July 2017 Socialist.Ca $65 BILLION WASTED NDP Left Shift? Ritch Whyman on How Leadership Bid Can Open Space for Movements Page 2
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Oil workers: No is Not Enough – a radical history the anti-Trump guide PAGES 4-5 PAGE 7 Photo: Kourosh Keshiri $2 | No 594 | July 2017 socialist.ca $65 BILLION WASTED NDP left shift? Ritch Whyman on how leadership bid can open space for movements Page 2 Stop the hate Carolyn Egan on unions opposing Islamophobia Page 5 Trump says ‘jump’ – PM Trudeau answers ‘how high?’ as Canada massively increases defence spending. Right-wing, with dimples John Bell on new Tory leader Andrew Scheer STOP THE Page 7 Trump climate Brian Champ looks at impact of US leaving Paris Climate Accord LIBERAL Page 3 Electric cars Sam Connolly on why they are not a climate fix Page 2 WARhe federal Liberal government has da’s shame thatBINGE they have decided to prioritize year. This plan would also create 30,000 jobs have decided to continue the Harper govern- announced a massive increase in mil- weapons of war rather than take care of the each year. ment’s plan to decrease health transfer spending itary spending over the next decade. basic needs of First Nations. Liberals claim the money will be used to by $36 billion over the same period as the mili- T They plan to increase spending by a Why do they want to spend so much on defend the country in an increasingly hostile tary spending increases. total of $65 billion, with yearly spending up war? According to Minister of Foreign Affairs world. The world is hostile, not because of too And what of a planned pharmacare program from the current $20 billion to $36 billion. Chrystia Freeland and Minister of Defence Har- little defence spending but because of the bru- or money for subsidized daycare? These pro- It seems that whenever we need money for jit Sajjan, the Liberals want to project Canadi- tal wars started by western countries. It’s like grams would have an immediate and beneficial things human beings actually need, the cup- an leadership on the world stage. If they were saying that the best way to put out this fire is to impact on the health and wellbeing of the peo- board is bare. But when our government wants serious about that leadership, they would use pour some more gas on it. ple. Instead, the Liberals want armed drones to go to war, the money is always available. this money to meet and exceed Canada’s green- The last thing the world needs is more weap- that can assassinate people on the other side of There are currently 150 indigenous commu- house gas emission targets. onry in the hands of the imperial powers. In the world. nities without clean drinking water. Millions of According to Greenpeace, it would cost Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Libya the main Austerity and war go hand in hand. As long dollars promised to support indigenous children $15,000 to retrofit an individual building to reason for the ongoing chaos is that the US and as money goes to militarism, it will not be used have not been released, despite many court make it more energy efficient. For $1.5 bil- its allies have obliterated the countries. to benefit humanity. It’s time to tell the Liberals rulings that the Liberals do so. It is to Cana- lion, we could retrofit 100,000 buildings a And what of health spending? The Liberals to cancel the money for war. FEDERAL NDP LEADERSHIP Electric cars are no cure Tap into bitterness of 99% for climate by Ritch Whyman ith three months left in the federal crisis New Democratic Party leadership race questions are being asked as by Sam Connolly Wto why it hasn’t sparked any boost to the party in either polls or a swell in grass- Bad news: Donald Trump is pulling roots interest. the United States out of the Paris The NDP languishes at 15% support in the agreement, one of the largest polls. Yet the terrain is favourable to a party icebergs is about to break off of that is seen as fighting for the working class, Antarctica, and electric cars are that reaches out and taps into the bitterness just one more detour to climate and anger of the 99%. catastrophe. Instead the most remarkable part of the When electric cars leave the leadership race to date has been that it hasn’t manufacturer, they are the cause of generated much interest beyond the political significantly more CO2 emissions than commentariat and party members themselves. a gasoline powered car. This is due The public debates haven’t produced a clear the production of the battery, which is frontrunner, although two candidates, Peter essentially the gas tank of an electric Julian from BC and Niki Ashton from Manito- car. These lithium-ion batteries often ba, have pushed the debate to the left. used in electric cars are energy In the