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My online dictionary defines neoliberalism as “a political approach that favors free-market capitalism, deregulation, and reduction in government spending.” For a deep dive into the origins and meaning of this term, I recommend a 2017 piece in The Guardian, “Neoliberalism: the idea that swallowed the world”.  

Both main parties In the current Canadian federal election are led by neoliberals. Both believe that markets must be the ultimate rulers of society. To enforce this, both promise to cut government spending, stop expanding the federal civil service, and cut taxes.

In fact, the carbon tax is already gone. The proposed increase in the capital gains tax is gone. Both would reduce personal income taxes. And they will deregulate, e.g., no more federal assessment of major private sector projects, such as new oil and gas facilities, pipelines, or mines.

It has been argued that the U.S. president represents the “ultimate triumph of neoliberalism”. He discusses territorial expansion into Canada – colonial ambitions. But he is actually seeking control through indirect economic means. He is a neocolonialist – empowering corporations to dominate subject nations such as Canada through the operations of international capitalism rather than by means of direct rule.

Few Canadians know, even in general terms, what the terms “neoliberal” and “neocolonial” mean. Most think this election is about choosing a strong leader to counter the U.S. threat – one who can best restrain the current U.S. president in his colonial ambitions. But this distracts us from the reality that Canada’s mainstream parties remain solidly in league with the U.S. in promoting a neoliberal agenda.

Neoliberalism and neocolonialism go hand-in-hand. Neoliberals – true believers in free market capitalism – seek perpetual growth of the economy. This requires unregulated extraction and consumption of energy and mineral resources. It forces neoliberals to seek control of resources outside their own countries and become neocolonialists.

In essence, the U.S. president has already won the Canadian election. His actions demonstrate that multilateral agreements on trade, environment, defense, nuclear weapons, etc. are dispensable. National borders and democratic institutions have little significance in a globalized, capitalist, free market world.

We think Canada is an independent nation. This is fiction. The current U.S. president is simply making more obvious our subservience to multinational corporations.

Whichever major party forms the next government will continue the current trend towards global dominance by wealthy individuals. Its leader will join the ranks of other neoliberals (many of them “autocrats”) who do favors for their corporate supporters.

Neoliberal leaders rule over an increasingly unstable planet, in both political and environmental terms. The gap between rich and poor grows ever wider. Environmental degradation and climate breakdown accelerate, with more fires, floods, and tornados.

To most Canadians, a “planned economy” sounds like communism. But without a democratically developed vision for the future, market forces lead to chaos. Without democratic planning, governance devolves into cronyism and corruption.

People in Nordic countries have a better overall quality of life. They retain some ecosocialist principles. Canada would benefit from an ecosocialist alternative. Proportional representation would provide an opportunity for more progressive parties to emerge, helping undo the stranglehold of neoliberalism.

As an environmental advocate, I recommend the book Half-Earth Socialism, by Troy Vettese and Drew Pendergrass. Building on the premise that half the planet should be rewilded, they offer a set of policies that would afford an excellent quality of life –  a transition to largely vegan diets, strict individual energy consumption quotas, and most importantly, worldwide socialist planning.

You might enjoy chapter 4, News from 2047, in which a young man is transported into a socialist future in rural New England. Or if you believe that free market economics and neoliberalism represent the pinnacle of human civilization, perhaps not.

The post The election is over and the neoliberals won appeared first on rabble.ca.

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It’s election time in Canada. Top of mind among the parties and their leaders is how to deal with the American President and his on-again-off-again tariffs. With voters focused on economics and the effect of tariffs on the cost of goods and services from the US, other important issues can be pushed aside.

The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is working to keep healthcare as a major issue in the election.

At a recent Canadian Medical Association Summit, attendees were introduced to key issues in Canada’s healthcare system, from staffing shortages to AI. The summit stressed that although it might seem that individuals have few options to affect the deficiencies of the healthcare system, that is not necessarily the case.

How to pitch a politician

One speaker presented a session on pitching potential solutions to politicians. LaToia Jones, an American political strategist, presented her pitch that we should engage in dialogue with all political candidates, no matter our partisan affiliation.

She emphasized, as does the CMA in general, that while healthcare is political, it is not necessary to be partisan. In fact, the speaker recommended that voters attend as many candidate meetings as possible, expressing their concerns each time.

