Socialism Once Again Rears its Ugly Head
Despite its historical failures, support for communism is gaining ground in Canada and throughout the western world.
Could Canada someday become a thoroughly red country? This may not be as absurd as it seems.
Although by American standards Canada is already socialist, given its strong social safety net, the country has a market-based economy, with residual commitment to property rights and basic civil liberties. Yet underneath this comforting picture, the emerging reality is frightening.
A 2023 poll found that half of all Canadians aged 18 to 24 favour socialism. This compares to 43 per cent of middle-aged people and 38 per cent of those over 55. Remarkably, 17 per cent of young people said they embrace a stronger brand of collectivism, leading the website Communist Revolution to claim that Marxism is the favoured ideology of one-million young Canadians.
The reason for the upsurge in socialism, in Canada and elsewhere, lies largely in the conditions faced by the younger generation. As in the United States and throughout the West, young people face a difficult future, particularly in terms of such things as good jobs and the ability to buy a house.
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As recently as 2011, young people surveyed by the World Happiness Report were the happiest segment of Canadian society; today, they are the most unhappy. This is reflected in growing pessimism about their future prospects, whether in terms of buying a home or even getting married. Some may be thinking of moving to the U.S. But they may not find the long-term economic climate better south of the border.
Recent polls suggest that a majority of Americans under 40 embrace the idea of socialism, as do nearly half of college students. Perhaps even more remarkable, one of them found that a majority favour restricting incomes, with 12 per cent favouring a limit of only $1 million a year. Among young people with these views, proposals by New York’s socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani, for state-run grocery stores, rent controls and social housing are gaining ground even in the capital of capitalism.
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