have and open the door for more gains in terms of a social-safety net for Canadians,” states Husseini.
Electoral politics or labour activism?
Husseini says he’s considered re-running for the elections, but adds, “Over the years, I’ve become suspicious of electoral politics. I’d rather focus on building a movement on the ground in communities, cities and provinces, where I think we can put pressure on governments to do the right thing.”
"Even if you get elected to office, unless you have a movement to back you up, you won’t be able to make the change you need,” believes he, giving an example of a number of Arab/Muslim community representatives, who are currently in parliament and even in cabinet, some of whom were active in Arab or Muslim organisations or the labour movement but have forgotten where they’ve come from and the cause they’ve fought for once. He argues that this is, in part, due to the fact that there are no strong community organisations and movements to hold them accountable once they get elected.
“I won’t run for a political party that doesn’t fully represent my values, and, unfortunately, there isn’t any federal political party, right now, that represents my values,” says the activist, who ran for federal and provincial member of parliament three times as a member of the Communist Party of Canada, whose membership he maintained for close to 20 years.
He led the party’s wing in Ontario for three years but eventually left the party in 2006 over disagreement on a number of positions, including on the question of Palestine. He advocated for a one-state solution, in contrast to the two-state solution advocated for by the party at the time.
Notably, he was simultaneously doing his PHD dissertation on that issue. Today, Husseini still considers himself “to be a Marxist-Leninist and an independent communist,” as he does not belong to a party.
Before moving to Canada, he had joined the Lebanese Communist Party.
As to why he couldn’t make it to the Parliament of Canada, he explains, “I ran in 1996, 1997 and 2000. The Communist Party was coming out of the crisis in the Soviet Union and socialism generally. The Party was very weak, so we were trying to rebuild. In two of those three elections, I ran as an independent candidate because the government had imposed legislation and regulations that made it very difficult for the Communist Party to be legally recognised on the ballot as a political party.”
According to Husseini, the legislation required that “the party field a minimum of 50 candidates and deposit a big sum of money: $50,000. The Communist Party of Canada fought this part of the electoral law in courts, which went all the way up to the Supreme Court.”
He recalls that “eventually, the Communist Party won the case at the Supreme Court of Canada, which overturned the legislation and made it easier and more democratic for political parties to be recognised and to function in Canada.” He credits the Communist Party – now a 100 years old – for changing the law that governs this part of the electoral law in Canada.
Husseini warns that “Over the years, governments have tried to impose certain rules to weaken the ability of left-wing political parties to gain seats and representation in parliament.” He is critical of electoral politics and acknowledges that Canada’s electoral system, like England’s, called the first-past-the-post, “is biased in favour of large political parties with support from big business…”
“If it were a proportional-representation electoral system, the threshold would be lower for parties to gain parliamentary seats reflecting a given party’s popular vote, so it is more democratic, but that is not what we have in Canada today; the Canadian electoral system is really undemocratic,” argues he.
“Nothing will stop me”
Asked whether he’s ever been intimidated or pressured because of his activism, Husseini tells Sada al-Mashrek, “Racism is very prevalent and is getting worse." He recalls many incidents over the years.
“In one particular incident, I wanted to speak at a panel on the question of Palestine, and I was warned that my job would be threatened if I did, so I resigned shortly afterwards,” says he.
Husseini recalls, too, that once a woman threw a bottle of beer at him and his friend because they were speaking Arabic, and she told them to “go back home”.
He points out that “it’s not easy to speak out all the time, but supporting the Palestinian people and their struggle for liberation is among my deepest-held principles, and there isn’t a job, perk or anything that will stop me from taking a position in support of my principles. Yes, you face a lot of attacks sometimes, but so be it, that’s a small price to pay compared to what our people are facing in Lebanon or Palestine or Yemen.”
Husseini says he is aware that he “may be more privileged than others in the community about speaking out for certain causes.” He understands that “members of the Arab and Muslim community in Canada are facing increasing and ugly racism that scares them from engaging in politics and activism.” However, he believes that “hiding is not the answer and, in fact, is more detrimental to us as individuals and as a community.” That’s why he encourages community members to be active and engaged.
Thanks for taking the time to follow the discussions with Husseini.