Current Issue
One Year Later
March/April 2021 Issue
From the Editor
COVID-19: Neoliberalism’s Chernobyl
COVID-19 has been called neoliberalism’s Chernobyl with good cause. The capacity of our public system to adapt in the face of a sudden and major threat had been all but undermined by four decades of underfunding, leaving the hollowed out remains scrambling to adjust course.
In this Issue
Pandemic living on the margins
Disabled Canadians have been sidelined from—and by—many COVID-19 response measures. How can we learn from this experience to build greater equity going forward?
Fighting on all fronts
The pandemic has exacerbated the existing crisis that migrants live in as a result of being denied basic rights and protections.
Waiting to count
We know the value of disaggregated data. So why are 2SLGBTQQIA+ experiences still missing from government data collection?
Our “right to housing” needs some teeth
While homeless encampments serve as some of the most jarring visual depictions of Canada’s housing crisis, they are not the only manifestation of the problem.
No plan, big problem
The pandemic response is showing that undermining state planning capacity for four decades has resulted in states with low planning capacity. Who could have expected this?
Province has fiscal room to stop the suffering and serve the public interest
Austerity during a time of economic crisis is more damaging than previously thought, still, Manitoba continues apace with its privatization agenda.
Nothing about us without us
After a year of seeing the racially-lopsided impacts of the pandemic in Canada I think that the framework I proposed in my October 2019 TEDxToronto talk is ripe for reconsideration.
When it mattered most
How Canada’s decades-old digital divide left communities disconnected during COVID-19
Building on, and honouring, the Monitor’s past
Introducing the new Editor of the Monitor and celebrating the magazine's rich history.
The decline of collectivity
The glue that holds any society together is faith that institutions, no matter how flawed, will always be committed to serving and protecting people from poverty, unemployment, sickness, and other afflictions. In Canada, that glue is coming unstuck.
Contributors
Authors appearing in this issue
Jewelles Smith
Jewelles Smith (she/her), PhD(c) is the Communication and Government Relations Coordinator for the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, and is a PhD candidate at UBC Okanagan. She resides in BC with her service dog, DaVinci.
Syed Hussan
Syed (he/him) is the Executive Director of Migrant Workers Alliance for Change and a member of the Migrant Rights Network.
Ed Finn
(1926-2020) Ed Finn was Senior Editor at the CCPA and editor of the CCPA Monitor from 1994-2014. Formerly, as a journalist, he worked at The Montreal Gazette and for 14 years wrote a column on labour relations for The Toronto Star. He also served for three decades as a communications officer for several labour organizations, including the Canadian Labour Congress and the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
Paul Taylor
Paul Taylor (he/him) is Executive Director of FoodShare Toronto and a lifelong anti-poverty activist. In 2020, Paul was named one of Canada’s Top 40 under 40 and Toronto Life's 50 Most Influential Torontonians of the year.
Nathan Lachowsky
Nathan Lachowsky (he/him) is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Health and Social Policy at the University of Victoria, as well as Research Director for the Community Based Research Centre. He conducts interdisciplinary research within a social justice framework in order to achieve health equity for marginalized communities.
Michal Rozworski
Michal Rozworski (he/him) is an economist and writer. He publishes frequently on political economy and is the author, with Leigh Phillips, of The People’s Republic of Walmart. He works as a strategic researcher at the International Transport Workers’ Federation and is a research associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Find him on Twitter at @michalrozworski.
Anthony Morgan
Anthony N. Morgan is a Toronto-based human rights lawyer, policy consultant and community educator.
Erin Knight
Erin (she/her) is a Digital Rights Campaigner at OpenMedia. As the lead on OpenMedia's Access pillar, she strives to make quality Internet connections accessible and affordable for all.
Molly McCracken
Molly McCracken is the Director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Manitoba office. Her research and commentary focuses on social inclusion and climate action.
Katie Raso
Katie (she/they) is the Senior Editor of the Monitor and Behind the Numbers. They write about disability and accessibility, civic engagement, and media. Find them on Twitter at @ktrascal.
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