This tactic of interacting with as many candidates as possible, from as many parties as possible, increases the odds that no matter who wins the riding or the election, healthcare will be on the agenda.

To her credit, Jones tried to include the Canadian perspective in her lively presentation. She outlined the ways to pitch your hopes for healthcare reform, as often as possible and to as many candidates as possible.  Her methodology can be used when candidates knock at your door. Or at all-candidate meetings. Or after the election in meetings with your provincial/territorial Premier, Deputy Premier, Minister of Health, Deputy Minister of Health or your riding’s successful candidate.

Be prepared with a clear, concise and emotional message

Jones was insistent that if you don’t have a strong message, half your presentation is gone. During campaigns, both politicians seeking re-election and new candidates have a very short timeframe to introduce themselves to voters. They want to do so and to ask for your vote. To hand you some materials and to move on.

If you want to get their attention, be prepared to respond to the introduction with a few words that reflect your concerns about healthcare. Examples: “I’m glad to meet you; but before I give you my vote, I’d like to know your views on improving healthcare in this riding and beyond.”

The candidate may revert to key messages developed by their party, but Jones encouraged us not to accept political platform platitudes. She related a phrase she has used to continue the discussion. “I understand, but can we get back to the point?”

Canadians would likely soften this by inserting the phrase, “and I appreciate that,” but I digress.

Pitching a politician is not the time to get angry or to become aggressive. Instead, be assertive. This is the time to be clear, concise and emotional about what you want. How?

Do your research

Jones repeatedly mentioned that we must know the candidate’s “why.” Do the research. Why are they running for office? What is their personal connection to the riding and the party? What part of their life is similar to yours in the discussion about healthcare issues?

As examples, you may have a family member who requires specialty services. Do they? Do they have children or grandchildren with special needs? Chronic conditions? Have they faced critical illnesses? Have their family members? Find out.

It is not easy to make a connection in the very brief time that a campaigner is at your door or at an all-candidates meeting. Jones was insistent that data does not work. It is TMI – too much information. Jones insisted that stories do work (and that data comes later, at follow-up meetings). She urged us all to “make them cry.”

Jones encouraged us to present a problem and a solution, for consideration. The goal here is for the politician to remember you. In follow-ups, you can refer back to the problem/solution and continue to push your case for the latter.

For example, the connection may be that you and the candidate/politician live in the same riding. And you can point out a particular problem in that neighbourhood. Their comeback may be that they want to save money, in order to invest in healthcare in the future. Your response can be that they want to save some number of dollars, but you want to suggest a way to improve the healthcare of the same number of local residents.

Show that you care about the candidate. Remind them that you want them to be remembered as the person who solved a serious problem. And you are willing to help them do that.

Use examples from media sources to highlight the problem you want to discuss. Be specific about the number of people in the riding who have no primary healthcare provider. Suggest ways to overcome the problem.

Could school nurses be part of the healthcare team for the neighbourhood? Could community hubs offer opportunities for residents to share information? Could Indigenous leaders help provide staff at group practices?

Interestingly, Jones concluded her presentation by asking groups of attendees to create pitches and to present them to the entire audience. The ideas were wide-ranging and Jones gave constructive criticism on each pitch.

Yes, we are Canadians…

While our natural inclination as Canadians may be to be less assertive than Jones recommended, there are lessons to be learned from her. The most important is to recall that as voters, we have many opportunities to keep our healthcare concerns at the forefront of the election.

Let’s not waste those chances to make a significant difference.

The post Go to bat for healthcare in this election appeared first on rabble.ca.

Green Shirt Day continues to be a powerful movement promoting organ and tissue donation across the country; recent data shows that Saskatchewan is leading amongst other provinces.

Starting on April 10, Brazil will require Canadian tourists to apply for a visa to be in the country for up to 90 days.

The federal government updated the entry and exit requirements section of its travel advice page for Brazil to reflect the upcoming change. Canadians, as well as Australians and Americans, will have to fill out a form online for an electronic visa (eVisa) and pay a fee of US$80.90. This applies to passport holders from those countries who are arriving by air, land or sea.

“You can enter Brazil at any time within the validity period of the eVisa, starting from the date it is issued,” according to Brazil’s eVisa website run by technology service company VFS Global . “Once in Brazilian territory with an eVisa, you are authorized to stay for up to 90 days per year. If you need to extend your stay beyond 90 days, contact the Federal Police.”

