Archive for the ‘Socialism’ Category

An opportunity for Canada’s New Democratic Party

Posted: October 1, 2025 in Socialism
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Canada’s New Democratic Party (NDP) long ago abandoned the radical roots of its founding ancestor, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation which, famously, pledged in 1933 that “No CCF Government will rest content until it has eradicated capitalism and put into operation the full programme of socialized planning which will lead to the establishment in Canada of the Co-operative Commonwealth.”

This changed in 2013 when the Party voted to remove “socialism” from the preamble to its constitution and instead work toward some vague vision of the “common good.” The new constitution’s decidedly unradical character confirmed a long established centrist practice that has made the NDP almost indistinguishable from the Liberal Party of Canada.

Fast forward to the 2025 general election; the NDP is decimated, going from 25 seats to 7; and the Leader resigns triggering a leadership campaign which is just getting underway.

For those of us who pay attention to these things, the question is “will the Party resolve to abandon its Liberal-lite posture and return to its radical roots or will it continue its slide into political irrelevancy?”

One indicator of the NDP’s collective intentions will be how it responds to the leadership campaign of author and activist Yves Engler. Yves pulls no punches; his “socialism” is loud and proud and he brings a sophisticated and nuanced critique of capitalism to the campaign that the NDP has not been exposed to for many decades.

I was a member of the NDP for more than 30 years, but resigned from the Party in 2008 over its shameful support for the State of Israel during its “Cast Lead” attack on Gaza. The party would have to change significantly before I would consider rejoining. If the NDP were to select Yves as its Leader, I could be convinced.

Remembering Miguel Enríquez

Posted: November 17, 2024 in Nibbling on The Empire, Socialism
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Miguel Enríquez was a physician and a founder of the Chilean Movimiento de Izquierda Revolucionaria – MIR (Movement of the Revolutionary Left). He was General Secretary of the MIR between 1967 and his death, on October 5, 1974, in a gunfight with agents of Chile’s secret police, the Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional, a Gestapo-like tool of the Pinochet dictatorship that tortured and murdered opponents of that vicious regime with impunity.

On October 5, 2024, members of Winnipeg’s Chilean-Canadian community celebrated his life and work. A half-century has passed, but the hopes and dreams for a better world live on. As Canadian singer-songwriter Nancy White sang about Víctor Jara, another famous Chilean murdered by Pinochet’s thugs, “they killed the man but they couldn’t kill the song!”

Let Cuba Live!

Posted: March 25, 2024 in In Solidarity, Nibbling on The Empire, Socialism
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Winnipeg, March 24, 2024: Members of the Manitoba-Cuba Solidarity Committee rallied to show support for the Cuban people in their six-decade struggle to end the United States economic blockade of their country. Following is the text of a statement the Committee distributed at the rally.

BIDEN, END THE CRIMINAL U.S. BLOCKADE OF CUBA!!
TAKE CUBA OFF THE STATE SPONSORS OF TERRORISM LIST!!
LET CUBA LIVE!!

Statement of Manitoba-Cuba Solidarity Committee for the Rally Against the Blockade, March 24, 2024

Protests in Santiago de Cuba last Sunday – people worried about the serious shortages of food, electricity and other basic necessities – have been used by the U.S. and enemies of Cuba to stir up calls once again for regime change in Cuba. The international media has called them ‘anti-government’ protests. A U.S. Department of State official posted “The United States stands with the Cuban people as they exercise their rights to assemble peacefully. The Cuban government will not be able to meet the needs of its people until it embraces democracy and the rule of law and respects the rights of Cuban citizens.”

This statement is a blatant threat and the height of hypocrisy! It is the U. S. blockade of Cuba, now in its 62nd year, and Trump’s addition of Cuba to the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism in 2021, one week before his term as President ended, that have caused and exacerbated the economic crisis in Cuba which has led to the serious shortages of necessities around the country.

