Canadian Dimension is Canada’s longest standing magazine of the Left. Published in Winnipeg four times a year, Dimension describes itself as a magazine “for people who want to change the world.” For more than 50 years, CD has provided a forum for lively and radical debate where red meets green, socialists take on social democrats, Indigenous voices are heard, activists report from every corner of the country, and the latest books and films are critically reviewed. Our dedicated and longstanding readership comprises activists, organizers, academics, economists, workers, trade unionists, feminists, environmentalists, Indigenous peoples, and members of the LGBT* community.
Canadian Dimension draws on a very 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 Pamela Palmater, Michal Rozworski, André Frappier, Bryan Palmer, Sam Gindin, Andrea Levy, Peter Kulchyski, Yves Engler, John-Henry Harter, Xavier Camus, Toula Drimonis, Joel Kovel, and Ian Angus.
Founded in 1963 by Cy Gonick, Canadian Dimension was published from the beginning in Winnipeg, home of the famous 1919 General Strike. In its earliest years, the magazine was produced in Gonick’s basement with the help of family and a core group of volunteers. It soon attracted some brilliant young writers to its pages and a very talented layout designer.
In 1975 a collective took over editorial responsibility. Although the composition of the collective has changed many times, and includes members from around the globe, a Winnipeg-based group still functions as the hub of the magazine. The dramatic change in the very definition and scope of Left politics since the inception of the magazine is reflected in the evolution of Dimension. Topics that were, in the past, often marginalized by mainstream Left politics – the environment, the family, the division of labour in the home, food, community development, coalition building, gender and racial inequalities – now comprise a large part of a typical issue of CD.
Dimension remains what it has always been – an independent forum for Left-wing political thought and discussion – including just about the entire range of what passes for the Left in Canada. A few years ago we adopted the banner “a magazine for people who want to change the world”. That’s still a good summary of who we are. In 2005 we decided to relaunch CD – redesign it through and through, carry more debate, opinion, personal stories and short reviews along with our usual feature articles. We made this decision to express confidence in ourselves and in the efforts of numerous others to revitalize the political life of our country. In the coming years we will continue to bring Canadians the best debate and discussion that can be found among progressive publications.
Cy Gonick | Publisher & Coordinating Editor |
Andrea Levy | Coordinating Editor |
Peter Wheeland | Proofreader & Copy Editor |
Harrison Samphir | Web Editor |
Derek Hogue | Web Developer |
Sam Swanson | Office Manager |
Sean Carleton | Calgary |
Andrea Levy | Montréal |
Richard Swift | Montréal |
Peter Wheeland | Montréal |
David Hugill | Ottawa |
Harrison Samphir | Ottawa |
Kim Wilson | Toronto |
Cy Gonick | Winnipeg |
Krishna Lalbiharie | Winnipeg |
Sam Swanson | Winnipeg |