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Conservatism Populism and Crisis CANADIAN CENTRE FOR POLICY ALTERNATIVES CENTRE FOR POLICY CANADIAN 2019 JULY/AUGUST Contributors

Ricardo Acuña is Executive Shane Gunster teaches in the Caroline Orr is a research Director of the Parkland School of Communication analyst and reporter with Institute at the University of at Simon Fraser University National Observer, where she Alberta and sits on the CCPA and is a research associate leads the online magazine’s Vol. 26, No. 2 Members’ Council. with the CCPA. His research coverage of disinformation ISSN 1198-497X focuses on media and and the rise of hate in Greg Albo teaches political Canada Post Publication 40009942 advocacy communications Canada. economy at York University Monitor related to the politics of The is published six times in Toronto. His recent Randy Robinson is Director of a year by the Canadian Centre for energy and climate. His publications include Divided the CCPA-Ontario. Policy Alternatives. latest co-authored book is Province: Ontario Politics Journalism and Climate Crisis: Paul Saurette is a professor in The opinions expressed in the in the Age of Neoliberalism Monitor are those of the authors Public Engagement, Media the School of Political Studies (McGill-Queen's University and do not necessarily reflect Alternatives (Routledge, at the University of Ottawa Press), A World Turned Upside the views of the CCPA. 2017). where he researches a wide Down? Socialist Register variety of topics including Please send feedback to 2019 (Monthly Review Press), Shauna MacKinnon is [email protected]. ideology, rhetoric, political and Class, Party, Revolution Associate Professor at the communication and ethics. Editor: Stuart Trew (Haymarket Books). University of Winnipeg’s His most recent book (with Senior Designer: Tim Scarth Urban and Inner City Layout: Susan Purtell Mohammad Akbar is Kelly Gordon) is The Changing Program. Editorial Board: Alyssa O’Dell, Director of Communications Voice of the Anti-Abortion Shannon Daub, Katie Raso, Erika at the Graduate Students’ Michaela Mayer is the Movement: The Rise of Pro- Shaker, Rick Telfer Association at Carleton Montreal-based Editorial Co- Woman Rhetoric in Canada Contributing Writers: University. Originally from ordinator for the Voices-Voix and the United States (UTP HELP US SHED LIGHT ON THE Lynne Fernandez, Elaine Hughes, Windsor, Ontario, Mohammad Coalition. 2016). Asad Ismi is a long-time advocate for Robert Neubauer is a Claude Vaillancourt is a CCPA National Office: social justice and equity and postdoctoral fellow in the novelist and essayist living in 141 Laurier Avenue W, Suite 1000 has worked on labour and ISSUES THAT MATTER TO YOU. Department of Sociology Montreal. He is the president Ottawa, ON K1P 5J3 post-secondary issues for at the University of of ATTAC-Québec and newly Tel: 613-563-1341 nearly a decade. Fax: 613-233-1458 Victoria. He researches the appointed co-ordinator of (we’ve got some bright ideas) [email protected] Roxanne Dubois is a Toronto- institutional networks and the Réseau québécois sur www.policyalternatives.ca based labour activist, Franco- communications strategies l’intégration continentale. CCPA BC Office: Ontarian and writer. She of civil society groups active 520-700 West Pender Street spends most of her time in environmental and energy Vancouver, BC V6C 1G8 organizing, educating and politics. Tel: 604-801-5121 Tax receipts are issued for contributions of $15 or more. activating union members, MAKE A DONATION Fax: 604-801-5122 Alyssa O’Dell is Media and young people and precarious [email protected] Public Relations Officer with workers. CCPA Manitoba Office: the CCPA. 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52 / 12-50 Asad Ismi Greg Albo Greg Simon Enoch Simon Caroline Orr Caroline POPULISM Alyssa O’Dell Alyssa Paul SaurettePaul Ricardo Acuña Shane Gunster Michaela Mayer Michaela Randy Robinson Randy Roxanne Dubois Roxanne Mohammad Akbar Mohammad Saskatchewan’s Saskatchewan’s AND CRISIS Gordon A.Bailey Gordon Lynne Fernandez Lynne Robert Neubauer Robert Kenney’s enemies Kenney’s climate strategy climate Facts versus fear versus Facts Sabotaging Ontario Sabotaging Civil disobedience disobedience Civil Claude Vaillancourt Claude Extractive populism CONSERVATISM, and Shauna MacKinnon Shauna and less-than-effective less-than-effective shifts into high gear high into shifts Far-right extremists extremists Far-right and the future of Canada The Pallister government government Pallister The Hard right turn in Ontario centre-right of attention of centre-right Ontario brings anti-union anti-union brings Ontario François Legault, Quebec’s Quebec’s François Legault, For an ecological populism in the time of Trans of Mountain time the in Politics of light and shadows Populism as good storytelling good Populism as Bolsonaro’s clearcut populism Bolsonaro’s fight to post-secondary education post-secondary fight to rebrand to evade social media bans Protecting our freedom disagree Protecting our to Good News Page |

30 Index |

5 Up Front |

4 New From the CCPA |

3 Letters |

2 Editorial

CONTENTS From the Editor

STUART TREW Pipeline populism

T HAS BEEN pointed out many times opportunity as an unfortunate but newly minted Premier of Alberta was that Canada is addicted to oil. Like inevitable result of globalization. to set up a “war room” to attack the all addictions, ours is debilitating. It Some of these new voices want to “foreign-funded radicals” opposed to Ihas erased the line between state and build a more equal society. Most of new pipelines—and the tar sands ex- private industry (thin as that line is, them, however, blame immigrants, pansion they would facilitate. Ricardo in general, in most countries), stifles Indigenous peoples, LGBTQ2+, and Acuña (pg. 19) puts Kenney’s strategy in our politics, and is holding back local, “foreign funded” rights advocates (pg. historical context, as the latest example provincial and national preparations 38) for the crisis, then direct popular of an Alberta government posing as for a world without fossil fuels. Crude outrage toward even more socially and the victim of eastern elites. If Kenney oil makes up about a fifth of Canadian economically destructive policies. is special, it is only for outdoing his exports ($97 billion in 2017), puts $15 In Canada, an upswing in conserv- predecessors. Over the course of his billion a year into the public purse, and ative populism fuelled by sitting and Progressive Conservative and then directly or indirectly employs hun- aspiring politicians is being aimed UCP leadership bids, writes Acuña, dreds of thousands of people. Curing squarely at anyone who would get in “Kenney laid the groundwork for direct- our addiction to oil and gas will take the way of new fossil fuel infrastruc- ing Albertans’ anger and frustration…at time and money, and historic levels ture. Populist rhetoric has also been a rogue’s gallery of alleged miscreants.” of Indigenous–federal–provincial used provincially to justify defunding Former premier Rachel Notley, current co-operation, but it absolutely has to social programs and services designed B.C. Premier John Horgan, Prime Min- happen—starting now. to fight poverty and inequality (pages ister Justin Trudeau, and HSBC, one Instead, Canada remains trapped in 22, 27 and 28-29), and to deplete public of Europe’s largest banks, are all on a pseudo-constitutional fight over new tax revenues that new governments Kenney’s growing enemies list. pipelines. “Blue Wave” premiers from could use to re-invest in the future If we zoom out a little, extractive Alberta to New Brunswick, despite (page 34). We begin our special issue populism seems like a nice problem their recent experiences with climate on these trends with Shane Gunster’s to have. In other parts of the world change–related flooding, droughts and examination (page 13) of the links (Europe, India, Brazil and the United wildfires, are adamant: the “national between “extractive populism” and States, for example) right-wing pop- interest” aligns with the profitability more virulent nationalist, misogynist ulist politicians have struck overt of Canada’s largely foreign-owned fos- and anti-immigrant sentiments that, alliances with national supremacist sil fuel sector—not the global need to he writes, “are morally licensed by the groups demanding the expulsion, or halve greenhouse gas emissions by as routine condemnation of environmen- worse, of perceived religious, ethnic or early as 2030. This rhetorical posture is talists as traitors to their country.” political enemies. In Canada, the rhe- a strategy of governance, with strong Paul Saurette explains why populist torical strategy, at least as deployed by partisan overtones, as much as it is narratives are so successful, and why Kenney and gang, looks mostly like life a sign of how much power natural progressives needn’t flinch at the support for an embattled oil industry, resource companies wield in this thought of using their own to drive a positive sign the public is souring on country. The Trudeau government has support for climate policies (page oil and gas. Unfortunately, right-wing re-approved the Trans Mountain pipe- 16). “Even ancient philosophers who populism, by preying on people’s fears line expansion, after all. But provincial treated the political realm with rela- (of immigrants in particular), risks complaints that this is not enough are tive disdain…understood that rhetoric unleashing forces that will be harder resonating with the public. was an inextricable part of democratic to control. Climate change is the nuclear war politics,” he writes. Robert Neubauer At heart, populism is meant to be of our age. It is creating widespread finds examples of a successful “eco- about governing for the people—about anxiety, especially among workers logical populism” uniting Indigenous listening to them and accommodating who, for good reasons, hear “transi- communities and environmental their interests in policy. That sounds tion” and see only a jobless future groups against a common threat to like what politicians should be doing for themselves and their children. their communities from the “elite” as a reflex in a healthy democracy. We Populist candidates—and govern- financial CEOs and “Texas oil billion- can even envision a popular approach ments—promising to fight back aires” backing TMX (page 25). to meeting the climate crisis that against the “elites” holding us hostage The undisputed leader of the ex- brings people together to cure our are globally besting traditional parties tractive-populist reaction is former addiction to fossil fuels, and that lays from left to right that have blithely Harper government cabinet member the foundation for a more prosperous accepted inequality and declining Jason Kenney. His first priority as future for everyone. M 2 destruction of natural jail, and refusing to recant, to which a “solution” is landscapes. A vegetarian was burned alive at the waiting to be found. diet would require plough- stake in 1415. T Murray Reiss, ing up more of the scarce Seems to me that Wilson- Salt Spring Island, and diminishing prairie. Raybould, honourable and British Columbia Realists should try to look courageous as Hus, but in at the whole picture. the Indigenous tradition of a strong woman, was dealt Charmaine Wood, with in the modern version Correction Irvine, Alberta of death by fire, namely Leers lies, slander, and dismissal. That’s proof that we have Heresy advanced a bit from 15th on the Hill century Europe: she has the opportunity to continue Meat and veg For some reason, as I will her courageous ways in the try to explain, the deferred future, for the benefit of all The article on sustainable prosecution agreements Canadians. I wish her all the eating in your March/April (DPAs) remind me of best of luck! issue (“Food for thought mediaeval indulgences in Eva Lyman, West Vancouver, from the EAT-Lancet the days when the Vatican In the May/June issue, a British Columbia Commission) is an example in effect ruled much of review of the new book of contradictory thinking Europe, as via the Holy on economic planning by typical of those who believe Roman Empire (“Deferred Michal Rozworski and Leigh they have the answers. prosecution agreements, More than solutions Phillips mistakenly omitted As an animal welfare or get out of jail for a fee,” the book’s title: The People’s sympathizer, I have no May/June 2019). I’m writing not to argue the Republic of Walmart: problem with the promo- Here is the benefit of details of carbon pricing How the World’s Biggest tion of vegetarian eating. I indulgences that is remi- with Marc Lee (“Carbon Corporations are Laying the also accept the evidence niscent of a DPA: If a king pricing: Prospects and pro- Foundation for Socialism of its health benefits. or wealthy nobleman paid tests,” March/April 2019), (Verso). We thank Larry However, the assertion that a large sum to the Vatican but to take issue with one Kuehn for pointing out meat production takes up coffers, he was guaranteed word in the first sentence the error, which has been too much valuable agricul- that God would forgive of his last paragraph—the fixed in the PDF version of tural land is a truth known him his future sins. An old word “solution.” As in the Monitor on the CCPA only in lush crop-growing version of the “get out of “Carbon pricing can be website. districts like eastern jail free” card, except in this one part of the solution Ontario, where the author case it was better—it let on climate change, but it lives. The western reality is you avoid eternal hellfire. may well be more effective that a lot of marginal land Around the year 1400 to lean on regulation and is unfit for cropping due there was a Czech reform standards.” largely to rough, uneven preacher by the name of Climate change, or, more topography or drought, and Jan Hus who took excep- accurately, anthropogenic except for preserving it in tion to this. “How can you climate disruption, is its natural state, its best bribe God?” he thundered a cascading series of use is livestock grazing. from his pulpit! Indeed, how increasingly severe Growing more vegetables can you? Doesn’t it sound calamities—droughts would require more water like Jody Wilson-Raybould’s and hurricanes, wildfires for irrigation, and here in stand? I see a definite and floods—whose most southern Alberta the water similarity. catastrophic impacts we resources are already Fortunately for her, she may be able to mitigate to allocated, and global is not likely to meet the some uncertain degree. It warming will not increase same fate. Hus was lured to is also a name for a rapidly the supply. On the other Constance in Switzerland, changing, increasingly hand, much of the livestock on the promise of safe inhospitable planet to watering is done from the passage by none less than which we will have to adapt Send all letters to monitor@ ranchers’ own wells. the Holy Roman Emperor. as best we are able. policyalternatives.ca. We A hue and cry has However, the minute he What it is not, certainly will contact you if we plan been raised about the arrived he was thrown in not anymore, is a “problem” on running your letter. 3 backed a massive fossil operate and maintain as a in recent Canadian free fuel expansion project,” public-private partnership trade deals including CETA concludes Lee. (P3) than it would have cost (with Europe), CUSMA (the as a government- financed proposed NAFTA replace- and delivered, and publicly ment) and the Trans-Pacific Living wage maintained project. Partnership (CPTPP). calculators for 2019 “The advantages often “While, in principle, cited to support P3 devel- international regulatory The CCPA is an annual opments—project delivery co-operation has the poten- New from participant in local living on time and on budget; cost tial to raise standards, the the CCPA wage campaigns across the saving; risk allocation to terms under which this country. The living wage is the private sector; provide co-operation takes place, the amount each person in now, pay later—have little and the ideology behind the a two-parent family of four to recommend them,” GRP agenda, will increase LNG Canada’s sweet deal would need to earn to pay notes author Christopher corporate influence in for necessities, support Majka. “P3s provide either rule-making at the expense The B.C. government the healthy development no advantage or are as of public protections,” says published its fiscal frame- of their children, escape easily achievable through Stuart Trew, Monitor editor work for LNG development severe financial stress traditional government and author of the report on March 25. In his briefing and participate in procurement. Additionally, International Regulatory note on the plan for the the social, civic and the lack of transparency Co-operation and the Corporate Mapping Project, cultural lives of their and accountability sur- Public Good (see Trew’s “A critical look at BC’s new communities. Recently, rounding the P3 model is a article in this issue’s Up tax breaks and subsidies the CCPA-Nova Scotia significant drawback.” Front section). for LNG,” CCPA-BC Senior and CCPA-BC released Majka’s report comes The report examines Economist Marc Lee notes, updated living wages for out as the Nova Scotia several examples of “Overall, the new B.C. St. John’s, Newfoundland government is considering Canada–U.S. co-operation government has offered a and Labrador and Metro bids for another P3 road based on “good regulatory much sweeter deal to the Vancouver, British project—the Sutherland’s practices” that produced LNG industry than what the Columbia. River–Antigonish Highway pretty bad results (e.g., previous government was The living wage in St. 104 expansion—that post–Lac-Mégantic rail willing to extend.” John’s is now $18.85 an could end up costing the reforms and a “tested once” The B.C. framework hour, while it is $19.50 an public $66.6 million more policy for U.S.-produced makes four major conces- hour in Metro Vancouver. in interest payments alone cosmetics). Trew then sions to the LNG Canada Currently, almost 70,000 than had the project been assesses corporate consortium that, Lee workers in Newfoundland funded through government priorities for deregulation argues, will form the basis and Labrador earn less than bonds. Add to this the $52.6 related to food safety, of future deals with LNG $15 an hour, the majority million more in construction genetically modified crops, producers: 1) discounted of them women. For a costs (above what govern- pesticides and the man- electricity prices, a subsidy minimum-wage worker to ment currently pays to build agement of toxic chemicals worth $32–59 million per earn the equivalent of a identical lengths of twinned within CETA’s many bilateral year; 2) exemptions from living wage in St. John’s, highway) and the expansion, regulatory co-operation increases in the B.C. carbon that individual would have done as a P3, becomes working groups. Finally, the tax, worth $62 million per to work at least 58 hours $119.2 million more expen- report recommends ways year; 3) a corporate income a week. Likewise, Metro sive than it needs to be. that international regula- tax break, from 12% to 9%; Vancouver’s living wage tory co-operation could be and 4) deferral of provincial remains much higher put on more democratic, sales taxes on construction, than B.C.’s minimum wage Good co-op, transparent and accounta- “essentially an interest-free ($13.85 as of June). bad co-op ble foundations. loan that does not have to be repaid for more than A new CCPA report co-pub- two decades,” worth $17–21 P3 highways lished with PowerShift million a year. cost Nova Scotia e.V. examines the threat to “A rich province like precautionary environmen- For more reports, B.C.—blessed with a A new report from the tal, consumer, public health commentary and well-educated populace CCPA-Nova Scotia reveals and labour policy arising infographics from the and abundant resources— that the Cobequid Pass Toll from regulatory co-opera- CCPA’s national and could be a true leader on Highway cost $232 million tion and “good regulatory provincial offices, visit climate [but] has instead more to build, finance, practices” (GRP) chapters www.policyalternatives.ca. 4 rules require this step as well as a secret ballot vote, which takes longer, requires more resources and provides a greater opportunity for employer interference in the certification process. The panel tasked with reviewing the B.C. labour code did not reach consensus on the certification issue. While two Up Front of the three panellists ultimately recommended retaining the secret ballot voting system, they did so on the con- dition that there be in place “sufficient measures to ensure the exercise of employee choice is fully protected and BETHANY HASTIE | BRITISH COLUMBIA fully remediated in the event of unlawful interference.” Although the announced amendments include complementary A foundation to protections, such as shortening the length of time for a vote to take place strengthen worker rights? (from 10 days of the application date to five days), they are likely not enough to protect employee choice, particularly he first comprehensive review gradually shifted away from full-time in precarious workplaces where subtle of B.C.’s labour code in over a and full-year jobs toward work in the coercive tactics by an employer can be Tquarter-century has resulted services and technology sectors, easily deployed and difficult to redress. in changes to the law, introduced in which is contributing to the erosion Other provinces allow for card-check the legislature in April, to strengthen of employment rights and protections. certification if a majority of employees protections and collective bargaining Workers in these sectors would benefit show support for unionization, with the rights for workers. In addition to requir- from unionization—to enhance job se- option of holding a secret ballot vote if ing a review of the code every five years, curity and working conditions through there is less than majority support. This these changes will: collective bargaining—but they often optional model provides greater access face difficulty certifying workplaces. to and ease of union certification where Strengthen successorship rights for • Obstacles to unionizing in the private there is demonstrable support (such as workers in identified industries that are sector in B.C. are multifaceted and at 60% in New Brunswick and 65% in vulnerable to contracting out; include the requirement to unionize Manitoba) while also preserving optional • Restrict existing timelines for union by worksite and the two-step certifi- vote procedures where support levels are raids; and cation process, neither of which were lower, typically above 40%. The B.C. gov- addressed in the legislative proposal. ernment ought to revisit this dual model Remove education as an “essential • Certification is a hot-button issue with as it moves ahead with labour law reform. service” in order to reflect the consti- labour advocates who would like to see In addition to maintaining the status tutionally protected right to strike for the return of card-check, the ability to quo on the certification process, the an- unionized workers. apply for certification after enough -em nounced changes are silent on the issues For workers already employed in ployees sign union cards. The current of sectoral certification and bargaining. unionized environments this is good news, and the reforms will strengthen the power and stability of unions in the workplace. For the majority of B.C. workers employed in non-union environments, however, the rights and protections they might seek to benefit from through unionization under the code remain practically out of reach— even though several reforms that would change this were discussed during the review process. Currently, only 15% of employees in the private sector are unionized in B.C. compared with 77% in the public sector. The labour market has also JON BUNTING (FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS) 5 In many sectors that would greatly benefit from increased unionization rates (e.g., retail, food services, hospitality and building services) the requirement to certify a union by individual worksite makes unionization too costly and resource-intensive. Labour advocates have therefore called on the B.C. government to accommodate sectoral organizing and bargaining, which would allow a group of worksites to organize together if they meet certain parameters. The panel reviewing the labour code recommended that the B.C. government examine this issue in greater depth, possibly with an independent commission. The announced changes do extend successorship rights to certain identified industries, which should prevent decertification of a union when part of a business is contracted out or where contracts are retendered. This offers some protection in precarious sectors such as building services, where work- GOVERNMENT OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND ers are already unionized; however, on its own, the extension of successorship HALENA SEIFERLING | BRITISH COLUMBIA rights does not go far enough. Addition- al changes that create more and better access to organizing and certification B.C. child care spending in the first place are needed. Models for sectoral certification and shows the power of good bargaining already exist in Canada. In addition to allowing sectoral certifica- public policy tion and bargaining in the construction, health care and film industries, propos- als to create specific frameworks for n May 1, the Living Wage for climbing every year and the overall cost sectoral certification in underserved Families Campaign released of living is still on an upward trend. industries (like retail) have been put Onew living wage rates for 12 However, B.C.’s recent child care forth in B.C. in the past. B.C. communities. Even though costs investments are reducing out-of-pocket Overall, the amendments to B.C.’s are increasing steeply for rent and other costs for families by thousands of dol- labour code will strengthen existing basic necessities, the cost of living for lars. In Metro Vancouver, the living-wage unions in the province and also lay families with children is lower this year family saves $8,213 on child care expens- the groundwork for improving access thanks to the provincial government’s es—a 45% reduction from 2018. These to unionization in new workplaces. new child care policies. savings come from two programs: the Ultimately, however, the announced The living wage is the hourly amount income-tested Affordable Child Care changes do not, on their own, go far that each of two working parents with Benefit ($7,013) and the universal Child enough to improve access. As a result, two young children must earn to meet Care Fee Reduction Initiative ($1,200). for the vast majority of B.C. workers in their basic needs. It captures the Without B.C.’s new child care spend- non-unionized workplaces (mostly in overall cost of living in a community, ing, the living wage rates would have the private sector), unionization and including both family expenses and increased considerably. For example, coverage rates will likely remain low. Fur- government taxes and transfers. This two parents with two children in Metro ther changes that will increase access year, B.C.’s living wages vary from $14.03 Vancouver would each have had to earn to unionization through certification per hour in the North Central Region to $22.47 an hour in 2019 to cover their rules and collective certification and $19.50 per hour in Metro Vancouver. All basic expenses—a shocking 7.5% bargaining are needed for B.C.’s workers, living wages calculated this year have increase over the 2018 living wage of especially those in precarious sectors. decreased from previous years. $20.91 per hour.

