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Canadian Politics
How to handle U.S. threats to Canadian trade
Official Ottawa needs to recognize that Canada is better off working with other countries to build a reasonable multilateral trading world rather than depending on the goodwill of a Donald Trump to re-negotiate NAFTA, or betting that he will not be re-elected. It is past time for Canada to return to active support for improved multilateral trade arrangements instead of the Harper/Trudeau policy of pursuing bilateral or regional agreements.
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Indigenous Politics
Thrashing Colonialism: Skateboarding, History, and the Power of Education
In 2015, Micheal Langan created Colonialism Skateboards, an independent company that makes skateboard decks with Indigenous content, to highlight Indigenous people’s perspectives, history, and culture. He has released nine graphics to date, covering a range of issues from the history of the pass system to residential schooling. I recently had the chance to meet Micheal in Regina to talk about skateboarding, history, and the power of education.
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Social Movements
Why is the Manitoba Left Struggling?
Decades of neoliberalism have helped create a culture in the prairies and other parts of Canada where unions place the bulk of their “political action” on parliamentary and electoral politics. Conversations with elected union leaders in Manitoba confirmed this. One elected union leader said a core means to get rid of the Tories is “being active and being engaged and involved in the Party. Volunteering and working for them and encouraging others to do the same.”
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Canadian Politics
The State of Manitoba’s Activist Left
The Manitoba Progressive Conservatives under premier Brian Pallister have been implementing harsh austerity since their 2016 landslide victory, imposing emergency room and clinic closures, wage freezes, significant budget cuts, job cuts, harsh anti-labour legislation and more. Yet responses from the left have been largely muted and ineffective. Anyone who would suggest otherwise is lying to themselves.
