For decades now the Canadian telecommunications industry has been an oligopoly of “the big three,” Rogers, Telus, and Bell. These three companies each have over ten million subscribers and own essentially all of the infrastructure in the country. The next largest competitor, Shaw, has less than two million subscribers. But recently, Rogers announced that it […]
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This weekend the federal New Democratic Party is holding its national convention. The Liberal government has signalled its intention to call a general election sometime this year, so this convention will say a lot about how the NDP plans to present itself to voters in the campaign. The party leadership would like to focus on […]
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Members of Unite Here Local 40 have won an important victory. Over 500 laid-off workers at the Hyatt, Pinnacle, and Westin hotels have finally secured the “right to recall,” that is, to be rehired at their previous pay rate with the same accrued benefits. The workers’ contracts previously guaranteed temporarily laid-off employees their jobs back […]
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The Canadian economy is in a deep recession, but the stock market and housing prices are soaring. How is this possible? Millions of Canadians lost their jobs in the spring, and the drop in GDP was worse than the 2008/09 economic crisis. Yet somehow housing prices across the country are way up, completely contradicting common […]
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On June 22 2020, after a gruelling 6 month lockout, members of Unifor Local 594 who operate the Co-operative Refinery Complex in Regina reached a settlement with their employer, Consumer Co-op Refineries Limited (CCRL). The lockout was an often bitter and at times hostile dispute involving 730 workers. The settlement that was approved by 89% […]
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During the month of March, the whole world was scrambling to wrap their heads around the scale and impact of the COVID-19 crisis. As the coronavirus was scything its way through Asia and Europe, each successive government seemed to be competing to see who was going to bungle its pandemic response more. Meanwhile a different […]
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Relatively speaking, I have it pretty easy during this pandemic. I am working from home on my laptop, still getting paid, still able to pay rent. Self isolation has thus far been pretty easy, as I rarely need to leave the house. Of course, mental health demands that I do go outside from time to […]
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The COVID-19 pandemic is exposing all the more clearly the fundamental failings of the capitalist economic system that we live under. Even before the pandemic, capitalist states have allowed for growing inequality, mass poverty, environmental destruction, and oppression of poor and working-class people both at home and even more so in places subject to colonialism […]
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