Unpacking the News: Recent Episodes
Harbinger Media Network
Broadcasting from June 2017 to September 2020, Unpacking the News was a weekly left podcast featuring in-depth conversations on Canadian political and social issues with journalists, activists, comedians, writers and academics from coast to coast.
Hear Andre Goulet's 'The Harbinger Society Presents' at harbingermedianetwork.com
Dental care is excluded from Canada’s universal healthcare system with services provided based on the ability to pay, leading large segments of the population to neglect care resulting in poor oral health and all its consequences.
On a new Unpacking the News dentist and public healthcare activist Brandon Doucet joins host Andre Goulet for a conversation examining the little known history of dentistry in Canada, how private business interests have prevailed over public health, current trends in the industry like corporate ownership and cosmetic dentistry and more from his new Fernwood Publishing release ‘About Canada: Dental Care’.
The ‘About Canada’ series includes short, easy to read volumes on immigration, health care, disability rights, poverty, media among other topics. Find the series and more essential left Canadian books at www.fernwoodpublishing.ca.
Elizabeth Comack's work in the sociology of law and feminist criminology and as a member of the Manitoba Research Alliance, a consortium of academics and community partners engaged in research addressing poverty in Indigenous and inner-city communities, has informed 14 books she's written or edited including ‘Coming Back to Jail: Women, Trauma, and Criminalization’ and ‘Racialized Policing: Aboriginal People’s Encounters with Police’.
On a new Unpacking the News she joins host Andre Goulet to talk about her latest book from Fernwood ‘Realizing a Good Life: Men’s Pathways Out of Drugs and Crime’.
Find the book at your local library, independent bookstore and at https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/realizing-a-good-life
Find 'Property Wrongs: The 70 Year Fight for Public Housing in Winnipeg' at https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/property-wrongs
An amazing array of independent media convened at Christie Pits park this month as Replay’s Shama Rangwala, The Breach coordinating editor Emma Paling, analyst Chuka Ekjam, cartoonist Haus of Decline and Big Shiny Takes Institute senior fellows Marino Greco, Eric Wickham and Jeremy Appel sit down with host Andre Goulet to break down the candidates and issues, hopes and dreams and traumas and fears of Toronto's 2023 Mayoral byelection.
Plus stay tuned until the end of the episode for a very special 40th birthday best wishes segment recorded for Harbinger pal and friend of the show Rob Rousseau.
Former Saskatchewan NDP leadership candidate Kaitlyn Harvey and Edmonton city council candidate Navjot Kaur join journalist Haseena Manek and host Andre Goulet for a conversation exploring the exclusionary reflex of provincial NDP partiesin the 2nd in a series of episodes produced in collaboration with Briarpatch celebrating the magazine's 50th anniversary year.
Read Maneek's piece at
https://briarpatchmagazine.com/articles/view/who-is-the-ndp-for
Find the new Fernwood Publishing release 'Making a Home' at
https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/making-a-home
On May 5th through 7th the 2023 Mobilizing Data for Justice conference brought together activists, community leaders and critical researchers from around the world for skill building, community outreach and research collaboration at Concordia University's downtown campus in Montreal.
Invisible Institutions' Megan Linton and host Andre Goulet spoke with multiple presenters including conference lead organizer Dr. Chris Hurl, the Information Mobilization and Public Accountability Collective of Toronto's AJ Withers, Winnipeg scholar and activist Kevin Walby from the Centre for Access to Information and Justice, RenovictionsTO's Patricio Davilla and Montreal's Parc-ex Anti-Eviction Mapping Project about how activists and critical researchers are deploying techniques like mapping and countermapping to visualize social justice issues in new ways.
Find out more at
https://datajusticehub.ca/
https://renovictionsto.com/
https://antievictionmontreal.org/en/
https://www.uwinnipeg.ca/caij/
From May 8-12 don't miss UNPACKING THE NEWS broadcasting live from the 2023 Canadian Labour Congress with our friends at Quebec solidarity journalism cooperative Pivot!
Every day we're releasing interviews and reports from Canada's 30th tri-annual labour summit including this episode featuring a speech from Amazon Labour Union president Chris Smalls.
Subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and find more about the Congress at https://liftingeveryoneup.ca/
Theme music 'Judy is a Dick Slap' courtesy of the 2000 Belle and Sebastian EP 'Legal Man' on Jeepster Records: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-thsncxieBg
From May 8-12 don't miss UNPACKING THE NEWS broadcasting live from the 2023 Canadian Labour Congress with our friends at Quebec solidarity journalism cooperative Pivot!
Every day we're releasing interviews and reports from Canada's 30th tri-annual labour summit including this episode featuring a panel from the conference floor with Emmmy and Grammy nominated Korean-American comedian and LGBTQIA2s+ activist Margaret Cho.
Subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and find more about the Congress at https://liftingeveryoneup.ca/
Watch the 30 Rock clip 'Kim Jong-il the Waiter' at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K-SmlP4U5w
Theme music 'Judy is a Dick Slap' courtesy of the 2000 Belle and Sebastian EP 'Legal Man' on Jeepster Records: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-thsncxieBg
From May 8-12 don't miss UNPACKING THE NEWS' daily show broadcasting live from the 2023 Canadian Labour Congress with our friends at Quebec solidarity journalism cooperative Pivot!
Every day we're releasing interviews and reports from Canada's 30th tri-annual labour summit including this episode featuring a panel from the conference floor moderated by activist Mary Shortall with a panel including the Climate Institute’s Matt Waylan, the Broadbent Institute’s Meg Gingrich and le Directeur syndical - Service Environnement et Transition juste at the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec Patrick Rondeau
Subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and find more about the Congress at https://liftingeveryoneup.ca/
Watch the CBC video clip 'Alberta wildfires force thousands from their homes' at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_dfrA_HSD0
Theme music 'Judy is a Dick Slap' courtesy of the 2000 Belle and Sebastian EP 'Legal Man' on Jeepster Records: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-thsncxieBg
From May 8-12 don't miss UNPACKING THE NEWS' daily show broadcasting live from the 2023 Canadian Labour Congress with our friends at Quebec solidarity journalism cooperative Pivot!
Every day we're releasing interviews and reports from the floor of Canada's 30th tri-annual labour summit including this episode featuring a panel from the conference floor moderated by Broadbent Institute director Jen Hassum in conversation with economists Jim Stanford, Angella MacEwan and Yasmine Yalnizyan on 'Fighting for Fairness: Workers and the Affordability Crisis'.
Subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and find more about the Congress at https://liftingeveryoneup.ca/
From May 8-12 don't miss UNPACKING THE NEWS' daily show every morning live from the 2023 Canadian Labour Congress with our friends at Quebec solidarity journalism cooperative Pivot!
Each episode will feature interviews and reports from the floor of Canada's 30th tri-annual labour summit including this episode with prairie labour journalist Emily Leedham and host Andre Goulet exploring what to expect at convention this week, her new Press Progress piece about the PSAC-AFPC action 'Public Servants Forced Government to Improve Deal By Going on Strike' and more.
Subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and find more about the Congress at https://liftingeveryoneup.ca/
Order your copy of Building A Better World: An Introduction to the Labour Movement in Canada at https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/building-a-better-world-4th-edition
The fiercely independent, proudly polemical and reader-supported BRIARPATCH has been publishing award-winning, hard-hitting journalism and critical commentary out of Regina, Saskatchewan since 1973. In it's 50th anniversary year Unpacking the News is excited to partner with so-called Canada's oldest legacy Left media space for bi-monthly episodes featuring journalists talking about their original insight, analysis and grassroots reporting from the magazine's latest issue.
On this episode social service work educator Griffin Epstein and trauma-informed adult educator Kate Klein discuss disability justice as a lens for organizing collective safety in the labour movement and what the Left risks by erasing or “moving on” from COVID in their new piece 'THEY DON’T KNOW HOW TO FIGHT FOR THIS' in the May/June issue of Briarpatch, available now.
For more visit briarpatchmag.com
Support Unpacking the News on Patreon.
Find this episode's featured new release from Fernwood Publishing 'Country of Poxes' by Dr. Baijayanta Mukhopadhyay at fernwoodpublishing.ca
Trailblazing progressive podcast UNPACKING THE NEWS is back after a 30 month hiatus for an all-new Season 2! In this kick-off episode BERRYGROUNDS' Justin Brake joins host Andre Goulet to explore how his work as The Independent interim editor will be afflicting the comfortable in Newfoundland and Labrador society and politics, his background in unapologetic, confrontational journalism and how Pierre Poilievre’s attacks on the CBC distort the reality of public broadcasting in so-called Canada.
Watch for new episodes this spring and summer co-produced with Briarpatch contributors celebrating the magazine's 50th anniversary, Fernwood Publishing authors discussing new releases, conversations with data activists at the Mobilizing Data for Justice conference May 5-7 plus a week-long daily show at the 2023 Canadian Labour Congress covering events at the year's big union conference happening May 8-12 in collaboration with our friends at Quebec solidarity journalism cooperative Pivot.
If you like the work we do consider supporting the show on Patreon.
Find out more about Newfoundland and Labrador's #1 progressive news source at https://theindependent.ca/
We're back!
Returning after a two and a half year hiatus Unpacking the News is a weekly progressive podcast featuring in-depth interviews and panel conversations on Canadian society, culture and politics with journalists, academics and activists from coast to coast. Hosted by André Goulet in Montréal, this season will include episodes co-produced with:* Council of Canadians campaign organizers * Briarpatch contributors celebrating the magazine’s 50th anniversary * Fernwood Publishing authors discussing new book releases * a week-long daily live series recorded at the 2023 Canadian Labour Congress * a live episode recorded at Concordia University's Mobilizing Data for Justice conference * and much more over a 15 episode season
New episodes drop every Wednesday in late April, May and June and it's going to be so much fun! Tell a friend, support the show at https://www.patreon.com/unpackingthenews and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
Music on this preview 'We're Coming Back' is courtesy of Titus Andronicus, from their 2022 album 'An Anomaly. Find out more about "The Rock Fan's Rock Band" at http://titusandronicus.net/
Subscribe to Harbinger Society Presents wherever you get your podcasts!
(New episodes will no longer be posted on the Unpacking the News feed so see you there!)
A new reader-supported digital media outlet is making a major push to bring back progressive, hard-hitting news coverage to the Toronto region. On Harbinger Society Presents ep15 The Hoser co-editors-in-chief Shannon Carranco and Kevin Taghabon join host Andre Goulet to talk about the future of their incredibly exciting new project and explain why it's crucial to support independent alternative media in the GTA.
Plus: Progress Report host Duncan Kinney reveals why he's filed papers with Elections Alberta to run in the province’s October 2021 Senate Nominee Election and Harbinger Atlantic correspondent James Brown cancels Canada Day from rural Prince Edward Island on a new Solitary Thoughts.
This panel was recorded on June 28th, 2021.
On the inaugural Harbinger Society Presents live recording it's an evening of history and hard questions on Canadian exceptionalism as Nashwa Khan and Shaadie Ali of Habibti Please and Deathnography's Henry Lee join host Andre Goulet for a conversation on Vincent Bevins' excellent 2020 book 'The Jakarta Method', Ottawa's Victims of Communism Memorial, how to fight for justice for Palestine and more.
Plus: Atlantic correspondent James Brown makes a bold proposal for another kind of monument in our nation's capital.
Special thanks to Zaid Siddiqui for research on this episode.
Hear the Q&A by supporting the community with a small monthly contribution at
https://harbingermedianetwork.com/
Support Habibti Please and check out episode 30 featuring conversations with the Palestinian Youth Movement and the framers of the 2021 NDP convention resolution at https://habibtiplease.substack.com/p/episode-30-with-palestine-youth-movement
Hear Henry Lee's conversation with Bevins on a recent episode of Deathnography at https://deathnography.libsyn.com/what-is-possible-realistic-dreams-and-the-myth-of-scarcity-ft-vincent-bevins-and-maya-menezes and support the show at https://www.patreon.com/deathnography
Support Palestinian Youth organizing at https://palestinianyouthmovement.com/donate
Islamic Relief is helping to provide immediate medical assistance and vital aid to all those affected by the violence and most in need at
https://www.islamicreliefcanada.org/emergencies/palestine/
Eye on Palestine is providing media coverage that mainstream news never will at
https://www.instagram.com/eye.on.palestine/
Find our more about the Movement to Safeguard Palestinian Communities and how to become part of the movement for peace at
https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/icareaboutpeace/
This conversation was recorded on May 20th, 2021.
On HSP ep13 Press Progress investigative reporters Emily Leedham and Stephen Magusiak join host Andre Goulet for a Winnipeg/Calgary/Montreal power panel exploring the provincial purgatory of pandemic Alberta.
Plus: journalist and 'The Forgotten Corner' co-host Scott Schmidt describes Medicine Hat's recent super-spreader event, Harbinger Atlantic correspondent James Brown reports on bad bosses from rural PEI and the panel does a deep dive into Emily's expose on how the federal government's CEWS is helping to sustain and support scab labour.
You can read the report at https://pressprogress.ca/companies-providing-scab-labour-to-saskatchewan-refinery-wont-say-if-they-spent-emergency-wage-subsidies-on-scabs/
Follow Stephen and Emily's reporting at https://pressprogress.ca/
Find more of Scott's work at https://medicinehatnews.com/author/scottschmidt/ and https://www.forgottencornerpod.com/
Music on this episode 'Neon Drip' (Blue Dot Sessions) and 'Dwarf Planet' (Gurdonark) is courtesy of Creative Commons.
These conversations were recorded on May 7th and 10th, 2021.
On an ep13 preview of Harbinger Society Presents investigative reporters Emily Leedham and Stephen Magusiak join host Andre Goulet for a Winnipeg/Calgary/Montreal panel exploring Emily's Press Progress expose on how the federal government's CEWS is helping to sustain and support scab labour.
Read the report at https://pressprogress.ca/companies-providing-scab-labour-to-saskatchewan-refinery-wont-say-if-they-spent-emergency-wage-subsidies-on-scabs/
Hear the full episode and get early access to new shows and other exclusive content for just $3/month at https://harbingermedianetwork.com/
On episode 12 housing rights advocate David DesBaillet and social housing policy scholar Josh Hawley unpack the recent victory for tenants in Ottawa’s Sandy Hill neighbourhood, the disturbingly cozy relationship between Doug Ford’s Conservatives and Ontario’s Landlord and Tenant Board and how Josh's tweet about about Ottawa mayor Jim Watson made him a target of academic cancel culture.
Plus: Atlantic correspondent James Brown re-lives some truly creepy landlord trauma on a new installment of ‘Solitary Thoughts’.
Hear the full episode and get early access to other Harbinger exclusives by becoming a network supporter at https://harbingermedianetwork.com/
On a super stoked pre-convention panel housing activist and Etobicoke NDP organizer Bri Gardner and co-president of the Jeunes Néodémocrates du Québec Gabriel Masi join host Andre Goulet to discuss policy priorities, shifting the party to the left, Jagmeet's vibes and the mixed legacy of Thomas Mulcair.
Plus: Atlantic correspondent James Brown suffers Mulcair nostalgia and places a pensive personal ad, community and political organizer Jessa McLean explains why she's campaigning to bring the NDP back to its roots as a socialist alternative to the mainstream and we pull out a warm welcome for anti-capitalist sketch comedy podcast Work It as new Harbinger community members Janet Mowat and Sam Allemang pitch a variety of questionable new show ideas at the HMN corporate head office in episode opener 'The Big Deal'.
Music on this episode 'Neon Drip' (Blue Dot Sessions) and 'Dwarf Planet' (Gurdonark) is courtesy of Creative Commons. Opening track 'Not Epic Just Light' was composed by Henry Lee. Find Henry's narrative ethnography show ‘Deathnography’ wherever you get your podcasts.
Listen to a full 58 years of Singapore's National Parade Day music at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iYjKazEOmk&list=PLw6GjJYVtN0zxzjSKgxfujBmTNhuNOqnv
Hear Nikki Yanofsky's 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics banger at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7v0o27BPIIk
Find out more about next weekend's 4/9-4/11 NDP convention at https://www.ndp.ca/convention2021
This conversation was recorded on April 5th, 2021.
Want early access to new episodes and other benefits like VIP invites to special events, access to the Discord, merch mail-outs of stickers and pins and more...? Become a network supporter for just $3/month at harbingermedianetwork.com!
On an UNLOCKED endless election spectacular Drew Brown, Alicia Morry and Paris Marx in St. John's join host Andre Goulet to discuss Newfoundland and Labrador's unique political culture and reveal the most surprising billionaire of all. Plus: the panel reviews 2019 federal election campaign songs in the lead-up to what could be a nation-wide Spring 2021 vote.
And: comedian James Brown embraces controversy with a critical take on the character and values of Newfoundlanders and left video satirist PropaGanada performs a 'Ballad for Billionaires'.
Follow the infinite campaign with all of the excellent coverage at theindependent.ca including The Indy podcast and a recent piece from Alicia at https://theindependent.ca/2021/02/26/is-hindsight-20-20-breaking-down-the-2021-nl-election-saga/
Hear the globally popular 'Tech Won't Save Us' and find out more about Paris' work at https://techwontsave.us/
Watch 'Ballad for Billionaires' at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYgN7r293MU
See Progressive Conservative leader Ches Crosbie's weird and charming political advertisement at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xatOZTZjZ1Y
Check out the Lib/Con 2019 campaign songs at https://election.ctvnews.ca/rock-the-vote-who-has-the-best-campaign-theme-song-1.4597978
Re-live the passion of the Bloc's 'Le Quebec C'est Nous' at https://www2.blocquebecois.org/2019/09/le-bloc-presente-sa-chanson-de-campagne/
This conversation was recorded on March 18th, 2021.
