Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution - Feat. Gregory Wilpert
2025-08-25 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Toronto) | Friends House, 60 Lowther Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M5R 1C7, Canada
It has been 26 years since Hugo Chávez first assumed the presidency of Venezuela in 1999. Since then, Venezuela has gone through enormous ups and downs, and mostly downs since Nicolas Maduro took over from Chavez following his death in 2013.
Given Venezuela’s current challenging situation, what lessons can be drawn from the Bolivarian Revolution for future revolutionary projects? And what is the meaning of the Bolivarian project in the larger context of Latin American politics in the 21st century more generally? What do these lessons mean for socialist organizing and activism today?
The Leo Panitch School for Socialist Education is honoured to be hosting Gregory Wilpert, author and longtime journalist covering Venezuela, for a special talk and discussion to explore these questions and more.
When: Monday August 25, 7pm
Location: Friends House, 60 Lowther Ave, Toronto.

FilmSocial presents: L'Argent
2025-08-27 19:00 - 21:00 | Ontario
The Leo Panitch School for Socialist Education is very pleased to present L’Argent (1983) as the first installment in our special series of film screenings on the topic of money.
A forged 500-franc note is cynically passed from person to person and shop to shop, until it falls into the hands of a genuine innocent who doesn’t see it for what it is – which will have devastating consequences on his life, causing him to turn to crime and murder…
Partially inspired by the writings of Leo Tolstoy, L’Argent represents the last film made by acclaimed French director Robert Bresson. Often considered a masterpiece, the film is a sweeping exploration of the destructive power of money.
The film will be presented in French with English subtitles.
When: August 27 – Doors: 6:45pm
Where: Eyesore Cinema, Toronto, ON
Free/PWYC

Fighting to Win: Ten Week Course Feat. John Clarke
2025-09-08 18:00 - 2025-10-12 20:00 | Ontario
A Ten Week Course for Union and Community Activists Facilitated by John Clarke, Former Organizer with the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP).
Unions and social movements today are operating in a very challenging situation. There is great economic uncertainty, the worsening impact of climate change and a global situation marked by the growing threat of conflict and war. When workers strike or communities under attack take to the streets, it seems that victories are much much harder to win and past gains more difficult to defend.
This course will grapple with these questions by looking at the forms of exploitation and oppression that exist in society and the means by which the power structure acts to limit and contain our struggles. The course will move towards a discussion of how our movements can overcome the factors that hold them back and to fight to win!
Mondays at 6pm beginning September 8
Location: Bloor-Yonge area of Toronto
No course fees; donations gratefully accepted.

The Possibilities of Left Government in Europe
2025-09-24 17:00 - 19:30 | OISE, 252 Bloor St. West, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1V6, Canada
Is it possible to have a left government in Europe, today or is any attempt toward it going to fail: will political parties capitulate and end up implementing neoliberal policies? How is it possible to actually initiate a process of profound social transformation in an anticapitalist direction? Is it possible to combine government with forms of counter-power or even dual power from below? Is it possible to resist the systemic violence induced by capitalist globalisation and financial, monetary and institutional configurations such as those of the Eurozone? What role can political organisations play in such a perspective? These are some of the crucial open strategic questions that the Left is facing today and which need to be discussed…
Panagiotis Sotiris is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology of the University of the Aegean in Mytilene and a journalist. He is an editorial board member of Historical Materialism: Research in Critical Marxist Theory. He has authored and edited many books, including A Philosophy for Communism? Rethinking Althusser (Brill 2020/ Haymarket 2021) and Crisis, Movement, Strategy: The Greek Experience (Brill 2018/Haymarket 2019). His book Hegemony, Strategy, Organisation. Reading Gramsci Today is forthcoming with Brill at the Historical Materialism Book Series.
Sept 24th, at OISE, Nexus Lounge, 12th Floor.
Register at hcaao.org

