The dominant class and its cheerleaders, intent on doubling down to maintain a social system which proudly features gross inequality and inequity, are out on top. The working class and its leftist protagonists, hoping to fuel a movement for a radical rethinking of our polity to get closer to a social system which advances equality and altruism, find themselves at the bottom.

If we wanted to create a world where everyone has affordable housing we would. We would take a track similar to France, Austria, or Finland and work to undo cultural stigmas against renting and social housing and use non-market alternatives to provide decent homes for all. But our leaders have made it clear that they have no interest in following this path.

We often speak of a “housing crisis” and it is certainly true that profit-driven housing provision means rapidly intensifying hardship for hundreds of thousands of people. However, the beneficiaries of upscale redevelopment and parasitic speculation are now experiencing a crisis of their own, as the speculative bubble they’ve created bursts spectacularly.

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.

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.

Oil and gas executives, and the politicians who parrot their talking points, are looking out for corporate owners while using workers as cover. What workers actually need is a well-funded plan to help them transition from the oil and gas sector. This would allow Alberta to become less reliant on a single sector, which is in long-term decline.

Now that economic rethinking is on the agenda, argues Richard Swift, it’s a good time for those who see the ominous writing on the wall to challenge the growth consensus and promote a package of serious degrowth measures, some of which align with historic left demands and the Green New Deal which seems to have faded from view.

Imposed from above during an economic emergency, rent control played a significant role both in curbing out-of-control inflation and solving the housing crisis Canada was experiencing at the time. A combination of robust rent control and concurrent investments in public housing saw housing prices fall by as much as 30 percent in real terms between 1975 and 1978.

Despite the documented harm caused by their bad behaviour, landlords across Canada have very little accountability. Just as patients ought to feel assured their nurses and social workers are behaving ethically, tenants deserve to feel confident their landlords are not engaging in exploitative, unsafe, or criminal behaviour.

The Wall Street Journal warns that Trump’s “dumbest trade war in history” could lead to recession. But, as McGill University professor Daniel Cere explains, his policies might not be born out of ignorance, but cold-blooded tactics designed to advance the interests of those best positioned to take advantage of economic chaos.