Punch Up Collective

Say No to the PRGT Pipeline
2025-04-05 13:00 - 14:00 (America/Toronto) | sidewalks adjacent to RBC branch at 99 Bank St., 99 Bank St, Ottawa, K1P 6B9
Decolonial Solidarity invites you to stand up to Trump in support of Land Defenders opposing the PRGT pipeline.
Join us to Say NO! to LNG expansion and to tell RBC not to finance the PRGT pipeline.
This project does not have consent of the Gitxsan and Gitanyow Nations. Developing more pipelines and LNG infrastructure would destroy precious ecosystems, worsen the climate crisis and profit U.S. billionaires who are close to Trump.
This will be a peaceful demonstration. If you are inspired to make a sign, please do. And if you can bring along friends or family, so much the better.
///
Joignez-vous à nous pour dire NON! au GNL et pour dire à RBC de pas financer le gazoduc PRGT.
Les nations Gitxsan et Gitanyow s’opposent à ce projet. Construire encore plus de pipelines détruirait de précieux écosystèmes, aggraverait la crise climatique et profiterait à des milliardaires américains amis de Trump.
Ce sera une manifestation pacifique. Si vous aimeriez faire une pancarte, faites-vous plaisir. Invitez votre famille et vos amis à vous accompagner.

Hands Off! Ottawa CANADA Fights Back
2025-04-05 13:30 - 15:00 | Major’s Hill Park and US Embassy, Sussex Drive, Ottawa
MEET at 1:30 at the steps next to the US Embassy on Sussex Street, walk around the Embassy and join up with the Rally at Major’s Hill Park to say
– No to the 51st State!
– No to Trump and Musk
– Yes to Democracy
This mass mobilization day is our message to the world that we do not consent to the destruction of democracy and longstanding alliance and friendships for the benefit of Trump and his billionaire allies. We are rallying and protesting along with many across the US and Europe to demand a stop the chaos and build an opposition movement against the global rise of fascism. This rally is in solidarity with 50501, Indivisible Ottawa and Toqueoff.ca
A core principle behind all Hands Off! events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values.
Bring signs, flags and your voice.

Collaborative zine making night at the Ottawa Trans Library
2025-04-05 14:00 - 17:00 | Ottawa Trans Library, 1104 Somerset St. West, Ottawa, Ontario, K1Y 3C8, Canada
Come work on zines with us as we work on the next issue of The Dragon Flyer, the Ottawa Trans Library’s community zine. Write, draw, scan, cut, and paste with us on our community zine or your own project, or just come hang out with us. We are collecting stories, jokes, poems, art, and more from the trans and non-binary community in Ottawa and our friends and families.
The zine workshop is a collaborative event to discuss, share, and work on zines together.
Come tell your story.We will provide paper, templates, and whatever art supplies we have. No experience necessary. All ages welcome, children under age 13 must be accompanied by an adult.
Masking the day of the event is encouraged. Accessibility note: There are two stairs at the door entrance. We have a ramp we can bring out for the door on request. There’s a washroom but it’s not large enough for many mobility devices.

The Leveller April Story Meeting
2025-04-07 19:00 - 20:00 | Online
Do you want to be involved in power-challenging, community-based journalism?
Community members and students are welcome to our Story Meetings! We pay per story, as well as photojournalist, illustration and editing contributions.
Story Meetings are where you can pitch article ideas, help brainstorm content, or be assigned a story. They’re also a way to learn about the Leveller and introduce yourself.
Learn how to get involved and sign up to our newsletter as a contributor for updates in you inbox.
Our next story meeting is Monday, 7 April at 7pm on Google Meets. We are planning to hold in-person meetings in the near future.
If you can’t make it but want to pitch a story, email us: operations@leveller.ca
Production Cycle is monthly, with the story due date on 21 April and publishing on 28 April.
Visit our site to read the Honourarium Policy, Submission Guideline & Checklist, and News & Analysis Writing Guide in order to be published. There are also many other ways to get involved with The Leveller, sign up to our newsletters and read our latest articles.

Book Launch: The Poilievre Project, by Martin Lukacs
2025-04-10 17:30 - 18:30 | Delta Hotels by Marriott Ottawa City Centre, 101 Lyon St N, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Join journalist Martin Lukacs and Press Progress publisher Romy Garrido in the Chaudiere Room at the Delta Hotel for a conversation about the 2025 federal election and Martin’s new book “The Poilievre Project: A radical blueprint for corporate rule.”
The book reveals the playbook behind the Conservative leader’s rise and exposes his radical vision for reshaping Canada. It’s published by Breach Books, the new publishing arm of The Breach.
For more info about the book: breachbooks.ca
The event is hosted by the Broadbent Institute’s Progress Summit.
Bios:
Martin Lukacs is an award-winning journalist and the managing editor of The Breach. He’s a former environmental writer for The Guardian, and has written for The New York Review of Books, Toronto Star, Walrus, CBC, and other Canadian publications. He’s the author of The Trudeau Formula: Seduction and Betrayal in an Age of Discontent.
Romy Garrido is the Publisher of PressProgress, an award-winning non-profit news organization known for its in-depth, investigative journalism. With a background in project management and strategic communications, she has spent the last decade working across various sectors including local government, private, and non-profit.