The Moving Past
2025-10-12 09:00 - 2025-11-09 21:00 | Ontario
Between 1918 and 1929, two entities – the Ontario Motion Picture Bureau and the Canadian Government Motion Picture Bureau, the first state-sponsored film organizations in the world – produced over a thousand silent films. These films took on a variety of subjects, among which were showcases of scenic attractions, celebration of industrial technology and educational material intended for farmers and factory workers.
Today, they provide a unique insight into how the state promoted views on labour, gender and indigenous peoples over a century ago, and provoke an interesting contrast – or the lack of it – with how those views are promoted today.
A selection of those films has been restored (with added period music) and compiled by David Sobel, through The Moving Past project, where the final products can be viewed at no cost. Additionally, an event was held earlier this summer in partnership with the Leo Panitch School for Socialist Education where a few of them were shown, with additional commentary by the curator.
More restorations are in progress and should be available on the website soon. Stay tuned as well for a second event with some of these new films later this year. See the YouTube trailer.
Note: this event is not scheduled yet, and as such the dates at the bottom do not apply.

Leo Panitch School Fundraising Party
2025-10-19 16:00 - 19:00 | College United Church, 502 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON, Canada
The Leo Panitch School warmly invites you to our very first annual fundraising party. Gather together with us as we celebrate three years of providing community based socialist education!
All are welcome at this family friendly event featuring live music, delicious food, raffles, prizes, activities for the kids, and much more! Make sure to bring along cash as there will also be beverages, merchandise, and plenty of books on offer. All proceeds of the afternoon will go directly to providing working class educational opportunities here in Toronto and beyond.
While talks, courses, book launches, and workshops are all great, we need to remember that any organized movement has to be based on building common connections among each other. Let’s put the social back in socialism!
When: Sunday October 19 4pm-7pm. Drop in for a quick chat or stay the whole time!
Location: College Street United Church, 452 College St, Toronto.
Tickets: PWYC $0-30. No one turned away for lack of funds.

Fundraiser for Medical Aid in Gaza
2025-10-24 18:30 - 20:30 | Ontario
Join us for an evening of solidarity and support. All proceeds will go to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to provide lifesaving care in Gaza.
Friday, October 24 · 6:30 – 8:30pm EDT
58 Cecil Street Toronto, ON

Hamilton - We're Coming for You and Your Rotten System
2025-10-25 13:00 - 14:30 | Ontario
The Leo Panitch School for Socialist Education is honoured to welcome longtime organizer Jonathan Rosenblum to Hamilton for the launch of his brand new book We’re Coming for You and Your Rotten System!
From inside Kshama Sawant’s historic tenure in Seattle City Hall comes a blueprint for twenty-first-century socialists, a counterpoint to the common strategies of mainstream progressives today.
Seattle was the first major city in the US to mandate a $15 minimum wage; the first to implement a payroll tax on Amazon to build affordable housing; the first to secure a bevy of renters’ rights laws, making good on the slogan, “Housing is a human right.” In a municipal government dominated by pro-business Democrats, Kshama Sawant and the popular street movements she led against major corporations headquartered in the region – including Amazon, Boeing, Microsoft, and Starbucks – won battles that would transform the city’s trajectory for years to come.
When: Sat 25 Oct, 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM EDT
Where: Solidarity Place, L8H 1B5