An infamous U.S. declassified 1960 document (one year after the victory of the Cuban Revolution) written by Lester Mallory, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs concludes that “the only foreseeable means of alienating internal support is through disenchantment and disaffection based on economic dissatisfaction and hardship.” It adds . . . “every possible means should be undertaken promptly to weaken the economic life of Cuba”. The ‘every possible means’ over the years have included bombings, military interventions, sabotage, assassination attempts in addition to the provisions of the Blockade. The financial damage to the Cuban economy has added up to more than 1 trillion U.S. dollars. Had Cuba not been subjected to the Blockade for 62 years, its ability to develop the economy and meet ALL the needs of the Cuban people would have led the way in the world to showing what a socialist economy could accomplish.

In spite of all the efforts, the Cuban people are strong and determined. They will survive this latest attempt as they have overcome all the attempts from the U.S. over the past decades to bring Cuba back into its fold, to become once again a playground for the rich, a colony with materials and labour to exploit.

Cuba will defend socialism and its right to independence, sovereignty and self-determination.

Cuba has so many friends all around the world! The solidarity movement in Canada and in the heartland of imperialism is strong and will not falter. It is our role to continue supporting Cuba in its defense of humanity, on its path to determining its own society and future.

President Biden, you have just over 7 months left in this term. Do something positive and . . .

TAKE CUBA OFF THE SSOT LIST!
END THE BLOCKADE OF CUBA!
LET CUBA LIVE!

Stop the Canada-US hybrid war against Venezuela!

Posted: September 12, 2021 in In Solidarity, Nibbling on The Empire, Socialism
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The lack of any discussion of Canadian foreign policy during this election is shocking and shameful — almost as shameful as Canada’s foreign policy itself. Take the case of Venezuela. For the past two decades the United States has been waging a war of sanctions and other dirty tricks to overthrow the democratically elected socialist governments of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro. Ever Washington’s poodle, Ottawa has joined in with disgusting enthusiasm. Liberal governments or Conservative ones — it has made no difference.

María Páez Victor

To gain a deeper understanding of Canada’s foreign policy, Peace Alliance Winnipeg (of which I am a member) has organized a series of webinars that, so far, have looked at Canada’s international mining industry, Canada’s military deployments since 1867 and Canada’s policies with regard to Palestine.

Yesterday, Peace Alliance Winnipeg turned its attention to Venezuela by hosting a webinar with Venezuelan-born, Canadian scholar and activist María Páez Victor. Dr. Victor is a sociologist, educated in Caracas, New York, Mexico City, and Canada who taught the sociology of health and medicine as well as health and environmental policies at the University of Toronto for many years. Now retired from teaching, she writes and is a frequent commentator on Latin American history and politics. As well, she has her own weekly radio program about Venezuela in the Spanish language community radio of Toronto.

Here is video of the webinar.

UPDATE, Sept. 16, 2021: In an article published on Sept. 16, 2021 by Peace Alliance Winnipeg, María Páez Victor reports on positive developments in the peace negotiations being held in Mexico between the Venezuelan government and the major opposition parties. The opposition has agreed recognize the Venezuelan State, political institutions, and the legitimacy of President Nicolás Maduro and to work with the government to have the United States rescind the devastating economic sanctions that have caused such misery throughout the country.

Help Dimitri Lascaris build Canada’s Eco-Socialist Future

Posted: September 1, 2020 in Environment, Socialism
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Winnipeg, April 24, 2019: Dimitri Lascaris speaking at a forum on Canada’s mistaken policy regarding Venezuela. Photo: Paul S. Graham

Canada’s Green Party is electing a leader to replace Elizabeth May, and the highly qualified, intelligent people who have stepped up are an impressive lot. When I think of how depressing it must be for my American friends to have to choose between Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumb in their presidential election, I am doubly happy to be a Green, in Canada, with so many excellent choices to make regarding the leadership of my party.

My choice in this race is Dimitri Lascaris. Many people will know him because of his excellent reporting for The Real News. I first encountered him in connection with Palestinian solidarity work and I’ve recorded him many times on my YouTube Channel.

Dimitri is intelligent, energetic, articulate, principled and progressive. He has an outstanding track record of speaking truth to power and winning. As a lawyer, he has fought dozens of environmental, securities, and human rights class action lawsuits. In 2012, Canadian Lawyer Magazine named him one of the 25 most influential lawyers in Canada. He has participated in many popular movements, helping to organize protests and petitions and providing pro bono legal support. He has also served as the Justice Critic for the Green Party of Canada and the Parti Vert du Québec.