BETHANY HASTIE IS AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR Does this mean it’s now cheaper to This is a win for some B.C. families, AT THE PETER A. ALLARD SCHOOL OF LAW AT THE live in B.C.? Not necessarily. Costs for who for too long have struggled to get UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. housing, food and transportation are by in the midst of a housing crisis, a lack 6 of affordable child care, and a minimum GUILLAUME HEBERT | QUEBEC wage that stagnated for the first decade of this century. With the provincial government’s recent steps in child care, its Quebec’s debt and poverty reduction plan, and its newly introduced amendments to the Employ- borrowing rates are related, ment Standards Act to better protect workers’ rights, a good quality of life is but not in the way you think finally in sight for many families. This year’s living wage calculations show that good policies are having an impact. etween 2010 and 2015, no less extremely interesting, though they are But while the living wages are lower than $20.2 billion in budgetary not the ones the authors want us to in 2019, much still needs to be done. Brestrictions were imposed by focus on. Rent continues to be the most expen- the Quebec government in the hope The study demonstrates that a sive item in the living wage budget and of attaining a zero deficit. During this decrease of one percentage point vacancy rates remain near-prohibitively period, the province increased revenues on the public debt calculated as a low in most B.C. communities. Many by $6.2 billion and cut back spending share of GDP will result in a 0.0005% families struggle with long wait lists by $14 billion. Ironically, we learned reduction of a province’s borrowing for child care spaces, or no accessible in the last provincial budget that the rate. In Quebec’s case, this means that spaces at all, and $10-a-day child care government was planning to generate for every billion dollars reimbursed by is still just a dream for most families. a surplus of $21.1 billion over six years. the government—by cutting public Costs for things such as transporta- Governments focused on striking services—the borrowing rate drops by tion and food will continue to rise. And fiscal balance frequently go way be- 0.0005%. In other words, even though while the minimum wage increased to yond that objective. Nevertheless, the a debt decrease reduces borrowing $13.85 in June, a gap remains between Quebec model borders on the obscene. costs, this reduction is so small that it the minimum wage and the living wage, Media outlets regularly reveal the ad- must be deemed negligible. particularly in high-cost communities verse effects that cuts are having on Let’s take things a step further. Based like Vancouver and Victoria. Moreover, public services. In this context, to say on the IFSD results, we could determine the living wage methodology captures that austerity policies were ill-advised how much the province could save in only one family type. We know that would be a complete understatement. seniors, single people and families with Yet, austerity measures are still younger children or teenagers are still common currency. Last February, experiencing challenges making ends the government’s monthly report on meet. financial transactions, published by The impact of the government’s Quebec’s finance department, stated child care spending this year shows that the 2018–19 surplus now exceeds the power of good public policy to $9.1 billion! This is a massive feat for the improve standards of living. By showing one-year budget of a single Canadian this same commitment in other policy province. areas, particularly housing, food and Quebec’s government is using this transportation, the government can surplus to reduce the province’s debt. ensure that all British Columbians are Apart from the current government’s able to thrive. obsession to do “better than Ontario,”

HALENA SEIFERLING IS THE CAMPAIGN ORGANIZER one of the arguments behind this ini- FOR THE LIVING WAGE FOR FAMILIES CAMPAIGN, tiative concerns borrowing costs. As A PROJECT OF FIRST CALL – BC CHILD AND YOUTH ADVOCACY COALITION. THIS PIECE ORIGINALLY stated in the last budget, “Due to the If the government APPEARED IN THE VANCOUVER SUN. decreased burden of debt, Quebec decided to close benefits from advantageous borrowing costs.” every department Last fall, the Institute of Fiscal Studies and agency, to and Democracy (IFSD) at the University of Ottawa published the results of a focus exclusively study on the impact of fiscal discipline. on paying down its The authors compared provincial debt with that of the federal government debt...borrowing in an attempt, among other things, to costs would determine how debt decreases impact borrowing costs. The conclusions drop by 0.21 we can take away from the study are percentage points. 7 borrowing costs if it eliminated its public debt entirely. If the government decided to close every department and agency, to focus exclusively on paying down its debt (currently $179 billion), it would need 1.9 years to do so. All other factors being equal, how would this feat affect borrowing costs? Borrowing costs would drop by 0.21 percentage points, from 2.39% to 2.1%, a decrease of only 8.9%! In other words, dismantling the whole state (and destroying Quebec’s economy in the process) would have a paltry effect on the borrowing rate, according to IFSD parameters. These numbers demonstrate how STUART TREW | NATIONAL meagre the benefits are of depriving ourselves of public resources that would be a lot better allocated elsewhere. How Canada exports Again, drawing on IFSD parameters, we realize that a rise of the employment deregulation rate has twice the impact on borrowing rates than a contraction of the public debt calculated as a percentage of GDP. egulation. It’s not something many governments think it is completely In other words, it would be wiser for of us have time to think about. normal and logical to regulate with a the government, if it’s looking to have RMost people are busy working, primary focus on trade, “innovation” and an impact on the size of the province’s keeping their household running corporate supply chain efficiency. They debt in relation to the economy, to smoothly and generally living their lives. even have a comically Orwellian name stimulate job creation rather than When we do think about how things are for it, “Good Regulatory Practices.” curtail spending. regulated, it’s usually after something We should be alarmed by this trend Essentially, the data published by terrible has happened: planes drop out in regulatory thinking. In particular, the IFSD reveal another aspect of of the sky; a food product is recalled we should be asking why Canada counterproductive fiscal discipline, after making scores of people sick; is locking in these “good regulatory which pushes governments to stifle trains carrying volatile oil derail and practices” through top-down cabinet public services and reduce program explode; courts confirm that people directives that tie the hands of rank- expenditures. By boosting spending are likely getting cancer from a popular and-file scientists and inspectors, and and public investments and reinforcing agricultural pest management product; in binding free trade agreements like public services, the government would plastic is found clogging the innards of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement also indirectly diminish its borrowing dead whales, or sitting at the deepest (CUSMA), Canada-EU Comprehensive costs. part of the ocean floor, etc., etc. Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), Yet another argument against fiscal In these moments, we recognize Trans-Pacific Partnership and others. conservatism’s creed. that our government watchdogs have

GUILLAUME HÉBERT IS A RESEARCHER WITH slipped up, but likely still assume they L’INSTITUT DE RECHERCHE ET D’INFORMATIONS have the desire and capacity to fix the “Good” for whom? SOCIOÉCONOMIQUES (IRIS). problem by changing the rules for the The long version of why we need to be better. But this isn’t always the case. suspicious of “good regulatory practic- Too often, governments today, including es” (GRP) can be found in my new report, Canada’s, have strange and worrying International Regulatory Co-operation priorities when it comes to how and and the Public Good, published in May when (or even if) to intervene to protect by PowerShift (Germany) and the CCPA. the public or the environment. It’s not that our governments don’t care, it’s just that they spend much Former Mexican president Enrique more time worrying about the impact Pena Nieto, U.S. President Donald of public interest regulation on com- Trump and Prime Minister Justin merce than they do about the impact of Trudeau sign the “New NAFTA” in already too-lightly-regulated commerce Buenos Aires, November 2018. on human health and the planet. Our U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE 8 The short version is that they are actually “bad regulatory practices” that weaken the precautionary principle and are undermining our ability to set strong environmental, worker, public health and consumer Monitored protections. A DIG INTO THE MONITOR ARCHIVES JULY/AUGUST 1999 The basic tenets of this (de)regulatory ideology include a preference for voluntary standards and industry self-regulation over central rules enforced by an accountable public body; requirements to adopt (and Rail barons: Jim Stanford assesses the results of the therefore to trust) the regulations of major trading partners before con- Chrétien government’s privatization of the Canadian sidering new domestic rules; and the use of time-consuming regulatory National Railway (CN) in 1995: “The railroad has become impact or risk assessments to determine whether the proposed rules a profit machine under private ownership, churning are limited to achieving a specific task, are based on available science out a billion-dollar-operating profit in 1998,” he writes. and are not overly burdensome to business—or whether it would be But it did so mainly by cutting jobs “faster than the preferable for government to do nothing. slide in revenues…. Dozens of communities have lost “Good regulatory practices” require governments to provide industry rail service completely, and more than 10,000 workers stakeholders and foreign governments with multiple entry points into have lost well-paying jobs.” Across the economy, writes the regulatory process, again with the commercial interests of major Stanford in his Monitor editorial, the result of increased domestic and foreign-based exporters in mind. To facilitate industry’s productivity was not generally business growth but close involvement in the development of international rules, countries “leaner” companies (i.e., with fewer people earning a are increasingly incorporating regulatory co-operation chapters into living). new free trade deals like CUSMA and CETA. Canada is a global leader in the development of “good regulatory Finance rules: Later in the issue, Stanford writes about practices,” through the OECD and in WTO discussions about how to the “financial juggernaut” rolling through Canada, a lower so-called technical barriers to trade. It is also one of several boom in RRSPs and mutual funds fuelling a jump in pioneers in the use of cross-border working groups, like the Cana- financial assets of almost $2 trillion between 1990 and da-U.S. Regulatory Co-operation Council (RCC) established by former 1997. “A powerful ideology of ‘playing the markets’ has prime minister Stephen Harper and former president Barack Obama in infiltrated every important decision our society now 2011, with the aim of developing compatible regulations that facilitate makes, ranging from how we’ll pay for retirement to trade and get new products—new chemicals or new uses of existing how we finance our mortgages, right down to how we chemicals, new GMOs, new medical devices, pharmaceuticals and educate our children,” notes Stanford, who compares cosmetics, new plastics—onto the market as soon as possible. growth in finance capital (61%), banking profits (101%) As I describe in my report, these tables tend to be dominated by and financial sector salaries (102%) between those industry and corporate lobbyists, with only token representation from years to growth in general employment (6%), average environmental, consumer and other civil society groups. And while disposable income (-7%), GDP (4%) and average salaries some binational RCC decisions have led to benign or positive upward across all industries (18%). harmonization (to higher standards), such as Canada’s decision to The road to Riyadh: Richard Sanders points out that adopt stricter U.S. energy efficiency rules for consumer electronics, arms sales grew significantly under the Chrétien in many other areas regulatory co-operation has had harmful results. government compared to the Mulroney government. For example, according to Canada’s former transport minister Lisa Small arms sales tripled in value, from just above Raitt, responding to a parliamentary study of rail safety after the deadly $8 million in 1994 to more than $23 million in 1997. 2013 Lac-Mégantic disaster, alignment with U.S. rail standards and Jumping to today, Canada has exported about 20,000 procedures happens “with a focus on international trade and com- rifles per year to Saudi Arabia since the start of its war modity movement.” She added that the results of Canada-U.S. RCC in Yemen, according to October 2018 Statistics Canada discussions “have and will inform decisionmaking on subjects such numbers. as tank cars and classification,” and that “it is vital that both countries continue to co-ordinate regulatory and policy actions to the greatest Missed opportunities: The Monitor reprinted a Le degree possible.” Monde commentary by Jacques Attali, in which he While some progress was made to re-regulate the rail transportation argues Western powers were antagonizing Russia into sector under the Obama administration—by requiring two-person a permanent stance of hostility, risking the security of crews and electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) braking systems Europe and an escalation of a new arms race. “Instead on all trains carrying high-hazard liquids, for example—the current U.S. of realizing that nothing could be more dangerous administration is rolling back these reforms. In the case of ECP brakes, than allowing a Slav front to re-form in the heart of which could have stopped the Lac-Mégantic derailment had they been Europe, instead of asking the Russians to help the in place, the Trump administration has cited a badly miscalculated allies force President Milosovic to give ground, instead cost-benefit analysis (a cornerstone of “good regulatory practices”) as of involving them in the West’s decisions through the justification for not burdening the rail industry with new rules. United Nations Security Council or the G7 group of As Bruce Campbell, author of The Lac-Mégantic Rail Disaster: Public industrialized nations, the United States has made Betrayal, Justice Denied, told me while I was researching my report, it clear to them that they should keep their mouths Canadian regulators continue to hide behind pressure to align with the shut and not interfere if they want to continue getting U.S. as an excuse for not moving more forcefully to remove faulty rail financial aid.” 9 WORTH REPEATING cars, insisting on the highest standards would like Canada and Mexico to for all present and future shipments ratify the deal as quickly as possible, of volatile goods, and setting a higher to put pressure on House Democrats standard of labour protections that to follow suit. might have raised poor North American The speed with which that happens, working conditions to levels where at least in Canada, may depend to some they would truly help us avoid such extent on how seriously opposition par- disasters. ties want to challenge the government The same dynamics were there for all on the NAFTA replacement. I think RECLAIMING to see in Canada’s late reaction to the there is a lot to challenge in the deal’s POWER two recent crashes of Boeing aircraft “Good Regulatory Practices” chapter. AND PLACE (we didn’t ground the planes until “A potential problem with regulatory Trump did). Canada and the U.S. have co-operation and ‘good regulatory prac- also launched a “tested once” project tices’ in trade agreements is that their

THE FINAL REPORT OF THE NATIONAL INQUIRY for cosmetics, one of the most poorly effects are likely to be subtle, affecting INTO MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS regulated consumer products in the the behind the scenes regulatory pro- WOMEN AND GIRLS U.S. Our labelling regime for hazardous cess rather than making headlines,” Volume 1a goods in transit is also in the course of says Dr. Gabriel Siles-Brügge, policy being weakened—despite the risks to advisor to the European Public Health workers in the warehousing, manufac- Alliance (EPHA). “They can strengthen turing and transportation sectors—for the hands of those who wish to ‘cut red the sake of creating a harmonized tape’ for businesses, which can come North American system. at the expense of public interest reg- This process has changed me The downward pressure on public ulation, including in the area of public forever. For two years we went to the protections runs both ways, accord- health.” darkest places where the pain and ing to Sharon Treat of the Institute for Monique Goyens, director general of hurt still lives. The National Inquiry Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), Europe’s largest consumer advocacy has uncovered failure after failure who notes that in the U.S., “corporate network, BEUC, says this is a pretty in protecting the lives and rights lobbyists aren’t waiting for ratification good reason why “[a] trade agreement of Indigenous women, girls, and of the New NAFTA to attempt to use its is not the appropriate tool to define 2SLGBTQQIA people. It is a system regulatory co-operation provisions to how our decision-making processes that, at its core, aims to destroy and eliminate port of entry inspections of such as impact assessments or legis- pull families apart. Our reality is that imported meat, prevent hazard labeling lative reviews should be conducted.” we are watching the slow, painful of explosive grain dust or weaken con- Trade deals routinely limit how we destruction of Indigenous Peoples… trols of ozone-depleting gasses that regulate in specific areas, as NAFTA We all had moments of wanting to contribute to climate change.” did for energy, telecommunications, quit when things got too painful. In At a December 2018 RCC stake- services, finance, foreign investment, these moments of doubt we tried to holder event in Washington, D.C., etc. In fact, they include far more rules stay focused and remind each other Mick Mulvaney, director of the U.S. on how governments make policy and why we were doing this—and for Office of Management and Budget, regulations than they do on trade and whom. We are doing this for the sons praised the potential of Canada-U.S. tariffs. The CUSMA goes even further and daughters of future generations, regulatory co-operation to enhance the by committing Canada, the U.S. and and it is only by sharing and knowing “deregulatory efforts” of the current U.S. Mexico to regulate, in all situations, the truth that healing can begin. administration. At a similar stakeholder in a very specific, pro-business and I’m proud to be standing with other meeting I attended in Ottawa a year non-precautionary way. Stray from the survivors and family members earlier, Canadian officials suggested “good regulatory practices” outlined in knowing we did all we could to help the Trump administration’s deregulatory the deal and you can be taken to a trade the next generation of survivors and agenda was an opportunity to renew tribunal. warriors. interest in Washington for co-operation That CUSMA does this in the midst of under the RCC. a climate emergency, public demands — Barb Manitowabi, a National Family to remove toxic chemicals from our Advisory Circle member of the Truth- food and consumer goods, planes Gathering Process within the National Deregulation and CUSMA literally falling from the sky as a result Inquiry into Missing and Murdered The Trudeau government introduced of sketchy industry self-regulation, Indigenous Women and Girls, in her implementing legislation for CUSMA and increasing proof that widely-used forward to the inquiry’s final report, shortly after U.S. Vice-President Mike pesticides cause cancer and harm vital which was released at a ceremony Pence visited Ottawa at the end of May. pollinators defies common sense.

in Ottawa on June 4. The report is With the steel and aluminum tariff war STUART TREW EDITS THE MONITOR AND IS A PART- available at www.mmiwg-ffada.ca. behind us, the Trump administration TIME TRADE RESEARCHER WITH THE CCPA. 10 These newcomers make up just part of the large work- Work force in Brandon’s plant, where 17,000 hogs are processed every day. They work in a variety of areas including the Life kill floor, the coolers, the cut floor, packaging and ship- LYNNE FERNANDEZ ping. The hazards these workers face are typical of the meat processing sector: repetitive work injuries, cold and dampness, and vibration from the electric knives combined with the cold, leading to Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome; an unsustainably fast pace of work leading to injuries; and lack of training for health and safety. Worker compensa- For the love of bacon tion claims suppression—where employers discourage reporting injuries—is common in this industry and the participants confirmed experience with the practice. PTON SINCLAIR’S FAMOUS 1905 novel The Jungle de- Language barriers can hinder a worker’s ability to scribed the gruesome working conditions in Chicago’s understand directions, work safely, and voice concerns meat-packing plants. The mostly immigrant workers or suggestions. Workers are members of UFCW Local 832, had no control over their workplace as they laboured which offers English classes, but many are too tired and in physically demanding and dangerous conditions. busy with their families to attend classes after work. When USinclair also exposed the shocking lack of sanitation and workers cannot move their English beyond a rudimentary regularity of contaminants, including rats, in finished prod- level they have little hope of moving out of the industry. ucts. And it was this aspect of the novel, not the descriptions Research by Dr. Jill Bucklaschuk in Manitoba found that of the work, that drove its success. “I aimed at the public’s many were trapped in meat-packing jobs that put debili- heart and by accident I hit it in the stomach,” the author tating wear and tear on their bodies. famously concluded. The meat processing industry has transformed western The Jungle led to legislation to regulate the industry, but Manitoba’s rural and small urban communities. As global it would take the efforts of many workers and unions to demand for pig meat grows, there is pressure to allow more improve work conditions in the plants. Gains were made in and larger hog operations, heightening concerns about the the last century, then workers lost ground with the sweep treatment of animals and water contamination. Although of neoliberalism. Brandon and Neepewa now have a thriving newcomer com- The meat-packing industry in Manitoba exemplifies how munity and growing population, the dependence of new the sector has evolved. There are two major hog processing workers on low-wage, difficult work, and their education plants in the small urban communities of Brandon and and housing needs, cannot be ignored. Neepewa. The HyLife plant in Neepewa has just been sold Conditions in the meat-packing industry have improved to Charoen Pokphond Foods of Thailand. Canada exports since The Jungle was published—for the workers, and to a 70% of its pig meat, much of it to Asia. lesser degree the animals. But the globalized marketplace It’s not just the pork market that now has global con- continues applying downward pressure on prices, environ- nections. Very few Canadians want to do this dirty and mental standards, animal welfare and work conditions. The dangerous work for the wages on offer. Similar to the 21 recommendations from the Occupational Health Centre worker-employer relations profiled in The Jungle, Canada’s report should be applied across the sector. They include: temporary worker programs offer the perfect solution to The employer should provide English classes, with one meat packers—in the form of desperate, pliable workers • hour on paid time and one hour on employee time. from other countries. Both of Manitoba’s processing plants employ large num- • Workplace safety and health departments should bers of temporary foreign workers and new Canadians. prioritize regular workplace inspections with a focus on Many of these workers have been sponsored by the compa- ergonomic issues. nies through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), and Worker compensation boards should conduct regular if their work performance is satisfactory, the temporary • investigations into claims reporting practices. workers will become permanent residents. Before then, however, they are just as vulnerable as other temporary • The federal government should provide permanent foreign workers. status on arrival to temporary foreign workers who are A new report by the MFL Occupational Health Centre filling permanent labour needs in Canada. offers a glimpse into the lives of the Brandon workers. I sat on the project advisory committee that led to the pub- What can regular Canadians do? We can push govern- lication of Building Support for Newcomer Workers in the ments to challenge the North-South labour divide that is Food Processing Industry, and was able to see firsthand the impoverishing developing countries and lowering labour excellent work the centre does. Study participants were and environmental standards in Canada. from Eritrea and the People’s Republic of China; all but Finally, when it comes to how we grow, process, transport one had permanent status. Although the sample size was and consume our food, we need to listen to our hearts as small, some important themes emerged in both groups. much as to our stomachs. M 11

STORY BY SHANE GUNSTER ILLUSTRATION BY SCOTT SHIELDS Extractive populism and the future OF Canada

Jason Kenney’s victory in the recent Alberta election is but the latest manifestation of extractive populism, an inflammatory brand of political rhetoric that has increasingly taken centre stage across the country. Understanding how and why this rhetoric works, and developing strategies to challenge it, are essential in building a different vision for Canada— one that sees our well-being as dependent upon a transformative program of decarbonization anchored in principles of social, environmental and Indigenous justice.