Booklaunch: We're Coming for You and Your Rotten System
2025-10-25 19:00 - 21:00 | Friends House, 60 Lowther Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M5R 1C7, Canada
The Leo Panitch School for Socialist Education is honoured to welcome longtime organizer Jonathan Rosenblum back to Toronto for the launch of his brand new book We’re Coming for You and Your Rotten System.
From inside Kshama Sawant’s historic tenure in Seattle City Hall comes a blueprint for twenty-first-century socialists, a counterpoint to the common strategies of mainstream progressives today.
Seattle was the first major city in the US to mandate a $15 minimum wage; the first to implement a payroll tax on Amazon to build affordable housing; the first to secure a bevy of renters’ rights laws, making good on the slogan, “Housing is a human right.” In a municipal government dominated by pro-business Democrats, Kshama Sawant and the popular street movements she led against major corporations headquartered in the region – including Amazon, Boeing, Microsoft, and Starbucks – won battles that would transform the city’s trajectory for years to come.
We’re Coming for You and Your Rotten System tells this extraordinary story from the inside. Jonathan Rosenblum, who worked in Sawant’s office and alongside community activists, weaves together intimate story-telling and political analysis to show how and why the movement succeeded where other progressive outsiders – such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – have failed. For political activists searching desperately to make sense of the world after the reelection of Donald Trump, the Seattle experience offers a vital framework for fighting our way out of the despairing miasma of twenty-first-century capitalism.

Ottawa - We're Coming for You and Your Rotten System
2025-10-27 19:00 - 20:00 | Ontario
The Leo Panitch School for Socialist Education is honoured to welcome longtime organizer Jonathan Rosenblum to Hamilton for the launch of his brand new book We’re Coming for You and Your Rotten System!
From inside Kshama Sawant’s historic tenure in Seattle City Hall comes a blueprint for twenty-first-century socialists, a counterpoint to the common strategies of mainstream progressives today.
Seattle was the first major city in the US to mandate a $15 minimum wage; the first to implement a payroll tax on Amazon to build affordable housing; the first to secure a bevy of renters’ rights laws, making good on the slogan, “Housing is a human right.” In a municipal government dominated by pro-business Democrats, Kshama Sawant and the popular street movements she led against major corporations headquartered in the region – including Amazon, Boeing, Microsoft, and Starbucks – won battles that would transform the city’s trajectory for years to come.
When: Mon 27 Oct, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM EDT
Where: Octopus Books

FilmSocial presents: Wall Street
2025-10-29 19:00 - 21:00 | Eyesore Cinema, 1176 Bloor Street, Toronto, Ontario, M6H1N1, Canada
The Leo Panitch School for Socialist Education and the Socialist Project presents “Wall Street” (1987) as the final installment in our special series of film screenings on the topic of money.
“Greed, for lack of a better word, is Good”
On the Wall Street of the 1980s, Bud Fox is a stockbroker full of ambition, doing whatever he can to make his way to the top. Admiring the power of unsparing corporate raider Gordon Gekko, Fox entices Gekko into mentoring him by providing insider trading. As Fox becomes embroiled in greed and underhanded schemes, his decisions eventually threaten the livelihood of his scrupulous father. Faced with this dilemma, Fox questions his loyalties.
Directed and co-written by Oliver Stone, Wall Street is a classic portrayal of capitalist excess, power, and the desire for wealth above all else. A radical viewing of the film provides not just a critique of stocktraders who take their ruthlessness too far, but an indictment of the system that allows – and rewards – their greed in the first place.
RSVP on TicketTailor.

Crisis & Resistance
2025-11-20 19:00 - 21:00 | Ontario
The Struggle for Ontario’s Universities and Colleges
Ontario’s higher education sector faces a perfect storm of austerity, rising precarity, and eroding academic freedom. This has provoked a sustained wave of resistance, marked by near-continuous faculty, staff, and student-worker strikes over recent years–exemplified by the recent OPSEU support staff strike.
Learning from these Ontario struggles and from successful, militant unionism in the United States, this event argues for a new strategic direction. We will explore the structural challenges and strategic issues that higher education workers face and consider the potential for a path forward based on commitments to wall-to-wall organization and new forms of sectoral solidarity and joint action.
Registration required – Please register here.
When: November 20 – 7pm
Where: Downtown Toronto – Venue shared upon registration
Who: All those who work in the higher education sector, including non-academic workers.
Light refreshments will be served.
Speakers TBA

