Socialist Project

Socialism and Capitalism - SP Fredericton
2026-03-16 19:00 - 2026-03-17 21:00 (America/Toronto) | ON
The Leo Panitch School for Socialist Education is thrilled to be supporting a brand new course: Socialism and Capitalism organized by the Fredericton Committee of the Socialist Project. The course represents the very first Leo Panitch School program on the east coast!
Our 8-week course examines the historical development of socialism as a response to the continual evolution of capitalism. We ask: “What is socialism now and how did we get here?” And we ask: “What is capitalism now and how has it changed?” All the while we trace the evolution of socialism as an analytical and political paradigm responding to the harmful and often violent effects of capitalism. Throughout our journey we will stress that the essence of socialism involves the desire to get beyond the horrors, misery, and trauma caused by capitalism.
Click here for course outline
Click here to register
When: Monday evenings at 7pm beginning March 16.
Where: In person in Fredericton, NB – Venue to be shared with registrants

FilmSocial Presents: Norma Rae
2026-03-25 18:45 - 21:00 | Eyesore Cinema, 1176 Bloor Street, Toronto, Ontario, M6H1N1, Canada
The Leo Panitch School for Socialist Education is very pleased to present Norma Rae (1979) as the next film in the FilmSocial series of socialist film screenings.
Set in a small-town Southern textile mill, the film follows Norma Rae (Sally Field), a courageous worker and single mother, who becomes politically active in her workplace after meeting Reuben Warshowsky (Ron Liebman), a charismatic New York labor organizer who arrives in town to confront crushing employment conditions at the factory and help workers form their own union. After her father dies suddenly on the mill floor, Norma is thrown deeper into the struggle, risking her job, relationships, and community standing to confront the bosses and organise her often-reluctant coworkers.
Directed by Martin Ritt, who was blacklisted himself during the Red Scare, this Oscar-winning film is based on the real story of Crystal Lee Sutton, who was one of three generations of her family to work at J.P. Stevens & Company mills in Burlington, North Carolina, and went on to become a celebrated ACTWU organizer. Often emotionally raw and unvarnished, Norma Rae’s struggle to build solidarity at the plant is both personal and political as she navigates the intersections of race, class, and gender, and bravely stands up for what she believes is right. The film culminates with the union election, delivering one of the most iconic and electrifying scenes of 1970s American working-class cinema.
Wednesday March 25th – Doors: 6:45pm
Eyesore Cinema, 1176 Bloor St W, Toronto
Free/PWYC

Class Strength in North America Today
2026-03-26 18:30 - 20:00 | WAHC, 51 Stuart Street, Hamilton, ON, L8L 1B5, Canada
Join us for a virtual panel discussion between Jay Youngdahl, Sam Gindin, and Adolph Reed Jr. on contemporary issues of class division and strength in North America.
The trio will discuss: where do divisions in the working class come from and who benefits from them? How can solidarity be built between workers across sectors today?
This panel activates Jay Youngdahl’s solo exhibition, I Don’t Want Your Millions (Billions), Mister, on at WAHC from February 13 – April 11, 2026.
Zoom link to be sent to registered attendees approximately 1 week before the event.

CUBA Resiste! In Conversation About Cuba Today
2026-04-25 19:00 - 21:00 | College United Church, 502 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON, Canada
Cuba is facing deepening hardship with blackouts, and critical shortages of food, fuel, and medicine. As the crisis intensifies, communities worldwide are coming together in solidarity.
Join us for an evening of dialogue, learning, and collective action as we unpack what is happening in Cuba today beyond the headlines.
All proceeds from the evening to go toward sending vital equipment, food, and supplies to Cuba.
Panelists:

Keith Bolender is the author of several books and a freelance journalist living in Toronto who has written extensively on Cuban matters for a variety of North American publications. He is also a lecturer on American foreign policy and the Cuban Revolution.
Sharmini Peries is a journalist and the Co-Founder of The Analysis News as well as former Senior Editor and Co-Founder of The Real News Network. Peries was International Economic Development and Trade Adviser to the President of Venezuela, and has served as the executive director of The Commission on Systemic Racism in the Criminal Justice System; International Freedom of Expression Exchange, and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression.
Nicolas Avendaño Ruiz is a member of the Canadian Cuban Friendship Association Toronto executive committee (CCFA Toronto). Member of the steering committee of the Venezuela Solidarity Coalition (VSC). Member of the Young Communist League – Ligue de la jeunesse communists (YCL-LJC Canada).

