Joe Young (politician)
Encyclopedia
Joe Young is a Canadian
political activist. He is a prominent member of the Communist League
, and a frequent contributor to its newspaper, The Militant
. Young has campaigned for federal, provincial and municipal office in Ontario
and British Columbia
, although he has never come close to being elected.
Young has long been active in radical left politics. He was a member of the New Democratic Party
's youth wing and the Young Socialists (the youth wing of the League for Socialist Action) in the early 1960s, and led a successful campaign to allow high school students to form political clubs. He became chairman of the Student Association to End the War in Vietnam
in the late 1960s, and called for the immediate withdrawal of soldiers from that country. Young has worked in the industrial sector in his adult life, and is an active member of Canada's labour movement.
He was an airline cleaner at Pearson International Airport, and a member of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
in the early 1990s. He campaigned as the Communist League candidate in Parkdale
for the 1990 provincial election
, and called for the government to settle native land claims and pull Canadian soldiers out of the Persian Gulf
. He was 43 years old at the time.
Testifying before a committee of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
in 1991, Young defended the right of the people of Quebec
to choose their own future without interference from the rest of Canada. Later in the year, he was the Communist League's candidate for Mayor of Toronto. In this campaign, he proposed tighter guidelines for gun use by the Toronto police, and a shorter work week for all Torontonians.
Young subsequently moved to British Columbia
, where he worked as a machine operator and was a member of the United Steelworkers
. He campaigned for Vancouver East
in the 1993 federal election
in Vancouver East
. He moved to Montreal
later in the 1990s, worked in a packing plant near the city, and was a member of United Food and Commercial Workers
Local 501.
He again moved to British Columbia after this, and was the Communist League's sole candidate in the 2001 provincial election
. He continued to work in the meat-packing industry.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
political activist. He is a prominent member of the Communist League
Communist League (Canada)
The Communist League in Canada was founded as the "Revolutionary Workers League/Ligue Ouvrière Révolutionnaire" in 1977 as the result of a merger of the League for Socialist Action , the Revolutionary Marxist Group and the Groupe Marxiste Revolutionaire.Originally a Trotskyist party, the RWL was...
, and a frequent contributor to its newspaper, The Militant
The Militant
The Militant is an international Socialist newsweekly connected to the Socialist Workers Party and the Pathfinder Tendency. It is published in the United States and distributed in other countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Sweden, Iceland, and New...
. Young has campaigned for federal, provincial and municipal office in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, although he has never come close to being elected.
Young has long been active in radical left politics. He was a member of the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
's youth wing and the Young Socialists (the youth wing of the League for Socialist Action) in the early 1960s, and led a successful campaign to allow high school students to form political clubs. He became chairman of the Student Association to End the War in Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
in the late 1960s, and called for the immediate withdrawal of soldiers from that country. Young has worked in the industrial sector in his adult life, and is an active member of Canada's labour movement.
He was an airline cleaner at Pearson International Airport, and a member of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is an AFL-CIO/CLC trade union representing approx. 646,933 workers as of 2006 in more than 200 industries.-Formation and early history:...
in the early 1990s. He campaigned as the Communist League candidate in Parkdale
Parkdale (electoral district)
Parkdale was a Canadian federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1917 to 1979. It included the community of Parkdale in the western part of Toronto...
for the 1990 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1990
The Ontario general election of 1990 was held on September 6, 1990, to elect members of the 35th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada....
, and called for the government to settle native land claims and pull Canadian soldiers out of the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
. He was 43 years old at the time.
Testifying before a committee of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
in 1991, Young defended the right of the people of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
to choose their own future without interference from the rest of Canada. Later in the year, he was the Communist League's candidate for Mayor of Toronto. In this campaign, he proposed tighter guidelines for gun use by the Toronto police, and a shorter work week for all Torontonians.
Young subsequently moved to British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, where he worked as a machine operator and was a member of the United Steelworkers
United Steelworkers
The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union is the largest industrial labor union in North America, with 705,000 members. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, U.S., the United Steelworkers represents workers in the United...
. He campaigned for Vancouver East
Vancouver East
Vancouver East is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1935....
in the 1993 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
in Vancouver East
Vancouver East
Vancouver East is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1935....
. He moved to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
later in the 1990s, worked in a packing plant near the city, and was a member of United Food and Commercial Workers
United Food and Commercial Workers
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union is a labor union representing approximately 1.3 million workers in the United States and Canada in many industries, including agriculture, health care, meatpacking, poultry and food processing, manufacturing, textile, G4S Security, chemical...
Local 501.
He again moved to British Columbia after this, and was the Communist League's sole candidate in the 2001 provincial election
British Columbia general election, 2001
The British Columbia general election of 2001 was the 37th provincial election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on April 18, 2001, and held on May 16, 2001...
. He continued to work in the meat-packing industry.