Will Gibson, Scott Ford, Caroline Norman, Keegan Steele, Gloria Joe, Don Deitch, Jodie Layne, Jennifer Keith, Ian T.D. Thomson
MANITOBAN
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Incumbents Turnbull and Pierce win second term with new team
Kevin Lin KL ater, staff
Preliminary results from the 2014 UMSU General Election indicate a decisive victory for the Refresh slate.
The vote counts were released by chief returning officer Jacqueline
Keena on Saturday morning, and show all five UMSU executive positions being won by candidates from Refresh.
Fusion slate candidates came in second in all contests, getting less
than half the vote count when compared to candidates from Refresh.
The UMatter slate came in a distant third in the two positions for which they fielded candidates.
The presidency was won by incumbent Al Turnbull with 3,375 votes (65 per cent), beating out Charly Wreggitt and Kyra Wilson with 1,486 (29 per cent) and 293 votes (six per cent), respectively.
Refresh’s
Rebecca Kunzman took vice-president advocacy with 3,579 votes (69 per cent), beating Fusion’s Monica Igweagu with 1,595 votes (31 per cent).
Vice-president internal was taken by Jeremiah Kopp with 3,330 votes (65
per cent), who won a three-way race against Victoria Watkins with 1,451 votes (28 per cent) and Clyford Sinclair with 367 votes (seven per cent).
Christian Pierce beat Dana Hatherly to win the office of vicepresident external with 3,523 votes (68 per cent) compared to Hatherly’s 1,655 (32 per cent).
Refresh’s Daria Lukie won by the same margin, beating Fusion’s Rongzhao Li, 3,538 votes (68 per cent) to 1,657 (32 per cent).
In addition to voting for the five UMSU executive positions, students voted for three community representatives: women’s, students with disabilities, and LGBTTQ*.
Reanna Blair won women’s rep with 802 votes (64 per cent), Matthew Riesmeyer took disabilities rep with 145 votes (60 per cent), and Steven Anderson took LGBTTQ* rep with 174 votes in an uncontested race.
While Wreggitt was ultimately disappointed by the outcome of the election, she was pleased with the campaign Fusion ran.
“We felt we ran a good campaign, and even though it wasn’t the result we were hoping for, I’m really thankful for all the hard work our candidates and all our volunteers and supporters put in,” Wreggitt told the Manitoban Pierce and Turnbull are returning to posts they held last year, improving on their electoral wins in 2013.
“We knew how much work would be required coming into it, but I think we were well-prepared. Obviously I’m really happy with the mandate we have now, and we’re really excited to keep moving forward for next year,” Turnbull told the Manitoban
According to preliminary estimates from Keena, voter turnout was around 5,450 ballots, or 21 per cent of eligible students, which is a step down from last year’s record-setting 23.7 per cent.
The lower turnout is attributable to a smaller-than-usual Thursday showing (around 1,500 ballots this year) and a dismal 640 ballots cast on Friday.
Business is flourishing at the University of Manitoba campus restaurants.
According to recent financial reports, the monthly profits of Degrees and the Hub are higher now than at any other time in U of M history.
“[We’re] comparing the numbers from last year over the entire fiscal year,” said newly re-elected UMSU president Al Turnbull. “In comparison to last year, it is just unbelievable.” He said the difference was a steep $30,000.
That’s significant for these businesses, which Turnbull said lost about $430,000 last year.
“This year we think we’ll be pretty close to breaking even.”
Jack Jonasson, manager of the Hub, credits the newfound success to the hard work put in to revamping the restaurant.
“I think that when the place opened, there were a few missteps that were made, so when I came in, my goal was to meet with the student groups and give them an idea of what it [was] that I wanted to do,” he said.
Jonasson said his vision was to develop a “more inviting, and friendly a place as possible.” He said he feels the effort has paid off.
The meetings with student groups helped spark successful events –most notably the Wednesday night
“Rez Night” which offers two-dollar drafts, and keeps the pub at maximum capacity from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. every week.
“[Rez Night] is a very successful night,” said Turnbull at the Feb. 10 UMSU Council meeting. “The last couple of weeks have been phenomenal. We’ve actually had to turn people away, it’s been so busy.”
Rez Night gives priority entrance to key-carrying students living in university residences and has further attracted both alumni and nonstudents alike.
Meanwhile, down the hallway at Degrees, Turnbull said the financial reports are showing the restaurant to be in the midst of what is its best year ever.
“They are pushing through so many plates every day, it’s incredible. We are trying to work it out so that we can expedite service a little better, but overall things are going very well.”
You will not, however, find any real sense of rivalry between these two restaurants despite their proximity, said Jonasson.
“I think we really complement each other. Degrees is more of a sit-down restaurant; they do a lot of take-out, too. We’re trying to go for more of a pub or bar kind of feel, where people kind of just come and have some awesome pub food and drinks, and do it in an
economical way.”
For Turnbull and the current executive, the success of the campus businesses means more than just the financial advantage of having strong university organizations. The Refresh platform emphasized promoting school spirit and a positive student experience – something that Turnbull said is helped by the success of businesses like Degrees and the Hub.