13 he “grand bargain” championed development, they gradually realized a 2012 speech to the Business Council by Justin Trudeau and Rachel that symbolic forms of nationalization of British Columbia. Notley, in which support for were extremely useful in legitimating a modest carbon tax afforded the tar sands for publics outside of he second claim is that extractivism T“social licence” for new pipelines and Alberta. Tis under attack, threatened by a tar sands expansion, has proven a Consequently, over the last two small but highly vocal and surprising- spectacular failure. Instead, those like decades Canadians have been subject ly powerful constellation of political Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, who to a flood of advertising and public forces. seek to rally support for extractivism, relations, think-tank reports, speeches While cultivating fears of external are increasingly deploying a populist from politicians and corporate execu- enemies is a common tactic of indus- storyline built upon three core claims. tives, sympathetic news coverage and, try advocates in Alberta (see Ricardo The first claim of extractive pop- most recently, social media campaigns Acuña in this section), the rhetoric ulism is that the extraction and export that consistently portray the oil and was fully nationalized when former of resources such as oil, natural gas gas sector as if it had been national- natural resources minister Joe Oliver and coal constitutes the core of the ized, was a public enterprise designed viciously attacked pipeline and tar Canadian economy and provides a to serve the common good, and that sands opponents as “foreign-funded wide range of benefits to everyone in its primary purpose was the provision radicals” in January 2012. Environmen- the country. A robust and healthy ex- of jobs and tax revenue and energy tal organizations and “other radical tractive sector is positioned as a public security for all Canadians. groups,” he wrote, aim to “stop any good generating high-paying jobs for Wrapped in the flag, the capitalist major project no matter what the workers, opportunities for businesses, logic of the oil and gas industry that cost to Canadian families in lost jobs and revenues for governments and puts corporate profits ahead of the and economic growth.” These groups public services. public (and planetary) good recedes “threaten to hijack our regulatory The recent “Keep Canada Working” from view, and extractivism is posi- system to achieve their radical ide- campaign from the Alberta govern- tioned as a constitutive part of what ological agenda.... They use funding ment is one example of the hundreds makes us all Canadian. It is, literally, from foreign special interest groups of millions of dollars that have been “who we are and what we do,” as the to undermine Canada’s national eco- spent hammering home this basic late Jim Prentice memorably put it in nomic interest.” message over the past two decades. Similarly inflammatory rhetoric In addition to paid advertising, this continues to be prominently featured first claim of extractivism remains in corporate media, which regularly dominant within mainstream Cana- affords industry shills such as Oliver, dian news media, and is especially former B.C. attorney general Suzanne prominent in the Postmedia chain, Anton and Gwyn Morgan, Fraser In- infamous for its aggressive and un- stitute trustee and founder of Encana, compromising advocacy on behalf of top billing to peddle this conspiracy the oil and gas industry. theory. Such sentiments sponsor The principal rhetorical strategy a head-in-the-sands worldview in through which “the people” and the which the challenges faced by the petro-industrial complex are sutured oil and gas industry are not predom- together is symbolic nationalization. inantly driven by climate change or The fossil fuel industry in Canada is a global markets or reduced demand, corporate-driven, for-profit capitalist or even bad planning, but instead are enterprise, managed and operated first the consequence of insidious forces and foremost in the interests of (often seeking to sabotage the Canadian global) shareholders. Yet everywhere economy. one looks it appears as if this industry In a forthcoming Corporate Map- has been nationalized and run to serve ping Project–funded study of the the interests of all Canadians. We must vigorously pro-oil social media campaigns that It is worth reminding ourselves how contest the have exploded in this country in recent bitterly the fossil fuel industry and years, the demonization of opponents Alberta resisted the National Energy presumption that was the most prominent theme in in- Program in the 1980s, a very mild form what’s good for dustry-friendly Facebook groups such of nationalization that was promoted as Oil Sands Action, Oil Respect and Oil at the time as delivering “Canadian oil Suncor and Imperial Sands Strong. Their favourite targets for Canadians.” While the oil and gas Oil and the banks are eco-celebrities such as Leonardo sectors fiercely opposed this “real” DiCaprio and Al Gore, easy marks that nationalization as a threat to cor- that finance them is enable these groups to misrepresent porate profit and private sector–led good for all of us. any and all criticism of industry as a 14 foreign import, orchestrated by wealthy, liberal, hypocritical campaigning. But it is a mistake to dismiss these efforts global elites who know or care little about Canada. Local ac- as simple industry propaganda. tivists and groups are positioned as “paid protesters” doing In fact, the corporate resources going into these initia- the bidding of wealthy U.S. foundations, thereby defining tives serve to subsidize—to activate, co-ordinate, influence opposition to tar sands and pipelines as fundamentally and amplify—the voices of those who have come to believe anti-Canadian. that their prosperity and way of life is dependent upon Such one-dimensional accounts overlook the diverse and extractivism. Channelling the deep and legitimate anxiety vigorous homegrown resistance to extractivism growing that so many feel about the future into support for one in every part of the country, not to mention the majority of the most powerful (and destructive) industries on the of Canadians who recognize the need to transition away planet may well be the most Orwellian feature of extrac- from dependence on fossil fuels. More alarming, though, tivist political discourse. is how toxic such petro-nationalism is in a social media environment that both enables and encourages the episodic xtractive populism can and must be challenged on many swarming of activists, especially women. Efronts. Among the most urgent tasks, we need to directly The violent, often misogynistic sentiments that are confront the symbolic nationalization that lies at its core, morally licensed by the routine condemnation of environ- by developing distinctive visions of Canada in opposition mentalists as traitors to their country—as actively working to petro-nationalism. We must vigorously contest the to undermine the livelihoods of Canadian families—is presumption that what’s good for Suncor and Imperial shocking and among the most alarming and repugnant Oil and the banks that finance them is good for all of us. features of extractive populist rhetoric. It betrays traditions Over the last several decades, much has been done to of civility and respectful dialogue that Canadians have long illuminate the darker corners of our country’s history and valued as the cornerstones of our political culture. politics, exposing the complicity of Canadian institutions in And it is worth recalling that when this denunciation experiences of dispossession, oppression and exploitation. of external enemies was initially pioneered in Alberta in We have a much better understanding of how and why our the 1980s, Canada—in the form of a federal government government has operated, and continues to operate, as a seeking “Canadian oil for Canadians”—was cast as the colonial, capitalist petro-state presiding over a legacy of villain, not the victim. The “Eastern bastards,” so to speak. violence, inequality and injustice. Or, as our last prime minister once defined Canada in a 1997 But if that is all that Canada is—if we are willing to ac- speech to U.S. conservatives, “a Northern European welfare cept a petro-nationalist vision in which, as Jim Prentice put state in the worst sense of the term.” it, extractivism really is “who we are and what we do”—it The conservative, nationalist and extractivist makeover becomes that much harder to challenge one-dimensional of Canada and what constitutes the so-called national in- accounts that equate our “national interest” with the fossil terest is surely among the most significant, shortsighted fuel industry. More importantly, it will be much harder to and corrosive changes to our politics in recent years. engage our fellow Canadians in the vital task of imagining what we want this country to become. xtractive populism’s third major claim is that collective “We are not the country we thought we were.” With those Epolitical mobilization is necessary to defend the “na- words, the late Gord Downie invited us to acknowledge tional interest” from the sinister forces that threaten it. and address the secret violence that lies at the core of our The remarkable success of Indigenous, environmental history. But they also serve as a call to action, to build a and local community resistance to pipeline projects, es- country and society more in keeping with the values of pecially Northern Gateway, created a lot of anxiety in the democracy, equality, justice, diversity, compassion and C-suites of the oil and gas industry. Industry groups such as sustainability—values that so many Canadians continue the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) to hold as the true measure of who we are and what we worried that their traditional tools of corporate power— do. M back-door lobbying, influence over corporate media, THE ARTICLES IN THIS SECTION BY SHANE GUNSTER, PAUL SAURETTE AND big-budget ad campaigns—were no longer as effective in ROBERT NEUBAUER WERE COMMISSIONED JOINTLY WITH THE CORPORATE MAPPING PROJECT. THE CORPORATE MAPPING PROJECT IS A RESEARCH AND shaping political discourse and opinion around oil and gas. PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE JOINTLY LED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA, Inspired by initiatives at the American Petroleum Institute, CANADIAN CENTRE FOR POLICY ALTERNATIVES AND THE PARKLAND INSTITUTE. THE RESEARCH IS SUPPORTED BY THE SOCIAL SCIENCE AND HUMANITIES CAPP decided to aggressively mobilize those constituencies RESEARCH COUNCIL OF CANADA (SSHRC). most likely to support their agenda: oil industry workers, resource dependent communities, conservatives. Over the past four years, CAPP has poured significant resources into cultivating what the lobby group describes as “Canada’s Energy Citizens,” individuals willing to actively engage in the public sphere to defend industry through social media, attending rallies, writing their MPs, talking to their friends and neighbours, and so on. Some of this activity constitutes classic astroturfing—the re-presentation of corporate-driven public relations as grassroots 15 Conservatism Populism and Crisis

PAUL SAURETTE Populism as good storytelling Populist stories are powerful. Let’s use them to champion progressive climate change policy.

f no political term has been more populist parties in Europe, Trump’s are not as complicated as they might ubiquitous than “populism” presidency, Ontario’s ‘Ford Nation,’ and appear. For we can categorize most over the last year, no topic has Jair Bolsonaro’s authoritarianism in of the contending academic ways of garnered more media attention Brazil have all been dubbed political defining/studying populism into two Iduring the same period than the in- populism. main traditions. controvertible evidence that climate Moreover, scholars have studied change is a global emergency. Despite these diverse phenomena using a he first tradition treats populism this, the two subjects—populism and variety of interdisciplinary theoretical Tas a particular type of political and climate change—are almost never traditions that employ very different social movement that can be defined discussed in the same breath. Few methods. There are a dozen competing according a set of shared character- observers connect them or investigate definitions and as many methods to istics. Who supports the political or the relevance and impact of populism study the phenomenon, each with social movement? What motivates for climate politics—and vice versa. their own pros and cons. them? How does the movement re- A number of us (Shane Gunster and The second, related reason it is cruit and mobilize current and new Bob Neubauer, both in this issue, along hard to pin down what we mean by supporters? How are these organiza- with Mat Patterson, Simon Dalby and “populism” is the fact that the word tions structured, where do they get myself) believe this has to change. is used daily as a verbal weapon in po- their funding, what are their goals, and We are in the midst of writing a book litical debate. Critics of populism (and what strategies do they use to forward titled Climate Populism, which argues non-populist political parties) treat it their political agendas? that understanding the connections as a term of derision and dismissal; The second tradition treats pop- between populism and climate politics proponents as a sign of their political ulism as an “ideational” phenomenon not only helps explain why there isn’t righteousness and a call to the banner or worldview—a set of ideas or princi- more support for progressive policy for their parties. ples that both describe how the world responses to climate change, but If we step back, however, and try works and prescribe how it should also how we might build wider and to avoid both the narcissism of small work. This is roughly what scholars stronger alliances to fight for more differences (that sometimes drives mean when they say that populism aggressive action. academic debates) and the tendency to “frames” the political view of its ad- Before we can get to this, however, employ populism as conceptual lance herents: it strongly influences what we must first address a fundamental in a contest of verbal jousting, things people “see” and how they feel about question: what is populism? Because politics (e.g., what issues matter to the more pervasive the word has be- them, how they understand the rele- come, the murkier its meaning—with vant cause-and-effect factors, whether observers and commentators using it they judge something as being good in a multitude of different ways. There or bad, what solutions they see as po- are two main explanations for the Populism can tential options, what they think they diversity of definitions for “populism” can and should be done about it, etc.). in today’s public discourse. usefully be Given our interest in understanding First, academics have applied the understood as an the impact of populism on debates term to a wide variety of political about climate policy, the second, “idea- phenomenon (both historically and archetypal political tional” approach to defining populism geographically) many of which em- narrative—one (roughly as worldview) is most useful body very different, even opposing, for our project. Within this tradition, characteristics (including ideological that is immediately however, there is significant debate commitments). For example, con- recognizable and about the kind of phenomenon pop- temporary movements as diverse as ulism is. Some call it a “thin ideology,” Venezuela’s neo-Marxist Chavismo emotionally powerful meaning that populism is an identifi- (or Chavism), various right-wing to many audiences. able way of seeing the world, but one 16 that lacks a substantive policy or philosophical core and 1. The lead protagonist of the story is always some variant thus inevitably fuses with other substantive ideologies, like of “the common people,” invariably represented as morally liberalism, conservatism, fascism, Marxism, etc., to flesh out upstanding and politically righteous. its specific political program. Others claim populism to be 2. The story always includes at least one and often many a discourse, a political/moral imaginary, a performance, etc. key antagonists. This cast of characters, inevitably por- For a variety of reasons, including the fact that populism trayed as an “elite” in some way, are depicted not as only has proved itself far too malleable and diverse at the level different than and separate from the common people, but of its substantive philosophical, moral and ideological com- also as suspect in various ways (morally, politically, etc.). mitments, we do not believe that populism is best defined as a coherent and consistent ideology, set of philosophical 3. The main plot is almost inevitably structured as an emo- principles or even policy prescriptions. Rather, we believe tionally charged clash between good and evil. The elite are the most useful way of grasping the ideational phenom- not merely self-interested, thoughtless or out of touch with enon of populism is to see it as a particular “rhetorical the people. They become a true villain, scheming against style,” one that can be used by a wide variety of political and oppressing the common people. The common people perspectives to communicate their visions of the world are thus cast both as the victim of nefarious elite conspir- and seek to further their political goals. acies and as the hero who must rise up to overcome and Now, rhetoric has a bad name these days. Most of us hear vanquish the elites in order to restore the proper moral/ the word and conjure the proverbial snake oil salesman. political order, and ensure that what is good and right is Rhetoric in this case is the opposite of truth, a devious respected once again. manipulation of language, used by unethical people without any concern for our interests or well-being, to sell us In essence, then, populism is a basic story structure whose something (product or idea) we don’t really need. Rhetorical key characters and fundamental plotline can be used to style is, based on this vision, merely the verbal flourish and tell a huge variety of different stories depending on what panache used by someone to hoodwink us. specific groups or individuals are cast in the role of the That’s not how we understand it. We use “rhetoric” much people and the elite, and what specific form of evil oppres- like the ancient Greeks did. For them, and many others sion, betrayal or conspiracy is described as taking place. since, rhetoric was the art of knowing how to use a wide variety of linguistic techniques—everything from the n academic terms, we might say that populism can presentation of data, to argumentation through logic, Iusefully be understood as an archetypal political to appeals to custom and tradition, to the structure of a narrative—one that is immediately recognizable and speech, to challenging the credibility and self-interest of a emotionally powerful to many audiences in our current given speaker, to the use of poetic metre and rhyme, to the political context. That is not simply because the specific practice of storytelling—to “move” your audience. populist version of this story has been told so many times Even ancient philosophers who treated the political before over the last decade. More importantly, it is because realm with relative disdain (in comparison to the contem- the populist narrative itself follows deeper, older archetyp- plative realm of speculative knowledge) understood that al cultural narratives that have structured many of the rhetoric was an inextricable part of democratic politics. basic stories in Western culture, religion and philosophy, Far from being something shameful and manipulative, over hundreds and thousands of years. rhetoric is intrinsic to the very nature of any political From this perspective, populist discourse is not simply a system where decisions are made collectively through specific set of arguments or principles or ideological beliefs debate and deliberation. or values that frame our “thinking” or seek to intellectually So when we say populism is a rhetorical style, we aren’t convince us. Rather, populist discourse is an emotional story disparaging it. We are simply saying that populism is a rel- that tries to move us emotionally. Once we understand this, atively consistent way, or style, of using certain rhetorical it is no longer surprising that it is something that can be techniques to communicate with, and usually attempt to used by a wide range of political perspectives which may persuade, an audience. differ ideologically or directly oppose one another. Nor is Of course, any given “rhetorical style” is made up of it surprising that populist rhetoric has become such an many different individual subcomponents, called rhetorical effective way of moving people, especially given the deep, techniques or tropes. The rhetorical style of populism is shared anxieties—ranging from economic insecurities to no different. However, most rhetorical styles have a few a growing awareness of the existential threat posed by components that are particularly central or defining. For climate change—that characterize many political contexts us, the beating heart of the populist rhetorical style is today. the practice of talking about politics by telling the same Many argue that we are living in a populist moment. story (more or less) over and over again, in a wide variety Many others argue we are at an absolutely crucial tipping of contexts, about a wide variety of different issues. point of climate emergency. If both are true, it is imperative While the details of any specific populist story can vary that we understand what populism is, the myriad and widely—in fact, this empirical flexibility is one of its key diverse ways in which populist narratives have impacted strengths—every populist story embodies three main climate politics up to this point, and how they might help elements, sometimes explicitly, sometimes implicitly: drive support for climate policies in the future. M 17

RICARDO ACUÑA Kenney’s enemies A long-standing Alberta tradition of playing the victim is taken to new extremes

We Albertans are patient and fair minded, but we have aim Alberta’s long-standing dislike and distrust of fed- had enough of your campaign of defamation and double eral Liberals directly at Notley. The narrative was fairly standards. Today, we begin to stand up for ourselves, for our straightforward: Notley and Trudeau both support carbon jobs, for our future. Today we begin to fight back. taxes and climate action; this makes them allies; Trudeau is — Jason Kenney in his election victory speech, April 16, 2019 not doing anything to get pipelines built; Notley will not go to war against her ally; therefore, Notley and Trudeau are or as long as Alberta has dealt with the inevitable boom- both enemies of Alberta. Notley herself seemed to reinforce and-bust cycle of export-driven economies, political this narrative by repeatedly asserting that a lack of new leaders have responded to economic downturns by pipelines was costing Alberta millions of dollars and tens identifying an enemy, placing the blame for Albertans’ of thousands of jobs every day. In that way, the NDP gov- Feconomic woes on that enemy, and rallying Albertans in ernment helped establish the pipelines-equal-prosperity opposition to it. William Aberhart ranted against the banks frame that Kenney exploited to put Notley and Trudeau and “the 50 big shots in the east,” whom he accused of “caus- at the top of the enemies list. ing” 1930s poverty in Alberta. Decades later, Peter Lougheed Past Alberta leaders would have been content with an would place the collapse of oil prices in the 1980s at the feet enemies list of two, but not Kenney. B.C. Premier John Horgan of Pierre Elliot Trudeau’s National Energy Program. Then quickly climbed to the top of the list as a result of his efforts who can forget Ralph Klein, who as mayor of Calgary urged to block the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. Quebec also Albertans to “let the eastern bastards freeze in the dark” as made the list, not only because the province steadfastly re- a response to Alberta’s struggling economy. fused to endorse the Energy East pipeline, but also as alleged Yes, Alberta has a long tradition of presenting itself as hypocrites for receiving equalization payments funded by victim. So it should not come as a surprise to anyone that Alberta bitumen wealth while refusing to allow that same Jason Kenney chose to exploit this tactic in his quest to bitumen to flow through the province. That particular frame become Alberta’s premier, and that he will continue to was successful in helping Kenney set up the entire equaliza- exploit that tactic throughout his term. More interesting, tion program as an enemy of Alberta, despite the fact that he perhaps, is the scale of the project. True to his reputation himself had signed off on it while a federal cabinet minister. as an overachiever, Kenney did not settle on just one enemy When HSBC announced in 2018 that, as part of its com- to rally Albertans against. Upon his return to Alberta in mitment to energy transition and sustainability, it would 2016, and throughout his journey to become leader of the no longer finance new coal-fired power plants, arctic drill- Alberta PCs and, eventually, of the United Conservative ing or oilsands projects, including pipelines, the bank also Party (UCP), Kenney laid the groundwork for directing quickly found itself on the Alberta enemies list. It didn’t Albertans’ anger and frustration with the struggling matter that HSBC, Europe’s largest bank, maintains 17 local economy at a rogue’s gallery of alleged miscreants. branches employing 330 people in the province, and has His first declared enemy was (big surprise) Rachel Notley. lent over $14 billion to Alberta businesses, including in the Kenney worked hard to establish the frame that Notley’s energy sector. To Kenney, they were yet another enemy of minimum wage increases, her close ties the province’s labour the province’s workers and prosperity. unions, her changes to the tax regime (including the carbon tax), and changes to the province’s labour code were all y this point the Alberta-as-victim frame had gained such responsible for the struggling economy and the job losses Btraction that Postmedia columnists, industry front groups that many Albertans were experiencing. He also found a way and other oilsands advocates not only began doing Kenney’s to blame Notley for persistent low oil prices and dropping research for him, but their mainstream and social media investment in Alberta’s oil and gas industry. In doing so, reach was such that they could facilitate an almost instant Kenney laid the foundation for branding another villain online mob against anybody they identified as an enemy. This as equally responsible for Alberta’s plight: Justin Trudeau. dynamic was perhaps most evident when the University of Kenney rarely spoke about the carbon tax and the Alberta decided to award an honorary degree to David Suzuki. failure to get pipelines built without referencing the Kenney said giving the degree to Suzuki, who “makes “Trudeau-Notley alliance.” This useful tool helped him millions defaming the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of Albertans,” was an insult to Albertans. Prominent donors vowed to end their support of the university, the dean of Premier of Alberta FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS engineering posted a scathing letter online, and even then 19 premier Notley called the decision “a employment standards. All of which, • Boycott companies like HSBC who bit tone deaf.” Kenney’s strategy had he claimed, hurt small business, em- refuse to do business in the oilsands by clearly taken hold, and Albertans from ployment, and overall investment in denying them government contracts all walks of life were helping it succeed. the province. or business. It is in this way that one of Kenney’s • Pass resolutions to actively oppose most successful victimization frames n election night, Kenney doubled federal legislation to ban tanker traffic was given to him by pro-oil blogger Odown on the Albertans-under-at- in northern B.C. (Bill C-48) and impose and conspiracy theorist Vivian Krause. tack narrative in his victory speech: new impact assessment rules for en- Krause is the person who came up with “Albertans have decided that we will no ergy projects (Bill C-69). Both these the theory that large U.S. foundations longer passively accept the campaign resolutions passed unanimously in who derive their money from oil ex- of defamation against the industry the Alberta legislature. ploration and development have been that has helped us to create one of Hold a referendum on removing funding Canadian activists to stop the most prosperous and generous • equalization from the Constitution pipelines, as a way to lock-in Alberta societies on Earth.” He also used the Act if Bill C-69 passes and/or if a coast- bitumen and benefit U.S. oil. Her the- speech to reinforce his role as Alberta’s al pipeline does not move forward. ories are mostly the stuff of conjecture savior: and conspiracy, but facts rarely matter • Target the AFL by prohibiting To the unemployed, to those who when trying to rile up an angry mob. groups affiliated with political parties have given up, to the small business Kenney, Postmedia, Rebel Media, from running third-party advertising owners barely hanging on, to the petro-turf groups all over the internet, campaigns. young people who got their degrees and even the Canadian Association of Prohibit unions from funding “politi- and diplomas but can’t put them to • Petroleum Producers (CAPP) quickly cal parties and causes” without explicit work, to those who have lost their began promoting Krause and her opt-in approval from members. homes and their hope after years of writings and providing further dis- economic decline and stagnation. To semination of her ideas. This narrative On a personal level, Kenney says them, tonight, we send this message: of Alberta as a victim of foreign-fund- he will do everything in his power to Help is on the way, and hope is on ed environmentalists gained so much secure the electoral defeat of Trudeau the horizon! traction in the province, and across in the fall election and has already the country, that it even came to Kenney’s platform and legislative been stumping for key Conservative occupy a place of prominence in Ken- agenda lay out some the key initiatives candidates in Ontario. Kenney’s hope ney’s election platform. Both Krause (some of which have already been is that these antagonistic platform and her Postmedia cheerleader Licia passed) that he will use to wage this priorities and his public declarations Corbella are painted as heroes. Tides battle against Alberta’s present and will focus Albertans’ attention and Foundation and Tides Canada, the future enemies: anger on their many alleged enemies, Pembina Institute, and Leadnow are • Bring into force legislation that reinforcing the premier’s position as also specifically named in the platform would allow Alberta to “turn off the the province’s great defender. as some of the supposed perpetrators taps” to stop exports of oil to any ju- Otherwise, Albertans might want to of this imaginary campaign of eco- risdiction that opposes new pipelines. talk about the government’s plans to cut nomic sabotage. spending by 14%, privatize provincial lab Repeal the Alberta carbon tax and Not all of Jason Kenney’s enemies • and laundry services, reduce the mini- challenge the federal carbon tax in the are external or connected to pipelines, mum wage for young workers, undo the courts as soon as the Liberals move to however. Throughout the campaign modest progress made by the previous impose it on Alberta. Kenney repeatedly declared war on government on labour standards and the province’s unions—particularly • Set up a $30 million “war room” in Cal- occupational health and safety, elimi- public sector unions, the Alberta gary to “proactively tell the truth about nate the climate leadership plan, and Federation of Labour, and the Alberta how we produce energy with the high- reduce corporate taxes by one-third. Teachers’ Association—for investing est environmental, labour, and human As the economy continues to flail significant amounts of money in rights standards on earth.” Postmedia deep into 2019, and Albertans begin third-party campaigns to alert their has reportedly hired Kenney’s former to feel the impacts of the cuts in members to what a UCP government chief of staff, Nick Koolsbergen, to work health care and education, the already would mean for them, their rights, and with the government on this campaign. well-established enemies will continue public services they seek to provide. • Launch a public inquiry into the to provide an easy scapegoat for Ken- He specifically targeted the AFL for foreign sources of funds to Canadian ney and his government. There are its formal affiliation with the NDP, organizations that have opposed so many of them that even Trudeau’s and repeatedly asserted that the AFL pipeline development. potential defeat in the fall will not neg- was behind the NDP’s progressive • Strip the Pembina Institute, an atively impact the strategy. The next changes to the Labour Relations Act, environmental think-tank, of any four years promise to be interesting the Workers’ Compensation Board, provincial funding. and exhausting—for Albertans and Occupational Health and Safety, and their enemies. M 20 Conservatism Populism and Crisis

SIMON ENOCH The Saskatchewan government cares about the climate crisis, it just has no effective plan to deal with it

f there was a silver lining to the GHG emissions to 38 MT CO2e per year for our homes, constitute about 17% of carbon tax/monster truck rally (half our current emissions) by 2030. total provincial emissions. Lowering that rolled through Regina in What does Prairie Resilience promise? them is a good idea. April, it was how Premier Scott If you set aside the wishful thinking But North Dakota, our southern IMoe and even some of the anti-tax that the federal government will grant neighbour, has much more stringent demonstrators went out of their way us 12.5 million tonnes of carbon credits regulations regarding flaring and to concede the realities of climate for carbon-sequestering agricultural venting. The state requires producers change and the need to address them. practices (but won’t knock us for car- to capture up to 85% of gases at the “Our government believes we need to bon-producing agricultural practices), well-site, for example, and still breaks

take meaningful action to combat Premier Moe’s plan gets us to 61 MT CO2e records in oil production. man-made climate change,” wrote per year by 2030. In other words, it is at Another glaring problem with the

