Ontario 2013: Toward a Post-Austerity Vision

January 9, 2013

Thomas Lounge, Ryerson University

The austerity agenda isn’t working in Ontario. It destabilized the political climate in the provincial legislature. It divided Ontarians. And it’s stalling Ontario’s economic recovery from the Great Recession. There are alternatives. Join the CCPA-Ontario for a strategy session examining the state of the province’s economy and the path toward a post-austerity vision.

10:00 am

Welcome and opening thoughts

10:10 am Challenging the Numbers: Fiscal and Economic Update

Hugh Mackenzie, CCPA

Are we really too deep in the red? Ontario’s budget numbers one year after the Drummond Report.

Jim Stanford, CAW

Creating jobs to pay off the deficit: Economic and jobs update, and an insider’s review of the Jobs and Prosperity Report.

Discussion.

11:10 am Coffee Break

11:25 am Challenging the Narrative: Public Opinion Update

Lorne Bozinoff, President, Forum Research Ontario's right turn: Public perceptions.

Tom Cooper, Hamilton Poverty Roundtable Keeping poverty on the political radar screen (report from Hamilton group that started 12-city protest of funding cuts to the poor).

Chris Watson, CUPE Ontario Overcoming challenges facing perceptions of the labour movement.

Trish Hennessy, CCPA-Ontario Toward a post-austerity narrative.

Discussion.

12:30 pm Lunch

Keynote speech by Alex Himelfarb, named by Macleans magazine as one of the most influential people in Ottawa. Alex is the director of the Glendon School of Public and International Affairs and former clerk of the Privy Council.

1:00 pm Sectoral Reports and Check-ins

3-minute check-ins from any groups or coalitions who want to report on their actions against austerity.  Learn about the tremendous diversity of resistance taking place in Ontario – and start thinking about ways to strengthen the cohesiveness of our response to austerity.

2:00 pm Table Strategy Sessions

[Everyone stays in the room and chooses a table.]

Participants will be able to choose a table group that reflects their priorities and interests (including topics like inequality and poverty-reduction; confront the right-to-work challenge; changing attitudes about taxes; defending public sector bargaining rights; building a living wage movement in Ontario; the role of non-profits under austerity; and more).

Discussion questions for each table: What are the challenges? How do we move toward a post-austerity narrative on this issue? What can the Ontario CCPA do to support your efforts?

[Participants fetch a coffee as table groups end and main session re-convenes.]

3:00 pm Open Plenary Report-Back

Moderated by Jim Stanford.

Short report-backs from table groups.

Discussion.

Summary and Next Steps.

4:00 pm Adjournment

Questions? Please contact Trish Hennessy: ccpaon@policyalternatives.ca