The level of political consciousness of unionized workers in Weimar Germany was very similar to that of current progressive workers and equity advocates. Tragically, German progressives failed to take concerted action to mobilize democratic forces against Nazism until it was far too late. The consequences of inaction this time could be at least as devastating and even more enduring.

Canada can lobby Washington to promote a sensible approach to Cuba. In 2014 the government of Stephen Harper hosted secret meetings between US and Cuban negotiators that resulted in the Obama administration reopening diplomatic ties with Cuba. Maybe the Trudeau government—desperately in need of positive news on the foreign policy front—could show some diplomatic initiative.

No government fulfils every promise it makes to voters at election time. Still, looking back on the Trudeau government’s performance over the past nine, sometimes chaotic years—with the exception of major policy achievements like child care, pandemic income supports and dental care—this government has consistently overcommitted and underdelivered.

We are now seven years and tens of billions of dollars into the Trudeau government’s much vaunted National Housing Strategy (NHS) and things are worse than ever. Affordable housing is harder to come by than it was a decade ago, and homelessness is reaching historic highs. The NHS has failed, writes James Hardwick, and we need to understand why.

Voter turnout is an important indicator of a political system’s legitimacy and well-being. For the better part of a century, Saskatchewan had one of the highest levels of voter turnout among the provinces. This pointed to a considerable support for, and engagement in, the political system on the part of Saskatchewan citizens. Those days are now behind us.

To solve the housing crisis we need to turn away from neoliberal doctrines and look towards solutions that actually work. Our own history, as well as the experiences of our contemporaries abroad, teach us that the only way to restore housing affordability is to create non-market housing alternatives that anchor prices and push the investor class out of the housing system.

A world where the wealthy, so-called advanced, capitalist nations can dominate is abhorrent. We need a new world order focused on global solidarity, mutuality, and international cooperation. We need science-based praxis where the needs of humans, animals and nature are prioritized. We do not need a repeat of pandemic profiteering and the shameful “me-first” posture of the rich and powerful.

What if the value of a mortgage could be collected today? What if the bank could sell your debt on the open market? They could use the cash to lend out even more money and collect even more interest on even more mortgages. Thanks to the National Housing Act, they can do exactly that. James Hardwick on how federal housing policy has turned our mortgage system into an engine of inequality.

Capitalism’s profit focus has often held back the distribution of products to drive up their prices. Patents and trademarks of profit-seeking businesses effectively slow the distribution of all sorts of products. We cannot know whether capitalism’s incentive effects outweigh its slowing effects. Claims that capitalism promotes rather than slows progress are pure ideological assertions.

The word mortgage has its origins in medieval French jurisprudence. Roughly translated it means “deal unto death.” In the context of Canada’s housing market this etymological root has special resonance. As James Hardwick writes, our homes have been mortgaged by an aging generation hell-bent on carrying them into the grave.