Moe in the lead-up to the rally. “But a least 13 MT CO2e less effective than it Moe government’s resilience report carbon tax doesn’t do that.” needs to be. relates to water. Weather extremes Identifying the most effective ways will guarantee the province gets too of reducing our greenhouse gas (GHG) week after the monster truck rally, much of it at certain times—leading to emissions in Saskatchewan would be A the government released its first increased flooding—and not enough a very useful debate to have. There climate resilience report. Again on the at others—leading to increased are legitimate arguments against the theme of silver linings, the document drought and wildfires. Measure 23 efficacy of a carbon tax, particularly if finally gives us a set of goals and targets in the report focuses on improving it is the sole policy response to carbon against which we can measure progress resilience to drought by reducing mitigation. However, whenever pressed on climate adaptation and mitigation municipal water consumption. on what his government would do to ad- in the province. Unfortunately, the While this goal is laudable and dress climate change in lieu of a carbon report is far from “encouraging,” as should be pursued, the report ignores tax, the premier gestures toward Prairie Environment Minister Dustin Duncan the province’s other largest consumers Resilience, “Our own comprehensive, in- put it in April. of water: agriculture and industry. novative climate change plan,” released First, there are still no plans to achieve Irrigation consumes 39% of provin- in December 2017. meaningful emissions reductions. cial water use compared to 28% by The problem is that the govern- Duncan acknowledged Saskatchewan’s municipalities; the resource industry

ment’s plan doesn’t get us anywhere current 75 MT CO2e annual output, but (oil and gas, potash and other mining) close to where we need to be on emis- he claimed it would be futile to move consumes another 18%. sions—is not at all effective, in other faster than other polluting countries How will these industries adapt to words—and the premier is rarely to lower emissions. “If we reduce that scarcer water sources in the future, challenged on this point. to zero, global climate change is going particularly given the government’s Saskatchewan currently produces to continue,” he said. desire to expand irrigated farmland and about 75 megatonnes (MT) of carbon Obviously such a position, if uni- its ongoing efforts to encourage new oil

dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per year. versally adopted, guarantees climate and gas and mining development? As Since 2005, our emissions have in- catastrophe. It is the sort of nihilism the province’s water sources become

creased by 11%, or 7 MT CO2e. To reach that the government has used to justi- more stressed, who will be given priority the 2015 Paris Agreement targets—a fy inaction on climate change for over and who will be asked to sacrifice? 30% drop in emissions below 2005 a decade. Many of us would welcome a robust levels by 2030—Saskatchewan needs Second, even our positive mitigation debate on these questions, which all

to reduce its output to 48 MT CO2e measures are too modest. For example, relate to what meaningful climate ac- per year in just under 12 years. If, the Moe government commits to a 4.5 tion should look like in Saskatchewan.

however, we wanted to strive to meet MT CO2e reduction (40%) in GHG emis- It appears the debate Premier Moe and the revised IPCC (Intergovernmental sions from the flaring and venting of his government would prefer to have Panel on Climate Change) targets gas at oil and gas operations. These is about whose half-measures—the of 45% below 2010 levels by 2030, fugitive emissions, which do not help province’s or federal government’s— Saskatchewan would need to reduce power our cars or produce electricity are more half-baked. M 21 Conservatism Populism and Crisis

RANDY ROBINSON Sabotaging Ontario The Ford government’s tax cuts are weakening the province— just when the bill for climate change is coming due

t was a metaphor for everything are the same people that have their When it comes to public services, the the Doug Ford government is hands in the public trough… it’s not Ontario government is a penny-pinch- doing wrong. sustainable.” ing miser. In April, the Ontario premier That’s not true. Taking care of peo- Ontario has the lowest program Ishowed up in the town of Bracebridge ple is sustainable, especially in a rich spending per capita of any province to lend a hand to a community facing province like Ontario. It’s a little-known in Canada. According to the Financial heavy spring flooding. “We’ll spare fact, but Ontario is actually richer than Accountability Office of Ontario (FAO), no resources to support the affected it has ever been. Real GDP per capita, we spend about $2,000 less per person areas,” he pledged. the most common measure of overall than the average of the other provinc- It was the right thing to say, for prosperity, is at a record level this year. es. There’s a reason for that: compared sure. Unfortunately, his government But that prosperity isn’t trickling down. to the average of the other provinces, had already cut—in half—the provin- Ontario brings in about $2,000 less per cial funding to 36 local conservation person in revenues. authorities. Their main job? Flood It’s not as if there’s no need for control. spending. Hundreds of high school Ford knows climate change is real. courses are being erased. Tens of “Something is going on and we have thousands of families are waiting to be conscious of it,” he said in April. for affordable housing. Overcrowded Yet he shows no sign of taking the hospitals don’t have the surge capacity threat seriously. As soon as he arrived to meet the next pandemic. in office last year, he demolished the WORTH And then there is climate change. previous government’s cap-and-trade Rather than funding solutions, program, cutting provincial revenues REPEATING though, the Ford government is deep- by at least $1.9 billion a year. Then he ening the crisis. The FAO says that, by scrapped the green programs cap-and- “It’s just common hardworking five years from now, the government trade was paying for. people that don’t have a will have cut program spending by Revenue cuts are not a climate plan. voice; they aren’t part of the a further $1,100 per person (in 2018 Aside from calling for volunteers to elite; they aren’t part of the dollars). With 15 million Ontarians by fill sandbags, the Ford government establishment; they aren’t part then, that means cuts that total over appears uninterested in the issue. It of the backroom boys club at $16.5 billion—around 10% of total is interested in smaller, less muscular Queen’s Park…. They’re tired of government spending today. government. That means cuts: to the government gouging them, Much of the money saved through public services and to taxes. every time they stick their all these cuts will go straight to tax On the service side, the cuts just keep hands in their pocket they have cuts. In the past year, the government coming. In the 2019 budget, not one Justin Trudeau’s hand in their has cut various taxes by over $4 billion government ministry received enough pocket gouging them for more a year. The FAO’s analysis indicates funding to maintain its services at cur- money.” more major tax cuts are coming, likely rent levels. Many of the cuts hurt those just in time for the 2022 provincial Ontario Premier Doug Ford who are already vulnerable. In social election. describing to the Toronto Sun services—which exist to support chil- The right-wing obsession with tax who would be attending the dren, and people with disabilities, and cuts is bad enough in normal times, annual “Ford Nation” BBQ on people with no income—the planned but these are not normal times. As this June 22, billed this year as an cuts will soon hit $1 billion a year. year’s spring flooding showed, the bill opportunity to “celebrate the The premier and his ministers don’t for our inaction on the climate crisis achievements of Ontario’s bother with sympathetic noises. is coming due. It won’t be a small one. government For the People.” Dismissing the pleas of parents of Back in the 1990s, Canada’s insur- children with autism, Ford said, “these ance companies paid out about $400 22 million in weather-related claims each year. In the last 10 storms will weaken the economy. Hundreds of thousands years, that number has averaged $1 billion. And last year of homes on flood plains will be unlivable. it was $2 billion—$1.3 billion of it in Ontario. Much of the conversation around climate change has The Insurance Bureau of Canada estimates that for every centred around how to stop it, and rightly so. But adapting dollar insurers pay out for weather damage, governments to change as it happens is equally urgent. And that will pay out an extra three dollars to fix public infrastructure. require money. That is barely manageable now. What will happen when The price of climate-change adaptation is already too climate-change damage doubles, then doubles again, and much for individuals to bear. “This is Canada, for heaven’s doubles again? sake,” CBC journalist Neil Macdonald wrote recently. “The We do not know the financial impacts of what lies before cost of flood-proofing this country will be largely paid for us; we only know they will be big. Power outages from ice with tax revenue. It’s inevitable.” If he’s right (and he is), we need to increase our capacity to deal with emergencies, not handcuff ourselves with Ontario Premier Doug Ford surveys flooded areas unnecessary tax cuts. By sabotaging our capacity to raise in Ottawa on Friday, April 26, 2019. revenues, the Ford government is weakening the prov- THE CANADIAN PRESS/ADRIAN WYLD ince—just when it needs to be strong. M

23 24 ROBERT NEUBAUER For an ecological populism Mobilizing against the pro-pipeline elites

or the last decade, oil and gas industry supporters in who don’t care about everyday people could possibly oppose media, civil society and government have honed a pop- them. Repeatedly, opponents point out the fundamental ulist narrative revolving around two core arguments: inequities baked into these projects. Most of the economic benefits from the Trans Moun- 1. Fossil fuel development is vital to the national F tain expansion or southbound Keystone XL pipeline, economic interest. both designed to increase upstream bitumen production 2. Environmentalists are elites who hypocritically threaten in Alberta, would go to Albertan and international oil that national interest; wealthy celebrities, radical ideo- companies, the banks that finance them, and the Alberta logues or paid protesters funded by foreign foundations government, which is currently in the mood to spend in- are, we’re told, sabotaging the well-being of Canadian creased tax revenues on corporate tax cuts. Communities workers and taxpayers. along the project routes, however, receive few long-term jobs while absorbing significant risks from a pipeline or Whether promoted by politicians like Alberta Premier Jason tanker spill. Such a spill could devastate the traditional Kenney or industry-backed campaigns like Oil Respect (tag- lands and waters of many First Nations, wiping out salmon line: “Standing Up for Canadian Oil and Gas Families”), this runs or poisoning water supplies. It could also destroy local right-wing populist story implies that “average” Canadians economies dependent on fisheries or ecotourism, while benefit from fossil fuel development more or less equally. In leaving taxpayers liable for cleanup costs. reality, the benefits and risks of development are distributed This emergent ecological populist narrative attacks in highly inequitable ways—a fact recognized by ecological inequities along both socioeconomic and regional lines, populist narratives emerging from some pipeline opponents. noting these pipelines would benefit powerful elites and At the forefront of this countermovement have been or- particular regions at the expense of less powerful actors ganizations active in the Indigenous-led movement against and other regions. This account inverts the “foreign-funded new pipeline and tanker projects. Enbridge’s now defunct radical” storyline of pipeline supporters, with traditional Northern Gateway and Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Tsleil-Waututh territories, British Columbian fisheries, and pipeline (the latter bought by the federal government for coastal residents under attack by an alliance of Ottawa $4.5 billion in an effort to save the faltering project) both politicians, Albertan and international oil companies, and generated massive grassroots resistance, especially in B.C. Bay Street banks. where many First Nations, communities, environmental groups and local governments have mobilized against nother core claim of this anti-pipeline narrative is that them. Aelites have rigged the regulatory system to impose pro- Through this resistance, prominent opponents like the jects without appropriate consent. The proposed routes for environmental citizens’ group Dogwood Initiative or the both Northern Gateway and Trans Mountain pass through Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs’ Coast Protectors swaths of unceded Indigenous territory in B.C.. According have developed their own anti-pipeline populist narrative to many opponents, the federal reviews lack the authority (see the articles by Shane Gunster and Paul Saurette in to make decisions about that territory. Further, opponents this issue). The core of that narrative is that local ecosys- claim these panels’ superficial consultations don’t meet tems—and the communities that depend on them—are the government’s constitutional responsibilities to First under attack by industry-supporting elites who have rigged Peoples (an argument repeatedly validated in court). the system. More broadly, the reviews are criticized for being cap- This ecological populist narrative demolishes the claim tured by industry, with the National Energy Board—an that pipelines benefit everyone, and that only radical elites industry-funded body mostly staffed with corporate insiders—in the driver’s seat. They are also critiqued for having no regional democratic accountability. Not only Indigenous leaders and environmentalists march did the Harper government pass legislation to limit public in protest against Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain participation in reviews, but the previous B.C. government pipeline in southern Burnaby, B.C., March 2018. agreed to waive the province’s right to hold its own assess- REUTERS/NICK DIDLICK ment. Little wonder that Coast Protectors has attacked the 25 federal Liberals for “helping a Texas of international oil companies, and a concrete vision of the policies that company override local democratic a pro-oil sands federal government.” should replace today’s extractivism. control of our lands.” If pipeline-pushing elites were seen With extractivist populism already Hence another key claim in this popu- as all-powerful, this storyline would be posing a clear threat to even moderate list narrative: that pipeline-supporting demoralizing. But in populist narra- federal climate policy, it seems clear elites are corrupt and dishonest, and tives the people always have the power that any bold climate initiatives will therefore can’t be trusted with the to win, which inspires them to keep require the same type of militant, well-being of our environment and fighting in tough situations. Pipeline people-powered movement anti-pipe- communities. After the federal buyout opponents always assure supporters line activists have built. This type of of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain that, if united, they can stop these pro- strategy could be low-hanging fruit. pipeline, Dogwood denounced giving jects, whether through mass protests The problems with fossil fuel devel- “Canadian taxpayer dollar[s]” to a or fundraising for Indigenous legal opment go beyond pipelines. The oil company run by “former Enron ex- challenges. Even the Kinder Morgan and gas industry in this country more ecutives”—evoking the notoriously bailout was framed as a kind of victory, broadly is purposefully structured to corrupt U.S. energy company whose forced on a desperate government make corporations huge profits, with dishonesty led to the fleecing of its after opponents had, as Indigenous small shares of revenue going to investors. Meanwhile, Prime Minister activist Melina Labaocan-Massimo workers or taxpayers—even during Justin Trudeau and Environment put it, sent the “biggest oil company boom times. And let’s be clear: the Minister Catherine McKenna were in the world [packing] back to Texas.” boom times are likely over. mocked for being “the heroes Texas Furthermore, mass investments in oil billionaires have been waiting for,” think there are serious strengths clean energy, public transportation shamefully “stealing from the poor and I to this populist narrative of place- or high-speed rail aren’t just environ- giving to the rich.” based resistance. It disassembles the mentally necessary; they have huge This corruption framing helps “national interest” claims of extractiv- populist appeal. Why use government mobilize people who feel betrayed by ist populism, directly targeting those to prop up a dying oil industry that a government that promised to pursue who benefit from others’ harm. It disproportionately enriches big corpo- Indigenous reconciliation, respect also champions diverse actors whose rations when we could be investing in local communities and fight climate solidarity comes from their mutual de- clean jobs? Why should communities change, but which has instead decided pendence on fragile ecosystems. And in Northern B.C., many of them Indig- to bailout an American oil giant. As this narrative seems to have helped enous, depend on U.S. bus companies Coast Protectors noted, that money inspire sustained mass mobilizations to travel safely to work or visit family, could be used to provide “clean water that we don’t see often in Canadian only to be stranded when these com- for all Indigenous peoples.” Or fight environmental organizing. panies abandon them in the name of climate change. Or create green jobs. That said, there may be limitations corporate profit? That’s a powerful, popular argument. to this populist narrative. For one, it Looking around the country, we While the extractivist populism sold implies diverse communities are allied can see the immediate danger that by fossil fuel boosters like Kenney often in defence of local places and regional extractivist populism poses—not just invokes an implicitly unified “Canadian democracy, even though settler oppo- to the environment, but to working people,” anti-pipeline populists don’t nents’ concerns with both are arguably people and vulnerable groups from describe their constituents as part of rooted in an ongoing colonial project. coast-to-coast. But we can also see a homogenous society. That would The appeal of this narrative might be the political traction being gained by be a tough sell for an Indigenous-led undermined if settler opponents don’t populist climate politics around the movement that has helped mobilize make longer-term commitments to world. Alaxandria-Orcasio Cortez’ thousands of settler Canadians living Indigenous reconciliation. Just think Green New Deal is winning advocates on unceded territory. Instead, these about the current B.C. government, inside and beyond the United States; in groups describe a popular but diverse considered an ally in the Kinder Mor- Canada it is pumping new life into the social movement made up of everyday gan fight, being criticized for violating 2015 Leap Manifesto and campaign. people whose dependence on local Indigenous rights in support of the Site These campaigns don’t just cham- ecosystems compels them to band C megadam, or Trans Canada’s Coastal pion climate friendly policies; they together and “defend their coast.” Gas Link. directly target the elites that profit For instance, during the Northern Also, this new populist narrative has from climate chaos, while offering Gateway campaign, Dogwood’s been used almost exclusively to fight benefits to working people. Now Will Horter positioned their “broad against specific noxious projects. This seems the perfect moment for the grassroots movement of working is understandable given opponents’ environmental left in Canada to families, First Nations governments, immediate need to protect their pursue similarly bold policies. But to municipalities, and fishermen” against homes, families and territories. But do so, we will need to explicitly target a powerful elite cabal that included to date, we’ve seen fewer attempts by climate-killing elites while offering the “Enbridge—the largest pipeline the broader environmental movement people a future they will want to fight company in Canada, a consortium to use similar narratives to fight for for. M 26 Conservatism Populism and Crisis

MOHAMMAD AKBAR Ontario brings anti-union fight to post-secondary education

he one-year-old Ford government other student services deemed non-es- “accountability measures” the govern- in Ontario has a transformation- sential. Students may now choose to opt ment uses to characterize the success al agenda that includes plans out of funding these services. Building of post-secondary institutions. The for remaking public health care, or athletic fees, however, will remain government plans to tie 60% of funding Teducation and, of course, alcohol dis- mandatory under the Ford plan. for post-secondary institutions, over $3 tribution. His cuts to post-secondary A telling report by OPIRG Carleton billion a year, to 10 key metrics (there education, however, are a telling sign in Ottawa showed that despite the are currently 18) by 2021. These metrics of what the future might hold for government’s stated intention of include graduate earnings and comple- areas the government has been cau- reducing fees on students, approxi- tion rates, among other categories. tious to not target quite yet. mately 90% of ancillary fees charged As the Ontario Confederation of One of the new government’s to students would remain mandatory University Faculty Associations points first forays into enforcing its vision after implementation of the Student out, the change “works against quality of post-secondary education was Choice Initiative. Only $126.54 of the improvement and punishes students mandating “free speech” policies at $1,105.01 Carleton students paid in fees studying at already cash-strapped universities and colleges. The policy in 2018–19 are considered non-essential institutions facing further funding announcement came only a few and therefore optional. In addition, cuts.” Given the underfunding that months after white supremacist Faith the fees that students choose to pay already exists in the sector, the result Goldy was stopped from speaking at would not be covered by the Ontario of this change is an inevitable focus Wilfred Laurier University by strong Student Assistance Program (OSAP) on cost cutting, larger class sizes, more student protest. Many were quick to as they were in the past. In essence, online classes and an even more direct point out the irony in “mandatory free Ford’s Student Choice Initiative simply attack on workers. Inexplicably, none speech” for known bigots, with the deprives students of necessary services of these measures seem too focused on target being those exercising their while also taking money quietly out of the quality of education. right to protest against hate speech. their pockets. Unfortunately, there is no end in sight Beyond attempting to stifle critics to the transformational cuts coming to of oppressive, racist and sexist events, s if the silencing of disssent and the post-secondary institutions and the and quashing dissent under the guise Adestruction of student unions and very fabric of post-secondary education of providing “a space for open inquiry,” student power were not enough, the in Ontario. There is a clear indication this policy was also a test of how far the Ford government introduced other that Ford will interfere in collective Ford government could go to encroach massive changes to OSAP: reducing the bargaining as well. What else may be on upon post-secondary education family income threshold for funding his government’s agenda after its long, without facing blowback from school and essentially eliminating the “free” self-imposed summer break? administrations. On this, the premier tuition fee program; reducing the On- What many may not know is that got his agenda through with little to tario Student Grant; implementing a voluntary student unionism was orig- no pushback. While Universities and higher age for mature student status; inally proposed in Tim Hudak’s failed colleges were careful—they did not and eliminating the interest-free grace “Changebook” platform. Hudak also want to imply that the government period on student loans, among a host proposed U.S.-style “right to work” leg- had any authority over the govern- of other changes. islation for Ontario. If one looks at the ance of their institutions—all meekly The government attempted to use a Student Choice Initiative, it appears complied with the “free speech” policy. stated 10% tuition fee reduction to buy eerily similar to voluntary union dues With this victory in hand, the Ford student support for his post-secondary laws in place in many U.S. states. government pressed a far more insidious restructuring. But many students rec- The Ford government’s first year was plan: the inaccurately named Student ognize that only a handful of them will chaotic and disruptive, and there are Choice Initiative, which introduced truly benefit from the cut. They can see three more years to go. It is essential for voluntary student unionism to Canada there is no guarantee tuition fees will Ontarians across the province to learn for the first time. The Ontario policy ap- remain reduced, or that they will even from what has happened to post-sec- plies to student unions, Ontario Public be matched by provincial funding. ondary education so far, so that we can Interest Research Groups (OPIRGs), The last big change that Ford has prepare ourselves for perhaps even campus media, and a wide variety of made is his effort to redefine the more drastic restructuring ahead. M 27 Conservatism Populism and Crisis

GREG ALBO Hard right turn in Ontario Provincial populism serves a neoliberal economic strategy that hinges on ever more speculative, politicized and extreme forms of accumulation