His understanding of the key issues of the day is both broad and deep. His eco-socialist vision is well articulated in his leadership platform, and so, I have quoted from it below.

Environment
“The climate emergency requires us to reorganize our society and its relation with nature. Our current arrangements burden the earth with growing economic and social inequities. Human societies must be reorganized for sustainability, restoring the commons while leaving ample scope for well regulated and appropriate private enterprise, large and small, particularly family owned and local firms.” Read more.

Foreign Policy
“We imagine our foreign policy has promoted peace, human rights and democracy. However, first as part of the British Empire and then in close alliance with the United States, Canada has historically created and reinforced relations of domination in the world order, leading to ecological damage, wars and human rights violations. In today’s multipolar world, such a policy is more dangerous than ever. We propose its replacement by a foreign policy that genuinely promotes peace, full disarmament, sustainable development, human rights, and democracy.” Read more.

Economy
“Economy and ecology are inextricably intertwined. To mend our relationship with the earth, we must wrest power from private corporations and bring the economy under democratic control so that it meets human needs without exceeding the limits of our planet.” Read more.

Workers’ Rights
“Workers’ rights, both individual and collective, have deteriorated; high-quality jobs have been replaced by precarious and part-time work with few benefits and no pensions; and large corporations prey on small businesses and workers. Workers deserve a positive work environment, high wages, and freedom from discrimination.” Read more.

Justice and Police Reform
“In theory, Canadians have equal rights. In practice, they do not. . . . Ultimately, our legal system does not fulfil the basic function of a justice system: to provide citizens with security, dignity and compassion. To create an equitable society, there are seven areas of reform we need to address.” Read more.

To read the entire platform and get more information about Dimitri, follow this link.  You can also watch him in a Zoom webinar on Wed., September 2nd at 7:30 PM Central Time. To participate in this webinar, follow this link.

Help build an eco-socialist future
We face enormous problems in Canada, and world-wide. The old parties and their tired solutions will not meet the environmental, economic and social policy challenges we face. Indeed, they are to blame for many of the problems we face and more of the same is unacceptable. We need political leadership that is capable of getting to the root of the problem and articulating bold, radical policies.

I believe the Green Party has many of the policies we need to secure a sustainable future for Canadians. Under the leadership of Dimitri Lascaris, the GPC will promote the progressive eco-socialist alternative that is missing in Canadian politics.

If you are not a member of the Green Party of Canada, please consider becoming one in order to support Dimitri’s candidacy. If you decide to do so, please join by September 3, 2020 to be eligible to vote in the Leadership Election.

Membership in the Green Party of Canada costs only $10. Donations to Dimitri’s campaign of up to $500 qualify for a tax rebate of 75%. So a donation of $500 costs you only $125. A donation of $400, only $100, and a donation of $100, only $25. Please remember, small donations also help because every bit counts. So, please do what you can help Dimitri win this critical campaign.

You can become a member, and make a donation if you wish, by following this link.

Dimitri is a leader who demonstrates integrity, courage and empathy. I like him and trust him. Greens need him; Canada needs him.

Please act today.

 

 

 

 

 

Bryan Palmer: The 1919 Winnipeg General Strike heard around the world

Posted: October 13, 2019 in Socialism, Talkin' Union, Winnipeg
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Winnipeg, July 20, 2019: Professor Bryan Palmer at the 14th annual forum of the World Association for Political Economy. Photo: Paul S. Graham

The 1919 Winnipeg General Strike was followed with great interest by people around the world, says Dr. Bryan Palmer, Professor Emeritus at Trent University. Professor Palmer was speaking at the 14th Forum of the World Association for Political Economy entitled Class, State and Nation in the 21st Century, held in Winnipeg July 19-21, 2019. Here is my video report.

Why you should care about Venezuela

Posted: September 19, 2019 in Nibbling on The Empire, Peace, Socialism
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Most Canadians imagine Canada to be a force for good on the world stage. Polite, reasonable, peace-loving and progressive. At least, that is how we like to imagine ourselves.

Winnipeg, July 20, 2019: Dr. Maria Páez Victor at the 14th Forum, World Association of Political Economy. Photo: Paul S. Graham

Sadly, it’s a myth. We helped oust the democratically elected Haitian government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. We helped turn Libya into a failed state. We helped invade Afghanistan and occupied part of it for over a decade. And these are just a few examples of Canada’s backwards foreign policy in this century.