STOP THE GENOCIDE! National March on Ottawa 2025
2025-04-12 14:00 | Parliament Hill, Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A9, Canada
For over 16 months, Gaza has endured a relentless genocide carried out by the Zionist occupation, fully backed by the U.S. and its allies, including Canada. Even after a so-called ceasefire was announced, the Zionist occupation continued its assault, imposing a total blockade on March 1st, cutting off all food and aid, and launching a new wave of bombings and ground invasions in the following days.
On April 12th, we are mobilizing on Parliament Hill to confront Canada’s role in this genocide. We refuse to let politicians get away with hollow statements while they continue arming and funding Israel’s massacres. As the election nears, we are sending a clear message: Canada must end its complicity by demanding a ceasefire, the lift of the siege on Gaza, the flow of humanitarian aid and imposing a full two-way arms embargo.
🇵🇸 Be part of this historic march, join thousands traveling to Ottawa to hold those in power accountable.

Barrhaven Mutual Aid Meet and Greet
2025-04-14 16:00 - 16:30
The inaugural meeting of the Barrhaven Mutual Aid organization, dedicated towards interconnected reliance within the Barrhaven and South Nepean area. Join us to start rebuilding community and fostering real change from the ground up.

Queer Death Salon - Loss by Suicide
2025-04-15 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Join us for a virtual gathering for people who have lost someone or multiple people to suicide and who are loooking to share space with people who have experienced similar circumstances.
Loss by suicide brings particular griefs related to stigma, invalidation of the loss, failure to ‘save’ a loved one, guilt, confusion, anger and more.
This is a facilitated drop-in discussion space, with the purpose of building connection, skill, and resources for 2SLGBTQIA+ people navigating end of life in our personal lives and in our communities.
Attendees are welcome to come with questions, stories, or special objects to share with the group.

My Thievery of the People: Ottawa Launch
2025-04-22 19:00 - 20:00 | Octopus Books, 116 Third Ave, Ottawa, Canada
Join us for the Ottawa launch of My Thievery of the People, a short-story collection by former Ottawa resident Leila Marshy.
Marshy’s distinctive style and untamed strength guides the reader in an electrifying high-wire act through the inner lives of refugees, queers in love and grief, wives, workers, and so many others fighting their way out from under.
Leila Marshy is of Palestinian-Newfoundland parentage, which might explain a lot. She has worked for the Palestine Hospital in Cairo, the Palestinian Mental Health Association in Gaza, and Medical Aid for Palestine in Montreal. Her first novel, The Philistine, was published in 2018. She lives in Montreal.
RSVP via email: events@octopusbooks.ca

Our Power Our Planet: Working Together for the Next Generations
2025-04-23 12:30 - 15:00 | Knox Presbyterian, 120 Lisgar Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 2L7, Canada
SCAN Earth Day event with the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg – Nagadjitòdjig Akì Land Guardians. Part of Canada wide Seniors for Climate events.

After an opening by Claudette Commanda, the Guardians will talk about their work and how it could inform urban Ottawa. The second speaker will be our newly elected MPP Catherine McKenney. There will also be musical performances.
We are inviting our many ally organizations to table at this event. Help support our efforts by donating via the Zeffy platform https://www.zeffy.com/donation-form/donate-to-make-a-difference-6104 or by etransfer to ottawa@seniorsforclimateactionnow.org
Seating is limited so we recommend you reserve your place.

Author Meets Readers - Criminalized Lives: HIV and Legal Violence
2025-04-24 17:30 - 19:00 | Irene’s Pub, 885 Bank St, Ottawa, ON
Register here: https://fpga.youarein.ca/author-meets-readers-apr24
Canada has been known as a hot spot for HIV criminalization where the act of not disclosing one’s HIV-positive status to sex partners has historically been regarded as a serious criminal offence. Criminalized Lives describes how this approach has disproportionately harmed the poor, Black and Indigenous people, gay men, and women in Canada. In this book, people who have been criminally accused of not disclosing their HIV-positive status, detail the many complexities of disclosure, and the violence that results from being criminalized.
Accompanied by portraits from artist Eric Kostiuk Williams, the profiles examine whether the criminal legal system is really prepared to handle the nuances and ethical dilemmas faced everyday by people living with HIV. By offering personal stories of people who have faced criminalization first-hand, Alexander McClelland questions common assumptions about HIV, the role of punishment, and the violence that results from the criminal legal system’s legacy of categorizing people as either victims or perpetrators.
About the Authors
Alexander McClelland is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Criminology, Carleton University. He is the author of Criminalized Lives: HIV and Legal Violence, released in 2024, from the Q+ Public Series at Rutgers University Press, which includes illustrations from queer comic artist, Eric Kostiuk Williams, with a foreword from US-based HIV activist and movement leader, Robert Suttle. The book examines the histories and experiences of people living with HIV in Canada who had been criminalized due to allegations of HIV non-disclosure, and it also chronicles the vibrant and vocal social movement calling for justice, and change, under the slogan #HIVISNOTACRIME.
Eric Kostiuk Williams is a cartoonist and illustrator based in Toronto, Canada. He has several comics publications, including 2AM Eternal and Our Wretched Town Hall.
About the Panelists
Lara Karaian is an Associate Professor in the Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Carleton University. Her research examines the intersections between sexuality, technology, representation, affect, and law. Her current SSHRC funded research, titled “Sex/Crime in the Era of Immersive, Interactive, and Intelligent Technologies,” examines the relationship between emerging sexual technologies and legal constructions of ‘sex crime’. Dr. Karaian serves on the editorial board of the journal Porn Studies. Her research has been published in an array of peer-reviewed legal, sexuality, and criminology journals and edited collections. Dr. Karaian is currently writing a sole-authored manuscript on deepfake pornography panics.
Ryan Conrad is an Adjunct Research Professor at the Feminist Institute of Social Transformation at Carleton University where he also teaches in the Human Rights & Social Justice program. Ryan is an artist, and cultural studies scholar whose research, teaching, and cultural production interests in the study of sexuality include queer studies, queer of colour critique, affect theory, archival practices, film and media, HIV/AIDS, sex work, migration, and social movement history. Conrad’s current SSHRC funded research project titled Sex Worker Self-Authoring in the Canadian Women’s Movement Archive explores the holdings of the CWMA housed in the Archives and Special Collections at the University of Ottawa. The project will locate and animate written and visual materials produced by sex workers and the sex workers’ rights movement in Canada from 1977-1992.