decade after the global financial decade-long Harper government (and regimes as they blend nationalism crisis, few of the initial political now with Andrew Scheer as his suc- with neoliberalism. Still, features of calculations on the trajectory of cessor as leader of the Conservative the Ontario government policy matrix world capitalism remain intact. Party), the United Conservative Party under Ford that fit this pattern can be AThe assessments made by liberals and in Alberta, the People’s Alliance in New discerned. social democrats alike on the end of Brunswick, and the Saskatchewan neoliberalism and a revival of Keynes- Party and Coalition Avenir Québec ian state intervention now seem like a governments—this claim bears no The new Ontario government bad joke. And the readings from many scrutiny. First, the new Ontario government is on the radical left that the econom- committed to further “liberalization” ic slump would be met by a wave of of the economy and have even erect- social resistance and an opening for Authoritarian neoliberalism ed “open for business” signs at each political rupture have fared no better The election of the Doug Ford–led gov- border crossing. These policies will in either economic analysis or political ernment in Ontario, Canada’s largest be layered into a growth model that guidance. Indeed, neoliberalism has re- province by output and population, is as extensive (larger market) as it is gained its pre-eminence in economic should leave little doubt that an au- intensive (higher productivity), and policy, through re-financialization thoritarian phase of neoliberalism is sustains Ontario as a low-cost, low-tax and austerity, despite its ideological sinking deep roots in Canada. Ford’s regional production system. discredit and the endless multiplica- election platform, “A Plan for the Peo- Some of the new government’s first tions of its contradictions. ple,” played to the “Ford Nation” built moves were to scrap the carbon trading It is more than a little alarming by his late brother Rob, as mayor of system while simultaneously cutting that it is right-wing political forces Toronto, in its themes of social conserv- the gas tax, 750 renewable energy that have gained more and more po- atism, law and order, unwanted “illegal” projects and the Green Ontario Fund litical space in the wake of the crisis. migrants, and market populism. (shamefully leaving Ontario without The range of forms of this insurgent Ford adopted much of the inflam- a climate change policy). Shortly after, right defies a single classification— matory rhetoric of Donald Trump, the premier tabled legislation to roll electoral victories opening political including a parallel narrative of back modest labour reforms address- space for a hyper-nationalist alt-right “making Ontario great again” after ing some of the problems of low-paid (U.S. and Germany); incorporation of years of “criminal” Liberal spending workers and to freeze a planned neo-fascist forces into “formal” liberal (with the same chants of “lock her up” increase to the minimum wage (to $15 democratic states (Italy, Hungary, for then-premier Kathleen Wynne as per hour from its current $14), while Poland, the Philippines, Austria, and Trump supporters targeted at Hilary also cutting back workplace inspec- others); exceptional judicial-political Clinton), and domination by cultural tions. New spaces for accumulation coups (Brazil, Honduras); authoritar- “elites” in Toronto. In this, Ford fused are to be pushed into the Ring of Fire ian constitutional regimes (Russia, a suburban, multi-racial bloc of in Northern Ontario (for mining), the China, India, Turkey); military coups voters with traditional conservative province’s “green spaces” (for ex-urban (Egypt, Thailand); and still others. support—many with long-standing development sprawl), and further It is often claimed, in the sim- hard right leanings—among rural cannabis privatization. ple-mindedness that passes for and wealthy voters. In turn, Ford em- Second, Ontario fiscal policy has political analysis in Canada, that our powered even more militant, and some been constrained for decades with inclusionary polity has been innocent fascistic and openly racist elements of targeted maximum fiscal deficits of these developments (although the far right. (Ex–Rebel Media figure (normed, more or less, to move to Canada is, perhaps, the most orthodox Faith Goldy, recently kicked off Face- balanced budgets, with total debt adherent to neoliberal policy precepts book, placed third in a run for Toronto targeted for a range of 30-35% of in the world). But with the far right mayor.) provincial GDP). This has meant a gaining political space inside and out- There is no policy handbook that budgetary practice under the Liberals side the Conservative Party—as in the guides these emergent authoritarian of keeping program spending below 28 the combined rates of inflation and forces associated with extensive Ontario under the Ford government growth, to reduce steadily the size carding of racialized groups) in “high has not mutated into an exceptional of government as a portion of the priority” neighbourhoods. This is only regime existing, as it does, within the economy (with Ontario now having a partial inventory of the ideological faint veneer of liberal democracy. the lowest per capita programme and economic mechanisms to instill a But the premier operates with ever spending in Canada). culture of fear and market discipline fewer constraints—a nascent Bona- For the election, however, the that Ford is deploying. partism?—over his exercise of power. Liberals allowed a modest deficit to Finally, the Ford regime has been Both Ford’s core populist instincts and fund a range of programs. Ford, in unhesitating in reinforcing the political calculations authorize and turn, “ginned-up” charges of reckless anti-democratic and authoritarian sanction the hard-right sections of Liberal spending and appointed a Fi- tendencies that have been integral his caucus, party and extra-party mil- nancial Commission of Inquiry, and an to neoliberalism. Indeed, the govern- itants; his economic strategy hinges Ernst and Young Canada “audit” of the ment’s most dramatic initial move was on ever more speculative, politicized books, to produce a $15 billion deficit a unilateral cut to the size of Toronto and extreme forms of accumulation. (with some dispute over accounting city council in the midst of an election It would be utter folly to predict procedures, in the same range as the (as well as eliminating the elections of where this will end (no less in other Liberal projections). Nonetheless, several regional government chairs). regions of Canada). It is clear, moreover, the Conservatives promised during Ford was so keen to reduce the space that the Liberals are indicted in these the election to increase spending on for electing, as he put it, “lefties” in very same processes, and the NDP has public transit, housing, child care, and Toronto that he belligerently invoked proven more inept than capable of de- long-term care beds; no cuts to services the constitutional notwithstanding veloping an alternative to neoliberalism, and public employees; and gas, income, clause to limit judicial oversight. as these policies have also made their small business and corporate tax cuts. The personalization and concentra- claims on its vision and platform. Polit- This is all to be funded, Ford argued, by tion of power around Ford is notable: ical fronts, a fighting and transformed $6 billion in savings through unnamed the hyper-centralization of executive union movement, ambitious socialist “efficiencies.” power in the premier’s office; the organizing and alternatives have This is, to say the least, a confused ending of public ministerial mandate seldom been more urgent to confront and incoherent fiscal policy that can- letters; the centralization of control the challenges of these uncertain and not hold. Indeed, it is austerity that over ministerial staff appointments hardening times. M has already been rolled out: a public and media contacts; the naming of sector spending and hiring freeze; special advisors and commissions to axing of a pharmacare program for the premier’s office; the demotion of young people; cuts to a school repair the ministerial status of First Nations program, cycling infrastructure, and issues; and the altering of parliamen- mental health funding; and appoint- tary rules to limit the capacity to ment of a task force on health care oppose government bills. reform led by a two-tier advocate. The precise mix of spending cuts, user fees, and monetization and privatization of Hard times, assets will be sorted out in the coming political challenges economic statement and budget. In sum, Fordism in Ontario is an Third, the neoliberal deepening of extraordinarily contradictory, and economic institutions works in con- dangerous, agenda. The anti-state, junction with measures that promote market populism used to sustain “social discipline” as the hard right the rate of accumulation at any cost sees it. The Ford government has, for exists alongside— indeed, depends example, moved quickly to turf a mod- upon—an increasingly intervention- ernization of the sex-ed curriculum ist and authoritarian state mobilizing as well materials to deal with recon- its resources and re-ordering its ad- ciliation with First Nations; legislate ministrative apparatuses to buttress CUPE back to work at York University; this process. Ford’s “government for THIS ARTICLE IS REPRINTED FROM THE BULLET cut a basic income pilot program and the people” thus pivots, like Trump’s (SOCIALISTPROJECT.CA) WITH THE PERMISSION OF social assistance rate increases (on the regime in the U.S., around ideological THE AUTHOR. GREG ALBO’S BOOK WITH BRYAN M. EVANS (CO-EDITORS), DIVIDED PROVINCE: ONTARIO road, it seems, to revise some form of appeals to a hard-right provincialism, IN THE AGE OF NEOLIBERALISM, WAS PUBLISHED BY workfare); withdraw from provincial patriarchal family values set against a MCGILL-QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY PRESS IN FEBRUARY. obligations to settle and house refugee hostile world of crime and terrorism, claimants; block new oversight laws on mobilization of ethnic and racial the police; and re-establish specialized chauvinisms, and mystical market policing units (the “guns and gangs” solutions for every ill. 29 Index Climate Denialism Canada ... By 2019, Canada had one of the highest carbon emission rates per capita in the ILLUSTRATIONS BY MAURA DOYLE / world and was warming twice as fast as WITH FILES FROM JENNA COCULLO any other country due to its northern location. Still, many local governments, Alberta and Ontario in particular, believed the bigger problem facing the country was a lack of investment in polluting HOW industries. On taking office, the leaders of United States Canada’s two highest-emitting provinces ... President Donald Trump believed chose to scrap the cap on emissions climate change was a hoax, and on taking THEY’LL from oil sands production in Alberta office in 2017 began to widely deregulate and get rid of Ontario’s cap-and-trade across much of the economy via program (see Ricardo Acuña and Randy Executive Order 13771. As of June 11, 2019, REMEMBER Robinson in this issue). The Trudeau there were 40 completed “deregulatory government’s plan to meet the climate actions” posted on the Environmental emergency with new pipeline capacity— Protection Agency’s website affecting air US it purchased one Alberta–B.C. pipeline and water quality testing, “relaxation” of in 2018 for $4.5 billion—was ridiculed by fuel quality and emissions standards, and environmentalists. In the lead-up to that other areas. A further 48 deregulatory year’s federal election, Andrew Scheer’s actions were planned heading into the Conservative Party promised to revoke 2020 presidential election. Though a moderately effective, low-cost carbon Trump can’t be credited with the tax that was being challenged in court by country’s shale oil and liquefied natural several provincial governments... gas boom, which began under the previous Obama administration, his Republican administration upped the ante by fast-tracking licences for drilling on public land and in the Arctic. Two further executive orders permitted the U.S. president to issue, amend or deny approval for pipeline projects and limit the power of the state to deny these projects in the future...

30 Russia ... Russia signed the Paris Agreement in 2016, after pledging a year earlier to reduce emissions to 25–30% below 1990 Brazil levels by 2030. But by 2019 the country had still not ratified the agreement. A ... Only hours after taking office in November 2018 assessment of global January 2019, Brazil’s extreme-right Australia emissions reduction strategies published president Jair Bolsoraro signed an in the journal Nature Communications executive order opening up protected ... Along with Canada, Australia was found that world temperatures would Indigenous territory in the Amazon as a one of the world’s worst per capita rise by more than five degrees Celsius gift to the country’s powerful agricultural greenhouse gas emitters, with coal under the Russian, Chinese and Canadian lobby (see Asad Ismi in this issue) and a becoming the country’s top export targets. At the same time, according to snub to international NGOs the president by value in 2019, much of it going to the Centre on the Problems of Ecology accused of “sticking their noses into Japan and China where it was burned and Productivity of Forests at the Russian Brazil.” At the time, the Amazon was to generate power. Regular bushfires in Academy of Sciences, poor forest home to 10% of the world’s species Australia during its dry seasons became management was removing the carbon- and was considered a crucial carbon much worse as the climate emergency sink potential of Russia’s vast boreal sink—a way to pull carbon dioxide out progressed. Ahead of the 2019 election, forests, which accounted for 19% of the of the atmosphere. Bolsonaro’s move more than 20 former fire and emergency world’s forest reserves by surface area in was considered an aggressive assault chiefs from across the country warned 2019. Meanwhile, Russia was positioning on Indigenous peoples, who strongly all parties that they needed to put itself to be the main beneficiary of climate resisted the reforms, and a handout many more resources toward “national change–related ice melt in the Arctic. The to global mining companies, including firefighting assets” such as aircraft if the Far North is estimated to contain 22% of Canadian ones, who could now more country was going to meet the threat. Earth’s undiscovered natural gas and oil easily encroach onto Indigenous lands... Australia’s prime minister, Scott Morrison, fields, 60% of them in Russian territory... who in late 2018 told student climate strikers to “get back to school,” was less concerned with capping emissions than putting a cap on refugees and immigrants. When asked by a radio host if Australia would meet its Paris Agreement climate change emissions targets, Morrison said: “No we’re not held to any of them at all…nor are we bound to go and tip money into that big climate fund, we’re not going to do that either. So, I’m not going to spend money on global climate conferences and all that sort of nonsense”...

31 Conservatism Populism and Crisis

CLAUDE VAILLANCOURT François Legault, Quebec’s centre-right of attraction

n extended honeymoon seems to had angered the public so much that Speaking of cars, Transport Minis- have set in between François Le- it would have been highly risky for ter François Bonnardel showed how gault and the people of Quebec. the CAQ to continue in this direction. easily he could yield to the demands The premier skilfully addresses Accumulated government surpluses of private enterprise, in this case Uber. Athem with simple, laid-back language. from years of deprivation are high As requested by the car-sharing app, He remains attentive and responds enough that even the conservative the CAQ government has deregulated quickly to difficulties. He was, for Legault had no excuse but to distrib- the taxi industry, raising the ire of taxi example, very active on the scene of ute them. drivers who feel cheated and helpless. the floods that hit the province this The flexibility of Legault contrasts Legault has also shown obvious em- spring. nicely with the ideological stiffness of ployer sympathies in the high-profile The moderation shown by this gov- his predecessor Philippe Couillard. The labour dispute involving workers at ernment, and the centrism at the core latter, for example, distributed his essay the ABI smelter near Trois-Rivières, of its policies, were hardly predictable. The Fourth Revolution, a publication who have been locked out for nearly Remember that the Coalition avenir typical of neoliberal orthodoxy, to fam- a year and a half. Québec (CAQ), founded by Legault in ily and colleagues. Legault, who served The premier launched a battle for 2011, was established by absorbing the as a minister in a social democratic secularism, with a bill banning religious resolutely right-wing Action démocra- party (the Parti Québécois), is more symbols in several public sector work- tique du Québec (ADQ) and advocated a apt to put water in his wine, which places. Debate around the law, which major reduction in the role of the state. Quebeckers seem to appreciate. passed June 16, continues to divide, The transition from one party to the But clearly Legault is not leading which goes against Legault’s quest for other was relatively hurdle-free. Only a progressive party, and many of the consensus. The manoeuvre is clearly six months before the last election in CAQ’s choices in government display election focused: it seems to have been October, the CAQ website was replete its roots on the right. The environment, set up to reassure the party’s electoral with familiar slogans: Quebecers for example, was not one of the gov- base, mainly the population of the needed a “tax break” when instead the ernment’s priorities. Neophytes in this suburbs of Montreal and Quebec City. government had its “hands in taxpayers’ field, poorly prepared and, until recent- An important test awaits the pockets.” Words like “oil” and “shale gas” ly, advocating resource exploitation at Legault government—that of nego- (which absolutely had to be exploited, all costs, Legault and his party were out tiating a new collective agreement according to early CAQ statements) of step with the people on this growing with public sector unions. Everything have disappeared from the site. concern. A very strong environmental in the party’s history suggests that the The program of the CAQ was not movement in Quebec forced him to CAQ government will take a hard line very different from that of the Liberal change his plans. At a general council against state employees. However, the Party of Quebec (PLQ), confirmed by held last May, the party took its green considerable budget surplus—about the game of revolving doors from shift. It was clearly not enough to em- $9 billion, according to journalist one party to the other. Ex-Caquistes bark on a real energy transition, but it Gérald Fillion—significantly favours Dominique Anglade, Sébastien Proulx was a step forward all the same. public sector workers who have been and Gaétan Barrette became ministers Two of the CAQ government’s prom- waiting for a raise for some time. So in the Couillard government, while for- ises worry opponents. Kindergarten does Legault’s election promise to mer Liberal Marguerite Blais is now a for four-year-olds, touted as a miracle create well-paying jobs. Caquist minister. “Du pareil au meme” solution by Legault, is inadequate to So far, François Legault has had it (it’s all the same), went one campaign the task of fixing a school system that relatively easy. In the absence of bold launched by unions. The CAQ would suffers from a shortage of teachers. and inspired policies, his pragmatism only reproduce, and perhaps bungle, And the proposal to construct a third reassures many people. Unlike his pre- the policies of the Liberals. bridge in Quebec City, connecting decessor Couillard, he does not seem The party was able to correct the the north and south shores of the St. deaf to social demands. But how long situation by taking a surprising turn Lawrence River, will only promote will Legault, he who listens, prevail toward the centre. The previous automobile-focused development that over the businessman he never really Liberal government’s austerity plans is harmful to the environment. ceased to be? M 32 ROXANNE DUBOIS Politics of light and shadows Alexa Conradi’s call for a feminist line in conservative times

he post-crisis rise of right-wing underlying sentiments that may opportunistic. While the video was populism garners considerable contribute to a climate of fear and taken down and edited, the attention international attention today. division, and to address them through it garnered allowed Conradi and the But it wasn’t that long ago that conversation and action. FFQ to lead a weeklong dialogue on TCanada dealt with its own brand of an- As an example, Conradi describes militarism. This was a platform they tagonistic conservative politics under how she and the FFQ, adopting a femi- had never hoped would open up in Stephen Harper’s federal government. nist posture, opposed the militarization Quebec’s media scene at the time. At the time, community activist and of society under the Harper Conserv- Conradi also reflects on the question feminist Alexa Conradi was the pres- ative government. A hard-hitting, but of reasonable accommodation, which ident of the Fédération des femmes du somewhat clumsy, video produced by is still an active discussion today in Québec (FFQ). During her tenure, the the FFQ—featuring a mother refusing light of the current CAQ government’s FFQ took part in broad societal debates to send her son to be cannon fodder proposed law restricting visible reli- that uncovered resistance to feminist in Canada’s contribution to the war in gious attire for public sector workers ideas, and hidden layers of intolerance, Afghanistan—caused an immediate in the name of secularism. Conradi racism, homophobia and other harm- backlash, especially by right-wing says the result was inevitable: with the ful sentiments that were often masked media who declared it insensitive and rise of Islamophobia in Quebec (but by notions of exceptionalism. not exclusively there), it was tragic Conradi reflects on this moment in but not surprising that a mosque in a new book-length essay, Fear, Love, Quebec City would be the target of a and Liberation in Contemporary gunned attack, in 2017, resulting in the Quebec (Between the Lines, April death of six people. 2019), published in French under the While the right uses division and title Les angles morts, or “blind spots.” xenophobia, Conradi proposes a polit- She is concerned, therefore, with ical path that rests on love and a good issues or views that escape our field life for all. A political program aimed of vision—things we don’t talk about, at bringing people closer together by perhaps because the answers are hard fostering thoughtful and conversa- to explain. Conradi cautions that tional politics appears to be the only these blind spots, in particular those way out of the current politics of fear related to gender equality, can trap us; and division. the myths they encourage will fester This essay is well-suited for an below the surface if the opportunity activist audience, and for individuals to dispel them is not taken. who may happen to carry the weight Among the examples approached of social progress, as slow and heavy by Conradi in her reflections are the as that might be. It is for those who public understanding of rape culture aim to sharpen their understanding of and gender-based violence, the legacy the wide array of topics that matter for of colonialism and the importance of the left. Conradi’s book is also for those solidarity with Indigenous communi- who want to build and strengthen the ties, the rise of Islamophobia and the social movements that have the po- consequences of racism, and the role tential to change the established state of education in preventing a return to of the world. Written in a pensive and religious fundamentalism. Anecdotes decidedly hopeful tone, she assess her are nourished by experiences in the own difficult and at times personally field and thoughtful recollection of costly involvement in past struggles years gone by. Throughout, Conradi in order to better affect change in the asserts the need to uncover the future. M 33 Conservatism Populism and Crisis

LYNNE FERNANDEZ AND SHAUNA MACKINNON The Pallister government shifts into high gear Explaining the transition from “regressive incrementalism” to more sweeping social, economic and energy policy reforms

ver 15 years in government (1999 minimum wage, investment in child security. It used Manitoba Hydro as a to 2016), the Manitoba NDP made care, a significant expansion of social way to implement project-based labour incremental changes to social housing, and Rent Assist, a program agreements that benefitted unionized and economic policy that moved to help low income people access and non-unionized workers. The utility Othe province in a more progressive di- private-sector housing. While these also entered into agreements with First rection. Many progressives say these incremental changes did not trans- Nations for shared ownership of new changes did not go nearly far enough. form existing power structures, they hydro developments, and training and In some areas, however, as a result of did moderately shift the balance. employment opportunities for First persistent pressure from civil society, The NDP in government strength- Nation workers. the government engaged in “radical in- ened public institutions such as The NDP government also sup- crementalism,” described by American Manitoba Hydro, which was mandated ported Manitoba’s labour community political scientist Sanford Schram as to act in creative ways to support social with friendlier legislation. It invested the undertaking of steady, incremental enterprises (and the training and em- in post-secondary access programs policy changes that lay a foundation ployment of multi-barriered workers) initially introduced (by another NDP for transformative change. while investing in alternative energy government) in the 1980s to help mul- We propose that the current Pro- generation such as geothermal. In an ti-barriered students succeed in their gressive Conservative government example of larger-scale commitments, university studies. The government led by Premier Brian Pallister initially the government invested heavily in new significantly boosted support for engaged in a mirror-image version hydro development with the goal of in- inner-city revitalization through a of this policy we call “regressive creasing exports and improving energy popular Neighbourhoods Alive! initi- incrementalism.” The strategy—to ative. In response to concerns raised gradually unravel promising changes by non-profit organizations working made during the previous govern- on the frontline with Manitoba’s most ment—is similar to that adopted by vulnerable, the NDP government the conservative Filmon government signed multi-year funding agreements of the 1990s. But Pallister has since with more than 100 community-based proposed more sweeping reforms organizations, making Manitoba the with the intention of permanently envy of similar groups across Canada. weakening labour and compromising In 2009, the Manitoba government future governments’ ability to use released an important poverty reduc- public services and Crown corporation strategy, which it enshrined in law tions to foster more equitable and The looming loss in 2011. Among its priorities, the Pov- sustainable economic development in PST revenue erty Reduction Strategy Act required in the province. the government in each fiscal year to coupled with the “take the poverty reduction and social government’s inclusion strategy into account when “Radical incrementalism” preparing the budget for that fiscal and progressive change fixation on the year,” and to “prepare a statement that Among the progressive policies put deficit has meant a (i) summarizes a strategy and sets out in place by the last NDP government the budget measures that are designed to help equity-seeking groups were steady stream of cuts to implement the strategy, and (ii) sets regular, above-inflation increases to since 2017. out the poverty reduction and social 34 inclusion indicators prescribed by regulation that will be First the government eliminated the card check system for used to measure the progress of the strategy.” union certification, forcing workers who want to organize into secret elections. Then the government introduced legislation to freeze public sector wages for two years, Regressive incrementalism, then and now mandating a 0.75% wage increase for the third year and a In 2016, Brian Pallister’s Progressive Conservatives unseat- 1% increase in year four. This legislation has been contested ed the NDP and began reversing the course of provincial by the Manitoba Federation of Labour on the grounds that policy in a process we call “regressive incrementalism.” The it violates a union’s right to collectively bargain on behalf same process unfolded in the 1990s when the PC govern- of its members. The province has also forced health care ment of Gary Filmon dismantled programs and policies unions to reduce the number of bargaining units, putting implemented by the NDP government that preceded it. them in a long, disruptive process of jockeying for members. For example, the Filmon government gutted programs As for the Crown corporations, in 2017, Manitoba Hydro, to help students access post-secondary education, starved Manitoba Public Insurance and Manitoba Liquor and public housing, implemented workfare policies and with- Lotteries Corporation were all ordered to trim personnel drew funding from 56 community-based organizations, and reduce management by 15%. Manitoba Hydro elim- leaving a gap in service for many vulnerable Manitobans. inated 900 jobs and cut management staff by 30%. The As result, many low-income individuals and communities main reason given for the cuts was that the province had went through difficult times in the 1990s. It has taken to reduce its deficit, which was not nearly as serious as nearly two decades for new capacity to be built and for the government claimed. At the same time, the Pallister communities to begin to rebuild. government is proceeding with its campaign promise to The Filmon government made other, irreversible changes cut the PST by 1%. This will reduce provincial revenues by such as the privatization of Manitoba Telephone System $325 million over the next fiscal year. (MTS), now owned by Bell. In 1996, the government also The looming loss in PST revenue coupled with the attempted to privatize homecare services. That experiment government’s fixation on the deficit has meant a steady failed for a number of reasons and homecare services stream of cuts since 2017. The province has held back were brought back into the public sector a year later. The funds for much needed infrastructure repairs, stopped subsequent NDP government was able to reverse course investing in the expansion of social housing, cut funding in many areas during its 15 years at the helm, but many of to universities and school divisions, is decreasing social those gains are now being rolled back once again. assistance benefits, and is scaling back Rent Assist. But the The Pallister government’s regressive strategy was imme- attack on the public sector is still escalating. The province diately applied to the civil service and Crown corporations. has eliminated inexpensive but very effective programs

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 35 such as Neighbourhoods Alive!, the including consolidation, privatization A Manitoba Nurses Union press previous government’s community and service cuts. But the pace intensi- release explained their actual assess- revitalization initiative, and commu- fied in April 2017 with the closure of ment of the meeting they had with nity-based organizations are worried three emergency departments and Peachy and comments he made at their multi-year funding agreements the announcement that two more the media conference: “To characterize with the government are not being would become urgent care units. The the response from nurses as anything renewed. reorganization is meant to reduce wait short of severe disappointment with This April, Crown corporations times, but some doctors point out that the consolidation plan is completely received a letter from Minister Colleen the real issue is the lack of hospital misleading. These changes have Mayer reminding them that they “must beds—a problem that would require caused massive problems in our health align with our government’s mandate money, not reorganization, to fix. care system, from overcrowding in to fix our finances, repair our services Nova Scotia doctor-turned-con- ERs, to a loss of experienced nurses and rebuild our economy,” and that sultant David Peachy designed the in highly specialized units, and severe “the old way of doing things, where plan for these changes. As reported workload issues.” government just got bigger and more in the Winnipeg Sun, Peachy was expensive is over” (sic). The quickest summoned back to Winnipeg in way to shrink government and make it May 2019 to explain why two of the We saw it coming less expensive is to get rid of workers. three ER closures are now on hold. Since Pallister’s election, progressives The ministerial letter to Efficiency The massive shift of staff and level have been worried about the come- Manitoba, the new Crown corporation of service is being blamed for the back of 1990s-era changes to health responsible for energy efficiency and increase in wait times at emergency care and education. These concerns conservation, was clear on this point: rooms and unprecedented increases in are now festering in the health care programming must improve, “but at mandatory overtime for nurses. When sector and will likely escalate once a significantly smaller percentage of pressed by the media to explain why the promised education reforms get the costs and materially less labour his consolidation plan was having underway. We have also been won- costs” (sic). the opposite effect it was supposed dering if and when the privatization Each Crown corporation is now to, Peachy’s response was bizarrely of Manitoba’s Crown corporations expected to follow the province’s incomprehensible and misleading. He would raise its ugly head. example of shrinking the civil service claimed that the nurses were pleased The mandate letters to all provin- and reduce their workforce. This will with the changes when in fact they are cial Crowns offer some proof that result in a further 15% reduction in on the frontline pushing back. there is more afoot than incremental management positions and an 8% change. Of particular concern is the cut in regular staff. A May 2 Winnipeg direct order to Manitoba Liquor and Free Press story reports that Manito- Lotteries to look for ways to engage ba Hydro is hesitant to comply. The the private sector more in the sale of corporation’s Bruce Owens states, “We alcohol. And in November 2018, the believe that further staff reductions government hired B.C.’s ex-premier would significantly increase the risk of Gordon Campbell to head an inquiry public and employee safety, of system into the prevous NDP government’s reliability, and as well our ability to capital investments in Manitoba provide reasonable levels of service Hydro’s generation and transmission to our customers.” capacity. The Pallister government has First the government been highly critical of these projects eliminated and it is anticipated the inquiry’s From incrementalism final report will further admonish its to sweeping change the card check predecessor, the investments and the The mandate letters, combined with system for union utility. previous changes to health care and Pallister’s strategy is similar in the soon-to-be launched educational certification, many ways to that of his conservative reforms led by a finance minister from forcing workers who forebear. Despite promises to never the Filmon years, would indicate that privatize MTS, Filmon’s PC govern- the Pallister government is shifting want to organize into ment followed what has become a gears, from incremental to sweeping secret elections. tried and true blueprint for privatizing change. Some of these regressive Crowns in Canada, one that Campbell changes will be near impossible to Then it introduced is very familiar with. It looks like this: reverse. legislation to Tell the public there is a major prob- Early on in its tenure, the Pallister • lem with the Crown corporation. government made incremental freeze public sector changes to the health care sector, wages for two years. 36 • Hire private sector consultants to confirm and cement The overhauling of the health the narrative that the problem is one of too much government interference. care system, cuts to social • Separate divisions of the Crown, ostensibly to make it services, legislative run more efficiently. changes affecting workers, • Begin to sell off the divisions to the private sector. anticipated changes for