FilmSocial presents: The Time That Remains
2025-11-26 19:00 - 21:00 | Eyesore Cinema, 1176 Bloor Street, Toronto, Ontario, M6H1N1, Canada
The Leo Panitch School for Socialist Education is very pleased to present The Time that Remains (2009) as the next film in the FilmSocial series of socialist film screenings.
“THE TIME THAT REMAINS is a semi-biographical film, in four episodes, about a family, my family, from 1948 until recent times. The film is inspired by my father’s private diaries, starting from when he was a resistance fighter in 1948, and by my mother’s letters to family members who were forced to leave the country since that time. Combined with my intimate memories of them and with them, the film attempts to portray the daily life of those Palestinians who remained and were labeled ‘Israeli-Arabs’, living as a minority in their own homeland.” – Elia Suleiman
The film represents an often surrealist portrayal of Palestinian life under Israeli occupation set over 60 years. Writer and Director Elia Suleiman brings us a story that’s both comedic and dark, realistic and absurd, as well as hopeful, all at the same time. Looking back at the this film from over 15 years ago is a glimpse through time of what’s remained constant and what has drastically changed since the escalation of Israel’s genocide in 2023.
Register at tickettailor.com.

Fighting to Win Workshop
2025-12-07 09:30 - 16:00 | Ontario
Led by John Clarke, former organizer with the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), this one-day workshop will consider the type of mass movement necessary to confront our current reality of austerity, militarism, climate disasters, and attacks on workers and immigrants and win real improvements and justice for working people and our environment.
December 7th, 2025 at 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM
PSAC Kingston Regional Office
201–863 Princess Street
Kingston, Ontario
Register

Book launch: Cybernetic Circulation Complex
2026-01-23 19:00 - 20:30 | College United Church, 502 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON, Canada
Big Tech firms dominate the global economy. But what value do they actually produce? In Cybernetic Circulation Complex: Big Tech and Planetary Crisis (Verso, 2024), Nick Dyer-Witheford and Alessandra Mularoni argue that the role of firms like Amazon and Google, Palantir and Uber, is in the speeding up and automation of the circulation of commodities. Big Tech aims to subject everything from advertising and shopping, to logistics and financial services to the level of control and predictability that capital has secured in industrial production.
But there is a way out of the multiple crises that Big Tech has helped precipitate. If we are to break their grip on the global economy then it’ll take more than just antitrust legislation or reducing individual time online. What is required instead is a new, ambitious and comprehensive program of democratic collective planning that can move us beyond capitalism and benefit life on earth over profit.
The Leo Panitch School for Socialist Education is honoured to host the authors of the book for the Toronto launch of this exciting new book! All are welcome to join us for this timely discussion as we grapple with how to challenge the Big Tech firms that are quickly cementing their control over international commerce and policy.

FilmSocial Presents: The Day Iceland Stood Still
2026-01-31 19:00 - 20:30 | Friends House, 60 Lowther Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M5R 1C7, Canada
The Leo Panitch School for Socialist Education is very pleased to present a special screening of The Day Iceland Stood Still.
What if every woman simply took the day off? The Day Iceland Stood Still is a film that answers that question. In Iceland, on October 24, 1975, women walked out and stopped working. 90% of the women of Iceland refused to work, cook, or take care of the children. They brought their country to a standstill and catapulted Iceland to the “best place in the world to be a woman” today.
Join us for the launch of the 2026 season of FilmSocial socialist film screenings! The first screening of the year will be a very special one as we gather for a screening of the incredible 2024 film The Day Iceland Stood Still from celebrated documentarians Pamela Hogan and Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdóttir. We’re very excited that we’ll also be hearing from the filmmakers directly via video message.
We’re also honoured to have longtime activist Judy Rebick join us as a very special guest!
Doors open at 6:30pm.

