Today, November 5th, a province-wide day of action is taking place as part of the “Campaign for a Poverty Free Ontario”. In Toronto, a rally and a march on the financial district are organized by the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP – www.ocap.ca). This day of action aims to denounce the consequences of the ongoing crisis on the workers and the thousands of people condemned to survive in often unbearable conditions of poverty.

This initiative is more than timely. As OCAP reminds us, governments have claimed for years that they simply did not have the money to help those that are in need of support – be they workers that have lost their jobs, tenants that cannot afford to pay their rent, or welfare recipients simply unable to cover the grocery bill. Yet, when the crisis broke out, when the banks and large corporations asked that the governments come to their rescue, public finances suddenly became a bottomless pit in which they could serve themselves freely.

The workers and the people living in poverty are in no way responsible for this crisis. But they are the ones that are paying for it and who are expected to continue paying for it in the coming months and years. So it’s about time that the real victims of the crisis stand up and be heard! This is why the Québec-based Coalition contre la précarité (the Coalition against precariousness) fully supports OCAP and the other organizations participating in the November 5th day of action.

The living conditions of the workers, the jobless, the students and the senior citizens here in Québec are not different than those of their Ontario comrades. We are confronted by the same crisis, by a same system and by similar policies, which aim to make us pay for a crisis that is not of our making while letting the real guilty parties off.

By lay-offs, by wage cuts, by slashing social programs, by raising the costs of public services or by raising tuition fees in education, the governments of the rich have chosen their side. We thus must choose ours. In solidarity with OCAP and in support of the November 5th day of action, the members of the Coalition contre la précarité will make their voices heard on November 23rd, during Minister Hamad’s sham consultation on his “plan to fight poverty” that promises nothing positive for the poor but rather defends poverty, precariousness and social and economic inequality.

The groups and organizations members of the Coalition contre la précarité: Association pour la défense des droits sociaux du Montréal métropolitain (ADDS-MM), Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante (ASSÉ), Comité chômage de l’Est de Montréal, Mouvement Action-Chômage de Montréal, Organisation populaire des droits sociaux de la région de Montréal (OPDS-RM). Supported by the Mouvement autonome et solidaire des sans-emploi (MASSE).