This event is being organized by: Canadian-Cuban Friendship Association Toronto, Casa Salvador Allende Toronto, Grupo Guillermo Gonzalez, Socialist Project.

Confronting the Far-Right
2026-04-27 18:30 - 21:00 | College United Church, 502 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON, Canada
The Leo Panitch School is pleased to present “Confronting the Far-Right: Lessons from Italy and Spain.” We are honoured to welcome Clara Serra and Salvatore Prinzi to Toronto to lead us in a discussion of this vital topic. Clara and Salvatore are both activists, authors, and philosophers, experienced in movements confronting the rise of the far-right in Spain and Italy, respectively.
How did the rise of the contemporary far-right come about in Southern Europe? How are left and anti-fascist movements responding to this? What lessons can the socialist left in Canada take from the experiences of Italy and Spain?
The Spanish and Italian movements against the right have taken a number of expected as well as more experimental forms. Clara and Salvatore will lead us in a discussion of what they’ve witnessed and participated in. This will range from the effects of the decline of the traditional social democratic parties, to the role of mutual aid, to new and creative forms of community activation. They will also discuss the role of feminism in fighting the growth of the far-right, and how socialist feminism becoming a hegemonic political ideal may be the key to turning young men away from fascism.
About the speakers:

Clara Serra is a philosopher and feminist from Madrid. In 2013, she was a representative of Podemos in the Madrid Assembly until 2019. She is a member of the feminist network Alianzas Rebeldes. Clara has written on a number topics, including feminist strategy, politics, and most recently, consent.
Salvatore Prinzi was one of the founders of Ex OPG in 2015 and later Potere al Popolo. He has published works on numerous topics, including social class, Italian politics, and fascism. He is currently conducting new work around the issue of the minimum wage in Italy.

This event is being organized by the Leo Panitch School for Socialist Education, with support from the Socialist Project and the Global Labour Research Centre.
When: Monday 27 April – doors open: 6:30pm, talk starts 7pm, social to follow
Where: College Street United Church – 502 Bathurst Street, Toronto ON
How: Advance registration required. Free – donations accepted with gratitude.

Capitalism Can't Be Fixed
2026-04-29 18:30 - 2026-05-13 20:30 | ON
Every Wednesday at 6:30pm, March 25 to May 13, 2026.
Capitalism Can’t Be Fixed
Activism and Mental Health with Dr. James Deutsch.

FilmSocial Presents: Bread and Roses
2026-05-01 19:00 - 21:00 | College United Church, 502 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON, Canada
The Leo Panitch School for Socialist Education is very pleased to present Bread and Roses (2000) as the next film in the FilmSocial series of socialist film screenings. This edition of FilmSocial is extra special as we celebrate with a May Day party following the film!
In Los Angeles, Mexican immigrant Maya (Pilar Padilla) finds work as a janitor through her sister, Rosa (Elpidia Carrillo). However, conditions at their non-union cleaning company are grim. After experiencing management abuse directed at herself and her fellow workers, Maya is convinced by union organizer Sam Shapiro (Adrien Brody), to get involved in the campaign for safe working conditions, higher wages, and dignity at her workplace. What follows leads to tension and confrontation, not only between workers and the company, but between Maya and her own family.
Directed by well know socialist filmmaker, Ken Loach, Bread and Roses is based on the real-life Justice for Janitors campaign, organized by the Service Employees’ International Union (SEIU). The campaign was a pivotal moment in the fight for improved working conditions for some of the most precarious workers in the United States and Canada. As portrayed in the film, the campaign went beyond traditional business union methods, utilizing militant direct actions and deep community-based organizing in order to win workers’ demands.

