Stories by Murray Dobbin
We must begin to curb the power of corporations
The deliberate starvation of government, climate change, grotesque inequality, Dickensian working conditions, environmental degradation, dwindling bio-diversity, the slow (or not so slow) death of the oceans and the creation of the security state on their behalf threaten not only the natural world but our capacity to democratically govern ourselves while maintaining some semblance of civilization.
The final outcome will unfold no matter what Canada does. But unless the Trudeau government gets a grip on reality, Canada will be drawn into this potential catastrophe by virtue of foreign policy positions it has already taken.
There was no hint of discomfort with the blatant conflict of interest integrated into the UNFCCC’s protocols. Instead Canada blithely recognized 'the critical role' of the 'private sector' in supporting climate change action.
As the dust settles we are left to puzzle over why Bill Morneau and Justin Trudeau chose this particular set of tax loopholes to close when there are so many others that would have been politically popular, would have forced the wealthy to defend their indefensible privileges and would have brought in far more revenue.
Instead of busting the myths surrounding these proposals, Easter promotes them. He knows that only those earning over $150,000, the wealthiest seven per cent of Canadians, will be affected. And as for the impact on farmers, there is none: they retain their $1-million capital gains exemption so they can transfer their farms to their children.We have no business being there, we have no lofty goals capable of being achieved, we have no genuine national interest, we are complicit in a senseless daily slaughter and we contribute to the creation of jihadists who want to kill us, not for 'our freedoms' but because we treat them as less than human. We should just get the hell out.
Municipal representatives should be shouting from their rooftops about this assault on their economic and social development authority. Where is the Federation of Canadian Municipalities on this issue—and where have they been all along?
There will be blowback to this military build-up. Young people played a major role in electing Sunny Ways Trudeau, and they have the political clout and passion to put him on notice that this is a deal-breaker. Let’s hope they use it.Author
Will the new leader follow in the footsteps of Mulcair and his political whiz kids and go for the ring or will they decide to reinvent the party as a principled, unabashedly left-wing party eager to actually challenge corporate power?
We tend to forget how Donald Trump got there and the forces that overturned conventional politics in the U.S. 
Is she capable of accepting that Russia has legitimate interests? 
Economic conditions are literally killing people in the United States, and the problem could spread to Canada if nothing is done. 
The Liberal government of Christy Clark is not so much a government as it is an anti-government: contemptuous of both the public good and of the citizens it is supposed to be governing for.
None of these shine any real light on Canada’s continued blanket support for the Netanyahu government. It is being increasingly argued by Israel’s friends that the trajectory of that country today is in fact the biggest threat to Israel’s existence: a one-party state that can be Jewish or democratic, but not both. The survey is critically important because the carte blanche pro-Israeli government policy of the federal government is built on a foundation of untested assumptions about Canadian attitudes.
The greatest weapon the one per cent has is our isolation from each other. And all efforts to defeat neo-liberalism no matter how valiant, inspired, smart or sustained will fail unless they somehow, ultimately contribute to the rebuilding of community.
If economists and politicians actually want to change Canada's economic situation before it descends into full-on dystopia they must, as a UN report recently recommended, “…jettison neoliberal ideology.”
Why any reputable economist would expect a different result from signing CETA is inexplicable—unless you remember that it’s all about faith. Beginning with the original Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, its promoters saw it as a leap of faith.
Canada is not the U.S. and, fortunately for our arrogant elites, we are less likely to rise up in populist anger and shake the system to its core.
There are signs that this pernicious neoliberal edifice is being challenged worldwide and even by its traditional defenders. But it won’t die on its own. What better ionic struggle to kill it off than demanding real food for seniors and hospital patients.
Instead of more oil and gas infrastructure (in a world already awash in both) it should itself be 'courageous' and use bold fiscal policy to launch a serious transition away from fossil fuels and at the same time actually take the Paris climate accord seriously. 
All the evidence suggests that global trade is on a long-term downward trend.
The Trudeau government is hell bent on ratifying two massive investment agreements, CETA and the TPP, that will radically undermine Canadian democracy. 
Stoking Russian nationalism at a time when many western and eastern European countries are witnessing the rise of right-wing nationalist sentiment themselves is a recipe for disaster.
Even public warnings from members of the Israeli elite are having no discernible effect on the West's support for Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Once members of the political elite begin to question the high priests of free trade the spell is broken and all sorts of alternative political narratives present themselves.
The stunningly stupid decision to go ahead with a $15-billion sale of light armoured vehicles (LAVs) to Saudi Arabia has the potential to expose Justin Trudeau as a phoney. 
The delegates took a risk in embracing even the watered down version of the manifesto for debate. That risk deserves to be rewarded by those outside the NDP hoping the party will change. Bridging the cultural gap is a two way process and both sides need to commit to it.Justin Trudeau has tied his star to a U.S. president able to take risks as his term comes to an end. And he has told the world 'Canada is back.' What better way to construct his own brand and contrast it with Harper’s record than to acknowledge Canada’s mistaken support for the Libyan intervention as a clear declaration that participation in new military adventures is not on his agenda.
In spite of the fact that by far the biggest concern of critics of the deal is the Investor State Dispute Settlement feature, Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland seems to be either ill-informed or misled about its impact.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau believes he can have it both ways: tinker a bit with some neo-Keynsian policies of intervention but stay in the big boys club and avoid Bay Street condemnation by signing the TPP. Unfortunately it simply doesn’t work that way.
IRV is a system that favours parties who are able to lay claim to the ideological middle ground. That is, with a preferential ballot, where voters’ second choices determine the outcome in most ridings, the centrist party can garner second choice votes from both the right and left wing parties—as the Liberals clearly did in October’s vote.Politics This Morning
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