James Laxer (b. December 22 1941) is a Canadian political economist, professor and author. In 1969, Laxer along with his father Robert Laxer and Mel Watkins founded the Waffle, a radical left wing group influenced by the New Left, the anti-Vietnam War movement and Canadian economic nationalism, that tried to win control of the New Democratic Party of Canada. In 1971, Laxer ran for the leadership of the federal NDP and shocked the convention by winning one-third of the vote against David Lewis. The Waffle was ultimately forced out of the NDP and briefly became an independent political party under the name Movement for an Independent Socialist Canada. Laxer and other Wafflers unsuccessfully ran for Parliament in 1974. This electoral failure led to the Waffle's dissolution and Laxer concentrated on his work as an academic at York University as well as broadcasting. In 1981, he was hired as director of research for the federal NDP but left in controvesy in 1983 when he published a report critiquing the party's economic policies as out of date.

Laxer remains prominent as an author, columnist and commentator.

His books include:

• False God: How the Globalization Myth Has Impoverished Canada ISBN 1895555094
• In Search of a New Left: Canadian Politics After the Neo-Conservative Assault ISBN 014024316X (1997)
• The Undeclared War: Class Conflict in the Age of Cyber-Capitalism ISBN 0670876607 (1998)
• Stalking the Elephant: My Discovery of America ISBN 0670886416 (2000)
• The Border: Canada, The US And Dispatches From The 49th Parallel ISBN 0385659822 (2004)
• Red Diaper Baby ISBN 1553650735 (2004)

External links

• James Laxer's Political Economy of Canada Website