Author: john-clarke
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‘Progressive’ Trudeau Government Attacks Venezuela
With neoliberalism’s sights set on Venezuela, John Clarke examines the imperialism of a superficially progressive Canada. Keep reading »
A Tale of Two Austerities
The UK’s brutal austerity regime is acting as a template for similar programmes across the Atlantic in Canada, reports John Clarke. Keep reading »
The Homelessness Crisis Deepens Across North America
As an organizer with the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) in Toronto, I am only too aware of how much worse the homeless crisis has become in this city over the last three years. As a result of community pressure, City Hall issues a daily shelter census. In a whole series of ways, the official … Keep reading »
Doug Ford’s War on Ontario’s Poor
Analysis by @JohnOCAP of the new war on the poor by the Ford government in Ontario. Keep reading »
Doug Ford’s New Poor Laws Replace Basic Income
The decision of the new Tory Government in Ontario to terminate the basic income (BI) pilot project that their Liberal predecessors had set in motion, confirms that the right is as divided as the left on this issue of social policy. The Doug Ford Tories form part of an international right wing opposition to BI … Keep reading »
Disabled People in UK Lead Fight Against Austerity
On July 20, I was truly honoured to represent the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) at the International Deaf and Disabled People’s Solidarity Summit, in Stratford, east London that had been convened by one of our key allies in the UK, Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC). This powerful gathering was an important moment in the … Keep reading »
Basic Income: Progressive Cloak and Neoliberal Dagger
Basic Income is not an answer to inequality under neoliberalism. Social transformation will come through collective struggle, argues John Clarke. Keep reading »
The Neoliberal Writing on the Wall: Ontario’s Basic Income Experiment
Since 2010, the UK has endured a political regime that can be considered a cutting edge of the austerity agenda. Through the film, I, Daniel Blake, people around the world have become familiar with the institutionalized cruelty of the Country’s warped system of providing social benefits to those in need. To those who endure sub-poverty … Keep reading »
What Basic Income Means for Disabled People
Disabled people in Ontario are much more likely to experience poverty than non-disabled people. Many have to live on sub-poverty payments under the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) or the even more wretched income provided by Ontario Works (OW). Those that are in this situation are confronted by an ongoing process of surveillance, invasion of … Keep reading »
John Clarke – Basic Income: A Way Forward for the Left?
Toronto – 13 April 2017. The idea of a Universal Basic Income (UBI) has been championed by both progressives and conservatives. Not everyone on the left, however, is behind the idea. Is the UBI a means of redistributing wealth, attacking poverty and protecting workers from technological displacement? Or will basic income serve to advance an … Watch video »
Basic Income: Progressive Dreams Meet Neoliberal Realities
Up until now, the concept of Basic Income (BI) has enjoyed a greater history of being proposed than of being implemented. We may well b approaching a period, however, when this changes. The Ontario Government is holding consultations on setting up a BI pilot project. The Legislature in another Canadian Province, Prince Edward Island, has … Keep reading »
Ontario’s Austerity Government Sets Basic Income Trap
The Ontario Government’s Adviser on Basic Income (BI), Hugh Segal, has released his much heralded discussion paper, “Finding a Better Way,” that sets out his proposals for a lengthy BI pilot project. If the experiment he advocates is put into effect, it will run parallel to the deliberations of a Security Reform Working Group that … Keep reading »