Canada Post is in crisis. The post office has seen its market share fall and is running significant deficits. In response, management is attempting to crush the union and "amazonify" working conditions.

This week, Joel is joined by Donovan Ritch to discuss the crisis in Canada Post and what the communist solution is to defend good jobs, benefits and an efficiently run postal service.

Read more:

https://www.marxist.ca/article/the-fight-to-save-canada-post-is-a-fight-against-capitalismhttps://www.marxist.ca/article/postal-workers-prepare-to-strike-but-how-can-we-winhttps://www.marxist.ca/article/the-revolutionary-roots-of-the-canadian-union-of-postal-workers

The re-election of the Liberals has led to a resurgence of the separatist movement in Alberta. Some polls place support for independence as high as 37 per cent and it looks like a referendum will take place next year. This week, Joel is joined by Rob Lyon to discuss why this is happening and the Communist approach to this question.If you agree with our ideas and want to fight for communism, join us! https://www.marxist.ca/join

The trade war has begun. Or has it?

The trade war with the US threatens to rapidly shift the situation in Canada and its consequences will destroy the living standards of average workers on both sides of the border.

"Team Canada" would have us believe that the only way out of the crisis is by rallying behind Canadian businesses and Canadian capitalists.

Communists on the other hand believe that we need a working class response to the impending economic dislocation.

In this presentation, Communist Revolution editor Joel Bergman explains the communist position on the trade war and the way forward for workers and youth.

This week, Joel and Alex are joined by Ukrainian Marxist Peter Mikhalenko, to discuss the conflict in Ukraine, what's happening, why, and what position socialists should take. 

We are living in a time of unprecedented upheavals. Capitalism is creating the condition for revolution around the world... even in Canada.

This week, Joel and Alex discuss the War Measures Act, counter-protests against the convoy, and governments lifting pandemic measures. 

For the vast majority of its existence, humanity has lived in classless societies with egalitarian relations between individuals. By analyzing the development of the earliest class societies, we can begin to understand the material basis for the oppressive class relations that still exist under capitalism. 

In this episode, comrade Sebastian Seyva produces part two of "The Origins of Class Society", an article by Josh Holroyd and Laurie O'Connel that originally appeared in no. 35 of In Defence of Marxism. You can subscribe to In Defence of Marxism here. 

Welcome to This Week In The Canadian Revolution, a new weekly podcast from Fightback!

We are living in a time of unprecedented upheavals. Capitalism is creating the condition for revolution around the world... even in Canada. 

Join us every week as we analyze what Trotsky called "the molecular process of revolution", to prepare for the struggles that are to come.

For the vast majority of its existence, humanity has lived in classless societies with egalitarian relations between individuals. By analyzing the development of the earliest class societies, we can begin to understand the material basis for the oppressive class relations that still exist under capitalism. 

In this episode, comrade Sebastian Seyva produces part one of "The Origins of Class Society", an article by Josh Holroyd and Laurie O'Connel that originally appeared in no. 35 of In Defence of Marxism. You can subscribe to In Defence of Marxism here. 

Listen to Fightback editor Alex Grant on Cheri DiNovo's "Left, Lefter, Leftist". This month: Omicron, housing and homelessness, and inflation. You can also listen on Cheri DiNovo's Soundcloud, here.

In our final episode of the year, we are sharing speeches from one of our recent launch events for our biweekly paper. A newspaper is an essential tool for Marxist organizing, and these speeches explain why.

You can subscribe to Fightback by visiting marxist.ca/subscribe.

In recent years, the struggle against discrimination and oppression based on gender and sexual orientation has developed into mass movements in numerous countries. It is becoming increasingly clear that the struggle against systemic oppression is a struggle against capitalism.

In this talk, comrade  Koral  discusses The LGBTQ Struggle and the Fight for Socialism.

Listen to Fightback editor Alex Grant on Cheri DiNovo's "Left, Lefter, Leftist". This month: Ben Nolan joins in to discuss the RCMP attacks on Wet'suwet'en, Striketober, and the failure of Canadian labour leadership. You can also listen on Cheri DiNovo's Soundcloud, here.

While Canadian politics is relatively boring compared with our counterparts to the south, we are seeing the same process of capitalist crisis and developing revolutionary consciousness underneath the surface, looking for a place to break out. 

Capitalism’s defenders love to attack communism by pointing to the atrocities perpetrated by the Stalinist regime in the USSR. Bolshevism—the ideas and methods of Lenin—can only ever result in a totalitarian dictatorship, we’re told. As for capitalism, there is no alternative.

