Nora Loreto traces corporate takeover of Canadian politics in latest book [video]

The capture of Canada’s political system by business interests and the privatization of public assets over the previous decades is the topic of a new book by Nora Loreto. 

The journalist and author spoke about Corporate Control in an interview with the NB Media Co-op. The book, published by Durdurn Press, was released on Tuesday. 

It lays out how neoliberal economic theory became the dominant force under Brian Mulroney’s Conservative government, Jean Chrétien’s Liberals and beyond.

An ideological shift starting around 1978 explains the abysmal state of Canada’s institutions and public services. “And 40 years later, every single problem that we have goes back to that revolutionary shift,” she said. “And so I set out to talk about the things that have been rendered invisible, or have been obscured.” 

Placing so much of the public infrastructure into the hands of private interests — whose sole motivation is the growth of profits — has guaranteed that adequate public services are no longer a priority, according to Loreto. 

She documents the rise and fall of Crown corporations as central to the shaping of Canadian identity during the war years of the early 20th century.

The move into a neoliberal, individualist economic model undermined a sense of community and shared values instilled through state intervention into markets for everyday necessities.

Just as quickly as the Crown corporations were created to ensure stability in times of war, they were dismantled and sold off in the post-war period.

“And what is so interesting about the privatization of these public corporations is that they then enrich other people to become the new capitalists in Canada,” Loreto said. 

The book begins with, and consistently returns to, the theme of Indigenous dispossession and exploitation as integral to the creation and maintenance of Canada as a national project.

Loreto notes that First Nations are often on the losing side of these development promises.

“In fact, every single First Nation in this country has some proximity to Canada wanting them out of the way, to certain levels of exploitation of whatever traditional lands, traditional watersheds… or whatever is underneath the First Nation,” she said, a reference to mineral extraction. 

The evolution of government describing citizens as “clients” or “customers” when accessing public services; the shifting of non-profits into an industry reliant on grant funding; and the legacy of corporate colonialism — which continues to define Canada as a nation — all of these topics and more are discussed in Loreto’s excellent, highly detailed and easy-to-read narrative.

Equal parts history book, economics lecture, and rousing manifesto for the restoration of the social safety net, Loreto has written a book which should spark spirited discussions about how Canada has arrived in its current state, and what is needed to chart a positive path forward for all Canadians.

Corporate Control can be ordered directly from Dundurn Press, or through your local bookstore.

Ryan Hillier is a writer and settler living on the banks of the Petkootkweăk. NB Media Co-op staff reporter David Gordon Koch contributed video production and editing to this report.