Ontario’s Premier, Doug Ford, Wants to Privatize Canadian Health Care
The Right broke Ontario’s health care system. Now they can’t wait to replace it with a parallel, two-tiered system that benefits the rich.
145 Article(s) by: David Moscrop
David Moscrop is a writer and political commentator. He hosts the podcast Open to Debate and is the author of Too Dumb For Democracy? Why We Make Bad Political Decisions and How We Can Make Better Ones.
Postal Banking Can Destroy Predatory Lending
The payday loan industry is thriving in Canada, and borrowers are paying the cost through extraordinary interest rates and fees. There is a simple solution: postal banking.
Yes, Providing Drug Users With Safe Drugs Will Fight the Opioid Crisis
Vancouver is the latest city to sign up for a Safe Supply program, which provides safe drugs to users. Pilot programs — and the failure of the war on drugs — show that this approach is the best way to combat the opioid crisis.
Conscientious Objector Ginger Goodwin Fought and Died for Fundamental Workers’ Rights
Labor activist Ginger Goodwin spent his life fighting for the rights of working people in British Columbia, and on this day in 1918, he was killed for it. His story is a reminder of the need for uncompromising socialist politics.
The Success of Pandemic Income Support Does Not Mean That Universal Basic Income Works
In Canada, the results of pandemic income support seem to confirm the claims of universal basic income advocates. But to make UBI work, we need to ensure it’s coupled with a massive expansion of welfare state policies.
No Wonder There’s an Air Travel Crisis. Airlines Have Been Screwing Workers for Years.
Air travel is a Kafkaesque nightmare right now. To solve this crisis and avoid future issues, airlines and the government should listen to workers and finally give them what they deserve: better pay and working conditions.
The Labor Movement Is Gaining Momentum on Both Sides of the US-Canada Border
Union organizing is gaining steam in both Canada and the US, and support for unions is the highest it’s been for decades. The labor movement should take advantage of this moment.
We Should Criticize Corporate Greed All the Time
It’s not just supply chain issues and energy costs that are making everyone’s lives miserable — it’s the fact that we live in a system that takes from the working majority in order to enrich the plutocratic few.
Justin Trudeau’s Promise of a Greener Future Is Crashing Against His Climate Inaction
Justin Trudeau’s Liberals have long promised aggressive action on climate change, but a recent report suggests that Canada is falling way short. The country needs a pro-worker, green transition now.
The Jaws of Private Equity Are Slavering for Canadian Health Service Businesses
International private equity has its eyes on Canadian medical services not covered by the country’s national health care program.
Decriminalizing Hard Drugs Isn’t Nearly Enough to End the War on Drugs
British Columbia’s decriminalization of the possession of small amounts of hard drugs is a good first step in our fight against the opioid crisis. But it does not go far enough — we need universal decriminalization, high possession thresholds, and safe supply.
The Paranoid Style in Canadian Politics
Conspiracy theories are way more exciting than political economy, and Canada’s Pierre Poilievre is exploiting the thrill of paranoia for political gain. The Left must counter these impulses with analyses of worker exploitation — and a program for change.
Canada’s Telecom Oligopoly Is a Hungry Beast That Will Never Be Sated
Two of Canada’s behemoth telecoms are planning a merger. Yet Canadians already pay some of the highest prices in the world for broadband and wireless service. A ready-made solution exists in one of the country’s provinces: a state-owned service provider.
Canada’s Left Shouldn’t Abandon Electoral Politics
In Canada, the Left is still searching for the wins it needs and is exasperated with the New Democratic Party. However justified these frustrations may be, abandoning the ballot would be a disaster. Electoral politics are a vital part of class struggle.
Canada’s New Democratic Party Wants to Lower the Voting Age
Fearing the Left will sweep up the youth vote, conservatives have long opposed lowering the voting age — the worst possible rationale for refusing to expand the franchise.
Justin Trudeau Insists That Fixing Infrastructure Requires Paying Tithes to the Rich
Justin Trudeau has built a bank dedicated to using public-private partnerships to fix Canada’s crumbling infrastructure — partnerships that burden taxpayers with extortionate interest rates that benefit wealthy members of the rentier class.
Canada’s Left Shouldn’t Cede Populist Politics to the Right
The discontent that fomented the Freedom Convoy was caused by problems around wages, housing, and health care — problems for which the Left has long had solutions. The Canadian left needs to step up and take these issues back from reactionary populists.
Justin Trudeau’s Liberals Are Returning to the Miserable Status Quo
In spite of some concessions wrangled by the NDP, Canada’s new budget reveals Trudeau’s Liberals are returning to free-market orthodoxy. The lessons of the pandemic have apparently taught the party nothing.
Justin Trudeau’s F-35 Fighter Jet Acquisition Is a Miserable Circus
Justin Trudeau’s Liberals have chosen a worst-of-all-worlds approach to Canada’s fighter jet procurement process. Their decisions have wasted time and money, taken for granted the need for defense spending, and resulted in campaign promise reversals.
Canadians May Soon Enjoy a Single-Payer Universal Prescription Drug Plan
A deal struck between Canada’s New Democratic Party and Justin Trudeau’s Liberals may pave the road for free prescription drugs for Canadians. But the plan is up against powerful enemies in Big Pharma and insurance.