In reality, a river of blood separates Bolshevism and Stalinism. This presentation will reveal the real traditions of Lenin and his Bolshevik Party, traditions with which the Bolsheviks led the Russian working class to vanquish capitalism on one sixth of the planet. And it will explain how the regime set up by the Russian Revolution—the most democratic regime in history—was hollowed out, replaced by the grotesque caricature of the Stalinist regime.

Read More:

In Defence of Lenin

Russia: From Revolution to Counter-Revolution

What lessons does the Spanish Revolution hold for socialists today? 

Socialist ideas and revolutionary solutions are more popular than ever and it isn't hard to see why. But what is Marxism, really? Fightback editor Alex Grant gives this talk on What Is Marxism? 

The capitalist system, both at home and abroad, has entered the deepest crisis in its history and each day brings yet more evidence of the complete impasse of the status quo.

In this talk, Julien Arseneau, editor of La Riposte socialiste, discusses why we need a revolution.

Jason Kenney is bitterly hated. It's no wonder, after numerous scandals, budget cuts, and handouts to large corporations. Worst of all, is the UCP's inaction in the face of the pandemic, that has led to the deaths of thousands of Albertans. Kenney and the UCP have lost all authority to govern.

In this talk, comrade Larissa discusses WTF is Jason Kenney doing, and what's necessary to bring him down. 

After 35 days and more than $600 million spent campaigning, Canada's new parliament is almost exactly the same as it was going into the election. Where does this leave the Canadian working class? 

It's been 10 years since the Arab spring, the revolutionary movement that swept through the middle east and brought down dictatorial governments in Egypt and Tunisia. For a brief time the masses were victorious, before being pushed back by the forces of counter revolution. As we enter a new period of uprisings and revolutions, we should look back on what lessons can be learned from the movements of the past. Comrade Laine gives this talk on 10 years since the Arab spring. 

Listen to Fightback editor Alex Grant on Cheri DiNovo's "Left, Lefter, Leftist". This month: Nora Loreto and Semir Bulle join in to discuss the sad state of the election, and what's missing from it. You can also listen on Cheri DiNovo's Soundcloud, here. 

In this talk, comrade Marcus discusses the Marxist analysis of history - historical materialism - and how it can help guide the struggles of today. 

After post-secondary students had to deal with online classes and reduced services during the pandemic, now universities across Canada are hiking tuition fees, in some cases by 50%. What can students do about this? 

In this talk, comrade Holly discusses the lessons of the 2012 Quebec student strike.

While today Alberta is known as a bastion of right-wing ideology, this was not always the case. Western Canada actually has deep socialist and revolutionary traditions. In this talk, comrade Alvaro explores part of this history, as he discusses the One Big Union. 

Together with Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx forever transformed the landscapes of philosophy, political economy, and history. As the founder of scientific socialism, he laid the theoretical foundation on which the oppressed and exploited could free themselves from the shackles of class society once and for all.

Marx’s method is, to this day, essential for anyone who wishes to understand and change the world. That is why we are proud to publish this presentation given by Josh Holroyd, editor of the In Defence of Marxism magazine, from the 2025 Montreal Marxist Winter School, on the question of how Marx became himself "a marxist".

And if you would like to steel yourself in the ideas of marxism, then subscribe to In Defence of Marxism today!

The two years since Jason Kenney was elected as Premier of Alberta have seen a series of attacks on the working class. Kenney has come after teachers, nurses, and the right to strike and demonstrate, among others. In this talk, comrade Larissa discusses how to fight Jason Kenney. 

The following episode is part two of a reading of Fightback's perspectives for 2021. This document was discussed, amended, and passed by the comrades of Fightback/La Riposte socialiste at the national congress. It’s an important analysis of the class struggle in Canada and the way forward to socialism. We hope everyone will listen to and discuss its contents with us. This episode is presented by comrade Odyn Mulder.

For decades, the brutal Apartheid system dominated South Africa. In the early 1990s, this regime was shaken to its very foundations and was finally brought down. But how did this happen?

In this episode South African Marxist, Ben Morken describes the mighty revolution which ended Apartheid in South Africa.

Ben Morken is a member of the group Revolution. You can visit Revolution's website at (www.marxist.co.za/)

The following episode is part one of a reading of Fightback's perspectives for 2021. This document was discussed, amended, and passed by the comrades of Fightback/La Riposte socialiste at the national congress. It’s an important analysis of the class struggle in Canada and the way forward to socialism. We hope everyone will listen to and discuss its contents with us. This episode is presented by comrade Odyn Mulder. 

Listen to Fightback editor Alex Grant on Cheri DiNovo's "Left, Lefter, Leftist". This month: Alex and Cheri are joined by NDP MP Niki Ashton to discuss residential schools, the Islamophobic attack in London, ON, the future of socialism in Canada, and more. 

