Around the world countries are lifting the restrictions that were introduced to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. People are allowed to leave their homes, and workplaces, cafes and stores are re-opening. The sharp closures of society and economy were needed to reduce the level of infection and death from the virus, only because of the inadequate […]
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Canada is opening up after varying degrees of restrictions due to COVID-19. Retail stores, cafes, bars and restaurants, hairdressers and many workplaces are restarting operations. Of course, many businesses and workplaces deemed essential (some rather dubiously, like building luxury condos or pipelines) never closed. Schools in most provinces are closed, apart from provision for some […]
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Locusts and Fires Raging fires in Australia and a plague of locusts in east Africa dominated global news at the start of 2020. These rapidly receded in consciousness as the COVID-19 pandemic erupted onto the world, already made dangerously vulnerable by capitalism. The climate devastation was mounting around the world. The world’s economy was […]
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On April 3, the Canadian government awarded Amazon the contract to distribute personal protective equipment and supplies during the COVID-19 disaster.A couple of days earlier Amazon had fired a New York worker, Chris Smalls, for helping to organize a strike over the lack of safety provision in Amazon’s Staten Island warehouse. On April 14, Amazon […]
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On January 30, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that governments should be preparing immediately and taking precautions due to the virus. On February 24, the increasing number of cases outside China spurred the WHO to warn that the virus could become a global pandemic, and that all countries should prepare. On 27 February, the […]
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Apologists for capitalism claim that the system is doing the best it can faced with a new virus in today’s complex and interconnected world. These are, at best, only excuses that seek to hide the reality of global capitalism, which has turned a health emergency into a catastrophe. This article examines, in turn, these excuses: […]
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2019: A year of Disasters and Hope 2019 saw huge youth-led protests around the world as climate disasters mounted. In September over 7.5 million marched and protested in 4,500 places across 150 countries. As the disasters get worse, the protests will grow in 2020. Many young people are rightly fearful of a future on a […]
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Until recently, Justin Trudeau was the darling of liberals around the world. In the 2015 election he promised “sunny ways,” seeming to offer everything – electoral reform, tackling climate change, reducing inequality, respect for women, Indigenous rights and more. His Liberal party gained 150 seats and he became Canada’s Prime minister in October. In the […]
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The Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 was a crucial event in Canadian history. It is probably the closest the working class in Canada has come, so far, to taking power, albeit in one city. Although it is one hundred years ago, the lessons are rich for workers today and will be vital for future class […]
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We Need Jobs not Climate Disaster As the government owns the Trans Mountain pipeline to Vancouver it is no surprise the government has approved its construction. They are hardly neutral judges!! The pipeline will boost climate change by increasing the use of fossil fuels. This approval comes as eastern Canada is still recovering from devastating […]
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