ABSTRACT
From the beginning Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) has been dedicated to militant direct action rather than consultation and compromise. OCAP is a poor people's movement and they organize among the diverse members of the working-class rather than trying to reach out to small business people or middle-class liberals. The Liberal Party was elected to replace the Tories in 2003 on a platform of change. Four years ago Toronto City Council voted to accept a proposal to ban homeless people from sleeping in Nathan Phillips Square, the public space at which City Hall is located. OCAP has regularly mobilized to challenge the unjust situation in which hundreds of empty apartment buildings in Toronto are boarded up by speculators looking to drive up property values or rents on other properties. As an internationalist organization having only contempt for the borders that divide working-class and poor people and shelter capital, defense of immigrants and refugees is another important aspect of OCAP's work.
