Carney has made it clearer than ever that he will be a conservative prime minister, governing on behalf of the rich and powerful to maintain their grip on Canadian society. Many thousands of progressive voters were clearly misled into thinking otherwise. This underscores that even as Poilievre lost the election, he won the ideological debate within the Liberal Party.

Though much of the party’s focus will now necessarily shift towards the selection of a compelling leader, that leader will also need a more vibrant and shared raison d’etre with which to galvanize voters. As the NDP goes back to the proverbial drawing board it seems appropriate that they examine that second word in their own name: democratic.

In our fast-paced, consumer culture, it may seem like ordering lunch and dinner several times a week, paying a premium for a personal grocery shopper, or having a meal-prep kit delivered to our doors is a savvy, efficient way to make room for tasks deemed more important. But whom do these more important tasks benefit?

The empty economic calories provided by business subsidies have a long history in Canada, but their magnitude has increased dramatically in the past decade of Liberal rule. While the Harper government doled out $14 billion in subsidies to business during its last year in office, such subsidies more than doubled during the ensuing nine years of Liberal rule to $33 billion by 2023-20.

It is imperative for socialists to ally with Indigenous peoples and oppose Albertan independence, as separation would constitute an enormous setback for Indigenous rights in the region. Even as Canada continues to renege on its historic and contemporary promises to Indigenous peoples, an ultraconservative independent Alberta would certainly be far worse.

The fact that the Russian state has instrumentalized Victory Day for its own political purposes, including justifying the war in Ukraine, begs an important question—why does this seem to be working? If the parallels the Kremlin draws between the Great Patriotic War and current events prove convincing to people, there must be a reason.

It is clear that supply and demand curves are not sufficient for understanding the housing crisis. We can build all we want, but if we are building houses as financial assets prices are going to stay high. The act of building matters a lot less than the decisions we make about what to build, who to build for, and most importantly, who will own our homes.

Canadian conservatism was at one time a nation-building ideology aimed at stability, order, and “good government.” This is why Conservative governments in Canada contributed to building public institutions, and economic policies which advanced Canadian interests ahead of neoliberal ideology. No hint of this communitarian ethic remains in Canadian conservatism today.

The Christian fascists and oligarchs gleefully handing Donald Trump his sharpie and executive orders are not making war on the deep state, the radical left or to protect us from “antisemites.” They are making war on verifiable fact, the rule of law and the transparency and accountability that is only possible with a free press, the right to dissent, and a separation of powers.

The BC NDP has fallen into familiar patterns with its willingness to use vulnerable populations as a political bargaining chip in hopes of appearing tough on certain issues. The government’s current approach not only harms community members affected by their policies, but also legitimizes the unfounded criticisms levied by the opposition.