Drew Brown and Alicia Morry of online periodical 'The Independent' and 'Tech Won't Save Us' host Paris Marx join Andre Goulet to explore Newfoundland and Labrador's unique political culture as they out iconic ex-premier Danny Williams as a real estate developer and reflect on the influence and power of the 'small business vote'. Plus: left video satirist PropaGanada performs a 'Ballad for Billionaires'.
Hear the full episode and get early access to new shows and other exclusive content for just $3/month at https://harbingermedianetwork.com/
Like the show? Subscribe to Harbinger Spotlight and never miss an episode plus get all the best highlights from the community, available wherever you get your podcasts: https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-harbinger-spotlight
On a new episode of Harbinger Society Presents the panel buries Federalism as writer Nora Loreto (Sandy and Nora Talk Politics), chemist Ada McVean and podcaster extraordinaire Aliya Pabani (We Are Not the Virus) join host Andre Goulet to discuss what the colliding crises in long-term care, homelessness and academia tell us about the limitations of government in an increasingly fake country after almost a year of pandemic trauma.
Plus: Atlantic correspondent James Brown gets something off of his 'chess' and Forgotten Corner hosts Jeremy Appel, Scott Schmidt and Dr. Roberta Lexier weigh in on the insane possibility of a spring federal election.
Music on this episode 'Algorithm' (Chad Crouch) and 'Neon Drip' (Blue Dot Sessions) is courtesy of Creative Commons. Opening track 'Not Epic Just Light' was composed by Henry Lee. Find Henry's narrative ethnography show ‘Deathnography’ wherever you get your podcasts.
Follow Nora, Ada, Aliya, James, Henry, Jeremy, Scott & Roberta on Twitter at @NoLore, @AdaMcVean, @aliyapabani, @atjamesbrown, @deathnography, @JeremyAppel1025, @rlexier & @shmitzysays
Find out more about Nora's research on LTCs at
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1M_RzojK0vwF9nAozI7aoyLpPU8EA1JEqO6rq0g1iebU/edit#gid=0 hear her podcast at https://sandyandnora.com/ and order her book at https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/take-back-the-fight
Hear Aliya's next-level narrative podcast work at https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/we-are-not-the-virus/id1530051155 and https://www.canadaland.com/shows/the-imposter/
Find out more about the Encampment Support Network at https://www.encampmentsupportnetwork.com/
This conversation was recorded on February 16th, 2021.
On a new episode of Harbinger Society Presents the panel buries Federalism as writer Nora Loreto (Sandy and Nora Talk Politics), chemist Ada McVean and podcaster extraordinaire Aliya Pabani (We Are Not the Virus) join host Andre Goulet to discuss what the colliding crises in long-term care, homelessness and academia tell us about the limitations of government in an increasingly fake country after almost a year of pandemic trauma.
Plus: Atlantic correspondent James Brown gets something off of his 'chess' and Forgotten Corner hosts Jeremy Appel, Scott Schmidt and Dr. Roberta Lexier weigh in on the insane possibility of a spring federal election.
Music on this episode 'Algorithm' (Chad Crouch) and 'Neon Drip' (Blue Dot Sessions) is courtesy of Creative Commons. Opening track 'Not Epic Just Light' was composed by Henry Lee. Find Henry's narrative ethnography show ‘Deathnography’ wherever you get your podcasts.
Follow Nora, Ada, Aliya, James, Henry, Jeremy, Scott & Roberta on Twitter at @NoLore, @AdaMcVean, @aliyapabani, @atjamesbrown, @deathnography, @JeremyAppel1025, @rlexier & @shmitzysays
Find out more about Nora's research on LTCs at
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1M_RzojK0vwF9nAozI7aoyLpPU8EA1JEqO6rq0g1iebU/edit#gid=0 hear her podcast at https://sandyandnora.com/ and order her book at https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/take-back-the-fight
Hear Aliya's next-level narrative podcast work at https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/we-are-not-the-virus/id1530051155 and https://www.canadaland.com/shows/the-imposter/
Find out more about the Encampment Support Network at https://www.encampmentsupportnetwork.com/
This conversation was recorded on February 16th, 2021.
On an unlocked new episode Work It's Sam Allemagne and Janet Mowat join host Andre Goulet for a Game Stop struggle session, then Lana Polansky, Hugh Stewart and Andrew Neville convene to lament Jon Kay's hair care regime, praise the rising tide of the Democratic Socialists of America of Canada's new political initiative and play an exciting round of ‘Hit or Miss’ with Sandra Coupland's new erotic thriller ‘Xi’s the One'.
Plus: Harbinger Atlantic correspondent James Brown weighs in with a controversial choice to replace Julie Payette as Governor General, a call for gamer representation at Rideau Hall and Hugh comes down hard against the enduring legacy of Stan Rogers.
Follow Andrew, Hugh, Lana, Janet, Sam and James on Twitter at @andrewneville, @hghstwrt, @mechapoetic, @supernanify, @scallemang and @atjamesbrown
Hear Andrew and Hugh's maritime Marxist legacy show 'Dog Island' and the left comedy of Sam and Janet's 'Work It' wherever you get your podcasts and check out Canada's new home for left satire and humour at widgetmag.com and @widgetmagLOL
Hear Hugh and Andrew's outstandingly conceptual Penhorn Summer albums at
https://soundcloud.com/penhornhalloween and at https://penhornsummer.bandcamp.com/album/ill-be-home-for-penhorn
Check out our pals Passage at https://readpassage.com/
And be sure to look for 'Xi's the One' at
https://www.amazon.ca/Xis-One-Sandra-Coupland-ebook/dp/B01N1XZ33L
Opening music on this episode courtesy of Henry Lee. Check out his radical left anthropological narrative show 'Deathnography' wherever you get your podcasts. The Blue Dot Sessions' 'Neon Drip' and Chad Crouch's 'Algorithms' is from Creative Commons.
This conversation was recorded on February 4th, 2021.
On a new episode Work It's Sam Allemagne and Janet Mowat join host Andre Goulet for a Game Stop struggle session, then Lana Polansky, Hugh Stewart and Andrew Neville convene to lament Jon Kay's hair care regime, praise the rising tide of the Democratic Socialists of America of Canada's new political initiative and play an exciting round of ‘Hit or Miss’ with Sandra Coupland's new erotic thriller ‘Xi’s the One'.
Plus: Harbinger Atlantic correspondent James Brown weighs in with a controversial choice to replace Julie Payette as Governor General, a call for gamer representation at Rideau Hall and Hugh comes down hard against the enduring legacy of Stan Rogers.
Hear the whole episode and get access to other Harbinger exclusives for just $3/month at https://harbingermedianetwork.com/
On an unlocked S2, E2 of the Harbinger Society Presents host Andre Goulet welcomes Roberta Lexier, Jeremy Appel, Scott Schmidt and Mo Cranker of The Forgotten Corner podcast as we celebrate FC's addition to the network with a wide-ranging and astutely analytical conversation on being wary of Jason Kenney's decline and why progressive Albertans need to push the provincial NDP to the left. Also: Danielle Smith's long history of cancellation and some casual cursing and coarse prairie humour!
And: Andre laments Keanu Bexte's banal border drama as he unpacks Rebel Media's incredible capacity for grifting rubes on a flight to Hawaii with Katelyn Miitri and Jody Tomchishen from the Imperial News podcast.
Plus: PEI/Montreal comedian James Brown on cat economics and making lifetime subscriptions to the media we trust.
This conversation comes courtesy of our pals at Passage. Find the best in online Left Canadian thought and opinion at https://readpassage.com/ and find out more about the Harbinger community of Left podcasts at https://harbingermedianetwork.com/
Follow this episode's guests on Twitter @JeremyAppel1025, @rlexier, @mocranker + @shmitzysays (all @ForgCornPod) + @SkepticalJody, @KatelynMitri (both at @imperialnewz) and @atjamesbrown
Music on this episode 'Algorithm' (Chad Crouch) and 'Neon Drip' (Blue Dot Sessions) is courtesy of Creative Commons.
These conversations were recorded the week of January 10th, 2021.
On a new Harbinger Society Presents host Andre Goulet welcomes Roberta Lexier, Jeremy Appel, Scott Schmidt and Mo Cranker of The Forgotten Corner podcast as we celebrate FC's addition to the network with a wide-ranging and astutely analytical conversation on being wary of Jason Kenney's decline and why progressive Albertans need to push the provincial NDP to the left. Also: Danielle Smith's long history of cancellation and some casual cursing and coarse prairie humour!
And: Andre laments Keanu Bexte's banal border drama as he unpacks Rebel Media's incredible capacity for grifting rubes on a flight to Hawaii with Katelyn Miitri and Jody Tomchishen from the Imperial News podcast.
Plus: PEI/Montreal comedian James Brown on cat economics and making lifetime
Get access to the full episode and other exclusive content for just three dollars a month find out more at https://harbingermedianetwork.com/
On an extra-length Season 2 launch Abdul Malik and Eytan Tobin introduce their new Harbinger-exclusive sports, history and politics podcast Offcourt and preview upcoming episodes including Cricket as Decolonial Praxis, How the ‘Miracle on Ice’ was a Cold War Turning Point and Why Amar’e Stoudemire Became a Zionist.
Plus: a PEI 2020 news round-up with comedian James Brown, a special presentation of the SOCIALYMPICS from the Toronto/Hamilton Left sketch comedy show Work It and an excerpt from a conversation with General Secretary of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions Tapan Sen on the November 26th mobilization of 250 million workers in an unprecedentedly massive General Strike, courtesy of Mostafa Heneway and Stephan Doucet at CKUT 90.3FM's Labour Radio. Harbinger Society Presents is hosted and produced by Andre Goulet in Montreal.
This conversation comes courtesy of our pals at Passage. Find the best in online Left Canadian thought and opinion at https://readpassage.com/ and find out more about the Harbinger community of Left podcasts at https://harbingermedianetwork.com/
Find out more about Canada's new home for Left comedy at https://widgetmag.com/ and hear more episodes of Work It at https://widgetmag.com/podcast/
Find more Labour Radio at https://ckut.ca/en/content/labour-radio
Hear Drum Circle Jerk at https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/drum-circle-jerk/id1465010612
Find our more about The Mind Refinery at https://www.themindrefinery.com/ and follow them on Twitter @TheMindRefinery
Follow this episode's guests on Twitter @supernanify, @scallemang, @socialistraptor, @RabbiDieHardMan and @atjamesbrown
Music on this episode 'Algorithm' (Chad Crouch) and 'Neon Drip' (Blue Dot Sessions) is courtesy of Creative Commons.
These conversations were recorded over late December 2020 and early January 2021.
On this preview of the extra-length Season 2 launch Abdul Malik and Eytan Tobin introduce their new Harbinger-exclusive Marxist sports, history and politics podcast Offcourt.
Plus: a special presentation of the SOCIALYMPICS from the Toronto/Hamilton Left sketch comedy show Work It and PEI/Montreal comedian James Brown asks: new year.....new you?
Harbinger Society Presents is hosted and produced by Andre Goulet in Montreal.
How is cricket decolonial praxis? Why did Amar'e Stoudemire become a Zionist? Was the miracle on ice a turning point in the cold war? Offcourt Podcast is a deep dive into the politics and history of sports that explains why, in an increasingly reactionary geopolitical climate, the world of athletic capitalism means much more than we think.
On Episode Zero hosts Abdul Malik and Eytan Tobin discuss the topics and guests for the upcoming season, launching exclusively for Harbinger Media supporters on 1/4/21.
Become a Harbinger supporter for as little as $3/month to get access to this and other exclusive content.
On this re-presentation of a December episode of the world's only anti-free speech podcast, National Post columnist John Ivison is mad at Churchill—Keewatinook Aski MP Niki Ashton and Nanaimo—Ladysmith MP Paul Manly for their support of a proposal to free Huawei heiress Meng Wanzhou, arrested by Canadian police in December, 2018 at the behest of the Trump administration.
In this conversation Harbinger Society host Andre Goulet joins Big Shiny Takes' Jeremy Appel, Marino Greco and Eric Wickham to hate-read the column, unpack Ivison's invocation of Lenin (or was it Stalin?) to declare the two MPs "useful idiots" and critique anti-China neo-McCarthyism in Canadian media.
Read Canadian Foreign Policy Institute Director Bianca Mugyenyi's response to Ivison's garbage take at Canadian Dimension: https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/new-group-of-progressive-mps-are-challenging-canadas-foreign-policy-myths
On the Season 1 finale of Harbinger Society Presents host Andre Goulet convenes an all-star panel with Iranian-Canadian Congress policy chair Saman Tabasinejad in Toronto, Saudi Arabia/Canada investigative journalist Anthony Fenton in Vancouver and Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East VP Michael Bueckert in Montreal to discuss the Trudeau government's foreign policy failure in the region.
Plus: comedian James Brown shares a bed with Erin O'Toole in rural Prince Edward Island and Big Shiny Takes hosts Marino Greco, Jeremy Appel and Eric Wickham bury the hatchet with Andre in the inaugural 2020 BST/HSP Slumber Party Summit.
This conversation comes courtesy of our pals at Passage. Find the best in online Left Canadian thought and opinion at https://readpassage.com/ and find out more about the Harbinger community of Left podcasts at https://harbingermedianetwork.com/
Get involved with Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East at
https://www.cjpme.org/
Find out more about the Iranian-Canadian Congress at
https://www.iccongress.ca/
Follow this episode's guests on Twitter @anthonyfenton, @samantabasin, @mbueckert, @JeremyAppel1025, @ES_Wickham, @marinogreco and @atjamesbrown
Music on this episode 'Algorithm' (Chad Crouch), 'Pretend' (Malyssa Belarossa) and 'Neon Drip' (Blue Dot Sessions) is courtesy of Creative Commons.
This conversation was recorded on December 5th and 7th, 2020.
Independent, award-winning politics and culture magazine Briarpatch remains a cutting edge media outlet after nearly 50 years of publication. On this episode, host Andre Goulet (Tio'tia:ke/Montreal) welcomes three of the journalists who help make Briarpatch happen as current editor Saima Desai and lead on the new radical left Sask Dispatch project Sara Birell join the show from Regina (Treaty 4) and Nickita Longman, guest editor for the recent Landback issue, calls in from Winnipeg (Treaty 1).
Plus: legacy editor Valerie Zink describes the origins, early days and evolution of the magazine and comedian James Brown laments the end of the Atlantic Bubble from his family's shed in rural Prince Edward Island.
This conversation comes courtesy of our pals at Passage. Find the best in online Left Canadian thought and opinion at readpassage.com. .
Find all Briarpatch content free of charge, including the landmark Landback issue, at https://briarpatchmagazine.com/ and subscribe for just $30/year at https://briarpatchmagazine.com/subscribe
See the report on SK voter participation at
https://www.elections.sk.ca/reports-data/sk-voter-participation-1982-2016/
Find Nickita, Sara and James on Twitter @auntykita, @birlios, @atjamesbrown and @briarpatch
Music on this episode 'Algorithm' (Chad Crouch), 'The Second Line' (Clinic) and 'Neon Drip' (Blue Dot Sessions) is courtesy of Creative Commons.
This conversation was recorded on November 20th and 22nd, 2020.
On the Season 1 finale host Andre Goulet convenes an all-star panel with Iranian-Canadian Congress policy chair Saman Tabasinejad in Toronto, Saudi Arabia/Canada political economy journalist Anthony Fenton in Vancouver and Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East vice-president Michael Bueckert in Montreal to discuss the historically frustrating failure of Canadian foreign policy in the region.
Plus: comedian James Brown shares a bed with Erin O'Toole in rural Prince Edward Island and Big Shiny Takes hosts Marino Grecko, Jeremy Appel and Eric Wickham bury the hatchet with Andre in the inaugural 2020 BST/HSP Slumber Party Summit.
Become a Harbinger supporter to hear this and other exclusive content for as little as $3/month. Find out more at https://harbingermedianetwork.com/
Presenting episode 3 of the inaugural season of The Harbinger Society Presents! Support the Harbinger Media Network starting at $3/month to hear new episodes when they're released. Find out more at https://harbingermedianetwork.com/
In this conversation Laura Kruse (Jacobin, Kino Lefter), Tyler Ogilvie (The Alberta Advantage) and comedian Mav Adecer brutally assess Jason Kenney and the United Conservative Party's 18 months in power and look back on a year from hell in Wildrose Country.
Plus: an introduction to the good work being done at Progress Alberta with Duncan Kinney and an analysis of Grimes' $90,000 FACTOR grant from comedian James Brown.
This conversation comes courtesy of our pals at Passage. Find the best in online Left Canadian thought and opinion at readpassage.com.
Get involved with Migrante Alberta at https://www.migrantealberta.ca/
To find out more about Mav's work check out
https://greenuofa.medium.com/the-climate-change-comedian-f6ab20297bd9
Find Duncan, James, Laura and Tyler on Twitter @duncankinney, @atjamesbrown, @_SaturnReturn and @georgefrowny and hear Duncan, Laura and Tyler's work on the Progress Report, Kino Lefter and Alberta Advantage podcasts, all on the Harbinger Media Network.
Find out more about Duncan's work at progressalberta.ca
Music on this episode 'Algorithm' (Chad Crouch), 'Oblivion' (The Pleasure Kills) and 'Neon Drip' (Blue Dot Sessions) is courtesy of Creative Commons.
This conversation was recorded on November 15th, 2020.
Independent, award-winning politics and culture magazine Briarpatch remains a cutting edge media outlet after nearly 50 years of publication. On this episode, host Andre Goulet (Tio'tia:ke/Montreal) welcomes three of the journalists who help make Briarpatch happen as current editor Saima Desai and lead on the new radical left Sask Dispatch project Sara Birell join the show from Regina (Treaty 4) and Nickita Longman, guest editor for the recent Landback issue, calls in from Winnipeg (Treaty 1).
