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Canadian Politics
Is Justin Trudeau really a climate criminal?
The Liberals spent $4.5 billion on the Trans Mountain pipeline and related infrastructure. This important government intervention is designed to expand extraction of heavy carbon emitting tar sands oil. Overwhelmingly, scientists argue that these fossil fuels must stay in the ground if we are to avoid catastrophic climate disturbances. While some might consider it hyperbolic, the case for labeling Trudeau a climate criminal is overwhelming.
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Canadian Politics
On voting, roads, and prairie privilege
No one can say what it would take to shift the weight of government expenditure toward a future where, instead of pipelines and extractive industries, we fund education and child welfare for all Canadians and harness the economy to a climate change Marshall Plan, but we can be certain that tax cuts and less government will not get us there.
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Canadian Politics
Universal pharmacare is a progressive litmus test
In 2015, Canadians spent $28.5 billion on prescription drugs. Of this, $24.6 billion would likely be covered under a universal pharmacare plan. The Parliamentary Budget Officer, a provider of independent, non-partisan economic analysis, found that a universal program would cost $20.4 billion, meaning $4.2 billion in savings for Canadians. This answers the question: “How can we get more medication for less money?” The answer is collective bargaining and generic drugs.
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USA Politics
The 2019 National Convention of the Democratic Socialists of America
Over the past two years, DSA has doubled its membership from 25,000 to 40,000, and that expansion translated into an increase in the number of delegates to the convention, from 700 to 1,000. The election of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2018 and Rashida Tlaib in 2019, both members of the DSA, to the House of Representatives helped spur the organization’s growth. Many of the delegates were new members attending their first convention.