Toronto debate, Ashton deepened her intensive to produce. reputation as the most left candidate and the Additionally, the raw materials for one most open to linking up with struggles these batteries are largely mined, outside of parliament. Her references to Cor- causing the other ground and water byn and Sanders received large applause. She pollution associated with mining. is calling for a platform against austerity and NDP leadership campaign: the only space to move is to the left. There is potential for recycling of these against attempts to privatize services. battery materials, though it is currently The one province where the NDP tried to This means that the campaigns are tightly more expensive than mining new Provincial NDP governments take a page out of the Corbyn playbook was controlled and not based on mobilising and materials. The fortunes of the NDP federally have al- in Nova Scotia, where Gary Burrill won the raising expectations but by showing how “re- CO2 production by electric cars ways been linked to the track records of leadership on a platform to move the NDP to sponsible” the NDP will be in government. depends most on how the electricity their provincial counterparts. The excitement the left. In the provincial election, the NDP The whole history of the NDP in power has it uses is produced. In areas where around Rachel Notley defeating the Tories in was able to gain seats and defeat some leading been one of, at best, dashed hopes and, at electricity is coal-based, electric Alberta on a platform that promoted a $15 Liberals. worst, open attacks on workers and the poor. cars are no better than gasoline minimum wage has given way to demoralisa- Even in opposition the NDP seeks to con- powered cars. For Canada, the lifetime tion as the Alberta NDP supports the growth Need to move left tain and channel opposition into parliamentary production of CO2 by electric cars of the tar sands and hugely unpopular pipe- It should be clear to the NDP leadership that debates. This was seen when the NDP was is lower only in British Columbia, lines. there is no room in the centre, the only space prepared to drop its opposition to the war in Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. In Manitoba the NDP lost badly after intro- to move is to the left. Afghanistan for a few cabinet positions in a In addition to their higher production ducing an increase to the provincial sales tax So why aren’t the leadership campaign or minority government with the Liberals. of CO2 in manufacturing, electric rather than taxing the wealthy. In Saskatche- the various provincial parties moving left as It is based on the wrong assumption that cars don’t last as long as traditional wan the NDP has been in disarray and unable has been shown to work elsewhere? The prob- power lies in parliament not in the workplace cars. Most gasoline cars will last for to take advantage of the corruption scandals of lem is the very nature of Social Democratic or the street. However, a quick look at most of 320,000km, whereas electric car the right wing Saskatchewan party. parties. the reforms that have made gains for working batteries last half as long—or around In Ontario the NDP polls well behind the Firstly, the various swings to the left and people have come not from parliamentary mo- 160,000km. Though the battery can Tories, who have captured the anger over for more activist parties haven’t been done tions but from struggles outside of parliament. be replaced, it is a major source of Hydro costs. The party has been outflanked, through the “official channels” of the parties. But a shift to the left by the NDP can help CO2 production. again, to the left by the ruling Liberals who In the UK, Corbyn relied on his years of being create openings for the left both in and out of In the best-case scenario, an have just introduced sweeping labour law re- linked to the anti-war and anti-racist move- the NDP. That is why it is important to push electric car will produce half the CO2 form. Unfortunately the NDP has done little to ments, and he linked his campaign to struggles for the leadership campaign to break out of the emissions of a regular gasoline car. relate to or organise around the anger at Hydro outside of the Labour party. constraints of the party brass. This is with the use of only electricity bills and Liberal corruption. Secondly, any campaign that is contained Candidates should seek to replicate the suc- generated by renewable energy and The only beacon of hope this year was that by the NDP party leadership will reflect the cess of Corbyn by moving beyond these con- when having the cars for comparable the BC NDP could defeat the right wing Liber- parliamentary logic that the main objective is straints, reaching out to those beyond the party time.