Canadian Dimension is a left wing magazine that is bravely critical of the regressive elements in the Canadian Labour movement.But what I find undiscussed is the practical reality of the alternative to the labour - capital - goverment partnerships discussed in the article.
Things need to be built and regardless of how you slice it there are no public construction firms, land developers, carpenters, electricians, brick layers etc. The entire workforce is employed by private corporations.
It has always been so. In the past all governments have done is put up the money. General contractors direct subtrades and they are all private corporations.
So what exactly is the alternative to P3 anyway?
Chavez in Venezuela has trained the army to build houses and such. Local communities are funded to develop schools and hospitals. The operating social organization is not an elite corporation acting as agent for a docile and essentially witless population. Venezuelans are engagedand directly involved with building their society.
see
Beyond Populism: Venezuela and the International Left by Jonah Gindin in the same issue.
Of course, CD is opposed to any accmodation with the Capitalist system but unless they are prepared to deal with the realities then their critique will be more useful in a literary sense and have little to do with the mundane realities of society maintenance.
Over the next few months however they will be writing a series of articles on the "new deal" for the cities. This should prove interesting.
http://www.canadiandimension.mb.ca/frame.htm