Perspectives: A Canadian Journal of Political Economy and Social Democracy

What was the place of feminism in early Canadian social democracy? This episode looks at one of the first feminist social democrats in Canadian history: Francis Marion Beynon. Her work as journalist in Winnipeg in the early 1900s was critical for pointing out how exploitation wasn’t just about workers and bosses — it was also about the way that women were being treated by their husbands at home. ...

In the early 20th century, Montreal was a hotbed of radical thinking on working-class politics and Quebec’s place in Canada. Amidst working-class poverty and the upheaval around the First World War, Olivar Asselin emerged as one of Montreal's most famous journalists who advocated for Quebec's working poor. Named, in-part, after Latin American revolutionary Simon Bolivar, Asselin foray in...

The 350 Canada Campaigns Manager collaborated with climate, labour, Indigenous, and social justice movements to draw the line against fossil fuel expansion. On September 20, 2025, thousands of Canadians took to the streets uniting climate justice, migrant justice, economic justice, Indigenous rights, and anti-war movements, calling for government action. Helping coordinate the more than 70 communi...

The prolific satirist-turned-labour-leader penned the first full account of working-class struggles in 19th century Canada. Shortly after Confederation, Canadian cities were teeming with impoverished workers and rapid industrialization. While socialist movements were taking shape across Europe, Phillips Thompson became a leading voice for Canadian labour in Southwestern Ontario. Writing sharp poli...

In September 2025 the Broadbent Institute joined left–wing think tanks from Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay and Spain to support the establishment of a global network of think tanks that produce rigorous analysis, foster data-driven debate, and contribute to the search for proposals in defense of democracy. In the declarative agreement behind the establishment of the new Red Internacional...

It’s 1867 and Canada has just officially separated itself from Great Britain and become its own country. But, are there any social democrats around? In this episode, we meet Médéric Lanctôt - the journalist, politician, and union leader from Montreal who can be considered to be Canada’s first social democrat. From working with the homeless to organizing a federation of unions, learn about how Lanc...

In the the Summer 2025 issue of Perspectives Journal , University of Calgary post doc and Parkland Institute board member Mack Penner wrote ‘Carney and the Calgary School: or, Passive Revolution and Canada’s Social State in the Neoliberal Era,’ tracing the origins of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s economic thinking to the Calgary School. The Calgary School is described as an informal grouping of con...

Peggy Nash chats with Air Canada flight attendants union leader Wesley Lesosky about the recent strike and the fight for fair pay in the airline industry. In August 2025, Air Canada flight attendants made headlines for striking when the employer left the bargaining table and for refusing to follow back-to-work orders issued by the Carney government at the behest of business. Leading the charge was...

At the 2025 Panamerican Congress in Mexico City, held August 1st to 3rd, hosted by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and her Morena Parliamentary Group, Canadian journalist Naomi Klein gave remarks at the Esperanza Iris theatre. The author of 'The Shock Doctrine,' 'No Logo,' and most recently the memoir 'Doppelganger,' presented remarks to delegations at the Panamer...

At this time last year in late July 2024, Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad announced that G20 finance leaders were poised to endorse a joint declaration on international tax cooperation that would hopefully help to clamp down on so-called “tax havens” by encouraging G20 countries to standardize taxes on billionaires. Since then, Canada, a G20 country, has not moved to act on the recommen...

Angella MacEwen explains what is at stake with Carney’s chosen course of “cuts, cuts, and more cuts.” Mark Carney’s new liberal government is making it loud and clear that they’re switching things up on economic policy. Following record high public service growth under his predecessor, Carney’s recent call for massive cuts to public services have sounded the alarm for Canadians concerned about a w...

Peggy Nash sits down with Sandy Hudson to talk about the roots of Black Lives Matter – Toronto, and her new book Defund . In this episode of Activists Make History , Peggy Nash sits down with Sandy Hudson—organizer, author, and co-founder of Black Lives Matter – Toronto. Reflecting on the movement’s grassroots foundations, Hudson shows the value of Canadian organizing  for racial justice and share...