Also listen on Cheri DiNovo's soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/cheri-dinovo

The following is from an episode of Varn Vlog, in which Fightback editor Alex Grant discusses The future of Trotskyism and Leftism in Canada. C. Derick Varn can be found on YouTube, and on Twitter @skepoet

The following presentation is from Fightback/La Riposte socialiste's 2021 congress, in which comrades met to discuss and vote on our analysis of the current political and economic situation in Canada. The accompanying document can be read on our website at Marxist.ca. Alex Grant, editor of Fightback, gives this talk on Canadian Perspectives, 2021. 

The following is a reading of a document that is the product of over 20 years of study and participation in the fight of Indigenous peoples against Canadian capitalism. Revolution not Reconciliation encompasses the accumulated conclusions of the supporters of the International Marxist Tendency, Indigenous and non, applying Marxist theory to the movement on the ground.

The third and final part looks at the Indigenous struggle today, and how the fight for socialism provides a way forward. 

The following is a reading of a document that is the product of over 20 years of study and participation in the fight of Indigenous peoples against Canadian capitalism. Revolution not Reconciliation encompasses the accumulated conclusions of the supporters of the International Marxist Tendency, Indigenous and non, applying Marxist theory to the movement on the ground.

While part one covered pre-invasion Indigenous societies, and the origins of the Canadian state and Canadian capitalism in the exploitation and oppression of Indigenous peoples; part two looks at the changing tactics of the Canadian state that brought us to where we are today, as well as the history of Indigenous resistance.

The following is a reading of a document that is the product of over 20 years of study and participation in the fight of Indigenous peoples against Canadian capitalism. Revolution not Reconciliation encompasses the accumulated conclusions of the supporters of the International Marxist Tendency, Indigenous and non, applying Marxist theory to the movement on the ground. Here we detail a revolutionary Marxist analysis of the origin of Indigenous oppression, in opposition to the liberal/reformist hypocrisy of “reconciliation”, and the trap of identity politics and postcolonial theory, pushed by comfortable academics. The conclusions of this work have never been more timely, given the recurring explosions of Indigenous struggle. Only through mass revolutionary struggle against capitalism can all the oppressed be genuinely liberated. We appeal to all to study these lessons, discuss the conclusions, and unite with us in struggle.

Trump is once again at the head of the world’s strongest imperialist power. One month after his innauguration, he has already provoked a trade war with Canada and Mexico, and threatened to invade Panama and Greenland. His presidency has ushered in a new period of uncertainty and chaos into politics all over the world.

As revolutionary communists, we must understand what Trump's actions represent on a world stage, and how his approach to American foreign policy reflects the relative decline of American Imperialism on the world stage, alongside the rise of smaller regional powers capable of challenging American influence.

For that reason we are proud to releasse a presentation by Jorge Martín, a leading member of the Revolutionary Communist International, from the 2025 Montreal Marxist Winter School on Trump and the Crisis of American Imperialism.

What to read next:

Lenin's Selected Writings on Imperialist War

Colossus: The Rise and Decline of US Imperialism

The pandemic has unleashed a deep economic crisis and the capitalist system has been shaken to its foundations. Capitalist governments acted quickly to keep the economy afloat by injecting huge sums of money into it. 

In this context, ideas that had been relatively marginal until now suddenly entered mainstream discourse, such as "modern monetary theory", and universal basic income. Have these ideas succeeded in overcoming the contradictions of capitalism? what is the Marxist approach to economic crises?

In this talk, Benoît Tanguay, editor of La Riposte socialiste, addresses why reformism cannot solve the crisis.

With the death of Prince Philip, the media has spent weeks weeks bombarding us with praise of the world's highest paid unemployed family. This comes after a string of scandals involving the royals. Each new scandal reminds us that the monarchy continues to be at the heart of the Canadian political system. It is high time to abolish this costly, archaic, unnecessary and anti-democratic institution. How can this be done? What is the Marxist analysis of the monarchy in Canada and Quebec?

In this talk, Benoit Tanguay, editor of La Riposte Socialiste discusses how to abolish the monarchy in Canada

The objective conditions for socialism have existed for a very long time. So why have we not yet achieved socialism?

Many people on the left will say that the fault lies with the workers. That they are too "weak" or do not have enough class consciousness. But if we look at the history of the last 100 years, we see that Time and again, the working class rises up to change society. The missing factor is a revolutionary party armed with the ideas to lead it to victory. 

In this episode, Julien Arseneau, editor of La Riposte Socialiste, discusses the class, the party and the leadership: how to organize revolution. 

