Third Announcement
November 7, 2011

Toronto, ON – As the deepening crisis of neoliberal globalization is becoming increasingly apparent, the Filipino Canadian community across Ontario is readily countering their marginalization through “Counterspin 3: Building a Movement for Social Change.” Organized under the auspices of the Congress of Progressive Filipino Canadians (CPFC), this historic gathering will advance the community’s struggle for genuine settlement and integration at the crux of the movement of the working class.

Building on the success of the previous “Counterspin” conferences in Montreal and Vancouver, the conference will awaken all to their realities and their potential in building a vibrant and enduring movement for social change that puts the struggle of the transnational working class at its fore. At the first panel, Ninotchka Rosca, an internationally-renowned writer and revolutionary feminist will counter imperialism’s narrative of temporary migration for Filipinos around the world by understanding the right of the transnational working class to take root and create a home wherever we are. Emmanuel Sayo of the Philippines-Canada Task Force on Human Rights will elucidate the concept of genuine settlement and integration and its significance to the Filipino Canadian community. David McNally, a York University professor and leading political theorist, will discuss the current global economic crisis and its impacts on im/migrant communities.

The next two panels will then zoom out from the global picture and into the history of Filipino Canadians in Ontario as it has shaped the province’s history and Canadian society in order to put the community’s call for genuine settlement and integration into perspective. Next, members of the Phillipine Women Centre of Ontario, Filipino Canadian Youth Alliance¬—Ontario and SIKLAB Ontario will advance the role of women, workers and youth as makers of history by drawing on their distinct yet intertwined experiences and struggles, particularly as the Philippines is now the top source of immigrants in Ontario.

Towards concretely addressing the community’s needs of settlement and integration, the following panel on social services will discuss its importance beyond the terms of accessibility and into developing a critical understanding of social services from the community’s perspective. Speakers from national women’s organizations, the academe and the legal field will come to grips with the dismantling of social services as it goes hand in hand with neoliberal immigration and labour policies. For the final panel, Filipino Canadian artists and community organizers from across Canada will reclaim art and culture for the people and its importance in building a movement for social change.

With over 250,000 Filipino Canadians in Ontario, “Counterspin” will be pivotal in not only exposing the systemic issues that marginalize the Filipino Canadian community in Ontario, but in also creating tools that will facilitate their just and genuine settlement and integration. “We should not accept the growing marginalization, deskilling and constant exclusion our community faces. We should be well-equipped with the knowledge and tools to advance the struggles of our community,” says Grace Tan, member of PWC-ON and SIKLAB-ON. Armed with a comprehensive vision for an empowered community and a transformative society, all participants are invited to embrace the limitless possibilities in building a movement for social change that will combat the further exploitation of women, youth and workers.

“Counterspin: Building a Movement for Social Change”
Ontario-wide conference
Organized under the auspices of the Congress of Progressive Filipino Canadians (CPFC)
Claude T. Bissell Building, Room 205, University of Toronto
Registration is $20.00 (includes meals and conference materials)

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REGISTER NOW: http://bit.ly/counterspin3

For more information, contact the Conference Secretariat:
Bryan Taguba
(416) 519-2553
pwc-on@magkaisacentre.org
www.magkaisacentre.org
Twitter: #Counterspin3