And now, we’re meddling in Venezuela, where our government has joined with the United States to destabilize, undermine and crush the democratically elected, socialist government of Nicholas Maduro and the popular movement that supports it. Yves Engler has written several well researched articles on Canada’s attacks on Venezuela that I recommend you read. Yves’ articles are an effective antidote to the bullshit being passed of as news and analysis in our mainstream media, as is a recent speech by Dr. Maria Páez Victor.

Dr. Páez Victor is a Toronto-based, Venezuelan-born sociologist and activist on the board of the Canadian, Latin American and Caribbean Policy Centre. She speaks with authority and passion about what is at stake in the country of her birth. I recorded her presentation at the 14th Forum of the World Association for Political Economy, held at the University of Manitoba in July.

Returning to the title of this post, why should you care? Simply put, if you want Canada to be a force for good on the world stage, our government’s policies and actions must change. And if you allow our government to continue along its reactionary path without challenging it, you are complicit.

It’s election time in Canada. Ask your candidates where they stand on issues such as this. Make your support for them conditional on their support for a foreign policy that is peaceful, cooperative and supportive of international law. It’s not too much to ask.

Solidarity with Venezuela

Posted: December 7, 2017 in In Solidarity, Nibbling on The Empire, Peace, Socialism, Winnipeg
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Winnipeg, Dec. 6, 2017 – Professor Johnny Márquez, speaking at Winnipeg’s historic Ukrainian Labour Temple on the political and economic situation in Venezuela. Photo: Paul S. Graham

When it comes to Venezuela, the mainstream media is awash with lies and distortions and the Canadian government is complicit (with the United States) in an attempt to force the overthrow of the democratically elected government of Nicolás Maduro. One can easily imagine Trump and Trudeau agreeing that it would be a crime to leave the largest proven oil reserves in the world (about 297 billion barrels) under the control of a socialist government pledged to use this wealth on behalf of some of the poorest people in the world.

In Winnipeg, a group called the Venezuela Peace Committee has organized a number of educational events to encourage citizens to learn about Venezuela and the struggles of working people for a socialist society. The VPC has a petition on the House of Commons E-Petition web site that calls on the government to cease its sanctions campaign. Here is the text:

E-1353
Petition to the Government of Canada

Whereas:

On September 22, 2017, the Government of Canada imposed new sanctions against Venezuela, Venezuelan officials, and other individuals under the Special Economic Measures Act in violation of the sovereignty of Venezuela;
Such sanctions impede dialogue and peace-building in Venezuela and in the region more generally;
These sanctions impede the normal operation of Venezuela’s duly constituted political processes including elections;
The Government of Canada has supported the U.S. government’s sanctions against Venezuela
The Government of Canada has met with, supported, and continues to echo the demands of Venezuela’s violent anti-government opposition;
The Government of Canada refuses to recognize the legitimacy of Venezuela’s democratically elected government and falsely refers to it as dictatorial; and
The government of Canada seeks to promote foreign intervention in the internal affairs of Venezuela.

We, the undersigned, residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to immediately lift all sanctions against Venezuela, Venezuelan officials, and other individuals, retract all statements in support of US sanctions against Venezuela, immediately cease its support for the efforts of the US and other right wing governments in the Organization of American States (OAS) that violate the sovereignty and self-determination of another member-state and immediately cease all intervention against Venezuela.

The VPC is asking Canadians and friends of Canada to sign the petition. Just sign here.

The petition arose out of a resolution approved by the attendees of a conference held at the University of Manitoba to mark the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution. One of the keynote speakers at the conference was Julia Buxton, an internationally recognized expert on Venezuela. I recorded her talk.

Most recently, the VPC arranged for the visit of Professor Johnny Márquez to speak in Winnipeg. Professor Márquez is a Venezuelan lawyer, diplomat and scholar and president of the Latin American and Caribbean Center for Energy and Environment Studies. His first appearance was at the University of Manitoba on Dec. 5, 2017, where he discussed the history of Venezuela’s oil industry and its strategic importance. The following day he presented at Winnipeg’s historic Ukrainian Labour Temple on the current political situation in Venezuela. Both of these videos are linked below.