Global Day of Action for Gaza
2025-04-25 17:30 - 19:30 | Human Rights Monument, 220 Elgin Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
OTTAWA GAZA IS CALLING WE MUST ANSWER

Friday April 25, 2025
Human Rights Monument
5:30pm

Join us on Friday, April 25, at 5:30 at the Human Rights Monument to answer the global call to action from the journalists, doctors, and civil society of Gaza. For 18 months, the people of Gaza have been subject to a horrific genocide carried out by israel, in partnership and with the complete support of Canada, the United States, and its western allies.

We echo Gaza’s call for all people of conscience across the globe to mobilize and demand an immediate end to the genocidal onslaught and an arms embargo now!

Barrhaven Mutual Aid Meetup
2025-04-30 16:00 - 16:30 | Online
Bi-weekly meeting for Barrhaven Mutual Aid. This meeting will be to discuss potential actions for us to take as a community and conduct basic feasibility tests

Ottawa May Day March 2025
2025-05-01 17:00 - 19:00 | Confederation Park, Elgin at Laurier, across from City Hall, Ottawa, ON, K1P 5J2, Canada
As a longstanding international holiday, May Day is a day to celebrate the collective power of all who labor – paid and unpaid, formal and informal, in care work and field work – all of the activities that sustain us and our community. It’s a day to recommit to forging solidarity across borders against exploitation and dispossession. Above all, May Day honours the power of ordinary people, working together, to shape the conditions of our lives.
Things are getting harder. People are struggling to get by, the rich are getting richer, the ecological crisis is intensifying, Palestine is enduring unspeakable horrors, authoritarianism is growing more ascendant globally, and ruling officials are offering us little more than flag-waving and immigrant-blaming. In these circumstances, it’s all the more crucial to remember that collective struggle from below is a source of joy and the way that we win.
So, this year, we in Punch Up Collective are resuscitating the tradition of the Ottawa May Day march and we invite you to join us!
March Details

Date: Thursday, May 1st, 2025
Start location: Confederation Park (Elgin St @ Laurier Ave)
Time: 5:00pm – 7:00pm

March Route and Points of Interest
The specific march route is currently being determined, but will include several stops at points of interest along the way.
Contingents
Participating organizations and individuals are encouraged to organize contingents for the march. Your banners, flags, signs, and matching onesies are welcome! A bike bloc? A stroller squad? A marching band? All are welcome!
Permits, Police, and Safety
Our goal is to organize and host a march that is as welcoming and accessible as possible to everyone, including kids, families, people pushing strollers, people with mobility challenges, animal companions, and anyone else committed to building a better, more equitable world for all. We’ll move at a pace workable for everyone there, making sure that the front of the march isn’t racing ahead and leaving the back trailing.
The march will have marshals, who will be there to assist march participants and help ensure our collective safety throughout the event.
However, the march will not be coordinated with police or security agencies in advance, and will not have a permit. There is no legal requirement to secure a permit to hold a protest or march. In our view, doing so would only further entrench the harmful idea that police are allowed to determine when, where, and how we organize and come together.
List of Endorsements (so far …)

ACORN Ottawa
Autistic and Neurodivergent Liberation Front of Ottawa
Bank Block Tenants
Canadian Association of Professional Employees
Canadian Centre for Women’s Empowerment
Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union Local 225
Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 4600
Carleton Climate Commons
Carleton Public Interest Research Group
City for All Women Initiative
Climate Justice Ottawa
Coalition Against More Surveillance
Criminalization & Punishment Education Project
Education for Liberation Collective
Free Transit Ottawa
Horizon Ottawa
Independent Jewish Voices – Carleton
Indivisible Ottawa
Labour4Palestine
Ontario Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines
Ottawa Abortion Doula Collective
Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women
Ottawa Mental Health Workers for Palestine
Ottawa Peace Council
Ottawa Transformative Justice Collective
Public Service Alliance of Canada – National Capital Region
Punch Up Collective
Revolutionary Communist Party – Ottawa
Rosa Luxemburg Club – Communist Party of Canada
Sandy Hill Tenants
Science for the People
Young Communist League Donalda Charron Club

If there is an organization you feel might like to take part and/or endorse the march, please share the details and have them get in touch with us at punchup@riseup.net.
More information
If you have questions or require more information, please contact us at punchup@riseup.net.
We look forward to seeing you on May 1st!