“‘School spirit’ and ‘student experience’ are really ambiguous terms, but often they act as a euphemism for partying – and that’s not the case,” said Turnbull. He said Refresh wants students to enjoy being on campus, and not think of the U of M as a “sub-par” university.
“We don’t want people to say ‘I just go here.’ And that includes everything, and that does include the bar. People go to the bar here and it’s great.”
Furthermore, the more successful the businesses are financially, the more money there is for student services, he said.
“I know we can continue to make the Hub an extremely successful business so that we can take the surplus and give it back to the members,” said Turnbull.
phOtO
Israeli Apartheid Week still highly contentious at U of M
Despite
banned student group, Israeli Apartheid Week events to go ahead at U of M
Kevin Lin KL ater, staff
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ext week is Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) in Winnipeg, with numerous events being held throughout the week, including a few scheduled to take place at the University of Manitoba.
Thao Lam, UMSU vice-president of student services, says that IAW events have not been given official UMSU space on the university.
“The issue is because they don’t have status from UMSU, a lot of places won’t approve them to have events in their space, including all UMSU spaces,” said Lam.
Last year, the U of M became the first university in Canada to ban the student group Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA). Similar student groups exist on many other Canadian university campuses.
The group was banned under
UMSU bylaw 2009, which states that “UMSU does not condone behaviour that is likely to undermine the dignity, self-esteem or productivity of any of its members or employees and prohibits any form of discrimination or harassment whether it occurs on UMSU property or in conjunction with UMSU-related activities.”
Students Against Israeli Apartheid has reapplied for student group status, but the rules surrounding reapproval of a previously banned student group are unclear.
“Right now their status is pending, because our policies aren’t updated and there’s nothing in place to deal with a situation like this [ . . . ] the policy and bylaws committee is looking at UMSU policy 2009, and they’ve done some work on the policy, but it hasn’t come forward to council for approval
Admin speaks on firing of
yet,” said Lam.
Liz Carlyle is the co-chair of the group Winnipeg Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (WCAIA), and says IAW events will go on, and that there are no problems between the group and the university administration.
“The university is not putting up any roadblocks to our events. They’ve never denied us space bookings, and we hope people from UMSU will come out and attend events, and see what this is really about,” she said.
Josh Morry, a law student at the U of M, brought forward the resolution to have the SAIA group banned last year.
He argued that by using strong language, notably the word “apartheid,” SAIA was creating an unsafe and hostile environment towards students who support Israel.
“SAIA calls that vision of Zionism—a Jewish state for the Jewish people— racist. They say that Zionism by definition creates an apartheid state, and that kind of language puts students at risk. It invokes hatred against a certain group of people.”
Carlyle said that the purpose of IAW events is to draw critical attention to the actions of the Israeli military in the occupied territories and the human rights abuses that happen there, and pointed to the many Jewish voices that take part in the events.
“WCAIA has never set out to attack anyone’s ethnicity or religion. We are a political organization. We are drawing attention to the abuses that Palestinians suffer under Israeli military occupation.”
Morry pointed out that most people do not understand the difference
between Judaism and Zionism, and that when Zionism is criticized, Jews as a whole can feel threatened.
“There are non-Jewish Zionists, and there are Jews who aren’t Zionists. But when you make that connection, when you call a Jewish state for the Jewish people racist, you put Jews at risk, and I think it would only be a matter of time before we saw a serious incident here.”
Carlyle responded that IAW goes to lengths to educate people about the issues, in understanding what Zionism is, and that it is separate from Judaism.
“Our criticism has nothing to do with the Jewish religion or ethnicity. Anyone who feels that IAW is an attack on any religious or ethnic group should come to our events, and see that it is really not about that and it is a safe space.”
Israeli Apartheid Week runs from Mar. 17-23.
the director of the Aboriginal Student Centre
University responds to calls from staff and students for answers regarding controversial decision
Kevin Lin KL ater, staff
Last Friday afternoon, a meeting was held at Migizii Agamik, where the University of Manitoba administration addressed the departure of Kali Storm, the long-time director of the Aboriginal Student Centre, to concerned students and faculty.
Brendan Hughes, executive director of student engagement and acting director of the Aboriginal Student Centre; Deborah Young, executive lead for indigenous achievement; and Susan Gottheil, vice-provost of students, spoke to about 50 students and staff in an emotionally-charged exchange.
“It is a difficult time. And I’m not going to have anything that’s going to make it better today, but what I’m trying to do is come here and talk about how we can move forward tomorrow
and thereafter,” said Hughes. Storm was highly regarded and well-liked by many faculty and staff, and her departure over Reading Week came as a shock.
Students and staff were unable to find answers in the following weeks as to the reasons for her leaving the university, and pressed the administration to respond. The administration finally obliged last Friday, but answers were not forthcoming.
Student and UMatter slate member
Clyford Sinclair questioned Hughes as to why Storm was let go.
Hughes responded that he was unable to comment because it was a “personal matter.”
