Philip Fernandez
MLPC
Candidate in Toronto Centre
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 Philip
Fernandez is Ontario spokesperson for the People's Front. He has
put himself in the front ranks of renewing the political process to end
the marginalization of the electorate from the political affairs as a
necessary condition for realizing the rights of all.
Philip affirms that only by leading in this struggle and giving rise to
their own representatives to fight for renewal in parliament, can
national minority workers and their families, alongside all workers,
guarantee their rights. He calls on everyone to join in.
Philip is known by his peers as a tireless activist in defence of the
rights of all; for the rights of undocumented workers and their
families under the banner of "No One is Illegal"; against arbitrary
arrest and detention under the anti-terrorism legislation; against
racial profiling and police impunity and against the criminalization of
the right to conscience and to resist.
Recent
Articles by Philip Fernandez
• No to Harper's Law and Order Agenda! Work for Political
Renewal to Guarantee a Bright Future for the Youth! -
September 29, 2008
TML Daily Articles by Philip
Fernandez
• Migrant Workers -- A
Story of Modern Day
Slavery - April 30, 2008
No
to Harper's Law
and Order
Agenda!
Work for Political
Renewal to Guarantee
a Bright Future for
the Youth!
-
Philip Fernandez, September 29,
2008 -
On September 22, 2008
Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that a "re-elected Conservative
Government will provide additional resources to help at-risk youth
avoid criminal activity, while replacing Canada's young offenders' law
with new, balanced legislation that focuses on deterrence and
responsibility." This "balanced legislation" will provide "automatic,
stiffer sentences for persons 14 and older convicted of serious and
violent crimes such as murder and manslaughter. Upon conviction, the
names of persons 14 and older who commit such crimes will be made
public. The law will also make it easier for prosecutors to apply for
pre-trial detention of youth charged with violent crimes, in order to
protect the public."
This announcement exposes the brutality and bankruptcy of Stephen
Harper and his government, as well as the Liberals and NDP all of whom
endorse "law and order" measures for "violent youth crime" and none of
whom take social responsibility for the conditions wherein the most
vulnerable youth are thrown into an uncertain future and are often
forced into a life of crime and violence. One has to ask, who are the
real "violent criminals" here?
Toronto, May 25,
2005: demonstration demands justice for Jeffrey Reodica, a Filipino
youth killed by Toronto police.
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Working
class and national minority youth constitute the majority of
"young offenders" trapped in the web of the Canadian judicial and
prison system. All Canadians must reject these measures which seek to
strengthen the hand of the state to further
criminalize these youth who daily face the brutality of a society which
deprives them of their rights and their dignity. Working class and
national minority youth must raise the banner of their collective
right to a bright future for themselves by putting themselves in the
forefront of the work for the political renewal of Canada.
In making the announcement regarding changing the young offenders' law
if elected, Harper cited that in 2006, "almost 40,000 youths were
accused of serious and violent crimes" including "nearly 160 murders or
attempted murders" (which means that there were much less than 160
murders), 2,100 sexual assaults and 4,500 robberies (he does not say
whether these were armed robberies or just shoplifters who were
apprehended). Harper's announcement creates hysteria
about these "violent youth" to justify their further
criminalization. However, he has nothing to say about the fact that
according the Canadian Medical
Journal, almost 500 youth between 15 and
24 years of age commit suicide every year in Canada while thousands of
other youth attempt suicide because they feel that they have no future.
Weapons in the street and in the hands of youth and violent acts
committed
by youth are a serious problem in society. Canadians, especially
working class families from national minority communities and the poor
whose sons and daughters are often the victims of violent crimes, are
very concerned about this problem and would like it to end. However, as
the victims of these problems, they know that the solution is not to
apply "law and order" measures against the most vulnerable youth who
are often forced into a life of crime because this society and the
political parties in power block their birthright to a bright
and secure future.
The solution to "violent youth crime" is not more fascist young
offenders' laws as Stephen Harper is proposing. He is taking his cue
from law and order measures in the United States, but in that country
this approach has not reduced the level of violent crimes one iota. It
has only resulted in Black and Latino youth being disproportionately
represented in the U.S. prison system. Clearly, law and order solutions
are not the answer.
In
Toronto in general, and in the Toronto Centre riding in particular
where I am the candidate for the MLPC, the working class and national
minority youth -- the majority of whom have origins in Africa, the
Middle East, South and East Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America --
daily face not only police brutality but other forms of social violence
such as hunger, unemployment, lack of education etc. Thoughtful
proposals put forward by the youth in the riding in various meetings
and through the media go nowhere. The political processes deprive the
youth and everyone else of political power so that they can decide on
the issues and matters that concern them as citizens and residents.
Thus, the youth are deprived of the highest quality education, culture,
and training that Canadian society is duty-bound to provide to enable
their talents and abilities to flower in order to play their role in
society and contribute to the future of Canada.
Now is the time for all youth, especially those who are the targets of
the "law and order" agenda and other state-organized attacks, to join
the work for democratic renewal, contribute to the discussion on how
they can empower themselves politically in defence of their individual
and collective rights and the rights of all!
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