Colombian oil workers and la Unión Sindical Obrera (USO) are leading the charge for a just transition. Here's what Canada can learn from their worker-led climate plan. Lala Peñaranda of Trade Unions for Energy Democracy Matt Kirkegaard of Progressive International present the Colombian Oilworkers' Plan — a bold strategy for a worker-led public pathway to transition off fossil fuels, with...

The fight for better workplace conditions doesn’t stop at renewable energy. Workers in renewable energy need union representation, collective bargaining and a voice in their workplace for the energy transition to benefit all Canadians. Alex Connolly, a renewable energy worker in Nova Scotia, compares the workplace conditions from his time in the oil sands to his current work putting up wind turbin...

2025 Ellen Meiksins Wood Lecturer Grace Blakeley sits down with Luke Savage in Toronto, Canada, for a conversation on the failures of neoliberal capitalism, the age of individualism it has produced, and what the left must do if it is to win the working-class. Blakeley and Savage examine how the far-right have taken advantage of the gaps and inequities made under individualism and why organizing is...

Does the so-called green consumption of the “sustainability class” really work to help save us from climate catastrophe? Without challenging capitalism, can everyone afford the cost of living, reduce emissions, and achieve climate justice? Aaron Vansintjan and Vijay Kolinjivadi are the authors of The Sustainability Class , published by The New Press. Their book is a sharp—and often funny—takedown...

The 2025 Ellen Meiksins Wood Lecture was delivered by Grace Blakeley, illustrating why neoliberal capitalism has overruled democracy and why we must organize to take back democratic power for the working-class. The 2025 Ellen Meiksins Wood Lecture was held on Tuesday, May 20th in partnership with Toronto Metropolitan University’s Faculty of Arts. A special thanks to TMU Interim Dean of Arts Amy Pe...

Hear from frontline educators at the 2025 Progress Summit on what’s driving the crisis and how we can defend democracy by fighting for strong, inclusive, and well-funded schools. Canada’s public education system is in crisis mode. From chronic underfunding and privatization to attacks on teachers and burnout—these aren’t isolated issues. Across the globe, right-wing movements are attacking public...

Equiterre's Sustainable Mobility Analyst shows how clean mobility can help working class Canadians save money while making our communities cleaner and healthier. Canada is falling behind its G7 peers. Our public transit systems need major investments to serve ordinary Canadians — by cutting costs associated with personal vehicles — and by limiting a major source of emissions. Revamped transit...

The energy transition runs on union power. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) is one of the labour unions that will generate the electricity needed to seize the potential and jobs of a just transition. Brandon Dyck, government affairs coordinator at IBEW, joins the show to discuss how rank and file IBEW members experience climate change firsthand and stand to benefit from t...

Lindsay Amundsen of Canada's Building Trades Unions explains what a just transition really means for workers—and how union-led training programs are preparing the workforce for the green economy. What does a just transition look like on the ground—for workers, apprentices, and communities? In the second episode of Class & Climate , Lindsay Amundsen, Director of Workforce Development at Ca...

The climate crisis overlaps with the cost-of-living crisis, amid the US tariff threat. As our fossil fuel dependence exposes us to inflation and trade threats from the US, the labour and climate movements are uniting to demand more for working-class Canadians. Jim Stanford, economist and director of the Centre for Future Work and Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives senior researcher Hadrian Me...

Josel Gerardo is a young activist and shares how she is driving democratic engagement in the Filipino-Canadian community. In this episode of Activists Make History , Peggy Nash sits down with Josel Angelica Gerardo to explore her journey as a community organizer and advocate for Filipino-Canadian political engagement. From growing up in the Philippines while her mother worked in Canada to navigati...

Liliana Camacho explains that while rising costs are squeezing businesses, increasing wages and capping rent are not the problem—they’re actually part of the solution. Even Canadian businesses know that low wages and the high cost of housing are two big factors in the cost-of-living crisis, and are hurting customers and business itself. Liliana Camacho, economist at the Better Way Alliance, argues...

The first-time candidate for Parkdale–High Park says progressive campaigning can be the antidote for despair. In this episode of Activists Make History , Peggy Nash sits down with Alexa Gilmour, Ontario NDP candidate for Parkdale–High Park, to learn about her journey as a first-time candidate in the 2025 Ontario election. Alexa shares what inspired her to run, the challenges of stepping into elect...