Plus: legacy editor Valerie Zink describes the origins, early days and evolution of the magazine and comedian James Brown laments the end of the Atlantic Bubble from his family's shed in rural Prince Edward Island.
Become a Harbinger supporter to hear this and other exclusive content for as little as $3/month. Find out more at https://harbingermedianetwork.com/
On episode 3 of 'The Harbinger Society Presents', Laura Kruse (Jacobin, Kino Lefter), Tyler Ogilvie (The Alberta Advantage) and comedian Mav Adecer brutally assess Jason Kenney and the UCP's 18 months in power and look back on a year from hell in Wildrose Country.
Plus: an introduction to Progress Alberta's good work with Duncan Kinney and an analysis of Grimes' $90,000 FACTOR grant from comedian James Brown.
Become a Harbinger supporter and hear this full episode, plus other exclusive content, for as little as $3/month. Find out more at https://harbingermedianetwork.com/
To hear the full episode of 'America: The Series Finale' featuring Rob Rousseau, Nashwa Khan, Hilary Agro and host Andre Goulet support the show starting at $3/month at https://harbingermedianetwork.com/
Plus: an introduction to the third season of Ricochet Media's 'le Plancher des Vaches' season 3 focusing on the 2020 US Presidential election w/ hosts Julie Dufort and Ludvic Moquin-Beaudry and executive producer Gabrielle Brassard-Lecours and a devastating electoral lament from comedian James Brown.
This episode was recorded on November 4th, 2020.
Presenting a very spooky premiere episode of the inaugural season of 'The Harbinger Society Presents: The Left Podcast Conspiracy' from the Harbinger Media Network!
This terrifying Halloween conversation 'The Haunted Hustings: B.C.'s Decision 2020', featuring polisci pundits Stewart Prest and David Moscrop, B.C. Today's Shannon Waters and host Andre Goulet, comes courtesy of our pals at online Left thought and opinion journal Passage.....find it at readpassage.com. Get access to all exclusive content, including all upcoming episodes of this show, for as little as $3 a month at harbingermedianetwork.com.
Plus: an introduction to the Harbinger Media Network w/ Kino Lefter's Evan MacDonald and a critique of Saturday elections from comedian James Brown.
For more of Stewart Prest's BC election analysis go to https://vancouversun.com/news/politics/bc-election/bc-election-results-vancouver-false-creek
For more of Shannon Waters' work see https://muckrack.com/shannon-waters
To sign up for David Moscrop's online course at Passage go to https://readpassage.com/course/deepening-democracy/ and find his book 'Too Dumb for Democracy?' at https://gooselane.com/products/too-dumb-for-democracy
Music on this episode 'Neon Drip' (Blue Dot Sessions) + 'The Pleasure Kills' (Bare Wires) is courtesy of Creative Commons.
This conversation was recorded on October 25th, 2020.
In the SERIES FINALE, join host Andre Goulet and a cross-country conclave of comrades for the first day back to school at Podcast High!
Hear conversations with Chris (Left Behind), Gabrielle (les Ficelles/Ricochet), Tyler + Roberta (Alberta Advantage), Evan (Kino Lefter), Paris (Tech Won’t Save Us), Eric (Big Shiny Takes), Umair (Oats for Breakfast) and Rob Rousseau (49th Parahell) as they navigate the hallways and classrooms of a new school year and explain why a Universal Basic Income, a green transition for Alberta’s energy sector, a federal jobs guarantee program and more should all be on the federal agenda for a People’s Recovery in next week’s Speech From the Throne.
Plus: friend of the show Savanna Craig returns to expose Podcast High’s bureaucratic negligence and inadequate pandemic ventilation system and Andre looks back on 135 episodes of Unpacking the News and imagines an exciting future for Canada’s left podcast community.
Unpacking the News 2017-2020 RIP – thanks everyone! And watch this space in early October for what’s coming next…….
How will Canadians cope with rising unemployment, a housing crunch and paying rent? How should government handle the economic recovery, including proposed bailouts for big corporations? And what is the future of affordable housing in Canada?
On the last in a series of summer episodes exploring how the pandemic interacts with social issues in Canada, David DesBaillets returns with the fifth edition of ‘Housing Party’ to speak with poverty activist, Tiny Home Alliance Canada Executive Director and Brockville City Councillor Leigh Bursey.
Read about The People's Bailout at https://theleap.org/peoples-bailout/housing/
Find out more about the Tiny Homes movement at https://www.tinyhomealliance.ca/
Hear Justin Trudeau's 11/22/17 National Housing Strategy address at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0W-FLw55Cc
This conversation was recorded on August 10th, 2020.
Pivot Legal Society's Meenakshi Mannoe (Vancouver Prison Justice Day Committee) and Montreal academic and activist Ted Rutland (The Anti-Carceral Group) join host Andre Goulet to discuss decarceration, abolition and the past, present and future of Prison Justice organizing in an era of COVID-19.
Find out more about how you can support prisoners and Prison Justice activism at
http://prisonjustice.ca/ and https://www.noprisons.ca/
Get involved with The Anti-Carceral Group at
https://www.facebook.com/anticarceralgroup/
'COVID-19 Pandemic Plan Needed for Canada’s Jails and Prisons' audio
is courtesy of APTN news:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqjngGVN7Xk
This conversation was recorded on July 27th, 2020.
As the movement to defund police continues to gain momentum across North America, a coalition of more than twenty Montreal community groups are calling for a 50% cut to the police budget in one of Canada's safest and most over-policed cities. But where would these cuts happen? And how could funding be re-directed?
On this episode Black Lives Matter Montreal organizer Marlihan Lopez, Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal coordinator Jessica Quijano and Stella executive director Sandra Wesley join host Andre Goulet to discuss what defunding and demilitarizing the police would look like, how this process can lead to decolonization and decriminalization, and why re-directing funding and reinvesting in communities are a crucial part of reducing over-policing and police violence in our cities.
Get involved with BLM Montreal at
https://www.facebook.com/blmmontreal/
Learn more about Stella's advocacy work at
https://chezstella.org/en/home/
Support the Native Women's Shelter of Montreal at
http://www.nwsm.info/
'Over Policing in Montreal?' is courtesy of Tina Tenneriello at City News.
This conversation was recorded on July 13th, 2020.
On a special Canada Day crossover host Andre Goulet teams up with the sensational socialist film crit of Kino Lefter's Abdul, Laura and Evan! Join the gang for a hallucinogenic history tour as they unpack Matthew Rankin's surreal 2019 not-quite-biopic 'The 20th Century', featuring beloved bachelor and long-time Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King.
Thrill to analysis of the artificiality of the Canadian subconscious! Shudder as the deepest fears about our country are made manifest! Marvel at the greatest crime against national dignity ever attempted by a motion picture!
Support independent Canadian cinema by watching 'The 20th Century' at
https://www.cinemamoderne.com/en/films/details/the-twentieth-century/
Follow Kino Lefter wherever you get your podcasts and support the show at https://www.patreon.com/kinolefter
Support Unpacking the News at https://www.patreon.com/unpackingthenews
This conversation was recorded on July 28, 2020.
What kind of challenges come with organizing in the midst of a public health crisis? On a new episode of UtN's summer series 'The Intersect', Free Transit Edmonton's Juan Felipe Vargas Alba and Free Transit Ottawa's Julia Szwarc join host Andre Goulet to explore the rapid growth of the Free Transit movement and how it intersects with police violence, labour, class and race.
Audio on this episode features Herman Rosenfeld, author of ‘Toronto: Challenging the Impossible' on CityNews Toronto.
Find out more or get involved at https://freetransitedmonton.ca/ and https://freetransitottawa.ca/
This conversation was recorded on June 8th, 2020
Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/unpackingthenews
On the first in a series of episodes exploring how the pandemic interacts with social issues in Canada, David Desbaillets returns with a new edition of ‘Housing Party’ to talk with Marie-Hélène Landry of women’s shelter Chez Doris about economic, social and housing realities in the era of COVID-19.
Community organization Chez Doris has been providing shelter to vulnerable and homeless women in Montreal for more than 40 years. Find out more at: https://www.chezdoris.org/en/#
Audio on this episode features Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante and Julie Grenier of the CIUSSS Centre-Sud (Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux)
This conversation was recorded on May 19th, 2020
Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/unpackingthenews
On episode 127, investigative journalist Martin Lukacs (The Trudeau Formula: Seduction and Betrayal in an Age of Discontent) joins host Andre Goulet to discuss Justin’s new role as the nation’s camp-counsellor-in-chief, the lobbying leviathan and Liberal corporate cronyism, misplaced praise for an insufficient NDP response to the CERB bailout, new developments in the Wet'suwet'en fight for land title recognition and much more.
Read more about how the fax machine is a vital weapon in Montreal contract tracers' war against COVID-19 at:
https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/using-a-fax-machine-the-painstaking-work-of-contact-tracers/
See how the the impact of COVID-19 on Canadian media is playing out across the country at:
https://j-source.ca/article/we-mapped-all-the-media-impacts-of-covid-19-in-canada/
Support the show at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
This conversation was recorded on May 13th, 2020.
On episode 127 Kate Jacobson and Sean Willett of The Alberta Advantage join host Andre Goulet to discuss zero dollar oil, recognizing America as a failed state, fake country balkanization in an age of pandemic and more.
Plus: dismantling so-called "Canadian" values and a Marxist analysis of Dr. Panda's pseudo-fascism.
See the 'Canadian Values' poll at
http://angusreid.org/modern-morality/
Learn more about the coronavirus with Dr. Panda at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkUlCIFE45M&t=32s
Listen to The Alberta Advantage at
https://soundcloud.com/albertaadvantage
This conversation was recorded on April 24th, 2020.
On episode 125 Emily Leedham, James Wilt and host Andre Goulet talk COVID19 in Manitoba, call out the CERB for leaving undocumented workers behind and explore why the left’s response to the recent Winnipeg PD murders and to police killings everywhere should be to call for the abolition of the police.
Plus: releasing a major book on the future of public transit in the middle of a pandemic, Harvey's burgers as the ultimate form of quarantine self-care and: are cats the anti-Twitter?
You can buy 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Cars? Public Transit in the Age of Google, Uber and Elon Musk' directly from Behind the Lines Press at:
https://btlbooks.com/book/do-androids-dream-of-electric-cars
Subscribe to 'Rank and File: Prairie Edition' wherever you get your podcasts and read Emily's recent piece on the CERB and undocumented workers at
https://www.rankandfile.ca/undocumented-cerb-status/
Read James' argument for abolishing the police at https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/abolishing-the-police-is-the-only-reasonable-response-to-winnipeg-police-killings
This conversation was recorded on April 19th, 2020.
Sequestered in the nation's capital, political commentator and academic David Moscrop (The Washington Post, Maclean's) joins host Andre Goulet to discuss the nationalization of the economy and the paradigm shifting CERB, the strength of Canadian political institutions in the face of an unprecedented crisis and what the Trudeau government can learn from the radical transparency and virus realpolitik of the South Korean government.
Plus: the Department of Global Affairs says that Saudi Arabia’s human rights record of unlawful killings, forced disappearances and torture is “problematic". So why has the ban on arms sales to Mohammed bin Salman’s thug regime been lifted? We explore why canceling the Saudi arms deal is Canada’s only ethical way forward.
This episode was recorded on April 12th, 2020.
Read David's latest at the Washington Post here:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/04/10/weapons-sales-saudi-arabia-reveal-that-canada-is-willing-trade-jobs-its-principles/
Multi-diagnosed comedian pals Charlie Demers & David Harris open up weekly (and weakly!) about mental illness and mental wellness with a range of guests from the Vancouver arts community and beyond.
On episode 4, two already-anxious boys try to keep their bearings when the world is going crazy! It's once more from the bunkers with this intimate yet socially-distant dialogue recorded from two solitudes on opposite sides of East Van.
This conversation was recorded on March 27th, 2020.
On episode 123 journalist Drew Brown (The Independent, VICE) joins host Andre Goulet to lament the loss of Newfoundland shed culture, analyze the gigantic hole in Trudeau’s Canada Emergency Response Benefit plan and explore why the global pandemic may be an extinction event for journalism.
This episode was recorded on April 5th, 2020.
Check out Tom Baird's COVID-19 math at
https://theindependent.ca/2020/03/31/crunching-the-numbers-on-covid-19/
Read the Canadian Center for Policy Alternative's breakdown of CERB aid at
http://behindthenumbers.ca/2020/03/18/what-to-make-of-the-federal-covid-19-aid-package/
Find out more about why the crisis may be an extinction event for journalism at
https://www.icfj.org/news/key-quotes-frontline-lessons-international-news-outlets-reporting-pandemic-maria-ressa-ritu
On episode 122 it's picnics, panics and positive energy as Vancouver comics Charlie Demers and David Harris join host Andre Goulet to talk rent freeze, economic collapse and what the coronavirus crisis looks like from a Pacific Rim perspective.
Hear multi-diagnosed comedian buds Charlie & David open up weekly (and weakly!) about mental illness and mental wellness with a range of guests on 'Fight or Flight Crew', available wherever you get your podcasts: https://www.spreaker.com/show/fight-or-flight-crew
This conversation was recorded on March 28th, 2020.
On episode 121 pundit and podcaster Rob Rousseau (49th Parahell, The Insurgents) and friend of the show Marla Williams join host Andre Goulet to discuss the escalation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec, to flag the threat of increased surveillance and government overreach during the crisis and to provide some solace, support and solidarity in the midst of troubled times.
Plus: why it's more important than ever to lean into civic and democratic responsibilities and why hope and humour can be effective means for coping with the chaos.
Audio of Mayor Valerie Plante courtesy of the Montreal Gazette (video + edits: Pierre Obendrauf and Mahsa Radavi)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igoLPI8aJDo
These conversations were recorded on March 24th, 2020.
On a new season of le Plancher des Vaches, join academic Ludvic Moquin-Beaudry and independent journalist Martin Forgues for a french language, bi-weekly conversation exploring political and social movements around the world from a left perspective.
This week the show welcomes Alessandra Devulsky (The Montreal Institute of International Studies) for a in-depth discussion on the influence and power of far-right Christianity in South America.
Subscribe to le Plancher des Vaches wherever you get your podcasts!
On episode 120 of Unpacking the News, host Andre Goulet welcomes comedian John Hanchar back to the show after a year abroad in China to try to make sense of a frightening and confusing week as Canada enters a new era of global health crisis.
Audio on this episode includes an excerpt from Stanley Kubrick's 'Dr. Strangelove' and this Tuesday's Justin Trudeau press conference.
This conversation was recorded on March 17th, 2020.
On episode 119, it's a trip down the memory hole to those heady, halcyon days of late February when occupations and blockades were sweeping the country. Join activist Ethan Dennett and host Andre Goulet for a conversation on the solidarity and celebration of the BC Legislature occupation.
Plus: hear Ethan and Andre explore why Canadian liberals and the Edmonton Eskimos both suck ass.
This conversation was recorded on March 9th, 2020.
Audio on this episode is courtesy of CBC Vancouver
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIZ6h9gjGb8
Support the show at https://patreon.com/unpackingthenews
On episode 118 of Unpacking the News ex-journalist and Comms Director at the BC-based public interest group Dogwood Kai Nagata joins host Andre Goulet to discuss the political fallout from the blockades and occupations, a federal government confused by its own hypocrisy and the RCMP’s historical pattern of violence against Indigenous communities.
This conversation was recorded on March 11th, 2020.
Follow us on Twitter at @kainagata @andremarrgoulet and @unpackingthene2
Audio courtesy of CBC's The National
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwf20Yie3tU
For more info on recent Dogwood campaigns go to https://dogwoodbc.ca/
Support this show at https://www.patreon.com/unpackingthenews
On episode 117 guests Gabrielle Brassard-Lecours and Ludvic Moquin-Beaudry help host Andre Goulet navigate life in the quiet dystopia of la Belle Province as the panel discuss the new values test for Quebec immigrants, Premier Francois Legault's weird allegations aimed at the Kahnawake blockade and the latest on the state-sanctioned second class citizenship of Law 21.
Hear Gabrielle, Ludvic and independent journalist Martin Forgues on a new season of Ricochet's flagship french-language show le Plancher des Vaches wherever you get your podcasts.
Audio on this episode courtesy of CBC's The National (10/30/19)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBV81I8AnxE&t=29s
This conversation was recorded on March 1st, 2020.
On this exclusive preview join journalists Ludvic Moquin-Beaudry, Martin Forgues and Gabrielle Brassard-Lecours for the 2nd season launch of Ricochet's flagship french-language podcast le Plancher des Vaches!
This season the panel shifts their perspective outside of Quebec and Canada to explore a different geopolitical theme on each bi-weekly episode. This week the lens falls on Europe, with a focus on the rise of the far-right in Italy, Germany and France.
Subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts, and tune in for a round-table discussion with the panel on next week's episode of Unpacking the News!
This conversation was recorded on February 16th, 2020.
As the climate justice movement grows and the demand for immediate action intensifies, how can we move beyond broad demands and begin implementing the ambitious changes necessary to stop climate change and improve Canadian society?
On a special presentation of last week's 'Transform Your Workplace, Save the Planet' conference, a posse of prestigious panelists including representatives from the CUPW, Green Jobs Oshawa, Iron and Earth and the IWW Environmental Committee join moderator Barry Eidlin (Jacobin, Labour Notes) to explore a set of ambitious proposals for transforming the Canadian economy towards ecological sustainability and economic democracy.
For more on the CUPW's bold proposals see http://www.deliveringcommunitypower.ca/
Learn more about Green Jobs Oshawa at http://www.greenjobsoshawa.ca/
Find our more about Alberta-based Iron and Earth at http://www.ironandearth.org/
**This panel was made possible thanks to Sustainability Action Fund Concordia, Concordia Student Union Special Projects Fund, Scpasa - Aééapc Concordia, ASFA Concordia Special Project Fund, and Qpirg Concordia | GRIP Concordia.