Booklaunch: Organizing Amazon
2026-02-05 19:00 - 21:00 | College United Church, 502 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON, Canada
Amazon workers in Coventry, England have won breakthrough wage gains through years of strikes and organizing at the global giant. Now, a new book documents these achievements, and the militant, grassroots methods the workers and their GMB union employed to build worker power.
Organizing Amazon: Building Worker Power Under Conditions of Fragmentation, Precarity and Regimentation offers a rich case study of the factors contributing to the union’s successes and setbacks. It provides a practical organizing model applicable beyond Amazon, offering strategies to engage the workforce, sustain support and develop leadership.
We are incredibly honoured to host the author of the book Tom Vickers, and longtime labour activist Jonathan Rosenblum, as well as two workers from the Coventry facility for the first stop on their North American organizing tour. The evening will feature a discussion of the lessons to be learned from the campaign in Coventry and what strategies will be needed for the Canadian labour movement to begin challenging the Amazon behemoth.

Notes Toward a Digital Workers’ Inquiry
2026-02-12 19:00 - 21:00 | Friends House, 60 Lowther Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M5R 1C7, Canada
Join us as we celebrate the launch of Notes Toward a Digital Workers Inquiry, a brand new book full of first-hand accounts from the tech sector’s resurgent labor movement as artificial intelligence gains ground in every facet of our lives.
As tech billionaires align with Trump, they are also launching a renewed assault on labor through artificial intelligence and alienating tactics. But for now, it still takes workers to make fortunes for the bosses, and collective action is again on the rise. Previously thought to be “unorganizable,” these workers are part of a North American movement that is reaffirming faith in collective revolutionary action through new methods of organizing, new ways of association, and a new synthesis of traditional labor activities with original research.
To capture this growing class consciousness, the Capacitor Collective has conducted ten illuminating interviews with platform workers and organizers whose efforts align traditional motives with new tactics in a text that shakes up the worker inquiry tradition and imagines new ways to produce knowledge with and for the movement.

Introduction to Socialism
2026-02-22 14:00 - 21:00 | Ontario
Curious about socialism? Interested about if it is really possible and taking a sober look at the problems it will face? Want to discuss how to begin affecting change right now?
In these uncertain and dangerous times, The Leo Panitch School for Socialist Education is a space to listen, discuss and challenge the contemporary relevancy of socialism.
The School’s flagship course, Introduction to Socialism, is designed for both those experienced activists always looking to learn more, and those newer to socialist ideas and full of questions. It will not only provide a unique venue for collectively tackling important topics, but also a welcoming space where any question relevant to socialist organizing, no matter how basic or advanced, can be raised and discussed.
Instead of providing precise definitions and historical readings, the course will focus on understanding the structures of capitalism in order to challenge it and begin building a better world. We will rely on the ideas and lived experience of participants to enhance the presentations, examples, and collective discussions that make up each session.
Over 8 weeks we’ll explore topics such as what and who is the working class, what makes socialism different, how we can overcome political barriers, how socialists can approach elections and winning reforms in the existing state, what role trade unions and political parties have played for working class struggles, and much more!

FilmSocial: The Organizer
2026-02-25 19:00 - 21:00 | Eyesore Cinema, 1176 Bloor Street, Toronto, Ontario, M6H1N1, Canada
The Leo Panitch School for Socialist Education is very pleased to present The Organizer (1963) as the next film in the FilmSocial series of socialist film screenings.
Set in Turin, Italy at the turn of the 20th century, the story follows the workers of a textile factory, one of whom suffers a serious injury caused by exhaustion at the end of 14-hour shift. When workers stage a walk out after the factory owners refuse to shorten the work day, determination wanes as they begin to fear for their jobs and return to their work benches. It’s not until a labour activist (Marcello Mastroianni) on the run from Genoan police appears and passionately shares from past organizing experience that the workers are emboldened to go on strike, and in the process begin to understand the sacrifices that come with holding their ground.
When: Wednesday February 25th @6:45pm
Where: Eyesore Cinema, 1176 Bloor St W, Toronto
Who: All are welcome! Free registration is recommended.