Campbell has since been removed from the inquiry. education and increasingly If whoever takes over is able to exploit the Progressive bold moves around Crown Conservatives’ constant barrage of criticism about Man- itoba Hydro, any number of privatization schemes could corporations show that the unfold. The separation of its demand-side management government has shifted from program into the independent Efficiency Manitoba Crown corporation suggests we could be about to enter the final incremental to substantive stage of a privatization strategy. change. The overhauling of the health care system, cuts to social services, legislative changes affecting workers, anticipated changes for education and increasingly bold moves around Crown corporations show that Pallister’s government has shifted from incremental to substantive change. Their sudden cancellation of the Manitoba carbon tax would indicate that they are emboldened by the blue wave satu- rating provinces from Ontario to Alberta, a wave that also increase the PST by 1% there will be a public outcry. But if threatens to destroy the moderate progress made in those you decommission Neighbourhoods Alive!, or cut welfare provinces and push all of Canada into rewind. benefits, you’re probably in the clear. Which raises a final question: Did progressive community organizations and labour unions miss an important More questions than answers opportunity when they had greater stability under an NDP As we analyze the changes taking place in Manitoba, a few government? Could they have done a better job educating lines of questioning arise. First of all, to what degree did the and politicizing their constituents, and to prepare them to NDP in government make a conscious decision not to take push back when the cuts came? We now need to reckon the kinds of bold steps required to ensure transformational with the fact that we have not managed to politicize those progressive change in the province? While it is common who work on the frontlines. for governments to move to the centre when elected, Effective resistance to an increasingly sharp right turn could the NDP have pushed the envelope a bit further has been slow to materialize. A new labour-community while maintaining office? In other words, were they more health coalition is gaining traction, but building momentum cautious than necessary? takes time. Unions are also focussed on particular issues A thorough treatment of that question cannot be ad- such as nursing shortages and overtime, and a Manitoba dressed here, but it is fair to say that there was not any sort Federation of Labour initiative to take the province to of consensus across the government. While some cabinet court over its civil service wage-freeze legislation. These ministers and advisors were more cautious, others were campaigns are necessary and welcome, but we’ll need to able to gently push certain departments in more progres- do much more. sive directions. But the transformation from incremental The blue wave in Canada is going to make it much harder to structural change never occurred. to make progress on the climate crisis and inequality (in Aligned with this is the observation that conservative its many forms, and especially between Indigenous and governments seem far more willing and able to implement settler communities)—the two most pressing problems sweeping changes when in office than more left-leaning our country faces. The Kenny and Ford governments’ con- governments. Why is that? It could be that the conservative servative radicalism is emboldening Manitoba’s Pallister base, with its much deeper pockets, is more willing to jump government to play a similarly backward spoiler role on on the political bandwagon and support big ideas when both fronts. Will Manitobans find the energy to fight back? they arrive. Labour needs to join with a variety of strong advocacy The Progressive Conservative party in Manitoba is itself groups like Make Poverty History Manitoba, Manitoba better resourced and equipped to see unpopular changes Childcare Coalition, The Right to Housing Coalition and en- through. In power it has proven more willing to take the vironmental groups if we are to build the sort of broad-based plunge on risky policies—cutting back on education and movement needed now that regressive incrementalism is health care, for example—than the NDP has been to bring evolving into radical conservative change. It’s the only way in more aggressive anti-poverty measures or more effective we can respond to the cumulative damage being done to environmental protections. As we in Manitoba know, if you all Manitobans, especially to the most marginalized. M 37 Conservatism Populism and Crisis

STORY BY MICHAELA MAYER / ILLUSTRATIONS BY ALISHA DAVIDSON Protecting our freedom to disagree More than a theoretical concept, enabling civil society can be an active strategy to defend democracy and the right to dissent

here is no time for compla- in a chapter for the CCPA ebook The sidelining the heads of independent cency…. If there is one lesson Harper Record 2008-2015, highlighting arm’s-length bodies, and restricting above all that was the most the role that defunding civil society government scientists from publish- sobering for me from my organizations played within a series ing and speaking out. Those measures “Texperience of over a decade [of the of cascading and interdependent created an advocacy chill that was felt Harper government], it was to see strategies designed to undermine the throughout the social, human rights how easy it was for the government… effectiveness of rights advocates and and environmental sectors. to start stripping away rights left and Indigenous organizations. In response to the hostile environ- right, punishing dissent, advocacy and Many groups had their charitable ment experienced by civil society human rights in our Canada.” status revoked, compromising their groups during the Harper government Alex Neve, secretary general of fundraising capacity, their reputation, years, the research initiative Enabling Amnesty International Canada, looks and the privacy of many individuals. Civil Society was spearheaded by up from the podium at the University Other government measures included Voices-Voix in 2013 and pursued by of Ottawa’s Alex Trebek Memorial Hall “political audits” of charitable organi- Canadian non-profits, human rights where he is addressing an audience of zations, denying access to information, defenders, labour unions and academ- Canadian human rights defenders. His public vilification, harassment and ics. In October 2017, a multidisciplinary words have hit their mark. Just a few surveillance. The Harper govern- and multi-partner conference was days earlier, Alberta’s United Conserv- ment also shut down public sector held at the McGill Centre for Human ative Party leader Jason Kenney had voices by interfering directly with Rights and Legal Pluralism in Montre- vowed, in his victory speech following independent institutions, firing or al where participants honed in on the Alberta’s recent provincial elections, to idea of an “enabling environment” as a start a political war against environ- key catalyst in promoting the vitality mental and other civil society groups. of civil society. But to be even more Kenney pledged to launch inves- effective, Eliadis said at the time, ad- tigations and public inquiries on vocates should turn the static concept environmental organizations that he into an active verb, “enabling civil accused of “spreading lies” about the society,” which offers a more vibrant impacts of resource development, and imperative for action. of relying on foreign funding. The The conference also invited partic- Harper government used identical Canada has positive ipants to reimagine the relationships tactics to undermine and silence dis- obligations in that civil society organizations have senting voices in Canada, as Neve and with citizens, government and with those gathered for the April launch international each other, and to integrate interna- of the Voices-Voix conference report, law to respect, tional human rights, equality rights Enabling Civil Society: Democracy and and fundamental freedoms within Dissent, know all too intimately. protect and promote the Canadian Charter of Rights and The Voices-Voix coalition was the collective Freedoms into the work they do to pro- formed in 2010 to investigate and mote collective rights to dissent, such disseminate information on the dimension of as freedom of expression, association systematic and deliberate way the rights and freedoms and peaceful assembly. The resulting Harper Conservative government conference report, launched in Ottawa was shutting down dissenting voices that would foster in April 2019, synthesized the main in the country. Pearl Eliadis, a Mon- an enabling outcomes of the wide-ranging panel treal-based human rights lawyer and discussions and presentations of ac- one of the initiators of Voices-Voix, environment for tivists, organized labour, academics, described the government’s tactics civil society and UN mandate holders. 38 Red tape for radicals The Enabling Civil Society report identifies structural weaknesses in the federal regulatory framework for charities and the not-for-profit sector that were discussed during the October 2017 conference, and that were at the root of the Harper government’s ability to “disenable” civil society and restrict the fundamental freedoms of civil society actors. One of the most prominent examples of structural weakness was the use of “political activity audits” by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to restrict or chill the advocacy work of charities. Registered charities enjoy certain fiscal benefits in Canada, but Section 149.1 (6.2) of the Income Tax Act required that “substantially all” of their resources should go toward charitable activities. “Substantially all” has been interpreted by the CRA in its guidelines to mean 90% of a charity’s resources. Consequently, charities could only put 10% of their resources toward poorly defined “political activities”—a restriction that was entirely separate from the legitimate ban on partisan activities (e.g., supporting or opposing a specific political party or candidate). In 2012, under the Harper government, several political audits were initiated by the CRA against charities that were critically speaking out on federal policies. These audits appeared to target environmental organizations criticizing the oil and gas industry, as well as human rights groups and those opposed to federal social and economic policies. The possibility that organizations might be forced to put extensive personnel and financial resources toward justifying that their activities were non-political, based on an unclear definition of what that meant, created an “advocacy chill” throughout the charitable sector. (Editor’s note: The CRA launched a political audit against the CCPA in 2014, claiming the centre was engaged in potentially “biased” research or “partisan political activities.” The CCPA’s executive director at the time, Bruce Campbell, told CBC News: “We’re in the policy research and public education business. Our work, I think, is a pillar of democracy. It feeds into the political debate. It fosters informed debate.”) While the Trudeau government promised to end the “political harassment” of charities, it was the landmark decision by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on July 16, 2018, in the case of Canada Without Poverty vs. Attorney General of Canada, that eventually forced the government to alter its practice of treating advocacy and communications activities as political and therefore non-charitable. In his decision, Judge Morgan ruled in favour of the anti-poverty group, agreeing with Canada Without Poverty (CWP) that the “10% rule” was a violation of freedom of expression under Section 2 of the Charter. CWP is a registered charity dedicated to the relief of poverty in Canada by following the UN Copenhagen Decla- ration on Social Development to promote civic engagement and public dialogue. During its audit process, the CRA interpreted the CWP’s public policy activities as 98.5% “political” and questioned the organization’s charitable status. At the Enabling Civil Society conference report launch in April, Leilani Farha, executive director of CWP and UN Special 39 Rapporteur on adequate housing, recalled her realization None of the measures used by the Harper government to that the “political activities” rules violated the Charter: “disenable” charities required the government to introduce new legislation or even make major policy changes. Rather, I became aware that what was asked from me was to the government simply exploited existing structural weak- constantly monitor our staff and the members of our ness in the regulatory framework to restrict open spaces organization and to determine if they had made a public for civil society and to silence dissenting voices. statement about current laws or policies…and strictly Amendments to Canada’s charities laws would improve limit them once we have reached 10%. the independence and impartiality of legal frameworks for In his decision, Justice Morgan confirmed that it was not charitable organizations by creating independent regula- possible for the charity to pursue its charitable purpose tory bodies whose primary objectives are transparency, “while restricting its politically expressive activities.” Farha accountability and the public good. More broadly, Canada mentioned during the report launch that she sees the rul- has positive obligations in international law to respect, ing as a victory for democracy and freedom of expression protect and promote the collective dimension of rights and in Canada, but specifically for all people living in poverty freedoms that would foster an enabling environment for who are often left out of the public discourse. civil society, and would ensure that human rights defenders Tax issues are not the only areas of concern. National and other advocates can carry out the work needed to security continues to be used to justify measures that advance their missions. restrict the work of civil society groups. Surveillance measures and security legislation such as the Anti-Terrorism Act (2015), and Bill C-59, currently before Parliament, can Making civil society more inclusive target dissenting viewpoints, in particular those expressed The Enabling Civil Society conference report also discusses by vulnerable or marginalized communities, as threats to strategies for how to widen the circle of voices represented the national security. In the Voices-Voix conference report, within the human rights and other advocate communities. the U.S.-based International Center for Not-for-Profit Women’s organizations, LGBTQ2I defenders, Indigenous Law (ICNL) highlights an increase in the number of such communities and persons with disabilities still face severe measures used by the Trump administration to restrict obstacles to participating effectively in public dialogue. the rights to protest and association. They are also at higher risk of being silenced when civic spaces are restricted. Establishing “safe spaces” can offer them a possibility to speak and to develop ideas on par- ticipatory engagement that can later be shared with the public at large. The report further highlights concerns about what Eliad- is calls “projectizing human rights,” or the move by funders and philanthropic organizations away from a holistic approach to human rights as being indivisible, interdependent and interrelated. This can be seen in the shift, over the last two decades, from funding for a charity’s overall mission to a project-based funding model. This strategy can further marginalize the very groups charities are trying to help, while keeping the salaries of staff—especially in smaller organizations—near poverty levels. The emphasis in a project-based funding model is, furthermore, often placed on measurable outcomes and “innovative” projects that, while important, can distract from more pressing initiatives and undercut long-term (sustained) measures and advocacy priorities. The report discusses the women’s movement as one example where restrictions in funding effectively reduced the activities of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC) to delivering services rather than policy and advocacy work.

Leilani Farha, executive director of Canada Without Poverty, at the UN Human Rights Council in February 2018. UN GENEVA, FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS 40 Resilience is prevailing Joanna Kerr, president and CEO of The reality is that many govern- Despite the shrinking civic spaces Tides Canada—a popular target of ments respond, instead, by trying to in Canada and internationally, civil the Harper government and now the hinder civil dialogue by restricting society organizations and human Kenney government in Alberta—was civic spaces and silencing dissent. rights defenders around the world also at the report launch this spring. Past experiences during the Harper remain resilient. John Packer, director She underscored how important it government in Canada and with of the Human Rights Research and is for civil society to show collective emerging populist and nationalist Education Centre at the University strength and solidarity in the contin- movements around the world suggest of Ottawa, which hosted the Enabling uing fight for democracy and dissent an increasing tendency toward this Civil Society report launch in April, in Canada. Kerr mentioned that position. highlighted the significant role that universities can play a decisive role The numerous case studies that civil society is playing in democracies by hosting events like Enabling Civil Voices-Voix has documented and the around the world: Society, where dissenting voices can outcomes of the Enabling Civil Society come together. initiative reveal that even in a coun- In an increasingly diverse and Charitable organizations and other try like Canada, with long-standing interrelated world, it is absolutely civil society advocates often represent democratic traditions, civil society imperative to have not only an the most marginalized and poor among cannot take rights and freedoms for open society, but an enabling civil us; they push and test the boundaries granted. This is, indeed “no time for society…. This is the robust, dynamic of social norms and pressure govern- complacency.” society we aim for, the civil society M ment for change. Governments can that many people seek to come to THE AUTHOR THANKS PEARL ELIADIS, JOYCE GREEN respond by fostering an open dialogue AND ALEX NEVE FOR THEIR COMMENTS AND Canada for, to participate and for ASSISTANCE ON EARLIER DRAFTS OF THIS ARTICLE. with civil society and by implementing the opportunity to express them- regulatory frameworks that ensure selves, to pursue their interests and the fundamental freedoms of citizens aspirations. are upheld. 41 Conservatism Populism and Crisis

ASAD ISMI Bolsonaro’s clearcut populism Resistance to environmental and social reforms is growing among Indigenous peoples, teachers, students and organized labour

he barbarism has begun,” forests…the Amazon has an incredibly from decline by establishing its superi- declared the Pankarurú In- important role in global warming. It’s ority over Asia and the Muslim world. digenous nation after Jair the world’s air conditioner; it regulates Ferreira Do Vale calls these ideas the Bolsonaro, Brazil’s neofascist rain for the entire continent.” “obscure thoughts” of Ernesto Araújo, “Tpresident, won fraudulent elections in Bolsonaro’s top security advisor, how- Brazil’s current foreign minister, who October 2018 amidst accusations of ever, told a Bloomberg news reporter in has written about recovering Brazil’s breaking financing rules and shameless- May that it was “nonsense” to think of “Western soul” and would base Brazil’s ly spreading fake news. The Pankarurú the rainforest as a world heritage, and foreign policy on “Christian values.” inhabit a northeastern part of the Am- that it “should be dealt with by Brazil In this worldview, according to Fer- azon rainforest, which Bolsonaro has for the benefit of Brazil.” Echoing a po- reira Do Vale, only the United States pledged to open up to large-scale ranch- sition spouted by conservative climate really matters to Brazil; relations with ing, farming and mining operations, in deniers in Canada since the Harper other Latin American countries are to violation of Indigenous land rights. government, General Augusto Heleno be downgraded while China and Russia According to Global Forest Watch, Pereira claimed, “There’s a totally unnec- are now considered adversaries. This Brazil was already the global leader in essary and nefarious foreign influence will be difficult to pull off in practice. rainforest destruction in 2018. in the Amazon…. NGOs hide strategic, Seventy per cent of Brazil’s trade is “The Bolsonaro regime poses the economic and geopolitical interests.” with China. The agribusiness lobby, most significant threat to human rights a major supporter of Bolsonaro and and environmental protections in the larm at the actions and policies of a very powerful group within his Brazilian Amazon in a generation,” says Athe Bolsonaro government during administration, alone accounts for Christian Poirier, program director at its first half-year in office extends 40% of Brazil’s total exports and 23% the U.S.-based Amazon Watch. The Ama- to the areas of education, economic of the country’s GDP. (For comparison, zon rainforest covers an area larger than reforms, foreign and trade relations, agrifood accounts for 11% of Canadian the United States and produces 20% of as well as crime and corruption. Partly GDP and 10% of merchandise trade.) the world’s oxygen, which is why it is for this reason, Bolsonaro’s approval Given that he was elected, in part, to called “the world’s lungs.” The Amazon rating plummeted to 34% in March solve Brazil’s economic crisis, Bolson- also contains 20% of the world’s fresh- from 49% in January, when he took aro cannot afford to harm the crucial water, one-third of the Earth’s plant and office. This is the lowest rating ever Sino-Brazilian economic relationship animal species, 400 Indigenous nations, recorded for a Brazilian president after that is strongly supported by big and acts as a crucial carbon sink, there- 100 days in power. agriculture. by reducing global warming. “Brazil is engulfed in a clear governa- Ferreira Do Vale also points out that Marina Silva, a former environment bility crisis…with Bolsonaro incapable Bolsonaro’s other major backer, the minister in Brazil, warned in early May of meeting the economic and social Brazilian military, from whose ranks that Bolsonaro was transforming Bra- challenges of the country,” says Brazil- several cabinet ministers were pulled, zil into an “exterminator of the future.” ian political scientist Helder Ferreira is skeptical about his rush to become She and seven other former Brazilian Do Vale of Hankuk University in South a U.S. puppet. Parts of the military environment ministers from both Korea. He attributes this crisis partly believe that such a “blind alignment left-wing and right-wing governments to Bolsonaro’s ideological basis for might compromise the image of Brazil criticized Bolsonaro for “trying to de- policy-making rather than “facts and as being an autonomous strong coun- stroy Brazil’s environmental protection data.” The president’s foreign policy is try, which would have an impact on policies.” Jose Sarney Filho, who served a case in point. its leadership in Latin America and as environment minister under the Bolsonaro wants to abandon Brazil’s beyond,” he tells me. right-wing Fernando Henrique Car- longstanding role as a progressive The military is particularly con- doso and Michel Temer governments, leader of the Global South. Instead, cerned about Bolsonaro’s decision added: “We’re watching them decon- he would have Brazil become Wash- to hand over control of Base de struct everything we’ve put together. ington’s junior partner in a deranged Alcântara—the aeronautics and We’re talking about biodiversity, life, crusade to save “Western civilization” space military site located in Brazil’s 42 northeast region—to the United States. Bolsonaro an- tells me that Bolsonaro’s government, “so far is worse than I nounced this when he met with President Donald Trump imagined back in the elections. He doesn’t have a president’s in Washington, D.C. this March. Trump gave Bolsonaro attitude. He’s still in the mood of the election campaign. nothing in return. He does not have a plan to stop the economic crisis in the “Brazil has accepted the Monroe Doctrine [that] gives the country.” She points out there are more than 13 million U.S. the right to intervene in the affairs of Latin American people unemployed in Brazil and that many workers are countries, which it has done 59 times since 1890,” says Conn stuck in precarious jobs. Hallinan, an analyst with Foreign Policy in Focus. “This “Poverty is rising day by day, economic instability is will mean increased efforts to overthrow the governments growing and investors don´t feel safe in bringing their of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua. In the long run it will business to our country,” she says. “The image of Brazil mean that Washington dominates the region once again. in the world has never been so damaged, because of the This is good for U.S. capital, not so good for the people of controversies that the president and his ministers generate the Western Hemisphere.” on many subjects, like his opinion about global warming, As with foreign and trade policy, economic reform, which which is exactly the same as Donald Trump’s.” is considered crucial to getting Brazil out of its prolonged While Bolsonaro appears ineffectual in carrying out his recession, also appears to be out of Bolsonaro’s grasp. The far-right agenda, public opposition to his presidency and president’s backers in the Brazilian financial sector and his government is mounting significantly. On May 15, more abroad, as well as international and domestic investors, than a million Brazilians demonstrated against Bolsonaro’s want significant reforms to the country’s pension system intention to cut the country’s education budget by 30% and passed by the Brazilian Congress. These powerful business his pension reforms. According to The Guardian (U.K.), the interests see pension reform as the litmus test to determine announcement sent “shockwaves” through federally fund- whether the country is worth investing in. ed universities. Teachers, students and workers marched Last year, 44% of Brazil’s budget (8.5% of GDP) went in 180 cities in all Brazilian states. to social security and pensions, which is high compared Barbara Ottero, a 29-year-old master’s student, told the to most OECD countries. (In Canada in 2017, 15% of the Guardian, “They will make education totally inaccessible. federal budget went to old-age benefits, while pensions are It’s practically privatizing.” Segurado agrees that privati- independently financed.) Bolsonaro has pledged to save 1 zation is likely Bolsonaro’s ultimate goal. Teachers unions trillion reals ($330 billion) by raising the pension age and held another mass demonstration on May 30, while a requiring workers to pay into the program for longer. But general strike co-ordinated by organized labour unions his party does not have a majority in Congress where a was scheduled for June 14. three-fifths favourable vote is needed to pass the reforms. Meanwhile, the Guajajara Indigenous nation in the As Reuters reported in late May, Brazilian markets “have Amazon rainforest has taken matters into its own hands wobbled” due to this political infighting. to stop illegal logging, fishing and hunting. A group of 120 Guajajara natives calling themselves “Guardians of the erreira Do Vale warns that “Bolsonaro’s lack of political Forest” have set fires to illegal logging camps. Since late Fcapacity to co-ordinate the approval of his economic 2012, when the group was created, the Guardians have reforms before Congress is compromising both short and destroyed 200 camps. long-term prospects of economic growth.” The professor Olimpio Santos Guajajara, the leader of the Guardians, attributes this incapacity to Bolsonaro’s falling popularity, told Reuters in May, “I ask the world to look at our strug- “which reduces his leverage power in the negotiations gle and recognize our activities as legal…because we are behind reform,” along with “political divisions within his fighting for our lives and also for the lungs of the world.” party and cabinet ministers, and the bickering between Bol- Laercio Souza Silva Guajajara, another guardian, added: sonaro and political allies in the national congress such as “It’s our fight for the children, for the old, for the whole Rodrigo Maia, the speaker of the House of Representatives.” world…. We’ll fight until the end, until the last breath.” M Bolsonaro’s pension reform is opposed by major Brazilian labour unions. Lenin Cavalcanti Brito Guerra, a professor of management at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte in Natal, Brazil, tells me the reform “can also worsen the [economic] crisis, since the poorest people will be more affected by it. The decrease in purchasing power for the poorest could increase impoverishment.” Marcos Napolitano, a professor of history at the Uni- versity of São Paulo, says the Bolsonaro government “has proved more disoriented, in political terms, than expected, investing more in the cultural war against the left-wing and progressive values than in an institutional agenda, even a conservative one, for governance.” Striking a similar tone, Rosemary Segurado, a sociology professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, 43 Conservatism Populism and Crisis

CAROLINE ORR FOR NATIONAL OBSERVER Far-right extremists rebrand to evade social media bans Through mirror sites and cross-posting, white supremacists and other extremists are finding ways back into social media feeds, and continue to spread hate and disinformation ahead of Canada’s federal election.