Numerous people asked Hughes if a dispute over the nature of compensating elders on campus was a reason
for Storm’s departure. Hughes denied this was the case.
“I don’t think that’s the issue; it’s the relationship, it’s the way we’re relating with them. We’ve been working to strengthen and formalize our relationship with the elders here. We are trying to approach that relationship in a respectful and responsible way for both the elders and the university.”
Some staff and students at the meeting speculated that the university administration has been seeking to put elders on a salary payment structure. Many elders currently receive an honorarium for their services, which includes payment in goods such as tobacco, in addition to cash payment.
“I know for a fact that elders would rather have their services paid for in tobacco or things that are non-finan-
cial. To pay them in money is not appropriate; it’s culturally insensitive. In some different communities across Canada, some elders will actually take money for their services. But a lot of them are strictly traditional, and will only accept things like tobacco or blankets or other traditional things,” said student Krista Emmahlee.
Chanse Kornik, co-president of the U of M Aboriginal Students Association, voiced concerns that academic freedom could be curtailed if the university were to put the elders on salary.
Hughes responded that this would not be the case.
“Part of the relationship that we are trying to build would be to have those cultural and spiritual freedoms, for them to be able to continue in these
capacities,” he said.
Carl Stone, an advisor at the Aboriginal Student Centre, ended off the session with an emotional appeal, calling for recognition of all voices to be heard and considered when it comes to how the university handles its relationships with Aboriginal students and staff.
“The university has to know that when these sorts of decisions are made without consultation, and without consideration, it hurts us. We don’t feel like we are being treated with respect when someone so important is removed so unceremoniously like this.”
The Manitoban was unable to reach Storm for comment.
Victories and challenges in Colombia’s health model
U of M prof on the ‘success story’ of indigenous care
On Mar. 7, Javier Mignone, associate professor in the University of Manitoba faculty of human ecology’s department of family social sciences, gave a presentation at the U of M titled “Health care organizations in Colombia: an indigenous success story within a system in crisis.” Mignone specializes in intercultural, community, and Aboriginal health in addition to researching the social determinants of health and family well-being,
The lecture was part of the Arthur V. Mauro centre for peace and justice’s Brown Bag Lecture Series, which has been regularly featuring speakers on a range of domestically and internationallygeared political topics since 2006.
The lecture began with an introduction to the story of the Colombian health-care system and the Wayuu indigenous tribes of La Guajira and northwest Venezuela. They make up around 80 different ethnic groups and approximately 144,000 (or 20 per cent) of the indigenous population of Colombia.
In Colombia, the health-care system is effectively controlled by the Empresas Promotoras de Salud (EPS), six of which are non-profit and specific to the indigenous (EPSI) community. These organizations are, in essence, insurance companies.
As a whole, Colombia’s is often considered to be a system in crisis, with frequent protests brought on by a lack of adequate care, nonuniversal coverage, regular accusations of corruption, a lack of proper accountability within the companies themselves, and a burden of high debt.
However, within the damaged system, some have managed to succeed, and one such organization is Anas Wayuu EPSI, an organization that services the indigenous peoples of La Guajira, and in 2012 was rated the best EPS in all of Colombia. Its secret is communitybased programs organized by local politicians.
Anas Wayuu EPSI promotes traditional medicine and the development of intercultural childbirth programs with traditional Wayuu midwives, as well as local community health programs. Furthermore, it has a partnership with the Universidad de Antioquia as part of a prevention and research initiative for HIV/AIDS.
It is also focused on building a computer information database to provide better care – a topic of great interest to Mignone.
“There’s a lot of young people interested in these things,” he said.
“Young people could learn [statistics] and so this is my main interest, seeing if we could get a bit more funding to develop this kind of thing.”
Mignone acknowledged, however, the difficulty in getting the funding for such initiatives, citing donors being uncomfortable with the idea of giving money to a small, local organization over a large, internationally-known one.
“I think donors tend to shy away, and I think that it’s because they don’t have as much control over [community-based initiatives],” he said.
“While of course we can collaborate, and have technical exchanges, [in the end] it’s run through them and not through us.”
Mignone also acknowledged the challenges faced by many of the EPS organizations, some of which are very unpopular with locals.
Colombia lacks political stability, and is recurrently the site of conflict between entities like militias, paramilitaries, guerrilla fighters, and the legitimately recognized government military. There are also internal disagreements between various EPSs, which can hinder progress.
Colombia is, furthermore, a site of major exploitation by foreign mining corporations, entities that frequently take over large sections of land, driving out the population and mining the area for gold and other resources. Canada is a significant contributor to the practice, which creates political tension over what is seen as the exploitation of ancestral lands, and particularly damages the indigenous peoples.
“[The indigenous peoples of Colombia] face tremendous obstacles,” said Mignone.
“But that is where the strength of the organization has mattered so much [ . . . ] if it weren’t for the strength of the organization, I think that they would have been long since run over.”
The next Mauro Brown Bag Lecture, which will take place March 21, is called “Canadian Wilderness in n’Daki Menan,” and will be presented by Jocelyn Thorpe.
