This and that for your Tuesday reading. – John Paul Tasker reports on Dr. Theresa Tam’s warning that cases of the Omicron COVID variant are set to escalate rapidly. Blake Murdoch and Christopher McCabe discuss why waiting for full confirmation of Omicron’s dangers before responding will result in action being
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Northern Currents : New Brunswick workers could have a 4-day workweek by 2028
Mackenzie Thomason, leader of the NBNDP, recently announced new policy goals that will improve the lives of working-class people. This is a dual-pronged approach; the goal is to provide a four day work week for workers, with little or no loss in pay.
Continue readingNorthern Currents : While the state arrests land defenders and the press, a new report highlights government apathy toward climate change
An all-to-familiar juxtaposition has arisen with the recent arrests of Indigenous land defenders and journalists by the RCMP. On the one hand, we have politicians like Justin Trudeau and John Horgan insisting on the importance of climate change and that we must act now. On the other, these same politicians
Continue readingNorthern Currents : Reconciliation is a sham to our political leaders
Our political leaders have a deficient understanding of reconciliation. What they want to reconcile are the contradictory interests between Capital and Indigenous self-determination. Ultimately, our political leaders, embodied by the Canadian state, side with Capital. There is a much more radical, transformative understanding of reconciliation available.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On priorities
While I’ve pointed out the absurdity of yet another round of anti-coalition scaremongering, it does seem clear that any discussion between the NDP and the Libs will instead involve a confidence and supply arrangement. And that may well be for the best, as it maximizes the policy outcomes the NDP
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: This is why we can’t have even minimally acceptable things
Here we go again. And somehow, the latest round of hysteria includes the Cons learning nothing from the failure of their attacks on coalitions or other forms of inter-party cooperation in the past, while the defence of a principle which has always enjoyed strong public support is getting weaker with
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Sarath Peiris discusses how Saskatchewan shouldn’t be anything but embarrassed by Scott Moe’s utter failure to look out for public health in the midst of a pandemic. And Theresa Kliem interviews Steven Lewis about the dire projections – even before the province made
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Hannah Devlin asks why the UK is accepting a thousand lives a week as the price of incompetence in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. – Meanwhile, Marlene Leung reports on new research showing that surface contact on high-contact areas of grocery stores
Continue readingNorthern Currents : Will elections ever save us? No, but a strong Labour movement will.
Giving Labour more power within the capitalist system should be seen as a win for the Left, especially after decades of neo-liberal decay. If we are to progress as a society, building worker’s power within a strong intersectional, labour, and Indigenous coalition would be a great starting point. Change only
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: #Elxn44 Roundup
News and notes from Canada’s federal election campaign. – Dru Oja Jay discusses how activist movements can maximize their impact in a second consecutive minority Parliament by demanding meaningful and lasting change as the price for NDP support. – Andrew Jackson notes that timidity in presenting a sharp progressive contrast
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Katherine Wu, Ed Yong and Sarah Zhang set out six rules which will shape how we handle the next wave of COVID – including recognition that vaccination alone isn’t going to be sufficient to avoid a tragic human toll. – Yasmine Ghania reports
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On echoes
Plenty of commentators have pointed out the symmetry between this year’s election and that of 2008 in terms of low voter turnout and general dissatisfaction with the outcome on the part of all parties. But it’s worth noting the similarities between the two campaigns and their aftermath on the part
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Assorted reactions to a federal election which changed so little. – The Canadian Labour Congress points out that we can’t afford to be stuck with the status quo when there’s an opportunity for parties to chart a more equitable and sustainable course for Canada. And Aaron Wherry wonders how the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: #Elxn44 E-Day Links
News and notes as Canada’s federal election draws to a close. – David Moscrop discusses how a campaign nobody wanted is leaning toward grudging continuation of the status quo which the Libs tried to discard. And Ryan Maloney reports on the technical problems arising largely out of a snap pandemic
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The latest from Canada’s federal election campaign. – Victoria Nicolau reports on the Native Women’s Association of Canada’s campaign scorecard, showing the NDP well ahead of other parties in addressing the issues facing Indigenous women. And Omayra Issa and Theresa Kliem talk to young Indigenous people in Saskatchewan about what
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News and notes from Canada’s federal election campaign. – Cam Fenton discusses how “strategic” votes for the Libs in the name of climate change figure to be anything but, while David Gray-Donald bluntly describes the Libs’ offering as “denialist trash”. Maya Menezes examines what we should be looking for in
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The latest from Canada’s federal election campaign. – D.T. Cochrane reviews the parties’ platforms and finds the NDP’s to be both the most progressive and the most fiscally responsible. And Martin Lukacs and Ben Cuthbert examine the voting records of the Libs and the Cons – finding a regular pattern
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News and notes from Canada’s federal election campaign. – Alex Hemingway writes about the need to tax the rich far beyond even the “unlimited zeal” reflected in the NDP’s modest plans to secure additional revenue. And David Moscrop makes the case for far more discussion of systemic change in who owns and makes decisions
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The latest from Canada’s federal election campaign. – Christo Aivalis discusses Jagmeet Singh’s much-needed willingness to take on the power of the rich to fight for a country that works for everybody. And Shelly Hagan writes about the resulting possibility of greater social contributions being required of those who can
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: #Elxn44 Roundup
News and notes from Canada’s election campaign. – Mohy-Dean Tabbara and Garima Talwar Kapoor examine what the parties are offering to combat poverty, while noting the need for more ambition in the effort. – Alex Hemingway points out that while the NDP’s platform offers a start, there’s plenty of room
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