NDP "Democracy", Ontario Liberal Injustices, Etobicoke Thrift Shops & more -- April and May on The Left Chapter in review

April and May saw 38 posts of various kinds on The Left Chapter as well as the launch of a few new features.

Overall the numbers were very strong and many of the articles that did not make this round-up's list would have easily made those of a few months or a year ago! Thanks to all our readers and contributors.

Posts ranged from Simon Dougherty's excellent analysis of the underlying dark side of Trudeau and "Elbowgate", to looking at vintage Soviet children's stories and young adult histories, to our first look at vintage streetscape photography of Vancouver.

We launched four new features on The Left Chapter. Toronto writer A.M. wrote a first "Modest Proposal" column calling for the nationalization of Canada's telecom industry, a Toronto bi-weekly municipal politics journal debuted with parts one and two, the first of a series of High Park journeys began as did the first in a series of photographic trips to the amazing waterfront parks of South Etobicoke.

With any further ado, here are the top six posts on The Left Chapter, in terms of hits, for the months of April and May.

1) NDP inhibits internal democracy with steep leadership race entry fee

Excited about the possibilities that the upcoming NDP leadership race might allow?

Wondering if an insurgent campaign might arise and if an outsider or unexpected candidate might lead to something akin to what happened with Corbyn in the Labour Party?

Read More! 

2) Ontario's poverty gap puts the lie to Wynne's 'social justice' pretensions

Back in 2013 when she was running for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party, Kathleen Wynne famously told the Toronto Star that she wanted to be known as "the social justice premier". She also said that when it came to "liberal values", "I believe social justice is what drives us".

Yet, when it comes to social assistance rates and those trying to live on them in Ontario, after 13 years in office this alleged liberal value of social justice is, to say the least, on scant display.

Read More! 

3) 5 Hidden Gem Thrift Shops in South Etobicoke

South Etobicoke, a once suburban lakefront neighbourhood on Toronto's outskirts, is a rapidly growing community that is seeing a new burst of activity with the dramatic expansion of Humber College, an influx of new residents and an emerging restaurant and pub scene.

Nestled among some of the city's most spectacular waterside parks (some of which I have looked at before and more of which we will be featuring as summer approaches) the communities of Mimico, New Toronto and Long Branch are increasingly diverse. They also have often very quirky and old-school commercial strips.

Read More! 

4) 3 silly narratives that have emerged in the wake of Mulcair's defeat

As everyone presumably knows by now, Tom Mulcair has been ousted as leader of the NDP.

In the wake of this defeat, while some are celebrating, others are very angry that Tom got the proverbial boot.

Read More! 

5) There was no NDP Leap

What is going on in Canada's "mainstream" left?

According to many -- including those on both sides of this debate -- it seems that the NDP has taken some great leap to the left by embracing the activist Leap Manifesto backed by Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis.

Read More! 

6) At what cost power -- Whither the NDP & Leap?

By A.M.

With its recent rejection of leader Thomas Mulcair, as well as its (decidedly tepid) willingness to at least entertain the idea of debate on the Leap Manifesto, the NDP has shown itself to be more resilient than previously thought. Much to the shock of those of us on the Left, some New Democrats seem to be considering a real political shift. With elected representatives like Parkdale-High Park MPP Cheri DiNovo calling openly for a return to the socialism on which the party was founded - to say nothing of the activists and citizens who have signed the Leap Manifesto - the NDP may yet resurrect the prospect of a socialist Canada. Predictably, this has been met with fierce resistance from the hero-worshiping, and ever-shrinking, cult of NDP partisans. The battle of principles versus power seems to be in full swing.

Read More! 

Although it was published originally on May 1, 2015, the post "5 Great Songs for International Workers' Day! Featuring Paul Robeson, Billy Bragg, The Red Army Choir & more" actually got so many hits this year when reposted on Facebook and Twitter that it would have made the list above had it been a new post. People love great leftist music it seems!

The top food post for the period was "Maurya East Indian Roti in Mimico -- Some of the best Toronto has to offer!".

Do you have a left point-of-view or opinion, a recipe or a story you want to share?

Send them to The Left Chapter via theleftchapter@outlook.com!