Ca L eigh MaC Dona LD, staff
Science & technology
One step closer in the fight against chronic pain
New research shows insight into pain sensitivity
eL izabeth Drewni K , staff
New research sheds light on chronic pain, a major concern in public health. About 20 per cent of the worldwide population is affected by acute and chronic pain.
Chronic pain depends on many different factors such as biology, psychology, and the environment, but the molecular mechanisms at the basis of it are not completely understood. A new study published in Nature Communications suggests a potential solution for chronic pain. The work done could also have an application for other complex diseases, such as schizophrenia and diabetes.
An international research group led by Jordana T. Bell of the department of twin research and genetics epidemiology at King’s College London discovered that a gene already known to have a role in pain sensitivity (TRPA1) also has an important role in sensitivity to heat. The gene is found to be active in pain receptors (a type of nerve cell) as well as some skin cells.
passed down genetically, the way the genes are turned on or off is influenced by the environment.
The results of the pain sensitivity study were measured via DNA methylation status. Changing the levels of DNA methylation (by adding or removing chemical signatures called methyl groups) is a method the genome uses to turn genes on or off at specific times in order to make protein. Where there is a lot of methylation, genes will be turned off, and where there is little or no methylation, genes will be turned on.
Levels of methylation can also be influenced by environmental factors.
Chronic pain depends on many factors such as biology, psychology, and the environment, but the molecular mechanisms at the basis of it are not completely understood
The study looked at 25 pairs of identical twins and 25 pairs of unrelated participants, and compared their tolerance for heat. Heat sensitivity is an environmentally influenced trait, as twin pairs exhibit differences in their tolerance to pain at high temperatures. However, there was a greater correlation of heat tolerance in twin pairs than in pairs of unrelated people, meaning that there is a genetic factor involved in pain sensitivity.
What this means is that pain sensitivity has an epigenetic basis. Epigenetics is the field of study that looks at how genetics works beyond just focusing on the genetic code. Even though the genes for pain tolerance are
Jeffrey Marcus, associate professor at the University of Manitoba in the department of biological sciences, shared his expert opinion on the implications of this research. Marcus told the Manitoban that the results of this study are “worth exploring for pharmaceutical applications related to treating chronic pain.”
He said the study “ represents a very creative use of pairs of monozygotic [identical] twin volunteers to help find new gene targets for easing the suffering of patients who experience chronic pain.”
Marcus also said that having “knowledge of biological mechanisms can assist in developing pharmaceutical and other treatment options for patients with a particular condition by targeting the specific proteins responsible for causing the disease.”
The researchers hope that future epigenetic studies will provide significant insight into other complex diseases by using the results discovered in this study on chronic pain.
Comment Editor: Katerina tefft Contact: comment
Free-market capitalism, as economist Karl Polanyi famously writes in The Great Transformation, is a “stark utopia” that “could not exist for any length of time without annihilating the human and natural substance of society; it would have physically destroyed man and turned his surrounding into a wilderness.”
It is out of this threat of the impending wilderness of free-market capitalism that the union emerges, out of the simple desire of workers to survive in an economic system that inherently pushes their wages down further and further, and deprives them of bodily and material security. And while a truly free capitalist system thankfully remains a mere utopian ideal and not a reality, the rise of neoliberalism has pushed the global economy steadily in that direction in recent decades.
Yet, despite the protection they afford, unions are often scapegoated by workers who seem not to realize that much of what they take for granted in the workplace—weekends, breaks, sick leave, the eight-hour workday, overtime pay, minimum wage, workers’ compensation, workplace safety standards, collective bargaining rights, wrongful termination protection, whistleblower protection, health benefits, pensions, parental leave, the right to strike, and equal pay—was not voluntarily or benevolently given.
We as a society take these rights and comforts for granted without remembering that they are all hard-won by unions and the labour movement. We forget about the working conditions in countries such as Bangladesh where unions are met with hostility or banned outright by the government – or even the conditions for workers of anti-union corporations like Walmart that operate within our own borders. We forget that if we didn’t have our unions fighting for our rights and livelihoods, we could lose them. We’re already careening in that direction; recent studies show a strong correlation between the decline of unions and the decline of the middle class, and growing income inequality in Canada and the United States.
However, unions are not ends unto themselves. Many trade unionists could do with taking a long, hard look inwards and asking if they have become complacent in normalizing and sustaining capitalism, and if they have forgotten the greater cause of the universal workers’ struggle in favour of their own immediate gain.
Reactionary trade unions are not ideal, and, ultimately, a better world for workers will never be achieved by simply trying to survive in the current system. We must expand our aims beyond that and look toward the future. But what unions do provide is a stepping stone toward that better world and toward worker ownership by creating class consciousness, worker co-operation and solidarity, and conditions in which workers can have their basic needs met in order to ensure survival in the immediate present. And unions remain a thorn in the side of the capitalists, as they fetter their ability to exploit workers and maximize profits unchecked.
