The Offensive of the Capitalist Class in Canada
Jude Bachand
Abstract
This article analyzes a renewed offensive of the capitalist class in Canada, focusing on the escalation of strikebreaking, wage suppression, and state repression since 2024. Situating Canada within the U.S.-led imperialist system, it argues that the Canadian state increasingly functions as a direct instrument of monopoly capital, openly suspending labour rights through mechanisms such as Section 107 of the Labour Code and the Notwithstanding Clause. Through detailed examination of the rail, Canada Post, Air Canada, and Alberta teachers’ strikes, the article demonstrates the inability of the existing labour movement to mount an effective resistance, largely due to the opportunism of the New Democratic Party and the legalistic orientation of labour leadership. The article further argues that the industrial proletariat and small farmers bear the brunt of this offensive yet remain politically fragmented. Drawing on Canadian Marxist and populist traditions, it concludes that rebuilding a militant Communist movement rooted in the industrial proletariat and forging unity with small farmers is essential to confronting the capitalist offensive and renewing working-class politics in Canada.
Keywords
Canada, labour movement, strikebreaking, imperialism, opportunism, New Democratic Party, industrial proletariat, Communism, Jude Bachand
