While world leaders are increasingly saying out loud that the postwar liberal world order is dead, the ruling classes in the Global North have an answer for what will come to replace it: fascism. Will they be able to implement their vision?
A guide to standing up to book bans and beyond, and how to protect and strengthen public education in Canada
These are exciting times in British Columbia for those interested in building sustainable, just and climate-friendly energy systems. The recent change in government could mean a shift away from a corporate agenda driven by the needs of a massively energy-intensive fracking and LNG industry towards one that prioritizes action on…
Province of British Columbia / Flickr” style=”border-radius:0px;–objectFit:cover;–imagePosX:50%;–imagePosY:50%” decoding=”async” srcset=”https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_jan2018_site-c-econ-300×141.jpeg 300w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_jan2018_site-c-econ-1024×480.jpeg 1024w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_jan2018_site-c-econ-768×360.jpeg 768w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_jan2018_site-c-econ.jpeg 1280w” sizes=”(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px” />There is no question that the new BC government’s decision to proceed with the Site C dam was a very difficult one. The previous government left them with a poison pill. With $2 billion already spent, the Horgan government faced a no-win choice, with substantial political and economic costs for…
With Ontario’s 2024 pre-budget consultations well under way, it’s time to think hard about public services in this province—and how we fund them.
Province of British Columbia / Flickr” style=”border-radius:0px;–objectFit:cover;–imagePosX:50%;–imagePosY:50%” decoding=”async” srcset=”https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/policynote_oct2017_eight-reasons-site-c-300×141.jpg 300w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/policynote_oct2017_eight-reasons-site-c-1024×480.jpg 1024w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/policynote_oct2017_eight-reasons-site-c-768×360.jpg 768w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/policynote_oct2017_eight-reasons-site-c.jpg 1280w” sizes=”(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px” />Last week, I appeared before the BC Utilities Commission (BCUC) at their Technical Presentation Session in Vancouver, and gave a brief presentation about my findings relating to the economics of the proposed Site C dam. Here’s what I had to say: Thank you to the Commission for the invitation to…
Noted Canadian author and social activist Naomi Klein published The Shock Doctrine more than a decade ago. The book’s major thesis is that governments and others in position of power exploit national and international crises to establish controversial policies while citizens are too distracted to notice, to engage and to…
The CCPA was invited to appear before The House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs to present on Bill C-23, the Fair Elections Act. Patti Tamara Lenard, an Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and CCPA Research Associate, presented…
On March 16, Chandra noticed a burning sensation in her ear canals and neck. She and her family were isolating at home due to the outbreak of COVID-19, but public health officials were warning only of fever and cough so she didn’t think too much of it. It wasn’t until…
In just three years, much of the McLeod Lake Indian Band’s treaty lands were stripped of their bountiful and exceedingly valuable trees in a surge of logging that included one massive clear-cut that is almost 3,000 hectares in size, or 7.5 times larger than Vancouver’s Stanley Park. The extensive…
It’s less about choice, and more about privilege, privatization, populism, and patriarchy
CCPA-BC submission reconsiders the economics of Site C dam READ THE FULL SUBMISSION HERE. Vancouver–The Site C dam is not necessary, and moving forward to completion is likely to have adverse impacts on BC Hydro and ratepayers of all classes. That is the conclusion of a submission to the BC…
Devastating drone attacks on Pathans completely unjustified Much has been written and broadcast in the Western media about U.S. drone attacks in northwestern Pakistan, but little about the main targets of these drones: the Pathan people. I grew up with Pathans (called Pashtuns in Afghanistan) in northwest Pakistan, where I…
Too many BC workers lack meaningful access to the benefits of collective bargaining and the failure of our labour laws to keep up with the evolving nature of work is a key culprit.