OTTAWA - A new podcast series from Perspectives: A Canadian Journal of Political Economy and Social Democracy called Activists Make History demystifies Canadian democracy for political outsiders, demonstrating how we can overcome barriers facing underrepresented groups in Canadian politics. Hosted by Peggy Nash, former Member of Parliament and member of the Broadbent Institute’s Board of Directors, Activists Make History tells the stories of the political underdogs running for political office and how those from the outside can win across Canada. How do we take the struggles of political outs ..read more

Luke LeBrun, the Editor of PressProgress, is the recipient of Canadian Journalists for Free Expression’s 2024 Arnold Amber Award for Investigative journalism. The award, which recognizes significant contributions to advancing public interest reporting in Canada and is sponsored by CWA Canada, was presented in Toronto on October 23 at CJFE’s annual gala honouring courageous reporting. “In a time when disinformation and conspiracy theories masquerade as news, LeBrun shines a powerful light on who is behind the growing influence of far-right media, putting names and faces to ..read more

This article was published in the National Observer on Friday, September 6th, 2024. Read the full article in the National Observer. The NDP can more credibly present itself as that alternative. They can point to the gains Singh secured for the working class with the agreement and the stability of one of the longest minority governments in Canadian history: coverage for diabetes medication will be a life-changing win when rolled out, dental care for 2.3 million Canadian kids and seniors, and having the federal government finally get back to building new homes in cities across C ..read more

Happy Labour Day and welcome to the September edition of the Broadbent Bulletin! We’re here to keep you updated with all that’s new from the Broadbent Institute, PressProgress and the Canadian progressive movement. On this Labour Day long weekend, learn more about recent labour victories across the country! Read PressProgress’ latest instalment of the award-winning Shift Work newsletter. Written by senior labour reporter Emily Leedham, the latest from Shift Work covers a major victory for migrant care workers in Canada and tracks recent strikes from coast to coast to coast. Sign up for Shift ..read more

The Broadbent Institute has ratified a new union contract with significant gains for its employees! The new agreement covers 15 members and will remain valid until July 1, 2027. “We are proud to represent our members at the Broadbent Institute,” says Wayne Hanley, president of UFCW 1006A, “who do exceptional work advancing progressive and social-democratic principles.” Luke LeBrun, editor of PressProgress spoke candidly about the union’s support throughout the bargaining process. “We’re grateful for the time and energy our UFCW 1006A representatives put into listening to our member’s' though ..read more

Welcome to the August edition of the Broadbent Bulletin! It’s been an eventful summer for Canadian progressives, and we’re here to keep you updated with all that’s new from the Broadbent Institute, PressProgress and beyond. After chairing a debate on freedom, inequality and capitalism at the 2024 Progressive Governance Conference in Berlin, Germany, Broadbent Institute Executive Director Jen Hassum hosted a fireside chat with former Alberta premier Rachel Notley at UFCW’s annual National Defence Fund convention in July. You can read more about the convention here.   Progressive Politica ..read more

Welcome to the July edition of the Broadbent Bulletin! With the summer ahead, here are the highlights for an eventful Spring from the Broadbent Institute. In case you missed it, we hosted the 2024 Ellen Meiksins Wood Lecture on May 30th at Toronto Metropolitan University, delivered by economist Isabella M. Weber. Her work on explaining how economic shocks and profiteering have contributed to our affordability crisis was then featured in a profile by the Toronto Star and an interview on The Globe and Mail’s podcast Lately. And on Canada Day, Broadbent Fellow Angella MacEwen argued, “We should ..read more

The 2024 Ellen Meiksins Wood Lecture was held on Thursday, May 30th in partnership with Toronto Metropolitan University’s Faculty of Arts. A special thanks to TMU Interim Dean of Arts Amy Peng for hosting this Broadbent Institute event. Ellen Meiksins Wood was one of the left’s foremost theorists on democracy and history, and often promoted the idea that democracy always has to be fought for and secured from below, never benevolently conferred from above. The Institute founded the annual Ellen Meiksins Wood Prize & Lecture to honour Professor Wood’s legacy as an internationally ..read more

It seems almost too obvious to say aloud: to solve our affordability challenges, prices, which have steadily increased since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, need to stabilize so wages can catch up. This is especially true when it comes to food inflation, which is driving up food bank usage, worsening childhood food insecurity and leading to popular anger — which has recently manifested in calls to boycott and steal from Canada’s (very profitable) grocery retailers. The traditional story around inflation goes like this: economic shocks — like those we saw in the 1970s energy shock — inc ..read more

Photo by Zia Syed on Unsplash In Canada, the rent is too damn high — and it’s shaking political parties and coalitions to their core. Roaring rents and prices are destroying lives, shattering dreams and scattering families across the country as young people and young families search for places they can afford to live. Much of the public discussion on a solution has centred on land-use reform: altering zoning to allow denser housing construction. Predictably, there is little to no movement on land-use reform from Canada’s right-wing leaders. Doug Ford’s Conservatives recently re ..read more