**'Transform Your Workplace, Save the Planet' was recorded on February 11th, 2020 at St. Jax's Community Center in downtown Montreal
On a media double feature episode of Unpacking the News, host Andre Goulet welcomes Geoff Sharpe, co-founder of online advocacy org North99, to explore the rise of left/socialist media in Canada and the United States and why professionalizing indie media in this country is more important than ever. Plus: why Arnold Viesen can't rap, how John Baird's Conservative leadership run is bound for failure and a celebration of the one year anniversary of the SNC-Lavelin scandal.
Then, Chris Markevich joins the show to discuss his epic, ambitious new podcast 'Left Behind: Socialism in the Age of Right Wing Populism' and what listeners should expect to hear from the left/socialist Canadian podcasting community in 2020.
Patrons can hear more from Chris and Geoff later this month, including a look behind the curtain at what it was like working for the federal NDP in Ottawa in the heady days of Official Opposition and what the Bernie Sanders political moment means for the Canadian left, by supporting the show at the $5/month tier at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
Read and subscribe to the new left Canadian online journal 'Passage' at readpassage.com and find out about new advocacy campaigns at north99.org
Conversations recorded on 2/2 (Markevich) and 2/10 (Sharpe), 2020.
On a Labour double feature episode of Unpacking the News, host Andre Goulet welcomes Winnipeg-based organizer and broadcaster Emily Leedham (Rank & File: Prairie Edition) to discuss her experience on the frontlines of the Unifor Local 594 blockade at Regina's Co-op oil refinery.
Then, Montreal journalist Jon Milton discusses Concordia University's February 11th 'Transform Your Workplace, Save the Planet' conference and the broader mission of building bridges between organized labour and the Climate Justice movement.
For access to bonus interview content with Emily and Jon, become a $5/month patron of the show at https://www.patreon.com/unpackingthenews
Read Emily's piece at https://www.rankandfile.ca/dance-parties-personal-growth-and-police-three-days-with-locked-out-regina-oil-workers/
Hear Emily's audio documentary at https://soundcloud.com/rfradio-prairie/unifor-594-fights-the-co-ops-union-busting-on-location-at-the-co-op-refinery-lockout
and subscribe to Rank & File: Prairie Edition wherever you get your podcasts.
Conversations recorded on January 26th (Jon) and February 4th (Emily) 2020.
On a new episode of Housing Party, Faiz Abhuani of Brick by Brick joins host David DesBaillets to explore his organization’s work in financially sustainable, market-based community housing initiatives, green and racialized gentrification, the hidden conflict of Montreal's city government vs. the civil service and much more.
Join DesBaillets every two months for a new conversation on housing in Canada with experts, policy wonks and scholars examining the challenges cities face in providing affordable, adequate and accessible housing for Canadians.
Read about Brick by Brick at http://www.briqueparbrique.com/en/brickbybrick/
Audio on this episode is from ‘Return to Park Ex: Step into Montreal's immigrant community hub | CBC Docs POV’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q6cT1eg3_g
Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/unpackingthenews
On a 'short and tweet' mini episode of Unpacking the News, host Andre Goulet serves up a selection of decadent hot takes exploring all sides of this week's dumb donut discourse.
Plus: live video from the Wet’suwet’en pipeline standoff in northern B.C. and information on how you can help support journalist Jerome Turner's important work inside the Unist’ot’en camp.
For the full video go to
https://ricochet.media/en/2884/that-basically-is-genocide-in-itself-video-coverage-of-the-pipeline-standoff-on-wetsuweten-territory
Hear the Oh Donuts story at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh3GFFVpCWo
Support this show at https://www.patreon.com/unpackingthenews
This episode was recorded on January 22nd, 2020.
On the first episode of 2020, host Andre Goulet greets a new decade with SFU/UBC polisci academic and politics pundit Stewart Prest to investigate the Liberal government's frustrating foreign policy record, including an update on Huawei scion Meng Wanzhou's extradition case and Canada/China relations and exploring why ex-foreign minister Chrystia Freeland's support for the South American far-right has been a moral failure.
Plus: a look at where party politics stand in early 2020 and what to expect for the year ahead.
This conversation was recorded on Monday, January 13th.
Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/unpackingthenews
Introducing 'Epilogue', a bi-weekly podcast from Montreal's Jewish Public Library. Plus Malcolm X in post-colonial 1960s Algeria, a new Tramway in Quebec City and a New Year's reflection from host Andre Goulet.
On this inaugural episode of Epilogue, hosts Rabbi Avi Finegold and archivist Jessica Zimmerman explore a frayed copy of bilingual periodical 'The Organizer' from 1920's labour organization the International Ladies Garment Makers Union and discuss the influential Canadian organizer, social activist, pacifist, and feminist Léa Roback.
For more from the JPL archives go to http://www.jewishpubliclibrary.org/en/archives/
Support Unpacking the News at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
In a year-end retrospective, host Andre Goulet and associate producer Savanna Craig explore the very weird memory palace of the year 2019 with selected audio curated from a few of this year's 39 episodes including:
- ep79 'Falling in Love With Andrew Scheer' (2/14)
- ep86 'Welcome to Hellberta' (4/23)
- ep93 'Early Summer Fall Election Preview' (6/19)
- ep98 'Why the Globe and Mail is Wrong About Genocide' (8/24)
- ep102 'Systemic Racism, Canada and Justin Trudeau' (10/2)
.....and more! Unpacking the news will be back in early 2020. Happy New Year!
Accidental babysitting for John Lennon and Yoko Ono, nostalgia and geography on Montreal’s Plateau Mont-Royal and why Stephen Harper is a terrible dinner guest. Plus: how the origins of the ‘Canada is Fake’ movement may lie in the 1995 Referendum.
All this and more with political commentator, talk radio legend and author of the new memoir 'Make-up Tips From Auschwitz: How Vanity Saved My Mother's Life' Tommy Schnurmacher on a very special holiday episode of Unpacking the News.
Find Tommy's book on Amazon, at talkradiotommy.com and at better bookstores everywhere.
Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/unpackingthenews
Music on this episode includes
- 'A Merry Christmas from 1928/1929'
- 'Joyeaux Noel', Ginette Reno
- 'Le Sentier de Neige', Les Classels
- 'Il Est Ne Le Divin Enfant', Mitsou
- 'Ca Bergers Assemblons Nous', The Stairwell Carollers
- 'Noel de Joie', Ginette Menard
This conversation was recorded on December 10th and 16th, 2019.
Political commentator and talk radio legend Tommy Scbnurmacher is the author of ‘Canada’s Not a Real Country’ and a new memoir ‘Make-up Tips From Auschwitz: How Vanity Saved My Mother’s Life'. On a preview conversation of episode 110, Schnurmacher and host Andre Goulet go deep on a frequently forgotten fixture in an earlier era of Canadian politics to answer the question…...who was Fred Rose?
This conversation was recorded on December 10th, 2019.
Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/unpackingthenews
Hear audio from Historica Canada's 'The Canadians: Fred Rose' and Lulu Belle and Scotty's 1952 song 'I'm No Communist' on Youtube.
On ep109 journalist Anna Bianca Roach sits down with University of Toronto research and policy analyst Abtin Parnia to explore how the extreme Right's anti-immigration ideology and population control rhetoric co-opts Green politics and the struggle for a sustainable and ecological future.
This conversation was recorded on December 2nd, 2019.
Articles cited on this episode include:
Betsy Hartmann, “Population Control I: Birth of an Ideology,” and “PopulationControl II:The Population Establishment Today,” International Journal of Health Services,1997, 27(3): 523-557
Nicholas Kulish and Mike McIntire, “Why an Heiress Spent Her Fortune Trying to Keep Immigrants Out”. NY Times (August 14, 2019). https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/14/us/anti-immigration-cordelia-scaife-may.html?action=click&module=Intentional&pgtype=Article
Natasha Lennard. “The El Paso Shooter Embraced Eco-Fascism. We Can’t Let the Far Right Co-Opt the Environmental Struggle”. The intercept (August 5, 2019). https://theintercept.com/2019/08/05/el-paso-shooting-eco-fascism-migration/
Courtney Parker. “An act of genocide: canada’s coerced sterilization of first nations women”. Intercontinental cry (November 15, 2019) https://intercontinentalcry.org/canadas-coerced-sterilization-of-first-nations-women/
Sarah Manavis. “Eco-fascism: The ideology marrying environmentalism and white supremacy thriving online”. New Stateman (September 21, 2018) https://www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/social-media/2018/09/eco-fascism-ideology-marrying-environmentalism-and-white-supremacy
Normandin, Sebastian, and Sean A. Valles. "How a network of conservationists and population control activists created the contemporary US anti-immigration movement." Endeavour 39.2 (2015): 95-105.
For more of Anna's investigative reporting go to annabiancaroach.com
Check out Patrick Farnsworth's excellent 'Last Born in the Wilderness' podcast at https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com
Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/unpackingthenews
Presenting the first of three special French-language episodes of Spacing Magazine's Future Fix, this is 'Face au Futur' hosted by Katia Gaid and produced by Andre Goulet.
How do post-secondary institutions, and specifically their campuses, fit into the smart city landscape? The Université of Montréal's new Campus MIL gives us an idea. Geneviève O'Meara, Université of Montréal spokesperson talks to us about how Campus MIL inclusively and responsibly re-purposed old industrial lands with temporary urban interventions, tech installations, bike lanes, safe walkways, and other features that even landed them a LEED certification. But Sasha Dyck, a resident of Parc-Extention, is wary of MIL Campus located some 500 metres from where he lives. This may be a story of innovation and technological progress for some, but Sasha tells us about the impact all of this can have on one of Canada's poorest neighbourhoods. As innovative, tech-enabled spaces make their way into our cities we have to ask ourselves: Who is being left behind?
Find new episodes of Face au Future, Future Fix and Spacing Radio at https://soundcloud.com/spacingradio and at spacing.ca and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
On ep108 Progress Alberta executive director and 'The Progress Report' host Duncan Kinney joins Andre Goulet to explain how Jason Kenney's 2019 budget is an opening salvo in the United Conservative Party's war against Alberta civil society. Plus: in spite of massive media hype and hysteria, does support for Wexit actually hold up? (Short answer: nope)
For more from PA go to https://www.progressalberta.ca/ and subscribe to The Progress Report wherever you get your podcasts.
Support this show at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
This conversation was recorded on November 11th, 2019.
On an episode 108 preview, Progress Alberta executive director and host of 'The Progress Report' podcast Duncan Kinney joins the show to ask why Canada's foreign policy establishment is supporting Bolivia's military-led coup against a popularly elected socialist leader.
Tune in next week as Duncan and host Andre Goulet unpack Wexit and explore the cruelty of Jason Kenney's 2019 Alberta budget.
This conversation was recorded on November 11th, 2019.
Support the show at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
On a new episode of 'Housing Party' housing and human rights scholar David DesBaillets speaks with Projet Montréal city councilor Craig Sauvé on how the city's progressive civic government is making gains for housing access and affordability in its ambitious 20/20/20 agenda.
Join DesBaillets every two months for a new conversation on housing in Canada with experts, policy wonks and scholars examining the challenges cities face in providing affordable, adequate and accessible housing for Canadians.
For more on Projet Montréal's 20/20/20 agenda go to http://www.projetmontreal.org/logements_familiaux_projets_immobiliers
Support the show at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
On ep106 of Unpacking the News, a cavalcade of comrades and commentators from across the country join host Andre Goulet to explain why, in the aftermath of the demented fever dream of Canada's 43rd federal election, everyone's a loser.
This episode includes conversations with activist Hugh Stewart (Dog Island) in Halifax, political science scholar Maike Sondarjee (Le Placher des Vaches) in Quebec City, academic Christo Aivalis (Youtube's 'Left Politics, History and Culture') in Kingston, organizer Kate Jacobson (The Alberta Advantage) in Medicine Hat and Ricochet editor Derrick O'Keefe.
This conversation was recorded on October 22nd, 2019.
Support the show at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
Depraved debates, a Singh surge and a frustratingly full frontal attack on democratic norms from Maxime Bernier and Rebel Media.... On episode 105, political analyst Ludvic Moquin-Beaudry and attorney Laurence Ricard join host Andre Goulet to explore week 5 of Canada's 43rd Federal Election.
Plus: correspondent Savanna Craig and activist Sania Malik discuss Quebec's Law 21 and it's impact on the campaign and socialist, housing activist and NDP candidate Christine Paré explains how she's taking the fight to Justin Trudeau in his own riding of Papineau in Montreal.
Provide critical financial support for the future of the show at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
Tune in weekly for more round-table discussions en francais on 'Le Plancher des Vaches' at the end of every episode of Unpacking the News through to the end of October.
This conversation was recorded on October 13th, 2019.
Singh’s strength in the face of adversity impresses, the BQ tweets the quiet part out loud and American Andrew Scheer is....not actually an accountant? On episode 104 of the podcast journalist Martin Forgues, political analyst Ludvic Moquin-Beaudry and sociologist Julia Posca join host Andre Goulet to explore week 4 of our grim and grotesque 2019 Federal Election psychodrama.
Plus: correspondent Anna Bianca Roach speaks with Rank and File's Dave Bush to talk about Ontario’s Fight for $15 and Fairness campaign, what voters who care about labour rights should be looking for when they cast their ballot and how labour issues are, or aren’t, impacting the 43rd general election.
Provide critical financial support for the future of the show at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
Tune in weekly for more round-table discussions on 'Le Plancher des Vaches' at the end of every episode of Unpacking the News through to the end of October.
This conversation was recorded on October 6th, 2019.
If televangelist and PPC candidate Laura Lynn Tyler Thompson's claims that Maxime Bernier is the second coming of the biblical king Jehu are accurate, what can we expect from next week's Leadership debates?
To explore this hot topic issue and more, journalist Martin Forgues, political analyst Ludvic Moquin-Beaudry, politics scholar Maika Sondarjee and host Andre Goulet sit down to discuss a wild and wonderful week for Elizabeth May's 'untraditional' Green Party of Canada, the polling fallout from Trudeau's racism scandal and why the Bloc Québécois' appeal to boomers is yo, a totally rad strategy.
Plus: correspondent Savanna Craig speaks with Montreal activist Sam Kaizer about party policy and the LGBTQ+ community in this election.
Provide critical financial support for the future of the show at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
Tune in weekly for more round-table discussions with Forgues, Sondajer and Moquin-Beaudry on the show and hear 'Le Plancher des Vaches' at the end of every episode of Unpacking the News through to the end of October.
This conversation was recorded on September 29th, 2019.
After a week of secrets revealed and hypocrisies exposed journalist Martin Forgues, political analyst Ludvic Moquin-Beaudry, politics scholar Maika Sondarjee and host Andre Goulet discuss the slow-motion implosion of the Liberal campaign, how Canadian media is dramatically unequipped to handle the discourse Trudeau's 'blackface' history demands and why this country's unwillingness to grapple with systemic racism has become the underlying theme of the 2019 Federal Election.
Plus: correspondent Anna Roach speaks with labour organizer Thomas McKechnie on the movement to unionize Foodora in Toronto.
Provide critical financial support for the future of the show at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
Tune in weekly for more round-table discussions with Forgues, Sondajer and Moquin-Beaudry on the show and hear 'Le Plancher des Vaches' at the end of every episode of Unpacking the News through to the end of October.
This conversation was recorded on September 22nd, 2019.
'Le plancher des vaches' is an election podcast that aims to explore the dead angles of traditional media coverage of electoral campaigns with vivid analysis from journalist Martin Forgues, political analyst Ludvic Moquin-Beaudry and politics scholar Maïka Sondarjee.
New episodes are recorded every Sunday at Ricochet's offices at la Halte 24-7 in Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood. Production by André Goulet, Katia Gaïd et Gabrielle Brassard-Lecours.
Check this space as Martin, Ludvic and Maïka continue the conversation in English with André Goulet on Unpacking the News every week.
Feel the excitement of a 2019 Federal Election well-underway as journalist Martin Forgues, political analyst Ludvic Moquin-Beaudry and politics scholar Maika Sondarjee (co-hosts of Ricochet’s new election podcast ‘Le Plancher des Vaches’) join Andre Goulet to consider the week in review. Hear the panel lament ill-fated tarmac omens, analyze the kind of shout-y Maclean’s debate and agonize over Andrew Scheer’s terrible new campaign song.
Plus: a brutal first week for the Greens, Bill 21 and the Quebec vote and the provocative potential of Jagmeet Singh’s secret swagger. All this and more on episode 101 of Unpacking the News....
Provide critical financial support for the future of the show at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
Tune in weekly for more round-table discussions with Forgues, Sondajer and Moquin-Beaudry on the show and hear 'Le Plancher des Vaches' at the end of every episode of Unpacking the News through to the end of October-!
This conversation was recorded on September 15th, 2019.
On episode 100 of Unpacking the News, National Observer investigative reporter Emma McIntosh joins host Andre Goulet to discuss the connections between The Post Millenial, "free speech" website Free Bird Media the rise of far-right Canadian political and social punditry.
Check back here next Wednesday for weekly episodes featuring interviews and round-table conversations exploring the 2019 election chaos and support the show at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
Read Emma's piece at
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2019/08/22/news/he-used-work-site-promoted-racists-now-he-edits-canadian-news-outlet
The full video for the opening audio on this episode 'Hypocrisy much? CBC personalities suggest Post Millennial is biased' by Canadian Libertarian can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vR1ksXi23cg
Hear TPM co-founder Ali Tagvha co-host Canadaland at https://www.canadalandshow.com/podcast/200-my-bloody-lavalin/
This episode was recorded on September 4th, 2019.
Brian Pallister's Progressive Conservative government has rammed through a barrage of major right-wing changes in Manitoba over the last three years including service closures, funding cuts, privatizations and union-busting. On this week's episode journalist James Wilt joins host Andre Goulet to explore the casual cruelty of a series of major PC policies initiatives that have fallen under the radar.
