Features

by Editors — last modified 2018-02-24T13:28:39-04:00

Original articles by non-sectarian socialist student, labour and community organizers based in Canada.

Section 2 of the Canadian Charter. Or, what Ford has trampled.

— by Graham H. Cox — last modified Sep 11, 2018 08:14 AM

Section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms -- The Charter -- lists your fundamental freedoms under the Constitution of Canada. The fundamental freedoms are freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of belief, freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association.

Book review: Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead

— by Roxanne Dubois — last modified Sep 09, 2018 01:51 PM

Jonny Appleseed is heading back to the Peguis First Nations community where he was born, just outside of Winnipeg, because his stepfather passed away. Such is the premise of this short, punchy first novel by author Joshua Whitehead. In this book, Jonny's character wanders through thoughts and memories, feelings of pain and joy as he attempts to gather enough money to go back to the reserve to see his mother.

Ford's "free speech" directive to Ontario's universities and colleges limits freedoms | Citizens' Press

— by Editors (What's Left) — last modified Sep 02, 2018 03:26 PM

Ontario universities have academic freedom enshrined in their very fabric, negotiated in collective agreements and outlined in the principles of their governing bodies. Protecting the rights of these organizations to continue their work is essential to maintaining the academic culture of free exchange on campuses. Instead of expanding and fostering the healthy freedom of expression enjoyed on Ontario’s university and college campuses, the Ford government's new "free speech" directive will put a chill on academic freedom and debate.

Graduate student issues and the academy | Graham Cox

— by Graham H. Cox — last modified Aug 25, 2018 05:57 PM

A version of this article was presented to the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario 2018 general meeting. The domination of the neoliberal view for the previous nearly four decades has meant that all public spending has to be couched as supporting the private economy. Even for something as basic as higher education cannot be described as having an inherent value, it must be commodified and linked to some private sector profit. In the case of university, public funding is only available because it is part of the private sectors desire to have skilled workers. As such, a post-secondary education degree is only talked about as a pathway to a job, and not as a valuable process by itself.

Toronto Council Seats: What to know | Citizens' Press

— by Graham H. Cox — last modified Aug 14, 2018 11:58 AM

In the middle of the municipal election campaign, the new conservative government in Ontario run by Doug Ford (the one-time failed councillor from Toronto) has announced massive changes to the number of councillors in Toronto and the structure of representation in the city.

Book review: The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

— by Roxanne Dubois — last modified Jul 15, 2018 08:29 AM

Cherie Dimaline first published a novel in 2011, and should be on everyone’s list of authors to follow. Her most recent book is The Marrow Thieves, which received multiple awards and competed in the 2018 edition of Canada Reads. The novel is set in a world ravaged by climate change, where it rains almost every day and humans have been through numerous environmental catastrophes. Everyone has lost the ability to dream in their sleep, except for Indigenous people who have, in their bone marrow, a special composition that allows them to continue dreaming. As a result, they are persecuted. In this book, we get to know eight people through the eyes of a young boy, Francis also known as Frenchie, who is part of this group on the run from the marrow thieves.

Reading the #WorldCup | Roxanne Dubois

— by Roxanne Dubois — last modified Jun 24, 2018 04:30 PM

Football fans across the globe are focused on the World Cup, which started just over a week ago and is hosted in Russia. The tournament takes place every four years, and will be, as always, one of the most watched sporting events of the year. For this non-sports fan, the World Cup is an object of fascination with good timing. In these early days of summer, watching football and getting into the game is a welcome distraction. Here is a short, global, and somewhat political reading list for following the World Cup.

The case for publicly funded universities | Graham Cox

— by Graham H. Cox — last modified Jun 06, 2018 10:47 AM

This article first appeared in the Spring 2018 Issue of the journal Academic Matters. All told, Canadian public universities are massive employers of students, teachers, researchers, librarians, academic and research support technicians, academic support workers (custodians, building services, food services, grounds and building maintenance), apprentices, councillors, utility workers, administrators, clerical workers, bartenders, security guards, and parking staff. Together, all of these workers maintain a space that fosters the advancement and dissemination of knowledge.

Just Transition: a task force and critique

— by Graham H. Cox — last modified May 05, 2018 11:30 AM

Several things have happened in the previous few weeks that make it important to review what we mean about Just Transition for workers affected by major changes to employment. 1) The Liberal government has announced the Task Force: Just Transition for Canadian Coal Power Workers and Communities. 2) Trade Unions for Energy Democracy have released "Trade Unions and Just Transition: The search for a transformative politics". The new paper examines the inadequacies of the current policy development processes on Just Transition.

Mazzucato again | Citizens' Press

— by Graham H. Cox — last modified Apr 28, 2018 12:53 PM

Writing an update of our original critique of Mazzucato’s thesis was in process, but Roberts beat us to it – and did a better job. No surprise to us.

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