Upcoming courses and events

May 28, 2026

Tranzac Club, Toronto

The LPSSE iss honoured to be co-presenting this book launch along with Another Story Bookshop, University of Manitoba Press, and Toronto Workers History Project as a part of the 2026 Mayworks Festival.



Join us for the launch of Confronting the Resurgent Right. Scholars and activists take Canada’s 2022 “Freedom Convoy” as a recent manifestation of deep-rooted extremism and provide intersectional commentary on the resurgence of the political right, demonstrating how its ideology permeates and shapes the structures of our society.

With evidence-based research, and careful analysis of the genesis and methods of the right, contributors to this volume model pathways of resistance and charge us with our most urgent collective tasks: finding ways to work together, building coalitions in civil society, and exposing and countering the regressive forces that spew hate.

The evening features a panel discussion about the book’s themes with the editor, Miriam Edelson, and contributors Peter Smith, Tim McCaskell, Judy Rebick and John Cartwright followed by Q&A.  

May 23, 2026

Friends House, Toronto

The Higher Education Working Group of the Socialist Project invites you to join us for a public panel on the state of Higher Education in Ontario, and how workers, students, and communities are organizing to fight back!

Ontario’s higher education sector is at a breaking point. From the systematic marketization of colleges and universities to the sustained attack on labour rights, the provincial government’s strategy is clear: treat education as a commodity rather than a social good.

Join us for a political discussion as we analyze the Ford government’s maneuvers—including the devastating shift from OSAP grants to loans, the manufactured “international student crisis,” and the broader austerity agenda threatening social equality.

We will explore strategies for a labour and community-led response, highlighting ongoing student and labour fightbacks and providing a direct opportunity for attendees to plug into the organizing work necessary to defend, expand, and decommodify our public institutions.

This event is open to all, especially people who work or study at a college or university. The discussion is a part of the ongoing Higher Education Workers’ campaign of the Socialist Project. If you work at a higher education institution, we’d love to get you involved in the campaign!

This event is being supported by the Leo Panitch School for Socialist Education as a part of its ongoing series of educational discussions on current labour and political struggles.

May 27, 2026

Eyesore Cinema, Toronto

The Leo Panitch School for Socialist Education is very pleased to present Finally Got The News (1970) as the next film in the FilmSocial series of socialist film screenings.

Finally Got The News is a documentary that shows the activities of the League of Revolutionary Black Workers inside and outside the auto factories of Detroit. Through interviews with the members of the movement, footage shot in the auto plants, and footage of leafleting and picketing actions, the film documents their efforts to build an independent black labor organization that will respond to worker’s problems, such as the assembly line speed-up and inadequate wages faced by both black and white workers in the industry.

The film was directed by members of Newsreel, a radical filmmaking collective formed in New York City in 1967. The filmmakers were drawn to Detroit after hearing about DRUM (Dodge Revolutionary Union Movement), a group of revolutionary workers in the main Dodge factory. DRUM had carried out successful strikes and inspired similar groups in other factories. DRUM eventually merged with other groups to form the League of Revolutionary Black Workers.

What makes Finally Got The News distinctive is that it makes explicit the message that it will be the working class that will make and lead the revolution. It was also one of the few films that was made under the direct control of working class black people with the purpose of radicalizing other black workers.

The film will be presented in English with English subtitles.

Leo Panitch School events are always presented free-of-charge. This is only made possible through contributions from our participants and supporters. We encourage those who are able to consider making a cash donation at the event or becoming a monthly donor via
leopanitchschool.ca/donate. 

Accessibility Information
Eyesore Cinema’s screening room is on the main floor of a storefront. While there is stair-free access, the floor is uneven and may not be suitable for mobility devices. Washrooms are located in the basement of the store and are not wheelchair accessible.
Please do not hesitate to contact us at info@leopanitchschool.ca with any questions or concerns regarding accessibility at this event.

June 20, 2026

502 Bathurst St. Toronto

The Leo Panitch School is thrilled to host renowned historian and author, Bryan Palmer, for a celebration of his three volume history of Canada, Capitalism, and Colonialism! 

This monumental work offers readers access to a clear-eyed understanding of Canada’s past, explaining how recently-acknowledged dark facts about our history are tied to the creation of a richly endowed, wealthy but very unequal first world country. 

When: Saturday June 20 – Doors open: 6:30pm
Where: College Street United Church, 502 Bathurst Street, Toronto ON
Cost: Free/Pay what you can

The evening will feature remarks from Bryan Palmer, as well as a panel of celebrated activists, organizers, and academics. 

Feel free to bring cash as discounted copies of the books as well as other reading material and merch will be available for purchase! 

Featuring…
Bryan D. Palmer is the author of Revolutionary Teamsters: The Minneapolis Truckers’ Strikes of 1934 (Chicago: Haymarket, 2014), co-author of Toronto’s Poor: A Rebellious History (Between The Lines, 2016), and a past editor of the journal, Labour/Le Travail. He is Professor Emeritus, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario.

