Wendell Fields
Encyclopedia
Wendell Fields is a veteran anti-poverty activist in Hamilton
, Ontario
, Canada
. He was director of Hamilton Against Poverty, and has twice campaigned for the Canadian House of Commons
as a candidate of the Communist Party of Canada - Marxist-Leninist (CPC-ML)
and retained a lawyer to represent him. Available media reports do not indicate if the appeal was successful. or if either assault charge resulted in a conviction.
Fields has worked as a dishwasher, busboy and labourer, and was laid off from his job as a plastics molder in about 1990. He subsequently moved from Cambridge
, Ontario to Hamilton. He became a part-time student to upgrade his skills, and joined the pressure group Hamilton Against Poverty (HAP), a group consisting of the social assistance recipients, the working poor and social agencies, that had been created in 1987.
Fields testified before a federal House of Commons
committee in 1992 as an HAP representative, speaking in opposition to a proposed child benefits bill introduced by the government of Brian Mulroney
. His position was that the bill did nothing to benefit single mothers and low-income women, and should be rewritten. He and the HAP were also involved in lobbying about issues of homelessness.
Fields was arrested in 1995 following a demonstration by McMaster University
students against government cutbacks to education The following year, he spoke out in opposition to the provincial government's workfare
policies, stating that ""We must fight (workfare) with dignity, pride and fearlessness."
He was charged with trespassing in 1999, after a peaceful demonstration protesting a display of fighter aircraft and what he and other protesters described as the militarism of an airshow at Hamilton International John C. Munro Airport. He pleaded not guilty. The following year, he was charged with failing to leave a premise after joining other protesters in occupying the office of Progressive Conservative
Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Brad Clark
to oppose the policies of Clark's government.
when he campaigned in Hamilton West for the CPC-ML. He also campaigned for municipal and provincial office in the late 1990s, making a bid for Mayor of Hamilton in 1997. He campaigned more local involvement in government, including people's councils, and a constituent assembly to develop appropriate government structure for the city. He also argued that the economic decisions must be made to benefit citizens rather than corporate interests. He also suggested the creation of neighbourhood groups to make surprise inspections of polluting industries. In 1999, he stood as an independent candidate for the provincial government in the riding of Hamilton West.
Fields campaigned for the Canadian House of Commons a second time in the 2000 federal election
for the Marxist-Leninist party. He received 61 votes. In the 2011 federal election, he also ran for the MLPC
in the riding of Hamilton East-Stoney Creek and received 95 votes.
He remains active in the Hamilton activist community as of 2005
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, 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....
, Canada
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...
. He was director of Hamilton Against Poverty, and has twice campaigned for the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
as a candidate of the Communist Party of Canada - Marxist-Leninist (CPC-ML)
Activist
In 1984, Fields, while demonstrating in sympathy with a trust company workers' strike in Waterloo, was charged with assaulting three police officers. He counter-charged that two officers had assaulted him. The counter-charges led to a trial, and Fields (who was not one of the strikers) was asked in court to explain why he was on the picket line. He repeatedly refused to answer whether he was a Marxist-Leninist, and was sentenced to thirty days in jail for contempt of court. The Canadian People's Defence Committee described him as a political prisonerPolitical prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
and retained a lawyer to represent him. Available media reports do not indicate if the appeal was successful. or if either assault charge resulted in a conviction.
Fields has worked as a dishwasher, busboy and labourer, and was laid off from his job as a plastics molder in about 1990. He subsequently moved from Cambridge
Cambridge, Ontario
Cambridge is a city located in Southern Ontario at the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is an amalgamation of the City of Galt, the towns of Preston and Hespeler, and the hamlet of Blair.Galt covers the largest portion of...
, Ontario to Hamilton. He became a part-time student to upgrade his skills, and joined the pressure group Hamilton Against Poverty (HAP), a group consisting of the social assistance recipients, the working poor and social agencies, that had been created in 1987.
Fields testified before a federal House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
committee in 1992 as an HAP representative, speaking in opposition to a proposed child benefits bill introduced by the government of Brian Mulroney
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
. His position was that the bill did nothing to benefit single mothers and low-income women, and should be rewritten. He and the HAP were also involved in lobbying about issues of homelessness.
Fields was arrested in 1995 following a demonstration by McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
students against government cutbacks to education The following year, he spoke out in opposition to the provincial government's workfare
Workfare
Workfare is an alternative model to conventional social welfare systems. The term was first introduced by civil rights leader James Charles Evers in 1968; however, it was popularized by Richard Nixon in a televised speech August 1969...
policies, stating that ""We must fight (workfare) with dignity, pride and fearlessness."
He was charged with trespassing in 1999, after a peaceful demonstration protesting a display of fighter aircraft and what he and other protesters described as the militarism of an airshow at Hamilton International John C. Munro Airport. He pleaded not guilty. The following year, he was charged with failing to leave a premise after joining other protesters in occupying the office of Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Brad Clark
Brad Clark
Brad Clark is a Canadian politician in Ontario, Canada. He is currently the councillor in Ward nine in Hamilton, Ontario...
to oppose the policies of Clark's government.
Candidate for office
Fields ran for public office until the 1997 federal electionCanadian federal election, 1997
The Canadian federal election of 1997 was held on June 2, 1997, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 36th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberal Party of Canada won a second majority government...
when he campaigned in Hamilton West for the CPC-ML. He also campaigned for municipal and provincial office in the late 1990s, making a bid for Mayor of Hamilton in 1997. He campaigned more local involvement in government, including people's councils, and a constituent assembly to develop appropriate government structure for the city. He also argued that the economic decisions must be made to benefit citizens rather than corporate interests. He also suggested the creation of neighbourhood groups to make surprise inspections of polluting industries. In 1999, he stood as an independent candidate for the provincial government in the riding of Hamilton West.
Fields campaigned for the Canadian House of Commons a second time in the 2000 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2000
The 2000 Canadian federal election was held on November 27, 2000, to elect 301 Members of Parliament of the Canadian House of Commons of the 37th Parliament of Canada....
for the Marxist-Leninist party. He received 61 votes. In the 2011 federal election, he also ran for the MLPC
Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist)
The Communist Party of Canada is a Canadian federal Marxist–Leninist political party.The party is registered with Elections Canada as the Marxist–Leninist Party of Canada...
in the riding of Hamilton East-Stoney Creek and received 95 votes.
He remains active in the Hamilton activist community as of 2005