Marxist theorist Anton Pannekoek says it best: “The struggle for better working conditions is of immediate necessity [ . . . ] At first the workers, powerless by the constraint of hunger, have to submit in silence. Then resistance bursts forth, in the only possible form, in the refusal to work, in the strike. In the strike for the first time the workers discover their strength, in the strike arises their fighting power. From the strike springs up the association of all the workers of the factory, of the branch, of the country. Out of the strike sprouts the solidarity, the feeling of fraternity with the comrades in work, of unity with the entire class: the first dawn of what some day will be the lifespending sun of the new society. The mutual help [ . . . ] soon takes the lasting form of the trade union.”
We must never take our rights for granted, nor become complacent and forget what must be our end goal: a new society for workers by workers. The trade union has true revolutionary potential if we only harness it.
Take any finance course and you will hear that a free market is an efficient market. A free market is one where the market decides what it needs, causing others to provide products and services to cater to these needs.
Looking at the labour market is fundamentally the same. Employers supply a package to an employee, which is called compensation, and in return the employer is entitled to the labour of the employee. These packages include both financial compensation—such as a salary, health benefits, and other perks—as well as nonfinancial benefits such as good management, an enjoyable company culture, and satisfaction.
In the open market, things flow nicely. Employers who offer good benefits, fair salaries, and an array of non-financial benefits get a larger number of applicants, and in turn employ the most qualified individuals. Employers who opt to offer subpar compensation get fewer applicants and resort to hiring less-qualified individuals.
A union fundamentally throws a wrench into this beautiful, well-oiled machine. Unions bring together employees who want more than what the company, industry, or market is offering for their labour. By doing this, the entire open-market concept is ruined, as now employers are forced to compensate more than the market is actually demanding for their labour. These employers could of course return to the open market and try to find labour, but since there is a union in the market and employees know they can get better compensation, they will hold out knowing the employer will eventually have to pay this.
As an employee, this sounds amazing! Getting paid more while providing the same labour? Who wouldn’t want that deal? The issue is that this break in the open market affects more than just the individual. Firstly, businesses generally despise
unions because they hurt their bottom line. When a firm is unionized, net income can fall by between three and nine per cent through a combination of increased wages and increased bureaucracy. It is not uncommon for firms to be forced to make this up by other means, often by reducing nonfinancial compensation to some degree.
Small businesses also struggle to stay afoot post-unionization, because their already thin margins cannot handle the increased wages and inefficiencies unions bring.
Unions don’t just hurt business, though; they hurt people, too. When businesses begin to feel the pressure of a reduced bottom line, the first things they do is increase consumer prices, making products and services more expensive for you and me. In the short-term, this hurts our wallets, making it harder for the average consumer to get by and forcing them to make each dollar go further. Long-term, increased prices lead to inflation, which hurts not only our wallets, but our economy. This, paired with struggling businesses, can be disastrous if not corrected over time.
The ironic thing about unions is they are not tied to increased worker satisfaction or happiness, but instead actually decrease the job satisfaction the average worker realizes. This dissatisfaction can be tied to many different factors, but two play a major role.
First, unionized workers are less likely to trust their workplace because they have reduced interaction with and therefore distance from their employer. By being less trusting, employees shift towards being on their guard, which reduces satisfaction.
Secondly, lower-level employees feel the strain of the hierarchy that unions undoubtedly create. Higher-level employees are compensated more, regardless of effort or ability, while lower-level employees may in fact work harder. This inequality in the workplace breeds conflict and ultimately unhappiness.
Katerina t efft, staff
foster Ly L e, staff
Monetary policy, debt, and unions
Unions could solve some key problems for Canada’s economy
Kevin Lin KL ater, staff
Following the global financial crisis of 2008-09, the Canadian economy was held up as a model in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Canada escaped the worst of the crisis; the banks were strong and the housing market continued to grow in strides.
Four years on, however, the overall performance of the economy leaves much to be desired. GDP growth remains anemic; unemployment remains a problem in many parts of the country. Interest rates are at historic lows, yet the Bank of Canada (BoC) is more worried about deflation than inflation. Current policy is not satisfactorily addressing Canada’s economic shortcomings.
Being a small, open economy, Canada eventually felt the effects of
the global financial crisis. The government responded with fiscal stimulus, and the BoC slashed interest rates to historic lows in order to stimulate the economy.
The fiscal stimulus has long since gone, as the government moved to tackle budget deficits, but those low interest rates remain, as growth remains weak.
Interest rates are at historic lows and have remained so for years. The availability of cheap credit has failed to adequately spur economic growth and unemployment is still too high. Furthermore, inflation has consistently been underperforming, registering at the lower end of the desired range. There is very little room for the BoC to further lower rates, and thus very little room to address these deflationary concerns.
Relying so heavily on the availability of cheap credit has also produced problems of its own: record levels of consumer debt and an overheated housing market.
With easy access to credit, Canadians are living beyond their means. A recent study by TransUnion, a credit rating agency, found that nonmortgage debt is predicted to increase to an all-time high of $28,853 per average Canadian, up four per cent from 2013 levels and up over 40 per cent from 2007 levels.
