Alberta at the Crossroads: Organizing for a Stronger Democracy - Dave Meslin and Emma Jackson
Dave Meslin: Our political landscape is characterized by polarization, disengagement, distorted election results, regressive economic legislation and corporate lobbyists controlling the direction of public policy. We can do better. Dave Meslin wrote Teardown: Rebuilding Democracy from the Ground Up. The best-selling book is a recipe for change, a cure for cynicism and a war on apathy. There is a path forward. We’ll never get the public policies we need, if the underlying operating system of our democracy is broken.
Emma Jackson: We’re in a moment of populist anger — and rightfully so. Grocery workers can’t afford to buy food off the same shelves they stock. Young people are being priced out of entire cities amidst rising rents and stagnating wages. And all the while, the climate crisis is coming to bear on our lives in the form of floods, fires, and heatwaves. While the Right obfuscates who’s responsible, the Left builds insular movements for those who already agree with each other 93% of the time. But if we’re to stand any chance of toppling the status quo, we must build mass movements that can go head-to-head with the billionaire class and their political cronies. We must hone our organizing skills, craft compelling narratives that galvanize popular support, and re-politicize our previously depoliticized spaces and institutions. While the work won’t be easy, it will be worth it. We have entire worlds to be won, and no time to lose.