See also: Bernie Sanders, the Ghomeshi Verdict, the Calgary Police & more - February and March on The Left Chapter in review

See also: Racist refugee myths, NDP delusions, Tom Mulcair & more -- December and January on The Left Chapter in review

Justin Trudeau's 'Elbowgate' and the dark side of sunny ways

By Simon Dougherty 

Seems Trudeau’s temper tantrum not only hit a couple of people; it hit more than a few nerves.

Yes, yes, I know: He apologized a million times as per Canadian custom. There are also plenty of partisans trying to make hay of the whole thing to score political points. It’s all so “boring.” And yet, even those who are “so over it already” can’t stop talking about it. It really did hit a nerve. There must be some significance to it all if it got polite Canadians this unusually excited. I’m interested in why that is.

On the surface of it, politicians were just playing political games. Trudeau took an idea right out of Harper’s play-book and tried to ram through some legislation by limiting debate. In response, the NDP used the same delay tactics they used against Harper when Conservatives pulled the same stunt. “Childish,” say some. Maybe, though no progressives were saying that when the NDP was delaying Harper from ramming through legislation without due process. In any case, there’s nothing that justifies what happened next. Trudeau didn’t respond like a child, but like a bully. He couldn’t ram through his legislation so he took it upon himself to ram through people, swear at them, grab one colleague, and incidentally elbow another. Then a lot of Canadians responded in kind to defend the bully and reserve the bulk of backlash for the woman who got hit.

Wow.

A lot of people have tried to minimize what happened, but no excuse matters. It doesn’t matter that the “collateral damage” was an accident – the swearing and grabbing certainly wasn’t “unintentional.” It doesn’t matter that opposition parties “provoked him” by responding to government tactics with opposition tactics. It doesn’t matter “who started it,” or that there’s more contact in a hockey game or on a bus (really, though? people regularly see people grabbing and dragging people on buses?).

In any case, Trudeau wasn’t riding public transit – he has a chauffeur for that. He isn’t playing a contact sport. He’s not a kid in a school yard. This was the Prime Minister of Canada channeling the petulance of Jean Chretien, Rob Ford, and his father, Trudeau the First. Trudeau the Second rammed through people at work to deliver a Shawinigan Handshake to the Opposition Whip and yell “fuddle-duddle” at colleagues while elbowing a woman in the process. People have lost their jobs for less – verbal harassment without any physical contact has been enough to get people fired from six figure salaries (remember that guy at Hydro One?). There’s no excuse for any of this behaviour at a workplace, especially Parliament.

Not even the minimizing metaphors hold up. There are still “holding” and “elbowing” penalties in hockey. No one is allowed to grab and pull passengers on a crowded bus. School yard kids get suspended or expelled for bullying. Trudeau should know this already. He was a teacher, after all. But people seem to forget he was also a bouncer. Maybe what really upsets his defenders is that he acted more like a bull in a china shop than someone teaching the sunny ways of democracy.

The illusion is over. The sun has set. It’s clear for all who didn’t know already that our PM has a stormy side. He thundered across the floor and shocked more than a few MPs. He made it strikingly obvious to the nation that no amount of personal branding hides the fact that he has a bullying side. He needs to deal with his rage. And since he’s our Prime Minister, we also need to deal with him.

But he said “sorry.” Yeah, he also said “sorry” the morning before the incident. Heck, even Stephen Harper got emotional and said “sorry” to First Nations in an even more epic and widely televised apology.

What do any of these apologies mean if Prime Ministers can try to ram through legislation – physically now – without respect for democratic debate?

But who cares about Trudeau’s “collateral damage” from the policies he’s ramming through? None of it’s “intentional.” Who cares about the “collateral damage” to democracy and human rights from Trudeau’s arms deal with Saudi Arabia, or his continued support for the draconian law that came out of C-51, or his stacking the deck against proportional representation? Who cares about the “collateral damage” to workers from his support for the Trans Pacific Partnership? Who cares about the “collateral damage” to Indigenous sovereignty and the environment when he approves more oil production and pipelines?

These things are just so “boring,” ammiright?

Apparently, we should just “get over it” because the PM’s not “intentionally” hurting anyone. A charming teacher would never do anything harmful on purpose because he’s Just So Nice.