The housing market is also an area of growing concern. The government has been wary of the possibility that a housing bubble is forming in the real estate market and has taken several steps over the years to tighten borrowing requirements for mortgages.
Despite the stop-gap measures
introduced by the government to slow borrowing and cool the housing market, mortgage debt has continued to rise, along with non-mortgage debt – such as lines of credit and credit card debt.
Canadians are now carrying record levels of debt.
Canada is now dependent on cheap credit to grow the economy, and any rise in interest rates risks choking off growth. This means that there is no room to raise interest rates to check the rise of indebtedness of Canadian households.
The danger is that if and when these historically unique credit conditions change, the positive growth seen in housing and consumer spending will quickly vanish. This is not a good position to be in.
Policy makers need to be putting in place the conditions for continued strong growth in housing and consumption, without the crutch of cheap credit to sustain them.
So how would this change come about?
What I propose is higher wage growth. This would stimulate economic growth and have an inflationary effect, something that is desirable at this time.
Higher wage growth would have the same stimulative effect as low interest rates, but without the problem of rising indebtedness. Additionally, stronger wage gains would allow room for the BoC to raise interest rates to address the growing debt issue without strangling
consumption and growth.
So, how do we achieve stronger wage growth? I see two possibilities: another round of fiscal stimulus that tightens up the labour market and thus drives up wages, or encouraging the unionization of workplaces, which would increase wages.
There are downsides to each of these options; although Canada’s debt-toGDP ratio is relatively low and there is room to enact fiscal stimulus, the government is currently in a deficit, and a new round of fiscal stimulus may not be politically possible. On the union side, this could scare away capital and discourage hiring if businesses see militant unions rattling their sabres.
However, there are good reasons to believe the pro-union scenario would not backfire for the following reason: though Canadian businesses are sitting on record profits, they are not hiring because they see insufficient demand for their products. Higher wages would increase demand from consumers and send a positive signal to businesses to hire more workers.
The problems facing the economy are not being adequately addressed by current policies, and are having unintended consequences in the form of rising indebtedness. Strong wage growth would go a long way toward addressing these problems, and higher rates of unionization are a way to achieve it.
iLLuStRatiON by aiChELLE SayuNO
Arts & Culture
From women’s day to every day
International Women’s Day highlights need for support, accessibility, and solidarity year-round
a nastasia Chipe L s K i, staff
Many events held in the name of International Women’s Day (IWD) spilled beyond the bounds of Mar. 8 and into a weeklong series, or at least weekend-long string of gatherings. Beyond the common thread of Women’s Day, topics taken up across the city varied as much as the organizing groups themselves.
Women’s voices were brought to the forefront throughout the city –through speeches, panels, documentaries, performances, and more. As not all women are speaking from the same experience, depending on which voices you heard, different perspectives on IWD could be found.
young inDigenous feminists call for support
The Native Youth Sexual Health Network (NYSHN), in partnership with Ka Ni Kanichihk, presented the Manitoban premiere of the film Young Lakota on the evening of Mar. 7. The documentary followed young reproductive justice activists in South Dakota as they became involved in tribal politics and developed their voices. Panelists discussed how the film related to their own experiences of indigenous youth leadership following the screening.
Alexa Lesperance, a youth facilitator for the NYSHN, spoke to the importance of having young indigenous women telling their stories and breaking down stereotypes. She countered the myth that young indigenous women need “saving,” while what they really need is support.
“We are the experts of our bodies and [of] what our communities need,” said Lesperance.
The panelists acknowledged the struggles that had been faced by older activists who lived through the era of unsafe back-door abortions.
“We have the privilege of not having lived in that time,” said NYSHN executive director Jessica Danforth. And yet she spoke to the pressing need for support in everyday life, calling on the audience to stop and support somebody else.
Danforth and Lesperance also highlighted the necessity of access to services and spaces that are culturally safe, meaning that “we have the right to talk about our culture, our spirituality, and our own communities when we talk about our bodies.”
This was echoed by Aboriginal midwifery student Melissa Brown, who related her own experience of only seeing Aboriginal faces on the walls of the hospital, and not in her care providers. She emphasized the need for more Aboriginal health-care workers so that “people can see themselves there.”
Reflecting on the film and subsequent discussion, Niki Ashton (MP for Churchill) recognized the need for similar opportunities for connection.
“We need to come together, we need to reconnect, we need to continue the conversation because [ . . . ] the conversation about how to take things away from us or keep us back is definitely not just taking place, but it’s being acted upon,” said Ashton. “I work at the federal level, and it’s pretty
hostile times for anyone that believes in equality.”
In the eyes of the panelists, IWD is not a one-off event; women’s day is every day.
conversation, celeBration, anD inspiration from the street
The broad theme of the IWD march held on Mar. 8 was to highlight gains achieved by womens’ movements, while simultaneously raising awareness of the work that has yet to be done. In the same vein as the march organizers, Sharon Blady (Minister of Healthy Living and Seniors) defined her view of IWD as “A day of celebration of what we’ve accomplished, and a call to battle for what we have yet to accomplish.”
