BY CAROLE CARON
MONTREAL - The main trade unions in Quebec, the Canadian Labour Congress, and other nongovernmental and church organizations have called an international conference on solidarity with Cuba to be held in Montreal March 15-16. One of the keynote guests will be Pedro Ross, general secretary of the Central Organization of Cuban Workers (CTC). Other representatives of the CTC executive committee and of the Cuban Women's Federation will also attend.
Organizers say that labor delegations are expected from various countries in Latin America. A delegation is also organized from Detroit, as well as buses from New York City and Toronto. Similar conferences took place over the last two years in Toronto and Windsor, and drew up to 300 labor, Cuba solidarity, and other activists.
The conference starts on Friday night March 15 and goes through Saturday. There will be workshops and plenary sessions. The themes for the workshops are: economics, civil society and participatory democracy, labor, women, and the church. Following debates and discussions, a statement will be made by conference participants on solidarity with Cuba. A concert will close the event on Saturday night, with Emilia Morales and Gerardo Aguillon, two Cuban artists.
Interest in the event has begun to build. Some workers on strike against the Kenworth truck company and against Bridgestone-Firestone - both located near Montreal - have shown interest in going to a conference that will discuss the role of workers in building a socialist society. Many students building the February 7 cross-Canada day of protest against cuts in education have also expressed interest in participating. (See article on page 5.)
Translation will be provided into French, Spanish, and English. The conference is open to everybody interested. Registration goes till March 8, 1996. Registration fees are Can$20 including lunch on Saturday. To receive a brochure on the conference or for more information, please contact Alternatives, phone: (514) 982-6606, fax: (514) 982-6122; or CISO, phone: (514) 356-8888, fax: (514) 356-0475. The mailing address is CISO - CONFERENCE CUBA, 9405 Sherbrooke St. East, Montreal, QC, H1X 6P3, Canada.
Carole Caron is a member of the International Association of Machinists at Canadair in Montreal, and of the Carrefour culturel de l'amitié Québec-Cuba.