Hi, (This text can be seen online :
http://fsm2015quebec.wordpress.com/2013/08/25/response-to-some-questions-wsf-2015-in-quebec/
)

We are Carminda Mac Lorin, Raphaël Canet, Pierre Lemay, Louis-Philippe
Lizotte, Henri-C. Baudot, and we are involved in the initiative to propose
Quebec as one of the venues for the next WSF. In response to the emails of
Jai Sen, Peter Waterman and Michel Lambert, here are some clarifications
that may answer some of the questions we have received (especially about
who we are, what do we think about the virtual aspect of the WSF 2015, our
relationship to the People's Social Forum 2014, amongst some others). The
facilitation/mobilization collective preparing the nomination of Quebec is
meeting every Wednesday. We really appreciate your comments, so please
don't hesitate to write to us at : fsmquebec.2015@... !

**Who are we?

We are an open group created in May 2013 by a dozen people involved in
various networks (like Uni-Alter, a collective of activist researchers with
an extensive knowledge about the Social Forums process; Occupy; Idle No
More; VIA22; cultural and community sectors, and many working within
Quebecois civil society organizations). Many of us were in Tunisia during
the last WSF (some very engaged within Global Square), and the majority
were involved in the organization of the two Quebec Social Forums (2007 and
2009), and the recent grassroots social movements that have emerged in
Quebec since 2011 (some of our names can be found here :
http://fsm2015quebec.wordpress.com/appuyez-la-candidature-du-quebec/). We
share the opinion that having a polycentric Forum in 2015 with a location
in the Global North (and specifically, Quebec) would be good thing for many
reasons (especially as it would have a major impact on regional social
movements and raise greater awareness about the necessity of fundamental
change at the core of the economic system).

We are a group of people who want to contribute to the World Social Forum
process, acknowledging the importance of input from youth and from new
perspectives developed within what are often called "new  grassroots social
movements post-2011" - especially in the ongoing search for less
hierarchical organizational structures and communications tools that will
empower and reinforce our actions within a larger process (and not only the
biennial WSF events). In that sense, the virtual space is totally
complementary to the physical one : InterOccupy (a platform based in the US
that is used by tens of thousands of people) and Global Square (a series of
online and in-person meetings and assemblies linked to "grassroots
movements post-2011" proposing an open space during the last WSF in Tunis)
are networks that already acknowledged our initiative and the discussions
will continue, to determine what their concrete contribution for broader
and more continuous communication will be. We have also been in contact
with Pierre George (an active contributor to the extension of the WSF) and
hope to be able to closely support the work himself and other people have
already done. Thus, the virtual extension of the WSF 2015 seems
fundamental, as cyberspace is already a central arena for our actions with
different local/global networks like Squares, 15M/Indignados, Real
Democracy Now, Occupy, YoSoy132, around Turkish and Brazilian struggles...

Our approach is somehow different from what we've seen for the last World
Social Forums, as this group was created by persons deeply involved in
different networks (including organizations, and less structured groups or
networks), and not only by persons representing institutional structures.
We have begun a process of reflection and mobilization that has been well
received by different groups of North American civil society (like the
World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters, consisting of around
4000 radios, InterOccupy, NoVox Togo, among others in Quebec and the world,
and the city of Montreal has shown interest in this initiative:
http://www.ledevoir.com/economie/actualites-economiques/377031/montreal-le-porto-alegre-du-nord),
and we would like to keep working to confirm this intuition of a collective
will to hold a WSF in the North (hopefully as a polycentric event). We
acknowledge and wish to respect the Charter of principles, and strongly
believe in what the WSF can encourage, as a space of mobilization and
creativity, for a world less and less dominated by capital and any form of
imperialism.

The open facilitation/mobilization team was created during the consultative
meeting held on May 5, 2013, organized in order to broaden the discussion
on the relevance and feasibility of a World Social Forum 2015 in Quebec.
And since then, we are receiving enthusiastic feedback (the mobilization
process will take force as the summer finishes, but you can have a glimse
of the groups that have confirmed their support here :
http://fsm2015quebec.wordpress.com/appuyez-la-candidature-du-quebec/liste-des-groupes-appuyant-linitiative-fsm-2015-quebec/),
and will seriously take that into account all the constructive critics when
presenting the nomination of Quebec to the International Council.

**People’s Social Forum 2014 & the World Social Forum 2015 in Quebec

Many of us are also involved in the People's Social Forum (PSF), attending
their organizational meetings in Quebec since the creation of our
collective (and even before for some). As you can see in our Blog (
http://fsm2015quebec.wordpress.com/), we support the PSF process and are
encouraging broad participation in its activities through our
communications.  We think that the PSF and the WSF are part of the same
long-term process, and that we need to work together.

As Michel Lambert has said, timing in Canada is key, as federal elections
are scheduled for October 2015 (one year after the PSF of August 2014, and
a few months after the WSF event, that we would like to propose for
August/September 2015).  Furthermore, the energy that came out of Quebec's
Spring 2012 is the proof of the actual vitality of Quebec, that is now
flourishing through diverse projects even if it seems less spectacular in
the media. Holding a WSF here would give us another impetus for convergence
and mobilization that would go beyond the traditional cleavage
Quebec/Canada/First Nations, working in the same direction than the PSF.
The WSF 2015 is proposed one year after the PSF, and we are confident that
if we work in collaboration, this time it will be enough to gather the
resources needed for the organization of the WSF.

The People's Social Forum is a very ambitious and inspiring project that
will need the mobilization of most of the Canadian civil society from now
until August 2014. As we have already stated during the meetings of the PSF
in Quebec, we aim to support this process as we can. We also engage
ourselves to acknowledge the efforts deployed by the PSF and the links
created throughout Canada and beyond, in order to be prepared to give a
continuity to the process of the Social Forums in this part of the world,
specially from September 2014 to August 2015.

Visas and accessibility to Canada will be important issues to this
nomination. International mobility is undoubtedly a challenge in each WSF
(Peruvian or Chinese people cannot more easily go to Africa, than come to
Canada). We want to fight this battle there in front, even if we are aware
that our action at this level might be very limited. But it seems
fundamental to bring this debate into the public arena. In addition, we
hope that 2015 will be a polycentric WSF Forum as in 2006, and it will
encourage the participation of more people internationally.

We are looking forward to talking with those who are preparing to nominate
their countries (specially our Indian comrades, and maybe others?) for the
next WSF, and to all who are already thinking about the WSF 2015. It would
be an honour to be able to speak with you on the virtual conversation “WSF
2015” that is proposed during the Iraqi Social Forum (this acknowledges
once more the importance of the links between national forums and the world
forums, as being part of the same process).

This conversation will take place on Saturday September 28th, at 14:00GMT
(7am Vancouver, 9am Mexico, DF, 10am New York/Montreal, 14:00
London/Paris/Tunis, 19:30 New Dehli, 12am Sydney), open source voice
communication software “Mumble” (Full step by step instructions following
the link below, we will be in room Open Space)
http://occupytalk.org/article/howconnect-our-server

**Facebook event : https://www.facebook.com/events/569942683061279/

In solidarity, <https://www.facebook.com/events/569942683061279/>
Carminda Mac Lorin, Raphaël Canet, Pierre Lemay, Louis-Philippe Lizotte,
Henri-C. Baudot (text approved by the facilitation/mobilization collective)
http://fsm2015quebec.wordpress.com/

Pieças adjuntas

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