n May, a week after Facebook website Infowars. Summit News hosts the platform. A week after his initial banned a group of prominent all of Watson’s content, much of which ban from Facebook, his content was far-right influencers for violating is cross-posted verbatim on Infowars. still available on the platform, through its policies against “dangerous Both Watson and Infowars were Summit News’ Facebook page. Iindividuals and organizations,” the banned from Facebook on May 3, but Why should Canadians care about company removed another page that Watson was circumventing the ban this U.K.-based media personality? was being used to circumvent the by repackaging his content under a Watson is part of a global far-right ban. Facebook took down the page different brand name and posting it on • media network with an epicenter right after being asked about it byNational here in Canada. Observer. In January 2017, Watson (left) The now-removed Facebook page is interviewed Jason Kessler, organizer • That same network is a hub for associated with a website called Sum- of the white supremacist rally held in disinformation, and with elections mit News, which is run by Paul Joseph Charlottesville, Virginia that August. approaching, Canada is likely to be Watson, editor of the controversial SCREEN CAPTURE its next target. 44 • He’s just one example of a broader problem: as social While he often presents his incendiary commentary as media cracks down on extremism and disinformation, the sarcasm, the consequences of his brand of Islamophobia are far-right media ecosystem keeps coming up with new ways serious. In the span of just one year, Watson’s anti-Muslim to circumvent the policies. content was presented as evidence in at least two murder trials involving terror attacks targeting Muslims, including Why should Americans care about Watson? the January 2017 Quebec City mosque attack. • He’s the editor of the U.S.-based website Infowars, one of the most influential platforms in the alternative media ecosystem and a major hub for conspiracy theories, disin- Who is Paul Joseph Watson? formation and Islamophobic content. With nearly a million Twitter followers, 1.6 million YouTube subscribers and more than 380 million views per month on He is no longer confined to the fringes of the internet. U.S. • his YouTube page, Watson has established himself as one President Donald Trump has repeatedly shared Watson’s of the most prominent voices of the so-called New Right. content on Twitter and even mentioned him by name in Though he started as a fringe figure, his content is now a recent tweet. regularly promoted by mainstream right-wing pundits • He has provided a huge platform for some of the most and politicians all the way up to U.S. President Donald notorious extremist voices in the U.S. including white Trump, who has retweeted him on numerous occasions. nationalist Jason Kessler, who organized the deadly “Unite The day after Watson’s Facebook ban was announced, The Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017. Trump even named him in a tweet decrying his removal from the platform. The president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., The removal of Watson’s Summit News page comes on has also retweeted Watson dozens of times. the heels of Facebook’s decision to remove a network of Watson’s earlier commentary at Infowars focused pri- far-right influencers from the platform, as part of a broader marily on outlandish conspiracy theories about chemtrails, effort by social media companies, including Twitter and the Illuminati and the New World Order. This is par for the Facebook-owned Instagram, to crack down on extremist course for the website, which is best known for spreading content, disinformation and the promotion of hate. In conspiracy theories about the school shooting at Sandy addition to Watson and Infowars, accounts belonging to Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, as Infowars founder Alex Jones, ex-Breitbart writer Milo well as promoting other bizarre conspiracy theories like Yiannopoulos and ex–Rebel Media employee Laura Loom- “Pizzagate” (look it up—ed.). er were among those shut down by both Facebook and In recent years, Watson’s content has become much Instagram. darker as he has embedded himself within a network of The move represents a step in the right direction, but it individuals and entities that spans multiple continents also showcases the challenges that tech companies face in and connects the mainstream conservative movement to their struggle to purge extremist content from their plat- violent white supremacists and bona fide hate groups. He forms. Purveyors of hate speech and disinformation have also regularly dives into international politics, displaying proven to be masters of manipulation, and tech companies a particular distaste for liberal democracy. have proven unable to keep up. Time and time again, as Perhaps not surprisingly, Canada is one of his favorite platforms like Facebook and Twitter have unveiled new targets. Watson often takes to social media to attack content moderation policies, bad actors have responded Trudeau, referring to him as a “total imbecile” and a “com- by coming up with new tactics to game the system and plete idiot,” using gendered slurs to mock his masculinity, ensure that their content remains online. condemning his stance on immigration and denouncing Perhaps no one better exemplifies this problem than him as weak in the aftermath of terror attacks. Watson, who got his start as Jones’s underling at the right- Watson is perhaps best known for his anti-Muslim and wing conspiracy theory hub, Infowars, more than 15 years anti-immigrant rhetoric, as well as his exploitation of ago. Through a series of strategic media partnerships and tragedies to propagate outrage, fear and Islamophobia. For collaborations, Watson ultimately amassed a following that example, after the recent fire at Notre Dame Cathedral surpassed his mentor and earned him a spot squarely in in Paris, France, Watson quickly took to social media to the centre of the global far-right movement. suggest that the inferno was deliberate and that people Although Watson is based in the U.K., he is embedded in with Arabic-sounding names were celebrating the fire. a network whose long tentacles reach all the way across He has described Muslim culture as “horrific” and said it the Atlantic and into every corner of Canadian life, from promotes rape and the destruction of Western civilization. the media to politics and beyond. He is a familiar face on In his articles and videos, Watson has blamed refugees The Rebel, which regularly features his inflammatory from Syria and Afghanistan for bringing a “parasitic commentary on Islam, immigrants and other hot-button disease” to Europe, downplayed the threat of white su- issues in far-right circles. On social media, Watson can often premacist terrorism while fearmongering about “Muslim be found criticizing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and extremists” and “Islamists,” and propagated myths about other members of the Liberal Party, spreading disinfor- refugees raping European women. mation about issues like terrorism and immigration, and In one video, titled “The Left & Islam: Unholy Alliance,” manufacturing outrage among the public. Watson argued that liberals and Muslims share a common 45 goal of “destroying Western civiliza- emerge unscathed after previous social influencers linked together by inter- tion”—a statement that aligns with media crackdowns, including those locking content, guest appearances the “white genocide” conspiracy the- targeting his employer, Infowars. In and cross-brand partnerships. ory cited by the New Zealand mosque August 2018, Infowars and Alex Jones Within this network are media shooter. Watson’s other YouTube were hit by partial bans enacted by figures, internet celebrities, bloggers, videos feature headlines such as, “Why Apple, Facebook, Spotify and YouTube, pseudoscholars and activists who Are Feminists Fat & Ugly?”, “Islam is followed a month later by Twitter. The promote a range of right-wing political NOT a Religion of Peace,” “The Islamic next month, Twitter removed more ac- positions ranging from mainstream State of Sweden,” and “We Need Islam counts believed to be used by Infowars conservative ideas to explicit white na- Control, Not Gun Control.” and/or Jones to circumvent the recent tionalism. While the more mainstream In at least two instances, Watson’s so- ban. members of the network may not cial media content has been presented Watson’s accounts remained active personally espouse white nationalist as evidence in murder trials involving throughout it all. Even today, Twitter beliefs, they frequently host those the targeted killing of Muslims. His and YouTube still provide a platform who do. This is one of the primary Twitter account was among a handful for his content. In fact, he’s using those mechanisms through which extrem- of far-right accounts frequented by platforms to raise support after his ism creeps into the mainstream and Alexandre Bissonnette, the man who recent ban from Facebook and Insta- reaches entirely new audiences, cre- killed six Muslims at a Quebec City gram. We reached out to Watson for ating the potential for radicalization. mosque in January 2017. During his comment on this story, but he did not Over the past several years, Watson sentencing hearing, the prosecution respond to our emails. He did, however, has collaborated with many of today’s presented evidence showing that post our communication with him on most notorious far-right activists and Bissonnette visited Watson’s Twitter Telegram Messenger, along with a note media figures, including overt white account 21 times in the month before telling us to “f-ck off.” nationalists. In January 2017, Watson he shot up the mosque. interviewed Jason Kessler, the organiz- In the trial for Darren Osborne, er of the August 2017 white supremacist the man who killed one person after The far-right media ecosystem rally in Charlottesville, Virginia that plowing a van into a group of Muslim One of the ways Watson has achieved resulted in the murder of anti-racist worshippers outside a London mosque such a massive reach is by establish- protester Heather Heyer. The interview in June 2017, prosecutors told the jury ing collaborations with ideologically focused on what Watson and Kessler that the assailant had read an Infowars aligned media figures and activists to described as “anti-white racism.” article written by Watson in the weeks expand his audience, which in turn That topic came up again when leading up to the attack. In the article, boosts his rankings on websites like then–Rebel Media employee Lauren titled “Proof: Muslims celebrated terror Google and YouTube. These collab- Southern appeared on an Infowars attack in London,” Watson wrote that orations are part of what has been program with Watson to discuss the “Muslims living in both the Middle termed the “alternative influence net- supposed persecution of whites and East and the west show alarmingly work,” a tightly connected, symbiotic promote her book, How Baby Boomers, high levels of support for violent jihad” media system made up of individual Immigrants, and Islams Screwed My and routinely “celebrate Islamic terror Generation. attacks.” Watson has also collaborated with According to the U.K.-based group far-right activist and former Rebel Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks, Media employee Tommy Robinson which tracks Islamophobic rhetoric HOW TO REPORT to produce videos such as “The Truth and anti-Muslim hate crimes, Watson About the Koran,” which portrayed has established himself as one of the A FACEBOOK PAGE Muslims as a threat to Christians most influential sources of anti-Mus- and, more broadly, to European cul- lim content on social media. “Paul 1. Go to the Page you ture. Robinson, who is classified as Joseph Watson has become ‘the’ nexus want to report. an “Islamophobic extremist” by the for anti-Muslim accounts that we have 2. Click below the Page’s U.K.-based anti-extremism group Hope mapped. He has become an influencer cover photo. Not Hate, was banned from Facebook in promoting information—much of in February for repeatedly violating 3. Select “Give feedback it bizarre and untrue—which has the platform’s policies on hate speech. or report this Page.” been regurgitated by anti-Muslim and Watson has an extensive, mutually anti-migrant accounts time and time 4 . To give feedback, choose beneficial relationship with Rebel again,” the group’s director, Iman A’tta, the option that best Media. Watson regularly welcomes told Newsweek. describes how the Page Rebel employees onto his YouTube Despite his prominent role as a hub violates Facebook’s policies. shows, and The Rebel frequently posts for conspiratorial and inflammatory 5. Submit your report. his YouTube videos on its website, content targeting Muslims, refugees featuring videos on topics such as “The and other groups, Watson managed to Collapse of Western Civilization” and 46 “The Truth About the Sri Lanka Attacks.” In April, The Rebel fire may have been arson, and an April 22 post claiming that featured Watson’s commentary on the fire at Notre Dame Christian churches have become the “#1 target of leftists, Cathedral, which he suggested may have been an act of arson. Muslims, and occultists.” All of this content would be Watson has also appeared on The Rebel’s own YouTube banned if it was posted by Infowars or by Watson himself, channel alongside the site’s founder, Ezra Levant, as well but it slipped under the radar because it was posted under as Rebel contributor Gavin McInnes and former Rebel a different brand name. contributor Faith Goldy. Facebook designated McInnes Facebook removed Summit News’ page after we contact- as a hate figure and removed his account in October. Last ed the company to inquire about it and clarify the scope month, Facebook banned Goldy for violating its policies of the recent ban on Watson and Infowars. A company on dangerous individuals and organizations. spokesperson reiterated that the platform had banned In addition to his partnerships with other far-right media Watson for violating Facebook’s policies against “dangerous personalities and platforms, Watson has also made an effort to individuals and organizations,” and said this page was being boost his influence online by establishing a new website, Sum- removed because it was set up to represent Watson. mit News, where he cross-posts his Infowars content. Watson The spokesperson also said Facebook would continue announced his plans for the new site during an appearance on to remove pages, groups and accounts set up to represent the Infowars program “The Alex Jones Show” in early March, Watson or any of the other banned individuals. Addition- saying that he would assume the role of “head honcho,” but ally, the company said it will remove any Facebook events that the project would still involve “working together” with if it knows a banned individual is participating in it. For Infowars. “We’re still going to be affiliated,” he said. purposes of transparency, I’ve include my correspondence But Summit News is more than just an “affiliate” of with Facebook inquiring about the page, and the company’s Infowars. The site hosts all of Watson’s content, the vast response, in the attached sidebar. majority of which is cross-posted (verbatim) on Infowars. Meanwhile, Watson’s collaborations with sites like The Take, for instance, an article titled “The Truth About Rebel ensure that his content is still available on Facebook, the New Zealand Mosque Attack,” penned by Watson just despite being banned from the platform himself. The Rebel’s days after a gunman killed 50 worshippers at a pair of Facebook page frequently posts links to Watson’s content, mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March. In the including recent posts featuring Watson’s commentary on article, Watson accused the media of “selective outrage” the New Zealand mosque attacks, the Notre Dame fire, and for failing to cover what he described as a mass slaughter “the truth about the ‘ISIS bride.’” of Christians in Nigeria—a claim that was debunked by Again, this content would be banned if it was posted by the fact-checking website Snopes. Nevertheless, Watson Watson. But because The Rebel’s page was not set up to published the content on both Summit News and Infowars, represent Watson, it is not violating Facebook’s policies using the exact same headline, graphics and text. by posting his content. Nearly all of the content on Summit News is cross-posted The fundamental challenge here is that influencers like on Infowars, including articles blaming refugees for bring- Watson are not created in a vacuum. They’re the product ing diseases to Europe (Summit News; Infowars), mocking of an interconnected network that functions like a hall of concerns about Muslims being targeted by violence after mirrors, with each influencer assuming the role of a node the church attacks in Sri Lanka (Summit News; Infowars), “around which other networks of opinions and influencers and suggesting that refugees in Europe are rape apologists cluster.” Within this network are multiple platforms where (Summit News; Infowars). content is cross-posted, narratives are crafted and brands Watson said the goal of the new project is to “generate the are cultivated. Removing one, or even a handful, of these next generation of YouTubers, of young political commen- individuals from a platform (or two) is not the same thing tators,” indicating that he hopes to use the website to reach as dismantling the network that keeps them afloat. a new, young audience. He also appears to be using the Notably, Facebook acknowledged this network dynamic new brand name to evade the social media bans imposed in a statement explaining why it took action against certain on Infowars and, now, on his own content. accounts, citing their collaborations with other banned accounts:

Social Media’s Hall of Mirrors First in December and again in February, Jones appeared in videos with Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes. Face- Like nearly all mainstream and fringe websites, Summit book has designated McInnes as a hate figure. News used Facebook to reach a wider audience by posting links to content from the site and to Watson’s YouTube Yiannopoulos publicly praised McInnes and British videos. The existence of Summit News’ Facebook page high- far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who Facebook has lights the challenge of actually enforcing effective content designated as a hate figure. moderation policies. Even though Facebook banned Watson Loomer appeared with McInnes in December, and more and Infowars, the Facebook page for Watson’s Summit recently declared her support for far-right activist Faith News was still active for a week after the ban, featuring Goldy, who was banned after posting racist videos to links to articles that are cross-posted on Infowars. her account. The page also included direct links to Infowars content, including an April 17 post suggesting that the Notre Dame 47 This suggests that Facebook is at least aware Author’s correspondence of the broader ecosystem in which these with Facebook individuals operate and took that into con- sideration when it banned some of the most active collaborators. Yet by leaving pages like Summit News My letter to Facebook: untouched for a week—until it was brought to the company’s attention—Facebook is Hi, I am just following up on an email I sent yesterday inquiring sending a message that it will allow banned about a Facebook page associated with Infowars and its contributor content on its platform as long as the brand Paul Joseph Watson. I am writing an article for Canada’s National is disguised just well enough to avoid coming Observer about Facebook’s recent decision to remove pages under scrutiny and creating more controversy associated with Infowars, Alex Jones, and Paul Joseph Watson from for the already embattled tech giant. If recent Facebook and Instagram, and I am hoping to clarify the scope of the history is any indication, that message will action taken. be heard loud and clear by bad actors, who One media report (link to The Atlantic) cited a Facebook will take it as permission to keep exploiting spokesperson and reported: “Infowars is subject to the strictest the loopholes that exist within Facebook’s ban. Facebook and Instagram will remove any content containing policies. Infowars videos, radio segments, or articles (unless the post is Facebook’s current approach is little more explicitly condemning the content), and Facebook will also remove than a band aid—a temporary fix to stop the any groups set up to share Infowars content and events promoting bleeding without treating the underlying any of the banned extremist figures, according to a company cause. Stemming the flow of disinforma- spokesperson.” tion and extremism online will require an approach that targets the network in which My specific inquiry pertains to the Facebook page for “Summit these influencers thrive. It won’t be a one-step News,” which is run by Paul Joseph Watson. The articles and videos solution. Social media companies must start on Summit News are cross-posted content from Infowars (authored implementing proactive policies that get by Watson). The only difference between the content on Summit ahead of the problem, rather than waiting to News and the content on Infowars is the brand name. Currently, the take action until it becomes too big to ignore. Facebook page for Summit News (link) is still active. Perhaps most importantly, tech companies Could you please clarify the following areas: must finally step up and take responsibility for their role in facilitating extremism and, 1. Is Facebook aware of the existence of this page and its association more broadly, in providing a platform for far- with both Paul Joseph Watson and Infowars? right actors to hijack democracy by spreading 2. Given that Summit News is run by Paul Joseph Watson and the disinformation, manufacturing outrage and content is simply a cross-post from Infowars, does this page violate fear about immigrants and minority groups, any of Facebook’s policies? If so, does Facebook plan to remove the and undermining trust in the independent page? press. Social media didn’t create the deep social divisions that exist around issues like 3. If Facebook does not plan to remove the page, what is the race, immigration, and religion. But it does rationale for that decision? Does Facebook have any policies in place provide a channel for far-right authoritarians to deal with pages that are set up to share content from banned to exacerbate those divisions, even within the individuals and/or organizations that has simply been rebranded confines of a democracy. under a different name? Political scientist Ronald Deibert, the direc- Thank you very much for your time. tor of the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, argues that “social media [platforms] not only Facebook’s response: are compatible with authoritarianism; they On background: may be one of the main reasons why authoritarian practices are now spreading worldwide.” • We recently removed Paul Jospeh Watson from Facebook and The stakes could not be higher, particularly Instagram under our policies against dangerous individuals & with Canada’s federal elections only months organizations. away. It’s not an overstatement to say that the • Watson will not be allowed on Facebook or Instagram and we’ll future of liberal democracy rests in part upon remove Pages, Groups and accounts set up to represent them and the shoulders of social media companies. Let’s Facebook events when we know the individual is participating. hope they’re up for the job. M THIS STORY WAS PUBLISHED FIRST ON NATIONAL OBSERVER • In this case we’re removing this Page. AS PART OF THEIR ELECTION INTEGRITY REPORTING PROJECT. TO READ MORE FROM THE PROJECT, VISIT WWW. • This work is on-going and we will continue to review individuals, NATIONALOBSERVER.COM. Pages, groups and content against our Community Standards. 48 Perspectives

GORDON A. BAILEY Civil disobedience in the time of Trans Mountain

Who would have thought that the to do time—similar to those he has reserves would result in emitting 2,795 twentieth century would be immedi- sentenced. The judge’s work has been gigatons of carbon dioxide—five times ately followed by the eleventh century? an “act of terrorism,” in a democratic the safe amount. — Amos Oz, How to Cure a Fanatic society. “Fossil fuel companies are planning To bow before the “rule of law” as to burn it all—unless we rise up to stop HAT HAPPENS WHEN a judge though it were a stone wall of strength, them.” starts compounding a mis- endurance and justice, without keeping The citizens have out-researched take? When an error in alert to what decisions are made within the corporations, the governments, judgment becomes a snow- the context of government, industry, the media, the courts, and have joined ball descending Burnaby the media and the courts, is to fall hands with the Indigenous peoples WMountain, hurtling toward Burrard victim, to fall down the rabbit hole of this country. Interesting how little Inlet and the waters of the Salish Sea? as Alice did some time ago. Why did notice has been taken of this fact! H.L. For the past year the people of this protesting and resisting move from Mencken certainly understood the country, particularly Indigenous peo- “civil” to “criminal” disobedience? Judge playfully serious nature of protesting ples, mostly from British Columbia, Affleck moved it from “civil contempt” and resistance when he said: have had a one-man wrecking crew to “criminal contempt” at the request The notion that a radical is one deciding their fate. Judge Kenneth of Kinder Morgan. who hates his country is naïve and Affleck of the Supreme Court of British In a time when the term “fake” usually idiotic. He is, more likely, one Columbia has “heard,” prodded, evaluat- has out-run “phoney,” when science who likes his country more than the ed and sentenced nearly 230 people for and the community of scientists are rest of us, and is thus more disturbed blocking work on the Trans Mountain described—by elected people—as than the rest of us when he sees it pipeline expansion, formerly owned by terrorists, as self-interested snake-oil debauched. He is not a bad citizen Texas firm Kinder Morgan and now the salesmen, we must cherish the dignity turning to crime: he is a good citizen property of the federal government. of those with the courage to forage for driven to despair. Judge Affleck has tried all those the truth, and to stand with it. The clock arrested by the Burnaby RCMP, folks ticks on. The heat of global warming is We are now faced with a number of who “violated” his injunction. He has holding us to the fire. On the other side decisions, decisions that make a huge tried those who have tried to “recuse” of the truth, sits Judge Affleck. difference to the future of our chil- him from the chair (for bias), writing So, what has the judge gotten wrong? dren, grandchildren, and to the Orca in his own defence that he not be Take a quick glance at the more than 200 whale population of the Salish Sea. recused. He’s worked in the past for people who have been sentenced, those It’s a time to reflect and gain courage. Big Tobacco when it was fighting the most recently to 14-day jail terms. Take And a time to act! The evidence, even B.C. Ministry of Health’s attempt to a long, extended look at this group of in the “evidence-based” cultural swirl recoup smoking-related health costs. citizens. These are not “foreign-funded that surrounds our daily lives, is quite He has rescinded an environmental protestors.” This resistance is really led overwhelming. Ignoramuses abound! penalty, a slim $125,000 fine, handed to by the Indigenous peoples of Canada. Leave them behind and stand for a Canadian mining company. His work Why not listen to their perspective? intelligent commitment to the planet needs some commentary and some The government has missed the im- and the future. M interrogation. portance of the scientifically backed GORDON A. BAILEY IS A RETIRED SOCIOLOGIST FROM After completing over 240 hours of imperative: leave it in the ground! CAPILANO UNIVERSITY IN NORTH VANCOUVER WHO NOW RESIDES IN VICTORIA. HE HAS WRITTEN BOOKS community service, a six-month sen- “It’s simple math: we can burn less AND ARTICLES ON SOCIAL THEORY, IDEOLOGY, tence till the end of November, I told than 565 more gigatons of carbon dioxide EDUCATION, AND SINCE RETIRING, A TRILOGY OF ECO-DETECTIVE FICTION DEALING WITH PIPELINES my probation officer that the judge and stay below 2°C of warming—any- AND OUR PREVIOUS GOVERNMENT’S REPRESSION owed me an hour and a half. Later in thing more than that risks catastrophe OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND SCIENCE. HE WAS ARRESTED ON MAY 25, 2018 IN BURNABY AT THE the day I asserted that he owed me a for life on earth,” writes Bill McKibben’s BAYVIEW DRIVE KINDER MORGAN SITE. HE WAS dozen roses. Later that evening I real- group 350.org (emphasis in the original). GIVEN A SENTENCE OF 240 HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE WHILE ON SIX MONTHS’ PROBATION. ized he owes the people of this province “The only problem? Burning the fossil and country a huge apology. He needs fuel that corporations now have in their 49 Conservatism Populism and Crisis

