Summer

By Anthony Adams

Anthony is a former student of Kuper Academy and submitted this paper for the course “Challenge and Change” as part of his graduation requirements for a Grade 12 diploma. Congratulations, Anthony, on your first academic publication!

Background

Young Canadians view capitalism much less favourably than in previous decades due to worsening economic conditions. The sample size for this research project will be 10 interviewees, half of which will be sourced from the greater Montreal area to represent the median Canadian viewpoint. The other half will be sourced from the northern village of Kuujjuaq to represent the point of view of Canadian Inuit. This is because I hypothesize that they will have more negative views of the Canadian economy since, on average, Inuit face worse material conditions than other Canadians.

Inquiry Questions

1) Is the Canadian economy doing well?
2) Has the Canadian economy improved since pre-Covid years?
3) Will the Canadian economy improve over the next five years?
4) Has Canadian capitalism led to positive socio-economic conditions for you and your fellow Canadians?
5) Should Canada increase or decrease our ties with China?
6) Would you consider yourself to be more supportive of capitalism or socialism?

Abstract

Inuit face worse material conditions than average Canadians. Because Inuit live with worse material conditions than average Canadians, they display more radical politics than non-Inuit Canadians. More people aren’t socialist in Canada due to cultural hegemony from the capitalist class and nearly a century of Cold War propaganda. In addition, the reason we see more young people being accepting of socialist politics these days is because the cultural hegemony from the ruling class is slipping in part due to social media. In conclusion, the main reason young people are more accepting of socialism is because conditions in the world and at home are worse than they were for previous generations.

According to a report by Dalhousie University, Canadian grocery prices in the year 2026 will become $994 more expensive than in 2025 which already saw similar prices rising around $801 in the year 2025 compared to 2024 (Dalhousie). That’s a $1,795 increase over a two-year period in just grocery prices. This system is broken. Canadians, from first grade onwards, are always told that we live in one of the most prosperous and equal nations on the planet and that we should be forever grateful to live here.

Although there is some truth to these statements on the surface, Canada is a deeply unequal country in terms of socio-economic class and race. Inuit living in Inuit Nunangat as of 2022 had a median after-tax income of $30,800, whereas during the same period the median Canadian income after tax hovered around $70,000 (Statistics Canada). That represents over double the wealth of the median Inuk in Inuit Nunangat, not to mention the insane prices of everything in Inuit Nunangat because most places are so isolated that everything needs to be flown in through airplane, which causes the prices to explode compared to the south.

This jaw-dropping level of income inequality between Canadians and Inuit living in Inuit Nunangat means that they experience entirely different material conditions. Marxism argues that “economic production and material wealth constitute real power in society and are the basis for most relationships in society” (Marx, 16). Marx argues that this level of inequality leads to conflict between the oppressors and the oppressed over limited resources, especially as the level of inequality increases.

Regardless of what Marx believed, it is undeniable that his works have had an impact on the Inuit; of the five Inuit surveyed from Inuit Nunangat in the context of this essay, all five would consider themselves socialist. This is in opposition to the Canadians; out of the five interviewed, only three considered themselves to be socialist. This survey shows the interconnectedness of social inequality and radical politics. If a certain group is experiencing inequality there is a greater chance that the group will engage in more radical political action. This is shown in the case study by Abbink, Masclet, and Merton on inequality and riots (Challenge and Change. 197). Their study proved that if a group experiences inequality, they are more likely to riot and hold disdain for those who are the benefactors of the inequality, which leads into Marxian class politics.

It was the Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci who first coined the term “cultural hegemony,” meaning that the ruling capitalist class utilizes institutions like academia, religious institutions, and the media to influence the views and opinions of the working class to make them more accepting of capitalist domination (Challenge and Change, 105). This cultural hegemony persists to this day but is weakening due to the democratization of media thanks to social media. As the capitalist cultural hegemony slips, old ideas are again made new through social media apps like TikTok where people from all over the world can share their views and beliefs. And it’s through this cultural hegemony that capitalists can influence the people’s views. This is observable in the Canadian group of participants who found themselves being more supportive of capitalism than the Inuit. And the weakening of capitalist cultural hegemony can be seen in the views of the Inuit who aren’t as easy to influence through cultural hegemony since they have their own distinct culture from Canadian culture and it is harder to lie and tell someone that the system is working perfectly while they make half the median national wage. Furthermore, the hegemonic culture of capitalism isn’t even enough to keep average young Canadians from supporting socialism since three out of the five Canadian participants in this survey still consider themselves more supportive of socialism over capitalism, which goes to show the extent of the effect of social media on people’s views.

