I think we should utilize the Bank of Canada to carry some of enormous national debt built up by our two fiscal Frankenstein parties since the neoliberal 80's and 90's. And I think Canada needs a national investment bank would be a good idea for investing in Canada and financing projects at local levels, too.
I would like to see something like that started in Canada, but of course without local control it would inevitably turn into a patronage trough for party hacks (a la Millienium Scholarship Foundation).
I think revolutions tend to happen under the most repressive conditions. We're not quite there yet in Canada. Canadians still have a high tolerance for inequality for the most part.
I think the bigger barrier to a revolution in Canada is the total lack of faith the average worker has in themselves and in their organizations (such as they are) to be powerful, which is not an unfounded fear in the present situation.
If we could build the political infrastructure, I think we would a) possibly not 'need' a repressive government to rebel against, and b) be ready for when the next shitstorm hits (like this economic crisis) and be ready to rock.
And why does socialism necessarily have to be arrived at by violent revolution? It's not like socialists have had to seize power ... because democracy stands between socialism and federal power.
Well, it doesn't have to be violent. Quite frankly, I would hope it isn't. But to be equally frank, I doubt capital will give up anything without a fight - and since a strengthing of the left often coexists with a strengthing of the right, violence can be inevitable. But that's so far off down the road so as to be irrelevant.
What about democracy? What about the Nordic and European social democracies? They are not perfect but certainly something to aspire to compared to neoliberalism in these last bastions of political conservatism in the English-speaking countries - these three or four countries where an obsolete electoral system is still the rule. Canada's social democrats have suggested that Canada, too, could also join the ranks of advanced democracies.
Yup, I'd love to see some PR electoral reform, preferably STV (since it allows for more independent voices and less party control). That being said, I don't think that's going to go far enough. We can't reform our way out of capitalism -reform is dependent on political elites leading the way, and (like Debs said) if you can lead someone in, you can lead them out. A successful social revolution will only happen once the timing is right - and since that's something no one can predict, the best we can do it organize, agitate, and build for the future, and be politically involved without losing sight of our end goals. Which for me means socialist organizing, not social democratic organizing.
Doesn't mean I don't support reform, just not reform for it's own sake - it's gotta lead to something more!