Oil, Capitalism, and Climate
2026-02-27 19:00 - 21:00 | College United Church, 502 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON, Canada
All are invited to join us for the annual Leo Panitch Winter Lecture! We are honoured to welcome esteemed author and academic Adam Hanieh back to Toronto to deliver this year’s talk.
This event marks the fourth edition of the school’s annual lecture, held in the memory of the late Leo Panitch.
Adam Hanieh will discuss how understanding oil’s place in world capitalism is key to grasping geopolitical dynamics and global finance, reviving vital climate struggles, and challenging the structural interests underpinning the system itself. He will also explore the connections between our fossil-fuel centred world and the contemporary politics of Palestine and the wider Middle East.
At a time when the world’s attention is being pulled in myriad directions by ongoing genocide, threats of war, economic instability, and rising authoritarianism, the role that resources such as oil play in global politics often go under-noticed. Amidst this chaos, governments and capital are massively expanding fossil fuel investment, leaving us to face a worldwide ecological crisis that is set to only hasten in the coming years.
Oil itself is woven into the fabric of this modern world in obvious but also surprising ways. Much more than an energy source or transport fuel, oil has a foundational place in all aspects of contemporary life – no challenge to the fossil fuel industry can be effective without taking this fact seriously. Oil greases the wheels of global capitalism. The world’s oil and gas trade is also rapidly changing, bringing with it shifting economic interdependencies across the Middle East and East Asia.
When – Friday 27 February – doors open: 6:30pm, talk starts 7pm, social to follow
Where – College Street United Church – 454 College Street, Toronto ON
How – Advance registration required. Free/PWYC

Socialism and Capitalism - SP Fredericton
2026-03-16 19:00 - 2026-03-17 21:00 | Ontario
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.

Mayworks Festival
2026-05-01 18:30 - 2026-05-30 21:00 | Ontario
Featuring…
Live Music:
Parallel Play Collective, whose music is a call to action and solidarity, drawing inspiration from the revolutionary struggles of the Filipino people
Panel Discussion:
Raw materials, goods, capital, and workers themselves are part of a network of global supply chains where each link is integral to the system of wealth distribution shaping our living and working conditions.
This panel discussion invites labour activists and organizers to address the movement of financial assets, cargo and labour, and the power we have to disrupt those supply chains. Speakers include Jody Chan (No Arms in the Arts), Mostafa Heneway (Immigrant Rights Network), Radhika Desai (Geopolitical Economy Research Group), moderated by Moe Alqasem (Labour for Palestine).
Date/Time: Friday May 1, 2026, 6:30–9:00pm (doors open at 6pm)
Location: United Steelworkers Hall, 25 Cecil St, Toronto

A Worker is a Worker — May Day Forum
2026-05-01 19:00 - 2026-05-02 18:00 | Ontario
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

Japanese Left Today
2026-05-04 15:30 - 17:30 | Ontario
The Japanese Left Today and the Return to Marx’s Capital
The world is facing war, economic shocks, deep inequalities, and ecological crises; these challenges affect us all. Join Kazuo Shii for a compelling discussion on why our society’s dominant systems need a profound transformation, and discover why Marx’s Capital is more relevant now than ever.
Kazuo Shii is the chairman of the Japanese Communist Party and served as its secretary-general for over twenty years. A member of the Japanese parliament from 1993 to 2026, he has been one of the leading figures of the Japanese left for many decades and continues to influence contemporary political discourse. The author of numerous books, his most recent publications include Communism and Freedom (2024), Das Kapital is Interesting Now (2025), and Free Time and “The Capital” (2026).
May 4, 2026, 15:30 – 17:00
802 South Ross Building, York University, Toronto
Refreshments will be served at 17:00

Capitalism Can't Be Fixed
2026-05-13 18:30 - 20:30 | Ontario
Every Wednesday at 6:30pm, March 25 to May 13, 2026.
Capitalism Can’t Be Fixed
Activism and Mental Health with Ashwin Shantha.