Beats & Boards Games Night!
2025-05-02 18:00 - 21:00 | The Grove, 280-18 Louisa street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Queer + Social – DJ del Pilar spinning low-decibel Afrohouse/beats, funk & RnB. We’ll provide some classic board games – feel free to bring your own! Canteen with non-alcoholic drinks, inc beer, cocktails, & seltzers. This is a covid-safer event.
❤️ N95 or equivalent are required. Some free masks (overhead straps) will be available at the door.
❤️ We monitor CO2 throughout the night and will announce if the monitors reach 1000.
❤️ The new Grove space is much bigger than the last one, with 2 small windows that open, a central HVAC system, and high ceilings. We will have at least 3 air purifiers running at max at all times.
❤️ 18 Louisa St. does not have easy access to the outside, so we ask you to enjoy beverages in the hall outside the main space.
Sliding scale tickets start at $5 but free tickets are always available if needed. Just message to get on the guest list 😍
New Space Info:
💫 18 Louisa, unit 280, is on the 2nd floor and is accessed by the elevator or stairs.
💫 The exterior doors are automatic, and the door to the studio is manual. If the exterior door is locked, buzz 2800 to enter.
💫 There are accessible washrooms on the same floor. The (gendered) washrooms are shared with the whole floor but after hours it’s unlikely anyone else will be on site.
💫 The studio is over 800 square feet of open space with an 11 ft ceiling and 2 small windows that open.

NO OTHER LAND - A community-led film screening and panel discussion
2025-05-03 18:30 - 21:30 | St. Paul Amphitheatre, 233 Main Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1S1C4, Canada
We are pleased to invite you to a special screening of the Oscar-winning documentary, “No Other Land”, followed by a community-led panel discussion to unpack the film’s powerful themes and explore what they mean in the context of Palestine today.
Date: Saturday, May 3, 2025
Location: Saint Paul University Amphitheatre, 233 Main Street, Ottawa
Doors Open: 6:00 PM
Program Begins: 6:30 PM
Co-hosted by several local Palestinian/solidarity organizations, this event is a chance to learn and reflect on the urgent realities portrayed in the film, and discuss meaningful ways to take action.
No Other Land is a 2024 documentary that offers an intimate and unflinching portrayal of life under Israeli occupation in the West Bank. Directed by Basel Adra (Palestinian), Yuval Abraham (Israeli), Hamdan Ballal, and Rachel Szor, the film chronicles the destruction of Palestinian homes in Masafer Yatta—an area declared a military training zone by Israel.
Through a combination of contemporary footage and archival material, it follows the personal and political journey of Basel Adra, a Palestinian lawyer, and Yuval Abraham, an Israeli journalist, as they document the relentless displacement of Palestinians and the deepening of their unlikely friendship.
Official Website for “No Other Land” https://nootherland.com/
No Other Land tells the story of resistance and resilience in the face of brutal Israeli occupation and displacement – a reality that has taken a backseat as Israel commits genocide in Gaza. The film offers a rare, deeply personal look at the struggle for justice in Masafer Yatta — a region in the occupied West Bank targeted by the same ethnic cleansing occurring throughout Palestine.
More about Masafer Yatta https://nootherland.com/about-masafer-yatta
Following the screening, a moderated panel of community organizers and experts will lead a conversation on the film’s key messages and what they mean for us here in Canada.
Please note: seating is limited, and we expect high interest in this event. Register early to secure your spot! We hope that you’ll join us for what promises to be a moving and thought-provoking evening!

YINTAH Film Screening
2025-05-04 13:00 - 16:00 | The Grove, 280-18 Louisa street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Please join us for a free screening of YINTAH , the documentary about a decade of Wet’suwet’en resistance.
When: May 4th 2025 from 1-4 PM
Where: The Grove – 18 Louisa St Unit 280.
This event will be mask-mandatory. We ask that any eating or drinking take place outside of the space/in the hallway. KN95/N95 masks are encouraged and will be provided.
The second floor can be accessed by elevator and has accessible washrooms. More accessibility information is available at grove613.ca/accessibility.
When you arrive at 18 Louisa, head to the main entrance and someone will be there to greet you and provide masks until 1:15PM. If you arrive a little late, you’ll need to use the buzzer “2800” to be let in.
Although this event is free, pre-registration through Eventbrite is required as limited spots are available. If you are no longer able to attend, please let us know so that we can open your spot back up for someone else.
YINTAH is 1 hour and 50 minutes. We will be taking a washroom/drink break around the one hour mark.
Event Schedule
1:00PM – doors open
1:15PM – introductions and start of film
2:15PM – 10 minute intermission
3:15PM – end of film and 5 minute break
3:20PM – small group discussion and reflection period
4:00PM – event end
————-
This screening is being facilitated as a response to the call to action by the Gidimt’en Checkpoint Divestment Team, with partners Change Course and Decolonial Solidarity. The purpose of this screening is to educate and take action within the community to oppose the construction of Coastal GasLink (CGL) Phase 2 and the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) pipeline. Our communities can have a big impact by putting pressure on financial institutions to refuse to finance these projects.
To learn more about the film and how else you can watch it, you can check out its official website https://www.yintahfilm.com/.

Kokums of Sisters in Spirit
2025-05-05 12:00 - 13:00 | Parliament Hill, Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A9, Canada
Prayers. Smudge. Songs.

