What's Left

What's Left 2015-06-14 Volume 16

What's Left

This past week, the G7 reached an agreement to eliminate their collective dependence on carbon-intensive fuel sources by 2100. Originally set for 2050, this new deadline was agreed to at the insistence of Canada and Japan, both countries that have become infamous for refusing to face up to the realities of climate change. Obviously, this deadline is ridiculous public relations pablum and ignores all scientific evidence. As CBC details, countries like Canada have accomplished some pretty amazing things in short amounts of time when prioritized.

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What's Left 2015-06-07 Volume 15

What's Left

This week was marked by the the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). After six years of testimony and research, the TRC released its 94 recommendations aimed to redress the legacy of residential schools and advance the progress of Canadian Reconciliation. Most of Canada received the report with an increased sense of understanding of what transpired for Canada's Indigenous peoples during and following more than a century of assimilation, abuse and murder within the Canadian government's residential school program. Although this history is no surprise for Canada's Indigenous communities, the commission's work has amplified the many stories of children being taken from their homes, mistreated and, in many cases, killed. The report did not mince words when it called the residential school system one of cultural genocide.

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What's Left 2015-05-18 Volume 12

What's Left

Keeping climate change on the agenda between heat waves, droughts and ice storms might seem difficult as other current economic-system related tragedies take centre stage. However, we should not leave out climate change and its connection to capitalism when talking about privatizations of infrastructure and the undermining of democratic oversight and control of utilities.

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What's Left 2015-05-11 Volume 11

What's Left

Federal Liberals are clearly aiming for Conservative-lite instead of left-of-centre when it comes to the economy and social issues. In addition to this week's shameful support for Bill C-51, Trudeau and has announced his party's support for more privatization of infrastructure and social services, more money for the police state and security services, tax cuts instead of investments to fund child care, and support for oil pipelines.

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What's Left: 2015-05-03 Volume 10

What's Left

The Americas' section of the Public Services International met this past week in Mexico City. Hundreds of union delegates representing the entire continental region – from Canada to Chile – discussed a wide range of issues including free trade, attacks on union rights, climate change, retirement security, tax justice and corruption.

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What's Left: 2015-04-20 Volume 9

What's Left

Ontario Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne has decided to embrace classic Thatcher (and Harris/Hudak) neo-liberal Conservative ideology for electricity policy. This week, ex-TD banker and new privatization czar Ed Clark released a government report calling for the complete corporatization and privatization of Hydro One. Hydro One is the public transmission and rural distribution arm (also known as 'the grid') of Ontario's electricity system.

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What's Left 2015-04-12 Volume 8

What's Left

John Oliver misses the mark in Edward Snowden interview: Last week television host and comedian John Oliver sat down with Edward Snowden to discuss surveillance and the media's coverage of Snowden's revelations that the US, UK, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand governments have been collecting and analyzing pretty much every single piece of electronic text, audio, and video communication. While Oliver was right to point out the need for an educated debate on the merits and dangers of comprehensive state surveillance, his criticisms of Snowden's actions missed the mark on several fronts.

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