Alex Himelfarb argues that neoliberalism – or “capitalism with the gloves off” – has become embedded in the fabric of Canadian government and society, and has not yet died off despite its reckoning.

Neoliberalism is not dead, according to former Clerk of the Privy Council and Broadbent Institute research fellow Alex Himelfarb. The ideology that pervades government and society in Canada and around the world is also facing a severe crisis and backlash – one that could give way to far-right fascist forces if progressives cannot build an alternative.

From explaining inequality, to the reckoning of the left with the Third Way, to the re-election of Donald Trump, Himelfarb’s new book takes readers on a historical tour of neoliberalism as an ideology, then as a political force. How has neoliberalism transformed society, and how do we exorcize these ghosts that continue to haunt progressive, social democratic movements?

Notes: 

• Breaking Free of Neoliberalism: Canada’s Challenge. By Alex Himelfarb, Lorimer Books, Sept. 2024.
• Editorial – Autumn 2024. By Clement Nocos, Perspectives Journal, Nov. 7, 2024. 
• Pharmacare and Access to Medicines in Canada: Is Bill C-64 a Step in the Right Direction? By Marc-André Gagnon, Perspectives Journal, Nov. 7, 2024.
• U.S. election mayhem was fuelled by Musk, money and misinformation. By Linda McQuaig, Toronto Star, Nov. 14 2024. 
• Crack-Up Capitalism: Market Radicals and the Dream of a World Without Democracy. By Quinn Slobodian, Macmillan Publishers, Apr. 2023.
• Just Institutions Matter: The Moral and Political Logic of the Universal Welfare State. By Bo Rothstein, Cambridge University Press, Feb 1998.
• Episode feature image by See-ming Lee on flickr.

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