Red Dress Day 2025
2025-05-05 12:00 - 13:30 | Jean Pigott Place, City Hall, 110 Laurier Ave West, Ottawa ON
The Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition invites all community members to our annual Red Dress Day Gathering. This event honours the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) and brings the community together in remembrance and advocacy. The gathering will feature educational displays, art installations, commemorative activities, and creative projects to foster healing and unity.
The official program (12:00pm-1:30pm) will begin with a Call to Come Together by the Ottawa River Singers and an opening prayer from OAC Elders. From there, we’ll hear welcome remarks and take time to recognize the important healing work happening in our community, especially around the Inuit VAW Shelter and Family Healing Lodge initiatives. The program includes cultural performances, a Jingle Dress ceremony, and the honouring of Karen Green with a scholarship announcement and blanket ceremony. We’ll close the event with an Honour Song from the Hand Drumming Group.

Honouring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
2025-05-05 16:00 - 19:00 | Carre de la Francophone de Vanier Square, 282 Dupuis St, Ottawa
Opening prayers by Elder Louella Tobias with smudging available
Guest Speakers including Indigenous Honouring Drumming Spirit Wolf Singers and Indigenous Honouring Dancers Amanda Fox and Randy Kakegamick
Complimentary light dinner and beverages including bannock and wild rice salad by Charleen Lockyer

All are welcome to wear their Ribbon Skirts and Red dresses, scarves, etc. Please bring your drums.
Please also bring your own water and lawn chairs or blanket as seating is limited
The event will also offer gift draws, resource information tables, and a “Design your own Red Dress”

The Leveller May Story Meeting
2025-05-05 19:00 - 20:00 | Online
Do you want to be involved in power-challenging, community-based journalism?
Story Meetings are where you can pitch article ideas, help brainstorm content, or be assigned a story. They’re also a way to learn about the Leveller and introduce yourself.
Learn how to get involved and sign up to our newsletter as a contributor for updates in you inbox.
Our next story meeting is Monday, 5 May at 7pm on Google Meets. We are planning to hold in-person meetings in the near future.

Queer Death Salon - Loss by Overdose or Tainted supply
2025-05-06 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Join us for a virtual gathering for people who have lost someone or multiple people to overdose and tainted supply and who are loooking to share space with people who have experienced similar circumstances.
These kinds of losses carry particular griefs related to stigma, invalidation of the loss, failure to ‘save’ a loved one, guilt, confusion, anger and more.
This is a facilitated drop-in discussion space, with the purpose of building connection, skill, and resources for 2SLGBTQIA+ people navigating end of life in our personal lives and in our communities.
Attendees are welcome to come with questions, stories, or special objects to share with the group.

Harmony Circle for Palestine with Algonquin Spiritual Advisor Albert Dumont
2025-05-07 18:30 - 20:00 | Online
For this Harmony Circle, Algonquin Spiritual Advisor Albert Dumont will be joined by Moriel Rothman-Zecher, Jerusalem-born novelist and poet. Moriel is the author of “Sadness Is A White Bird”, a heart-breakingly beautiful book that tells the story of a young man who is preparing to serve in the Israeli army while also trying to reconcile his close relationship to two Palestinian siblings with his deeply ingrained loyalties to family and country. This story follows somewhat closely to Moriel’s own life experiences.
After the formal conversation, we will open up the meeting for a Sharing Circle where all participants are invited to ask questions or share what is on their heart in the chat.
We will end the Harmony Circle with concrete social justice actions we can take to help. This is an invitation to do something in a time of great suffering, devastation and emotional turmoil.

Rally for choice
2025-05-08 12:00 - 14:00 | Human Rights Monument, 220 Elgin Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
It’s that time of year again, friends! Please join us Thursday, May 8 at 12PM at the Human Rights Monument in Ottawa to show up loud and proud for abortion rights and bodily autonomy.
On the heels of the federal election, we saw 42 anti-choice Members of Parliament re-elected and we’re not backing down. While anti-choice voices gather for the March for Life, we’ll be there to remind everyone: choice is not up for debate. Bring your signs, your friends, your sunscreen and your voice!
Event will start at the Human Rights Monument (220 Elgin St, Ottawa) and we will march to the west side of Parliament Hill.
This event is a safe space and we will not tolerate harassment of any kind towards community members.

No Faith in Fossil Fuels: Rally for the Planet
2025-05-12 11:00 - 13:00 | Parliament Hill, Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A9, Canada
Join us on Monday, May 12th from 11:30am to 1pm for a fun, family-friendly rally for climate justice on Parliament Hill! The demonstration is the culminating point of the two-day bike Pilgrimage for the Planet coming from Montreal to demand Canada sign onto the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty (FFNPT) – to end expansion of all fossil fuel projects. This call is supported by countless scientists, organizations, governments and municipalities – including the City of Ottawa! Meet the pilgrims and join in on their call to the federal government to take urgent climate action! Just two weeks after the federal election, it’s up to us to set the agenda on ambitious climate action from the next government!
You are also invited to the Poster Making Party, Saint Paul University Atrium, Thurs. May 8th – Drop in between 3 to 7:30 pm.

