Cory Doctorow Wants You to Fight Big Tech
We talked to author and activist Cory Doctorow about his new book, Chokepoint Capitalism, copyright scams, surveillance capitalism, the lies of Big Tech, and the fight for the freedom to create.
115 Articles by: David Moscrop
David Moscrop is a writer and political commentator. He hosts the podcast Open to Debate and is the author of Too Dumb For Democracy? Why We Make Bad Political Decisions and How We Can Make Better Ones.
Canada’s Leftists to the NDP: “Turn Down the Suck, Turn Up the Good”
In the last few decades, Canada’s New Democratic Party has moved away from socialist politics and grassroots democracy. The party is now languishing. But turning back to its socialist roots could help revive the NDP.
Canadian Conservatives Are Leaning Into Their Own Brand of Identity Politics
The Canadian right has committed to its own brand of angry identity politics, pitting “regular” folks against the depredations of elites. The Left has to fight back with a class politics opposing economic exploitation — not its own version of tribalism.
Mass Surveillance Is Bad News for Privacy — and Democracy
Canada is reviewing its privacy legislation, and its facial recognition technologies are under scrutiny. It’s well past time to strictly regulate their usage by both public and private actors.
Canadian Elites Are Engineering a Recession to Discipline Workers
Economic orthodoxy blames inflation on everyone except corporations and their windfall profits. It’s time to think about responding to inflation and recessions with policies that make corporations pay, not average workers.
Canada’s NDP Should Return to Its Socialist Roots
Canada’s New Democratic Party, which was founded as a democratic socialist organization, is currently little more than the ruling Liberal Party’s “conscience.” It’s time the NDP changed course and finally recommitted itself to socialist politics.
Will Canada’s NDP Fight Right-Wing “Pro-Worker” Populism With Actual Class War?
Pierre Poilievre, the new leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, presents himself as a friend of the working class. Some New Democrats claim they’ll fight Poilievre’s rhetoric with class war, but is the party up for it?
Employers — Not Workers — Are to Blame for the Labor Crisis
Mainstream Canadian pundits claim the country is in the midst of a “labor crisis” in which workers just don’t want to work. This is absurd: workers need unions and decent wages, and right now many don’t have either.
Housing in Canada: Great for Capitalists, Wretched for People
Justin Trudeau’s recent housing initiative announcement was better than nothing but woefully inadequate to the scale of Canada’s housing crisis. We need social housing now.
“Quiet Quitting” Should Be Surprising to No One Except Bosses
Years of austerity, falling real wages, and the experience of the pandemic have workers rethinking their commitment to their jobs. Anyone surprised by this is rich and profoundly out of touch… or a boss.
Ontario’s Premier, Doug Ford, Wants to Privatize Canadian Health Care
The Right broke Ontario’s health care system. Now they can’t wait to replace it with a parallel, two-tiered system that benefits the rich.
Postal Banking Can Destroy Predatory Lending
The payday loan industry is thriving in Canada, and borrowers are paying the cost through extraordinary interest rates and fees. There is a simple solution: postal banking.
Yes, Providing Drug Users With Safe Drugs Will Fight the Opioid Crisis
Vancouver is the latest city to sign up for a Safe Supply program, which provides safe drugs to users. Pilot programs — and the failure of the war on drugs — show that this approach is the best way to combat the opioid crisis.
Conscientious Objector Ginger Goodwin Fought and Died for Fundamental Workers’ Rights
Labor activist Ginger Goodwin spent his life fighting for the rights of working people in British Columbia, and on this day in 1918, he was killed for it. His story is a reminder of the need for uncompromising socialist politics.
The Success of Pandemic Income Support Does Not Mean That Universal Basic Income Works
In Canada, the results of pandemic income support seem to confirm the claims of universal basic income advocates. But to make UBI work, we need to ensure it’s coupled with a massive expansion of welfare state policies.
No Wonder There’s an Air Travel Crisis. Airlines Have Been Screwing Workers for Years.
Air travel is a Kafkaesque nightmare right now. To solve this crisis and avoid future issues, airlines and the government should listen to workers and finally give them what they deserve: better pay and working conditions.
The Labor Movement Is Gaining Momentum on Both Sides of the US-Canada Border
Union organizing is gaining steam in both Canada and the US, and support for unions is the highest it’s been for decades. The labor movement should take advantage of this moment.
We Should Criticize Corporate Greed All the Time
It’s not just supply chain issues and energy costs that are making everyone’s lives miserable — it’s the fact that we live in a system that takes from the working majority in order to enrich the plutocratic few.
Justin Trudeau’s Promise of a Greener Future Is Crashing Against His Climate Inaction
Justin Trudeau’s Liberals have long promised aggressive action on climate change, but a recent report suggests that Canada is falling way short. The country needs a pro-worker, green transition now.
The Jaws of Private Equity Are Slavering for Canadian Health Service Businesses
International private equity has its eyes on Canadian medical services not covered by the country’s national health care program.