On November 3, the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to condemn the US government’s economic, commercial, and financial blockade of Cuba. Of the 189 member states present at the vote, 185 called for the blockade’s immediate lifting, equal to 98 percent of the General Assembly. Two voted against the resolution: the United States and Israel.

Why is Canadian media using the passive voice to describe Shukhevych’s actions rather than calling them what they were: the genocidal actions of a Nazi collaborator who led fascist forces against ethnic minorities and partisan resistors? When presented as clearly as this, it is hard to imagine most Canadians would take issue with the vandalism or outright removal of these monuments.

While it is true that Lula chose to align himself with more centrist and pro-business elements during his election campaign⁠—his running mate and current Vice President-elect Geraldo Alckmin ran to the right of Lula in the 2006 presidential elections⁠—the fact that a demonized and imprisoned left-wing politician was able to hand a defeat to a well-backed right-wing incumbent is momentous indeed.

At this point, we should be accustomed to political leaders in Ottawa being alarmingly out of touch with the needs of ordinary Canadians. And yet, the federal government’s determination to purchase new warships for the Royal Canadian Navy in the face of spiralling cost overruns stands out as a particularly egregious example.

While the Trudeau government promised that its compensation plan would be a “historic” step forward in the relationship between Ottawa and Indigenous peoples, the rejection by the CHRT shows that Ottawa is not even willing to meet the responsibilities it imposes on itself. The dissonance between Ottawa’s rhetoric and its actions needs to be reconciled.

By intervening in the leadership election in favour of David Eby, and then refusing to reveal the names of the executives who voted to disqualify climate and social justice advocate Anjali Appadurai, the BC NDP has confirmed the criticism that it is an indolent party averse to truly democratic grassroots input.

Haiti doesn’t need any more intervention from Canada or other members of the “Core Group.” In every instance, these powers have done nothing but strip away the most basic social services in the country while empowering the repressive state forces that target social resistance to poverty and underdevelopment. What Haiti needs is respect for its sovereignty and the demands of its people.

This October, the United Nations Security Council is holding meetings to discuss the conflict in Western Sahara. Numerous African countries including South Sudan, Algeria, and Namibia have been vocal in their support for the implementation of a solution to the conflict, including through “a free and fair referendum,” but Western countries have mostly remained silent.

Thomas Sankara’s vision of an independent, socialist, pan-Africanist model of development⁠—one in which wealth produced in Africa remains in Africa to develop the majority of the population⁠—was not buried with him. As CD columnist Owen Schalk writes, he remains an inspiring symbol for people in Africa and beyond.

While claiming to support Zambia’s efforts to free itself of its debt burden, the Trudeau government has given its support to Canadian mining companies operating in Africa and has joined the long succession of Canadian prime ministers who support IMF reforms on the continent. The latest wave of neoliberal impositions will only serve to benefit foreign capital.