Defending Dissent: Bursting the Bubble By-law Panel
2025-05-12 19:00 - 20:30 | PSAC Building, 233 Gilmour Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Members of the Defend Dissent Coalition have been meeting to organize opposition to a proposed “bubble by-law” in Ottawa. City staff are currently studying options for banning protests within a certain distance of “vulnerable social infrastructure” like schools, healthcare facilities, and religious buildings using a similar by-law recently passed in Vaughan as a model.
Organizations and individuals within our Coalition are very concerned about the implications of a “bubble by-law” for Ottawa:

Under the provisions of Vaughan’s by-law, much of downtown Ottawa would be in the range where law enforcement could award fines up to $100,000 for protesting.
Legitimate and important protests take place near these locations, such as student walkouts, strikes, and protests over harmful events being held in religious buildings.
Ottawa Police and By-law Services have displayed bias in enforcement many times over the past few years, including but not limited to:
Allowing “Freedom Convoy” protests to proceed and cooperating with organizers
Ticketing and arresting residents for normal protest activities like using a megaphone

As a part of our efforts to advocate against a bubble by-law we are hosting a panel discussion, “Defend Dissent: Bursting the Bubble By-law”, on May 12th, 2025, from 7:00pm PM to 8:30 PM in the Wyllie Room at PSAC headquarters (JK Wyllie Conference Room, ground floor, 233 Gilmour Street Ottawa). The goal of this panel would be to educate members of the public about the implications of this proposal and to mobilize attendees to take part in our efforts by contacting their representatives at the city and signing up to delegate on the day of the decision, May 15th.
Some of the issues we are planning to discuss include:

Precedents and legality of legislation limiting expression
Importance of protecting dissent in the capital city
Ottawa’s and Canada’s history of criminalizing protest
Labour action implications for teachers, nurses, public servants, etc.
Alternative strategies for helping communities manage protests that cause harm

Click here to learn more about the Defend the Right to Dissent Coalition.

