Central Executive Committee, YCL-LJC

March, 2017

International Women’s Day in 2017, the 103rd anniversary of the first IWD, is characterized by rising misogynist danger but also renewed resistance.

Reactionary anti-feminist and anti-women movements such as the “Gamergate” movement and the “Men’s Rights” movement, which is largely organized on Canadian campuses by “Men’s Issues Awareness” groups and the “Canadian Association For Equality”, have gained strength and joined with white supremacist and transphobic individuals and groups against supposed “political correctness” and for “free speech”. In reality they are united in defending hate speech. Their real agenda is to rollback women’s rights and strengthen rape culture.

The backdrop to these developments is the capitalist crisis, which has caused sections of the ruling class to abandon liberal bourgeois ideas and embrace ultra-right and fascist movements. In North America, the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States was both helped by the rise of the ultra-right and also emboldened these movements. Canada is not immune to this rise of reaction and the struggle against patriarchy is linked to the struggle for systemic change here at home.

Trudeau: neither Feminist nor ally

Trudeau declared at the UN: “I’m going to keep saying, loud and clear, that I am a Feminist.” We are not fooled. Neither these hollow phrases, nor the gender parity introduced by the Trudeau government in cabinet, indicate a radical change in Canada. These changes serve above all the image of the Liberals who seek to stand apart from the Conservatives, without actually changing the corporate agenda.

Trudeau is neither a Feminist nor an ally. For example, this government, like the Harper Tories, continues to ignore the longstanding demand to create a universal, accessible, affordable, quality, public childcare system. It has supported a $15 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia whose reactionary monarchy are amongst the biggest supporters of the oppression of women and who are carrying out a murderous war in Yemen. Trudeau supports the building of pipelines that supports the oil and gas monopolies colonialism perpetuating violence against Indigenous women and territories. Feminist change that advances the conditions of the vast majority of women – working women – will not come from the capitalist class in power, but will be the result of our struggles, as history has shown.

Ultimately, the struggle to end patriarchy is bound up with the struggle to end capitalist exploitation and replace it with socialism, where working people are in the driver’s seat and able to structure society based on people’s needs and not the creation of profit for the capitalist class. Communists support the struggles against patriarchy under capitalism both to alleviate the oppression of women, but also because these struggles are necessary to win socialism.

Renewed movements struggling against misogyny and racism

This year, many women will celebrate International Women’s Day with a renewed sense of strength. Almost 5 million women and their allies took to the streets around the world on Jan. 21 to oppose the xenophobic, racist, misogynist, homophobic, Islamophobic and pro-war agenda of Donald Trump and his government of Wall Street bankers, billionaires and oilmen.

Indigenous women are at the forefront of resisting the corporate agenda, along with the occupation of lands, theft of resources, and colonial gendered violence which all continue under the Trudeau Liberals. Black women and trans folk are leading struggles against racist police violence and murder.

Action such as the Slutwalk, Take Back the Night, the student campaign “Ni viande, ni objet” in Quebec, and the many demonstration against rape culture on university campuses have been successful in bringing awareness and some policy changes. International Women’s Day continues to be an important moment for our movement to organize our struggles.

It is necessary to build and unite these movements for equality in our workplaces, schools and the street. Coalitions of women’s groups can come together – women from groups like Idle No More, Black Lives Matter, Labour Women’s Committees, LGBTQ, disability, student and, pro-choice and other groups. In the face of attacks and reaction we stand united. In the fight for a world of gender equality we refuse to wait and instead we organize!

All throughout the history of the working class movement in Canada and the world, Communist women like Clara Zetkin, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Claudia Jones, Annie Buller, Becky Buhay, Vilma Espin, and Angela Davis have been fighting for the emancipation of women. The YCL-LJC fights for a socialist Canada where patriarchy will be ended and full equality possible, and for immediate changes for women’s rights.

This International Women’s Day the YCL-LJC demands:

• Restore funding for women’s equality programs and fund equality-seeking women’s groups;
• Equality and security for immigrant women;
• End the wage gap – legislate full pay and employment equity;
• Guarantee accessible and publicly funded abortion and reproductive rights services in every province and territory;
• Establish universal, quality, affordable childcare with Canada-wide standards and union wages for child care workers – restore the universality to Quebec’s childcare system;
• Protect women’s right to EI maternity coverage – expand parental benefits to 52 weeks;
• End all forms of violence against women and provide adequate funding for crisis centres and transition houses;
• Legislative change to provide paid leave for someone experiencing domestic violence;
• Support survivors of gendered violence – funding to be used toward counselling, moving, legal costs and more;
• Repeal Bill C-36 – harassment and criminalization of sex work is not the solution to exploitation;
• Implement progressive, LGBTQI2S-positive sex education in school, including education on consent.