London Gathers Together in Celebration of May Day
On a bright, sunny May 3rd, music, dancing and joy filled Victoria Park. Several organizations united in a rally for May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day, to call attention to the struggles of the working class in Canada and abroad. The event opened with chants and music from Frank Risdsdale in support of labour movements, unions and workers rights, followed by speeches by representatives of various labour and leftist organizations in the city.
First spoke Anthony, representative for the group Forest City Solidarity. He explained the origins of May Day, created in 1889 France during the Second International, as a commemoration of the 1886 Haymarket Affair, a rally in the United States demanding an eight-hour workday. Police brutality at the rally and subsequent events led to the deaths of several people. He shared that the umbrella coalition “The London May Day Committee” organized this day in London. He finished by calling for a show of force in solidarity for workers.
He was followed by Patti Dalton, representing the London and District Labour Council (LDLC). She began by celebrating workers’ resistance and indicated the rally was part of a series of events carried out throughout the city under the theme “Rise and Organize”, as part of May Day, and led the crowd in a round of applause for the London May Day Committee. She pointed out the many crises affecting workers in London specifically, citing United States President Donald Trump and the impact his tariffs have had on the manufacturing job market in the city, the entrenchment of far right movements and the rise of fascism in the country. She emphasized the importance of unions in the struggle for workers’ rights, specifically seeking support for OPSEU in the 27 locals going on coordinated strike positions across Ontario, including local 116 in London. She explained that multiple strikes across the province are a tool that can bring momentum towards a general strike across the province.
Dalton then asked the audience to stand for Cuban solidarity due to the United States’ imperialistic ambitions towards the nation. She detailed the work carried out by the different labour councils for Cuba and upcoming events, including a speaking tour across the country by a Cuban trade union speaker. She urged all to stand in support of the work carried out by London’s Latin American-Canadian Solidarity Association (LACASA). She ended with a call for all to “Rise and Organize” against the attacks on workers rights.
Following Dalton came David Heap, representing the Council of Canadians and People for Peace. He gave a land acknowledgement, spoke about the importance of taking care of the land in the same way First Nations did before colonization by white settlers, and urged all to stand together with Indigenous people against the oppression carried out by the Ford and Carney administrations.
“It’s the billionaires against the rest of us”, he said to a crowd that immediately shouted in support. He proceeded to speak on the Palestinian cause and the plight of injured workers.
Afterwards, he spoke about Earth Fest 2026, an annual celebration for environmental action, and the impact of billionaires on the environment. He called on taxing them, along with fossil fuel companies, due to their detrimental impact on the environment. The call was received with cheers of support and shouts of “Shame!”.
Afterwards, Heap called out the United States’ blockade against Cuba, an international law violation. He called on all those present to demand better of our government, urging the audience to see nations like Mexico and Brazil as models of governmental support for Cuba.
“Who we stand with are choices we make, in Canada and abroad. Reach out hands across the water to Cuba, to Gaza, and Free Palestine!” he said to a cheering audience.
He finished by talking about the Global Freedom Flotilla to Gaza and the Canadian Boat to Gaza, which involves an international coalition of campaigns and initiatives that aim to expose Israeli crimes in Gaza by attempting to breach the naval blockade of Gaza by the Israeli naval forces, and urged the attendants to support the cause in any way they can. He called for sanctions against Israel, the expulsion of the Israeli Ambassador from Canada, and a full arms embargo on Israel for its war crimes in Palestine.
Followed by a series of protest chants came Canadian Palestinian Social Association (CPSA) representative Rawan Aldaqes. She asked for justice for injured workers, for those who lost their jobs for wearing a hijab, and spoke in support for Palestine. She outlined how Palestine has been a part of the labour movement since 1936 and how the fight against fascism is connected to Palestine.
“Worker rights are not given, they’re earned with lives lost, and we’re here on May Day to keep demonstrating that our rights now are not to be taken for granted. If we don’t collectively rise for comrades in Cuba, Gaza, Sudan, we become part of the problem,” she said.
Aldaqes spoke about how workers’ hard work can be used to fund genocide, highlighting how everyday people can make choices in what they buy and where they work.
“Target the pockets of Israel that keeps funding the killing of children in Palestine. A drive thru meal at McDonald’s is connected to the death of children,” she said, referring to the offer of free meals for IDF soldiers at the onset of the Gaza genocide, and to the strategy known as Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS). She also spoke in support of an arms embargo on Israel and union support for employees fired and silenced for speaking in support of Palestine. She invited the audience to start reflecting and organizing, pointing out that workers’ labour in Canada is part of a global resistance movement that cannot be silenced.