Or, maybe, the former bouncer can be a bit of a bully sometimes. Maybe that’s why he rams through people and policies, and doesn’t care who gets hurt in the process – the apologies only come after when his image is at stake. But now that more of us know he has a bullying side, maybe we won’t wait for a future Prime Minister to say “sorry” for trampling over human rights, workers, and the environment. Maybe more people will do something about it now. Maybe that’s what’s at stake beneath it all, and why Trudeau’s bulldozing contempt for democracy actually matters.

This post first appeared on the new leftist online blog & forum whatisleftdotnet  and is reprinted here with permission.

Simon Dougherty is a former NDP candidate from Scarborough, Ontario. The son of Irish and Slovenian immigrants, he worked in trades and senior care like his parents, and then in education before graduating from York University. Simon has also done work in community organizing and videography. He is currently conducting doctoral research at ACU’s Institute for Social Justice in Sydney, Australia.

See also: At what cost power -- Whither the NDP & Leap?

See also: Ontario's poverty gap puts the lie to Wynne's 'social justice' pretensions

Do you have a left point-of-view or opinion, a recipe or a story you want to share?


Send them to The Left Chapter via theleftchapter@outlook.com!

March: Mulcair, Tory, Bill C-51 & more - The month on The Left Chapter in review

From "42-2: John Tory, Toronto City Council and the austerity consensus"

March was a busy month with 34 posts of various kinds on The Left Chapter.

Here are the top five posts, in terms of hits, for the month of March:



Top Posts

1) 42-2: John Tory, Toronto City Council and the austerity consensus:

"Remember how, during last year's municipal election in Toronto, supporters of Olivia Chow and progressive activists and organizations warned that John Tory, were he to be elected as Mayor of Toronto, would simply be a more effective version of Rob Ford?"

Read more! 

2) Keep the progressive announcements coming, Tom: An open letter to the Leader of the NDP (by Simon Dougherty) 

"Dear Tom,


It’s been great to hear you’ll pull Canadian troops from Iraq if elected. Also, having a Prime Minister who’ll take from the rich and give to the poor will be a great relief to Canadians struggling with record levels of inequality."

Read more!

3) Rabble's Karl Nerenberg is wrong: Repealing and amending Bill C-51 are not at all the same thing

"Writing on rabble.ca Karl Nerenberg makes an unconvincing case, in response to a piece I had written, that NDP Leader Tom Mulcair and his party's stance that states that they will "amend" or "change" Bill C-51 is basically the same as Elizabeth May's stance that she will "repeal" it."

Read more! 

4) Harper, Mulcair, May & Trudeau: They all support the "Tribute to Liberty"

"Lately we have been hearing some loud "protest" from New Democrat,  Liberal and Green partisans and hacks sharing articles and statements online critical of and denouncing the hideous and absurd memorial for the "victims of communism" the Harper government has planned for Ottawa.

There is a large irony to this."

Read More!

5) Is NDP MP Randall Garrison right that Tom Mulcair will repeal Bill C-51?

"As many are aware, there has been something of a controversy on the left as to whether or not the NDP is committed to fundamentally scrapping Bill C-51 as opposed to, as the Trudeau Liberals are, seeking to "improve" or change it through amendments."

Read More! 

As none of the food or Leftist Throwback Thursday blogs made the top five (though these two came very close), we also include links to the top two of those:

Egg and Cheese Oven Bake with Vegetables or Meat (or both!)

Laxer, Lewis and Watkins sitting in a tree!: Leftist Throwback Thursday

Do you have a left point-of-view or opinion, a recipe or a story you want to share?

Send them to The Left Chapter via theleftchapter@outlook.com!

Keep the progressive announcements coming, Tom: An open letter to the Leader of the NDP

An Open Letter by Simon Dougherty

Dear Tom,

It’s been great to hear you’ll pull Canadian troops from Iraq if elected. Also, having a Prime Minister who’ll take from the rich and give to the poor will be a great relief to Canadians struggling with record levels of inequality.

These progressive announcements are important pieces of the “compelling new alternative” Jack Layton left for New Democrats to build. As you roll out more announcements in the months before the election, Canadians will “give them a careful hearing; consider the alternatives -- and consider that we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together.”