Inter Pares’ 50th anniversary celebration
2025-05-12 19:00 - 21:00 | Ottawa Art Gallery, 50 Mackenzie King Bridge, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Join us in Ottawa or online! // Joignez-vous à nous à Ottawa ou en ligne !
We are pleased to invite you to an evening of reflection, celebration and inspiration with social justice activists—to mark Inter Pares’ 50th anniversary!
Ottawa Art Gallery | Alma Duncan Salon May 12 | 7 – 9 p.m. EDT Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Socializing is very welcome after the event until 10 p.m.
The evening will feature a conversation with dear allies Dr. Sylvia Estrada Claudio (Likhaan Center for Women’s Health, Philippines), Jamie Kneen (MiningWatch Canada), Esperanza Moreno (Board member, Inter Pares) and Mariamé Ouattara (gender and development expert, Burkina Faso), with opening remarks from Brian Murphy (former staff member, Inter Pares).
This event is free. Light refreshments provided. Cash bar. Panelists will speak in English and French. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided. To attend the event online and have access to simultaneous English-French interpretation, please click “reserve a spot” and register for a virtual ticket.
The event will also be livestreamed on Inter Pares’ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InterParesCanada
The Ottawa Art Gallery is an accessible space.//Nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à une soirée de réflexion, de célébration et d’inspiration avec des militantes et militants pour la justice sociale pour marquer le 50e anniversaire d’Inter Pares!
Galerie d’art d’Ottawa | Hall Alma Duncan Le 12 mai, de 19 h à 21 h (HAE) Ouverture des portes à 18h30 Les participant-e-s sont invité-e-s à se retrouver pour discuter après l’événement jusqu’à 22 heures.
Cette soirée sera l’occasion d’une conversation avec nos proches allié-e-s, la Dre Sylvia Estrada Claudio (Centre Likhaan pour la santé des femmes, Philippines), Jamie Kneen (Mining Watch Canada), Esperanza Moreno (membre du conseil d’administration d’Inter Pares) et Mariamé Ouattara (experte en genre et développement, Burkina Faso). Brian Murphy (ancien membre de l’équipe d’Inter Pares) prononcera les remarques d’ouverture de la soirée.
Cet événement est gratuit. Rafraîchissements légers fournis. Bar payant. Les panélistes s’exprimeront en anglais et en français et un service d’interprétation simultanée sera proposé. Pour participer à l’événement en ligne et bénéficier d’une interprétation simultanée français-anglais, veuillez cliquer sur « réserver une place » et vous inscrire pour obtenir un billet virtuel.
L’événement sera également retransmis en direct sur le site Facebook d’Inter Pares: https://www.facebook.com/InterParesCanada
La Galerie d’art d’Ottawa est un espace accessible.
FEATURING // AVEC
Dr. Sylvia Estrada Claudio (Likhaan Centre for Women’s Health, Philippines)
Dr. Sylvia Estrada Claudio is a doctor of medicine (UP Medicine 1981) who also holds a PhD in Psychology (UP Diliman,1996). She is Professor Emeritus of The Department of Women and Development Studies of the College of Social Work and Community Development. She was the Dean of CSWCD before her retirement. She is author 2 books, “Rape Love and Sexuality: The Construction of Woman in Discourse” (UP Press, 2002) and “And Then She Laughed: Experiences in Counseling Women” (Anvil Press, 2015). Like most Filipinas, she is known to friends by a nickname, Guy. Guy currently writes a regular column for Rappler, the Philippines’ leading digital media company.Guy considers herself an activist and academic because she has spent most of her life working in social movements. She is co-founder, and now Chair of the Board of Directors of Likhaan, a 29-year-old women’s health NGO that operates 10 community-based clinics in five Metro Manila cities and three provinces.
At the international level she has served as Vice President of the Asian Association of Women’s Studies, Vice Chair of Isis International and the Chair of the Board of the Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights//Sylvia Estrada Claudio est docteure en médecine (UP Medicine 1981) et titulaire d’un doctorat en psychologie (UP Diliman, 1996). Elle est professeure émérite au département des études sur les femmes et le développement du College of Social Work and Community Development. Elle était doyenne du CSWCD avant de prendre sa retraite. Elle est l’auteure de deux livres, “Rape Love and Sexuality : The Construction of Woman in Discourse” (UP Press, 2002) et “And Then She Laughed : Experiences in Counseling Women” (Anvil Press, 2015). Comme la plupart des Philippines, elle est connue de ses ami-e-s sous le surnom de Guy. Guy écrit actuellement une chronique régulière pour Rappler, la principale société de médias numériques des Philippines.
Guy se considère comme une activiste et une universitaire, car elle a passé la majeure partie de sa vie à travailler dans des mouvements sociaux. Elle est cofondatrice et actuellement présidente du conseil d’administration de Likhaan, une ONG de 29 ans spécialisée dans la santé des femmes, qui gère dix cliniques communautaires dans la métropole de Manille et dans trois provinces.
Au niveau international, elle a été vice-présidente de l’Asian Association of Women’s Studies, vice-présidente d’Isis International et présidente du conseil d’administration du Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights.
Jamie Kneen (MiningWatch Canada)
Jamie Kneen is the Canada Program Co-Lead and Outreach Coordinator for MiningWatch Canada, working on mining policy advocacy and individual mining projects in western and northern Canada, leading policy reform and providing strategic and technical support to communities affected by mineral exploration and mining projects. He also leads the organization’s strategic research and communications, as well as research and advocacy in Africa (and previously, Latin America), as well as on mine waste management, mining and Indigenous rights, uranium mining, and environmental assessment policy and practice in Canada. With a degree in Biology (ecology concentration) from McGill University, Jamie has been involved with environmental and resource management issues, including mining and Indigenous land rights, for many years.//Jamie Kneen est co-responsable du programme canadien et coordinateur de la sensibilisation pour MiningWatch Canada. Il travaille sur la défense de la politique minière et sur des projets miniers individuels dans l’ouest et le nord du Canada, menant des réformes politiques et fournissant un soutien stratégique et technique aux communautés touchées par l’exploration minière et les projets d’exploitation minière. Il dirige également la recherche stratégique et la communication de l’organisation, ainsi que la recherche et le plaidoyer en Afrique (et auparavant en Amérique latine), ainsi que sur la gestion des déchets miniers, les droits miniers et autochtones, l’extraction de l’uranium, et la politique et la pratique de l’évaluation environnementale au Canada. Diplômé en biologie (concentration écologie) de l’Université McGill, Jamie s’intéresse depuis de nombreuses années aux questions de gestion de l’environnement et des ressources, notamment à l’exploitation minière et aux droits fonciers des autochtones.
Esperanza Moreno
Esperanza Moreno has worked in the international cooperation and solidarity community for more than 25 years. She was Deputy Director of the Canadian Council for International Cooperation -CCIC (today named Cooperation Canada – CC) for over 12 years and of Oxfam Québec for over 10 years. She also held senior leadership positions with the Organisation Canadienne pour la solidarité et le developpement-OCSD and served on the Boards of CCIC, Equiterre, Oxfam Québec, Consejeria para proyectos- PCS, Inter Pares and Mining Watch Canada. For the last 10 years she is an organizational development consultant with non-profit and human rights organizations and networks in Latin America and Canada. She holds master’s degrees in political science from the University of Ottawa and in Psychology from the Université du Québec in Montréal. She is based in Montreal.//Esperanza Moreno travaille dans le milieu de la coopération et de la solidarité internationales depuis plus de 25 ans. Elle a été directrice adjointe du Conseil canadien pour la coopération internationale (CCCI) (aujourd’hui appelé Coopération Canada – CC) pendant plus de 12 ans et d’Oxfam Québec pendant plus de 10 ans. Elle a également occupé des postes de direction au sein de l’Organisation canadienne pour la solidarité et le développement (OCSD) et a siégé aux conseils d’administration du CCCI, d’Equiterre, d’Oxfam Québec, de Consejeria para proyectos (PCS), d’Inter Pares et de Mining Watch Canada. Au cours des dix dernières années, elle a été consultante en développement organisationnel auprès d’organisations et de réseaux à but non lucratif et de défense des droits de l’homme en Amérique latine et au Canada. Elle est titulaire d’une maîtrise en sciences politiques de l’Université d’Ottawa et d’une maîtrise en psychologie de l’Université du Québec à Montréal. Elle est basée à Montréal.
Mariamé Ouattara (Gender development expert, Burkina Faso)
Mariamé is an expert in Gender and Development and an Advocacy Specialist. She has been working for more than thirty years in Burkina Faso and West Africa to promote gender equality and the rights of women farmers. She was involved in the founding of the Coalition for the Protection of African Genetic Heritage (COPAGEN). She is currently working as a regional gender equality expert on the EGALE-WA project (gender equality through agroecology in West Africa).//Mariamé est une experte en genre et développement et une spécialiste du plaidoyer. Elle travaille depuis plus de trente ans au Burkina Faso et en Afrique de l’Ouest pour promouvoir l’égalité de genre et les droits des agricultrices. Elle a participé à la création de la Coalition pour la protection du patrimoine génétique africain (COPAGEN). Elle travaille actuellement en tant qu’experte régionale en matière d’égalité de genre dans le cadre du projet ÉGALE-AO (égalité de genre par l’agroécologie en Afrique de l’ouest).
Brian Murphy (Former staff member, Inter Pares)
Brian Murphy is an independent analyst, organizer, educator, and writer, and a former member of the staff team of Inter Pares. Brian’s focus on education as social action began as a literacy specialist at Conestoga College (Kitchener) in 1966. After two years in West Africa with CUSO (1968-70) he completed a Masters degree at University of Ottawa with a thesis on the implications of the literacy practice of Paulo Friere. He served as Program Coordinator in Adult Basic Education at Algonquin College before joining Inter Pares in 1979, where he participated in the staff team until the end of 2006. His current activity includes participation in the Steering Committee of the Ottawa-based International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group (ICLMG), which he helped found. A Second Edition of Brian’s book, Transforming Ourselves, Transforming the World, An Open Conspiracy for Social Change was published by Daraja Press in 2021 (Introduction by David Austin). Brian writes at Murphyslog.ca .//Brian Murphy est un analyste indépendant, un organisateur, un éducateur, un écrivain et un ancien membre de l’équipe d’Inter Pares. Brian a commencé à s’intéresser à l’éducation comme action sociale en tant que spécialiste de l’alphabétisation au Conestoga College (Kitchener) en 1966. Après avoir passé deux ans en Afrique de l’Ouest avec CUSO (1968-70), il a obtenu une maîtrise à l’Université d’Ottawa avec une thèse sur les implications de la pratique d’alphabétisation de Paulo Friere. Il a été coordonnateur de programme en éducation de base des adultes au Collège Algonquin avant de se joindre à Inter Pares en 1979, où il a fait partie de l’équipe du personnel jusqu’à la fin de 2006. Il participe actuellement au Comité directeur de la Coalition pour la surveillance internationale des libertés civiles (CSILC), basée à Ottawa, qu’il a contribué à fonder. Une deuxième édition du livre de Brian, Transforming Ourselves, Transforming the World, An Open Conspiracy for Social Change, a été publiée par Daraja Press en 2021 (introduction de David Austin). Brian écrit sur Murphyslog.ca

