Resisting capitalist globalization ... Mobilizing for Quebec City ... Creating radical alternatives ... The Anti-Capitalist Convergence ...

Next April 20-22, 2001, Quebec City has the dubious honor of hosting the Summit of the Americas, which brings together the 34 heads of state of North, South and Central America, as well as the Caribbean (except Cuba). Besides the usual scare-mongering about security and terrorism, and empty rhetoric about democracy and human rights, the stated purpose of the Summit will be to put the final touches on the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) agreement. The Summit of the Americas meeting will be largest police and security operation in Canadian history, all while the 34 leaders and an entourage of big business elites, technocrats and corporate media enjoy their cocktail parties, gala dinners and public relations spectacles.

The FTAA extends the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) to the entire hemisphere, and is to be implemented by no later than 2005. The FTAA is also an extension of the reach of capitalist globalization, aiming to submit health care, education, as well as environmental and labor standards to the so-called logic of the free-market. Negotiated behind closed doors, and imposed unilaterally, the FTAA process is yet another example of the kind of economic violence that aims to suppress the gains of popular struggles of the past, and reinforce the power of cash and cops over our lives.

The demonstrations against the WTO in Seattle announced to the world the existence of an anti-capitalist resistance movement in Canada and the United States. The same spirit prevailed last April in Washington during the IMF and World Bank meetings, and in Windsor last June during the general assembly of the Organization of American States (which initiated the FTAA process). On each occasion, thousands took to the streets to refuse the free market fundamentalism of governments and business. These demonstrations did not emerge from no where, but were the result of many years of collective struggles against colonialism, poverty, police brutality and injustices of all kinds.

Next April in Quebec City, the Anti-Capitalist Convergence (La Convergence des luttes anti-capitalistes, or CLAC, in French) will participate in a large-scale grassroots mobilization against the FTAA. The CLAC, which is based in Montreal, is organizing a Carnival Against Capitalism (which will include teach-ins, conferences, workshops, concerts, cabarets, street theatre, direct actions, protests and more) as well as helping to convene a North American conference in conjunction with Peoples' Global Action against "Free" Trade (PGA). We are hoping to facilitate a convergence in Quebec City of a vast array of people who aim to create a world free of oppression.

The CLAC believes it is possible to radically and creatively oppose imperialism and the capitalist system while at the same time maintaining the spirit of openness that is necessary to develop a diverse and pluralistic resistance movement. The mobilization against the Summit of the Americas is being organized within the framework of a long-term struggle, in the North and South, against capitalist globalization. For its part, the CLAC is committed to participating in the globalization of genuine solidarity between peoples, with the goal of collectively resisting the same root causes of exploitation.

No matter where you live, there are several ways to get involved with the CLAC as we struggle against the FTAA and mobilize against the Summit of the Americas:

* If you want more information about the CLAC, the FTAA or the Summit of the Americas, get in touch. We can provide you with detailed information. As well, don't hesitate to pass on information about your local struggles, and your perspectives on the FTAA.

* If you want to support the actions and/or principles of the CLAC while mobilizing against the FTAA, get in touch with us as well. We are hoping to help contribute to a worldwide anti-capitalist resistance that is creative, effective and as large as possible. Perhaps we can coordinate actions against the FTAA and the Summit of the Americas throughout the hemisphere.

* If you want to organize an information session on the FTAA or the CLAC, send us your requests. We can help prepare workshops, discussions and debates.

* If you live in Quebec, Ontario, the Maritimes or the northeastern United States, members of the CLAC can visit to help with your local mobilization and awareness raising efforts. The CLAC is currently planning organizing visits to these areas, in conjunction with local grassroots groups.

* If you live in Montreal, or you're planning on visiting sometime this fall, the CLAC organizes regular general assemblies which are open to the public (especially people who are in accord with the CLAC basis of unity). The assemblies (until December) will be on September 6, September 26, October 17, November 1, November 21 and December 13. All the assemblies take place at L'X (182, Ste-Catherine East, metro Berri-UQAM) at 7pm. Each assembly is preceded at 6pm by an informational session for people who are new to the CLAC.

However you want to be involved, do get in touch. You can contact the CLAC by e-mail (c...@tao.ca), by phone (514-526-8946 - temporary number) or by post (La CLAC, 2035 St-Laurent Boulevard, 2nd floor, Montreal (Quebec) CANADUH, H2X 2T3).

THE ANTI-CAPITALIST CONVERGENCE
LA CONVERGENCE DES LUTTES ANTI-CAPITALISTES (CLAC)
Basis of Unity (translation from the French)

1. The Anti-Capitalist Convergence (CLAC in French) is opposed to capitalism. We fundamentally reject a social and economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and exchange. We reject a system driven by an exploitative logic that sees human beings as human capital, ecosystems as natural resources, and culture as simply a commodity. We reject the idea that the world is only valuable in terms of profit, competition and efficiency.

2. The CLAC also rejects the ideology of neo-liberalism, whereby corporations and investors are exempt from all political and social measures that interfere with their so-called "success".

3. The CLAC is anti-imperialist, opposed to patriarchy, and denounces all forms of exploitation and oppression. We assert a worldview based on the respect of our differences and the autonomy of groups, individuals and peoples. Our objective is to globalize our networks of resistance to corporate rule.

4. Respecting a diversity of tactics, the CLAC supports the use of a variety of creative initiatives, ranging between public education campaigns to direct action.

5. The CLAC is autonomous, decentralized and non-hierarchical. We encourage the involvement of anyone who accepts this statement of principles. We also encourage the participation of all individuals in working groups, in accord with their respective political affiliations.

6. With regards to the Summit of the Americas (April 2001) and the negotiations of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), the CLAC adopts a confrontational attitude and rejects reformist alternatives such as lobbying which cannot have a major impact on anti-democratic processes. We intend to shut down the Summit of the Americas and to turn the FTAA negotiations into a non-event.

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La Convergence des luttes anti-capitalistes (CLAC)
The Anti-Capitalist Convergence
La Convergencia de las luchas anti-capitalistas
A Convergencia das lutas anti-capitalistas
-- 514-526-8946
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