Plus: the origins of the collapse in support for the Manitoba NDP and what it tells us about the decline of the federal party as we stare into the abyss of 10/21 election.
Read Wilt's piece "The Devastation of Manitoba: An autopsy of Pallister’s austerity regime" at https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/the-devastation-of-manitoba
This conversation was recorded on August 30th, 2019.
Support the show at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
Where and when is Airbnb activity happening in Canada? Who is making money on Airbnb and how? And are short-term rentals threatening long-term housing in Canada? You'll find the answers to all this and more on the new bi-monthly show-within-a-show 'Housing Party' from Unpacking the News-!
Join housing and human rights doctoral student David DesBaillets (Université du Québec à Montréal, Project Montreal) as he welcomes critical urbanist David Wachsmuth (McGill School of Urban Planning, Canada Research Chair in Urban Governance) to explore his research on AirBnB and the good and bad ways in which online and digital platforms are distorting and transforming the Canadian housing sector.
Join David DesBaillets every two months for a new conversation on housing in Canada with experts, policy wonks and scholars examining the challenges cities face in providing affordable, adequate and accessible housing for Canadians.
For more on David Wachsmuth's research go to https://davidwachsmuth.com/
This conversation was recorded on August 9th, 2019.
On episode 97 of Unpacking the News, hosts Andre Goulet and Savanna Craig are joined by local pundit and Executive Director of the Native Women's Shelter of Montreal Nakuset to discuss the absence of hope in Attawapiskat, the recent conflict incited by racist city government in Oka and why the Globe & Mail's editorial board is 100% wrong about the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls report's conclusions regarding genocide.
For more information on the Native Women's Shelter of Montreal go to http://www.nwsm.info/
This episode was recorded on July 26th, 2019.
On a hazy mid-summer episode of Unpacking the News things turn humid as host Andre Goulet, educator/musician Adam Hickey and Time Out Montreal editor JP Karwacki discuss Andrew Scheer's politicization of national food nutrition policy, Justin Trudeau's (accidental?) condescension towards Indigenous communities at a recent fundraiser and the sublimely theoretical Green Party support for a non-existent Conservative climate plan.
Plus, exploring the latest polls, lamenting the absence of progressive housing policy in Canadian political discourse and why the New York Times is 100% correct in labeling Jagmeet Singh a "historical contender for Canada's top political job".
Music on this episode, Timecrawler's 'Mt. Fuji', is courtesy of Creative Commons.
This conversation was recorded on July 27th, 2019.
Become a monthly supporter at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
On a super spooky summer vacation episode of 'Unpacking the News', prepare to gasp in terror as host Andre Goulet and Joel Laforest of 'The Alberta Advantage' podcast commune with the ghost of the late, legendary Peter Lougheed (PC Premier, 1971-1985)!
How did the pair gain access to the late ex-Premier's haunted house of horror in Edmonton's tony Glenora neighbourhood? What are the '6 Principles'? And who needs a 9-bed 5-bath mansion anyways?
Prepare to shudder in fear as Lougheed explains why, through the medium of a simple ouija board (and in contrast to contemporary trends in conservative politics), his legacy for the province is a radical one.
Read the source article at
https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2012/09/17/Radical-Peter-Lougheed/
Audio on this episode, 'Canada's Energy Wars' (CBC's 'Power Politics & People' from 1978) and 'Melancholia Music Box' by Ryan Creep can be found on Youtube.
This conversation was recorded on June 29th, 2019.
Re-introducing 'Spirits & Spirituality', a bi-weekly podcast featuring talk radio legend Tommy Schnurmacher, the Rabbi Avi Finegold and a rotating, round-table panel of guests in a series of provocative conversations about society, politics and faith over a couple of cocktails.
On Season 2, Episode 3 the hosts welcome journalist Fariha Nagvi-Mohamed for a discussion on politics and religious freedom in a post-Bill 21 Quebec.
This conversation was recorded on June 20th, 2019.
Subscribe to Spirits & Spirituality wherever you get your podcasts.
Predatory professors, contemptible colleagues and taking heat from far-right trolls: on episode 94 hosts Savanna Craig and Andre Goulet welcome The Link's former Coordinating Editor Savanna Stewart and Creative Director Aysha White for a conversation exploring sexism in Canadian journalism.
Then, Emily Leedham (Rank & File: Prairie Edition) joins the show to discuss strategies for fighting back against the far-right in Canadian media and weighs in on her own experience as a woman in independent journalism.
Theme music, Timecrawler's 'Mt. Fuji', is courtesy of Creative Commons.
For more from The Link check out https://thelinknewspaper.ca/
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and support the show at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
This conversation was recorded on June 11th, 2019.
It's an extra-length, epic anniversary episode as educator and musician Adam Hickey (Used Cassettes, New Blue Death) and journalist J.P. Karwacki (Time Out Montreal, CULT Montreal) join host Andre Goulet to celebrate the 3rd birthday of the podcast.
Hear them discuss the parties and leaders over drinks and cupcakes in Parc Lafontaine in an immersive conversation regarding a flailing Canadian political establishment scrambling for leverage at the outset of the 2019 federal election.
Associate Production and cupcake support from Savanna Craig.
Opening music, 'Gens du Pays', is Quebec's unofficial birthday anthem. Theme music, Timecrawler's 'Mt. Fuji', courtesy of Creative Commons.
This conversation was recorded on June 9th, 2019.
On episode 92 of Unpacking the News, host Andre Goulet visits the NDP's Green New Deal campaign launch at the Monument-National in downtown Montreal to find out more about the party's ambitious Climate Justice federal fall election strategy, including a one-on-one conversation with party leader Jagmeet Singh.
For more on the NDP's Green New Deal go to https://www.ndp.ca/power-to-change
Music on this episode, Timewalkers's 'Mt. Fuji', is from Creative Commons.
Associate Production courtesy of Savanna Craig.
This episode was recorded on May 31st, 2019.
White power chatrooms, fascist memes and Jordan Pederson lectures as extremist recruitment tools: journalists Shannon Carranco and Jon Milton join host Andre Goulet and associate producer Savanna Craig to explore their recent Globe and Mail piece investigating Canada’s extremely online white power movement.
Plus: the psychology of the Mount Everest high achiever, the Canadian garbage right-of-return and: autopsy on a Twitter weekend: why...... is Cliff Wife?
Read Shannon and Jon's piece at
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-canadas-new-far-right-a-trove-of-private-chat-room-messages-reveals/
Audio on this episode includes:
‘Jenny Fell Off the Trail- Scary Moment for Our Family’
‘The Star-spangled Banner’ Whitney Houston at Super Bowl XXV (1991)
* ‘Mt. Fuji’ - Timecrawler (courtesy of Creative Commons)
This conversation was recorded on May 28th, 2019
Subscribe on iTunes, Google Podcasts and Spotify and support the show at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
An insurgent, largely social media-driven campaign is bringing a radically anti-imperialist and anti-war message to the 2020 American election discourse. But how did a trio of teenagers convince an 89 year-old former Alaska Senator to make a presidential run?
On this episode, senior campaign staff Jonathan Suhr and Alex Chang join host Andre Goulet on an ambitious dual-cast of Korean history and current affairs show ‘The Korea File’ and Canadian left politics podcast ‘Unpacking the News’ to discuss the extraordinary anti-imperialist, anti-colonial campaign of Gravel 2020.
Subscribe to the show on iTunes and Spotify and become a monthly patron at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
To donate to the Gravel 2020 campaign go to https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mikegravel2020
Associate Production from Savanna Craig. This conversation was recorded on May 16th, 2019.
Thirty-five thousand Quebec students went on strike earlier this spring with a singular and simple demand: interns must be paid for their labor. On this week’s episode of Unpacking the News, academic and activist Eleni Schirmer (Jacobin, Labor Notes, The Progressive) joins associate producer Savanna Craig and host Andre Goulet to explain what’s behind the growing movement against unpaid internships.
Plus: Canada’s most diabolical lawyer forces the Trudeau government to drop its prosecution of Vice-Admiral Mark Norman and General Motors performs a devious bait and switch in Oshawa.
For more on the student strike movement go to https://jacobinmag.com/2019/03/quebec-unpaid-internships-strike-university and https://thelinknewspaper.ca/article/provincial-wide-strike-begins-ahead-of-provincial-governments-budget-reveal
Music on this episode, Timewalker's 'Mt. Fuji', is courtesy of Creative Commons
Support the show at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
This conversation was recorded on May 14th, 2019.
Find the full clips on Youtube:
Canadian vice-admiral Mark Norman, lawyer speak about trial after charges dropped
GM, Unifor announce investment in Oshawa plant that will save 300 jobs
* Unpaid Interns_ Enough is Enough!
The Greens win big in the Nanaimo-Ladysmith by-election, Ricochet takes home the investigative journalism award for online media at the Canadian Association of Journalists' annual conference and Associate Producer Savanna Craig joins Team Unpacking the News.
Then, on a special presentation of episode 2 of 'Canada's Young Leaders', a conversation on a world of journalism in crisis and why democracies can only succeed when their electorates are well informed and how Ricochet media is responding to this crisis with independent and investigative journalism.
Find 'Canada's Young Leaders' and many other great Canadian podcasts on the Upford Podcast Network at www.upfordnetwork.com
'Authentic Journalism Bouncing Back' by Canada's Young Leaders is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Find out more about Ricochet's CAJ win at https://ricochet.media/en/2602/ricochet-wins-national-investigative-journalism-award
Geoff Sharpe (co-founder of thecable.com and host of the 'Cable Street' podcast) phones-in from his home in Budapest to celebrate (Liz) May Day in a conversation with host Andre Goulet connecting the perplexing political success of Doug Ford with the illiberal democracy of Viktor Orban's Hungary.
Plus: Prince Edward Island elects Canada's first Green opposition and a rousing round of the popular traditional May Day game 'Righteous or Regrettable'.
Audio on this episode includes:
- Doug Ford on climate change, CP24 (2019)
- Evangelicals- 'The Evening Descends' (2007, Dead Oceans)
- Elizabeth May at the Ottawa Press Gallery gala (2015)
- Elizabeth May at the Jody Wilson-Raybould Justice Committee hearings (2019)
- Theme to 'Welcome Back Kotter' (1975)
- Wild Palms soundtrack- 'Harry Goes to the Hospital' (1990)
- Stephen Harper on populism, Fox News Business (2018)
Theme music, Timewalker's 'Mt. Fuji', courtesy of Creative Commons
Support the show at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
General Motors is abandoning Oshawa, the mid-sized Ontario city of 160,000 that’s been building cars and trucks for the automotive giant for 100 years. Does a federal and provincial government failure to intervene in the crisis, a crisis affecting the lives of as many as 60,000 Canadian citizens, mean that it’s time to nationalize GM?
Unifor Local 222 Political Action Committee chairman Tony Leah joins the show to explain how transforming the Oshawa plant into a crown corporation under public ownership and democratic control as part of a Canadian Green New Deal is the best way forward towards resolving the crisis.
Join the public meeting this Thursday, April 25th at 7pm at the IBEW Hall in Oshawa with CUPW National President Mike Palacek, Oshawa NDP MPP Jennifer French, journalist and activist Dimitri Lascaris and Russ Christianson of the Canadian Worker Co-op Federation for a conversation facilitated by Durham Region Labour Council President Tiffany Balducci (or find the stream on Facebook under the Durham Region Labour Council).
This conversation was recorded on April 22nd, 2019.
In a grim morning-after conversation, 'Alberta Advantage' contributor and 'Sports Are Gay' co-host Elaine Pauls joins host Andre Goulet from Calgary to explore the aftermath of the 2019 provincial election.
Plus: the new binary politics, anthropomorphic cats, self-care in a UCP hellworld and ‘At Home With Premier Kenney’, a spooky election night Choose Your Own Adventure mystery.
And: are you ready....to hear the passion and power of an intellectual duel over the very fabric of society?
This conversation was recorded on April 17th, 2019.
In the lead up to Alberta's April 16th election, Stephen Magusiak of 'The Alberta Advantage' podcast joins host Andre Goulet to explore (likely future Premier) Jason Kenney’s twisted past as a far-right campus activist in the United States.
Plus: cataloguing the extremist political views of many of Kenney's United Conservative Party candidates and assessing the successes and failures of the last 4 years of NDP government under Premier Rachel Notley.
This conversation was recorded on April 5th, 2019.
Taylor Lambert's piece is at: https://www.sprawlcalgary.com/the-young-zealot-part-1
Find out more about Jason Kenney's extremist Gang of 30 candidates and ex-candidates at:
https://pressprogress.ca/meet-30-candidates-for-jason-kenneys-ucp-who-got-caught-promoting-hateful-and-extremist-views/
This podcast is produced and hosted on a 100% volunteer basis. If you like the work we do, support it at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
Despite the high hopes many were feeling in the lead up to second Trump-Kim meeting, the Summit was probably dead before it even began late last month at the colonial-era Metropole Hotel in downtown Hanoi.
But who pulled the trigger? What was the poison pill? And where do the United States and North Korea need to go from here to guarantee a lasting peace?
On this episode host Andre Goulet is joined by speechwriter and former U.S. State Department diplomat Mintaro Oba, who last appeared on the show early last summer in the run-up to the Trump/Kim Singapore summit, to explore all this and more on episode 82 of The Korea File.
This conversation was recorded on March 26th, 2019.
No interview on this emergency special episode, just former Attorney General and Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould gently roasting former Clerk of the Privy Council Michael Wernick and the entire PMO apparatus for 17 tense, terrific minutes.
It’s a great way to start your weekend.
When gaffe-prone Harper-era cabinet minister Maxime Bernier lost the May 2017 Conservative leadership vote by just 700 votes, something snapped. Now the former Montreal lawyer and charter member of a Quebec's urban elite has become the standard bearer for a re-imagined kind of reactionary politics in Canada. Today the People's Party of Canada is polling around 2% across the country, but what effect is a blatantly xenophobic political party having on the country in an election year?
On episode 84 of the show, comedian and activist John Hanchar joins host Andre Goulet to explore the lazy narcissism and up-front Islamophobia of 'Mad' Max Bernier's People's Party of Canada.
Plus: why 1.6. million 12-20 year-olds protesting (in more than 2000 cities in 125 countries around the world) on March 15th's Day of Climate Action is reason for optimism in dark times.
This conversation was recorded on March 23rd, 2019.
This podcast is hosted and produced on a 100% volunteer basis. Please
support the show, and listen to bonus episodes, at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
Is the ongoing SNC-Lavalin scandal normalizing corporate interference in our democratic institutions? Or is it bringing out a sense of institutional creativity in Canadian politics?
On episode 83 of Unpacking the News, SFU political science professor Dr. Stewart Prest joins host Andre Goulet to explore a list of institutional problems and potential reforms that have been put forward in the wake of the SNC Lavalin situation.
Plus: the unbearable lightness of being Andrew Scheer, The Fair Elections Act/Bill C-23 revisited and some provocative 2019 Federal Election fanfic.
This conversation was recorded on March 15th, 2019.
Support the show at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
A treacherous atmosphere surrounds the Prime Minister’s Office over these waning weeks of winter as Justin Trudeau's role in the SNC-Lavelin Affair continues to confuse and beffudle the Canadian public, a public who have to be asking themselves- what’s become of Canada’s first woke Prime Minster?
On episode 82 of Unpacking the News, host Andre Goulet and a panel of non-partisans explore the unique role that Jody Wilson-Raybould is playing in the SNC-Lavalin Affair with editor and community organizer Marla Williams, activist and comedian John Hanchar and current affairs editor at Concordia University’s the Link newspaper Savanna Craig.
Plus: a discussion on the future of marijuana amnesty and the impending roll out of weed edibles in Canada later this year.
Audio from the Justin Trudeau's March 8th, 2019 press conference
Theme music: 'Mount Fuji' by Timecrawler (courtesy of Creative Commons)
This conversation was recorded on March 8th, 2019.
Become a Patron at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
Early this year saw the release of a landmark study from the American Psychological Association (the first ever guidelines to help psychologists work with men and boys) suggesting that aspects of "traditional masculinity" can be psychologically harmful.
In this conversation, Toronto-based independent journalist Anna Bianca Roach joins host Andre Goulet to explore why it's import to encourage pro-social aspects of masculinity, the role that clinicians need to play in working to address the needs of men and boys and whether the corporate cronyism of Justin Trudeau's SNC-Lavelin scandal and Old Boys Club politics is evidence of a kind of toxic masculinity at work in Ottawa.
Audio from:
Jordan Peterson's appearance on Fox News' 'Tucker Carlson Tonight' (March, 2018)
'We Believe- The Best Men Can Be', Gillette (January, 2019)
“Real Men. Real Depression”, The National Institute of Mental Health (2017)
Justin Trudeau press conference, Montreal, (February 27th, 2019)
This conversation was recorded on March 4th, 2019.
Subscribe to 'Unpacking the News' on iTunes and Spotify and support it at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
In the aftermath of Jagmeet Singh’s convincing victory in the Burnaby South by-election, Ricochet co-founder and editor Derrick O'Keefe joins host Andre Goulet from Vancouver to discuss the federal NDP leader's historic win.
Plus: what's behind the surprising level of support for the xenophobic People's Party of Canada in one of the country's most diverse ridings? Does the fall of a so-called NDP fortress in Montreal's Outremont mark the end of the party in Quebec? And why does the latest Angus Reid polling on the SNC-Lavelin scandal pose a major concern for Justin Trudeau?
This conversation was recorded on February 26th, 2019.
Subscribe to the show on iTunes and Spotify and support it at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
On episode 79 of 'Unpacking the News' we explore the Big Questions:
Did the Prime Minster or the PMO pressure Jody Wilson-Raybould to interfere with the fraud case against SNC-Lavalin? How deep is the rot of corporate cronyism in Canadian politics? And is there any truth to rumors that Justin Trudeau and Gerald Butts played in a Spin Doctors cover band while attending McGill in the early 1990s?
