Poilievre’s announcement to run as Prime Minister touches on working-class issues, with a mood of plausible, genuine sincerity. He even mentions the working class by name. Of course, Poilievre doesn’t care about the working class at all. His solution to alleviating poverty in Canada is to put the social welfare
Continue readingTag: workers’ rights
Northern Currents –: The truckers convoy promotes social harm, not “mandating freedom.”
The organizers of the covid convoy have been demanding they speak to the manager of Canada. While they claim to fight for freedom and “vaccine choice,” this couldn’t be further from the truth. What all the elements within the spectrum of supporters of the convoy have in common is the
Continue readingNorthern Currents –: Where is the convoy to support workers in the trucking industry?
Wage theft is a major problem for workers in the trucking industry, yet the organizers of the so-called Truckers for Freedom Convoy are completely silent about this. How can the organizers and supporters of the convoy claim to support truckers, when they simply used them as a spectacle to draw
Continue readingNorthern Currents –: Top Banking CEO blames workers’ wages for causing inflation
In the end, workers are attacked on two fronts via inflation rhetoric. First, by banking CEO’s who claim workers make too much money, and second, by the Conservatives who claim that they received too much government support during the pandemic.
Continue readingNorthern Currents –: BC government cut health coverage to migrants twice during the pandemic
BC excludes some workers, students, and newcomers to the province from receiving healthcare benefits. This forces people to pay for their own healthcare out of their own pocket. During the pandemic, temporary policies were introduced to cover these groups of people, but were eventually revoked. If Canada’s public healthcare system
Continue readingNorthern Currents –: Abolish public transit fares – for social justice and climate change
Public transit is much more than getting from point A to point B. It is implicitly linked to broader societal issues like climate change and social justice. Eliminating user fares would be a great first step in the right direction.
Continue readingNorthern Currents –: Don’t just blame the anti-vaxxers, blame our political elites too
Justin Trudeau has chosen to place all of the blame on the unvaccinated for the current spike in cases and hospitalizations. The problem is, this is only a half-truth. It is political scapegoating. The other half of the problem is Trudeau himself – and the rest of Canada’s political elites
Continue readingNorthern Currents –: Businesses received $26 billion more in pandemic relief money than individuals
The influence of the private sector paid off for business owners, as they received more pandemic relief money collectively than individuals did. Justin Trudeau’s federal government came out with a slew of programs to help those in Canada, but many of these predominantly favoured employers. According to a new CCPA
Continue readingNorthern Currents –: How capitalism made the pandemic worse, every step of the way
The internal logic of capitalism has tainted our government’s response to the pandemic. Corporate profits were preserved, while the interests of the working class were disregarded. Pandemic austerity and vaccine nationalism were the primary themes of government responses, and have grave consequences for the working class and health of humanity.
Continue readingNorthern Currents –: MP Leah Gazan introduces UBI bill to House of Commons
While not a solution to all of the problems of Canadian political economy, a truly universal UBI program does have potential to increase the quality of life for many of the working class. On December 16, NDP MP Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre) introduced a bill to the house of commons
Continue readingNorthern Currents –: Omicron is here, and Canada needs to revamp its rapid testing strategy now
Thus far, it is fair to say that Canada’s strategy around rapid testing has been focused on preserving capitalist interests, while workers’ interests have been cast aside. While Canada is confronted with a looming Omicron wave, rapid tests could play a crucial role in public health, if Canadian governments would
Continue readingNorthern 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 : 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 readingNorthern Currents –: Why the Liberal Party is Losing the Youth Vote
Many of us voted for Trudeau, giving him a majority government for four years. But since his 2015 legalization promise, Justin Trudeau has done little to help the generation that got him elected. He is losing the youth vote. The post Why the Liberal Party is Losing the Youth Vote
Continue readingNorthern Currents: Freedom stops when work starts
Share this article: Dmitri Sotnikov Dmitri Sotnikov is a software developer with an interest in progressive politics. Dmitri believes that we must strive for a world with justice and equality for all. Find Dmitiri on Twitter Freedom can be seen as the measure of personal agency an individual enjoys within
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: The Rob Douglas Candidacy Is Good News For the Cowichan Valley
Friends, My name is Caelen Cook. I am the Youth Representative for the Cowichan Valley BC NDP. Most of you don’t know me, because I haven’t been a New Democrat my whole life, Read more… The post The Rob Douglas Candidacy Is Good News For the Cowichan Valley first appeared
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: On Free Trade
Even among left wing parties and progressive politicians trade is worshipped as the saviour of the world, but perhaps we should ask ourselves Is Trade Evil ? After we do that we can consider the question of free trade and free trade agreements. We need to seriously look at the
Continue readingAlberta Politics: The politics of harassment-free workplaces – UCP House Leader Jason Nixon walks right into a trap of his own creation
PHOTOS: A steely-eyed Alberta Premier Rachel Notley meets the media in the Alberta Legislature yesterday in this screenshot of a Government of Alberta video. Below: United Conservative Party House Leader Jason Nixon and UCP Leader Jason Kenney, the subjects of her ire. Mr. Kenney faces the voters in a by-election
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Labour Day – What We Fought For
Filed under: Culture, Economy Tagged: Labour Day, Workers’ Rights
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Finally, early in the 21st Century, NDP braves Opposition outrage to drag Alberta labour law into the late 20th Century
PHOTOS: Alberta Labour Minister Christina Gray. Below: Opposition MLAs Greg Clark and Richard Starke, who contributed amends to the act passed in the wee hours of yesterday morning. In the wee hours of yesterday morning, the NDP MLAs in the Alberta Legislature dragged the province’s labour laws into the late
Continue reading