Then came Shawn Hendrikx, representing the University of Western Ontario Faculty Association (UWOFA). He spoke of the challenges faced at the bargaining table with their Employer after 2 years of bargaining.
“Course intensity increases, no guarantee of work next semester, ‘no money’ for better compensation,” he said to the crowd.
He highlighted how Ontario has attacked education by spending the least on university students in all of Canada, cutting teachers’ college time in half, and the recent restructuring of OSAP so 75% of it comes in the form of loans. Finally, he bemoaned the vision of education as an economic good and how that affects families.
“Workloads go up, revenues go up and educators have to be thankful to have a job,” he explained to the audience. “Programs are eliminated due to lack of funding by the provincial government, taking away future opportunities for your children.”
Next came Mona Aljoujou, representing OCEU (Ontario Compensation Employees Union) 1750 under CUPE.
“May Day isn’t just symbolic – it is a moment to ask who’s carrying the weight and who’s being shielded,” she said to open her speech. “It’s the workers, it’s always the workers. Impact lands on our wages, on our job security”.
She shared how, since 2017, $21.5 billion in cumulative premiums have been returned to employers, telling employees to resign. She then called to amend legislation to support Ontario workers, reinvest the aforementioned surplus on workers, and ensure universal coverage for all workers in Ontario, including people working in childcare and office staff. She bemoaned the fact that nearly 1 in 4 employees in Ontario don’t have WSIB coverage, and cited how the strain of cost-cutting is growing in the system and how these pressures prevent WSIB from providing the quality of service the system should be able to provide. She also mentioned how wage caps and hiring freezes are forcing people out of public service. Finally, she urged people to stand together and demand better of the system.
“When we recognize our power, we’re not a part of the system, we are the system and when we do, things change.”
Next came Jeff Hanks, representing the London Health Coalition. Hanks spoke of former NDP leader and former Saskatchewan premier Tommy Douglas and his role as creator of the first single-payer universal healthcare program in Canada. He then focused on the negative impact the Ford administration has had on the Ontario healthcare system, including the creation of a “super agency” (Ontario Health) and the provincial government’s attempts to bring privatized healthcare to the province. Framed as “innovation”, study after study says private care costs more, causes more deaths and leads to increases in surgery costs. Hanks expressed how the 30,000 nurses shortage increases strain on Ontario healthcare; meanwhile, insurance companies like Sun Life, Manulife and Canada Life are working with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to bring US-style healthcare in Alberta. Finally, he spoke of how the London Health Sciences Centre has continued to cut positions and the influence of the company Oracle into healthcare data.
Then came Zack Ramsay, representing the Democratic Socialists of Canada and presently running for City Council, Ward 2. He started by asking people to raise their hands if they felt abandoned by federal, provincial, and municipal governments; the audience immediately did. He explained how “the people in power do what’s cost effective” and how, in order to make the population’s demands heard, they must organize in the existing structures, to create crisis, strikes and work stoppages.
“That way, our demands become the cost effective choice for those who only care about the bottom line,” he said to the protesters.
He then explained how to carry out organizing, where to carry it out, and how to most effectively reach out to those with differing political views.
“Talk to neighbors, coworkers. Share knowledge through organizing. Gain their trust by being the kind, loving person they can trust so they’ll listen to ideas we’ve been told to disregard all our lives.”
Finally, he encouraged the attendants to fight and to connect with one another.
“Talk to old organizers to learn what’s been done before. If you’re older, speak to younger ones, ask what they’re doing. After today, go to people and help them improve material conditions.”
Representing CUPE local 7575, Ben Fraraccio began by sharing that, under Doug Ford, Ontario has seen coordinated attacks on education and workers rights.
“What’s our strategy?” he asked. “If they’re organized across services, we should be organized all across. When we move together, everything changes.”
He used the example of the repealed Bill 28. The legislation, passed in November 2022, was intended to curtail the right to strike. After mass ‘illegal’ strike action and solidarity across the labour movement, the Ford government was pressed to withdraw the legislation..
“When education workers took Bill 28, it was about whether any government decides when workers have a voice. Workers across sectors stepped up, communities noticed and took action. The government backed down because the fight got bigger than they could contain,” he said to cheers from the audience.
He then spoke of the potential of the Air Canada strike last year, urging protesters to understand that when workers fight united, they’re a force to be reckoned with, and that when unions fight for the causes that affect workers, like healthcare and housing, people will rally in support.
“The boss class acts collectively every single day. If we don’t do the same, we’ll fall behind. When all workers stand together, we change the balance of power.”