A Worker is a Worker — May Day Forum
2026-05-01 19:00 - 2026-05-02 18:00 | ON
To mark International Workers’ Day, we gather across New Brunswick to affirm a simple truth: a worker is a worker, no matter where we come from or what immigration status we hold.
At a time when racism, xenophobia, and anti-migrant policies are being used to divide workers, these May Day forums will bring together migrant justice organizers from Minneapolis and New Brunswick and you to name divide-and-rule strategies and organize against them.
Instead of addressing rising rents, low wages, crumbling public services, and deepening inequality, politicians are turning to deportation, enforcement, and Trump-style immigration policies like Bill C-12. Migrants are being scapegoated so that the people most responsible for this crisis can escape accountability. We refuse that divide.
Featuring Aizar Cabrera from the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, who will speak about the ongoing fight for survival in Minneapolis and how migrant communities are building solidarity in the face of escalating attacks.

Friday, May 1, 2026, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Viscount Kitchen – Pinoy Fiesta, 435 King St., Fredericton
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Venue/location: TBD, Moncton

Higher Education Organizing Meeting
2026-05-07 18:30 - 20:30 | College United Church, 502 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON, Canada
The Higher Education Working Group of the Socialist Project invites you to join us for our next organizing meeting!
The Ford government’s assault on higher education doesn’t stop at workers. The recently announced OSAP cuts are a direct attack on low-income and working-class students. These cuts further marketize education, making a naked assertion that the only factors students should consider in their studies are the needs of potential future employers. We must defend public education for the public good.
The next Higher Education Labour Working Group meeting will focus on student struggle and student-worker alliances. We’ll hear from student speakers and explore how higher education workers can meaningfully support student organizing. We’ll discuss how workers can help students resisting OSAP cuts, how student issues can be brought into bargaining demands, and how we can better support student-worker unionization efforts.
Where: College Street United Church, 502 Bathurst Street, Toronto
When: May 7th – Refreshments at 6:30pm, meeting start at 7:00pm
How: Registration required – Register here
If you work at a college, university, or related workplace, we want to see you there! We’re once again asking everyone in attendance to send this invitation along to colleagues and make sure to bring at least one along with you to the meeting!

Organizing 101
2026-05-23 09:00 - 2026-05-24 17:00 | ON
The IWW’s Organizer Training 101 (OT101) is a skill-based training that will teach you how to organize a union at your job, take action and win better working conditions for you and your coworkers.
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Date: Saturday and Sunday, May 23 – 24
Time: 9am – 5pm
The training consists of two 8 hour sessions. We’ll contact you closer to the date with location details. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.
To offset some of the costs associated with this training, we encourage participants to pay a registration fee of $15. No worker will be turned away for financial hardship, so please contact us if you can’t make this contribution.
The training is being held by the IWW, the SP is happy to help promote it.

Book Launch: Confronting the Resurgent Right
2026-05-28 19:00 - 21:00 | Tranzac Club, 292 Brunswick Ave, Toronto, ON, M5S 2M7, Canada
Join us for the launch of Confronting the Resurgent Right. Scholars and activists take Canada’s 2022 “Freedom Convoy” as a recent manifestation of deep-rooted extremism and provide intersectional commentary on the resurgence of the political right, demonstrating how its ideology permeates and shapes the structures of our society.
With evidence-based research, and careful analysis of the genesis and methods of the right, contributors to this volume model pathways of resistance and charge us with our most urgent collective tasks: finding ways to work together, building coalitions in civil society, and exposing and countering the regressive forces that spew hate.
The evening features a panel discussion about the book’s themes with the editor, Miriam Edelson, and contributors Peter Smith, Tim McCaskell, Judy Rebick and John Cartwright followed by Q&A.
