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Upheaval in Bolivia: How is it affecting the Canadian political scene?
Canadian PoliticsOn November 11, 2019, following the violent, racist, US-led coup in Bolivia against Evo Morales — which was supported from the outset by the Canadian government — I posted an appeal on YouTube denouncing the green light given by Canada on October 29 to US President Donald Trump’s plan. Just a few hours after the coup was consummated, Justin Trudeau declared his support for it. What right does Canada have to elect the government of Bolivia, or to intervene in that country’s internal affairs?
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Sun never sets on Canadian military
Canadian PoliticsMost Canadians would be surprised to learn that the sun never sets on the military their taxes pay for. The scope of the military’s international footprint is hard to square with the idea of a force defending Canada. That’s why military types promote the importance of “forward defence”. The government’s 2017 “Strong, Secure, Engaged: Canada’s Defence Policy” claims Canada has to “actively address threats abroad for stability at home” and that “defending Canada and Canadian interests… requires active engagement abroad.”
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Manitoba’s NDP and unions are helping advance a police state
Canadian PoliticsHaving been in government for the majority of the last two decades, the NDP is largely responsible for Manitoba’s outsized carceral system, with the province home to the highest per-capita rate of prisoners in the country (roughly 70 percent of adults in custody are Indigenous). While in power, the NDP introduced a bail breaches policy and an Integrated Warrant Apprehension unit while also welcoming the Harper government’s draconian Bill C-10, which among many things introduced mandatory minimum sentences for many offenses.
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The Waffle at 50
Canadian PoliticsIn the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Waffle was a key moment of my political education. I would not have realized until I wrote this that the Waffle remains so relevant to understanding our world today. I am delighted that the Waffle is being remembered and thereby lives on. It is fitting that this is happening in Canadian Dimension since the Waffle Manifesto was first published here 50 years ago.
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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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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.
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Canada backs coup against Bolivia’s president
Canadian PoliticsIn yet another example of the Liberals saying one thing and doing another, Justin Trudeau’s government has supported the ouster of Evo Morales. The Liberals’ position on the violent ouster of Bolivia’s first ever Indigenous president stands in stark contrast with their backing of embattled pro-corporate leaders in the region.
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SNC-Lavalin, Justin Trudeau, and ‘banana republic’ politics
Canadian PoliticsPrime Minister Trudeau holds the shameful distinction amongst prime ministers of Canada to be the first found guilty of ethics violations; and this is his second. Although he has also probably issued more apologies on behalf of Canadians than any other PM, Canadians are not getting an apology for this. Mr. Trudeau it seems, gets to decide when it is okay to break the law.
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Holding Pattern: The 2019 Canadian Election
Canadian PoliticsWhile the left needs to continue to work in and alongside social movements to advance concrete and winnable demands, we also need a vision that goes beyond immediate and disparate struggles and develop it together from coast-to-coast-to-coast, on the basis of mutual recognition of our ecological and economic interdependency and respective claims to sovereignty.
