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.

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.

Lectures d'hiver

— by Roxanne Dubois — last modified Apr 15, 2018 10:35 AM

Le printemps tarde à réchauffer ma ville, et j’en profite pour partager mes lectures francophones des derniers mois. Je vous souhaite de trouver ici quelques suggestions pour vos lectures printanières -- le beau temps se pointera bien un jour ou l’autre.

Ontario Liberals do not understand what universities are for | Citizens' Press

— by Graham H. Cox — last modified Apr 08, 2018 03:04 PM

The Ontario Liberal’s 2018 budget had a few large progressive sounding programs to announce. However, none of these were focused on the university system. Almost all of the budget outside the announcement of large subsidies to private childcare providers and pharma continued to be a standard Liberal fare - progressive sounding, regressive in implementation. The true impact of government spending on the university system will be the implementation of funding reforms not written explicitly into government spending. This is the case for much of the government's policies that seem to be ignored during budget time -- even though these policies give the budget its true political framework.

Book review: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

— by Roxanne Dubois — last modified Apr 02, 2018 10:57 AM

For the first time in what feels like a long while, I finished a recent and popular book. Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere came out in September 2017 and an announcement earlier this month confirmed its TV adaptation in the near future. Set in Shaker Heights, Ohio, this novel tells the story of one suburban family confronted with the arrival of a mother and daughter to their rental unit. Nostalgic children of the ’90s, be warned: this book hits all the right notes.

The Facebook Scandal | Citizens' Press

— by Editors (What's Left) — last modified Mar 25, 2018 01:54 PM

Citizens’ Press sat down with five commentators to discuss the current Facebook scandal involving Cambridge Analytica. The dialogue has been edited and presented here to help inform the broader discussion of Facebook on the left.

Book Review: The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

— by Roxanne Dubois — last modified Mar 25, 2018 11:22 AM

The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver was published almost 10 years ago, but that’s no reason to leave it unread. In this epic novel, a young writer grows up in Mexico City, takes a job as a cook and dreams of becoming a writer. The historical context and characters give this book an intrigue worth pursuing.

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