Some will argue that if young Canadians are so supportive of socialism, then why hasn’t there been any electoral success for socialist parties? There are a multitude of reasons for this, but the most significant reason is the Second Red Scare which occurred after World War II during America’s Cold War against the USSR. During the Red Scare, socialists, communists, and trade unionists alike were heavily repressed by the State all across the Western world including Canada. With the Red Scare came laws that are still in effect today such as the laws relating to “Sedition” in Canada, where mere words can get you thrown in prison. For example, everyone who “speaks seditious words” is liable for “imprisonment for a term not exceeding fourteen years.” (Government of Canada). The suppression of communists by the Canadian government got so draconian they considered arresting tens of thousands of Canadians as “communist sympathizers” under the top-secret PROFUNC plan (CBC). Under this plan the Canadian government spied on tens of thousands of its own citizens to seek out communists and their sympathizers in a bid to rid Canada of all its communists in one fell swoop. It’s suspected that the Canadian government even used this communist database to arrest many Quebecers during the FLQ crisis who had no connection to the activities of the FLQ (CBC).

In conclusion, not even over a century of anti-communist propaganda from all rungs of society could stop the ever-increasing class consciousness in Canadian society. It is unsurprising that the most disadvantaged people in Canada are the most supportive of socialism. Indeed, they are the ones who receive the least tangible benefits from Canadian capitalism and understand that the wealth of the nation needs to be redistributed more evenly if they want to see an improvement in their material circumstances.

Although all Inuit who participated in my survey would consider themselves socialist it is also unsurprising that the Canadians in the survey also answered mostly in support of socialism since the youth of Canada realize that being Canadian doesn’t provide the quality of life we were promised as children. These days “across Canada, nearly one in five people aged 15-24 met the criteria for a mood, anxiety, or substance use disorder in the past year.” (Healthy Debate). Although Inuit on average seem to be more radical than Canadians, only time will tell where this increased support for left-wing politics takes us as a nation. Will we follow the road of the European social democracies who once again find themselves flirting with fascism, or will we chart our own course through history in a fairer and freer Canada?

SOURCES

– CBC. “Secret Cold War plan included mass detentions”. CBC. 2010. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/secret-cold-war-plan-included-mass-detentions-1.962421?ref=r ss
– Dalhousie University. “Canada’s Food Price Report 2025”. Dalhousie University. 2025. https://www.dal.ca/sites/agri-food/research/canada-s-food-price-report-2025.html
– Government of Canada. “Offences Against Public Order (continued)”. Government of Canada. 2025. https://laws-lois. justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-46/page-7.html#docCont
– Humes, Kim. “Canada’s Food Price Report 2026 predicts families will spend up to $994 more on food next year”. Dalhousie University News. 2025. https://www.dal.ca/news/2025/12/04/canada-food-price-report-2026. html#:~:text=Canada’s%20Food%20 Price%20 Report%202026%20forecasts%20that%20overall%20food%20 pricesthey%20were%20five%20years%20ago.
– De Coeur, Trisha. Rawes, Christopher. Warecki, Patricia. “Challenge and Change”. McGraw-Hill Ryerson. 2012
– Solovieva, Maria. “Canada’s Consumer Story Isn’t a Big Spender Tale”. TD Economics. 2025. https://economics.td.com/ca-consumer-story-is-not-a-big-spender-tale
– Statistics Canada. “Canadian Income Survey, 2022”. Statistics Canada. 2022. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/240426/dq240426a-eng.htm
– Statistics Canada. “Income statistics by Indigenous identity and residence by Indigenous geography: Canada, provinces and territories”. Statistics Canada. 2022. https://www150. statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810028101&pickMembers%5B0%5D=1.1&pickMembers%5B1%5D=2.1&pickMembers%5B2%5D=3.5&pickMembers%5B3%5D=4.1&pickMembers% 5B4%5D=5.1&pickMembers%5B5%5D=6.1