Tim Heffernan and Martin LeBrun are Ontario and BC educators. They say that school days are the best days of our lives. This may be debatable at the best of times. But as the topic of this year’s return to school dominates media and family discussions, one thing is certain: everything is uncertain. With the […]
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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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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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Socialist Alternative has produced a summer special issue, #15, of our magazine, after a break due to COVID-19. We plan to return to normal production with an autumn issue out in September. The Whole System is Rotten Defund the Police – Re-Fund Social Services
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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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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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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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The German playwright, Bertolt Brecht wrote in the 1930s that it is easier to rob by setting up a bank than by holding up one. If Brecht were alive today, he might want to revise the statement by substituting pharmaceutical company for bank. Using a measure called Return on Invested Capital (ROIC), research shows that […]
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Karl Marx once said, “The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them.” While this may be a critique of liberal democracy, it can also apply to the state of temporary foreign workers in Canada who hope to live under better […]
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This article is based on interviews with current and former Amazon warehouse employees. 6:30 pm: time to wake up. You’re a little peeved because your housemates have been noisy since they got home from work a half-hour ago, even though you’ve asked them time and again to keep it down just for that little bit […]
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