As members of the Canadian and international film, culture and media arts communities, we are deeply disturbed by the Toronto International Film Festival's decision to host a celebratory spotlight on Tel Aviv. We protest that TIFF, whether intentionally or not, has become complicit in the Israeli propaganda machine.

This is a joint statement on behalf of African Canadian Legal Clinic, Canadian Arab Federation, Canadian Labour Congress, Charter of Human Responsibilities (Canada), Council of Agencies Serving South Asians, and Independent Jewish Voices (Canada).

We represent a broad and diverse cross section of racialized and ethnic communities from Canadian civil society, committed to combating racism.

We denounce the failure of our government to participate in the Durban Review Conference, a process of critical importance to victims of racism the world over. As civil society organizations, we are here to affirm our commitment to this Review Conference, which is intended to assess the progress UN member nations have made to implement the DDPA.

We, the Heads of State and Government of Bolivia, Cuba, Dominica, Honduras, Nicaragua and Venezuela, member countries of ALBA, consider that the Draft Declaration of the 5th Summit of the Americas is insufficient and unacceptable for the following reasons:

- The Declaration does not provide answers to the Global Economic Crisis, even though this crisis constitutes the greatest challenge faced by humanity in the last decades and is the most serious threat of the current times to the welfare of our peoples.

- The Declaration unfairly excludes Cuba, without mentioning the consensus in the region condemning the blockade and isolation to which the people and the government of Cuba have incessantly been exposed in a criminal manner.

Government pressure to cut wages will increase the risk of deflation. It is now abundantly clear that Canada and the world is facing its worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

However, a sense of premature Hoover-type optimism seems to have settled in to Ottawa's thinking, breeding a dangerous complacency that the government has done all that is required to combat the recession. The federal government appears to be hiding behind the proposition that with strong banks and strong fundamentals, the Canadian economy will automatically recover as U.S. demand picks up.

OTTAWA, ON - Prominent progressive leaders have come together today to urge Stéphane Dion and Jack Layton to put partisan concerns aside and form a coalition government to serve the best interests of citizens suffering from a global economic crisis.

The open letter follows.

An urgent message to Stéphane Dion and Jack Layton: Only a coalition government can provide the leadership Canada needs

Dear Leaders,

We, the undersigned, write to you during this time of economic crisis to urge that you set aside all partisan considerations in favour of decisive action to help Canadians who are suffering and whose livelihoods are in jeopardy.