Book Launch: Red Flags by David Camfield
2025-05-13 19:00 - 20:00 | Octopus Books, 116 Third Ave, Ottawa, Canada
Join us for the launch of Red Flags: A Reckoning with Communism for the Future of the Left by author, social justice activist, and labour studies prof David Camfield. David will be joined in conversation by queer activist and labour organizer Genevieve Latour.
Tues May 13th, 7pm-8pm. Doors open at 6:30pm.
Octopus Books, 116 Third Ave.
RSVP via email: events@octopusbooks.ca
An anti-capitalist, anti-authoritarian introduction to the history of the USSR, China, and Cuba that asks: Were they actually on the road to communism?
Red Flags traces the path from the 1917 Russian Revolution to the construction of the world’s first “actually existing socialist” society: the USSR. It also looks at the post-revolution societies created along the same lines in China and Cuba. Using the intellectual tools of historical materialism, Red Flags argues that they were not in fact moving towards communism because the social relations remained fixed in class exploitation. The workers were never liberated.
At a time of burgeoning anti-communism from both conservatives and liberals, this book is an accessible, vibrant synthesis of the history of communism that draws on the latest research to develop a rigorous analysis of the contradictions and uneasy truths the left needs to confront if it is to build a genuinely liberatory alternative to capitalism.
David Camfield is a professor in the Labour Studies Program and the Department of Sociology and Criminology, University of Manitoba. He is the author of Future on Fire: Capitalism and the Politics of Climate Change, We Can Do Better: Ideas for Changing Society, and Canadian Labour in Crisis: Reinventing the Workers’ Movement and has written many articles on Marxism and left politics. David is on the editorial board of Midnight Sun and hosts the podcast Victor’s Children.
Genevieve Latour (she/her) serves on the national executive of the Canadian Associate of Professional Employees (CAPE), to which she was elected in 2023 as part of the Members for Change team with a mandate to radically transform the union. Dedicated to building power in our communities and forging links among grassroots movements and labour organizations, she is active with Queers for Palestine as well as queer and Palestine solidarity initiatives within her union.

Queer and Trans Solidarity With Palestine
2025-05-16 19:00 - 21:00 | St. Paul Amphitheatre, 233 Main Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1S1C4, Canada
Join us for a community event (panel discussion with invited speakers) to learn about queer and trans solidarity with Palestine!
May 16, 2025 • 7pm – 9pm
Doors open at 6:30pm
St. Paul University Amphitheatre, 233 Main St.
Featuring:

Maša Davidovic (Ottawa)
Maria Fakhouri (Ottawa)
Natalie Kouri-Towe (Montreal)

Speakers at this event will address the following questions:

Why do so many queer and trans people identify with and support the struggle for Palestinian liberation?
What are some examples of present and historical connections between these struggles?
What is pinkwashing and how does Israel use it to legitimize apartheid, occupation, and genocide?
Why is connecting the queer, trans, and Palestinian struggles a powerful strategy for building an even stronger liberation movement?

Blocking for Events
2025-05-17 12:00 - 14:00 | Online
Community Solidarity Ottawa will share its current methodology for neutralizing far right agitators at events, and protecting event attendees. There will be an opportunity for general discussion among attendees, allowing them to ask questions, discuss current trends in far right tactics and rhetoric, and exchange tips and tricks for neutralizing their attempts to harass and intimidate community members.
Register here.
