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What Democracy Looks Like: Reflections on Trauma, Protest, and Quebec City, 2001
GlobalizationI left Quebec City with the knowledge of how far my government would go tosilence us. And I am a coward. So I have never participated in another protest since that weekend in April 2001. I lost my faith in elected governments. I lost my faith in direct action. I lost my faith, in some ways, in social change. Maybe I just grew up. I try to keep fighting, but Quebec City changed me forever. It turns out that was what democracy looks like.
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The Persecution of Julian Assange and its Implications for Canadian Press Freedom
Human RightsThe case to extradite Julian Assange to the United States seems to have little to do with Canadians at first glance, however, the truth is that this unprecedented challenge to press and democratic freedom concerns all of us. If publishers can be prosecuted for publishing verified information, then the ability to accurately report on national security, foreign policy and war with a critical lens will be effectively prohibited.
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Anti-Globalization and its Discontents
GlobalizationUnless the socialist Left throws itself wholeheartedly into its activities and debates, it will not receive a hearing during this or probably any future wave of radicalization. Ahead of us all is the unmet challenge – the construction of a new International of Hope, which fires the imagination and mobilizes the energies of millions of people in the struggle against capitalist barbarism and for socialism.
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Protesting the Israel Defense Forces is not anti-Semitic
Social MovementsObjective journalism and principled politics require that we hear from both sides—as well as impartial witnesses—before drawing conclusions. So long as all criticisms of the Israeli state are immediately and uncritically branded as anti-Semitic, Palestinian voices will be silenced and barred from public discourse, and coverage of the issue will remain one-sided and unhelpful.
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From anti to alter-globalization
GlobalizationAlthough the historic alterglobalization moment has now passed, its ideas and achievements continue to inspire and we can detect its legacy in new forms of resistance and networking, such as the Great Transition conference and the World Social Forum on Transformative Economics, among many other events and developments. It is still too early, however, to hail the rise of an Alterglobalization 2.0.
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How the Trudeau government white-washes Saudi crimes
Canadian PoliticsAn operation in Saudi Arabia’s eastern province—which killed more than two dozen civilians and razed an historic neighbourhood—had involved Canadian military combat vehicles. But the Liberal government didn’t seize the chance to collect evidence and make it the basis for a re-evaluation of their exports. They undertook a breath-taking exercise in white-washing.
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Twenty Years After Seattle: Dispensing with Myths
GlobalizationOver the last two decades, counterproductive myths have developed around the Battle of Seattle. Now is a good time to dispense with them. One way to do this is to revisit the history from the perspective of those who were involved in organizing the mass direct action. I was one among them – at that time, a 22 year-old activist living in Olympia, Washington. Along with dozens of others, I helped found the Direct Action Network (DAN) and spent months organizing for the protests.
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Why the ‘Ok Boomer’ phenomenon is short-sighted
Economic CrisisThe “Ok Boomer” meme, which many young people are using online as a rebuttal against out-of-touch baby boomers, taps into frustrations disproportionately experienced by millennials and Generation Zers—particularly in Canada’s most unaffordable cities. Unfortunately, however, the meme also represents a discourse that ignores the many older people experiencing poverty, discrimination and hardship.
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The NDP is complicit in imperialist violence in Bolivia
Canadian PoliticsThe NDP, Canada’s supposedly leftist party of labour and solidarity, cannot bring itself to issue a statement condemning the coup. Over the last four days, in spite of consistent demands from NDP membership and allies, the party has refused to even acknowledge that a coup has taken place, let alone issue a strong statement to draw the public’s attention to it.
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Canada is long overdue for universal dental care
Canadian PoliticsMany Canadians view the perfect smile as a sign of status rather than an indicator of one’s health, as the provision of dental care is based on one’s ability to pay rather than their need. In fact, six million Canadians avoid the dentist each year due to financial constraints and, as a result, many live with treatable chronic pain and a lower quality of life. There is a solution to this problem: a universal dental care plan.
