Canadian Dimension

The magazine was founded in 1963 by Cy Gonick, and a collective took over editorial responsibility in 1975. Its editorial collective is a group of over 30 writers and activists who reside in major cities across Canada, with Gonick acting as the coordinating editor and publisher.

CD provides a forum for debate on topics such as socialism vs social democracy and features activist reports from all over Canada, trade unionist reports, and reviews of books, films, websites, CDs, and videos.

Canadian Dimension draws on a wide spectrum of writers on the left. Some of the earliest contributors included Charles Taylor, George Grant, Gad Horowitz, C. B. Macpherson, Kari Levitt, John Warnock, James Laxer, Leo Panitch and Reg Whitaker. More recently, frequent contributors have included the likes of Bryan Palmer, Sam Gindin, Andrea Levy, Peter Kulchyski, Yves Engler, Joel Kovel, and Ian Angus.

Canadian Dimension has identified itself as a socialist publication throughout its history. In 1963, the publication did not cover issues related to feminism, environmentalism, human rights, gay and lesbian liberation, or the relationship between political beliefs and personal lifestyle choices; by the 1980s, Canadian Dimension had begun featuring articles on these topics with greater frequency.

An editorial written on the occasion of its 30th anniversary, "CD at 30" concluded that

Canadian Dimension's renewal is a reaffirmation of the philosophy that has guided us over the past 30 years. We cherish our pluralism because we think it is an integral part of the struggle to replace capitalism. We prize our independence because it gives us the freedom to maintain that pluralism, to question left orthodoxy, to challenge our allies and heap abuse on capitalist pigs everywhere. And we remain an alternative because those capitalist pigs hold sway almost everywhere, brutalizing the Earth and all of her creatures.

Over the past decade, the format of the magazine radically shifted, namely with dedicated sections of each issue focusing on different themes such as Cities, Indian Country, Arts and Politics, Food, Pensions in Peril, Queer, Remembering 1968, Immigration, the Criminal (Justice) System, precarious work, big media, Canada mines the South, the New Feminist Revolution, Our Winnipeg, Today's Student Activism, climate change, peak oil, and degrowth.

• Official website