The Leo Panitch School for Socialist Education emerged in 2023, at a moment when popular frustrations abound over inequality, the narrowing of democracy, the squandering of human potential, and the ever-clearer reality of impending environmental catastrophe. It’s in this context that we strive to provide radical, accessible, and practical educational programming for those seeking to better understand and address the crisis of our current times.

Poster image: Voyageurs at Dawn, by Frances Anne Hopkins, 1871 

Accessibility 
The venue for this event is wheelchair accessible and features multiple gender neutral washrooms. We ask that participants refrain from wearing perfume or other scented products. Please contact us with any accessibility concerns.

June 21, 2026

Toronto, ON

How and why did colonialism develop in the regions that became Canada? What role did capitalism play in the coming of colonialism? What effect did this have on indigenous peoples and in what was the role of anti-colonial struggle? 

What can the history of these and other resistance movements tell us about the possibility of a better future? How did class struggles that challenged capitalism develop? What was their relationship to indigenous opposition to colonialism?

In this introductory course, we will be engaging critically with these and many other aspects of colonialism and Canadian history. The history of colonialism and modern injustice against indigenous people is rightly a motivating issue for many. The structures and systems that led to such monumental injustices must be understood, especially by those who believe that a fundamentally better world is possible. So, too, is it crucial to understand the exploitation and oppression endured by working people as Canada became an advanced capitalist nation state. 

All are warmly invited to join us for this special 4-part series, led by renowned historian, author, and professor, Bryan Palmer. The course will be largely based on Palmer’s recent three volume series examining colonialism, capitalism, and the legacy of Canada’s past. For an overview of the series, please see this excellent interview with Palmer conducted by Adam King of the Maple. 

Each session will feature a lecture, followed by discussion and group exercises. No previous knowledge of the subject or formal education required! 

The Leo Panitch School was founded in 2023 and strives to provide radical, accessible, and practical socialist education. All programs are offered free or by donation in a non-academic setting. The school sees diverse participation from workers, activists, and community members from a variety of experiences and backgrounds.

When: Sunday afternoons at 2pm June 21, June 28, July 5, and July 12. 
Where: Downtown Toronto – Venue to be shared with registrants
Cost: Free – donations appreciated
How: Application required

 If you are interested in offerings outside of Toronto or done virtually, please get in touch with us. Feel free to reach us with any questions at info@leopanitchschool.ca. 

Bryan D. Palmer is the author of Revolutionary Teamsters: The Minneapolis Truckers’ Strikes of 1934 (Chicago: Haymarket, 2014), co-author of Toronto’s Poor: A Rebellious History (Between The Lines, 2016), and a past editor of the journal, Labour/Le Travail. He is Professor Emeritus, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario.

Image credit: Frances Anne Hopkins

Accessibility 
The venues for this course are wheelchair accessible via an elevator. We ask that participants refrain from wearing perfume or other scented products. Please contact us with any accessibility concerns.

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Course Outline:
Week 1 – Canada’s Origins 1500–1890
We will look at the period covered by the first volume of the series. How did colonialism develop in the regions that became Canada? In what ways did colonialism’s beginnings in the 1500-1800 years, as it sought capital and dominance over territories in a context of war pitting specific empires against one another, determine its relations with indigenous peoples?  What were the complexities of that relationship?

 What role did an advancing capitalism play in determining how resources were exploited and a more diverse economic development took place over the course of the 19th century. What impact did this have on the consolidation of the nation state in Confederation in 1867? How did such changes shift the ways in which indigenous peoples were regarded by powerful people and institutions? What was the relationship of class mobilizations that began to challenge capital in the 19^th century and anti-colonialist struggles. Why were the 1880s both a momentous and tragic decade?

Week 2 – The Making of Modern Canada 1890–1960
What were some of the common experiences of indigenous peoples in newly formed Canada? As the Canadian State solidified and the economy grew, what were the experiences of ordinary people?  Inequalities intensified as class differences solidified and Canada’s capitalist class became entrenched and extended its influence internationally.  

How did colonialism and capitalism structure and restructure Canada leading up to and after the two world wars? What role did indigenous struggles, francophone activism, change in the Canadian capitalist class, and the rise of the labour movement and escalating class struggle play in Canada’s development? How did Canada appear in the mid-century with respect to the hold capitalism and colonialism exercised over the country?

Week 3 – The Remaking of Modern Canada 1960–2025
What economic and political changes have led to the Canada we see today? What economic and social injustices were/are prevalent?  We will especially examine the role indigenous struggle over land, the labour movement, and feminist activism has played. What can these and other resistance movements tell us about the possibility of a better future? What was centrally important about the 1960s?

Week 4 – Challenges of Today and Openings for a Better Tomorrow
What does all of this mean for us today? What are some of the large questions posed for activists on the left as they address the history of Canada? How does the country’s development as a colonial and capitalist nation state make us think about interpretive frameworks such as “settler colonialism?” How does this history and its meanings inform socialists and those on the left about how they might struggle in ways that will effectively begin the protracted process of transforming society?