Dubbed by Briarpatch magazine as “one of the most important voices on the Canadian Left,” Yves Engler returns to Nelson to discuss his latest book Left, Right — Marching to the Beat of Imperial Canada (2018).
Engler details the left’s failures over many decades to confront Canada’s support of empire and promotion of corporate interests abroad: the social democratic NDP has backed unjust wars; Canadian unions supported the creation of NATO, the Korean War, the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the Bay of Pigs invasion and the coup in Haiti.
Why? Left nationalist ideology, both Canadian and Quebecois, has warped foreign policy discussion; viewing their country as a semi-colony struggling for independence has blinded progressives to our long history of supporting imperialism.
However, the book is not just critical — it also offers solutions to help create a just foreign policy.
- When: October 25 from 7-9
- Where: Kootenay Studio Arts campus on 606 Victoria Street
- Cost: By donation
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