Labour’s Right Turn? Right-Wing Populism and the Working Class
Right-wing populism is on the rise around the world. In Canada and the U.S., right-wing populist politicians have made direct appeals to workers, including union members and organized labour. This has even yielded some high-profile union endorsements, particularly in the building trades. Donald Trump is the most famous example, but Pierre Poilievre and the Conservative Party have adapted right-wing populism to a Canadian context.
Why has right-wing populism gained support among some workers and union members? How can the labour movement combat the appeals of right-wing populists? What roles do racism, xenophobia, and anti-feminist politics play in right-wing populist efforts to win over working-class voters?
In this free, virtual discussion, David Moscrop and Bill Fletcher Jr. will speak about how organized labour and the left in Canada and the U.S. can respond effectively to right-wing populism.
Join us on Thursday, March 7th from 7-8:30PM
You can register for the event here:
David Moscrop is a Canadian political theorist and the author of Too Dumb for Democracy? Why We Make Bad Political Decisions and How We Can Make Better Ones. He has written recently about right-wing populism in The Tyee.
Bill Fletcher Jr. is an American scholar, labour activist, and co-author of Solidarity Divided: The Crisis in Organized Labor and a New Path Toward Social Justice. His recent writing on right-wing populism has been featured in Convergence Magazine and the Socialist Register.
This event is sponsored by Brock University’s Department of Labour Studies.