Plus: a deeper look into Canada’s opioid crisis, reflections on the 50th anniversary of a major event in the history of black liberation in Canada and the growing reality of gentrification in Montreal’s Parc-Extension neighbourhood and how the residents of one of the country’s poorest postal codes are fighting back.
Featuring a roundtable conversation with McGill’s 'The Daily' news editor Athina Khalid, Concordia’s 'The Link' current affairs editor Savanna Craig and writer, comedian and activist John Hancham.
This episode was recorded on February 8th and 20th, 2019.
On a very special Valentine's Day episode, our panel convenes to investigate the roots of a political phenomenon: what's behind Andrew Scheer's absolutely wild, nearly animal, magnetism? Why has the xenophobic dog whistle of modern conservatism become louder under his watch? And is this a new normal in federal Canadian politics?
Plus: why the NDP's fight to hold on to Tom Mulcair's old seat in the Montreal Outremont by-election is an uphill batle.
With journalists Athina Khalid (McGill’s The Daily) and Savanna Craig (Concordia's The Link) and writer/comedian John Hanchar (Squad Laughs).
This episode was recorded on February 8th, 2019.
Support the show at www.patreon.com/unpackingthenews
ORIGINALLY BROADCAST AS 'THE KOREA FILE' EP76
In May 2015, on the 70th anniversary of Korea’s national division, thirty international women peacemakers from around the world walked with thousands of North and South Korean women to call for an end to the Korean War, reunification of families and the inclusion of women’s leadership in the peace process.
Christine Ahn, the founder of Women Cross the DMZ, Women De-Militarize the Zone, The Korea Policy Institute, The Global Campaign to Save Jeju Island, The Korea Peace Network and a co-organizer of the May, 2015 event joins host Andre Goulet to explore how she and others continue to work for peace on the peninsula in 2019.
For more information read Christine's op-ed with Gloria Steinem at
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-ahn/gloria-steinem-north-korea-march_b_7018902.html?ec_carp=8996287911531269670
Find out more about organizing for peace in Korea at womencrossdmz.org and at wagingpeace.org
Subscribe to The Korea File on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts and support the show at www.patreon.com/thekoreafile
Is the media narrative of an NDP in crisis over-hyped? Why is the Globe and Mail editorial board concern trolling Jagmeet Singh? And does the party need a sharp Left turn if it wants to make gains in the 2019 federal election?
On episode 77 of Unpacking the News ex-journalist Kai Nagata, Comms Director at BC citizen's action network Dogwood, joins host Andre Goulet to assess where the New Democrats are at in 2019.
For more on Dogwood and to read Kai's recent work the RCMP raid on Wet'suwet'en, organizing for electoral reform and more go to dogwoodbc.ca
Read the G&M editorial here: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/article-globe-editorial-how-jagmeet-singhs-leadership-has-diminished-the-ndp/
Read Dave Bush's piece in the National Observer here:
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2019/01/22/opinion/ndp-crisis-and-singhs-leadership
Singh interview and news report excerpts are from CBC's 'Power and Politics' and 'The National'.
Look up the vintage election ads on Youtube under:
'Canadian ad – Ed Broadbent NDP’
‘NDP 1984 Election Commercial’
'NDP Election Ads- 1985’
Music on this episode, 'Mt. Fuji' by Timecrawler, is courtesy of Creative Commons.
Support Unpacking the News at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
This episode was recorded on January 30th, 2019.
Foreign Affairs minister Chrystia Freeland was in good company this week at the Davos summit as she shared a stage with far-right Brazilian president Jair Bolsanaro to defend and promote the soft coup in Venezuela.
Writer and academic Christo Aivalis (Canadian Dimension, The Washington Post, Ricochet) joins host Andre Goulet to explore why an official endorsement of regime change in the southern hemisphere by the Canadian government shouldn't surprise us.
Plus: how the manufactured media-driven 'crisis' over Jagmeet Singh's leadership is over-hyped and why the federal NDP leader needs to pay close attention to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders and the resurgent American Left as he and his party prepare to fight the 2019 election.
Find Christo's recent piece at Canadian Dimension here: https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/the-lesson-ocasio-cortez-and-sanders-have-for-the-left-welcome-their-hatred
Music: 'Himno Nacional de Venezuela' w/ Gustavo Dudamel
This episode was recorded on January 24th, 2019.
This is a special repeat presentation of a program that was originally broadcast last year for Canada 150 on CJSW-90.9FM, Calgary’s award-winning campus and community radio station based at the University of Calgary. As part of special programming for the nation’s sesquicentennial, CJSW organized ‘Untold Canada’, a program showcasing little-heard stories from Canadian history.
On this episode: 'Stories of the Sun' narrated, edited and produced by Curtis Lefthand w/ John Trudell on "The Christian World View" and music from Randy Wallace ("Our Love Will Never Die").
This episode was recorded and aired on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy and people of Treaty 7.
In a comprehensive coast-to-coast retrospective, Emily Leedham (Rank and File Prairie Edition), James Wilt (News You Can Use) and Stokely Wilt-Leedham (Canadian Cat Quarterly) join host Andre Goulet for an end-of-year review of 2018.
Subscribe to Rank and File: Prairie Edition and News You Can Use on iTunes, GooglePlay or wherever you get your podcasts.
Support the show at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
This conversation was recorded on December 19th, 2018.
It’s a special seasonal 2018 year-end episode of Unpacking the News as
Ricochet West Coast editor Erin Seatter in Vancouver
The Alberta Advantage’s Kate Jacobson in Calgary
Radio Free Winnipeg’s Scott Price
Family Compact/Cable Street's Geoff Sharpe in Toronto
49th Parahell’s Rob Roussseau and
Ricochet Francais' Katia Gaid in Montreal
join host Andre Goulet for an investigation into the spirit of the season. Will they discover the True Meaning of Christmas and win Prime Minister Trudeau's precious pipeline prize? Tune in to find out!
Subscribe to The Alberta Advantage, Radio Free Winnipeg, Cable Street, Family Compact and 49th Parahell on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.
Music on this episode includes:
René Simard- Triste Noel
Claude Valade- Au Royaumme du Bonhomme d'Hiver
Claude Valade- A Noel
Dany Aubé- Mon Cadeaux de Noel
Ginette Ménard- La Neige
Fernand Gignac- Promenade en Traineau
and Oh, Tannenbaum, and Hark the Herald Angels Sing from 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'.
Justin Trudeau's pipeline interview courtesy of Bloomberg News.
Support the show at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
This episode was recorded over December 12th to 17th, 2018.
After a fourth straight weekend of violent protests in the French capital, 89,000 police have been deployed around the country to restore order. What role has the detached neoliberalism of President Emannuel Macron played in setting off Europe's latest political and social crisis?
In this conversation Paris-based Ricochet and National Observer contributor Clothilde Goujard joins host Andre Goulet to explore what Canadian neoliberals like Prime Minister Justin Trudeau must learn from the massive protests in France.
This conversation was recorded on December 10th, 2018.
From Ricochet Media and Planete F, this is the fifth episode of ‘Fil Rouge’, a 2018 podcast series focusing on the families, histories and traditions of seven First Nations and Inuit communities across Quebec.
Brother and sister Donald Sergerie Junior and Michèle Sergerie were raised by an Algonquin mother and a Quebequois father on the Algonquin territory of Anishnabeg in Val-d'Or, a city of 30,000 located around 500 kms north-west of Montreal. On this episode, Ricochet’s Émélie Rivard-Boudreau joins the siblings for a conversation on the challenges and opportunities that come with being raised between two cultures.
Journalist: Émélie Rivard-Boudreau
Narration : Natasha Kanapé Fontaine
Production : André Goulet
Music : Musique Nomade
Logo : Meky Ottawa
Executive Producer : Gabrielle Brassard-Lecours
This episode was made possible in part through funding from Heritage Canada.
Introducing 'Spirits & Spirituality', a bi-weekly podcast featuring talk radio legend Tommy Schnurmacher, the Rabbi Avi Finegold and a rotating, round-table panel of guests in a series of provocative conversations about society, politics and faith over a couple of cocktails.
On this episode, hosts Tommy and Avi discuss the power of empathy in overcoming hate as they're joined by writer and activist David Abitbol to explore the origins of his friendship with Megan Phelps-Roper, a former member of extremist hate group the Westboro Baptist Church.
Production by Andre Goulet
Technical assistance from Ricochet Media
This conversation was recorded in August, 2018 at the Museum of Jewish Montreal.
On a very spooky episode of Unpacking the Tomb, host Andre Ghoul-et welcomes 'Scary' Scott Price of the long-running Canadian history and media discourse show 'Radio Free Winnipeg' (co-hosted w/ 'Gruesome' Greg Gallinger) to talk about the little-known and much-neglected 'Gateway to the West'.
On which morbidly minor issue did the mayoral election revolve? What are the most macabre and major issues facing the city, and Manitoba as a whole? And what single word best defines the province's pallid and petrifying Premier Brian 'Poltergeist' Pallister? Plus: a rundown of last week's ghastly and gruesome civic political results from coast to coast.
Music and audio from:
Swinging Strings: 'Welcome to Winnipeg' (Eagle Records, 1967)
The Weakerthans: 'One Great City!' ('Reconstruction Site', Epitaph Records, 2003)
'My Winnipeg' (dir. Guy Maddin, Buffalo Gal Pictures, 2007)
The monthly DIY event 'Squad Laffs' has become a Montreal underground comedy institution, creating a safe space to work out material on stage for little-heard comedic voices and perspectives. Co-founder/showrunner James Brown joins host Andre Goulet for a conversation on the political and the personal of indie stand-up comedy.
Plus: what's life like in that most opaque of Canadian political institutions? Brown looks back on his experience as an 18-year-old Senate page in the "chamber of sober second thought".
This conversation was recorded in August, 2018.
Support the show at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
Hundreds of thousands of Canadians have been affected by marijuana prohibition laws, but the Trudeau government has been slow to coordinate Amnesty legislation with the legalization of Cannabis. On episode 70 of 'Unpacking the News', investigative journalist Tracy Giesz-Ramsay joins host Andre Goulet to discuss Day Zero of Legalization.
Plus: society pathologizes addiction without understanding why it happens, but there's a growing consensus, particularly in the medical community, that addiction is not a moral failing or weakness of will. In this conversation, Ramsay-Giesz and Goulet explore how conditioning, childhood trauma and social and economic exclusion can lead to addiction.
This conversation was recorded on October 16th, 2018.
Support the show at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
Borderless is a Michigan-based media collective dedicated to investigative journalism and community discourse. On this episode, founder Joel Campbell welcomes Unpacking the News host Andre Goulet on The Lamp Post podcast to discuss the crucial role that independent media plays in amplifying progressive perspectives.
Plus: Debunking the Justin Trudeau mystique for American liberals. Race, class and social decline in Detroit and the state of Michigan. And- what does this political and social moment look like for Democratic Socialism in the United States?
This conversation was recorded in August, 2018.
Support this podcast at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
Alexa Conradi helped to shape the early years of Québec Solidaire in her role as president of the far-left party from 2006 to 2009. She was also a crucial voice of opposition to the Parti Québécois’ Islamophobic Charter of Values as the head of the Québec Women’s Federation, a position she held from 2009 to 2015.
On this episode she joins host Andre Goulet to explain why we're right to be wary of Francois Legault's incoming Coalition Avenir Québec government. Plus: what the rise of Québec Solidaire means for grassroots-driven social democracy in Québec and the broader development of the international Left and why it's too early to count out the Parti Québécois.
This conversation was recorded on October 3rd, 2018.
Support this podcast at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
This is a special repeat presentation of a program that was originally broadcast last year for Canada 150 on CJSW-90.9FM, Calgary’s award-winning campus and community radio station based at the University of Calgary. As part of special programming for the nation’s sesquicentennial, CJSW organized ‘Untold Canada’, a program showcasing little-heard stories from Canadian history.
On this episode, Grace Heavy Runner interviews Michelle Van Beusekom from the National Film Board about AABIZIINGWASHI, a national Indigenous film tour; Catherine features the story of Alexandria Sham and her grandfather who worked on the railroad; Hannah interviews Piikani elder Reg Crowshoe; and Sean Willet interviews professor George Colpitts about the history of bison.
This episode was recorded and aired on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy and people of Treaty 7.
The Quebec NDP are back and contesting their first election since 1994. But what kind of challenges are the party and its candidates facing as the province heads to the polls on October 1st?
In this conversation host Andre Goulet speaks with Apostolia Petropoulos, the NPDQ candidate for the ethnically diverse riding of Laurier-Dorion, about the triumphs and travails of life on the campaign trail in Montreal's Parc-Extension and Villeray neighbourhoods. Plus: a brief history of nearly 80-years of the NDP in Quebec.
For more information on the NPDQ or to see the party platform go to http://en.lenpdq.org/
This conversation was recorded on September 17th, 2018.
Support this podcast at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
Even as this October marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Parti Québécois, the 2018 provincial election finds the sovereignist party fighting for its political life. With support for independence at an all-time low, is PQ leader Jean-François Lisée connecting with voters on the campaign trail? Or is the party in the midst of an existential crisis?
Earlier this month journalist Chris Curtis spent seven days on the PQ press bus covering Lisée's cross-Quebec campaign for the Montreal Gazette. In this conversation, he joins host André Goulet to discuss his up-close observations of the leader and his campaign and to explain why the PQ still stands a chance in this election.
This conversation was recorded on Thursday, September 6th.
What are the mainstream political parties in Quebec? What are the electoral options for the Left in the province? And what role will the issues of sovereignty, political participation and the role of religion in public life play in this election?
Ricochet correspondent Ruby Irene Pratka and a round-table panel of guests join host Andre Goulet to try to make sense of the issues, the personalities and the political landscape leading up to Quebec’s 42nd provincial election.
Featuring Evan Coole, co-coordinator of the Quebec Solidaire volunteer network;
Malcolm Richmond, President of anglophone non-profit Youth for Youth Quebec and Natalia Garcia and Joel Bergman of Marxist student organization Socialist Fightback.
John Fea is a professor of American History at Pennsylvania’s Messiah College and the author of this summer’s ‘Believe Me: the Evangelical Road to Trump’, a discerning, critical take on current American politics.
On this episode, he joins host Andre Goulet to explore how the embrace of Donald Trump is the logical outcome of a long-standing evangelical approach to public life defined by the politics of fear, the pursuit of worldly power, and a nostalgic longing for an American past.
This conversation was recorded on August 17th, 2018.
A mass eviction is being carried out in a south Ottawa neighbourhood and multi-billion dollar real estate holdings conglomerate Timbercreek Asset Management has given more than 400 residents of Herongate until September 30th to vacate homes many of them have been in for decades.
In this conversation, organizer Ikram Dahir of the Herongate Tenant Coalition joins host Andre Goulet to explain how private profits and the City itself are benefiting from what some are calling a socio-economic cleansing.
This interview was recorded on August 18th, 2018.
To learn more about the Heron Gate Tenant Coalition go to https://herongatetenants.ca/we-are-herongate-issue-3/
For more information on this story check out Sam Heaton's piece online at https://ricochet.media/en/2290/the-brutal-economic-logic-of-ottawas-heron-gate-evictions
This is a special repeat presentation of a program that was originally broadcast last year for Canada 150 on CJSW-90.9FM, Calgary’s award-winning campus and community radio station based at the University of Calgary. As part of special programming for the nation’s sesquicentennial, CJSW organized ‘Untold Canada’, a program showcasing little-heard stories from Canadian history.
Featuring overlooked indigenous perspectives, hidden tales from the archives of Calgarian cultural associations and more, Untold Canada aims to inform, inspire and to provoke the listener into investigating what else has gone untold in the official Canadian historical narrative.
On this first episode, Hannah Many Guns facilitates a group of Indigenous voices sharing their response to Canada 150 including interviews with Ian Campeau (DJ NDN of a Tribe Called Red); Piikani elder Reg Crowshoe, Sisksika elder Clarence Wolfleg, Daniel Voth (Assistant Professor of Indigenous Politics at the University of Calgary) and Cheryle Chagnon-Greyeyes (University of Calgary Native Centre).
This episode was recorded and aired on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy and people of Treaty 7.
Montreal-based journalist Jon Milton’s work focuses on grassroots social movements and the mechanics of institutional power. In this conversation, he joins host Andre Goulet to explore the links between law enforcement and the white supremacist movement in Quebec. Plus, a look back at a history of collusion between the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the violent National Front white power organization in the 1990s.
Find Jon’s article ‘Police, Spies and White Supremacy: A Brief History’ at https://ricochet.media/en/2276/police-spies-and-white-supremacy-a-brief-history
Music on this episode, the traditional french-Canadian ‘À la Claire Fontaine’ is sung and performed by: Luc & Manuel Dauvin (Vocals, Fiddles) and Jim Anderson (Vocal, Guitar). Look for ‘A la Claire Fontaine’ Metis-Michif’ on Youtube.
‘Canada the Unknown’, was written by Bruce Hutchinson and published in ‘A Pocketful of Canada’, edited by John D. Robins for the Canadian Council of Education for Citizenship, in 1948.
This conversation was recorded on July 30th, 2018.
On this episode: Fresh from the birthplace of the CCF, The Calgary-based Alberta Advantage podcast provides bi-weekly commentary and analysis on local and provincial politics from a left perspective. In this conversation, co-host and producer Kate Jacobson joins Andre Goulet to discuss how the Alberta NDP have given the province a political education and why the party shouldn't be counted out in the 2019 election.
Plus: how United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney's political career has been the ultimate ideological conservative grift and why the uniqueness of provincial politics is due to the deeply conservative tendencies of rural Alberta.
