“Capitalism can’t be fixed, billionaires shouldn’t exist” was among the chants taken up by more than 2,000 protesters who marched on Marc Carney’s CEO Summit Monday night. The Carnival Against Capitalism was undoubtedly the largest anti-capitalist protest in Canada in many years.
In dozens of articles, radio bits and video clips the dominant media covered opposition to the largest gathering of capitalists in Canadian history. And some of the coverage was quite sympathetic. International outlets like Reuters and the New York Times even reported on the protests with the latter publication noting, “many demonstrators carried signs denouncing billionaires and corporate executives. The group included Indigenous people opposed to natural resource development on their lands. Some signs called for greater taxation on wealth, while others denounced Mr. Carney’s military build-up and called for an end to investments in fossil fuels, a sector being actively promoted at the summit.”
Carney’s announcement Tuesday that the government would be seeking to effectively privatize Canada’s four largest airports confirms protesters’ signs that the Prime Minister was hosting a “privatization summit.” In another announcement demonstrating the pro-billionaire nature of the meeting, Carney also announced Tuesday that he would slash corporate taxes. The new “Productivity Mega Deduction” will cut the marginal effective tax rate on new business investment from 13% to 6.4%.
At Nathan Phillips Square Monday evening thousands listened to Indigenous activists Kanahus Manuel and Kakeká ThunderSky as well as Council of Canadians organizer Nik Barry Shaw and Ontario Public Service Employees Union organizer Elizabeth Ha. Capitalism Can’t Be Fixed coordinator Jasmine Peardon spoke against a wealth concentrating, ecocidal, economic system Carney’s CEO summit seeks to turbocharge. Activists Bianca Mugyenyi and Sara Rasikh MCed the boisterous protest.
The Carnival Against Capitalism march included contingents from the Revolutionary Communist Party, Acorn, Unifor, Socialist Action, 350 and others. An indigenous contingent led the march that chanted “Land Back”. Placards called for “water bombers, not F-35 fighters”, “abolish billionaires” and “Fuck CEOs. Hang all billionaires.”
Near the Art Gallery of Ontario heavily armed cops were deployed on foot and horseback to protect the capitalist get together. Still, the large crowd was able to get near the front of the building, ensuring the politicians and CEOs inside could hear. Protesters surrounded large parts of the Art Gallery for nearly two hours.
Two women were arrested by the police and have been charged for misdemeanours.
The idea of organizing a carnival against capitalism to protest Carney’s CEO Summit was first raised at Capitalism Can’t Be Fixed’s conference in May. In July the group released a public letter signed by David Suzuki, Yann Martel, Roger Waters, Ellen Gabriel and 1,000 other authors, artists, academics and activists calling to “Confront Carney’s CEO Summit”. Since then, CCBF has organized multiple webinars, memes and videos about the capitalist get together and put up over 10,000 “Confront Carney’s CEO Summit” stickers and nearly 2,000 posters across the city. Toronto activists also handed out several thousand leaflets promoting the demonstration.
Despite various obstacles put in its way, CCBF brought significant elements of the left onto the streets. Additionally, the campaign pushed the NDP, Canadian Labour Congress and many other mainstream left groups to release statements critical of the CEO summit.
If we want to challenge Mark Carney’s ecocidal, wealth concentrating agenda we need to build up a fighting socialist movement.
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