It is a heavy responsibility that must be more equally shouldered by Canadians and Quebecers. Labour and activist groups from coast to coast should rally to support Indigenous land defenders. Because we share the Earth, we must also share in the struggles to defend it against the depredations of colonialism and capitalism.

The Pass System is an important documentary that is a must-watch for teachers, researchers, and activists of all kinds. In light of the Idle No More movement and ongoing pipeline protests, the film reminds us of the different ways in which the state, in the name of nation-building, tries to contain Indigenous resistance to facilitate capitalist accumulation by colonial dispossession.

A is for Activist is the most recent addition to the field of radical children’s literature, but it is by no means the first revolutionary children’s book. In fact, there is a long history of oppositional children’s storytelling, from socialist primers in the 1910s to the anti-authoritarian and contrarian sensibilities of stories from authors such as Dr. Seuss in the 1960s and 1970s.

Ryan McMahon’s path is an important one and, by sharing his experiences through his work, he is clearing the way for others interested in using humour to be heard and change the world with comedy. I recently had the chance to talk with the accomplished Anishinaabe comedian about the power of comedy and how it can be used to confront racism today.

Despite its many flaws, The Revenant provides a popular portrayal of the bloody birth of capitalism that can potentially spark critical conversations about the nature of capitalist accumulation by colonial dispossession in the past and present.

This list showcases elements of progressive popular culture from the past year that aim to change the world. There are a lot of great socialist, feminist, anti-racist, and decolonial works produced every year – but it is hard to keep track of them all.

Highway of Tears also calls on Canadians to demand a national inquiry and argues that Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples need to forge social movement alliances to effectively combat the root causes of the issue: poverty, racism, and gender discrimination. But time is of the essence. Justice delayed is justice denied.

Everybody wants the revolution, but nobody wants to do the dishes… or the laundry… or the grocery shopping… or take out the trash. Specifically, women disproportionally perform the majority of domestic labour in contemporary households. That is why Swedish feminist Maria Loohufvud invented the new game Komma Lika: to find a fun yet concrete way to demonstrate the persistent unequal division of domestic labour with the aim of changing it.

Pride is a must-watch film, for several reasons. Though it downplays the LGSM’s overtly socialist politics and rounds the rough edges of class struggle, Pride nevertheless illustrates the important possibilities forged through collective action and solidarity.

Most “Year in Review” lists of popular culture are pretty predictable. Such lists are jam-packed with consensus contenders for big industry awards such as the Oscars and Grammys and they tend to be reflections of what is “popular” as defined by sales.