As part of our on-going 50th anniversary celebrations, Canadian Dimension hosted an evening with Chris Hedges on Sept 20, 2013 at Bloor Street United Church in Toronto. At the event Hedges details the destruction of the left, the power of the Occupy movement among other topics. The audio includes introductions by Simon Black and Jim Stanford. Thanks to Sean Michael Turrell for the audio and all those who made the evening so wonderful.

On Mayday Noam Chomsky urges activists to focus their attention not simply on the economy and the environment, but how the market system underlies the fiscal and environmental crisis. Clayton Thomas Muller discusses the diverse strategies of First People’s against colonial structures that destroy their livelihoods and their environment. Nae Burrows describes the successful living-wage campaign in British Columbia.

Political Sociologist Trevor Harrison explains why Alison Redford’s PC’s won the Alberta election after all and what it means for Alberta and Canada. Political activist/blogger Richard Fidler updates the Quebec student strike and discusses the importance of the demand for zero tuition fees by the student group CLASSE. Rabble.ca editor Derrick Okeefe talks about the fallout of the NDP victory in two BC byelections last week and the intense resistance to the Kinder Morgan pipeline led by mayors along the BC coastline along with first nations and environmentalists.

Researcher Jack Hicks decries the Conservative governments cut backs to NAHO and other Aboriginal Health initiatives. Trevor Harrison dissects the Alberta Provincial Election race. High school teacher and part time journalist Ben Sichel promotes Fare free transit in Halifax.

Broadcaster/writer Steve Lendman makes a strong case against NATO intervention in Syria. Feminist and community activist Adrie Naylor explains why Harper’s austerity agenda hurts women particularly hard.

Political scientist and Canadian Dimension collective member Dennis Pilon discusses what the federal budget reveals about Stephen Harper’s Plan for Reshaping Canada. Canadian Dimension collective member Andrea Levy talks about CD’s new issue that focuses on de-growth.

From Chiapas Mexico, Vancouver journalist Dawn Paley talks about the murder of Bernardo Vasquez, a community leader who led the protests against a Canadian mining company, Fortuna Silva in San Jose del Progresso,Oaxaco. From the streets of Montreal, Stefan Christoff talks with students and profs about the historic strike against tuition hikes. Judy Rebick explains why she thinks the election of Thomas Mulcair as leader of the NDP is a setback for the NDP and for progressive politics.

Judy Rebick, Murray Cooke and Dennis Pilon compare how the NDP would change under the leadership of Mulcair, Topp, Nash and Cullen. Greenpeace climate change campaigner Keith Stewart responds to the recent report claiming that coal and natural gas, not the tar sands are the real villains of global warming.

This episode of Alert gives a taste of Left Forum, a unique phenomenon in the U.S. and the world, that convenes the largest annual conference of a broad spectrum of left and progressive intellectuals, activists, academics, organizations and the interested public. Over a thousand speakers participate in 300 panels. The conference is held each spring in New York City and takes place this year from March 16 – 18th at Pace University. This year’s theme is “Occupy the System: Confronting Global Capitalism”. We speak with three of the participants about their contributions –Joel Kovel. Barbara Epstein, George Katsiaficas.

Tracking Israel Apartheid Week in Montreal, Halifax, Toronto, Winnipeg. Tess Tesalona describes a unique International Women’s Day program sponsored by Women of Diverse Origins in Montreal.

Sara Flounders, Director of the International Action Centre debunks the myth that Iran poses a nuclear threat and reveals that money and oil and containing Iran’s role as a regional Middle East power are the real motives behind the interventions under discussion. Noted Canadian author Yves Engler discusses Canada’s interest in working with other powers to crush Iran.