Aivalis’ argument that Pierre Trudeau was a “Constant Liberal” is subtle, and acknowledges that organized labour and the NDP were not always consistently advocating policies well to the left of the Liberals.
Canadian social democrats, simply put, need to re-embrace the value in challenging private property’s dominance over the state.
What was innovative was the way Layton talked about social democratic ideas as pragmatic solutions to everyday problems that bring hope and optimism to average Canadians.
The federal government’s distorted version of reconciliation is incompatible with the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and domestic and international human rights law.
The 2017 federal elections in Germany confirm and continue some key trends in contemporary politics.
Creating the social partnership that is the core of social democracy—in the Nordic model, anyway—is a provincial undertaking which can greatly benefit from a strong federal ally.
Social democratic visions of a “democratized” economy have too often paid scant attention to the enduring role and impact of European racism, imperialism, nationalism, and colonialism in modern capitalism and in social democratic reforms.
What we urgently need is a recreation of the effective politics of post-War social democracy. But we can’t just return to the past.
Given the huge imbalance, this would likely require more managed trade plus more proactive Canadian industrial policies. As a planned economy, China might be open to sectoral managed trade arrangements.
