In this episode, we bring you a special Making the Links program on the G-20 in Toronto. You will be hearing the voices of Saskatchewan activists who were in Toronto, including Teacher Adminstrator, Rick Sawa, Law Professor, Tim Quigley, and President of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour, Larry Hubich. They will be speaking from the frontline of where citizens were demonstrating for a fairer and more just world.

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As the dust has settled it has become clear that downtown Toronto was turned into a militarized fortress. The police force of thousands attacked and arrested over 900 people who were peacefully protesting. There is every reason to believe the confrontation with the Black Bloc was a designed provocation to justify the repression of peaceful protestors, and focus media attention on acts of vandalism instead of the real issues raised by the 25,000 people that marched peacefully in the streets of Toronto.

The G-20 meeting itself worked against the best interests of citizens throughout the world. World leaders made an agreement to cutback public services and infra structures that are so important to needs of people. Under advisement of the B-20 – the corporate leadership of the world – who attended the closed sessions of the G-20, politicians adopted a austerity plan that will bring no help to the women and children who will die preventable deaths because the leadership of the most developed nations only promised a fraction of what is needed for healthy communities. The structural adjustment pledged to by the G-20 leaders – and led by Stephen Harper – will mean more fire-sale sell offs of public services and cutbacks to social services.

Canadians should hold Prime Minister personally accountable for the unjustified force used against Canadians peacefully demonstrating – as well as the enormous 1.2 billion expenditure of the G-8 and G-20 – and the adoption of economic policy that only serves the global corporate agenda.

In this episode we continue our retrospective series on the impact of the G8, G20 and other summits of world leaders.

In this episode of Making the Links Radio, we bring you excerpts from the GASCD. The GASCD was out together by activists, singers and other performers to show the other side of world leaders' gatherings. The project highlights the intense repression faced by civil society protesters who are challenging a corporate agenda and trying to centre the importance of poverty, world hunger, climate change, fair trade, and the elimination of the debt burden on the agenda rather than simply increased corporate power and profit.

Canada will be investing one billion dollars in the G8 and G20 summits for security against citizens. It already has a track record of shutting down  the voice of people. In a Quebec City summit of Western Hemispheric leaders around free trade in the Americas in 2001 over 5,148 rounds of tear gas and 903 rubber bullets were fired by more than 6,000 police. 463 activists were arrested. The government constructed 4 kilometers of fence, and spent 100 million dollars - the largest peace time security operation in Canadian history. Now at one billion dollars 2010, the G8 and G20 meetings will dwarf the cost of earlier peace time security operations.
 
What have they got to fear – citizens are telling world leaders that there is an alternative global agenda for a much fairer and just world that protects all people and the environment. That civil society world voice will be heard again in Toronto and Muskoka despite all attempts to squelch it.
 
And we should celebrate that beyond the intense repression of people gathering to protest injustice civil society is strong and resilent and is building a better world for all as you will hear in the following music, song and prose.

In this program, you will hear Bruce Cockburn, Jello Biafra, the Rheostatics, Propaghandi, Olu Dara, Madue Barlow, and Michael Franti.

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This is a very special show being produced as Canada hosts the G8 and G20. We are reaching far back into our Making the Links archives to present you with our on the ground program recorded at the Battle of Seattle in 1999.

At that time thousands of civil society folk from around the world gathered to protest the way the world was being put into a corporate agenda for maximum profit though the WTO – the world trade organization. It was the first great global coming together of world citizenry speaking truth to authority.

This retrospective on Seattle shows the power of communities coming together. We will see that again at the G8 and G20 in Canada - citizens from around the world gathering to demand world leaders to do something right about climate change, womens reproductive rights, fair trade not free trade, clean water, food security, and the spread of Malaria and HIV/AIDS and the needs of those already living with the disease -- all the things so important to the functioning of healthy civil societies. Activists are demanding leaders work to stem global conflict and end exploitation, standing up for a just world peace.

In this retrospective on Seattle 1999 you will hear voices of common citizens and the voices of Michael Moore, Michael Franti, Stephan Smith, the radical cheerleaders and others. All the voices that a billion dollars of security, hearing destruction, tear gas, batons and police intimidation can not shut down. Thank you for listening.

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Raymond DesRochers, a great internationalist, community organizer and leader, recently passed away. Making the Links Radio has put together this radio show in honour of his memory.

In many parts of the world from his home community of Penetanguishene to Mozambique DesRouches inspired communities to organize and take hold of their economic and social well being. This interview with Raymond DesRoches shows his depth of understanding and awareness of how communities can make economic and social change for a better world.

You can read more about Raymond DesRochers at Canadian Center for Community Renewal/ Facebook.

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