Then came Liz Garant, vice-president of the Ontario Network of Injured Workers. Her address to the audience touched on the consequences of work injuries for workers, speaking of a greater probability of injured workers committing suicide. She focused on the struggle towards reaching for better conditions for injured workers, referring to Bill 105, which includes positive measures like promises of 90% of benefits for injured workers, but also negative ones, like the elimination of the statutory 72-month lock-in for benefits.
Next came Jordan Smith, representing the tenant advocacy group ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now). He introduced ACORN as “an independent national organization of low- and moderate-income people that focuses on tenant rights and fights against landlords and corporations.” He thanked the various groups present for their efforts and for spearheading a change in London’s culture. He then spoke extensively about how, despite Canada recognizing housing as a human right, most don’t have access to housing. He explained how the current housing crisis can be tackled at the local level by implementing tools, like landlord registration and licensing, to improve the quality of renters across the city, and advocated for solidarity among the different organizations present to demand tangible changes – measures rejected by London city council.
From Toronto, Socialist Action representative Barry Weisleder focused on the importance of May Day as a day for all workers, to celebrate workers gains and the struggle towards socialism. He highlighted how Canada finds itself at a crossroads and how unions can work towards mass action across the country to deny platforms for fascism and racism, and how capitalism feeds upon the destruction of natural resources.
“Oil and gas production in Canada is growing and its profits are growing, with the support of the federal government…Meanwhile First Nations tribes fight for their right to not have their territories destroyed,” he said. “Everyone is told Russia and China are the enemy, but it’s not true. Ottawa is cutting thousands of jobs or transferring them to the military.”
He referenced the aggressive push by the Carney administration to expand oil and gas production in Canada. He touched upon the ambivalent positions of the Carney administration in relation to United States foreign policy, the abandonment of unions by the NDP, and criticisms regarding the recent NDP federal leadership race. He closed by urging people to be active in more than marches, to join Socialist Action, and demanded a ceasefire in Palestine and support for the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement.
Then came a representative of the Workers United Front Toronto who spoke in support of the Office of Disability Management workers and how a united organization is essential to counteract the abuse and exploitation experienced by workers.
Afterwards, a member from the audience took to the stage, identifying himself as a Kurdish Iranian. He spoke on the current war in Iran and how it is important to keep in mind that both sides of the conflict – the United States and Iranian regime – are both carrying out crimes against civilians while the world stays silent on the matter.
Following a round of protest chants came a representative for Spring Socialist Action who, under the slogan “Agitate, Educate, Organize” urged participants to take to the streets and organize people. He emphasized the importance of political activity and how that affects society for the better.
“When I first got involved, I did so by writing for Spring and, as I got more confident in my writing, I started finding my voice and making myself heard.”
He encouraged people to learn from past lessons in activism and for those present to get involved.
“Organize and join any organization based on workers’ power that wants to make a better world for the working class!” he urged, “Your fight is our fight!”
Representing the International Socialists London on the stage was Morgan Oddie, union activist and board member for Antler River Media. They started by reminiscing on the previous May Day rally and the importance of preserving the struggle and collective fight of the working class. They spoke of how the “working class amnesia” only benefits employers and proceeded to ask the audience to remember that the working class struggle in Canada is also the international worker class struggle and how workers across the world have more in common with one another than they do with capitalists and the government.
“Regardless of ideology, what matters is knitting our struggles together in a united front,” they said to an enthralled audience. “When we are divided, we are separated and feuding among ourselves. The working class is the majority and it is our job to signal boost each other’s movements, show up for one another and fight together.”
Finally, they urged the audience to take the time to think of how they fit into the struggle and to join the fight for the working class.
Afterwards, came Kepler Altiora, representing Sabotage Media. They urged those present to remember the value and importance of hope in the struggle of the working class.
“Hope is not optimism. It’s something you do…It’s contagious and can go worldwide,” they said, telling the audience to remember that despair is a strategy used by the billionaire class. “The history [of humanity] is a story of class war and that it is made of people who actively participate.”
The event ended with representatives for Forest City Solidarity and the May Day Committee, Sidney and Heenal.
“There’s never a better time to stand together than right now,” said Sidney. “[Capitalists] won’t give us anything out of the goodness of their hearts, they make billions off the exploitation of the working class.”
Heenal asked people to remember that solidarity is something that is done every day, that capitalism as a system cannot be fixed, and urged them to become active participants, to join the movements involved in the rally, to join local communities, practice mutual aid and carry out work wherever possible.
“We as a society find ourselves at a crucial aspect of history, and the working class is at the centre of the story; a story of justice, solidarity and equity,” he said. “Every person here is a hero. We’re all fighting for a just and better world. We’re not waiting for a people, for a saviour. WE are the people we’ve been waiting for!”
A gathering unfolded at a nearby location so protesters could connect with one another after the rally.