Changing the Capitalist System – We are closer than you think

Posted: October 22, 2017 in Socialism
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I’ve recently changed computer operating systems, moving from Windows 10 to a version of Linux called Mint. I was motivated primarily by concerns about privacy and had grown weary of a computing environment that was constantly trying to sell me stuff I didn’t need.

I won’t bore you with what is wrong with Windows. Others have done so in some depth. If your Inner Geek is up to it, here is one of the better anti-Windows rants I’ve come across.

Changing operating systems is not easy. Different OS’s “think” differently. Habits of mind have to be overcome. Muscle memory needs to be reoriented. As well, one needs assurance that one can do all the things in the new system that one did in the old one – in my case, finding decent video editing software was the biggest challenge. Finally, one needs to ensure the new system will work with one’s existing hardware.

I did a lot of research before installing Linux Mint. In the course of that research, in which I looked at a bewildering array of Linux versions (called “distros) and software, I discovered a philosophy of technology development that makes me optimistic about the potential for the transition from capitalism to a more liberated state of political economy.

The philosophy I’m referring to is encapsulated in something called the Free and Open Source Software movement. FOSS is not an organized entity in the sense that a political party, trade union or professional association is. It is decentralized. There are no dues to pay, no flags to salute. Rather, it is a principle that software should be “free to use, modify and distribute.”

“Free” doesn’t necessarily mean “free of charge” although most Linux distros are available for free as are thousands of Linux-based software applications. The “free” in FOSS is freedom from capitalist property rights. One is free to use and modify the software to meet one’s needs and to share the modified and in many cases improved product with others who can, in turn, improve and share their version. And the beat goes on.

This freedom is facilitated by the “Open Source” part of the formulation. Simply, the code that used to run the application is readable by anyone who knows how to program. Unlike proprietary software (think Microsoft Office), programmers can look at open source code, see how it works, change it and use it without having to pay licensing fees (think Libre Office, the FOSS equivalent of Microsoft Office).

The FOSS philosophy encourages and facilitates cooperation in the development of technology and has even begun to influence other forms of cooperative endeavor. A prime example of open source thinking is Wikipedia.

Values associated with FOSS are the polar opposite of those common to capitalism: cooperation as opposed to competition, sharing as opposed to selling, openness as opposed to secrecy and social benefit as opposed to private profit.

I very much doubt that typical FOSS enthusiasts (and their numbers are legion) think of themselves as socialists. However, in practice they embody the core values of the socialist movement – a belief in sharing, openness, cooperation and the public good. This makes me optimistic about prospects for changing the system.

Reclaiming socialism for this new millennium

Posted: January 16, 2017 in Socialism
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L. B. Foote / Winnipeg Free Press Archives 1919 Strike Crowd gathers at Victoria Park

L. B. Foote / Winnipeg Free Press Archives
1919 Strike
Crowd gathers at Victoria Park

Sometime in the 1990s, it became fashionable for many socialists to refer to themselves as “anti-capitalists.” I’m not sure why this was the case, but I suspect it involved a large measure of opportunism; socialism (at least that variant represented by recently imploded Soviet Union) had become discredited but the dominant capitalist system still refused to deliver the goods, hence the “anti.” Anti-capitalism also worked nicely with the “anti-sexist, anti-racist, anti-homophobic, anti-imperialist” patter that Leftists liked to rattle off whenever ask to describe themselves. Unfortunately, upping the ANTI made it difficult for the uninitiated (and for younger comrades who lacked the history), to understand what it was we stood FOR.

In Canada, the NDP purged the word “socialism” from its program and relegated the Regina Manifesto to the memory hole. Activists increasingly described themselves primarily in terms of ethnicity, race, gender and physical ability. Lacking an overall vision that could inspire and unite all of these various identity groups, activists have been unable to stop the downward spiral of living standards. Rather than challenge the system responsible for the impoverishment of growing numbers of Canadians, the Left fragmented into fighting single issues in isolation from one another, forever on the defensive, increasingly ineffective and incoherent.

I think it is time we began to say what we stand FOR. Furthermore, I think it is time to reclaim the socialist vision that underpins so many of the progressive aspects of Canadian society. More on that in future posts.

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