Beginning with remarks from speakers at Portage Place, the march drew approximately 200 people, and was led by an indigenous drumming circle riding on the back of a pickup truck. It drew representatives from Amnesty International, CUPE, and the Manitoba Federation of Labour, to name a few.
As the column of marchers coalesced into a crowd outside Union Centre, a member of the police escort wove through the crowd and requested that marchers abandon the street in favour of the sidewalk. “We’ve got the Jets game in 20 minutes,” she said – a poignant reminder of the limited space allowed to this public display.
With the melody of “Solidarity Forever” still hovering in the air, marchers filed inside to enjoy snacks
and more speakers. The organizing committee for the march was an intergenerational affair, with younger students pitching in alongside older labour activists. They chose to conclude the event by highlighting younger women’s voices who “bring something that we [ . . . ] won’t hear in mainstream media, and that is essential and being talked about in feminist spaces,” said co-organizer Claudyne Chevrier.
Raven Hart-Bellecourt spoke of empowering other women and young girls for leadership, as she does by bringing her young daughters along with her to meetings and marches.
Hart-Bellecourt named the university as “an uncomfortable space to be in to stand and talk and speak [her] truth.”
This sentiment was echoed by Bilan Arte, who recounted her frustration with hearing racist comments made by professors.
Hart-Bellecourt and Arte also spoke of the strength they find in each other, through finding support in an environment that can be otherwise hostile. Although they may “walk in different shoes and have different roles to play” in their friendship, they celebrate their differences and support each other as allies.
Chevrier reinforced the importance of having these conversations, and to have them be accessible. “One of the things that I like about International Women’s Day is that it’s very broad and mainstream,” said Chevrier. “Activist and radical spaces can be spaces that are terrifying, because there’s a code
and there’s a language that’s really driven by academics.”
She hopes that IWD marches can offer a way in to ideas that may not be found elsewhere, and encourages others who haven’t been to marches or rallies before to try it out: “You don’t have to have the perfect language and you don’t have to have anything, you just show up.”
For some, the act of marching in itself is an important marker of visibility, “because [a march] is a traditional form of radical action, a symbol of past feminist action that is maintained today,” said Lissie Rappaport. “I think as more feminist work becomes paid [ . . . ] it remains feminist, but it is inhibited by funders, by visions and missions of organizations, and it disappears from the street.”
And while the march is somewhat “mainstream” because it is run by a small group of volunteers, it is more open to change than in other urban centres where IWD may be more established. “It’s opening up a space and a moment where people can stop and think about [ . . . ] a lot of things that are happening in their life and [ask], ‘maybe it’s because of gender?’”
Within this space of conversation and new ideas, there is hope for new understanding across differences, for mutual support, and for collaboration toward greater change. As the IWD rally drew to a close, Arte invoked a quote from Audre Lorde: “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.”
U of M celebrates International Women’s Day
Events challenge myths, empower women
Katy MaC Kinnon, staff
I
f you were able to tear your eyes away from the election hoopla last week, you may have noticed the breast, chest, and torso casts in the Gallery of Student Art. Along with a sports talk and a sailboat race, the University of Manitoba hosted events throughout the week to celebrate the United Nations’ 39th annual International Women’s Day (IWD).
The Womyn’s Centre facilitated multiple events with an underlying theme of empowerment. The Empower exhibit at the Gallery of Student Art showcased casts of breasts and chests of all shapes, sizes, and colours. Hira Sabzwari, co-ordinator of the Womyn’s Centre, says many casting participants used superheroes as inspiration when decorating their casts.
“We wanted to go against that entire ideal that’s often found in the media, or in comic books, or in any sort of mass media about what
women are supposed to look like,” says Sabzwari. The positive feedback the centre received incited a plan for future casting.
In what was seemingly timed perfectly with election week, “Make Your Own Damn Sandwich Day” was held to challenge a mentality that currently exists in society regarding traditional gender roles.
The Sexuality Education Resource Centre visited campus to speak about sex positivity. Prior to the event, students had a chance to submit anonymous questions to have them answered in a safe space.
The Sexuality Education Resource Centre will be returning to campus this week for another event.
The Womyn’s Centre will continue programming throughout the week, including a pleasure-positive feminist porn event. Sabzwari hopes to sustain programming throughout the month of March, and thinks “there should be important and sig-
nificant programming throughout the year.”
Women in spoRT
Last Thursday evening, the U of M held its 12th annual dinner to celebrate IWD. Sarah Teetzel, assistant professor in the faculty of kinesiology and recreation management, spoke about gender inequalities in present-day athletics.
Teetzel says that the glass ceiling—women’s underrepresentation in higher corporate positions—still exists in the current generation of athletes in sport.
“The International Olympic Committee (IOC) set a goal of having 20 per cent [female] members to be in place by the year 2000—they set this in the early 90s—and in fact it went down during that time. It’s currently at 18 per cent.”
To promote change, Teetzel encourages women’s participation on boards “so that the IOC can’t use the excuse of not having
enough qualified women [for higher positions].”