Listen to Fightback editor Alex Grant on Cheri DiNovo's "Left, Lefter, Leftist". This month: Abolishing the monarchy, the police and capitalism, and more. Also featuring David Slavick of ThePopularPod

Also listen on Cheri DiNovo's soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/cheri-dinovo

On September 11, 1973, a bloody US-backed coup overthrew the government of Chilean socialist Salvador Allende, and ushered in the oppressive rule of dictator Augusto Pinochet. Decades later the capitalist system and constitution inherited from the dictatorship remained fundamentally the same. This was graphically demonstrated by the mass movement and general strike in the fall of 2019, which led to the vote in favour of changing the rotten Chilean constitution. On the back of these mass movements, a new generation of socialists is awakening in Chile!

Carlos Hernan, activist with Fightback and organiser with the Chilean Marxist group Octubre, gives this talk on Chile: From Allende to Pinochet to today

One hundred years ago, Ireland was in the midst of a revolutionary war for independence from Britain. The Irish struggle for freedom is full of lessons for Marxists today— the tactics of divide and rule of the ruling class, the betrayals of nationalist leaders, the role of individual terrorism, the role of religion, and above all the role of the working class in national liberation struggles.

In this episode, Ben Curry, editor of Socialist Appeal UK, discusses the Irish struggle for freedom.

Since the 1920s, capitalist economists have argued that a socialist planned economy would be unable to distribute goods and services as well as a capitalist market economy. However, this argument is not supported by experience. In this episode, Fightback organizer Vincent Beaudoin looks at how examples of large-scale economic planning beat out market-based methods, and makes the case for a socialist planned economy. 

The fight for women's liberation is one of the burning issues in the labour movement, and has been for over a hundred years. While we have come a long way in Canada, women continue to be an oppressed group under capitalism and our basic rights are constantly under attack. Most recently, COVID-19 has reversed decades of hard-won progress.

What is the best way forward for the women's movement? The struggle against oppression is fundamentally divided into two camps, which have different demands and tactics: Marxism and identity politics. The points of disagreement include: do capitalist and working women have common interests? What should be our main tool in the struggle for progress: the legal system or the class struggle?

In this episode Atefa Akbary, an activist from La Riposte syndicale, discusses why identity politics can't liberate women. 

The American Civil War of 1861-1865 is what Marxists consider the Second American Revolution. It finally uprooted slavery and paved the way for the struggle of the working class to unfold on a gigantic scale. As Marx said at the time, “Labor in the white skin can never free itself as long as labor in the black skin is branded.” While this revolution was a tremendous step forward, it never realized its promise to Black people. 

In light of today’s mass struggle against racism, it is important to return to one of the most pivotal events in this long fight. In this episode, John Peterson, editor of Socialist Revolution, the paper of the US section of the International Marxist Tendency, discusses the American Civil War to end slavery. 

One hundred years ago, the Communist Party of Canada, the Canadian section of Lenin’s Communist International, was officially founded. The history of the party, and especially the early days, is full of lessons for revolutionary Marxists today. 

The  U.S.-Canada trade war has become the central question in Canadian politics. As Trump pivots U.S. foreign policy to attempt to assert the dominance of U.S. capital on the continent, politicians and business leaders are panicking, trying to avoid disaster.
In response, there has been a developing mood of Canadian nationalism with widespread support for counter tariffs and buy-Canadian policies.

But  what is the position of communists faced with this situation?
RCP activists Joel Bergman and Marco La Grotta discuss how communists must respond to this unprecedented situation.

Join the RCP: https://www.marxist.ca/join

Officially founded in 1867, the creation of the modern nation state of Canada was not the result of a revolution as with our neighbours to the south - but of a vicious counter-revolution. The process which led to the creation of Canada began with the putting down of the rebellions in what is now Quebec and Ontario of 1837-38 and was completed with the crushing of the Metis resistance in the west. While this movement of the Metis ultimately went down in defeat, it is important for Marxists to understand these events.

Listen to Fightback editor Alex Grant on Cheri DiNovo's "Left, Lefter, Leftist". This month: The profit motive sabotages vaccine rollout, the Proud Boys being designated as a terrorist organization, and more. Also featuring Ben Nolan of UMass

Also listen on Cheri DiNovo's soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/cheri-dinovo

Many people are appalled by the racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and all other forms of oppression and discrimination that capitalism breeds. Movements such as Black Lives Matter, Idle No More and the world wide strikes on International Women's Day show the burning desire to fight oppression in all its forms. Some wishing to fight oppression ascribe to ideas under the umbrella of "identity politics." But where does Marxism stand in relation to these ideas? And how do Marxists propose that we eradicate oppression and discrimination?