After more than a decade of right-wing rule by the strongly US-backed National Party, which retained power through a series of elections riddled with fraud, Xiomara Castro’s victory represents a new and hopeful chapter in the history of a country marred by imperialistic interference from the United States and its allies—namely Canada.

What is the experience and future for China and its Communist Party rule? It seems appropriate to consider a number of new books on China that have been published that try to answer this question. In this review, Michael Roberts takes a closer look at Isabella Weber’s How China Escaped Shock Therapy, John Ross’s China’s Great Road, and China’s Engine of Environmental Collapse by System Change Not Climate Change co-founder Richard Smith.

We traveled to Wet’suwet’en territory to learn about the Unist’ot’en Healing Centre. The centre is located in the northwestern part of British Columbia on the territory of the Unist’ot’en—one of five house clans comprising the Wetsuwet’en Nation. It is a remote and rural area and most people living in southern urban communities are unaware of the remarkable activity taking place there to “heal the land and heal the people.”

Renowned linguist, author and dissident Noam Chomsky last week condemned the Biden administration’s aggressive anti-China foreign policy, while dismissing the imperialist notion that Beijing poses a threat to the United States and urging a departure from the “provocation” that for decades has characterized the US stance toward the rising economic and military superpower.

Canada, like most of the Western (wealthy) world, is a self-styled “liberal democracy,” broadly considered the gold standard in global development. Liberal democracies are founded on a commitment to universal human rights and freedoms, values codified in international law. But in the last week in Canada, we have seen these liberal values rocked to their core.

Arms manufacturers and militaries utilize propaganda to hype Chinese military power to rationalize expenditures on weapons of war. This gobbles up public resources required for a just transition away from fossil fuels. Whatever lies and exaggerations the militarists may pedal, it’s the Western-led military–industrial complex we should be most worried about—and the environmental movement needs to confront this reality head-on.

The MUD (Democratic Unity Roundtable) enjoys the political, financial and logistical support of the United States and the EU, while members of other opposition parties have been denounced and sanctioned by the US for negotiating with the Maduro administration. These elections should put the Biden administration on notice that continuing to support the MUD, and the fiction of Guaidó as “interim president,” is a failed policy.

While those who hold political power drag their feet when dealing with the causes and impacts of climate change, it is instructive to consider the circumstances in which they demonstrate that they are perfectly capable of taking swift and decisive action. Indeed, when it comes to protecting fossil fuel interests, supporting corporate profits, crushing Indigenous resistance, their alacrity was fully on display in BC.

The Dead Candidate’s Report: A Memoir tells the story of celebrated journalist Lesley Hughes, who decided she wanted to be a member of Canada’s Parliament, only to have her candidacy cancelled by her leader without notice, as she was preparing to launch her campaign. In fact, her political obituary was written and distributed to the news media even before the candidate herself was informed.

Along with many other progressive forces in the settler community, Canadian Dimension stands in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en and their struggle to exercise their sovereignty and protect their land. We are appalled at the never-ending injustice and violence visited upon Indigenous communities in Canada and committed to amplifying their voices and supporting their demands.