Those who already have a valid physical visa in their passport for the purpose of their visit do not need to apply for a new visa, per the website .

“If your arrival is scheduled on or after April 9th, we strongly recommend applying for your eVisa in advance to prevent travel disruptions caused by delays or missed connections,” the website says. It takes an average of five business days to process the visa.

A valid passport is the only document that can be used for the application process. For Canadians, passports must be valid for at least six months beyond the date travellers expect to leave Brazil, per the Canadian federal government.

According to the Brazilian government , Canadians, Australians and Americans were previously exempt from visitor visas — including for travelling to Brazil for tourism, business, transit, or sport and artistic-related activities.

In 2019, former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro got rid of the visa requirements in an effort to bolster the country’s tourism industry, per the Associated Press . Bolsonaro was also an ally of President Donald Trump.

When current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva came into power, he tried to bring back the requirements for Canadians, Australians and Americans in March 2023, citing the fact that Brazilians needed visas to enter those countries. After being postponed three times , the visa requirements are finally set to be in place this week.

The move, although in the works for years, comes after Trump imposed a 10 per cent tariff on imports from Brazil , along with around 90 other nations.

The Canadian federal government, in the recently updated travel advisory , urges Canadian travellers going to Brazil to “exercise a high degree of caution” because of “high crime rates and regular incidents of gang-related and other violence in urban areas.”

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OTTAWA — Conservatives are promising to move resources from the Canada Revenue Agency’s small business audits to further target big businesses, which they will “name and shame” when caught “dodging taxes.”

In a video on social media Tuesday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre sang a common refrain from federal politicians during an election. He promised a Conservative government would come down hard on “tax cheats,” redirect CRA’s auditing firepower from small to large businesses and recover billions in unpaid taxes.

“Conservatives will end the double standard so multinational corporations and the ultra rich can’t just ship their money abroad to avoid paying their fair share at home,” Poilievre said.

In the video, Poilievre accused CRA of “harassing and auditing innocent small business owners” and promised to redirect resources from the small and medium enterprise audit branch towards cracking down on “offshore tax havens.”

He said the increased focus on offshore tax evasion would net the government an additional $1 billion in yearly tax revenue. The Liberals also frequently promised additional investments in the CRA would net billions of dollars in additional unpaid taxes from large corporations, though the actual results are unclear.

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As part of his plan, Poilievre also said he would create a “name and shame” publication targeting multinational corporations that are caught dodging their taxes. He also promised to boost whistleblower payouts to up to 20 per cent of recovered unpaid taxes.

“You can’t avoid your taxes, and large corporations shouldn’t be doing so either,” he said.

He also said his government would create a “tax task force” that would rewrite tax rules to make them “fairer, simpler and easier to administer.” He said that same team would be given the monumental task of closing “all” loopholes that allow companies to hide their money in tax havens.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh made a similar announcement days earlier when he promised a review of the Income Tax Act (ITA) to “close loopholes that allow big corporations to avoid paying what they owe.”

Tax law specialists have long argued that a wholesale rewriting of the ITA is long overdue. At 3,000 printed pages spread over two volumes, it is the longest and one of the most complex pieces of Canadian legislation.

But political parties rarely commit to the daunting task because the issue does not speak to many voters.

Poilievre also accused Liberal leader Mark Carney of helping Brookfield Asset Management, which he chaired for four years before entering politics, to “stash” its cash away from the taxman.

Carney has been heavily criticized for the fact that two Brookfield funds he led were registered in Bermuda, a well-known tax haven.

“Brookfield … chose Bermuda not because of the warm weather. According to KPMG, Bermuda has no income tax, capital gains tax, dividend tax or withholding tax, making it one of the most attractive tax havens in the world,” Poilievre said.

Carney justified the decision by arguing that the funds were registered there to avoid double taxation.

“The important thing … is that the flow through of the funds go to Canadian entities who then pay the taxes appropriately. As opposed to taxes being paid multiple times before they get there,” he said on March 26.

Earlier this week, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said his party would end tax treaties with known offshore havens such as Bermuda.

The CRA has been criticized for dropping the number of audits on large corporations in recent years, though the agency has argued that it’s focused it resources on “big fish” that it suspects are dodging higher amounts of taxes.

National Post, with files from Rahim Mohamed

cnardi@postmedia.com

 

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