Addressing this issue is important due to a common perception that the second wave of feminism achieved gender equality in the workplace. There is still much work to be done, says Teetzel. Women in engineeRing
On Saturday afternoon, the EITC atrium bustled with hardworking females in grades eight and nine during an event by WISE KidNetic Energy, a non-profit organization that reaches out to youth promoting careers in engineering and science.
Program administrator Nusraat Masood says the underrepresentation of females in engineering is often due to lack of exposure. Youth may not have the chance to interact with engineers, so the event was an opportunity to provide that exposure.
The U of M’s current female
enrolment in engineering courses sits at 19 per cent – a number Masood says is the norm countrywide. The participants partnered with female engineers to try their hand at different challenges. In one challenge, they were given supplies to build a sailboat and were timed to see which team could move the sailboat across a kiddie pool the fastest.
Since the young women will soon be selecting high school courses—some of which are prerequisites for engineering—Masood wants to ensure they keep their options open.
“It might not be for everyone –not everyone likes engineering work or science work. We understand that. But we really want to make sure that young women are aware of options so they can make the best decisions that are good for them and their families in the future,” says Masood.
Brawlers, scientific marvels, and high flyers
Premier Championship Wrestling offers a fantastic live show
Premier Championship Wrestling (PCW) was founded by a triumvirate of Winnipeggers including current owner Andrew Shallcross, Mike Davidson, formerly of Top Rope Championship Wrestling (TRCW), and businessman John Nguyen. Today, the Winnipeg promotion has become an international leader in highquality entertainment.
Commencement of Cool, PCW’s debut show, took place Mar. 3, 2002 at Investors Group Athletic Centre at the University of Manitoba. Playing on their slogan at the time, “The Industry of Cool,” the event featured three World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) legends.
The stars were Eduardo Gory “Eddie” Guerrero Llanes, who went on to become WWE champion in 2004; Roy Wayne Farris, “The Honkytonk Man,” who is the record-holder for the longest uninterrupted reign at the World Wrestling Federation (precursor to WWE) Intercontinental Championship; and Ed Leslie, known as Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake.
The event set the record for attendance at a local wrestling event with 1,700 fans. Today, with regular shows at Doubles Fun Club, PCW consistently attracts between 150-200 fans, with 200-400 people for special events.
“Winnipeg is an industry leader in Canada,” said Shallcross.
In 2001, he was working at Palladium Nightclub (now closed) on Pembina Highway, where local outfit TRCW began putting on weekly shows. Shallcross became good friends with Davidson who was the booker—the producer for wrestling events—for TRCW. Davidson wanted to start his own promotion, and Shallcross was interested in creating the best live show possible. The two became partners and secured backing from Nguyen.
Nguyen and Davidson left in 2002 and 2003 respectively, while Shallcross continues to work hard to offer amazing wrestling experiences in the city.
“Winnipeg has always boasted a very strong independent wrestling scene,” said Shallcross. “At any given time, there could be two to five promotions running regular shows in Winnipeg with varying degrees of talent and success with PCW being the leader in longevity and talent.”
“PCW prides itself on being a very athletic, realistic, and theatrical professional wrestling promotion,” said Shallcross. “Watching
our wrestlers perform will leave no doubt in the audience’s mind that these are highly trained professionals. We feature wrestlers of all shapes, sizes, and styles, from brawlers to scientific marvels to high flyers.”
“Overall we boast a fast-paced, athletic style with dramatic storytelling,” said Shallcross. “Our stylistic identity is really led by our top superstar Kenny Omega.”
Omega, the stage name of Tyson Smith, is to wrestling and Winnipeg heroes what Neil Young is to music.
Omega started out as a ring announcer for community club shows when he was 15. He was inspired by the athleticism of Robert Alex Szatkowski, known as Rob Van Dam.
“I hoped to become the same type of wrestler in my own way,” said Omega. “I’ve developed my own unique move set and rely a lot on my athletic ability in the ring.”
Today, Omega wrestles primarily out of Japan, although he has also been involved with a number of other organizations, including WWE, and is still connected with PCW.
“Our shows do attract a wide demographic, including young and old, male and female,” said Shallcross. “Our audience is well-known to be a vocal and fun crowd. Loud chants are commonplace and many fans express themselves by dancing to the entrance music and loudly expressing their like or dislike for the wrestlers.”
“I’ve met many people who were WWE fans but wouldn’t bother going to a local promotion because they didn’t think it would be of sufficient quality,” said Shallcross.
“When I convince them to attend, they are blown away by how good our talent actually is and by the experience of seeing a fast-paced athletic live show. I’ve seen fans who had soured on WWE but, once exposed to our product, became hooked on the live performances.”
Check out PCW’s 12th anniversary event on Mar. 15 at 9 p.m. at Doubles Fun Club (20 Alpine Ave.). The event features Kenny Omega and former World Heavyweight Champion Steve Corino. More information can be found on Facebook (PCW Wrestling) and Twitter (@PCWlegacy).
PCW is offering special prices for university students! Anyone with university student ID saves $5 off the $15 ticket. There are no limits, so buy extra for non-students!
