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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.
British Columbia’s decriminalization of the possession of small amounts of hard drugs is a good first step in our fight against the opioid crisis. But it does not go far enough — we need universal decriminalization, high possession thresholds, and safe supply.
Conspiracy theories are way more exciting than political economy, and Canada’s Pierre Poilievre is exploiting the thrill of paranoia for political gain. The Left must counter these impulses with analyses of worker exploitation — and a program for change.
Two of Canada’s behemoth telecoms are planning a merger. Yet Canadians already pay some of the highest prices in the world for broadband and wireless service. A ready-made solution exists in one of the country’s provinces: a state-owned service provider.
In Canada, the Left is still searching for the wins it needs and is exasperated with the New Democratic Party. However justified these frustrations may be, abandoning the ballot would be a disaster. Electoral politics are a vital part of class struggle.
Fearing the Left will sweep up the youth vote, conservatives have long opposed lowering the voting age — the worst possible rationale for refusing to expand the franchise.
Justin Trudeau has built a bank dedicated to using public-private partnerships to fix Canada’s crumbling infrastructure — partnerships that burden taxpayers with extortionate interest rates that benefit wealthy members of the rentier class.
The discontent that fomented the Freedom Convoy was caused by problems around wages, housing, and health care — problems for which the Left has long had solutions. The Canadian left needs to step up and take these issues back from reactionary populists.
In spite of some concessions wrangled by the NDP, Canada’s new budget reveals Trudeau’s Liberals are returning to free-market orthodoxy. The lessons of the pandemic have apparently taught the party nothing.
Justin Trudeau’s Liberals have chosen a worst-of-all-worlds approach to Canada’s fighter jet procurement process. Their decisions have wasted time and money, taken for granted the need for defense spending, and resulted in campaign promise reversals.
A deal struck between Canada’s New Democratic Party and Justin Trudeau’s Liberals may pave the road for free prescription drugs for Canadians. But the plan is up against powerful enemies in Big Pharma and insurance.
Canada’s New Democratic Party has introduced a new bill to decriminalize drug possession and improve harm-reduction measures. Passing it would need the support of the Liberals, who have thus far proved unwilling to fight for reform.
In the US and Canada, the policy measures taken to battle inflation will set the tone for post-pandemic politics. It is of utmost importance that combating inflation does not become an excuse for wage cuts and fiscal austerity.
Last month the Royal Canadian Mounted Police raided and dismantled a blockade of a pipeline on indigenous land — one of many clashes between federal police and First Nations land defenders and their supporters throughout Canada’s history.
From Otto von Bismarck to Joe Biden, capitalist politicians have tried to cure the system’s ills without transforming society. But it takes socialists to really change the world for the better.
As Canada’s NDP marks its sixtieth anniversary, we talk to two of the party’s MPs about its past, present, and future prospects.