ALYSSA O’DELL Facts versus fear How to talk to your conservative friends about (almost) anything

n the Alberta heartland, con- order for [someone] to be compelled they are optimistic about the future versations around my extended by it,” Coletto adds. Comeau says and willing to explore new solutions family’s dinner table have taken that’s where trust and shared values (fluid worldview). a marked (right) turn. As a in personal relationships can have a “In the data I see, it does affect Iself-identified progressive, talking major impact. But it’s not easy and how someone interprets [a] problem about my deep-seated concerns of the terrain can be perilous. The most and therefore the solution, and so impending climate catastrophe has difficult, and emotional, conversations they’re operating almost on different felt nearly impossible, juxtaposed as are often with family. planes,” Coletto adds. “Perception is it would be with their very real eco- “We’re living in times in which how everything. If I believe the world is a nomic anxiety and uncertainty about we decide things, how we assess the certain way, if I believe it’s caused by the future. Is it possible to have pro- state of the economy or how good certain phenomena, if I believe you ductive conversations about things a public policy proposal is or not, is don’t care about me—whether or not like immigration or climate change increasingly tied to a worldview,” says you do is not important—you’re never with people who hold opposing world- Coletto. But rather than falling along going to get me to listen to you.” views? Should we try? And if we do, traditional partisan lines, he defines But views that appear to be hard- what is the best way to approach it? this divide as centred around whether ened may be easier to change than “The time for hard conversations a person feels the world and future are we think. A March 2018 study in the has arrived, and the way to do it is a scary place that they need protection European Journal of Social Psychology, definitely by including people and from (fixed worldview), or whether by researchers from Yale University, being respectful—but we can’t pre- found evidence that nurturing feelings tend we’re not going to have them,” of physical safety increased conserva- says Louise Comeau, director of tives’ progressive attitudes on a range the Environment and Sustainable of social (but not economic) subjects. Development Research Centre at the In the U.S.-based study, conserva- University of New Brunswick. Comeau tive participants who were asked to studies environmental education and imagine having a superpower that communication strategies, among made them invulnerable to physical other things, and notes that on the harm presented as more socially lib- issue of climate change, the majority eral and less resistant to social change of Canadians are concerned, but many than conservative participants who fewer actually talk about it. had simply been asked to imagine they “The best thing that we can do to had the power to fly. This reinforces move the needle on this is to continue the idea that socially conservative at- to talk about it, is to continue to have titudes are driven in part by needs for these conversations,” agrees David safety and security. In another study Coletto, CEO of polling and research Views that by members of the same research firm Abacus Data and an adjunct team, participants who used hand professor with Carleton University. appear to be sanitizer after being warned about a “I think it’s understanding your au- dangerous flu virus reported feeling dience, whether it’s at a micro level socially safer about the subject of im- at a dinner table…or at a macro level hardened may migration compared to those without when you’re communicating to the sanitizer. mass public. be easier to “As trust levels in big institutions would never recommend sur- continue to decline, it does require an change than we I reptitiously applying Purell to emotional connection in some way, to your conservative friends or family, whatever source of information…, in think. but these studies do illustrate why 50 understandingdesigned—as they where always havesomeone been feelingsor strictly as internala reference prescriptions for empathy of receptivethe land. audience,” Not just explainshow we’ve Dennett. been comessince the from first is missionarieshelpful in beingarrived able and manyonly works critical if we Indigenous are in a neutral writers, state “[Y]oudispossessed have already of it or shown how to that exercise you tothrough respond the in residential a way that school is mindful expe- Manuelor the same is refreshingly state as our counterpart, pro-active, understandjurisdiction over their it, positions but our obligations as well as ofrience those and feelings the fitful or fears. Liberal So, how bursts do otherwisecreative, and the importantly, brain must counteractpersuasive theyto it. do,While and Manuel have demonstrated advocates for good the intowe begin? nothingness like the Kelowna (notand correct.to mention Practising witty). putting your- judgementrebuilding of(you Indigenous agree with economies them on accord—to“It’s important fix Indigenous to start the peoples.” conver Or- selfWhen in someone asked else’s by non-Indigenous shoes is crucial. some(as well important as non-Indigenous matters economies and have sationput another with questions way, to help and us not assimilate. telling,” peoplesWhen how speaking to get or past debating colonialism, with beenfor that persuaded matter), byhe insistssomething they theymust saysFor Comeau. Canadians “What today, do peoplethis recon care- someoneManuel would that holdssay the different answer is views, sim- said).be rooted in a deference to the land ciliationabout? What framework’s are they discourse interested has in “theple: “Canada thrill of needsthe chase to fully and recognize the con- andAs includes promising a sectionas this orof anythe otherbook reacheddoing? You dangerous kind of levelscrab walk of satura your- victionour Aboriginal that your and opponent treaty rights has to and be techniquereminding for us bridgingof our near differences apocalyptic can tion.way intoManuel the conversationwrites: “Everything from the is harbouringour absolute confusion right to self-determisomewhere…- circumstancesseem, there are toalso drive reasons the point. to be cau- placereconciliation. that matters When tothey them…. join a roundYou do nation.gives you At an the easy same target time, to weattack,” will tious,Despite given this how foreboding, difficult and the fractious tone itdance, through they more call that a process reconciliation. of being recognizewrites philosopher the fundamental Daniel Dennett human istoday’s generally political hopeful. and environmental In that spirit, curious,When their and eyes it takes tear practice.”up in discussing inright Intuition of Canadians, Pumps after and Otherhundreds Tools of discussionsthe writing canis accessible. be. “We’re notThe going Recon to- ourIn poverty, a conversation that is reconciliation. around climate At yearsfor Thinking of settlement,. But such to live easy here.” targets solveciliation this Manifesto problem without can be conflict,” read as change,the same for time, example, when they you aremight denying start typicallyBut he waste also knew time and that test Canadians patience. ansays introductory Comeau. “The text differences for Canadians are too withour constitutional how it will make rights, our they lives call thatless (andInstead, it should when speaking be noted to that someone this whogreat, haveand the little challenges understanding we face are of secure.reconciliation “Really of speak Aboriginal to the titleinsecuri with- bookwho holds is addressed different in views,large partDennett to colonialism,too important.” or as an intervention Crownties that title. they In have fact, as every a reason new planto care to suggestsCanadians) we would follow prefer a set of the conversa difficult- intoBack counterhegemonic at my family’s dinner theorizing. table, stealabout from this issue,”us is called suggests reconciliation.” Coletto. Em- tionalpath, because rules developed ultimately by our prominent interests ForI am me, grateful having for studied the opportunity and taught pathy,While andother getting academics people debateto recognize the socialdiverge. psychologist So, Indigenous and game people theorist must toIndigenous ask questions politics and for abuild decade under now,- thatmeaning you understand and scope of their reconciliation, experience, Anatolcultivate Rapoport: a sophisticated and commit- standing.Manuel reframes I’m with people my thinking I trust and on isManuel crucial, shows he says. how As its hard already as it been can ted grassroots movement with those whoissues share I long many considered core values. straightfor With- 1. Attempt to re-express the person’s beco-opted to appreciate and weaponized. the perspectives of in solidarity—environmentalists and practice,ward. While I am there starting are elements to see today’s that position so clearly, vividly and faith- someoneIn a review that may of Unsettling have very different Canada racialized Canadians in particular— policyrequire landscape elaboration from here theirand nuance view- fully that they say, “Thanks, I wish I’d Iopinions, wrote that understanding Manuel is like their a starting tall old to force justice. Now, there is much point.there, thisIt doesn’t is nonetheless mean I’ve a given tremen up- thought of putting it that way.” pointcedar. is He essential seems to to have the work a view of ofbuild the- more: strategies for investor risk advocatingdously important for progressive book for solutions multiple inglandscape consensus. in its entirety, and before 2.analyses, List any land points management of agreement. plans, the toaudiences. society’s most pressing problems, theResearch rest of us. from His analysisthe Max from Planck above In- deployment of international legal in- theWhile necessary Art Manuel transition is irreplaceable, away from 3. Mention anything you have learned stituteeffectively for Human puts theCognitive current and conver Brain- struments, pipeline subversion plans, fossilhe does fuels leave especially. an inheritance. But these Among con- from them. Sciencessation around in Germany reconciliation has discovered into the even a six-step program for decoloni- versationsthose gifts ishaveThe Reconciliationchanged the words Man- rightfulthat our feelingscontext. can indeed distort our 4.zation. Only nowThese should myriad you of say tactics so much are andifesto strategies, in which I Manuelwill use findsto get thosea path capacityMore than for empathy,that, and the particularly focus really if asdesigned a word to of fundamentally rebuttal. challenge pointsfor us. Nowacross. it’s our task to clear it. M thoseof the feelings latter arehalf completelyof the book, different is what the legitimacy of the settler state and THISChange REVIEW FIRST is scary, RAN ON andINDIAN it’s & COWBOY necessary., fromwe’re goingthose toof dothe about person it all. we’re Bypassing talking force“One animmediate alternative effect arrangement. of following ButA MEMBER-SUPPORTED that doesn’t mean INDIGENOUS we can’t MEDIA be kind PLATFORM. IT IS REPRINTED HERE WITH PERMISSION to.the Fundamentally,nihilism of much ofusing the settler-co our own- theseCentral rules tois that this your new targets arrangement, will be a aboutFROM THE it. AUTHOR.M lonial frameworks and the structural and a latent theme throughout, is

Leave a legacy that reflects your lifelong convictions.

A legacy gift is a gift with lasting meaning. It’s a way to share your passion for social, economic and environmental justice, and shape the lives of those who come after you.

Leaving a legacy gift is one of the most valuable ways to help the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives press for change.

If you’d like to learn more, our Development Officer Katie Loftus would be happy to assist you with your gift planning. Katie can be reached at 613-563-1341 ext. 3185157 or at [email protected]. January and March, a 16.5% speed and accuracy, which Press / Guardian (U.K.) / increase from the previous can be monitored on a Goat Phys.org / Dutch News / quarter and a 57% jump Cam on the university’s Reuters from the same period last website. / A primary school year. / The International in Crêts en Belledonne, Energy Agency announced in the French Alps, told Water level more than two million this year that one of its 11 electric cars were regis- classes would be closed he U.K. passed legislation tered globally last year, led due to a drop in enrolment, Tadding 12,000 square The good by China, Europe and the has saved the class by kilometres to a network U.S., taking the total global registering several local of 355 protected marine news page fleet to 5.1 million vehicles. sheep as students. / India’s areas known as the “Blue / New York will implement a former “Tiger State” of Belt,” which now covers Compiled by statewide ban on single-use Madhya Pradesh, where 97 30% of the country’s Elaine Hughes plastic bags in March 2020, tigers have died since 2016 ocean territory. / Programs joining a trend started by (many killed by poachers), to rebuild wetlands are California and Hawaii. / has recorded at least 11 gaining momentum Prime Minister Trudeau cubs in 2019, the first seen globally. In Europe, a Power up announced in June that in several years. / A white seven-year project aims Canada would ban “harmful stork pair could be the first to restore wetlands and nine-member, all-girls single-use plastics,” such to breed in the wild in the connect former floodplains A robotics team from as plastic bags, straws, U.K. for centuries; their along the Danube River. Ghana won top prize in cutlery, plates and stir three eggs were due to In China, nearly 9,000 the senior division at this sticks, by 2021. / Face 2 hatch in June. Successful acres of wetlands north year’s Robofest World Face Africa / Guardian reintroduction programs of Shanghai are being Championships, held (U.K.) / Reuters / Clean have returned the birds to restored. In Australia, the May 16-18 at Lawrence Technica / PV Magazine / France, Poland, Holland and government of New South Technological University Forbes / pm.gc.ca other European countries, Wales has launched a in Southfield, Michigan. but not yet Britain. / A study major project to restore Team Acrobot, part of the found that the variety of 210,000 acres of wetlands Ghana Robotics Academy Extra life vegetation and pastureland in the Murrumbidgee Foundation established on Finnish organic farms Valley. In England, an by NASA engineer Ashitey he University of benefiting from environ- initiative on Wallasea Island Trebi-Ollennu, beat teams TRichmond in Virginia mental subsidies has led to would repair more than from the U.S., Mexico, welcomed a second herd increased bird numbers, in 1,600 acres of wetlands Egypt and South Korea. / of goats from a nearby particular insectivores such by recreating an ancient Construction has begun farm to eat away several as swallows and starlings. landscape of mudflats on the world’s largest invasive plant species on / Amsterdam city council and salt marsh, lagoons archipelago of sun-seeking campus, such as kudzu, would like to go 100% and pasture. / Cambodia’s solar farms. The first poison ivy and English ivy. vegetarian in its catering, Stung Sen wetlands within stage, to be completed by Last year’s herd of 100 kids following the example of the freshwater swamps of November, will see 15 “solar received an A+ for their the Dutch government’s the Tonle Sap Great Lake, islands” containing 73,500 ministry of education, a region characterized panels installed on the culture and science last by old-growth forest Andijk reservoir in northern year. Both meat and fish that undergoes seasonal Holland. A second project will be taken off officially flooding, have been given over water in Hoofddorp, catered menus, though Ramsar Site protection near Amsterdam, will under the plan guests will by the government, create enough clean energy be able to request non-veg which will help conserve to power 10,000 homes. options in advance of globally near-threatened / Sikpe-Afidegnon is the catered events. / France species such as spot-billed first Togolese village to has concluded the widely pelican and oriental darter benefit entirely from a new used fungicide epoxicona- (pictured). / Good News off-grid power system that zole must be banned as Network / Yale Environment could be expanded across an endocrine disruptor; 76 360 / SurfBirds.com the West African country. products containing the / India’s solar generation compound will be pulled exceeded 10 terawatt-hours from the market. / ABC for the first time between CREDIT: SRIKAANTH SEKAR News / Agence France 52 Thank you for leaving a legacy

hen I started at the CCPA, I was in my twenties. Now, two decades later, and with two children of Wmy own, the kind of world I want them to grow up in is something that’s on my mind every day. Part of what keeps me feeling optimistic is knowing that CCPA supporters care as deeply about that future as I do. So many of you are incredibly committed to the well-being of this organization, and to our shared struggle for a brighter world for our kids and grandchildren. Some of you have even let us know that you would like to leave the CCPA a gift in your will, to ensure that our work will continue well into the future. This level of commitment is amazing. I’d like to say a special thank you to those of you who have maximized your lifetime commitment to the CCPA by already taking this step, and to those of you who plan to do so in the future. The CCPA will turn 40 years old next year. Thanks to your donations, we have been able to churn out world-class research since 1980—to fight the neoliberal tide and show there are clear policy alternatives to the problems we collectively face: climate change, inequality, poverty, a lack of affordable housing and rising right-wing extremism. With your future support through a gift in your will, we can continue to demonstrate that fully funded you how much we value the trust you have put in us by social programs, a green and sustainable economy, thinking so far ahead with this very special gift. pharmacare and a more fair and progressive tax system Please contact my colleague Katie Loftus at 613- are achievable and affordable. Thanks to your future 563-1341 ext. 318 (toll free: 1-844-563-1341 ext. 318) or commitment, we will continue to provide progressive [email protected] to let her know if you have policy options to broaden the debate about what is arranged a gift to the CCPA in your will or if you would possible and what kind of world we should be leaving like to learn more about how to do that. for future generations. Thank you again for making us the beneficiary As someone who has spent almost half of their life of your optimism. And thank you for believing that helping to build this organization—and who feels deeply together we can do better not only for each other, but that the work the CCPA does will make the world our also for our children. children and grandchildren inherit more fair, more With gratitude, sustainable and more just—your commitment and dedication to these same causes means more to me every year. If you have included the CCPA in your will and haven’t yet let us know, we would love to have the Erika Shaker chance to acknowledge your thoughtfulness—and tell Director of Education and Outreach

The CCPA is incredibly grateful to those supporters who have switched to monthly giving or are considering it in the future. We would appreciate the chance to provide information about the benefits of monthly giving—please contact Katie Loftus, Monthly and Legacy Giving, at 1-613-563-1341 ext. 318 (toll free: 1-844-563-1341 ext. 318) or [email protected]. 53 A CCPA summer book list What our economists, researchers and staff are reading over the down months

ERIKA SHAKER DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

This summer I’ll be reading the most recent book by former CCPA executive director Bruce Campbell, The Lac-Megantic Rail Disaster: Public Betrayal, Justice Denied (Lorimer, Oc- tober 2018). It’s a compelling account of the forces that resulted in devastating loss of life, and tremendous long-term RICARDO TRANJAN damage to the community, when a HADRIAN MERTINS-KIRKWOOD SENIOR RESEARCHER, CCPA-ONTARIO train carrying volatile crude oil ran SENIOR RESEARCHER off the rails and exploded in July 2013. I’m reading Immiserizing Growth: Those forces include the demands of When it comes to understanding and When Growth Fails the Poor (Oxford a booming U.S. oil industry, corporate tackling the existential threat posed University Press, April 2019), edited by greed, and a shift away from publicly by climate change, we sometimes need Paul Shaffer, Ravi Kanbur and Richard controlled and accountable safety a hopeful message that gently coaxes Sandbrook. Growth is immiserizing regulations to policy largely written us to action. And sometimes we need a when, as the title suggests, it does by the rail industry itself. Throughout firm kick in the pants. The latest book not benefit, or even harms, the poor his tenure at CCPA, Bruce maintained from iconic climate change activist Bill through either failed inclusion or a deep commitment to the quality and McKibben promises the latter. In Falter active exclusion. According to the precision of his research and the clar- (Henry Holt and Co., April 2019), McK- editors, the concept can be traced ity of his writing, but he also strove to ibben asks whether the “human game back to classical political economy and honour the experiences of the people has begun to play itself out,” detailing featured prominently in international and communities impacted by high the systems of greed and oppression development debates in the 1970s. level decisions made in the board- that make climate change such a bewil- Despite all the empirical evidence room. His book is a prime example dering collective action problem. It will showing that a sizeable share of of this ongoing commitment to good be an emotionally challenging read, I’m economic growth has no or negative research that, in exposing injustice, sure. And yet, through his decades of impact on low-income groups, political makes a difference, “to prevent history advocacy, McKibben has always found processes and causal mechanisms from repeating itself.” a ray of hope in the bleakest of situa- behind immiserizing growth haven’t tions. What path forward does he see been systematically examined. This for us now? is what the book offers. As right-wing populists, promising to push aside vulnerable populations, replace liberal governments, who failed to include the working class, a deep dive into how growth serves some at the detriment of others seems ever so relevant.

54 CHRISTINE SAULNIER DIRECTOR, CCPA–NOVA SCOTIA (ON LEAVE)

It is super easy to be a Nova Scotia– booster for my summer reading KATIE RASO recommendations this year. For adult DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER non-fiction, it is a treasure trove. One of our research associates, Lars Os- MOLLY MCCRACKEN I recently adopted a puppy who has berg, has a new book called The Age of DIRECTOR, CCPA-MANITOBA decided that living her best life means Increasing Inequality: The Astonishing being out in the yard for as many hours Rise of Canada’s 1% (Lorimer, September As a mother of a busy and adorable as possible. The unexpected benefit is 2018). And another RA, Kate Ervine, has toddler, I find myself attracted these that I’m getting a lot of reading done just published Carbon (Polity Press, days to poetry, as it allows me to slip while she chews sticks and digs holes October 2018), a must-read political-eco- easily into an evocative world. I’m read- in the sunshine. I’ve just finished nomic analysis of the element, one that ing Governor General’s Award–winner reading Lindy West’s Shrill (Hachette clearly explains what we are really up Katherena Vermette’s second book of Books, May 2016), a critical read for me against and how to effectively harness poetry, river woman (House of Anansi as one of the people who moderates the power needed to tackle the climate Press, September 2018), which speaks the comments on our social media crisis. of love and decolonization: “broken channels. Up next, I am reading If They If you want to understand envi- by everything that has been / thrown Come For Us (One World, August 2018), ronmental racism in real life, I highly into her / but / somehow her spirit / the debut poetry collection from Fati- recommend Ingrid Waldron’s There’s rages on / somehow a song / like her mah Asghar. Asghar’s work explores Something in the Water (Fernwood, / never fades.” And on the incredible style and form as she navigates the April 2018). To understand why there 100th anniversary of the Winnipeg many aspects of her identity and lived are so few public washrooms in your General Strike I’m midway through experience as a Muslim, an immigrant, community, seek out Journalist Lezlie Magnificent Fightby Dennis Lewycky a person confronted by change, vio- Lowe’s No Place To Go: How Public Toi- (Fernwood, April 2019). This new telling lence and loss. Her work grapples with lets Fail our Private Needs (Coach House of workers’ struggles for a living wage complex geopolitical issues, including Books, September 2018), which explores and collective bargaining rights is rich colonialism and war, from the view of an issue that goes to the heart of who we in details on the battle for justice—and a child whose world is shaped by these are as a society, while shining a light on just how much further we have left to forces. Asghar’s writing is profound design, and equity, in our communities. go. and multilayered and I cannot wait I have two wonderful children’s book to explore her full-length work. recommendations this year. The first, for all ages, is by Lynn Jones, a leading voice on reparations for the Atlantic slave trade, called R is for Reparations (Alphabet Books, February 2019). The second, for children aged 4–7, is Shaun- tay Grant’s beautiful tribute, Africville (House of Anansi Press, September 2018), which is stunningly illustrated by Eva Campbell. Finally, find out more about Viola Desmond (now on the $10 bill) in a recent book co-written by her sister, Wanda Robson, and Graham Reynolds, called Viola Desmond: Her Life and Times (Roseway/Fernwood, October 2018). 55 KATHERINE SCOTT SENIOR ECONOMIST

We are awash in data: economic, environmental, population, etc. At the same time, there is so much that we don’t know in Canada—from the number of ARUSHANA SUNDERAESON children receiving vaccinations, to the DEVELOPMENT AND DATABASE OFFICER skills that are needed to tackle labour Besides going out with friends, relax- shortages, or the best strategies for ad- ing at the beach, BBQs, etc., summer for STUART TREW dressing climate warming. In part, these me is time to read on my porch. This SENIOR EDITOR, THE MONITOR data gaps are a product of the division year I plan on starting with Michelle of federal and provincial responsibilities I’m reading artist Jenny Odell’s How Obama’s autobiography Becoming that keeps important information stuck to do Nothing: Resisting the Attention (Crown, November 2018). The former in silos. But there is also complacency Economy (Melville House, April 2019). U.S. first lady shares stories about about the scale of our problems that Clearly it’s working, or I might have growing up in Chicago’s South Side, her keeps us from demanding action from written a longer review…. Actually, the family, and life after the White House. governments. Then there is what we book’s title is purposely misleading. After that, I’ll pick upFeminism for the don’t see—because of race, disability, The nothing Odell would like us to do 99%: A Manifesto by Cinzia Arruzza, poverty, and of course, gender. Feminist more of is teeming with radical poten- Tithi Bhattacharya and Nancy Fraser advocate Caroline Criado-Perez’s new tial. We meet the author sitting in the (Verso, March 2019). The authors argue book, Invisible Women: Exposing Data Rose Garden in Oakland, California, that if your feminism is not seeking Bias in a World Designed for Men (Harry watching people and hearing birds (i.e., radical solutions, through a class and N. Abrams Press, March 2019), tells she’s not on her phone). From there intersectional lens, to the issues of the story of what happens when we Odell introduces us to antique Greek unaffordable housing, poverty wages, forget to account for half of humanity. cynics and their Chinese and Indian inadequate health care, border policies Weaving together hundreds of studies forebears, who, unlike the “back to the and climate change—in other words, from around the world, Criado-Perez land” generation, challenged society’s if it is not anticapitalist, ecosocialist demonstrates the impact of a “relentless hypocrisies without running away and antiracist—then you’re doing male cultural bias” that systematically from them. Resistance is apparently something wrong. The last book I am overlooks or misjudges women’s needs not futile, and possibly even fertile in looking forward to reading is This Team and experiences, a situation that is both our transforming technosphere. I’m also is Ruining My Life (But I Love Them) by ethically wrong and injurious—indeed slowly getting throughThe Econocracy: Steve Dangle (ECW Press, March 2019). sometimes fatal—to women. The Perils of Leaving Economics to the The title pretty much expresses how Experts (Manchester University Press, I feel about being a Leafs fan (since December 2016), a book I asked the 1994, the year I was born). And yes, like Ottawa Public Library to buy two years every other Leafs fan in the universe, I ago, then forgot about, then realized have a love/hate relationship with this they had bought almost immediately. team. Dangle, a YouTuber, podcaster If you liked Jim Stanford’s Economics and the co-host of Sportnet’s Twitter for Everyone (Fernwood, June 2008), this show Ice Surfing—and probably short lesson on the failures of orthodox the biggest Leafs fan ever (he also economists to predict and do much encourages his fans to vote and get about the 2008 crisis, penned by four involved politically!)—discusses his aspiring young economics graduates, life journey from playing driveway ball is a very nice follow-up. hockey to changing the landscape of sports media. This book will help me get through hockey withdrawal until October, and hopefully this time the Leafs can win a cup. (P.S. Go Leafs Go!)

56 HELP US SHED LIGHT ON THE ISSUES THAT MATTER TO YOU. (we’ve got some bright ideas)

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