On the night of 10th June, Darrell Dexter and the Nova Scotia NDP captured the Nova Scotia provincial election—the first time that the NDP had won a provincial government in the Atlantic provinces. While those in the mainstream media and the right wing of the party would credit Dexter’s “pragmatism” as the reason for his victory, the real cause lies in the ever worsening economy of Nova Scotia and the desire for change that is building in Atlantic Canada, and throughout the entire country.

Gordon Campbell, one of the most hated premiers in British Columbia’s history, has won a third term in office.  His government is surrounded by the BC Rail scandal.  He was actually caught and convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol in his first term.  His attacks against the public sector have repeatedly brought the province to the brink of a general strike.  He has frozen the minimum wage for eight years and sold off BC’s rivers to the highest bidder.  Under Campbell’s government, BC Ferries have slashed services and jacked up prices.  He closed 300 schools and did nothing while BC’s child poverty rate slipped to the worst in the country.  The economy is in free-fall and tens of thousands of workers have lost their jobs under his watch.  Clearly, Gordon Campbell cannot be given credit for his election victory.  No; the responsibility for this defeat lies squarely on the shoulders of the leadership of the BC NDP.

Here, Joel Bergman of the La Riposte editorial board presents the view of the Quebec Marxists on the National question. He outlines that there is a huge difference between the “sovereignty” of the workers and the sovereignty of the bosses and the PQ leadership.

With the BC election campaign kicking into high gear, the NDP again finds itself behind in the polls.  BC is being hit hard by the economic crisis with over 22,000 jobs lost in the last month alone.  Gordon Campbell is one of the most hated leaders in BC history and his approval rating sits at just 34%; but amazingly, NDP leader Carole James’ rating is even lower at 29%. Something is clearly wrong here.

The economic crisis is hitting Canadians hard, and particularly workers in Ontario. Up until now, the workers facing the brunt of the cuts have been in the private sector. However, this is all set to change with the upcoming Ontario provincial budget where Premier Dalton McGuinty is set to unleash a full-scale attack on public sector workers. In the midst of this, the Ontario NDP is holding their leadership convention. This is an excellent opportunity for the party to rejuvenate itself and become the political voice for the workers’ fight back in Ontario.

Despite the new majority Liberal government in Quebec, the defeat of the chauvinist ADQ and the victory of Amir Khadir of Quebec Solidaire are important wins for the working class. Solidaire must now use this platform to wage a fightback againt the inevitable atacks from the Liberals and capitalists in Quebec.