Find The Alberta Advantage podcast at Ricochet and subscribe to the show on Soundcloud, iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.
This conversation was recorded on July 27th, 2018.
From Ricochet Media and Planete F, this is the fourth episode of ‘Fil Rouge’, our summer podcast series focusing on the families, histories and traditions of seven First Nations and Inuit communities across Quebec. Subscribe on iTunes and look for it on Ricochet through summer 2018.
On this episode: Steeve Gros-Louis of the Huron-Wendat nation explores how he uses dance to pass down ideas about history and identity to the next generation. This episode was recorded in early 2018.
Journalist: Ruby Irene Pratka
Narration : Natasha Kanapé Fontaine
Production : André Goulet
Music : Musique Nomade
Logo : Meky Ottawa
Executive Producer : Gabrielle Brassard-Lecours
This episode was made possible in part through funding from Heritage Canada.
Always an aloof and imperial domestic politician, Stephen Harper's ideologically-driven post-politics path is bringing the 59-year old Prime Minister into the orbit of some very interesting organizations including violent militant group The People’s Mujahedin of Iran and Zionist NGO The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
On this episode, Brad Goertz (ep28's 'Realpolitik and Big Oil: The Unconventional Social Democracy of Rachel Notley's NDP') joins host Andre Goulet to discuss the former Prime Minister's new and financially lucrative career in corporate consulting and the shadowy international Right-wing speaker’s circuit.
This episode was recorded on July 15th, 2018.
For more on this story, check out Jason Makusoff’s two recent pieces at Maclean’s:
https://www.macleans.ca/politics/stephen-harpers-own-words-i-was-never-in-the-job-to-be-liked/
https://www.macleans.ca/economy/what-on-earth-is-stephen-harper-up-to/
On this episode: Emilee Gilpin is the National Observer's lead journalist and storyteller on coverage of Indigenous issues and the 2017 Journalist for Human Rights' "Emerging Indigenous Intern" at The Tyee.
In this conversation, she joins host Andre Goulet to discuss the limitations of Western journalistic standards, why the Canadian Press Club's all-white male portrait gallery is super creepy and how young journalists can disrupt the ways stories about First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples are told in mainstream media.
This conversation was recorded in May, 2018.
Look for Emilee's work at https://www.nationalobserver.com/u/emilee-gilpin
and follow her on Twitter @emileeguevara
On this episode: writer and podcast host ('49th Parahell') Rob Rousseau's Twitter game, which combines the best of a combative and Extremely Online socialist Left with absurdist comedy, is baffling and infuriating all the right people.
One recent Tweet, featured on a morning segment of 'Fox and Friends', the Daily Caller and basically everywhere in the American right-wing echo chamber, has made him a target of the far-Right.
On this episode Rob joins host Andre Goulet for a conversation on la Meute's failed Montreal Canada Day march, the hidden horror of Canadian child detainees and why the recent rise of American socialism is just the beginning.
This conversation was recorded on July 3rd, 2018.
Look for Rob Rousseau's new podcast '49th Parahell' on iTunes, Soundcloud and at ricochet.media
On this episode: Are credible, existential threats to democracy and the rule of law ascendant? What should we make of what went down at the G-7 summit in Charlevoix? And is it time for the Canadian government to fundamentally rethink its relationship with the United States?
Guest Jasmin Mujanovic, political scientist and analyst of southeast European and international affairs and the author of the eerily timely 'Hunger and Fury: The Crisis of Democracy in the Balkans' joins host Andre Goulet for a conversation on U.S./Canada relations and the unraveling of the post-WWII and Cold War consensus.
This conversation was recorded on June 22nd, 2018.
'Hunger and Fury: The Crisis of Democracy in the Balkans' is out now from Oxford Press.
From Ricochet Media and Planete F, this is the third episode of ‘Fil Rouge’, a bi-weekly series of podcasts focusing on the families, histories and traditions of seven First Nations and Inuit communities across Quebec. Subscribe on iTunes and look for it on Ricochet through summer 2018.
On this episode: Journalist Émile Duchesne reports on the unique role religion plays in the remote Inuit community of Unamen Shipu on Quebec's north coast.
This episode was recorded in early 2018.
Journalist: Émile Duchesne
Narration : Natasha Kanapé Fontaine
Production : André Goulet
Music : Musique Nomade
Logo : Meky Ottawa
Executive Producer : Gabrielle Brassard-Lecours
This episode was made possible in part through funding from Heritage Canada.
On this episode: an archaic first-past-the-post electoral system hands Doug Ford's PCs a landslide majority, Andrea Horwath's NDP registers a historic level of support and Kathleen Wynn's Liberal Party suffers a political implosion.
Guest Christo Aivalis, author of 'The Constant Liberal: Pierre Trudeau, Organized Labour and the Canadian Social Democratic Left' and a Labour and Political History postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto joins host Andre Goulet for an Ontario Election Autopsy.
This conversation was recorded on June 11th, 2018.
'The Constant Liberal: Pierre Trudeau, Organized Labour and the Canadian Social Democratic Left' is out now from UBC Press.
On this episode, guest Tim McSorley of the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group explains how the National Security Act of 2017 (Bill C-59) creates the legal conditions for mass surveillance, legalizes cyberattacks by Canada’s Communications Security Establishment and allows for secret trials (with secret evidence) for anyone on the ‘no fly list’.
Plus: Tim provides a brief history of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and we explore the fundamental differences in how Canadians and Americans view the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the U.S. Constitution.
This conversation was recorded on May 17th, 2018.
In a week that saw an escalation of tactics from racist group Atalante at Vice's Montréal office, Savannah Stewart, Coordinating Editor at Concordia University's The Link magazine joins host Andre Goulet to discuss Canadian and American media normalization of the far-right since 2016.
Plus: the Commission Scolaire de Montréal caves to an online hate campaign, cancelling a community event for young Muslim women at a school in the city's east end and Québec society and culture magazine Urbania normalizes Islamophobic Journal de Montréal columnist Richard Martineau with a prominent cover story.
And: as the province gears up for an election later this year, and with the xenophobic, anti-Muslim Bill 62 already on the books, just how toxic will the political climate become for Muslims in Québec?
This conversation was recorded on May 25th, 2018.
As a conflict fueled by climate change, the international arms trade and a Libyan civil war enters its fifth year, Canada's Back™ and as many as 250 members of the Canadian military will see action in the northwest African nation of Mali by late summer. But is there a connection between seemingly selfless international peacekeeping involvement and Canadian gold mining investment? On this episode, Jamie Kneen of MiningWatch Canada and host Andre Goulet explore Canada's out-sized role in the international mining industry and examine the myths and contradictions of Canadian peacekeeping.
Plus: how Bill C-69, the Liberal government's attempt at federal environmental review process reform, fails to deliver on promises of respect for Indigenous rights, evidence-based decision-making and combating climate change.
This conversation was recorded on May 16th, 2018.
From Ricochet Media and Planete F, this is the second episode of ‘Fil Rouge’, a bi-weekly series of podcasts focusing on the families, histories and traditions of eight First Nations and Inuit communities across Quebec. Subscribe on iTunes and look for it on Ricochet through summer 2018.
On this episode: Kangirsuk, an Inuit community in Nunavik in Quebec’s far north, is home to Harriet Keleutaq. Uprooted from her family at age 12, she was sent to Montreal to learn french and to continue her education. Today, she fights to re-learn her own language, Inuktitut, and to teach it to her children.
This conversation was recorded in early 2018.
Harriet Keleutaq de Kangirsuk, une communauté inuite du Nunavik, a été déracinée de sa famille à l'âge de 12 ans pour continuer ses études à Montréal, où elle a appris le français. Toute sa vie, elle s'est battue pour réapprendre sa langue, l'inuktitut, l'apprendre à ses enfants et la faire survivre le plus possible.
Journaliste: Yascha Wecker
Narration : Natasha Kanapé Fontaine
Montage : André Goulet
Musique : Musique Nomade
Logo : Meky Ottawa
Coordination : Gabrielle Brassard-Lecours
Rendu possible grâce au financement de Patrimoine Canada.
This episode was made possible in part through funding from Heritage Canada.
John Carl Baker, frequent Jacobin contributor and a fellow with anti-nuclear think tank The Ploughshares Fund in Washington, DC joins host Andre Goulet to talk about the surprising possibility of peace in a dangerous geopolitical moment.
Plus, what insights Daniel Ellsberg’s new book ‘The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner' can give us about recent historic events on the Korean peninsula and why we should expect the unexpected at the upcoming Trump/Kim Jong-un summit.
This conversation was recorded on May 2nd, 2018.
Music on this episode, 'Let It Begin' is from Korean indie rock band Say Sue Me. Find their new album 'Where We Were Together' on Bandcamp.
Mastered by Chris Hernandez at Studio Petit Palais in Montreal.
Are we getting the full story behind Trans Mountain? Does the pipeline still make economic sense? Can it survive legal challenges from First Nations, municipal governments and the province of B.C.? And is it a good investment for Canada, or is it a costly white elephant that will haunt the country for years to come?
Ricochet editor Ethan Cox is joined by National Observer editor Mike De Souza and Senior Research Analyst Lorne Stockman of Oil Change International for an in-depth conversation about all this and more on this special bonus episode of Unpacking the News.
What if the inter-provincial Trans Mountain pipeline dispute doesn’t represent a failure of democracy or the rule of law? What if it actually shows a system working the way it’s supposed to?
Political theorist David Moscrop joins host Andre Goulet to explain why, far from a constitutional crisis, this is what functional federalism looks like in action.
Plus: exploring the self-interests and political motivations guiding the pipeline policies of John Horgan, Rachel Notley and Justin Trudeau.
Look for David Moscrop's ‘The Kinder Morgan spat is an intractable slog—but it’s also democracy in action’ at macleans.ca
This conversation was recorded on April 22nd, 2018.
Mastered by Chris Hernandez at Studio Petit Palais in Montreal.
In a special episode of Unpacking the News, Ricochet’s Yasmin Hotter Ishay is joined by author and teacher Rivka Cymbalist of the Montreal Doula Collective for a conversation exploring the social and financial challenges facing refugees, the non documented and Indigenous women in securing access to alternative maternal care.
This interview was recorded on March 12th, 2018.
Mastered by Chris Hernandez at Petite Palais Studios in Montreal.
In episode one of 'Fil Rouge', Ricochet's first french-language podcast, we visit the Pekuakamiulnuatsh community of Mashteuiatsh in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Northern Québec.
"Le journaliste Guillaume Roy s'est rendu à Mashteuiatsh, la seule réserve autochtone du Nitassian à Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean. Grégoire, guide spirituel de la communauté, nous guide à travers une cérémonie des premiers pas, un rite important pour plusieurs."
Narration by Natasha Kanapé Fontaine. Music by Musique Nomade feat. Sunny Duval and Laura Niquay.
This podcast was made possible through the generous assistance of Heritage Canada. Watch for new episodes of 'Fil Rouge' beginning in May on iTunes and GooglePlay.
Why hasn't an amnesty provision been included in federal marijuana legalization legislation for the tens of thousands of Canadians with criminal records? Who are the politicians and police most connected to an expanding Canadian cannabis-industrial complex? And what would weed reparations look like?
In this conversation, Vice senior editor Manisha Krishnan joins host Andre Goulet to take aim at the astounding hypocrisy of Canada’s weed-adjacent political and law enforcement communities.
Plus: reflections on how lame would it be to smoke weed with an undergrad Justin Trudeau at a 1997 McGill house party.
This conversation was recorded on April 5th, 2018.
Mastered by Chris Hernandez at Studio Petit Palais in Montreal.
In a conversation exploring the relationship between racism, disinformation and Canadian media consolidation, Jagdeesh Mann of Vancouver's The Georgia Straight joins host Andre Goulet to discuss how the recent narrative connecting federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh to a non-existent Khalistan separatist movement is being driven by an Indian government smear campaign against diasporic Sikh human rights campaigners.
Recorded on March 26th, 2018.
Mastered by Chris Hernandez at Studio Petit Palais in Montreal.
In this conversation, Steven Denney of the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto and a Senior Editor at SinoNK.com joins host Andre Goulet to discuss the South Korean diplomatic delegation's visit to Pyongyang and why the staggering potential human cost of a war on the Korean peninsula is unthinkable.
Plus: what was up with last January's weird Vancouver summit on Security and Stability on the Korean Peninsula organized by Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland and the U.S. State Department?
This conversation was recorded on March 9th, 2018.
Music on this episode is Yoo-jin's 'Guliu-man Soo-ang-inae' (1979)
Mastered by Chris Hernandez at Studio Petit Palais.
This week's guest thinks that the Bell Media-led campaign demanding the creation of an official federal government anti-piracy committee is a radical proposal that will lead to the censorship of legitimate online content and speech.
In this conversation, OpenMedia's Katy Anderson joins host Andre Goulet to explain why she thinks the FairPlay coalition's proposed law will threaten freedom of expression in Canada. Plus, what effect could a federal anti-internet piracy commission have on the principles of Net Neutrality?
Find out more at dontcensor.ca, at michaelgeist.ca and at openmedia.org.
This conversation was recorded on February 27th, 2018.
Mastered by Chris Hernandez at Studio Petit Palais.
In a heart-warming and romantic Valentine’s Day conversation, writer/comedian Charlie Demers joins host Andre Goulet to aim Cupid’s arrows at the breathtaking cynicism and broken promises of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Find Charlie’s Juno-nominated comedy album ‘Fatherland’ on iTunes, where you can also subscribe to his monthly podcast ‘Well Reds’, Canada’s premiere leftist literary review. January's episode features David Chariandy’s award-winning novel ‘Brother’.
Music on this episode:
Billy Ocean's 'Suddenly'(1984)
and Michael Bolton's 'How Am I Supposed to Live Without You' (1983)
This conversation was recorded on February 13th, 2018.
Mastered by Chris Hernandez at Studio Petit Palais.
This week's guest suggests that the federal government’s new housing plan falls short of providing adequate policy proposals for Canada's ongoing housing crisis and, unless Justin Trudeau can get the provinces to go along with the initiative, the Liberal Party's much-anticipated National Housing Strategy is unlikely to be implemented.
In this conversation David DesBaillets of l’Université du Québec a Montréal joins host André Goulet to discuss the gendered facet of the housing crisis, why indigenous communities should be skeptical of the proposed initiative and- what would a radical National Housing Strategy look like in Canada?
This episode was recorded on January 31st, 2018.
As we approach the one year anniversary of one of the worst mass shootings in Canadian history, the debate surrounding a proposed National Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia in Québec has been instructive.
In this conversation, National Observer reporter Clothilde Goujard joins host André Goulet to discuss the unbearable whiteness of being Québec’s media elite, the anti-Muslim provocations and posturing of the political class in a provincial election year and the hope and optimism that she experienced this week in Saint-Foy, the neighbourhood surrounding the Islamic Cultural Centre of Québec City.
Plus details on the National Observer’s new anti-hate, anti-fascist investigative reporting unit.
This conversation was recorded on January 19th, 2018.
For more on this story, check out Goujard's recent piece in the National Observer:
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2018/01/25/news/les-residents-de-sainte-foy-se-relevent-un-apres-lattaque-de-la-mosquee
This week’s guest thinks that the fallout from a recent decision by John Horgan’s government will be a neoliberal ball and chain for the British Columbia NDP.
Robert Billyard of the Canadian Views website on the Site C Dam decision, the hypocrisy of Justin Trudeau’s billion dollar Bahamian island vacation and why Jagmeet Singh needs to make seeking a seat in parliament a priority.
In the conclusion to our year-end conversation, Ricochet co-founder Ethan Cox and Jacobin Podcast Coordinator and Associate Editor Micah Utrecht join host Andre Goulet to submit projections and predictions for the year to come, including:
- anticipating the death of the Kinder Morgan pipeline
- watching Alberta and B.C. NDP efforts to balance resource extraction with social democratic governance
- will marijuana legalization in Canada make everything better? (short answer: an emphatic ‘no’)
Plus: how will the Bernie Sanders effect influence the further expansion of the American Left, and what does it mean for the surging popularity of the Democratic Socialists of America?
Music on this episode is 'Auld Lang Syne' by Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians (Decca Records, 1939)
It’s fun, games and Four Loco on this special year-end episode of Unpacking the News.
Ricochet Media’s Ethan Cox and Jacobin Magazine’s Micah Utrecht join host Andre Goulet for a kitchen table conversation on the best and worst of 2017, including:
- the rising global challenges of climate change and wealth disparity
- the US Supreme Court’s war on union organizing
- the disappointments of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 2nd Year in power.
Plus organizing successes with the Chicago's Teacher's Union and new civic oversight for notoriously corrupt Montreal police force, the SPVM
This is the first of a two-part conversation.
Independent journalist and activist Gurpreet Singh on the right-wing forces, at home and abroad, facing NDP leader Jagmeet Singh.
Insight on Terry Milewski’s aggressive record of anti-Sikh journalism at the CBC.
Plus: when will our celebrity Prime Minister begin leveraging his international profile to counter the rising tide of hate and extremism?
All this and more on episode 38 of Unpacking the News.
Mastered by Kris Hernandez at Villeray Studios.
This is the first in an ongoing series featuring content produced by the News Collective at CKUT 90.3FM in Montreal.
These episodes, highlighting perspectives on issues and current events in the province and around the country from the grassroots, are being rebroadcast for the first time and made available as an exclusive podcast through Ricochet Media.
This piece features a series of interviews, excerpts from speeches and live sound from the recent Rally Against Hate and Racism, the beginning of an organized, street-level pushback against Quebec's xenophobic Bill 62.
News Collective members Gau Mahadevan and Julia Bugiel were in downtown Montreal to record the event.
Bill 62, Québec's notorious religious neutrality law, is a clear attack on the rights of Muslim women in the province.
