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Canada’s post-pandemic response: Socialism for the rich, austerity for the poor and working class?
The ideas raised at the recent Courage press conference urge government officials and journalists to consider the importance of essential workers and vulnerable communities, not only during the pandemic, but in Canada’s economic recovery. Only by taking stock of their concerns and demands will Canada be better prepared for future crises.
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A frustrated cry for justice: Québec’s MeToo movement
MeToo is attempting to redress a miscarriage of justice that stems from systemic inequity and a lack of recognition. Like any social movement, this mobilization should be viewed critically. However, it must also be viewed in the context of a failed justice system that is currently unable to restore justice and dignity to survivors of sexual violence.
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Ellen Gabriel on the 30th anniversary of the 1990 ‘Oka Crisis’
Today marks the 30th anniversary of the 1990 Kanehsatà:ke and Kahnawake Siege where the Kanien’kehá:ka Nation were denied their fundamental human rights without any just recourse. 30 years later, the Rotinonhseshá:ka are still fighting the same issues, while Canada, Québec and Oka collude to continue their land fraud under the auspices of development.
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Jagmeet Singh’s treatment in parliament a telling reminder of Canada’s entrenched denial of racism
Let us hope our white elected officials and citizens will take inspiration from Singh and also empathetically listen to the voices of anti-racist scholars and activists who have long documented the history of systemic racism in this country. This would be the first step in the struggle for an anti-racist future in Canada.
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Is now the time to celebrate unity in Québec?
Much is at stake in Legault’s ongoing refusals and denials. In espousing Québec exceptionalism, the premier fuels a disregard for the lives of Black, Indigenous, and racialized peoples. What is at stake in naming and addressing systemic racism in Québec is nothing less than life and death.
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Bill 61 is a troubling sign of rising authoritarianism in Québec
As the COVID-19 crisis has amplified existing inequalities and accentuated the asymmetry of political and economic power in Québec and Canada, it is of vital importance to ensure that it is not exploited by the ruling and corporate classes to further disenfranchise those already with little power.
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COVID-19’s impact on Montréal’s poorest residents lays bare striking inequalities
Québec premier François Legault often speaks of “two Québecs” in his near-daily press briefings on the COVID-19 crisis. To be sure, however, we should also speak of two Montréals: one that is home to the (predominantly white) middle- and upper-classes, and the other, to poverty-stricken neighbourhoods which are currently experiencing the worst of the crisis.
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COVID-19 is exacerbating discrimination against asylum seekers in Québec
As the coronavirus hit Québec in mid-March, detainees at Laval IHC held a hunger strike to appeal to the public and authorities to take action on their living conditions. The hunger strike ultimately brought attention not only to the conditions during the COVID-19 outbreak, but it has shown that the present crisis has exacerbated the unfair conditions that have long been the reality for many.
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For an internationalist perspective in North America
In this interview, former QS co-spokesperson André Frappier speaks with DSA National Political Committee member Megan Svoboda about the state of Québécois politics, the prospects for QS and the broader Québécois left, and the importance of international solidarity today.
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Fighting Bill 21 in Québec
The rise of the right and Islamophobia, both in Québec, where it gave rise two years ago to the tragic Québec City mosque shooting, and also at the international level, of which the mosque shootings in Christ Church, New Zealand last March are a fearful expression, shows us that exclusion only serves to fuel hatred. Solidarity must transcend cultural distances and national borders.