Federal Liberals give Anti-Union Company Big Contract

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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Canadian Government’s Belated Response To COVID-19

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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A homeless man sleeping rough in front of Toronto General Hospital

An Inner-City Doctor on the COVID-19 pandemic

As we enter the second month of the COVID-19 lockdown, I will share my thoughts, as an inner-city general practitioner in Toronto. Firstly, I do not consider myself as working on the frontlines. I have the good fortune of a well-paying job, a home that I partially own, adequate food on the table, am a […]

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Unemployed workers standing in line in front of Services Canada office

COVID-19: Resist attempts to divide workers

The right-wing Toronto Sun has never been afraid to foment division among workers, even when division didn’t exist. In the time of coronavirus, this hasn’t changed. Sun columnist Brian Lilley, on March 30 launched an attack on public sector workers in Service Canada offices. He wrote: “I know there are many good civil servants at […]

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Who is not Eligible for Emergency Relief?

Did you make less than $5,000 in 2019? Are you a student who was about to re-enter the workforce after finals? Have you lost most, but not all, of your freelance or gig work income? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, you are not eligible for the latest $2,000 a month […]

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Care Homes: “Efficiency” or Death

As COVID-19 spreads over Canada and the rest of the world, seniors are being especially hard hit.  In our country, the vulnerability of our elders seems especially evident if they are in some sort of care facility. Care home after care home is being locked down due to the virus, and the death toll in […]

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Weapons or Health?

With this global pandemic, with so many people’s lives being thrown into flux and uncertainty, it can be nice to remind ourselves of things that have stood fast and unchanging, the familiar things that remind us of our lives before the crisis.  Don’t worry. Canada’s government continues to buy weapons of war to kill people […]

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Death Trap at the Lynn Valley Care Centre

The Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver was the site of the first death in Canada attributed to COVID-19. As of April 6, there have been at least 15 deaths at the facility, along with 46 residents and 24 healthcare workers infected. The infection was brought into the care home by a staff member […]

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Workers Force Service Canada Offices Shut

“When I want to do good, I don’t; and when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway.” Romans 7:19, Living New Testament There aren’t many times you’ll see biblical quotations from Socialist Alternative, but, this fits, since it aptly describes some of the dilemmas and actions of Justin Trudeau and various others […]

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“We’re in this together,” but banks will get richer

In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, governments appear to be scrambling to come to Canadians’ rescue and to keep the economy from nose-diving into an abyss. But where are the billions of dollars in public funds that are being thrown at the COVID-19 crisis actually landing? Trudeau announced an aid package to help Canadians […]

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