But Montréal lawyer Sibel Ataogul, co-founder of l'Association des Juristes Progressistes, also sees the law as an ideologically useful tool for the province's political elites.
Does pandering to xenophobia allow Phillip Couillard’s Liberal government a freer hand in implementing a neoliberal policy agenda?
Audio mastering courtesy of Chris Hernandez at Villeray Studios.
On this episode, journalist Kathryn Jezer-Morton joins host André Goulet to discuss interculturalism, Québec secularism and the political factors motivating the introduction of the transparently Islamophobic Bill 62.
Plus Valérie Plante and Projet Montréal's surprising municipal election win is a big victory for progressives in the provincial metropolis and an encouraging sign for Leftists across the country.
Lifelong political grifter Jason Kenney is the freshly-minted leader of the United Conservative Party of Alberta.
But as Kenney’s UCP prepares to leave the political wilderness and re-take it’s place as the natural governing party of Alberta, unforeseen challenges may lie ahead.
In this conversation, playwright Brad Fraser joins host Andre Goulet to discuss Kenney’s problematic political and public past. And what does Alberta's NDP government need to do to beat the odds in the 2019 election?
Plus: the Paradise Papers and Justin Trudeau’s 1% problem.
On this episode activist and academic Christo Aivalis argues that, despite a 3rd-place finish, Niki Ashton’s campaign for the NDP leadership succeeded in pulling the ideological conversation within the Party firmly to the left.
We also dig into some of the leadership race results and discuss the potential of a Jagmeet Singh-led federal NDP.
On this episode, a conversation with activist and academic Christo Aivalis on Andrew Scheer's decision to go all in on the Conservative Party’s association with Rebel Media. We also discuss his research on a young Pierre Trudeau and the CCF and uncover some surprises regarding the history of social democratic politics in la Belle Province.
Tune in next week for part two of our conversation as we post-mortem the campaigns of Jagmeet Singh, Niki Ashton, Charlie Angus and Guy Caron and take stock of the results of the NDP leadership race.
Consider the numbers:
More than 25,000,000 South Koreans live within range of nearly 14,000 pieces of conventional North Korean artillery. The likely human cost of a new Korean war is unthinkable with projections of 100,000 dead within 24 hours of the beginning of hostilities.
The unstable reality television host in the White House with full access to the nuclear codes has added a chaotic element to the tension on the Korean peninsula. The situation has become unpredictable and incredibly dangerous.
Investigative journalist Tim Shorrock has been writing about North and South Korea for The Nation magazine since the 1980's. In this conversation we discuss the very real nuclear threat posed by American political instability, assess the unthinkable human cost of a new Korean war and consider the role that countries like Canada have to play in resolving the nuclear crisis.
In 1968, a student-led initiative to bring improved medical services to Montreal’s working-class Point-Saint-Charles neighbourhood began. In collaboration with local residents, students from McGill University’s medicine, nursing and sociology programs established a new kind of community-based clinic connecting health and social problems with root causes.
In this special report, Ricochet’s Yasmin Hotter Ishay speaks with Geneviève Lambert Pilotte and Dr. Anna Kruzynski to explore the historical links between health, solidarity and gentrification at the Community Clinic of Point-Saint-Charles.
For more information on the Community Clinic of Pointe-Saint-Charles go to ccpsc.qc.ca
Music on this episode courtesy of local artist Goblin Butler.
In a recent piece at the National Post, Rex Murphy identifies Antifa as the contemporary face of Canadian fascism. But this week's guest thinks that Murphy’s comments against the anti-fascist activists are despicable, and that his position provides political cover for racist thugs
In this conversation Mike Palacek, President of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, explains why fighting back against racism and fascism is the right thing to do.
It's a land of big skies and brutal winters. A place of rugged individualism. A province where former Premier Ralph Klein once drunkenly leaned out the window of his government limo to throw crumpled bills at the homeless. So how does Alberta's unique culture inform the way that the NDP govern? How can a nominally socially democratic party support big oil? And can Rachel Notley's government actually win re-election in a hostile political climate? In this conversation, ex-activist and lifelong Albertan Brad Goertz provides a unique perspective on the political peculiarities of the province.
In this conversation Joel French, executive director of non-partisan advocacy group Public Interest Alberta, discusses Premier Rachel Notley's realpolitik approach to Kinder Morgan, considers levels of enthusiasm for federal NDP leadership candidates in the province and reflects on the successes, failures and contradictions of Alberta's first NDP government .
The Alberta NDP's historic 2015 victory was a direct result of a severely dysfunctional right wing political culture in the province. Despite a combined 51% of the vote, the Progressive Conservative and Wildrose parties won just 30 of the 86 seats in Edmonton’s legislature.
But a merger of the two parties this summer has led to rapprochement and an ongoing leadership campaign to head the United Conservative Party.
Major candidates Brian Jean and Jason Kenney are currently running even in the polls and while the Kenney campaign has been light on substance, Brian Jean has released a detailed, extensive and very frightening platform outlining an extremist vision for Alberta.
In this conversation, Joel French of advocacy group Public Interest Alberta discusses the leadership race and explains why the proposals in Jean's platform would be a disaster for the province.
Tóta Tánon Ohkwá:ri, a children’s TV show produced entirely in Kanien’kehá:ka, has been broadcasting on public access television on the Mohawk Nation territory of Kahnawà:ke for more than a decade.
The show, which includes live-action puppetry and animation, tells the story of Bear, a boy who learns about his community's traditions through the guidance of his Grandmother. There's also talking corn, squash and peas. It's pretty great.
But behind the felt and fun, with fewer than 200 Kanien’kehá:ka speakers out of a population of 8000 on Kahnawà:ke, there is an urgency to the show's mission.
In this conversation, Ricochet’s Yasmin Hotter Yishay speaks with Tóta Tánon Ohkwá:ri’s lead director and puppeteer Konwanénhon Marion Delaronde about her 13 years with the show and what her work has taught her about the importance of language preservation efforts.
For new and archived episodes of Tóta Tánon Ohkwá:ri, subscribe to the Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center channel on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUvYaGVSOnzfNrEuOumOAZw
On this 'Just for Laughs' Bonus Episode:
Canadian-American comic DeAnne Smith has been challenging audiences with her smart, cutting stand-up on TV and at festivals around the world since launching her comedy career in Montreal more than a decade ago.
Now she’s back, and performing a run of critically-acclaimed shows at this year’s edition of 'Just For Laughs'.
In this conversation we talk about America under Trump, put Trudeau under the microscope and play a round of ‘Name That Political Autobiography’.
For details on show times and tickets, go to
http://www.hahaha.com/en/show/deanne-smith
Christy Clark, outgoing Premier of an obscenely corrupt 15-year Liberal political dynasty in British Columbia, is headed to the opposition benches as the province prepares to welcome the first ecosocialist government in North American political history.
What is it about B.C.’s unique political culture that led to this moment? And what can we expect from this Green-NDP government?
Ricochet editor and co-founder Derrick O’Keefe joins us from Vancouver for this week's bonus episode of Unpacking the News.
Reaction to the reported $10.5 million settlement the Trudeau government will be paying to Omar Khadr indicates that Canadian racism runs deeper than the lazy xenophobia of a Kellie Leitch campaign.
In the first of a two-part conversation, Ricochet editor and co-founder Derrick O'Keefe joins Unpacking the News to talk about the political and media fallout over the settlement.
And, as the candidates met for their 5th debate in Saskatoon this week, we discuss the state of the race in the run-up to the October NDP leadership vote.
Last month, in a victory for the Algonquins of Barriere Lake, Quebec’s Superior Court rejected an appeal from Copper One Inc. against a government decision to deny the mining company a deforestation permit on provincial wildlife reserve La Vérendrye, located on unceded Indigenous territory.
But is the ruling against Big Mining only a temporary reprieve for the community? In this conversation, journalist and activist Matt Cicero joins me to discuss his recent article at ricochet.media.
For more information on how to support the Algonquins of Barriere Lake go to barrierelakesolidarity.org and defendersoftheland.org
Read more from Matt Cicero at stonesandsticksandwords.wordpress.com and check out his latest piece at Ricochet: https://ricochet.media/en/1871/court-denies-deforestation-permit-to-mining-company-in-algonquin-territory
In this conversation, Ricochet columnist Andrew Mitrovica suggests that the new Tory Boss is a lot like the old Tory Boss and that, with Andrew Scheer’s elevation to the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada, we can expect to see a continuation of Harper-era policies including soft bigotry and dog-whistle identity politics.
Plus, excerpts and analysis on recent pieces from Supriya Dwivedi, Barbara Kay and Michael Taube writing on Andrew Scheer for American conservative media outlet The National Review.
Check out Mitrovica's piece on the soft bigotry of Andrew Scheer at Ricochet: https://ricochet.media/en/1841/scheers-social-conservatism-is-code-for-bigotry
The conversation surrounding Hal Niedviecki's editorial and subsequent termination as editor of 'Write' magazine has highlighted the insularity of Canadian journalism from the broader social changes sweeping society.
Beyond all the noisy pundit rhetoric about free speech, are mainstream voices in media, journalism and CanLit prepared to discuss the deeper issues of history and identity at play in the debate over cultural appropriation?
In this conversation, Nickita Longman of Briarpatch magazine contrasts reactions from the Indigenous literary community and establishment Canadian journalism to the Niedzviecki affair, discusses Debra Huron’s call for legislation protecting Indigenous art forms and symbols from appropriation and talks about why Canada 150 is the right time to push hard for space in the national conversation to have these discussions.
Despite making up just 4% of the country’s population as a whole, Aboriginal and Indigenous people represent nearly a quarter of the population of the federal prison system.
As the number of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples in jail continues to increase, failure to address the issue is apparent at the highest levels of government.
Meanwhile, grassroots rehabilitation programs are becoming a critical resource for Indigenous communities in attempting to cope with the ongoing crisis.
In this conversation, Ricochet’s Yasmin Hother Yishay and Métis sociologist Elizabeth Fast discuss the impact of these community-driven initiatives.
Since the beginning of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, Rojava has been embarking on a radical experiment in socialism and direct democracy. A coalition of 4 million Arabs, Kurds, Assyrians and Turkmen groups are fighting to create a new society of secularism and gender equality on the frontlines of the conflict against ISIS.
Leftist volunteers from around the world, including dozens of Canadians, have joined the more than 50,000 militia defending Rojava as members of the International Freedom Battalion. One of them, 24 year old Nazzareno Tassone of Edmonton was killed in an ISIS attack last December.
Ricochet’s Jenna Cocullo, a Montreal-based journalist and activist, joined a memorial for Tassone at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Ottawa in January. In this conversation, she discusses the Canadian contribution to an underreported revolution.
The backlash in Quebec to Andrew Potter’s infamous Maclean’s column has generated a backlash of its own in English Canada. The pearl-clutching has come primarily from Canada's journalist class, who spent the week loudly accusing Quebecers of being overly sensitive to criticism. Of course, things look a lot different from inside the province.
In his recent article at Ricochet, Trevor Hanna writes that the Potter controversy emphasizes a long-running friction in the relationship between the Two Solitudes and highlights Quebecers’ sensitivity to cultural condescension.
In this conversation we take on the English Canadian media’s insularity problem, share a smart Twitter Essay from Tricia Wood of torontoist.com and push back against the Canadaland podcast’s very bad take on l’Affair Potter.
Is our sesquicentennial year an ideal time to grapple with the contradictions at the core of Canadian national identity?
Ricochet columnist Toula Drimonis weighs in on Québécois cynicism regarding this year's 150th birthday celebrations.
Jonathan Montpetit is a CBC reporter whose online series regarding Québec's neo-nationalist movement is required reading.
On this episode of Unpacking the News, he discusses his investigative reporting inside the province’s far right, and where these organizations fit in on the international spectrum of white power, fascism and neo-nationalism.
You can find his work here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-far-right-how-worried-should-we-be-1.3947183
Remember to leave a review of Unpacking the News on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. It'll help new listeners discover the show.
Then, tune in later this month for a conversation with Ricochet columnist Toula Drimonis on why some Québecers are less than enthusiastic about Canada's 150th birthday celebration this year.
With a projected production level of 890,000 barrels per day, the Kinder Morgan pipeline will have the same climate impact as adding more than 30 million new cars to Canada's roads.
Meanwhile, as a signatory to the Paris Climate Agreement the country has agreed to major cuts in CO2 emissions. These cuts are now enshrined in international law.
By attempting to reconcile these two realities, Justin Trudeay is trying to thread an impossible needle. So what is the Prime Minister's real priority?
In this conversation, grassroots climate activist Cameron Fenton of 350.org explains why, by ignoring the science and rejecting the math, the federal Liberal government's support of Kinder Morgan is playing in to a dangerous kind of climate denial.
Andrew Mitrovica is tired of America. He’s tired of America’s wars, its guns and of the routine convulsions of violence that cause death and destruction for innocents both domestically and around the world.
He’s also exhausted by this year’s Presidential contest, the politically rancid battle for power between the neoliberal establishment candidacy of Democrat Hilary Clinton and the insurgent campaign of a xenophobic, nativist Republican Party waged by human garbage fire Donald J. Trump.
In this conversation, the award-winning investigative journalist, and weekly Ricochet columnist, explains why Election Day on November 8th can’t come soon enough.
As winter descends on North Dakota, thousands of Native Americans from tribes around the U.S., as well as Canadian First Nations and other allies, continue to protest the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
The project, which will run through sacred sites and under the water supply of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, could also affect the water supply of as many as 25 million people in the event of an environmental disaster.
Leena Minifie, videographer and editor at Ricochet`s Indigenous Reporting Fund, recently joined the protest encampment outside of Canon Ball, North Dakota and has filed a video report at Ricochet Media. In this conversation, she discusses what she witnessed at the encampment.
For more background and historical context to this story, go to
http://www.ndstudies.org/resources/IndianStudies/standingrock/timeline_1889.html
To learn more about the ongoing fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline or for information on how to get involved check out the Indigenous Environmental Network at ienearth.org.
The Treaty 8 Justice for the Peace Caravan of Fort St. John, British Columbia arrived at the Federal Court of Appeals in Montreal last month completing a journey of more than 4200 kilometres. In this conversation, poet and social worker Helen Knott of Prophet River First Nations expands on her recent piece at Ricochet Media, explaining the grassroots opposition to the proposed Site C dam and what the court’s ruling could mean for treaty rights in Canada.
Lawyer, activist and former Green Party of Canada Justice Critic Dimitri Lascaris calls his party’s recently passed resolution on the Boycott, Divest and Sanction movement common sense.
In this conversation, he explains why, in the face of intense opposition from party leader Elizabeth May, the Greens’ BDS resolution has put it on the right side of history.
In a recently published piece at Ricochet, Andrew Mitrovica writes that over-the-top coverage of spending by civil servants and government ministers shows misplaced journalistic priorities.
In this conversation, he explains why he believes that Canada’s corporate media ignore the big scandals in favour of tabloid outrage.
This summer, downtown Montreal hosted the 13th annual World Social Forum with social movements, advocacy campaigns and NGOs from around the world meeting for 6 days of networking, teach-ins and solidarity-building events.
But in the lead up to the event, hundreds of global activists were denied visas by the Canadian government leading to lower-than-anticipated attendance at the Forum. The 2016 WSF failed to meet it's anticipated participation level of 50,000 attendees. The Forum was also widely ignored by Canada's mainstream media, leaving most Canadians in the dark about the nation's role in hosting a major global event.
In spite of these issues, many believe that the Forum can be considered a success.
To explain why, Ruby Irene Pratka, a Montreal-based journalist specializing in migration and the cultural community, reports on what she observed at the Forum.
A recent report from the right-wing Fraser Institute unwittingly makes the case against its own findings on public funding of private education in Canada.
In this conversation, Joel French, executive director of advocacy group Public Interest Alberta, expands on his recent article at Ricochet critiquing the study’s conclusions.
To find out more about Public Interest Alberta and their advocacy work, go to pialberta.org.
Founded in 2014 as a national public interest media outlet, Ricochet stands today as Canada's only bilingual, crowd-funded news source. On this episode, two of the co-founders, Gabrielle Brassard-Lecours and Ethan Cox from the French and English editions, discuss the experience of founding a new media outlet, talk about the project's origins in the 2012 Quebec Student Strike and reflect on Ricochet's growth over the past two years.
Since 2012’s student strike, police in the city of Montreal have been using a bylaw called P-6 to shut down peaceful protests and mass arrest participants. Critics have long argued that the bylaw was unconstitutional, and last month a Quebec Superior Court judge came to the same conclusion in a landmark ruling striking down controversial provisions of the bylaw.
Julien Villeneuve, aka Anarchopanda, is the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit which triggered the Superior Court ruling. Ethan Cox is an editor and co-founder of Ricochet, and has been covering this story since 2012. In this conversation, they discuss what the end of this dark and embarrassing chapter in Quebec's history means for the state of civil liberties in Montreal.
After more than a decade in the political wilderness, the Liberal government of Newfoundland and Labrador came to power last November with nearly 60% of the vote.
But a controversial austerity budget, a document that depends on dramatic cuts to health, education and social services, has provoked protest and widespread condemnation from across the province just seven months into the government's mandate.
In this conversation, journalist Cory Collins explains the rapid decline in support for Premier Dwight Ball’s Liberal government amidst the social and political fallout of the 2016 Budget.
Indigenous community organizations in Quebec are joining forces to create the First Peoples Justice Centre of Montreal.
In this conversation, journalist Tina Tenneriello discusses how the Centre aims to address Aboriginal over-representation in Canadian jails by helping them to navigate the justice system- or avoid it all together.
The Energy East pipeline has dominated the national conversation for years, but in recent months an overlapping series of legal developments have led to some confusion outside Quebec.
In this conversation, Karine Péloffy , General Director of the Quebec Center for Environmental Law, gives us a summary of Energy East`s legal issues in the province.