Old wine in old bottles

One can hardly call the Cabinet shuffle involving the departure of Bill Morneau and the promotion of Chrystia Freeland as heralding out with the old and in with the new. Despite alleged policy differences (Trudeau supposedly is a more profligate spender of government money than Morneau), it was more a question of Tweedledum and Tweedledee. […]

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Hungry for a Fight

Workers across the province are facing an uncertain future. Many of us were temporarily laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and under the current Employment Standards Act those layoffs will become permanent and accrued benefits lost unless we are among those “lucky” enough to be called back before 6 months has elapsed. Although some […]

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Gustafsen Lake Stand-Off: 25 years

August 18, 2020 marks 25 years since the beginning of the largest paramilitary operation in Canadian history. Between August 18 and September 17, 1995, 400 heavily armed RCMP officers, 5 helicopters, 2 surveillance planes and 9 military-loaned Armoured Personnel Carriers were launched into unceded Secwepemc territory. This incident is commonly known as the Gustafsen Lake […]

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Jobs AND Environment Program

World Depression Canada and the world are in the worst economic depression in at least 90 years. At the start of 2020, the world was on the edge of a deep recession – COVID-19 plunged the economy over a precipice. Canada is facing years of high unemployment and extremely low growth. Weak domestic and foreign […]

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Opioid Pandemic

We are currently living through a pandemic, but it is pivotal to recognize that COVID-19 is not the only health crisis in Canada. According to the federal government, 12 people die from an opioid overdose every day in the country. Simply put, opioids include an umbrella of medications used to relieve pain. Why are opioids […]

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Regina Co-op Lockout of Workers

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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Class War in Alberta

Alberta’s Bill 32: Unprecedented escalation of Kenney’s war on workers There’s a good general rule for whether a piece of legislation will help or harm working people. If the business community says that it will lead to an economic Armageddon, workers probably stand to benefit (at the expense of their profits). But if the bosses […]

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The Whole System is Rotten

As COVID-19 engulfed the Earth, most governments failed to protect society. A rare few acted quickly and decisively to test, trace, isolate and provide personal protective equipment (PPE), managing without lockdowns and widespread closures to contain the virus. Many, such as Canada, acted too little and too late. Others, such as the US, Brazil, India, […]

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