People are listening and ready to build the alternatives; hopeful alternatives that overcome Harper’s politics of fear. Clear alternatives that cut through Trudeau’s mixed-messaging.

Offering clear alternatives to Harper’s war measures and hopeful alternatives to his austerity measures has the Conservatives stalling, the Liberals slipping, and the NDP surging. But there’s still a long way to go before the election; ample time to give a careful hearing to more alternatives and make them even better. Let’s build on the momentum.

Keep the progressive announcements coming, Tom.

Like that $15/day childcare plan to be phased in over eight years -- let’s go even further and make Quebec's $7/day the Canadian standard immediately. Then, let’s phase in a free and universal program like other countries around the world.

Like that $15/h minimum wage pledge -- let’s make it universal upon election, not just for a small number of federal workers in 2019. American cities like Seattle and Portland are showing $15/h can be achieved right now. Australia passed that threshold five years ago and is on track to hit $19/h in 2019. While strong minimum wages are being put in place, let’s secure living wages with a Guaranteed Annual Income program, like the successful "Mincome" experiment in Dauphin, Manitoba.

Like closing tax loopholes on CEOs  -- recovering $700 million is a good start. Let’s recover another $31 billion by uniting against austerity with Quebec’s second wave of the “Maple Spring.” The World Bank, IMF and OECD admit that inequality is killing growth. Let’s implement a comprehensive set of progressive tax reforms as outlined by Linda McQuaig, the Broadbent Institute and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Uruguay has utilized progressive taxes to achieve the greatest income equality in a region that has seen 16 of 18 countries successfully reduce inequality.

Like the urban agenda you introduced in Toronto and Vancouver -- let’s make clear commitments to affordable housing and start moving towards free public transit. Many medium-sized cities across Europe and the Americas have made the transition, already. Cities as large as Paris have experimented with the idea.

Like your rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline and all your talk about “sustainable development” -- let’s reject the Energy East pipeline and develop a transition plan to 100% renewable energy by 2035 as Canadian researchers have shown is possible. Costa Rica has already been powering itself on 100% renewable energy for the last 75 days.

Like your promise to establish a national inquiry into Murdered and Missing Aboriginal Women -- let’s build on that by honouring Treaty, respecting Aboriginal sovereignty, working in solidarity with Idle No More, and developing people-to-people partnerships as Canada was supposed to be doing from the start. Consider allotted seats for Aboriginal representation, as is done in New Zealand.

Like that promise to bring in Proportional Representation -- let’s join President Obama in advocating the idea of mandatory voting. Democracy is the NDP’s middle name, and many democracies, from Australia to Greece, already have compulsory voting.

Like your opposition to Bill C-51 -- let’s fully repeal it once in power. Repealing attacks on civil liberties is better than amending attacks on civil liberties. Tommy Douglas unequivocally opposed Pierre Trudeau's War Measures Act, and the same must be done with Harper’s ‘Secret Police’ Bill.

Like your promise to return the retirement age to 65 from 67 -- while we’re making sure Canadians can access the pensions they have earned, let’s make sure they can also access education and prescription drugs when they need them. A universal pharmacare program would save Canada billions. With savings like that we could abolish tuition like Germany and over a dozen other OECD countries.

All of these things have already been accomplished in some place at some time.

Another world is more than possible -- it’s actual. Don't let them tell you it can’t be done!

People will try to tell you that you have no choice but to vote for more of the same. More wars. More oil pipelines. More breaks for mining companies. More small business tax cuts. More corporate ‘free’ trade deals. But you do have a choice, Tom. It’s time to keep the focus where it belongs -- on helping Canadians with living wages, affordable homes, universal childcare and pharmacare, free tuition, public transit, a clean environment, a fair electoral system, the protection of civil liberties, the rejection of austerity, and justice for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis.

C'mon, Tom—together, we can do this.



Simon Dougherty is a former NDP candidate from Scarborough, Ontario. The son of Irish and Slovenian immigrants, he worked in trades and senior care like his parents, and then in education before graduating from York University. Simon has also done work in community organizing and videography. He is currently conducting doctoral research at ACU’s Institute for Social Justice in Sydney, Australia.

Photo via wikimedia commons